''Racket Girls'' (also called ''Blonde Pickup'' and ''Pin Down Girls'') is an American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combi ...

, directed by Robert C. Dertano and released in 1951 by Screen Classics.

Plot

Umberto Scalli ( Timothy Farrell) is a small-time gangster who acts as a manager for women's wrestling in order to cover his involvement in many crime rings, including racketeering, bookmaking, and prostitution. He must dodge both police investigations and the local mob, to which he owes $35,000.

Cast

Real life wrestlers Peaches Page and Rita Martinez, as well as former world champion Clara Mortensen, play fictional versions of themselves. *Peaches Page as Peaches Page * Timothy Farrell as Umberto Scalli * Clara Mortenson as Clara Mortensen, world champion *Rita Martínez as Rita Martinez, champion of Mexico *Muriel Gardner as Ruby McKenzie *Don Ferrara as Joe the Jockey *Matt Douglas as Ronnie, a mobster *Paul Merton as Monk, a book-keeper *Bruce Spencer as Eddie, a gangster *Tony Zarro as Lefty, a mobster *Mary Jean Walker as Jackie, a bookie *William Lamont as Senate investigator *Phil Bernard as Mr. Big, the gang leader *

Jimmy Lennon Jimmy Lennon Sr. (April 13, 1913 – April 20, 1992) was a ring announcer for boxing and professional wrestling matches. Early life Lennon sang as a young boy in church and later formed a singing group, The Lennon Brothers, with his brothers in V ...

Sr. as Jimmy Lennon *Phil Solomon as Phil Solomon, a referee

Production

The film was produced by George Weiss and Arena Productions, a

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

-based company headed by

Norman Felton Norman Francis Felton (April 29, 1913 – June 25, 2012) was a British-born American television producer, known for his involvement in shows such as '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' and '' Dr. Kildare''. Background Felton was born in London, the s ...

Derived works

The film was the subject of a 1994 episode of the sixth season of the movie-mocking show ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1 ...

''.

References

External links

* American crime drama films 1951 films 1951 crime drama films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films American independent films 1950s exploitation films Women's professional wrestling films 1950s independent films 1950s American films {{1950s-crime-film-stub