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For the sixth year in a row, the annual Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion was held in Mobile, Alabama. The reunion "Where Grudges are Forgotten ... and Friendships are Renewed" was held in Irvington, Alabama on March 7th and 8th, 1997.
The reunion, which was officially scheduled to begin on Friday afternoon, kicked off on late Thursday as several early-arrivals began to gather at the Shoney's Inn. As quickly as they wandered in, others broke off into groups for dinner, informal get-togethers, and visiting. Thursday night would be the earliest most of us got to sleep, although even then, it was one-thirty or so for some of us.
Just like we did on Thursday afternoon, everyone began drifting into the reunion headquarters on Friday morning. The entire day was devoted to visiting and renewing old friendships. By five o'clock, the hall was packed with former wrestlers, referees, promoters, and announcers ... all hungry and anxious to dig into the delicious spaghetti supper prepared by hard-working Skip and Betty Wetjen, Ricky Fields, and their crew.
The evening program began at six-thirty with an Awards Ceremony, as the Fabulous Moolah (Lillian Ellison) and Mae Young presented Ladies International Wrestling Association awards to Evelyn Fields, Florence Fields and Ida Fields for the time and effort they put in behind-the-scenes, long before the reunion begins, long after the festivities come to an end.
Ann Bowman and Florence Fields were up next as they gave awards to those who had attended all six reunions (since '92). Those die-hards were Curtis ("Smitty") and Meredith Smith, Buster and Evelyn Faye, Randy Rice (Randy Tyler), Eddie Sullivan, and Don "I Don't Have No Shoes" Fargo. Rip Tyler stepped onto the stage to present door prizes, then introduced the entertainment for the evening.
Karl Roach opened the evening program with his rendition of "Rapid Roy, That Stock Car Boy." Our hosts for the weekend, former Mobile promoter Lee Fields and his wife Ida, kicked off the comedy as they acted out another great routine to the music of "The Pill." These skits are always original, entertaining, and a favorite element of the Gulf Coast Reunion entertainment. Randy Tyler and Ida Mae Martinez took turns on stage as they shared their singing talents. Randy sang "Wise Old She," while Ida Mae offered a set of blues numbers, "Call Me Baby, Baby," "Honkey Tonk Blues," and "Blue." Not to be outdone, Billy Wicks told a story about how Dick van Dyke got started in show business ... although "Dick van Dyke" wasn't his original stage name. Randy Tyler then returned to sing a song he wrote called "On the Road Too Long."
The Great Karnack, better known as Terry Lathan, made his fourth annual appearance with more answers, and subsequent, hilarious questions. The first half of the show was concluded as Karl Roach came back to sing "I Am I Said." The main event of the evening was "The Womanless Wedding". We were all honored guests at Fields Gulch, Alabama as we witnessed one of the most awesome rites of matrimony uniting the most virtuous Billyene Wicks with the gallant, honorable, but yet man-about-town, Sputnik Monroe. This was a hilarious skit, made even more laughable by the characters in the cast, decked out in outfits that personified their character.
THE WOMANLESS WEDDING
The Cast
Narrator - Ann-drew Bowman
Minister - Bob Kelley
Billyene Wicks, bride - Billy Wicks
Groom - Sputnik Monroe
Soloist - Randy Tyler
Father of the Bride - Skip Wetjen
Best Man - Don Fields
Father of the Groom - Len Rossi
Ushers - Jack Adkins and Joe Powell
The Bride's Brother - Billy Garrett
Mr. Lester, the Groom's Uncle - Lester Welch
Bobby Sue Fields, the groom's aunt - Bobby Fields
Ripper Dean, the bride's aunt - Rip Tyler
Norm-Ann Charles, maid of honor - Norman Frederick Charles
Jerry Rae Barber, the bride's sister - Jerry Barber
Ring Bearer - Lee Fields
Flower Girl - Terry Lathan
Billyann Bowman, bridesmaid - Bill
Tigermae Conway, bridesmaid - Tiger Conway
Groomsmen - Bobby Simmons, Stu Schwartz and Buddy Colt
The turnout for the Friday night entertainment was the biggest house in the history of the reunion. After the show was over, the remainder of the evening was casual visiting, as everyone again took time to look up old friends (and enemies) and retell stories from days gone by. Everyone eventually drifted off to their hotel rooms, where several smaller gatherings were held until the wee hours of the morning. |
