“All The Marbles” – Robert Aldrich’s Last Great Film

Robert Aldrich was a great film director.  While probably best remembered for psychosexual drama/thrillers such as “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane,” “Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte,” and “The Killing of Sister George,” his work showed remarkable range.  At his best, in films such as “Kiss Me Deadly,” “The Dirty Dozen,” “The Longest Yard,” and “Vera Cruz,” Aldrich created memorable portraits of male heroes in dramatic action.  His last film, “All The Marbles,” has unfortunately been overlooked as a trifling effort by a director whose best work was behind him.  However, I believe that “All The Marbles” should be revisited and respected for switching the traditional role of a male action hero into a story of women athletes.  By making his action protagonists two women, Robert Aldrich anticipated the current era of empowered female action heroes and superheroines.  It is also a rare example of a starring lead role by Peter Falk.

“All The Marbles” – The Plot And The Problem

The film centers around a sleazy manager, Peter Falk, and two gorgeous and talented women professional wrestlers.  I imagine many classic movie fans just stopped reading.  The world of professional wrestling is not a subject many great film directors have ever approached.  Yet, many outstanding movies are set against backdrops that we would not find particularly appealing.  So don’t give up on “All The Marbles.” It is a terrific film.

As with most sports movies, the plot of “All The Marbles” is straightforward.  Harry, the manager of the California Dolls, is seeking a way to get his talented wrestlers a chance at the big time.  However, as in all sports movies, their talent is initially unrecognized, and they have to hit the depths of despair before they get a chance for glorious redemption.  Vicki Frederick, best known for “A Chorus Line,” and Laurene Landon (“The Jury,” “Airplane II”) play Iris and Molly, the high-flying wrestlers.

Laurene Landon, Peter Falk, Vicki Frederick

The performances of these two women are truly remarkable.  Each had to undergo lengthy and intense training to learn how to make impressive moves without relying on stuntwomen.  Very few actors are good enough athletes to do all of their own stunt work in a sports movie, let alone in a film that involves such precise choreography.

Because professional wrestling is not a competitive sport because the outcome is predetermined and the action is scripted, many people don’t recognize what amazing athletes and actors professional wrestlers are.  This is even more particularly true with the women participating in the sport.  They must be fabulous athletes and great actresses and shine in an arena (figuratively and literally) dominated by men.  Because a traditional sports movie depends on the unknown outcome of a hotly contested game or race, professional wrestling wouldn’t seem to fit that mold. 

However, in 1981 when Aldrich made the film, professional wrestling still adamantly sold itself as entirely competitive.  It was not until February 10, 1989 – eight years after “All The Marbles” premiered, that Vince McMahon publicly admitted the outcomes of all professional wrestling matches were predetermined.  Many fans were shocked, and many in the wrestling community were very angry about that admission.

Robert Aldrich, therefore, could plausibly create a drama in which the audience and our heroines, Molly and Iris, would not know whether the “California Dolls” would win the championship against their “evil” rivals, the Toledo Tigers.

“All The Marbles”: The Film

Like most sports movies, the plot of “All the Marbles” is pretty much a cookie-cutter format.  The courageous and good California Dolls and their down-on-his-luck manager fight to overcome adversity and seek personal redemption against a celebrated and treacherous opponent, the Toledo Tigers.  As with the best sports movies, the enjoyment is in the execution and build-up to the dramatic conclusion.  What sets “All The Marbles” apart is the sport – and the fact that the athletes are women.

Given their pivotal roles in the story and the incredible physical demands of the parts, casting Iris and Molly was all-important.  Robert Aldrich saw dozens of actresses, but few could make it through the preliminary casting.  Even the athletic actresses found the idea of re-creating the high-flying moves of professional wrestlers intimidating.  Vicki Frederick was a highly regarded Broadway dancer.  She had appeared in several Bob Fosse productions.  However, Vicki Frederick’s film career never took off.  Today, she is retired from the business.  Laurene Landon, who still has a busy career as a film actress,  was a very young and statuesque Canadian blonde model.  She had never acted in a film before.  She confessed that when she was told the director was Robert Aldrich, she didn’t know who that was – instead, she thought the director must be Robert Altman!

Laurene Landon: “He got back at me by calling me ‘Alf.’ after Alf Landon, the Presidential candidate in 1936 who lost in one of the biggest landslides ever!  When he called me ‘Laurene, I knew I was in trouble!”

Robert Aldrich wanted the actresses to be able to do their own stunts — a significant difficulty in casting the actresses.  More than a few pretty actresses blanched at the thought of not using a stunt woman and having to learn how to do flying dropkicks and monkey flips!  Laurene Landon was so determined to get the role that she didn’t tell the famed director even after she broke her foot in training.

This film is so remarkable because these two glamorous actresses look absolutely convincing every moment they are in the ring.  The speed and precision with which they execute moves

Laurene Landon Airborne In “All The Marbles”

used by actual professional wrestlers is astounding.  There are no cutaways in the editing.  It is part of what gives the film such an authentic feel.  Aldrich could do long shots that clearly established that a Broadway dancer could leap off the top rope, grab her opponent in a flying hand scissors, and flip her to the mat.  Sports movies always end with an exciting final game in which the stars’ character and athletic prowess are tested.  In this regard, “All the Marbles” is stunningly successful.  The last 20 minutes of the film are non-stop action, brilliantly executed.

The cinematography of the film is particularly evocative.  The California Dolls are wrestling in an independent circuit in Ohio.  Harry drives them in a beat-up car against magnificently composed backdrops of decaying industrial cities like Toledo.  Each shot is beautifully crafted, showing how little the Dolls make for the amount of hard work they do.  The cities’ harsh exteriors are matched by the squalid interiors of the arenas where they perform.  Interspersed with shots of Harry and the Dolls eating in fast food joints and staying at squalid motels, Robert Aldrich includes shots of the girls training by doing roadwork in the lovely Ohio countryside.  The beautiful contrast serves as a reminder that they dream of great beauty ahead if they can reach the big time.

Each star gives a fine acting performance, especially given that neither of them was a film actress at the time.  Just as impressive was their complete commitment to the roles they played.  Ms. Landon said she was offered the opportunity to become a professional wrestler.  She turned it down to continue acting in films.

Peter Falk was rarely a leading man in films.  This shady, gritty atmosphere of 1980s professional wrestling was a perfect backdrop for his rumpled, sleazy character.  It is clear he had a lot of fun with the material.  Ms. Landon said he was a great support to both actresses.  The chemistry among the three of them is entirely believable.

Robert Aldrich did not anticipate that “All The Marbles” would be his last film.  According to my interview with Laurene Landon, he was planning a sequel at the time of his unexpected death.  While “All The Marbles” is certainly not a great film, it is a very good one.  It was also surprisingly influential.  According to Laurene Landon, it inspired the creation of GLOW, an all-female professional wrestling show that was an enormous hit in syndication.  It also opened the door to the current generation of WWE divas and superstars and, it could be argued, opened the door to female action heroes and superheroines on film and TV.

“ALL THE MARBLES” DUELING DIVAS

This blog post was written originally as part of the Dueling Divas blogathon hosted by the fabulous Lara from www.backlots.net.  I encourage you to read the other wonderful entries.  Most of them are built around rivalries in movies between strong female characters.  I think that my choice surprised our terrific host in that I took “dueling” so literally!  Not only is Robert Aldrich a great director worthy of more critical attention, but he captured women’s history, sports history, and popular culture history — all very worthy subjects to be discussed and studied.

UPDATE:

LAURENE LANDON, THE STAR OF “ALL THE MARBLES,” ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS!

Several readers asked me to comment on the performances by Ursula Bryant and Tracy Reed, the actresses who played the evil ‘Toledo Tigers’ in the film.  I thought they were great!  The gracious Laurene Landon answered the questions!  How cool is this!  I quote her verbatim:

“Traci and Ursula came on later after MGM finally narrowed down the 2,000 contenders to Vicki and me.  It was stunning to be chosen.  They both did superb jobs and had to work out with Vicki and me almost every day before and during the commencement of ALL THE MARBLES by the great Robert Aldrich.  And, YES!  Traci and Ursula did all their own stunts too.  Mr. Aldrich told us during auditions that THAT was a very vital part of getting the roles.”

TO MY READERS: Laurene Landon is incredibly gracious, compassionate, and thoughtful.  She is also still working and still stunning!  Click here to follow her on Instagram, click here to follow her on Twitter, and click here to check out her IMDB page, which will keep you up to date on all her current and upcoming films.