The First Ladies of Wrestling is a landmark 2004 documentary by Ruth Leitman, Lipstick & Dynamite, which spotlights the trailblazing women who built professional wrestling’s early scene across the 1940s–60s. Through candid interviews, archival reels, and reunion footage, pioneers like The Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Gladys “Kill ’Em” Gillem, Ida Mae Martinez, Ella Waldek, and Penny Banner revisit a rough-and-tumble era of long drives, packed halls, chicken-wire barriers, and promoters who took their cut while the performers took the bumps. Premiered at Hot Docs and Tribeca (2004) with a limited U.S. theatrical run in 2005, the film captures grit, glamour, and the often-overlooked history of women’s wrestling.
- Director: Ruth Leitman • Runtime: ~75 minutes • Country: United States
- Featured pioneers: The Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Gladys “Kill ’Em” Gillem, Ida Mae Martinez, Ella Waldek, Penny Banner
- Themes: territory life, athleticism vs. spectacle, pay and promotion politics, media portrayal, post-ring careers
- Historical span: from 1930s origins through the “heyday” of women’s wrestling in the 1940s–60s
- Festival journey: Hot Docs & Tribeca (2004) → U.S. limited theatrical (2005) → DVD/home release