Mike Lano’s Canvas Cavity

One Of Many Reasons We Attend

If we had a legendary females Mt. Rushmore, with any number of athletes represented; who’d you pick after June Byers and Mildred Burke? Possibly Penny Banner, Moolah, Mae Young, Judy Grable, Nell Stewart, Ella Waldeck, Betty Nicolli, Vivian Vachon; Lioness Asuka, Chigusa, Manami Toyota, Bull Nakano, Akira Hokuto, Mariko Yoshida (and we’ve not yet mentioned Lucha and European stars yet like Hermanas Moreno)? Email your choices to wrealano@aol.com, and you’ll be credited here.

Mildred Burke

CAC’s seminar/lecturer/ring announcer AJ Kirsch made the Wall Street Journal’s front page in an article highlighting his live-stream Twitch-channel fitness classes that can benefit anyone. This MLW TV-booth commentator(BeIn Network)supports his family this way until shows are held again. CAC’s Geoff Winningham just republished his incredible 1972 book “Friday Night At The Coliseum” on Houston wrestling with his eye-popping revolutionary photos. He only shot for a few months, but changed how action was captured by most of us for decades after using unique angles. It’s@geoffwinningham.com and he had unprecedented access to/from promoter Paul Boesch who told the boys to call him “Professor” since Geoff taught at Rice University. Paul was an early proponent-attendee of CAC and close Mike Mazurki friend actually telling Geoff to get in the ring and photograph the boys during their introductions!

We recently lost two major names amidst others. Kamala(James Harris) and Regis Philbin. CAC had given “the Ugandan Headhunter” a substantial sum to help his major medical issues that cost him his legs and nearly his farm. I’d known James for years and wherever he worked from Otto Wanz’ Catch and UK’s Joint Promotions, to Bill Watt’s Mid-South; everyone agreed he was one of the nicest wrestlers ever backstage, often playing checkers or cribbage, smiling while beating you. CAC’s Jerry Lawler and his Memphis boss Jerry Jarrett took CAC honoree Frankie Cain’s rough Kimala concept and finessed it into the headhunter/Idi Amin bodyguard character. His first manager as Kamala was our own JJ Dillon who claimed on TV he’d discovered him on one of his excursions (cough) to Africa. Kamala had more managers than most with everyone from Great Mephisto/Cain to Blassie, Albano briefly (as a babyface), Gary Hart, Baron Von Raschke, Sika and Montreal’s Eddie Creatchman. During his run in the WWF, he feuded with Hogan, Andre, Savage, Warrior, Undertaker and more. We’re devastated he passed so young.

Regis’ non-stop string of daytime TV shows began in San Diego on ABC’s-KOGO affiliate in 1962. He’d attended several Jules Strongbow cards and was such a fan of thenheel Fred Blassie that he had Fred on several times plus Dick Beyer. Years later for a bigger ABC network in Los Angeles(and even when Regis cohosted Joey Bishop’s late night show attempting to “pin” Carson’s Tonight Show on NBC), Regis brought Fred back several times and Fred gave him a Brass Knucks honorary wrestling plaque onair. Regis would often work-tease Blassie trying to get him to break character, sometimes even trying to mess up his hair. Things went south once as Regis accidentally caught his finger in Fred’s fancy jacket button-hole. Fred jumped up too quickly while pretending to act outraged and somehow Regis’ finger became legit broken. Often when Fred returned to Regis’ New York Syndicated Live! Show, he’d

boast he’d “done it on purpose.”After Fred turned face not long before we lost him, Regis teased him on his last Live! Appearance. Working Fred back into a mock-lather saying “I’m not buying the nice guy act and you’re NOT the Hollywood Fashion Plate!” They always played well off each other and Fred’s “show-homeruns” led to Hogan, Austin, The Rock, Bret Hart, Edge and many others appearing later until Regis retired. When Dick Beyer was first on in 1963, he gave Regis one of his famous Destroyer masks and Regis conducted the rest of the interview “with the sock on!” Both Blassie and Destroyer/Dr X/Dick always marveled when asked about their decades-long friendship with Philbin.

A young Regis Philbin & Freddie Blassie Regis once nearly accidentally exposed the biz taping his TV show in July 1981 while covering Lawrence Welk’s annual golf tournament (co-chaired by Jimmy Lennon). Welk asked Jimmy to bring wrestlers who golfed like John Tolos, Louie Tillet and Dale Lewis each year. When Regis arrived, he saw his pal Blassie, and shoved a mike in his face. Both later told me that Fred said “ixnay” since he was trying to kayfabe being there. On our TV for weeks, Fred had been shown in a St. John’s Hospital bed (where they taped a bunch of segments). Selling blindness after his longtime rival Tolos had thrown Monsel’s Powder into his eyes while Fred accepted his Wrestler of the Year trophy from announcing legend Dick Lane at KCOP-TV-13. “Reege, I’m supposed to be hospitaled this week. Not having fun golfing. Don’t air that.” Regis didn’t thankfully and one of wrestling’s greatest angles ever lead to a huge house of 28,000+ the following month with Blassie getting revenge on Tolos at an outdoor L.A. Coliseum spectacular (normally home to Rams NFL games and USC/UCLA college football). Underneath, other longtime global feuds like Sheik - Bobo Brazil, Mil Mascaras - El Solitario, Shibuya & Masa Saito - Gordman & Goliath and much more. Most

have been honored by or attended CAC like Tolos, Mascaras, Shibuya and of course Fred. Fred even tried to get Philbin to our NY ancillary-CAC in 1998. Regis verified that to me on my radio show in 2003 saying “I didn’t want to take attention away from the boys at their own event. But I really wanted to go see Fred and Dick Beyer!” Regis really appreciated that as we all do.

‘Hollywood’ Jeanne Basone with fellow GLOW pal Cheryl Rusa have been CAC regulars since the 90’s. After GLOW, they sought additional training, wrestled everywhere and have worked steadily in film and TV. Jeannie’s also tirelessly helped those in-need plus recently received global acclaim for her hand-made, hypoallergenic HollywoodBotanika.com soaps for people and pets. Some resemble actual coral, Italian marble and fruit sculptures. Her quality biz skyrocketed since now everyone washes their hands more. Jeannie also wrote the forward on legendary wrestler Elvira Snodgrass for John Cosper’s new book “The Ballad of Cousin Elvira.” John’s also a CAC regular with

Jeanne Basone

books on David Schultz and Tracy Smothers. Photo: Mike Lano

DR. MIKE LANO

Alameda, California

Historian and retired dentist Dr Mike’s been a wrestling magazine photographer/writer since the 60’s also covering boxing, MMA and rock and comedy concerts besides his tv/film newspaper column and national radio show work.