Racket Girls (1951)

A money launderer uses women's wrestling as a front for his illegal activities, but earns the enmity of a powerful mobster.

Director:

Robert C. Dertano

Stars:

Peaches Page, Timothy Farrell, Clara Mortensen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peaches Page	...	'Peaches' Page
Timothy Farrell	...	Umberto Scalli
Clara Mortensen	...	Clara Mortensen, World Champion
Rita Martínez	...	Rita Martinez, Champion of Mexico
Muriel Gardner	...	Ruby McKenzie
Don Ferrara	...	Joe the Jockey
Matt Douglas	...	Ronnie, a Mobster
Paul Merton	...	Monk, the Book-keeper
Bruce Spencer	...	Eddie, a Gangster
Tony Zarro	...	Lefty, a Mobster
Mary Jean Walker	...	Jackie, a Bookie
William Lamont	...	Senate Investigator
Phil Bernard	...	Mr. Big, the Gang Leader
Jimmy Lennon Sr.	...	Jimmy Lennon
Phil Solomon	...	Phil Solomon, Wrestling Referee

Storyline

Scalli is a gangster who manages women wrestlers as a front for his bookmaking, drug, and prostitution rackets. He trusts the wrong people and ends up trying to run away from both the police and mysterious mob boss Mr. Big, to whom he owes $35,000. This film features real-life wrestlers Peaches Page, Clara Mortensen (world champion wrestler), and Rita Martinez (champion of Mexico).

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Plot Keywords:

wrestling | women's wrestling | gangster | psychotronic | masked wrestler | 

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Taglines:

WOMEN GAMBLED HONOR - MEN PROMISED LOVE

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Blonde Pickup

Filming Locations:

Quality Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arena Productions, Screen Classics (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min 68 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

George Weiss had Rita Martínez affect a thick Mexican accent because her real voice was "too American".

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Goofs

When Scalia chastises Joe the shadow of the boom mic is visible on the gym wall.

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Quotes

Joe the Jockey: And don't forget about me. I'm Joe.
Peaches Page: Hi, Joe. You're cute.
Joe the Jockey: I get it - anything that is small is cute. Well, that's me.
Peaches Page: Don't you know? Good things come in small packages.
Joe the Jockey: [openly staring at Peaches' breasts] Not to my way of thinking.

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Connections

Featured in Extra Weird (2003)

User Reviews

"When Ed Wood saw this movie, it's like when Truffaut saw 'Citizen Kane'!"

And there you have it, in one of the choicer remarks from the MST3K version, one of their proudest moments. (God, I miss them.) A bad movie that opens up the possibilities of bad movie-making to other bad movie makers, featuring large-breasted but decidedly unsexy female wrestlers stranded amid a ridiculous sports-crime milieu. Timothy Farrell, the lead, was in fact a member of Wood's stock company, and his performance is actually one of the movie's more professional -- though Muriel Gardner, as his hard-bitten secretary, actually manages to get something like a performance going, and Peaches Page, a real-life wrestler, at least seems like a nice lady. With stock footage, stock music, and even inept camera setups, it would be a laughfest even without the MST commentary, but their bon mots transform it into something special. As Crow opines during an endless scene of a large-breasted female wrestler throwing a ball over and over: "This movie is refreshingly itself."