by John Capouya
In Betty’s account, bolstered by Cherie’s own rancorous recollections, the first wife played the babyface, and the second one the heel. When Betty started shedding a few quiet tears in the chapel, Cherie was in no mood. In later interviews she offered this bitter but nonetheless well-constructed denunciation: “His first wife, you would have sworn to God that death had yanked him out of her arms on their honeymoon. When the cameras hit on her, she went into a sobbing routine you couldn’t possibly believe.” When the crowd moved to Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood for the interment, Cherie was furious when she caught sight of the small rectangular bronze plaque Betty and Carol had ordered. It was inscribed: Love to Our Daddy, Gorgeous George, Carol and Don—no mention of Cherie and George’s son, Gary. Equally galling was the carved George Wagner on the plaque, memorializing the Gorgeous One with the last name Betty had known him by, not the one Cherie shared. So when a mortuary employee handed Betty the biggest bouquet from atop the grave, Cherie strode over. “I happen to be Mrs. George,” she declared, “and I want some of those flowers.” Dead and in the ground, George continued to get heat. One hopes he knew peace as well.
Back in the Wilshire Chapel, the coffin with its brass fixtures had lain on a raised platform in the middle of the front of the room. It was indeed painted orchid, the lavender wood gleaming under a high polish. The bottom two-thirds of the box were closed and covered with a layer of purple orchids. The top third of the box was open, though, the little door swung ajar. As you drew close you could see George’s magnificent head framed in the opening and almost filling it, his golden hair beautifully and ornately marcelled. When her turn came to lean over the casket and look at George’s face for the last time, Cherie reached down and snipped off a lock of his hair; this might have been the one she later sold to the Long Island collector.
For once, George was not in motion—not strutting, not wrestling, not getting his beautiful hairdo mangled by some unkind babyface, or animatedly talking himself up to whoever would listen—so on this day his curls kept their perfect array. And yes, there were Georgie pins in place, gleaming their pretense at gold. Anyone looking for traces of the original George, the young and handsome black-haired wrestler with the earnest demeanor and the humble ambition of making a living in the ring, would have been disappointed. George’s deathly pallor and the liberal covering of facial makeup put him at yet another remove, two incarnations away, from the Wagner boy he’d been. George Wagner was just a man, while Gorgeous George, the costumed, contrived creature lying still in the chapel was—and looked every inch—a sensation.
True fans and friends, as well as the family members filing past, recognized the robe. He wore the George Washington, his absolute favorite, the first Kay Cantonwine creation. It was tailored in gleaming satin, a true purple that was darker than orchid, bought at her favorite specialty fabric store in New York City. In its slim fit George, who’d been widening, looked more vertical than he had in some time. The white lace with silver embroidery at the end of his sleeves wasn’t visible, but through the open coffin door one could see the high collar of white ruffles that rose behind George’s head and ran down his lapels, lending the wearer an air that was both dandyish and dignified, an effect that the robe’s namesake—the earlier revolutionary George with a massive head—might have quite fancied. The front of this dress uniform was festooned with hammered silver buttons the size and shape of silver dollars, set in neat, symmetrical rows. With them in place, the femininity of the soft-textured, voluptuous fabric was counterbalanced by a sharply masculine, military cast. Like the great wrestling showman himself, the robe he rested in combined elements and meanings that seemed not just disparate but diametrically opposed, and somehow resolved them. These were the contradictions the Gorgeous One embodied and embraced, that only he could so comfortably contain.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I owe an enormous debt to Betty Wagner George, the wrestling showman’s widow and his Gorgeous inspiration. Without her shared memories and generous friendship, this would be a very different and lesser book. I’m very grateful.
Carol, George and Betty’s daughter, was also most generous and candid in supporting my efforts, and I offer her my sincere appreciation.
J Michael Kenyon, probably the world’s foremost wrestling historian—and indubitably a world-class character—began providing invaluable assistance to a writer he knew not at all as soon as he heard there was a Gorgeous George book project in the works. Since then he’s become a friend as well as an esteemed colleague; his contributions to this book are profound, as are my thanks.
Two extremely important people in the life of this book are my agent, Paul Bresnick, who believed in this quirky idea, supported my efforts, and found the right editor: Doug Grad, who got Gorgeousness, bought it, and then brought it into literary being. I’m grateful to you both.
Tom Burke, historian, expert, and passionate fan of wrestling’s golden age, gave invaluable support and guidance.
Many thanks also to Mike Lano, wrestling photographer, chronicler, and key collaborator.
Evan Ginzburg; Fred Hornby, the creator of the Gorgeous George record book; and Jeffrey Archer were all instrumental in this book’s completion and made the job that much more enjoyable. Steve Yohe was also very generous with his insights and advice.
Kudos to tireless and accurate reporter Christine Galea.
Many thanks also to Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson, wise men and prolific wrestling authors of SLAM! Sports and SLAM! Pro Wrestling, and to Scott Teal, who runs the Crowbar Press.
My appreciation also goes to George Rugg, curator of the Joyce Sports Research Collection at Notre Dame, which includes the papers of wrestling promoter Jack Pfefer.
The officers and members of the Cauliflower Alley Club, the wrestlers’ alumni organization and benevolent society, have been most helpful from this project’s inception. May you continue to do good work and sustain the memory, and the fans, of wrestling’s golden age.
Likewise, John Pantozzi, Tony Vellano, and Dr. Bob Bryla of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, New York, are keepers of the flame, friendly and unfailingly helpful.
Thank you very much, Elizabeth and Brenda Brown, daughters of George’s best friend, Jake Brown, aka Jefferies the valet.
Thanks to Brenda Cantonwine, Kay Cantonwine, and Betty Cantonwine for sharing your recollections.
And to Don Arnold and Ardath Michaels for their stories, hospitality, and support.
I’d also like to acknowledge the generous assistance of:
Gene LeBell, Mike LeBell, and Jeff Walton for their remembrances of the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, and Theo Ehret for his photos and remembrances.
Television historian David Marc; Thomas Hackett, author of the wrestling book Slaphappy; and Thomas Hauser, author of Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times.
Filmmakers Claude and Dale Barnes, creators of the documentary Gorgeous George, who shared some of their filmed interviews.
For their cultural insights and encouragement, my sincere thanks to Ishmael Reed and John Waters.
Of the many who helped me to discover and understand George Wagner’s early years, I’d like to single out former wrestling referee Tommy Fooshee, Houston historian Mary Vargo, and Penny Schraub and Warren Walker for their Harrisburg memories. Thank you as well to the staff of the Texas Room at the Houston Public Library and Wallace Saage of the Houston Heritage Society.
Thank you also to the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, the Lane County (Oregon) Historical Society, and Carol Anne Swatling at the UNLV library.
Others I would like to thank for their assistance and reminiscences include: Bob Kurtz; Marc Greb; Ferdie Pacheco; Andy Stephanides, the son of Ali Bey, the Terrible Turk; Pat Gray, the Georges’ former nanny, and her husband, Virgil Gray; Sallee McShain; Chet James of Beaumont, California; Bert Sugar; James Melby; Dave Burzynski; Shaun Assael; Jeff Leen, biographer of lady wrestler Mildred Burke; and editorial assistant Amanda Braddock.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Victor Iannuzzi for his psychological insights.
Of course I owe a huge literary and personal debt to the boys, as they are known, the former professional wrestlers who shared their memories of George and their experiences in the grunt-and-groan game. Including the lady wrestlers, naturally, they are:
Red Bastien; Dick Beyer, the Destroyer; Tony Borne; Johnny Buff; Pete Burr; Tito Carreon; Tiger Conway Jr.; Billy Darnell; Tom Drake; Don Fargo; Al Fridell; Verne Gagne; Leo Garibaldi; Bob Geigel; Don Leo Jonathan; Killer Kowalski; Ted Lewin; Donn Lewin; Ida Mae Martinez; the Fabulous Moolah (the late Lillian Ellison); Sputnik Monroe; Jessica Rogers; Sweet Daddy Siki; Dick Steinborn; Paul “The Butcher” Vachon; Maurice “The Mad Dog” Vachon; Count Billy Varga; and Billy Wicks.
I wasn’t able to interview the late champion Lou Thesz, but his memoir, Hooker, was a valuable and enjoyable source.
I’m extremely grateful to my friends and colleagues who read the manuscript and offered their shrewd critiques and welcome encouragement: Jerry Adler, John Atwood, David Friedman, John Leland, Hugo Lilienfeld, and Eric Messinger.
My wife, Suzanne, the Gorgeous One, was an insightful reader and an inspiring believer (not to mention a great photo editor). “Thank you” doesn’t seem adequate, but you know what and how much I mean by that phrase.
About the Author
JOHN CAPOUYA is a professor of journalism and writing at the University of Tampa. He was formerly an editor at Newsweek, the New York Times, SmartMoney magazine, and New York Newsday, among other places. He is the author of Real Men Do Yoga and has contributed to numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated, Travel & Leisure, and Life. He and his wife, the artist and photo editor Suzanne Williamson, live in Tampa and New York City.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Credits
Jacket design by Tom Lau
Jacket photographs by John Pantozzi
Copyright
Some images not available for electronic edition.
GORGEOUS GEORGE. Copyright © 2008 by John Capouya. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Mobipocket Reader August 2008 ISBN 978-0-06-170108-5
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
