Judge, 1932-01-30 · page 6 of 36
Judge — January 30, 1932 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of This Judge Page This page contains **"Letters of a Self-Made Athlete"** by Ivan Petroff, a humorous column about wrestling and theatrical performance. The main letter describes dropping four games at home, then negotiating a bonus with his coach. The writer describes wrestling moves using French terminology and theatrical language, comparing the sport to stagecraft—mentioning "the Slave Dance," spotlights, and fake moves to entertain audiences. The cartoons illustrate the theatrical absurdity: one shows a wrestling "match" resembling staged performance rather than genuine sport; another depicts salesmen using psychological masks. **The satire**: Professional wrestling is presented as theatrical entertainment rather than authentic athletic competition—a critique suggesting wrestlers and promoters prioritize spectacle and profit over genuine sport. This was a contemporary concern about wrestling's credibility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Letters of a Self-Made Athiete LD’ an Por: I better give you the lowdown on what's happened since 1 wrote last We dropped four games at home. and the coach was burnt up. So when I “How about that bonus?” Sacré nom d’an chien! You should bonus. you beeg bum!" says to him he raps ¢ pay mea Now Piask yvou—im I to take it from a frog like that? ‘Nuts alors,” I says to myself. and putting the old skates in mothballs, [kiss Quebce All I vy is twe au revoir, out of a month in pro ho busted. ribs, a French dictionary, and how to call a guy a cochon. LaRue is down in’ Chicag sol wired her for fare. I figure it’s worth it to her if she wants to see me that bad. I Monday and) went t away to see that guy Mike Pounds who promotes the wrasslin in the Arena. He cally himself an“ Tinpresaric anything for oa laugh). He signed me up right off the bat. He tells ine alia guy hay te da is learn to grunt in twenty different 1omateh with Le ts right around the corner. When I get back to the hotel, La Ru is in tears. Her dancing partner has taken a run-out powder, and she wants go on in the act with her. Of irrived here languages, and Los me te Masks for Salesmen, For the Old Psychological Effect: JUDGE Meno to Wixcueun Mr. and Mrs. Robot Announce the Birth of an Eqgbeater. id nix, but she made a tew cracks about that five hundred she lent me, and T gave in. Anyway, last ni course T it L went—I wore 1 1 leopard-skin on one shoulder made the old muscles ripple like 1 body's business. ‘They toa couple of cute sisters on the bill who pl ukes and do a little hot-cha-cha on the side and say—when they a load of me! Well, Pm telling you are I wrapped up and ready to This dance is called “The Slave Dance” and [have a big whip in ins hand which [ have to crack. Mean- while, LaRue shimmies all over the lot te some hot stuff from the orchestra. The first pays Limake with the whip got me in dutch, L wrap the blamed thing around a couple of spotlights in the wings, Meanwhile, miss my ene ind La Rue jumps off a fake cliff into my arms. That's what she’s supposed to do, only T wasn’t there and she hits the tloor like a load of coal, And was she sore It brought the house down and the agent told us to keep it in for a luugh. Honest. I eversthing ! seem to be a success at Polack ight, so watch the papers. looking like a pretzel. I wrassle some hon © you in the newsreels your son Ivan Petrott, at's my new wrasslin mon- I'm “The Volga Strong Man” around these parts. Next week in Milwaukee I'm “Karl Klauber, the Prussian Python!” —-Rex Deane comicbooks.com