Lipstick and Dynamite, Piss and Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling
Encyclopedia
Lipstick and Dynamite, Piss and Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling (often referred to as Lipstick and Dynamite) is a 2005
documentary film
about the early days of women's professional wrestling
in North America. It was directed by Ruth Leitman, who interviewed The Fabulous Moolah
, Mae Young
, Gladys "Kill 'Em" Gillem
, Ida May Martinez, Ella Waldek
and Penny Banner
for the film. The film premiered in 2004 in Toronto and was screened at various film festivals across the United States. The film also had a limited release in theaters in 2005. Reviews for the film were mixed.
, Mae Young
, Gladys "Kill 'Em" Gillem
, Ida May Martinez, Ella Waldek
and Penny Banner
. It begins by describing the beginning of wrestling in the 1930s. By the 1940s, American men had to leave the country to fight in World War II
, leaving females to take over the sport. At first, women's wrestling was seen as a side-show, and it was banned in several states. The film mostly focuses on these years—the 1940s—along with the 1950s and 1960s, better known as the "heyday of women's wrestling", when the sport became more accepted and popular. The six women are interviewed and tell their stories of why they entered wrestling. They also share tales of being exploited financially, unruly fans, and being physically abused. The film splices in archival footage of their matches, television clips, and footage from a 1951 movie entitled Racket Girls in between interviews. The film also covers their post-wrestling occupations: lion-tamer, detective, nurse, and yodeler. The film ends with footage from the Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion, where they meet to swap stories.
, she was the first to develop the idea of a documentary about the beginnings of female wrestling. The objective of the film was to give back to the female professional wrestlers of the 1940s–1960s. The stars hoped the film would help "set the record straight" about the early days of women's wrestling, when it was taboo for girls to join the business.
Penny Banner
helped put the film together, as she had connections in both the Ladies International Wrestling Association and the Cauliflower Alley Club
, which helped the director locate older stars to use in the filming.
Kelly Hogan, an old friend of Leitman's, offered to provide music for the film and soundtrack. Her band, The Corn Sisters, also included Carolyn Mark
and Neko Case
. While recording, Case discovered that Ella Waldek
was her great-aunt, which was previously unknown to her. After providing music for the film, they began promoting it at all of their shows.
Leitman also produced the film with the productions companies 100-to-One Films and Ruthless Films.
in April 2004 during the Hot Docs Film Festival, and it had its United States premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival
in New York City in May 2004. It had several other screenings, as well, including at the Atlanta Film Festival
in June 2004 and the Chicago and Hamptons Film Festivals in October 2004. In early 2005, the film played at the Sarasota and Miami Film Festivals.
The film, distributed by Koch Lorber Films, had a limited theatrical release in the United States during the course of 2005. In its first weekend, it made $4,046. At the end of eleven weeks, it had appeared in three theaters and grossed $25,378. The film was released on DVD in September 2005.
To help promote the film, The Fabulous Moolah
and Mae Young
were interviewed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
. They also promoted the film on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Several magazines also advertised for the film, including Entertainment Weekly
, Details
, FHM
, and O.
called the film a "fascinating look" and a "valentine to wrestling and to the women who introduced the sport across America". Liz Braun of the Toronto Sun
called the film "a glimpse of the wild and woolly pre-feminist world these capable women inhabited" and invites readers to "have a look." The Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan commented that the "uneasy, unnerving air of the carny hangs over this film, and it gives off a pungent whiff of how rough, rowdy and raucous, how inescapably down and dirty, these women's world could be."
Other reviews were mixed, with the film scoring a 47% Fresh Rating at Rotten Tomatoes
and an average rating of 6.3/10 from the top critics. Roger Ebert
praised Leitman for doing "an extraordinary job of assembling the survivors from the early days of a disreputable sport" and rated the film with two and a half stars out of four.
Stephen Holden of The New York Times
called the movie "more of a scrapbook than a coherent history". The San Francisco Chronicle
s Peter Hartlaub stated that the film "doesn't succeed in its attempt to make a feminist statement, with too many of the wrestlers sounding like male athletes who talk in excruciating detail about high school football seasons that everyone else forgot." Echoing that statement, Russell Scott Smith of the New York Post
stated, "Unfortunately, the filmmakers let the ladies prattle on too long about issues that would only matter to the most rabid wrestling aficionados."
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the early days of women's professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
in North America. It was directed by Ruth Leitman, who interviewed The Fabulous Moolah
The Fabulous Moolah
Mary Lillian Ellison , better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American female professional wrestler. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildred Burke, as well as working alongside professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Buddy...
, Mae Young
Mae Young
Johnnie Mae Young is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler and currently a WWE Ambassador.Young was an influential pioneer in women's wrestling, helping to increase its popularity during World War II and training many generations of wrestlers...
, Gladys "Kill 'Em" Gillem
Gladys Gillem
Gladys Gillem Wall , also known as Gladys "Killem" Gillem or Gladys "Kill 'Em" Gillem, was an American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Ida May Martinez, Ella Waldek
Ella Waldek
Elsie Schevchenko better known as Ella Waldek, is a former American professional wrestler. She is one of the subjects of the 2005 documentary film Lipstick & Dynamite: The First Ladies of Wrestling.-Professional wrestling career:...
and Penny Banner
Penny Banner
Mary Ann Kostecki , better know by her stage name Penny Banner, was a professional wrestler. She was best known for her time spent in the American Wrestling Association...
for the film. The film premiered in 2004 in Toronto and was screened at various film festivals across the United States. The film also had a limited release in theaters in 2005. Reviews for the film were mixed.
Synopsis
The documentary tells its story by focusing on the careers of six women—The Fabulous MoolahThe Fabulous Moolah
Mary Lillian Ellison , better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American female professional wrestler. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildred Burke, as well as working alongside professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Buddy...
, Mae Young
Mae Young
Johnnie Mae Young is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler and currently a WWE Ambassador.Young was an influential pioneer in women's wrestling, helping to increase its popularity during World War II and training many generations of wrestlers...
, Gladys "Kill 'Em" Gillem
Gladys Gillem
Gladys Gillem Wall , also known as Gladys "Killem" Gillem or Gladys "Kill 'Em" Gillem, was an American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Ida May Martinez, Ella Waldek
Ella Waldek
Elsie Schevchenko better known as Ella Waldek, is a former American professional wrestler. She is one of the subjects of the 2005 documentary film Lipstick & Dynamite: The First Ladies of Wrestling.-Professional wrestling career:...
and Penny Banner
Penny Banner
Mary Ann Kostecki , better know by her stage name Penny Banner, was a professional wrestler. She was best known for her time spent in the American Wrestling Association...
. It begins by describing the beginning of wrestling in the 1930s. By the 1940s, American men had to leave the country to fight in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, leaving females to take over the sport. At first, women's wrestling was seen as a side-show, and it was banned in several states. The film mostly focuses on these years—the 1940s—along with the 1950s and 1960s, better known as the "heyday of women's wrestling", when the sport became more accepted and popular. The six women are interviewed and tell their stories of why they entered wrestling. They also share tales of being exploited financially, unruly fans, and being physically abused. The film splices in archival footage of their matches, television clips, and footage from a 1951 movie entitled Racket Girls in between interviews. The film also covers their post-wrestling occupations: lion-tamer, detective, nurse, and yodeler. The film ends with footage from the Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion, where they meet to swap stories.
Production
Although Leitman was not a fan of professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, she was the first to develop the idea of a documentary about the beginnings of female wrestling. The objective of the film was to give back to the female professional wrestlers of the 1940s–1960s. The stars hoped the film would help "set the record straight" about the early days of women's wrestling, when it was taboo for girls to join the business.
Penny Banner
Penny Banner
Mary Ann Kostecki , better know by her stage name Penny Banner, was a professional wrestler. She was best known for her time spent in the American Wrestling Association...
helped put the film together, as she had connections in both the Ladies International Wrestling Association and the Cauliflower Alley Club
Cauliflower Alley Club
The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America....
, which helped the director locate older stars to use in the filming.
Kelly Hogan, an old friend of Leitman's, offered to provide music for the film and soundtrack. Her band, The Corn Sisters, also included Carolyn Mark
Carolyn Mark
Carolyn Mark is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. She has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the duo The Corn Sisters with American colleague Neko Case, as well as with the bands the Vinaigrettes, Jr. Gone Wild, Showbusiness Giants, the Fixin's and the Metronome Cowboys...
and Neko Case
Neko Case
Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
. While recording, Case discovered that Ella Waldek
Ella Waldek
Elsie Schevchenko better known as Ella Waldek, is a former American professional wrestler. She is one of the subjects of the 2005 documentary film Lipstick & Dynamite: The First Ladies of Wrestling.-Professional wrestling career:...
was her great-aunt, which was previously unknown to her. After providing music for the film, they began promoting it at all of their shows.
Leitman also produced the film with the productions companies 100-to-One Films and Ruthless Films.
Release
The film had its world premiere in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in April 2004 during the Hot Docs Film Festival, and it had its United States premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
in New York City in May 2004. It had several other screenings, as well, including at the Atlanta Film Festival
Atlanta Film Festival
The Atlanta Film Festival is an Academy Award qualifying, international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. Started in 1976 and occurring every April, the festival shows a diverse range of independent films, including genre films such as horror and sci-fi...
in June 2004 and the Chicago and Hamptons Film Festivals in October 2004. In early 2005, the film played at the Sarasota and Miami Film Festivals.
The film, distributed by Koch Lorber Films, had a limited theatrical release in the United States during the course of 2005. In its first weekend, it made $4,046. At the end of eleven weeks, it had appeared in three theaters and grossed $25,378. The film was released on DVD in September 2005.
To help promote the film, The Fabulous Moolah
The Fabulous Moolah
Mary Lillian Ellison , better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was an American female professional wrestler. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mildred Burke, as well as working alongside professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Buddy...
and Mae Young
Mae Young
Johnnie Mae Young is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler and currently a WWE Ambassador.Young was an influential pioneer in women's wrestling, helping to increase its popularity during World War II and training many generations of wrestlers...
were interviewed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
. They also promoted the film on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Several magazines also advertised for the film, including Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Details
Details (magazine)
Details is an American monthly men's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, founded in 1982. Though primarily a magazine devoted to fashion and lifestyle, Details also features reports on relevant social and political issues.-History:...
, FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
, and O.
Critical response
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution gave the film a positive review, citing at as "a dynamite documentary" and rating it a B+. Similarly, Karie Bible of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called the film a "fascinating look" and a "valentine to wrestling and to the women who introduced the sport across America". Liz Braun of the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
called the film "a glimpse of the wild and woolly pre-feminist world these capable women inhabited" and invites readers to "have a look." The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Kenneth Turan commented that the "uneasy, unnerving air of the carny hangs over this film, and it gives off a pungent whiff of how rough, rowdy and raucous, how inescapably down and dirty, these women's world could be."
Other reviews were mixed, with the film scoring a 47% Fresh Rating at Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and an average rating of 6.3/10 from the top critics. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
praised Leitman for doing "an extraordinary job of assembling the survivors from the early days of a disreputable sport" and rated the film with two and a half stars out of four.
Stephen Holden of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the movie "more of a scrapbook than a coherent history". The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
s Peter Hartlaub stated that the film "doesn't succeed in its attempt to make a feminist statement, with too many of the wrestlers sounding like male athletes who talk in excruciating detail about high school football seasons that everyone else forgot." Echoing that statement, Russell Scott Smith of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
stated, "Unfortunately, the filmmakers let the ladies prattle on too long about issues that would only matter to the most rabid wrestling aficionados."