A film about professional wrestling that is so bad it needs to be seen to be believed, this Republic programmer has limited appeal outside of fans of the good old sport that even had fans in fur laden socialites, little old ladies and little boys so influenced by Gorgeous George's audacity that they turned the sport into a form of masculine drag. This is the typical racketeers trying to take over the career of a successful newcomer and the crime element it causes, including murder. Robert Rockwell is the police lieutenant trying to help keep the violent sport clean, with Barbara Fuller and Audrey Long the feminine aspect of the plot (Fuller's French accent is just ghastly!) and James Nolan the lead racketeer. Gorgeous George, playing himself, reminds me of those obviously fake wrestlers who invaded syndicated television years later where it was obvious that every thrown pun was fake. In this case, the only fake is his attempt to pretend to be an actor. This is barely passable as early cheap television, let alone a film released in movie theaters.
Review of Alias the Champ
Alias the Champ
(1949)
His clothes, robe and hairdo are the least of Gorgeous George's troubles.
1 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers