tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post8473925321229213050..comments2023-07-15T07:17:49.535-04:00Comments on Professional Wrestling in U.S. Popular Culture: Bloviating about BlassieSam Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233749268141980625noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-47140629487758996692007-03-07T02:48:00.000-04:002007-03-07T02:48:00.000-04:00I had seen Blassie here and there over the years, ...I had seen Blassie here and there over the years, and with the pieces from class had gotten a bit more exposure, but in 'Breakfast with Blassie', we got to see what was basically one very long character building promo featuring himself and Kaufman. And honest to goodness, despite all the horrible things he would say, just being Blassie, I could not help but love the guy. You love and hate him at the same time, which may be key to his fantastic character dynamic, and longevity over the years. Yes, he's an asshole, and full of himself, and all that, but in ways he really is Classy Freddie Blassie, and can _still_ manage to win you over, despite your reservations. Now that is talent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-69182670679468789872007-03-06T21:18:00.000-04:002007-03-06T21:18:00.000-04:00Yes, I think you're right on with a lot of this.On...Yes, I think you're right on with a lot of this.<BR/><BR/>One thing that piqued my interest with Blassie was when we read that he apparently was the person who brought Hogan to Japan and taught him how to be a star there, and that apparently, unlike other wrestlers, Hogan was very attentive to his advice.<BR/><BR/>That seems like a bit of an odd couple, seeing how much of a good guy superman Hogan became, and how much of a bad guy jerk Blassie was. You might think perhaps they just diverged at some point, or imagine there wasn't much of an impact or connection between the two, but I think spending over 2 years working closely with someone means quite a bit.<BR/><BR/>Thinking about my earlier post on Hogan, what we've read of Hogan more recently, and who Blassie was, I'm seeing a lot of common threads that I think reinforce my initial thoughts on Hogan.<BR/><BR/>Really, they're both just completely in love with their own personalities and being on stage. They love to be big. They love to build muscle. They love to talk. They love money. They love exotic locations. They love wrestling, and it all shines through so easily for both of them.<BR/><BR/>Blassie and Hogan... two peas in a pod? Maybe!Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09192417519752522289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-49121325225094204962007-03-06T16:19:00.000-04:002007-03-06T16:19:00.000-04:00I think a large part of Freddie Blassie's success ...I think a large part of Freddie Blassie's success is that he stayed in tune with his heel character all the time. I remember in the article about him that Vince Jr. was a huge fan of him, and I think it was largely due to him always being in tune with who he was in the ring. I like how you pointed out that he wasn't the most outstanding wrestler in the ring, since his arsenal mostly consisted of biting and tearing at his opponents - but I just think this was his character in action. Freddie Blassie is an example of someone who got over almost completely on personality, charisma, and a razor sharp wit that had people hating him. It made the video we watched, Breakfast with Blassie, pretty hilarious in my opinion. If I had watched that video knowing nothing about Freddie Blassie beforehand, I would've become a huge fan just by that video alone.Carolinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15734872123134278512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-37974801805012406022007-03-06T12:04:00.000-04:002007-03-06T12:04:00.000-04:00Now THAT story is priceless.Now THAT story is priceless.Sam Fordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233749268141980625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-48606990741511420742007-03-05T19:43:00.000-04:002007-03-05T19:43:00.000-04:00Quick anecdote:At the WWF Fan Festival held before...Quick anecdote:<BR/><BR/>At the WWF Fan Festival held before Wrestlemania XI in Hartford, I had my only chance to meet Fred Blassie. He was signing autographs, but nobody was lined up, so I walked over. I figured I could talk to the guy since he appeared lonely and I'd be nice since nobody wanted his autograph. I walked over and broke the ice with "You know, when I was a little kid, I was scared to death of you." He signed my program and yelled at me "And you still should be, you pencil necked geek, now get the hell out of here."<BR/><BR/>Scared to death, I left.Joshua Sheahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05646450293653214279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-42576663613023797902007-03-05T15:43:00.000-04:002007-03-05T15:43:00.000-04:00Peter, some great points surrounding Blassie. He ...Peter, some great points surrounding Blassie. He was around the wrestling industry for a while before he became a top star, which means that much of his fame as a performer came after he was past his physical prime. From the angles in Los Angeles, to his antics in Japan, and his great performance as a manager, Fred holds a special place in pro wrestling history. It's no surprise that WWE retained a close relationship with him until his death and that he made appearances in his last few years on WWE TV. Of course, as a performer, Blassie still "had it." <BR/><BR/>As for Lee's comments, some see <I>My Breakfast with Blassie</I> as a clever mockumentary poking fun at the divide between "real conversation" and performance and particularly at <I>My Dinner with Andre</I>, which it was a riff on. Others see it as stupid or boring...We'll watch the other Kaufman stuff and then watch the Blassie piece together to see what the class consensus is.<BR/><BR/>Lee, looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday.Sam Fordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233749268141980625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-43530785903683580682007-03-05T15:22:00.000-04:002007-03-05T15:22:00.000-04:00I saw both "I'm from Hollywood" and "Breakfast wit...I saw both "I'm from Hollywood" and "Breakfast with Blassie" over 10 years ago and found the former to encompass much of what is wonderful about wrestling, and the later to be a pretty tedious one-joke exercise. Dave Meltzer's obituary of Fred Blassie included, as I remember, some interesting facts about his time in California and how he became a babyface to Mexican fans by wearing a sombrero and teaming with Mexican wrestlers. This was an interesting detail to add to the life story of the wrestler with filed incisors who terrified Japan and who later served as the grand old man of WWE managers.Lee Benakahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10159748600364813173noreply@blogger.com