California Dolls

This is a film about a girl wrestling team and their manager (played by Vicki Frederick, Laureen Landon and Peter Falk) on a tour across the middle west of America. It was the last film directed by Robert Aldrich and was an independent production that he is said to have financed himself. Released through MGM, it had a disappointing run but is still quite highly regarded by many viewers, probably because the direction, camera work and acting were all significantly above average. Its limited success probably resulted chiefly from the very limited interest most potential viewers have in female wrestling as either entertainment or sport. This was compounded by a serious dichotomy between the actual wrestling sequences and those showing the team on the road. Watching it is like simultaneously watching two very different films cut up into sizeable chunks that have been mixed together almost indiscriminately. Films of this type are often released in several different versions, each designed to have greater appeal to one specific group of potential viewers. This makes them difficult to comment on, as comments written for one version may not be applicable to another. This appears to be the case here The original release "......all the Marbles" was renamed "The California Dolls" for release in the U.K., and a second release in the U.S.A. also used this alternative title. I saw the U.K. version, and so my comments may not be applicable to either of those released in North America. Where does one go from here? Clearly such a film can be reviewed at several different levels depending upon the viewers interests. Equally clearly this has already been brought out in the comments already submitted about this film. Potential backers of films of this type have great difficulty deciding whether there will be an adequate market, even when the film-script under consideration is of exceptional quality; and it may be even more difficult to decide to which market group the films should be primarily directed. In reviewing it, rather than limiting my comments to one such group, I would prefer to look briefly at how it might be expected to appeal to several different groups of viewers.

I am among the viewers for whom the greatest appeal was the remarkably convincing performance of Peter Falk (whose work has mainly been for TV, and who is probably best known for playing the detective Columbo) as the manager of the small touring team. He was perfect as an experienced and wily, but very seedy, small scale business manager who has seen it all. Once could sense that life had continually been knocking him down, but that he had long ago mastered the art of picking himself up again and carrying on exactly as before. Top marks for this.

Another group of viewers would be more attracted by the realistic portrayal of the life style experienced by any independent group operating on the fringes of the entertainment industry, and continually on the move between a series of one night stands. This is an interesting lifestyle with which most of us are not familiar, and it was very convincingly portrayed here.

A third group will be those who rate female wrestling as a significant spectator sport and who want to watch this film primarily for the ring sequences. I believe these individuals should be very happy with what this film provides. However, after watching even one of the brutal wrestling sequences, other viewers will be left wondering why such attractive girls did not try to get Uncle Hef to picture them in his magazine wearing nothing but a pair of rabbit's ears, so that they could sign up with a Hollywood model agency and earn a few bucks by modelling (acting?) in films for Andy Sidaris, instead of through a life in the wrestling ring.

This brings us to the final group of viewers I will consider - those who enjoy a T&A film for its own sake. Both 'ccthemovieman-1' (in comments already on this database) and other non-IMDb sources refer to copious nudity in the original release of this film. I cannot comment on this as the version I saw was stripped of every vestige of toplessness (presumably because of concerns that such sequences might antagonise some viewers). Even during the mud wrestling sequences none of the contestants became topless for an instant (something I have always understood to be contrary to the whole 'philosophy' of mud wrestling). This confirms my earlier point that there are often several different versions of a film of this type put together in the editing room. If a DVD release is being considered MGM would have to decide which of them is most likely to be a commercial success.

My suggestion is therefore that MGM should consider issuing a double sided DVD, one side with a copy of ".... all the marbles" edited to maximise its appeal to both the latter groups above, and the other side with the alternate version "The California Dolls" edited to maximise its appeal to the first two groups above. This would also help to minimise the problem of the mixture of two different stories. The first version would concentrate on all the ring sequences, plus any others which showed the girls topless, and would include minimal linking sequences. I believe this version could have a wide appeal. It takes more than a few topless scenes to sell a T&A DVD today; but we have here two very attractive cast members who, quite unusually, are also very competent actresses. Those primarily interested in the topless sequences would probably also enjoy the wrestling (or cat-fighting as some of the comments have called it), so on balance this version should have a strong appeal. In the second version the fight scenes would be substantially cut in duration to allow the disk's many other purchasers a greater appreciation of the fascinating character studies provided by this movie.

I saw this movie in Chennai(then Madras),India way back in the early eighties while in college.I remember the movie vividly for its vibrant wrestling action and its handsome women.Peter Falk I remember at his leering best and it still remains one of my favourite movies though I've never managed to lay my hands on a DVD as yet ! I remember it running to a packed house for many weeks at a theatre called LEO which being close to our college used to be filled with a raucous crowd of chanting guys who just loved the movie.I guess we must have seen the movie no less than 5 times! It would be great to get a copy of California DOLLS(it was'nt called ALL THE MARBLES when it was released here)for old times sake. Laura really was a looker and we just loved her!

For a movie about lady wrestlers, this was fairly realistic. Aside from treating pro wrestling as real competition, the movie captures the life of wrestlers on the road quite well. Women's wrestling never had it's own territory, so the performers were always traveling to their next match. The promoters controlled the payoff and moving up the card often meant getting in good with the promoter. Performers worked through injuries and had no health benefits. It was a tough life, but most loved it.

The actors are great and the story has a good framework. Peter Falk is the definite standout, but the two ladies acquit themselves quite well. The wrestling sequences are well staged and blow away anything booked by the WWE. The most far-fetched idea is women's wrestling headlining a big card in Las Vegas, with tv coverage. Well, it is a movie. It's also the best movie ever made about pro wrestling, all though that's not saying much.

It's been said that this movie inspired the GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) promotion and tv show. If true, they should have watched the movie more closely, as it was better than anything they presented.

The movie has its flaws, but it's still entertaining, and the final match will have you on the edge of your seat.

This is overall an entertaining movie,but I have to admit...the real interest here for me is watching 2 very sexy women wrestling. I've always enjoyed catfighting,and this is one of the few mainstream movies that has that in it. I would someday like to see a racier version of this movie,but i know I'm probably just dreaming. Its been awhile since I've seen this,but i believe there was also a jello wrestling scene in it. One thing I had a little trouble believing was that the lead dark haired wrestler was sleeping with the Peter Falk character...ewwww....highly doubtful. I recommend watching this movie to see if you like it.

This film will be dismissed by most viewers much like I dismiss hip hop music. With the recent revival of pro wrestling, it is a shame that this film stays buried in the MGM/UA film library. All the Marbles, is the story of the California Dolls, 2 very attractive lady wrestlers seeking wrestling work and fame in seedy blue collar cities and towns of Mid America. Their manager is Peter Falk. They hope to leverage their good looks and athletic talents into the major league of pro wrestling. This film had a first rate director, capable cast, and was well written. It was a shame that it failed at the box office. While lady wrestling is not currently mainstream, things are changing, women can be stronger and better trained and more and more people are watching wrestling. Weekly pro wrestling attracts more TV viewers than weekly baseball. Hey MGM, how 'bout putting All the Marbles back on TV.