Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrestler Who Created American Pop Culture
By John Capouya
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
This is the first-ever biography of the legendary wrestler Gorgeous George, filled with incredible never-before-told stories. George directly influenced the likes of Muhammad Ali, who took his bragging and boasting from George; James Brown, who began to wear sequined capes onstage after seeing George on TV; John Waters, whose films featured the outrageous drag queen Divine as an homage to George; and too many wrestlers to count. Amid these pop culture discoveries are firsthand accounts of the pro wrestling game from the 1930s to the 1960s.
The ideal American male used to be stoic, quiet, and dignified. But for a young couple struggling to make ends meet, in the desperation born of the lingering Depression and wartime rationing, an idea was hatched that changed the face of American popular culture, an idea so bold, so over-the-top and absurd, that it was perfect. That idea transformed journeyman wrestler George Wagner from a dark-haired, clean-cut good guy to a peroxide-blond braggart who blatantly cheated every chance he got. Crowds were stunned—they had never seen anything like this before—and they came from miles around to witness it for themselves.
Suddenly George—guided by Betty, his pistol of a wife—was a draw. With his golden tresses grown long and styled in a marcel, George went from handsome to . . . well . . . gorgeous overnight, the small, dank wrestling venues giving way to major arenas. As if the hair wasn't enough, his robes—unmanly things of silk, lace, and chiffon in pale pinks, sunny yellows, and rich mauves—were but a prelude to the act: the regal entrance, the tailcoat-clad valet spraying the mat with perfume, the haughty looks and sneers for the "peasants" who paid to watch this outrageously prissy hulk prance around the ring. How they loved to see his glorious mane mussed up by his manly opponents. And how they loved that alluringly alliterative name . . . Gorgeous George . . . the self-proclaimed Toast of the Coast, the Sensation of the Nation!
All this was timed to the arrival of that new invention everyone was talking about—television. In its early days, professional wrestling and its larger-than-life characters dominated prime-time broadcasts—none more so than Gorgeous George, who sold as many sets as Uncle Miltie.
Fans came in droves—to boo him, to stick him with hatpins, to ogle his gowns, and to rejoice in his comeuppance. He was the man they loved to hate, and his provocative, gender-bending act took him to the top of the entertainment world. America would never be the same again.
John Capouya
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.
Read more from John Capouya
Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrestler Who Created American Pop Culture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Real Men Do Yoga: 21 Star Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Strength, Flexibility and Peak Performance Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the Sunshine Band Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Gorgeous George
Related ebooks
Smokin' Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Death of WCW, The Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling’s Rebel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mad Dog: The Maurice Vachon Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPro Wrestling Hall of Fame, The: Heroes and Icons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, The: The Tag Teams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Steve Williams: How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ted DiBiase Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Animal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cross Rhodes: Goldust, Out of the Darkness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Walking a Golden Mile Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Legends of Wrestling: "Classy" Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Adventures in Larryland! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of how Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIt's Good to Be the King...Sometimes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Terry Funk: More Than Just Hardcore Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMat Memories: My Wild Life in Pro Wrestling, Country Music, and with the Mets Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNational Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Professional Wrestling Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Death of the Territories: Expansion, Betrayal and the War that Changed Pro Wrestling Forever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, The: The Heels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHacksaw: The Jim Duggan Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chokehold: Pro Wrestling's Real Mayhem Outside the Ring Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBacklund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling's World Champion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5King of New Orleans, The: How the Junkyard Dog Became Professional Wrestling’s First Black Superstar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Capitol Revolution: The Rise of the McMahon Wrestling Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sting: The Unfortunate Final Chapter of the Wrestling Legend’s WWE Run Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Sports Biographies For You
InSideOut Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5MOX Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tiger Woods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dreamseller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ball Four Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slash Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5LeBron Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Endure: How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unguarded Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNile Wilson: My Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yes Please Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Baseball 100 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a Master Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saban: The Making of a Coach Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Open Heart, Open Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Gorgeous George
4 ratings0 reviews