Doctor In The House
Chapter Two: Dr. Orville Lee Grable
#PWHS #Article #DrInTheHouse #DrGrable #Hypnotism
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He was known by several ring names but mainly Dr Lee Grable or Orville Graybill. His wrestling career spanned over 13 years starting just prior to 1945 and finishing in 1957.
In the December 29, 1945 edition of the Desert News newspaper he is noted as having a physique to envy "Jimmy Londos," and billed as the "Hollywood Glamor Guy." By the 1950's he was a wrestling hypnotist that held his own in the ring. In addition, the promoter would use Grable’s entertaining abilities with the crowd to provide comic relief during some point in the evening.
Lee Grable had been wrestling in Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah. He was billed as being from Hollywood. On February 15, 1946, he wrestled Johnny Sepeda in Salt Lake City. Grable won the first fall and was resting in his corner when a spectator began taunting him. Grable replied, “Do you think you can take me?” The irate man jumped into the ring and started swinging his fists, but Grable answered in kind, meeting him with powerful rights and lefts. Another man entered the ring and Sepeda and referee Ralph Morley started tangling with him. The brawl lasted five minutes. The face of Grable’s assailant was said to look like “an uncooked hamburger sandwich.” It turned out that the rowdy spectator was a former boxer of local repute named Imey Garfinkle, joined in the fray by his brother. They were taken away by the police. Grable and Sepeda continued their bout with the latter taking the 2nd fall, and the former winning the 3rd and the match. It would appear that Garfinkle’s attack wasn’t just a typical pro wrestling “work”, as Garfinkle didn’t figure in any further mat angles as a referee or in a mixed match or anything else. Grable just aroused his anger. Perhaps alcohol had something to do with it?
His few titles were won were in the NWA Hawaii, NWA Central States, and in the Rocky Mountain rings. He also was a mainstay in Texas and especially in Los Angeles territories. He had a main-event feud with Billy Varga and Sandor Szabo that kept bringing the fans back from week to week.
He used his hypnotic skills in the ring and with the crowd. Dr Grable would lead into his match by actually hypnotizing volunteers from the audience. One method he used was to get members of the audience to raise their hand and convince them they could not lower their hand until he said they could. By all accounts I have read, it always worked. This would happen either before his match or it could happen during the interlude of the show.
The November 20, 1957 edition of the Miami News newspaper states "Orville Lee Grabeel who wrestles professionally as Dr. Lee Grable when not using hypnotism to cure 'bad habits like fingernail biting' on the authority of a degree from 'Sierra State University,' though admittedly he had never graduated from high school." It should be noted that newspapers were often known to play into a wrestlers character, so this may not be factual, although the usage of his real name probably indicates it was.
A perfect way for him to start to a match was for him to get his opponent to break his hold by the good Doctor just staring into his eyes. Another account I read told of how he lost to the famed Red Berry but got the last laugh; he hypnotized Berry and the ref into a handclasp that could not be broken until Grable was coaxed back into the ring to break it. Picture it like many sleeper hold matches where the winner had to be coaxed into “waking” his opponent by a good smack on the back. We know more matches of Grable’s can still be found, but none of him hypnotizing his peers.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Doctor In The House: Chapter Two.
Authors: Terry Kent & Mark Hewitt.
Published: July 2014.
Article: #24.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Updated: April 17, 2019.
Doctor In The House: Chapter Two.
Authors: Terry Kent & Mark Hewitt.
Published: July 2014.
Article: #24.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Updated: April 17, 2019.
Doctor In The House: Chapter Three - Read Here.
Doctor In The House: Chapter One - Read Here.
Other articles by Terry can be Read Here.