Bodyhold (Columbia Pictures) (1949)

Bodyhold’ Goes Behind Scenes In Expose of Wrestling Racket A behind-the-scenes tour of the wrestling racket that rips the wraps off the grunt-and-groan sport is offered in Columbia’s “Bodyhold,” coming to the Willard Parker, Lola Albright, Hillary Brooke and Allen Jenkins hold down the top roles. Dressing-room secrets of the wrestling ring are bared in this heart-slamming drama _ which shows how a wrestling champ is built up and how the threering circus that is wrestling is operated. The _ story relates how Parker, a husky plumber, is lured into the grunt-andgroan racket, conned by Miss Brooke’s brittle blonde beauty. It seems that Roy Roberts, who is the promoter, needs a new boy, having just discarded the old champ in brutal fashion. Parker catches on in the catch-as-catch-can game and soon is contending, under the shrewd auspices of Roberts, for the championship. He foils a double-cross in the ring, and with the money restores the * former champ to health and then wins Miss Albright. Some of the outstanding exponents of the stranglehold are paraded in “Bodyhold.” Ed (Strangler) Lewis, former world’s heavyweight champion Cree Loree oe and a pack of pachyderms of the wrestling ring are seen in the film. George Bricker penned the screen play of “Bodyhold.” Seymour Friedman directed for producer Rudolph C. Flothow. 5 Wrestling Greats Seen in "Bodyhold’ There were more _ technical advisers on the set of Columbia’s “Stranglehold,” dramatic expose of the wrestling racket now at the Theatre, in which Willard Parker, Lola Albright, and Hillary Brooke and Allen Jenkins have the leading roles, than any multi-million dollar epic ever boasted. No less than five great names of the wrestling world appear in the picture. ee ee) Included among the _ ring greats are Ed “Strangler” Lewis, who wrestled for 44 years and won the _ world’s heavyweight championship five times; Billy Varga, ex-junior heavyweight champ; Sammy Menacker, leading heavyweight contender; Wee Willie Davis, 6 foot 6, 280-pound menace, and “Bomber” Kulkovich, who has been wrestling for fifteen years. “"Bodyhold" Mat 2-A; Still No. 32 THE LAW CLOSES IN on crooked wrestling promoter Roy Roberts as Allen Jenkins, Frank Sully, Lola Albright and Willard Parker watch in ''Bodyhold," Columbia's inside story of the grunt-and-groan racket at the ae ee Theatre. Copyright 1950 Columbia Pictures Corp. Mat 1-A; Still No. 14 WILLARD PARKER gets a ''Bodyhold" on Bomber Kulkovich in Columbia Pictures’ expose of the wrestling racket currently playing at the.......... i ccnagee Theatre. All Wrestling Holds Bared in ‘Bodyhold’ Sam Balter, famed West Coast sports authority and radio announcer, appears in Columbia’s “Bodyhold,” gripping expose of the wrestling racket now at the Theatre. Balter played his part of an expert sports announcer to perfection as he is familiar with every hold he called in his commentary for the screen wrestling match. Willard Parker, Lola Albright, Hillary Brooke and Allen Jenkins are seen in featured roles in “Bodyhold” which Seymour Friedman di rected from George Bricker’s screen play for producer Rudolph C. Flothow. OFFICIAL BILLING BODYHOLD New Film Hit Rips the Wraps Off Gangland Wrestling Ring Taking the onlooker behind scenes for an intimate peek at the wrestling racket, Columbia Pictures has come up with a heart-slamming drama _ that captures all the color of the grunt and groan game _ in “Bodyhold.” Crammed with body-slamming action and not without its comedy, “Bodyhold” maintained a tight hold on the Theatre’s audience it was on the every minute screen. The story of “Bodyhold” describes the operations of a “stable”..of. wrestlers, exposing how the terrific “punishment” administered in the ring is well-planned in advance by the promoter who decides who shall win and who shall lose. When the current champ of the grapplers is dethroned by decree of the promoter, Willard Parker is inveigled into the wrestling racket by blonde siren Hillary Brooke, the promoter’s girl friend. Parker, whose rugged build proves equal to the brutal demands of the ring, is given a build-up as part of his grooming to inherit the mantle of the championshihp. But the sordid way in which the former champ was beaten, and crippled, by the wrestling combine, prompts lovely Lola Albright, his sister, to bring to light the treacherous way in which the promoter handled his wrestler. Although nobody will listen, at first, eventually Parker wins the championship and restores the crippled wrestler to health and prominence in the mat sport. Parker decides to retire to marry the girl. Parker’s. magnificently proportioned body makes him ideal for the role; Miss Albright makes a lovely heroine, Miss Brooke is a_ slinky feminine menace and Allen Jenkins puts punch into the laughs. with —1l00% Willard Lola Hillary Allen PARKER ¢ ALBRIGHT BROOKE ¢ JENKINS —50% Written by George Bricker —1l0% Directed by SEYMOUR FRIEDMAN —15% Produced by RUDOLPH C. FLOTHOW A COLUMBIA PICTURE —25% COLUMBIA PRESS BOOK George Bricker’s screen play was directed by Seymour Friedman for producer Rudolph C. Flothow. Learned Wrestling For ‘Bodyhold’ Role Willard Parker has been out of school a long time, but he just recently learned his ABC’s. Arm-locks, body-slams and cradle-holds, that is. Parker has the leading role in Columbia’s “Stranglehold,” behind-the-scenes story of the wrestling racket in which he is teamed with Lola Albright, Hillary Brooke and Allen JenWeainsBE NE ses ease =e Theatre. The script calls for him to rise from the status of a newcomer to the sport, to the champion’s throne. At least the first part of those requirements was true to life. Although he is an accomplished athlete (Parker was a tennis ace on Ellsworth Vines’ teaching staff) he never tangled with wrestling. But he’s made up for that by now. For the sake of his art, Willard went through daily workouts with former junior heavyweight wrestling champion Billy Varga, picking up the fine points of the strenuous sport. “IT discovered muscles. I never knew I owned,” says the six foot-five Parker. And believe me, every one of them works in this little game. At the end of a day I felt as if I have been tenderly massaged by a _ bulldozer.” Varga, who has been wrestling _ professionally for ten years, says that Parker picked up the tricks of the trade faster than any novice he ever met. “Comes a depression in acting, he could star in any ring.” “Bodyhold” was written by George Bricker. Seymour Friedman directed for producer Rudolph C. Flothow. Wrestling Film Here Columbia’s “Bodyhold,” a blistering expose of the wrestling racket, will open ........ at the Theatre. Willard Parker, Lola Albright, Hillary Brooke and Allen Jenkins have the principal roles. George Bricker’s screen play was directed by Seymour Friedman. Rudolph C. Flothhow produced. Printed in U.S.A.