Mister Universe (film)

Mister Universe is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Joseph Lerner and starring Jack Carson, Janis Paige and Vince Edwards. It was produced independently and distributed by Eagle-Lion Films. A number of professional wrestlers of the era appeared as themselves.

Mister Universe
Directed byJoseph Lerner
Written bySearle Kramer
Produced byRex Carlton
Joseph Lerner
StarringJack Carson
Janis Paige
Vince Edwards
CinematographyGerald Hirschfeld
Edited byGeraldine Lerner
Music byDimitri Tiomkin
Production
company
Laurel Films
Distributed byEagle-Lion Classics
Release date
January 10, 1951
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Honest "Mister Universe" winner Tommy Tompkins is recruited by a con-man wrestling promoter and wins match after match. However he is horrified when he is told to lose a wrestling match and proves simply unable to do so due to his natural honesty.[1]

Cast

Production

Mister Universe was filmed in New York.[1]

Reception

Variety found the dialogue "weak" but the film "quite funny" with good performances. Variety noted that the film did not treat the wrestling business "with its phoney grapplers and decisions, and crooked promoters" lightly, but that it probably took it more seriously than the press and sports communities.[1]

Picturegoer wrote "True, much of the fun springs from the mauling of stooges, but the humour is no less effective for being elementary, or rather primitive."[2]

The cast was praised by The New York Times.[3]

Trivia

Joan Rivers appears in an uncredited role.[4]

Mister Universe marked the film debut of Vince Edwards.[5]

A comic adaptation of the film was published by Eastern Color in the December 1950 issue of the anthology comic book Movie Love, only a month before the film's release.

References
  1. "Mr. Universe". Variety. 1951-01-17. p. 11. Retrieved 2019-12-24 – via Proquest Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive.
  2. "Mr. Universe". Picturegoer. 1951-07-28. p. 16. Retrieved 2019-12-27 – via Proquest Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive.
  3. "The Screen: Little Spoof on Wrestling". The New York Times. 1951-03-23. Archived from the original on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2019-08-08 – via Proquest Historical Newspapers.
  4. Langer, Emily (2014-09-04). "Joan Rivers, comedian who skewered everyone, including herself, dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  5. Prowse, David (2011-09-28). Straight From The Force's Mouth: The Autobiography of Dave Prowse. Andrews UK Limited. ISBN 978-1-908548-18-4.
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