legace

As the title of the topic suggests, I'm attempting to compile a master-list of surviving professional wrestling footage from before the year 1970. However, I won't be covering everything from that era, there'll be no newsreels, filmreels or short highlights of any kind, only substantial footage. I will include certain stuff that's joined-in-progress as long as it's more than just the finish to a match or segment and I'll be adding links where I can so that what I find can be viewed by those interested. I'll be placing all updates here in the first post in geographical order so it's easier for everyone to locate them but I'll also leave a reply at the bottom of the topic to notify people too. This project is a work-in-progress but here's what I've come up with so far: CANADA Queensbury Athletic Club / Maple Leaf Wrestling (Toronto, Ontario) (1930-1969) 1957 (01) Baron Gattoni -vs- Red Lyons (17th January 1957) LINK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbryxEaEUY0 (02) Bill Miller & Ed Miller -vs- Ken Kenneth & Pat Flanagan (17th January 1957) LINK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxczOHu0PwY (03) Édouard Carpentier -vs- Steve Stanlee (17th January 1957) LINK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4xs-tCAXYQ

Interesting. Hopefully more information will become available in due time! It would be nice to know exactly who was promoting which matches at a particular time.

Okay so am I right in thinking that regardless of which promotion provided the matches, the TV show was always simply known as "Catch"?

Excellent work here mate! Okay so do we know what years the four promotions ran from and till? I was able to find information on the Fédération Française de Catch Professionnel which said the company ran from 1933-1989 and that it was restarted in 2006, dunno how accurate that is though. Was there only one television slot? Maybe it was like how World Championship Wrestling on TBS was shown? As in WCW was the shows name regardless of whether GCW, WWF or JCP had the contract. Or like how World Of Sport/ITV Wrestling was run with the name being the same regardless of whether Joint Promotions, ASW or WWF was shown?

This isn't actually from the WWWF, it's from Fred Kohler Enterprises. People tend to mix the two promotions up quite a lot.

Cheers for the kind words mate. Yeah gonna get to work on that very soon, am still going through the Capitol stuff currently, then it's onto Chicago.

Wow superb post mate, excellent work. I'm gonna begin work on territories like Hollywood and Chicago etc shortly and will put everything I can in some kind of order. Thanks!

No only clips of it exist I'm afraid, here's the footage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40nCbaYVgoI As for the Elrington footage, it's actually on the very end of the Johnny Kwango -vs- Jackie Pallo clip in the link I put in the second post on this page, it features 8mm film clips of 3 matches from the 1960s, sadly the YouTube version cuts off before the Elrington match gets going, I'm not sure if there's a longer version. Im sure Ive seen that footage before somewhere. Was it on the ITV Wrestling DVD set? I don't think its from the Louis Theroux documentary. I think ive seen a odd 60s clip of WOS on youtube so guessing abit is freely available out there. Yeah the Savile stuff from the link I gave you was a DVD extra on The Best Of ITV Wrestling. The only 1960s ITV stuff on YouTube is this which I already listed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UesKnpeMSqA Yeah I bought that DVD years ago. A great set shame they didnt do a 3rd Volume. Awesome 60s stuff there, is the McManus/Pallo match not out there in full? Timeshift showed bits and pieces to it. Yeah McManus -vs- Pallo IS out there in full but only a very select few people have a copy, it's a rare one for sure.

Thank you Paul, I'll add those to my Chicago and Hollywood lists when I post them on here.

No only clips of it exist I'm afraid, here's the footage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40nCbaYVgoI As for the Elrington footage, it's actually on the very end of the Johnny Kwango -vs- Jackie Pallo clip in the link I put in the second post on this page, it features 8mm film clips of 3 matches from the 1960s, sadly the YouTube version cuts off before the Elrington match gets going, I'm not sure if there's a longer version. Im sure Ive seen that footage before somewhere. Was it on the ITV Wrestling DVD set? I don't think its from the Louis Theroux documentary. I think ive seen a odd 60s clip of WOS on youtube so guessing abit is freely available out there. Yeah the Savile stuff from the link I gave you was a DVD extra on The Best Of ITV Wrestling. The only 1960s ITV stuff on YouTube is this which I already listed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UesKnpeMSqA

No only clips of it exist I'm afraid, here's the footage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40nCbaYVgoI As for the Elrington footage, it's actually on the very end of the Johnny Kwango -vs- Jackie Pallo clip in the link I put in the second post on this page, it features 8mm film clips of 3 matches from the 1960s, sadly the YouTube version cuts off before the Elrington match gets going, I'm not sure if there's a longer version.

Is this the same match that TWC Fight aired many years ago? Is this the same match that TWC Fight aired many years ago? No it's a different 1, it didn't actually air on ITV, it's taken from 8mm film, here's a link, it's the second match in the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0bavm4Bcuw Thats pretty cool footage. Im guessing thats from the Royal Albert Hall? Hmmm I'm not too sure where it's from but it appears the matches in the clip are from different shows, I'd guess they were from smaller venues than the Royal Albert Hall but I could be wrong.

Is this the same match that TWC Fight aired many years ago? Is this the same match that TWC Fight aired many years ago? No it's a different 1, it didn't actually air on ITV, it's taken from 8mm film, here's a link, it's the second match in the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0bavm4Bcuw

Ah okay, I'll ask around and see if any more shows up, cheers for the help.

It's a list of everything I've seen. The dates and names may not be 100% accurate. The Iraq stuff is on YouTube. Okay thanks so much for that info, I know next to nothing about French Catch. Would that be all you've come across from Iraq?

I'm new to this, so were you once.

Didn't even know Iraqi wrestling existed on film, is this a complete list too?

Great stuff mate! Is this a complete list of what French Catch exists in general?

Wow okay I'll add these to the ITV/WOS list on page 1 of this thread. BTW did any Paul Lincoln Promotions stuff ever air on ITV?

Yeah I'm gonna start work on the Chicago territory soon, when I do I'll start a list of all the matches there, thanks!

What's that?

Depends if enough people can be found who are willing to group together and raise the funds.

This is what British Wrestling expert John Lister told me when I asked him about it last year: "Before the 1970s all we have is an -- apparently quite large -- film reel archive held by one of the ITV regions covering the 50s and 60s. The problem is that it's unlabelled and they charge a fee of several hundred pounds simply to cue up a reel and see what's on it, then another similarly large fee to get a copy made, which is strictly licensed for personal use only and no copying. The only one of these reels that I know for sure to have been converted includes the 1962 Cup Final, which was dug out for the Northern Reunion a few years back. (This same reel, which had a few other shows, was the source of the archive material in the BBC Four Timeshift documentary.) The bad news is that the tape seems to be almost impossible to get hold of, simply because officially nobody is allowed to make a copy. I believe it is circulating, but have never managed to get a copy myself!". So there you have it.

It was just a British Wrestling fan who bought the footage for home use only, ITV still own the rights. I'd like to see them put some stuff on ITV Hub or something.

The complete episode of that particular FA Cup Final special is circulating but only amongst a select few people, it's EXTREMELY rare. Makes you wonder how much more WOS is out there somewhere. Always wanted to see some early George Kidd or Billy Robinson. From what I've been told the person has the 1962 FA Cup show bought it from ITV directly along with some other stuff too, they apparently spent a pretty penny in order to obtain all the footage.