Bill Benny (1918–1963) was a wrestler known as 'Man Mountain', a theatrical promoter and an owner of nightclubs. He brought Judy Garland to perform in Manchester and met with Elvis Presley in Hollywood in the attempt to arrange a stage appearance in London. As a promoter he worked in partnership with Victor (Vic) Lewis.

Born in Cornwall in 1918, he was based at the Belle Vue, Manchester entertainment complex early in his wrestling career from around 1939. Briefly in 1952-3 his wrestling persona was a masked character, The Vampire, though he was mostly known as Man Mountain due to his 20-stone weight (280 lbs, 130 kg), a name he kept after retiring from wrestling.[1] He died in Manchester from a heart attack, aged 44 years.[2] Press reports alleged he was a gangster or hustler and linked to the Quality Street Gang.[3]

He was one of the founders of the Wrestlers' Welfare Society, an organisation formed during a strike in the 1950s by some wrestlers against Joint Promotions Limited which they claimed was acting as a cartel. The society was to relieve hardship but also acted as an independent employment agency.[1]

He had minor roles in two films: High Jinks in Society (1949),[4] and Hell is a City (1960). He was featured in a BBC radio programme, People Today, first broadcast on 18 October 1960 in the Midlands region of the Home Service, then nationally on 1 August 1961.[5]

Two-colour headed notepaper with contact details at the top and list of venues and services in left column
Bill Benny Enterprises headed notepaper (1961)

Reportedly from the mid-1950s he owned The Stork nightclub in Manchester, off Piccadilly. In 1960 he bought the Hulme Hippodrome variety theatre for £35,000[6] which was used mostly for nude shows, selling it 18 months later to Mecca Entertainments for use as a bingo hall.

In 1960 he advertised "An evening with Judy Garland" at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, first for 5 November[7] and then for 4 December "owing to the unfortunate indisposition of Miss Garland on November 5".[8]

In early 1962 he travelled with Vic Lewis to Hollywood to meet with Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker to discuss a possible charity performance in London, with a photograph of them in the UK press.[9][10]

From accounts in the press and in books later, his sudden death was described in more detail, namely that a young woman who was trapped underneath his heavy body had to phone the police, who broke in to release her. This account variously was in his office on Oxford Road or at his home in Appleby Lodge, Rusholme, both in Manchester.[11][3]

References

  1. 1 2 Hopcraft, Arthur (10 May 1962). "Black and Blue Wrestlers". The Guardian. p. 9.
  2. ↑ "Death of Night Club Pioneer". The Guardian. 30 September 1963.
  3. 1 2 "Hold up! Cockney Suggs says: 'My mum was a Manc!'". Manchester Evening News. 20 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Bill Benny". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  5. ↑ "Issue number 1968". Radio Times. 29 July 1961.
  6. ↑ "Former wrestler pays £35,000 for theatre". The Guardian. 5 November 1960.
  7. ↑ "Advertisement". The Guardian. 8 October 1960.
  8. ↑ "Advertisement". The Guardian. 26 November 1960.
  9. ↑ "Photograph with detailed caption". New Musical Express (NME). 6 April 1962.
  10. ↑ "Victor Lewis (obituary)". The Independent. 25 February 2009.
  11. ↑ Clarke, John Cooper (2021). I wanna be yours. London. ISBN 978-1-5098-9612-7. OCLC 1240211517.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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