Talk:Lou Albano

“Horseshit higgins”, WTF?
I just removed a broken link to Horseshit higgins in section Wrestlers managed. Google doesn't support the existence of a “Horseshit higgins” dude, despite it being a Google Suggest'ed extension to “horseshit”. (Yes, I was kinda bored, but that was just a couple of minutes ago now I'm all giggling.) Please reinstate with appropriate citation if there indeed was a Horseshit Higgins fellow once upon a time (that factoid wouldn't bode well on my opinion about wrestling which right now is already pretty much contained within the semantic cloud of that “horseshit” word, but on the other hand I'm french so what do I know...) DomQ 19:00, 8 July 2007 (UTC)


 * Just a stupid vandal. I am cleaning up the "horseshit" he's left all over this talk page. --QuasarTE (talk) 19:17, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

It makes no sense!
This paragraph of the "Hollywood" section makes no sense.


 * In 1989, on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee", Albano shaved his trademark beard to star as the iconic video game character Super Mario. The Super Mario Brothers Super Show. The one-time villain hosted live action segments during interludes of the Mario cartoon.

"The Super Mario Brothers Super Show" seems just kind of... there. And the last sentence confuses as well. What one-time villain? Is Lou a villain? Or Mario? What? Kaoskastle 03:00, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

Albano's Health Nixed Scheduled Appearance
--Bushido Hacks 15:45, 20 May 2005 (UTC) Captain Lou Albano, 71, suffered a recent heart attack on May 12, 2005, canceling a scheduled public appearance at a Valiant Brothers Reunion on May 14, 2005, in Carteret, New Jersey. Albano was listed in stable condition according to a press release.
 * Source:Tampa Tribune posted May 19, 2005 by syndicated ringside columnist Ron Jordan. Forth story down.

Where he ridsides
Albano dies not reside in Bloomingrove, New York i personally know him cause he is a friend of my uncle and grandfather and im saying he resides in carmel new york. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.76.128.167 (talk) 21:27, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

turn from heel?
My recollection is that all-American Captain Lou was on the "faces" team on the Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n Wrestling Saturday morning cartoon, vs. predominantly "ethnic" heel wrestlers.


 * Both sides on Rock 'n Wrestling had some "ethnic" types--the "faces" side had the Junkyard Dawg, Tito Santana, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka....but yes, Captain Lou's "character" was a face on the show, and if I recall correctly, he started managing face wrestlers at around the same time in the WWF. There used to be a brief paragraph on Lou (or, at least, a "character" based on Lou--none of the wrestlers voiced themselves on the animated segments) being part of Rock 'n Wrestling, but it got trimmed for some reason. - Pennyforth 23:43, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Albano Punches a youth in Framingham Loring Arena
Lou Albano was managing Tarzan Tyler the night Tyler was wrestling Pedro Morales for the Worlds Championship. Before the start of the match a young boy approximately 12 years old walked up to the ring side with camera in hand and asked Albano if he could take his picture. Albano jumped out of the ring and rushed the boy before anyone realized what was happening. Albano punched the boy in the face causing a huge gash in the boys chin. The boy was taken to the Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick and received 18 stiches to the chin. Albano skipped town as fast as possible. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 151.203.93.109 (talk).

Staged or real?
Reading this article, I can't tell what which of Lou's actions were staged, and which were real. Did Lou really give the child stitches? Surely hitting his own Wild Samoan rather than Atlas with a chair was a planned part of the show, and not a blunder as the article states. Can someone clarify which is which? Baiter 18:26, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

needs to be reverted to previous state (vandalized). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 63.87.176.130

I'm also curious about the entire Cyndi Lauper incident. It smells of kayfabe to me, even though it caused an outrage at the time. Note that in the interview used as a source for this, Captain Lou puts it in light of his "straight" turn, and also points out how some of his statements were obviously sarcastic, such as when he said all the women just wanted him while sporting a quite heavy physique. It is also notable that Lauper and Albano remained good enough friends for her to appear as a guest star on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show.--QuasarTE 15:14, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Yes (two years later), the article is written from an in-universe perspective. Now, upon his death, I think many people appreciate that.  - Wikidemon (talk) 07:36, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

BAD LINK
In the managed teams section "The Machines" links to here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machines Which is a band with no relation to wrestling. Can someone fix this, I have no idea how.

rubber bands????
WTF was up with the rubber bands? ~ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.185.226.203 (talk) 08:06, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Nothing "natural" dying at age 76
Another reason why the term 'natural causes' should be avoided when citing cause of death.Ykral (talk) 09:09, 15 October 2009 (UTC) My mom died October 1, 2008 at home under hospice care at 79. When I read that Lou died at home, I knew he died of the same cause as my mom. My mom had coronary problems and cancer. It wasn't the cancer that took her, it was the constant pain of several factors. She wanted to die because even morphine couldn't end the pain and there wasn't an "operation" that could help her. She knew the pain wouldn't end. Natural cause is a simple way of saying the person was ready to go. RIP Capt. The One and Only Worldwise Dave Shaver 11:00, 15 October 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaxdave (talk • contribs)

Birthplace
This article reads that he was born in Mount Vernon, New York, but the Associated Press said he was born in Rome, Italy before he and his family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, and settled there. Source Parrothead1983 (talk) 09:18, 15 October 2009 (UTC)


 * I've adjusted the article accordingly. --Dominic Hardstaff (talk) 09:36, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Italian American?
An Italian American is a person who embraces their Italian heritage. Simply being born in Italy (or having Italian parents) does not make a person an "Italian American". Do we have any citation showing that Albano referred to himself as an "Italian American"? Jwesley78 (talk) 03:08, 16 October 2009 (UTC)
 * In my opinion, essentially, he's an Italian American only if he referred to himself as such. Jwesley78 (talk) 03:10, 16 October 2009 (UTC)
 * As a manager, no. But in the late 1960s, he was half of a tag team called "The Sicilians."208.120.224.227 (talk) 04:40, 16 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Ask any Italian or Sicilian, "Sicilian" != "Italian". He also played the "Italian plumber" Mario, while Danny Wells (a Canadian) played his brother Luigi.  I don't think that would be sufficient reason to label him an "Italian American".  He needs to have applied that label to himself (or, at least, have allowed others to do so openly). Jwesley78 (talk) 04:54, 16 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I have no dog in this fight. I was just noting that Albano was openly labelled as an Italian (or a Sicilian, anyway) back when the WWWF was a heavily ethnicity-based promotion.  (Of course, the entirely Italian Joe Scarpa was promoted by the company as being a Native American.)  Others can debate/decide what that means, if anything.  During his better-remembered managerial tenure, his character's ancestry was no longer a matter of concern. 208.120.224.227 (talk) 15:33, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

I think it's important to distinguish the characters he portrayed from *who* he was on a personal level. I have little reason to doubt that he was open about his Italian heritage. I just think that the label of "Italian American" should have more meaning than simply "his parents were Italian" or "he was born in Italy" (both of which appear to be confirmable for Albano). It must be a label that he wanted to have applied to him. I'm fairly sure there's a citation out there which would support labeling him an "Italian American", we just need to find it. Jwesley78 (talk) 16:29, 16 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Then how come in the Arnold Schwarzenegger article, Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Austria, and was said to be an Austrian American, but with no citation to prove it? Parrothead1983 (talk) 08:50, 17 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Big difference. Schwarzenegger grew up in Austria, even "served in the Austrian army". It's clear that he was "Austrian" at some point in his adult life. Albano moved here as a small child. Jwesley78 (talk) 10:14, 17 October 2009 (UTC)
 * On a personal note, a friend of mine was born (and grew up) in Germany, but does not want to be called a "German American", simply an "American". Jwesley78 (talk) 10:17, 17 October 2009 (UTC)
 * For Bruce Lee, he was born in the United States, but is still called a Chinese American. How confusing. Parrothead1983 (talk) 10:22, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

why "Captain"?
The article doesn't really explain why he chose to use the name "Captain". Perhaps from his days in the military he achieved the rank of Captain? Was he a sailor? -- &oelig; &trade; 12:15, 27 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure if anyone remembers but it seems to have been some time in th mid 1970s. Back in '71 when he led Ivan Koloff to the World title, he was just plain Lou Albano in a smart suit and tie and the beard was nicely trimmed with not a rubber band in sight.Romomusicfan (talk) 07:37, 7 November 2020 (UTC)
 * It says in the article "It was during his stewardship of the Valiant Brothers that Albano picked up his "Captain" nickname, as the act was promoted as "Captain Lou and the Valiants too."" So it started there.  See also "General" Grand Wizard and "Colonel" Jimmy Hart for similar examples, except that the latter two did not extend beyond their managements of Sgt Slaughter and The Honky Tonk Man respectively.Romomusicfan (talk) 07:43, 7 November 2020 (UTC)

filmography
I may be wrong, but I seem to remember him showing up in a movie called "Double Trouble" where he was a bad guy chasing the twin stars of the movie? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.20.27.59 (talk) 02:14, 16 July 2011 (UTC) 67.20.27.59 (talk) 02:21, 16 July 2011 (UTC)

Albano autobiography
Does anyone have a copy of Lou Albano's autobiography, Often Imitated, Never Duplicated, so that some information can be looked up? Rickm7x (talk) 00:00, 25 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Yep! That's what I based my major overhaul on back in May 2013. Is there something specific you were looking for? Korossyl (talk) 11:41, 27 March 2015 (UTC)
 * My apologies for not getting back to you, Korossyl. I am writing about the Chicago Mob and would like more details about the meeting between Albano and Tony Accardo.  If there is a way I can get scans or photocopies of those pages, it would be greatly appreciated.Rickm7x (talk) 06:20, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Here's something missing. David Shoemaker's book talks about Albano and Altimore appearing together on one of Jackie Gleason's shows in 1963.  Perhaps just a coincidence, but his longtime cohort Blassie took credit for making Regis Philbin's career as a talk show host around this same time. RadioKAOS / Talk to me, Billy / Transmissions  13:16, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

Here's the relevant passage from the book:


 * Being a member in good standing of the New York City-based Capitol Wrestling crew definitely had its advantages. At one point, someone from the Jackie Gleason Show called the Capitol Wrestling office looking for four wrestlers to be used in a skit, and Vince sent Arnold Skaaland, Skull Murphy, Tony Altomare (more on him in the next chapter), and me. The four of us went to the studio on Broadway in Manhattan where David Letterman currently does his show. When Jackie saw us as we walked in for rehearsal, he said, “Gentleman, if I get hurt, the skit, and the deal, is off.”
 * Now, he was my hero—why would I want to hurt Jackie Gleason?
 * We got in the ring and rehearsed the skit. It went down without a hitch, so it made it to the show. It went as follows: Jackie, in his Reginald Van Gleason III persona, was going to tag team with Arnold Skaaland against Skull Murphy and me, with Tony Altomare serving as the referee. Jackie was carried to the ring as if he were a sultan, led by two midgets and a long line of slave girls. Once he reached the ring, he dropped the cigarette he was smoking down his leopard-skin ring tights. It was hilarious.
 * During the match, Jackie did some great comedy spots, and Skull and I took plenty of bumps for him. I even took a bump for Tony! The match ended when Jackie knocked Skull, Tony, and med down to the ground. Jackie then walked over to his partner, Arnold, gave him a forearm smash, and sent him flying off the ring apron. Essentially, anyone Jackie touched fell out of the ring.. He was the greatest—a true entertainer.

Collectively, the four of us made $750, but the office took a $250 booking fee, leaving us $500 to split four ways. But not one of us complained, because $125 was good money in those days. That was my first real taste of the entertainment business—and I loved it.

I don't know about Blassie and Regis, but if Jackie Gleason was doing this sort of thing, then it seems reasonable that other entertainers were also doing wrestling-based skits around the same time, right? Korossyl (talk) 12:44, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

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A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 13:06, 27 April 2019 (UTC)
 * King Curtis and Lou Albano - The Big Book of Wrestling - July 1972 (cropped).jpg

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 06:23, 9 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Lou Albano with Paul Billets.jpg