Who is Jackie Fargo

In 1955, Jackie and Don Kalt were both working in New York for promoter Toots Mondt. They both had died platinum blond hair and were very flamboyant for the times - more in the Buddy Rogers mold than than Gorgeous George. (In fact, Kalt was somewhat of a protege of Rogers). Kalt went into New York as Don Stevens, a worked brother to Ray Stevens. Jackie was wrestling as Honeyboy Fargo. Mondt thought their would mesh well as a team, and he was proven right. Mondt gave them championship belts, and they were soon selling out Madison Square Garden against major stars like Antonino Rocca. Jackie Fargo and Don Stevens against Rocca and Miguel Perez sold out the Garden, drawing 20,000+ fans.

Their nest stop was Tennessee, working for promoter Nick Gulas as the Fargo Brothers, Jackie and Don. The Fargo Brothers became wrestling legends, often the first names mentioned when a fan from the Tennessee - Alabama region reminisces about that era.

In 1957, Jackie and Don Fargo (Don Kalt) arrived in Tennessee and quickly took the belts from Corsica Joe and Corsica Jean. Tennessee had never seen a tag team like the Fargo Brothers. Many colorful wrestlers had passed through before, but none paid attention to detail like the Fargos. On some nights, in a three fall match, they'd change trunks after every fall. Their wardrobe included capes, canes, tophats, and leopard skin. The Fargos would strut to the ring, stalling occasionally to sneer and draw more heat.

For the rest of the 1950's through the early part of the 1960's Jackie and Don were at the top of the cards throughout Tennessee and into Birmingham, Alabama. Sonny, a third Fargo, showed up in Tennessee not long after Don and Jackie began working for Gulas. Sonny (Jack Faggart) was the legit brother of Jackie. Sonny often worked as a manager/second for Jackie and Don. At one point, Sonny had to step in for Don when Don actually shot himself practicing quick draw.

Don never liked working for Nick Gulas and eventually took off for greener pastures. He spent the next several years working in various promotions under several different names and gimmicks.

Not long after Don left, Jackie tuned babyface. His turn was drawn out over several weeks and played out in several cities in the Gulas territory. Since Len Rossi was the most popular babyface working for Gulas at the time it was programmed for Jackie to "save" Len. (This was a payback of sorts because Gulas used the Fargos back in 1958 to get Len Rossi over with the fans).

Jackie stayed in Memphis and continued to be the top draw. He wrestling both singles and as a part of a team with dozens of tag partners, including his brother Sonny.

Jackie tuned babyface In The mid-1960's Jackie came up with a crowd pleasing gimmick where Sonny (as brother Roughhouse) was released from a mental hospital occasionally to help Jackie settle scores.

Jackie Fargo's signature finishing maneuver was the atomic drop, but it was the Fargo strut that made the fans go crazy - especially when he "went into it" after being thrown into the ropes. Many wrestlers have used the strut as a part of their act, but nobody did it like Jackie.

Later in the 1960's, Don returned to Tennessee with a different look, but the same drawing ability. He liked working with Jackie, but didn't like working for Nick Gulas any better this time. He left again and resumed his habit of changing his name to suit his new gimmick.

In 1963, Louis Tillet as Joe(y) was brought into Tennessee for awhile to work as one of Jackie's Brothers, often in six-man tag matches with Jackie and Sonny.

In the mid 1960's, while Jackie was the top draw for Nick Gulas, in Tennessee, promoter Jack Pfefer (working with Tony Santos) brought him into Boston as champion. That championship meant nothing beyond that small promotion. It is worth noting that Pfefer, eccentric as he was, knew that Jackie could draw; Jackie was one of the few well established, proven draws that Pfefer allowed to come in under his own name. Most of the rest were rip-offs of major stars (Bummy Rogers, Hobo Brazil etc) or rookies without a track record.