Jackie Pallo

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Jackie "Mr TV" Pallo (12 June 1926 – 11 February 2006) (born Jack Ernest Gutteridge in Islington, London) was an English professional wrestler, a star of British televised wrestling in its 1960s and 1970s heyday, when the "sport" had a regular 40-minute slot before the Saturday afternoon football results on ITV.

Even before the publication of his 1985 autobiography "You Grunt, I'll Groan" (ISBN 0-7088-3228-8), where he revealed the secrets of the wrestling entertainment business (including referees carrying razor blades to nick fighters' earlobes in order to produce the necessary blood to satisfy the bloodlust of the frenzied crowd of mostly elderly women – Pallo preferred to bite his lip to produce the same effect) crowds argued about whether wrestling bouts were staged or not. "Of course it was, it was pure showbiz right from the start," Pallo said in his book.

Apart from wrestling, Pallo also had a mainstream showbusiness career – appearing in pantomime with celebrities such as Lionel Blair and Dick Emery. He also appeared in an episode of the TV comedy Are You Being Served? playing Mr Franco, a parody of his Mr TV character.

Playing a gravedigger in an episode of The Avengers, Pallo was accidentally knocked unconscious during a fight with Honor Blackman's judo champion character, Cathy Gale – striking his head as he fell into the grave. "I want it to be made perfectly clear that this was an accident," he said afterwards. "...I have never been beaten by a woman and never intend to be."

He was a first cousin of TV sports commentator Reg Gutteridge.

He died from cancer, aged 79, and is survived by his wife Georgina and his son Jackie, Jr.

Pallo lived on the outskirts of Ramsgate on The Isle Of Thanet in East Kent .

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