Pin-Down Girl
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Robert C. Derteno
Clara Mortensen
Rita Martinez
Timothy Farrell
Peaches Page
Muriel Gardner
Film Details
Technical Specs
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com//img/global/logo-AFI.png)
Synopsis
Umberto Scalli, the leader of a horseracing racket, who promotes female wrestling as a front for his racket, signs on new talent Peaches Page, promising to bring her fame. After Scalli's lead wrestling coach, Ruby McKenzie, shows her the facilities, Peaches easily pins down one of the better wrestlers. The other wrestlers are jealous of Peaches' strong, attractive physique, but they know Scalli has duped her. Scalli rents an apartment for Peaches nearby and then orders his sidekick Joe to follow her. Later Scalli, Joe and Ruby take Peaches out for roadwork, jogging and jumping rope. After they return to the gym, three henchmen representing Mr. Big, another gambling racketeer, visit Scalli. Mr. Big gives Scalli thirty days to pay him $35,000 he owes. After bribing Scalli's bookkeeper Monk to tell him about Scalli's operation, Mr. Big discovers that Scalli keeps his profits in a safe at the gym. Later that night, female bookie Jackie is returning home when Monk forces her to pay him to keep quiet about her "bucketing," or embezzling money from Scalli. Monk takes the money and then reports Jackie's behavior to Scalli, who rewards Monk for his alleged fidelity and promptly fires Jackie. One day, Scalli, orders Joe to incapacitate a racehorse favored to win to insure that his own entry will win, but the horse dies and Scalli threatens to send Joe back to the arena to sell peanuts. In the locker room, Peaches speaks favorably about her new boss until Ruby tells her stories about Scalli's past to illustrate his devious nature. Later, despite Ruby's warnings, Peaches falls into an amorous embrace with Scalli, only to be interrupted by Ruby, who denounces Scalli for his disreputable behavior. Scalli then leaves abruptly with Joe to see the wrestling match between Leopard Lady and Panther Woman. When they return to the office, Scalli is delivered a subpoena to appear before a committee on crime investigation. After Mr. Big's henchmen warn Scalli not to inform on their boss, Scalli refuses to reveal anything about the gambling racket during the interview. On the night of the world class match between wrestling champ Clara Mortensen and champion of Mexico Rita Martinez, Scalli tries to bribe both women to throw the match, but they refuse, insulted that Scalli would ruin the honest sport of wrestling. That night, after Monk reports to Mr. Big that Scalli has withdrawn large sums of money from the bank that day and closed the gym early, Mr. Big orders Monk and two of his henchmen to rob Scalli's safe. Scalli and Joe hear the henchmen and rush to empty the safe, but in their attempt to escape, Joe is shot and killed. In the ensuing car chase, the henchmen shoot Scalli, who pulls over and falls to the ground, mortally wounded. When the police arrive, the henchmen grab the money and flee, but surrender once cornered in an alley.
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com//img/global/logo-AFI.png)
Director
Robert C. Derteno
Cast
Clara Mortensen
Rita Martinez
Timothy Farrell
Peaches Page
Muriel Gardner
Don Ferrara
Matt Douglas
Paul Martin
Bruce Spencer
Tony Zarro
Mary Jean Walker
William Lamont
Phil Bernard
Jimmy Lennon
Phil Solomon
Doris Ives
Crew
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com//img/global/logo-AFI.png)
Film Details
Technical Specs
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com//img/global/logo-AFI.png)
Quotes
And don't forget about me. I'm Joe.- Joe the Jockey
Hi, Joe. You're cute.- Peaches Page
I get it - anything that is small is cute. Well, that's me.- Joe the Jockey
Don't you know? Good things come in small packages.- Peaches Page
Not to my way of thinking.- Joe the Jockey
Trivia
George Weiss had 'Rita Martinez' affect a thick Mexican accent because her real voice was "too American".
Notes
Pin-Down Girl was rereleased under the title Racket Girls. According to a April 6, 1955 The Exhibitor review, the film was also released under the title The Blonde Pick-Up. Producer George Weiss's onscreen credit reads "Produced under the personal supervision of George Weiss." Although a print of this film was viewed, several onscreen character names were not legible and were left out of the credit list. Timothy Farrell also played the role of Umberto Scalli [or Humberto Scalli] in the 1949 George Weiss-produced film The Devil's Sleep (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1941-50).
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