Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Santa Monica California Wrestling Programs
Late 1950s
Monday, December 21, 2009
Danny Dusek - Japanese Prison Camp Story
Oakland Tribune 12/17/1945
ON SECOND THOUGHT By Alan Ward
During the course of a wrestling
match Danny Dusek many, many
times will lift a 220-pound opponent
to his shoulders, and it will be no
trick at all. Just a breeze.
But about a year ago Danny was
called upon to tote such a burden
the distance of a short city block,
and only a stout heart and a gnawing
hunger enabled him to complete
the Herculean task.
Danny at the time was in the
Japanese prison camp at San Tomas
near Manila. Ho had been in that
camp since January 5, 1942
and weighed 158 pounds
He was weak and emaciated
and he was hungry. But he
carried a 220-pound sack of rice he
had stolen from the Jap commissary
to the barracks in which he and
other Americans were confined.
"How I made it is beyond me," a
husky and healthy Dusek explained
today, "But somehow I covered the
distance. That sack at the finish of
my trip seemed to have weighed
not four hundred but four thousand
pounds!
"Yes, many of us had plenty to eat
that night The Japs never did find
out who snatched the sack of rice.
Danny Dusek is one of four
wrestling brothers, celebrated
throughout Matdom.
Others are Rudy, Ernie. Joe and
Emil. Rudy at present is promoting
in New York, but the remaining
three are plying their trade of grunt
and groan artists.
Danny has been in California several
months and has performed regularly
on Oakland cards. He will
be on tonight's show at. the Auditorium,
His opponent will be Iron
Mike Mazurki. former football star
who now divides his time between
wrestling and acting in the movies
Mike is proficient at grappling and
at emoting.
Danny was in Manila when the
Japs took over. He had arrived there
in January of 1940 for a match or
two enroute to Australia. He never
did reach the land down under. He
liked Manila and Manila liked him.
Danny wrestled several times in
Manila and then went into the meat
business, buying cattle in the
various Islands of the Philippines,
slaughtering and selling the meat
in Manila.
He made a pile of money in the
meat business and was set to quit
wrestling and become a full-time
merchant. He was ready to become
a more or less permanent resident
of Manila.
The Japs had other ideas
"I was a member of the reception
committee which officially met
our boys as they took charge of the
prison camp. Several greeted me by name.
They knew me and I knew them.
You see, I did a lot of wrestling in
El Paso."
Dusek confesses with understandable
pride he became exceptionally
proficient in stealing food from the
Japs.
"I always was hungry," he explained.
"I figured a bullet in the
back couldn't have been worse than
being hungry. But they never caught
me. They never even came close.'
The 220-pound sack of rice was his
crowning achievement in filching
although he got away with many a
50-pound sack and large quantities
of meat.
"And speaking of meat," the tin eared
wrestler concluded, "my
Thanksgiving dinner in 1944 was
cat and rice dumpling. That's right
cat. A black one. The critter was
strolling across the prison yard
when I grabbed it. It was lough on
Tabby, but I was hungry, terribly
hungry. No turkey I ever ate tasted
better!"
Dusek arrived in San Francisco in
April of this year, spent two months
training and adding weight and then
picked up the threads o£ his
wrestling career where they had
been dropped many years before
He's a bit sorry he had to kill
and eat that cat. Danny likes cats
'As pets, that is.
ON SECOND THOUGHT By Alan Ward
During the course of a wrestling
match Danny Dusek many, many
times will lift a 220-pound opponent
to his shoulders, and it will be no
trick at all. Just a breeze.
But about a year ago Danny was
called upon to tote such a burden
the distance of a short city block,
and only a stout heart and a gnawing
hunger enabled him to complete
the Herculean task.
Danny at the time was in the
Japanese prison camp at San Tomas
near Manila. Ho had been in that
camp since January 5, 1942
and weighed 158 pounds
He was weak and emaciated
and he was hungry. But he
carried a 220-pound sack of rice he
had stolen from the Jap commissary
to the barracks in which he and
other Americans were confined.
"How I made it is beyond me," a
husky and healthy Dusek explained
today, "But somehow I covered the
distance. That sack at the finish of
my trip seemed to have weighed
not four hundred but four thousand
pounds!
"Yes, many of us had plenty to eat
that night The Japs never did find
out who snatched the sack of rice.
Danny Dusek is one of four
wrestling brothers, celebrated
throughout Matdom.
Others are Rudy, Ernie. Joe and
Emil. Rudy at present is promoting
in New York, but the remaining
three are plying their trade of grunt
and groan artists.
Danny has been in California several
months and has performed regularly
on Oakland cards. He will
be on tonight's show at. the Auditorium,
His opponent will be Iron
Mike Mazurki. former football star
who now divides his time between
wrestling and acting in the movies
Mike is proficient at grappling and
at emoting.
Danny was in Manila when the
Japs took over. He had arrived there
in January of 1940 for a match or
two enroute to Australia. He never
did reach the land down under. He
liked Manila and Manila liked him.
Danny wrestled several times in
Manila and then went into the meat
business, buying cattle in the
various Islands of the Philippines,
slaughtering and selling the meat
in Manila.
He made a pile of money in the
meat business and was set to quit
wrestling and become a full-time
merchant. He was ready to become
a more or less permanent resident
of Manila.
The Japs had other ideas
"I was a member of the reception
committee which officially met
our boys as they took charge of the
prison camp. Several greeted me by name.
They knew me and I knew them.
You see, I did a lot of wrestling in
El Paso."
Dusek confesses with understandable
pride he became exceptionally
proficient in stealing food from the
Japs.
"I always was hungry," he explained.
"I figured a bullet in the
back couldn't have been worse than
being hungry. But they never caught
me. They never even came close.'
The 220-pound sack of rice was his
crowning achievement in filching
although he got away with many a
50-pound sack and large quantities
of meat.
"And speaking of meat," the tin eared
wrestler concluded, "my
Thanksgiving dinner in 1944 was
cat and rice dumpling. That's right
cat. A black one. The critter was
strolling across the prison yard
when I grabbed it. It was lough on
Tabby, but I was hungry, terribly
hungry. No turkey I ever ate tasted
better!"
Dusek arrived in San Francisco in
April of this year, spent two months
training and adding weight and then
picked up the threads o£ his
wrestling career where they had
been dropped many years before
He's a bit sorry he had to kill
and eat that cat. Danny likes cats
'As pets, that is.
Buffalo New York Wrestling - Pedro Martinez, Early 1960s
Birmingham Alabama Wrestling Programs
Early 1960s
Saturday, December 19, 2009
"Stars of the Mat" - 1950's, Al Haft Wrestling
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
