RIP William Smith: Blood & Guts (1978)

Eric Ritz

Legendary actor and human William Smith just passed away, and with him we lost one of the few actors with the size and charisma that would have made him a major wrestling star had he had any interest whatsoever in pursuing that. Smith and Clint Walker were the two physically largest TV stars, both in popular westerns (Laredo and Cheyenne, respectively). But moreso than Walker, Smith turned his bodybuilder physique and wrestler size to go from westerns star to genre legend. Smith was the go to TV and drive-in heavy in the 1970s, getting beat up in a bathroom by Rockford in the Rockford Files pilot, taking over for James McArthur in Hawaii 5-0, appearing on the last Gunsmoke, and making tough guy threats to Columbo, Steve Austin, Ironsides, Caine, Kid Curry and Hannibal Hayes. His role in mini series epic Rich Man, Poor Man lead to death threats and an onstage murder attempt. In the 80s he was a straight to video and big screen constant, the only man large enough to play Arnold's father in Conan, the pre-eminent biker gang leader, military colonel, hitman, ranked street fighter, police lieutenant, or desert apocalypse cult leader. 

Acting careers don't get cooler than William Smith's, and despite him being a martial artist who trained with Bruce Lee (and was originally offered John Saxon's role in Enter the Dragon), he was a guy often used in big screen fights due to being great at big screen fights. Smith was quick, knew how to use his size, could kick over a man's head, and knew what it took to make a fight look like a fight. He would have been a natural fit anywhere in pro wrestling from the 50s thru at least 1990, the perfect kind of guy to bring in to work a late 80s Different Fight against Hashimoto. Alas, the closest we got to Smith in pro wrestling was a 1978 Canadian movie called Blood & Guts. 

Blood & Guts was directed by Paul Lynch (who would go on to direct horror smash Prom Night and cult classic Humongous) and mostly used local Ontario wrestlers (none famous). Smith plays the aging main event star working a Gorgeous George style, dealing with a young upstart natural babyface with Curt Hennig vibes. Smith's Dandy Dan drinks too much and does a leprechaun Irish accent (fitting as he throws kneelifts that look as good as Fit Finlay's) and draws heat in smoky bingo halls. He has an ongoing open challenge to any audience member on their Eastern Canada loop, which is how they find the eventual natural babyface Jungle Boy (who does awful ooga-booga talk because he can't cut promos). There are outlaw mudshow promoters, arguments over being blocked from playing the classy arenas, bar fights, a love triangle that leads to a great fight, carny code, and a nice ending that gives us a chance to see The Wrestler had it ended with Randy knowing when to walk away. 

What's most notable about Blood & Guts is that it used a lot of insider terms. Beyond babyfaces and heels, you had works and shoots and shooters and looks at booking and the ins and outs of promoting, and the movie openly acknowledged the way pro wrestling is fake without presenting it as a joke. Lynch showed wrestling as important fake business where anyone could get hurt, and with all of the actors doing their own stunts it came off realistic in the right ways. This was a pretty ahead of the curve presentation of professional wrestling for 1978, and is a strength of the film. 

The acting is good for a wrestling picture, with a director who understood how to film action nice and gritty, set in plenty of smoky locations, while also treating the well-played romance seriously. The movie never made it to DVD, only existing on VHS as part of Sybil Danning's Adventure Theater, a straight to video re-release series she hosted. Lucky for us, her intro and outro to Blood & Guts is included here, with her presenting as a leopard leotard clad Alistair Cooke. It's essential Danning. The audio is staticky for the first 5 minutes of the file but clears up nicely after that. Highly recommended and a great look at territory era wrestling viewed through a serious lens and starring a charismatic lead in Smith. And if you're somehow new to William Smith, welcome to your new obsession.