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  • Mrs.Lark

Chris Bournea and the Ladies Wrestling Documentary

Updated: Sep 17, 2021



The Ladies Wrestling Griot is adding a chapter to my book of women’s wrestling lore!


The beautiful, bronzed, muscular, statuesque, but sadly, forgotten ladies of the first golden era in wrestling, like Ethel Johnson, Ramona Isbell and Babs Wingo are getting their day in the sun.


That is in thanks to the brilliant, well researched work from journalist Chris Bournea. He is the man behind what I believe, is one of the best documentaries of 2021. The documentary entitled, LadyWrestler.


This film is an up close look into the careers, of these extremely talented African American female wrestlers of the 1950's and 60s, and it will create an atmosphere for the wrestling world to properly recognize these legendary careers.


Chris was nice enough to grant me, your Ladies Wrestling Grio, an interview before he is bulldozed by request for interviews. So readers, take a minute to check this interview out and leave some comments on your social media page to spread the word about this documentary using the hashtag #LadyWrestler!






Chris, you are a distinguished journalist that has covered numerous topics that tackles many different walks of life. What attracted you to telling this story about these African American Female Wrestlers?



Chris: What attracted me to telling the story about the African-American female wrestlers is that I feel theirs is a very important chapter of history, and especially Black history, women’s history and sports history. These courageous women were traveling the world and being recognized as champions in a male-dominated sport years before the civil rights and feminist movements got underway.


Can you talk about some of the amazing treasures that you discovered as you were doing research on this women?



Chris: One of the things that I think is most remarkable about these women is that many of them were wives and mothers. They excelled in an unconventional industry around the world at a time in the 1950s and ‘60s when a lot of women weren’t even working outside of the home. I also think it’s quite interesting that wrestler Ethel Johnson didn’t tell her children she was a wrestler and her children only found out after they saw her in a wrestling match on television!


There is a huge pro wrestling following in Ohio. Legendary stars have come out of this state. Does the state acknowledge the legacy of these women?


Chris:I think the state of Ohio is just beginning to rediscover the stories of the African-American lady wrestlers from the 1950s and ‘60s. The Ohio History Connection, an agency that documents significant events in the state’s history, is going to feature the women in the “Ohio Champion of Sports” exhibit that will open later in March in Columbus. But I believe the women deserve a lot more recognition, such as being inducted into various halls of fame that acknowledge the contributions that Ohioans have made to the world.


You mentioned in a recent interview that the cult hit documentary, Lipstick and Dynamite didn’t really feature the women of color from the 50s or 60s in the wrestling business. Why do you think this happened?



Chris: I don’t think it was intentional that the documentary “Lipstick and Dynamite” only briefly mentions the African-American women. I think the director, Ruth Leitman, simply interviewed the women she had access to, just like I did. I think the director’s intentions were good and she had the same goal as I do, which is to draw attention to this long-neglected piece of history. Any documentary only has so much time to cover certain subjects.


Were these legendary wrestlers open to telling their stories about their past wrestling career initially or was there a bit of hesitation?



Chris: The women I interviewed – Ethel Johnson and Ramona Isbell and the children of Ethel’s younger sister, Marva – were very open to sharing their stories. I think they realized that their stories are something they should pass on to their children, grandchildren and future generations.


The Academy Award winning movie The Green book was released a few months ago. It shows the hoops and ladders that African American entertainers had to go through to sustain themselves on the road. Was that struggle of being on the road as African American females mentioned in the film?


Chris: The African-American wrestlers I interviewed went into detail about the Jim Crow segregation they encountered on the road. They didn’t specifically mention the “green book” that African-American travelers used to find accommodations during segregation. But the women did talk extensively about having to stay in segregated hotels, use the back entrance of restaurants and having racist comments directed at them.


I love that you're mentioning the important role that promoter Billy Wolfe had in the industry during the golden era in women's wrestling. What was his relationship with the women featured in the movie?


Chris: Billy Wolfe was a wrestling promoter and former wrestler who was originally from Missouri and eventually settled in Columbus, Ohio, along with his wife, Mildred Burke. Mildred was the first women’s world wrestling champion and Billy became her manager. Billy was white, but he was inspired by Jackie Robinson (who integrated Major League Baseball) and thought bringing African-American women into his professional wrestling organization would attract a lot of fans and excitement. Billy recruited African-American women like Babs Wingo, Ethel Johnson, Marva Scott and Ramona Isbell and booked wrestling matches for them around the world.


Most fans only hear about Mildred Burke, Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young from this time period in wrestling. Was there any mention of their relationship with these women and how they were treated by their white counterparts?


Chris: Sisters Ethel Johnson and Babs Wingo were friends with at least one of the white wrestlers, Ethel Brown, whom I also interviewed in the documentary. With the exception of Ethel Brown, Ethel Johnson said many of the white wrestlers were jealous of the African-American women and didn’t want them around.


You've also mentioned that many admirers from the academic world have been interested in your film and in these women's stories. Do you believe that it has to do with this unique, exciting theatrical lifestyle that the women had amongst the stereotypical troupe, that black women were just domestic workers at that time?


Chris:The African-American women wrestlers absolutely had an extraordinary, glamorous lifestyle that enabled them to travel the world at a time when women, in general, and African-American women, in particular, were relegated to low-paying jobs like maids. That’s why I thought their story was so grand and cinematic.


Can you recommend any other writers that have covered women's wrestling history that you think fans of the blog should look up?



Chris: Reading Washington Post reporter Jeff Leen’s book “The Queen of the Ring,” a biography of Mildred Burke, is an absolute must-read for any wrestling fan. Jeff does an excellent job of exploring Mildred’s complicated relationship with her husband, Billy Wolfe, and the early days of the wrestling industry. I interviewed Jeff in the documentary.


Where can fans go to make sure they stay updated on the release of your movie?



Chris: I’ll be announcing screening dates for the “Lady Wrestler” documentary and the official release on DVD and streaming services on the movie’s website, Ladywrestlermovie.com.





Update: Since this interview (which was conducted in 2019) the Lady Wrestler documentary has been released. I was fortunate enough to check it out on Amazon prime and I will release a review of the film on my blog. Maybe a follow up interview with Chris Bournea as well. Fingers crossed!

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