Lipstick & Dynamite: The First Ladies of Wrestling

LIPSTICK & DYNAMITE shines a spotlight on the forgotten first ladies of the ring. Gladys 'Killem' Gillem wrestled women, men, alligators and bears. At 18 Ida May Martinez took to the road to flash the only thing she knew - how to kick, punch, and defend herself. Narrowly escaping a date rape at 16, Penny Banner trained for survival. Still kicking butt at 80, The Fabulous Moolah and The Great Mae Young live together with midget wrestler sidekick Diamond 'Lil, and continue to take bumps in the ring. Each woman reflects on her own remarkable life with fond a+d bitter memories, reconciling a wild, flamboyant youth with the reality of getting older and fading away. LIPSTICK & DYNAMITE follows Moolah, The Great Mae Young and the girls 60 years, many bumps and falls later as they discuss the money, the old days and what it's like to be a 'lady' in today's favorite guilty pleasure: spectator sport. The girls are taking all comers. Are you ready? Here’s what the critics say about LIPSTICK & DYNAMITE: “Exhilarating…riotous…endlessly entertaining.” -Ken Tucker- NEW YORK MAGAZINE "Smart … terrific … spirited tough old broads as they look back on their years in the ring when they pulverized the Donna Reed stereotype..." -David Rooney- VARIETY "Utterly enthralling... the first film ever to appeal to feminist study groups and Hulk Hogan fans alike." - BLENDER MAGAZINE “These are Golden Girls gone wild!” -NEW YORK OBSERVER “They went to the mat, literally, for gender equality."  -"O" MAGAZINE "Leitman has captured for the ages a piece of feminist history in danger of disappearing forever". -BUST MAGAZINE "Highly entertaining" -HOLLYWOOD REPORTER “Entertaining and bittersweet.” - LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS “DYNAMITE!” -ATLANTA JOURNAL & CONSTITUTION “It’s totally slammin’!” -E ONLINE “Gutsy…seize the day…glorious.” -SLATE “Lipstick & Dynamite affirms Leitman’s status as a Diane Arbus with a movie camera and a feminist edge.” -CREATIVE LOAFING ATLANTA WEEKLY.