Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrestler Who Created American Pop Culture (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Capouya (Real Men Do Yoga) affectionately chronicles the life of the infamous Gorgeous George Wagoner. Born in 1915, Wagoner learns the ropes as a grappling carny at Sylvan Beach Amusement Park near Houston. During a stint on the grunt-and-groan circuit in Oregon, the wrestler meets his future wife Betty Hanson, whose handiness with textiles and hair dye transforms the likable babyface into a gender-bending aristocrat of the ring, a heel whom crowds love to hate. His antics off the mat (Wagoner holds all his press conferences in local beauty shops where he has his tresses marcelled before matches) and on (George takes 10 minutes to fold and refold his robe between perfumings) whips jeering crowds into frenzies. The histrionic, inexpensively staged sport proved, between 1948 and 1955, to be a perfect fit for the new medium of television. Although some of his psychoanalysis feels gratuitous, Capouya vividly portrays the ins and outs of wrestling and his own struggle to maintain the Gorgeousness of a public life in his private life as well. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

In the post–Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant world, pro rasslers from the days of grainy black-and-white TV may seem a boring lot. Not the redoubtable Gorgeous George (né George Wagner), with his elaborate, platinum blond–dyed coiffure (held in place by gold-plated “Georgie pins”); pompous manner; and effete ways. Needless to say, his gaudy persona inflamed the sexually paranoid pro-wrestling audience of the 1940s and ’50s, making George a huge (for the day) media star. Later bad-guy wrestlers like Brutus Beefcake owe much to George’s groundbreaking exploration of over-the-top flamboyance in the “squared circle.” Capouya tells George’s story in well-researched detail, showing how the creation of the “Gorgeous” persona was carefully planned and cultivated by George and wife Betty and stood in stark contrast to the personality of George Wagner. In many ways, Gorgeous George superficially resembled Liberace, but that resemblance ended immediately beneath the image. As a show-biz bio and, for those who subscribe to a loose definition of sport, a sports bio, too, this is great stuff, entertaining and well referenced. --Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Entertainment; 1st edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061173037
• ISBN-13: 978-0061173035
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #482,173 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blast From the Past, December 1, 2008

By	A. McDonald "Local History Buff" (Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was never a big "rasslin'" fan myself but my grandpa and my younger brother were. I remember staying overnight at my grandparents' house and because our bed was made in the living room my sister and I had to stay awake while Grandpa watched the Saturday night rasslin'. He took my little brother to see Gorgeous George in person in our town during the late 1950's and they talked about it for weeks. Last summer when our family was creating a memory book about the way we remembered our grandparents, now long gone, and my brother (60 years old himself) immediately said he wanted to include the story about seeing Gorgeous George. It was the only time he had seen Grandpa get riled up. I bought this book to give my brother for Christmas. I had hoped there would be more about the days, late in his career, when he wrestled in small southwest towns. I was disappointed there was nothing much about those days but I did enjoy being reminded about an era long forgotten. I guess I was paying more attention to the TV than I thought I was because I sure remembered a lot of it. It pretty well researched and easy to read. The photos are great.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Memories of times passed, September 29, 2008

By	RusticBK (Gillett, WI USA) - See all my reviews

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In the early days of TV in my life, I remember my aged aunt sitting in her mohair chair screaming in Swedish at the small, black and white image of Gorgeous George prancing across the screen. What she said, I'd not wish to repeat, but it did have some reflections on his parents and some mention of bodily functions. Otherwise, my aunt was prim and proper... we kids would sit out stunned at what we were hearing. This book does some justice to George, but doesn't quite get ot the impact on small town middle American as I recollect it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous George...Ulitmate wrestler....Ultimate Book!, September 29, 2008

By	GEORGE SCHIRE (Oakdale, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Today's fans of the WWE's "entertainment" version of Professional Wrestling now have a chance to read about how the kayfabe era of the business was. For fans of that generation, mention Gorgeous George, and the stories start to unfold. Author John Capouya absolutely reveals the way it was, and shows all of us a Gorgeous George that even the most rabid fans did not know.

His account of George's career is chronicled in a way that is easy to follow, and he end's up giving us a book that is hard to put down.

As I read through his account of George's ups and downs, I felt like I was back sitting ringside again, watching the "Human Orchi" strut his stuff in the squared circle....and I could almost see him throwing those gold "Georgie Pins" to the crowd.

John also gives us an insightful personal side to George Wagner, who lived the life, and sadly boozed it all away. John's research and homework into George's background is to be commended.

Over the last decade, there have been many excellant books published on pro wrestling.....but John's book is "The Main Event". It is a must read, and one that you will read again, and again.