Remembering George Steele

Growing up—I must be careful, lest I wax overly-poetic and become misty-eyed at the recollections of my childhood in the glorious 80s—my life was comic books, Horror movies, and Professional Wrestling. KISS was on the radio, and I longed for the days when one of the three TV stations we could pick up on our TV with its rabbit-ear antennae would rebroadcast STAR WARS or one of the old black-and-white Sci-Fi or Horror classics. On those rare occasions when two or more of my great passions would cross over, I’d about have a pre-pubescent nerdgasm and explode my brain. George “The Animal” Steele qualified as both a B-movie villain/monster AND a “superstar of wrestling,” as they were called back in those days. By the time I got into wrestling in the mid 80s, I didn’t realize that George had already been around for quite some time and was in fact in the final days of his career. He had always been billed as a feared heel, or bad guy, but by the time I first saw him he was a goofy, loveable “face” (hero). With his bald head, excessively hirsute body and green tongue, he was a larger than life human cartoon who could rip your arm off. I loved him.

I never knew that the man who was George Steele had a secret life as a high school principal with a PhD. Nor did I know that he would, in a few years, become linked with another legend of the wrestling ring-cum-crossover Horror icon, portraying Tor Johnson in Tim Burton’s film ED WOOD. Tor’s career was sorta the inverse of Steele’s. Johnson was never as famous as a wrestler as he became as an actor (PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, BRIDE OF THE MONSTER, THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS—but you all knew that already), whereas Steele was far more famous for what he did in the ring than what he did in Hollywood. Both were giants who left their sizeable footprints on my soul. Tor left us many years ago, and George just a few days ago. Neither will ever be forgotten.

By The Evil Cheezman

WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS (www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions), specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 MORTUI VELOCES SUNT!

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