The Ballad of Cousin Elvira

by John Cosper, Jeanne Basone (Foreword)

In the golden age of grappling, the ladies took a back seat to no one. Champion Mildred Burke worked the main event every night for nearly two decades. Throughout the 1940s, no one pushed the champ to the limit quite like Elvira Snodgrass. A redheaded firebrand from Varnado, Louisiana, Gutherine Fuller left the farm life behind for the glitz and glam of the squared circle. As Elvira Snodgrass, she catapulted to fame alongside Burke and the other queens of the ring. Elvira won the fans over with her “aw shucks” demeanor and scufflin’ style. Then she broke their hearts, transforming into rule-breaking heel who would do anything to win. Once lost to history because of her early death, the tale of Elvira Snodgrass is a rollicking ride through one of the most exciting eras in professional wrestling and the inspirational journey of a fiercely independent woman. From her surprise early title win as Betty Nichols to the tragic car accident that ended her career, you’ve got a ringside seat to rediscover one of the biggest and brashest stars of the 1940s. Just remember to stay in your seat and keep your hands to yourself. This is one lady you do not want to cross! The Kindle edition includes some but not all of the photos in the print edition.

140 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2021

About the author

John Cosper is an award-winning writer from Southern Indiana and the founder of Righteous Insanity. He has written more than 2000 sketches and produced over 100 short films. He is the author of several science fiction novels, short story collections, and even kids stories.

John's film credits include the Fluffy trilogy, the Clive the Zombie puppet films, The Hauss Show, and award-winning short films Out of My Mind, The Telemarketer, Tolerance, and Bots. He's dabbled in noir, horror, and other dark realms, but for the most part he prefers humor and space opera to dystopian societies filled with moody teenagers.

Never one to stay stuck in one genre for long, John also writes about professional wrestling. He is the author of several wrestling histories and biographies, and he writes about wrestling's past and present on his blog www.eatsleepwrestle.com.

John's official website is www.johncosper.com.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning about women's pro wrestling, and especially about one who was pals with my father, Wild Bill Zim.

Notes:
---Columbus stories from that era (my home town)
---stories about dad’s pals: Jack Vansky, Stacy Hall, George Woodland, Blimp Levy, Johnny Demchuk, Lord Lansdowne, Lucky Simunovich, Bad Boy Brown, etc, etc.
---in-depth research on Elvira’s aliases and match history (and hair color)
---learning that the Mae Weston gimmick was derived from Mae West.
---Marj Heyduck writings
---ref abuse