BETA MAX TV CELEBRATES WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE, THE 19th AMENDMENT, AND MORE ON EXPLOITATION MONDAY!!!
August 26, 1920, the 19th amendment to United States Constitution took effect, giving women the right to vote. Beta Max TV salutes all the hard working, forward-thinking, dedicated women who created the Women’s Suffrage Movement (in upstate New York!) and worked tirelessly for decades to make this happen. To celebrate this landmark event, we planned to show a movie showcasing the Women’s Suffrage Movement or women voting or like that. But it seems there aren’t movies like that in the public domain. None. Nada. Less than one, even.
So it occurred to us that the Suffrage Movement did more than achieve voting rights for women. It changed the whole social fabric and attitudes toward women’s place in society enabling them to participate in a variety of previously prohibited activities. Like professional wrestling! Which brings us to our feature for Exploitation Monday – RACKET GIRLS (1951, aka – PIN-DOWN GIRL). Small-time gangster Umberto Scalli (Timothy Farrell) uses his position as manager of several women pro-wrestlers as a cover for his drug-running, bookmaking, and money laundering. And this puts him – and his wrestlers – in a press between the law and the Mob to which Scalli owes a bunch of money. Wrestling and gang action ensue!
RACKET GIRLS stars real wrestlers Peaches Page, Clara Mortensen (world champion wrestler), and Rita Martinez (champion of Mexico) and exploitation film regular Timothy Farrell who also appeared in such classics as Glen Or Glenda, Dance Hall Racket, Test Tube Babies, and Jail Bait.
So, maybe we stretched the point a bit with this feature to celebrate the 19th Amendment, but we did it anyway! Happy Anniversary to #19 and Happy Exploitation Monday with RACKET GIRLS on your home for B-movies…and stretching points! Beta Max TV!!!