Im jamie colby in San Francisco today, home of the bay bombers. If you know that is the most storied franchise in roller derby, then you watch too much saturday morning tv. And if you dont know what im talking about, no worries just strap on your helmet because you are in for a rollicking good time. My name is Jim Fitzpatrick, and when one of my childhood idols died in 2006, she left me hundreds of her mementos from her roller derby career. Hi, im jamie. Hi, jamie. Nice to meet you. Im jim. Inside his house, Jim Fitzpatrick has arranged his strange inheritance into a shrine, to the woman who left it to him, annie calvello, the hottest star from his favorite sports glory days. A lot of fans went for different reasons. Some of them, its obvious. They went to see girls. Some went to see the fights. Calvello keeps driving. And shes past four and hit in there, knocked down. Its back in the 1960s when the gutsy roller goddess makes a big impression on 8yearold Jim Fitzpatrick. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. 1929 thats when well begin ann calvellos story, here in San Francisco, where she grows up the oldest of six children. Tony calvello is anns younger brother. Ann was a tough one. [ laughs ] i can remember getting in a fight in front of the house, and she came up and broke up the fight, then i was the one getting hit. As a teenager, ann takes to the latest craze roller skating. She might have been termed a tomboy, and very often better and faster than the boys. Around this time, a movie theatre chain owner named leo seltzer comes across a mindblowing stat. 95 of americans have tried roller skating at one time or another, so he creates a new sport roller derby. My father came up with this idea lets put the competitors on roller skates. Jerry seltzer is leos son. The women would skate for 12 minutes against the opposing team. Then the men would come out and skate for 12 minutes against the opposing team. Here is the pack now, a girl has broken away from the pack. She is called jamming skater. For each one of the opposing teams she passes, shell get a point. Calvello keeps driving. It catches on like wildfire. [ cheers and applause ] were the audiences coed . The audience got more and more coed, and that was one of the secrets of roller derby. The wives come, the girlfriends come, and their boyfriends and husbands become fans. In 1948, the seltzers send scouts to San Francisco to look for skaters, and 18yearold ann calvello sparkles at a tryout. Ann calvello was a heck of a skater. Later that year, roller derby makes its Television Debut in new york, and before long, stations across the country are picking up the game. Suddenly, roller derby stars are household names. Annie calvello, and calvellos on the move. It didnt take our skaters long to learn that the bigger personalities they became, the more attraction they had. Down in right, they just tore off the front half of ann calvellos jersey, and this gal is a little angry. Uhoh she hit the referee and gets ruled out of the game. We actually had a rule how far could the women zip down their jerseys, and theres one who violated it all the time. That was ann calvello. She was very proud of what she termed her tickets. Thats what they referred to their breasts as tickets and shed say tickets up and shed stand up real straight. She was really quite funny. Every grudge match needs a villain. Ann is happy to oblige. Watch it shes got more trouble everybody wanted to come and see ann, primarily to boo her. Were those real fights, or were they laying it on . Let me tell you what i would say to the skaters. We do not want fights. But if youre gonna fight, you better fight because theres nothing worse than a phony fight. Judy arnold skated against ann calvello. Annie loved being the villain. And now three shamrocks start to finish the job most of the skaters off the track loved her. Oh, theres bad blood here on the track, things change cause you want to win. There she is, right behind the hammerlock. But anns not just a roller derby queen. Shes also a worldclass packrat who saves every knee pad, jersey, and piece of fan mail from day 1. 1948, when shes a teenager, shes recruited to skate for the first time professionally, and this was her original skate case. This is her helmet . This is one of anns helmets. She kind of decorated hers with scarves and she added her name to it. And she was a leo, very proud of it, so she thats pretty cool. Yeah, engraved that into it. Women born under the sign of leo are said to be difficult to resist, and a handsome roller derby referee named roy langley cant. They wed in 1951 and have a daughter named teri, but the marriage soon goes over the rail. Roy was very jealous of any attention that ann got, especially from men. I believe he expected them to be settled, and that wasnt what ann wanted to do. What ann wants is to go back to roller derby, and she does. The couple divorce, roys mother raises teri while ann tours the globe. When she was on the track, she wasnt only queen of the track. She was queen of the world. Color tv allows ann to amp up her flamboyant style. Annie would color her hair. When i come back, youre gonna be so sorry. Shed do part pink, part green, part blue, and in those days, that was not the thing to do, but annie did it. One of her nicknames demon of the derby. After a few broken schnauzes, the most famous is banana nose. Banana nose banana nose then in the late 1960s, she grabs the attention of a certain 8yearold boy. It was a saturday morning, and all of a sudden, i see this bizarre sport. Tickets up how jim becomes a superfan and then anns heir. Next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Real life roller derby star judy arnold was the stunt double for which actress in the 1972 film kansas city bomber . The answer after the break. Everything your trip needs, for everyone you love. Expedia. Aalexa its a masterstroke of sorrow by olivia watson. Heartache, brutality and redemption. The mist crept into the pivot hole beside her. Youre late. David what did you think of the book . Its a. Masterstroke of. Heartache. Brutality. And redemption. You didnt read it, did you . I didnt. But i will. The lexus nx, modern utility for modern obstacles. Lease the 2020 nx 300 for 349 month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. I am totally blind. And non24 can make me show up too early. Or too late. Or make me feel like im not really there. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442342424. thud crash grunting whistle play it cool and escape heartburn fast with tums chewy bites cooling sensation. Tum tututum tums so, which actress used judy arnold for her stunt double in the 1972 film kansas city bomber . Its raquel welch. Judy wore a brunette wig to do raquels action scenes. By the late 1960s, ann calvello has been burning up the roller derby track for two decades. Jim fitzpatrick is a young boy watching tv when he first sets eyes on the demon of the derby. It was 1968. Those of us who loved him. Bobby kennedy was assassinated, and it was a saturday morning, and they had the funeral procession, which was airing on all the channels. The only alternative for a sportscrazy kid. An independent tv station airing a raucous battle. They were skating at this wild, blinding speed, hitting each other, banging each other. People are falling. Hes hooked and unable to avert his eyes from the veteran vixen with the bod of a 25yearold. His strange inheritance contains the proof. These are her shorts while she was on the midwest pioneers, and she was already at this point, 41 years of age. Theyre very, very, very small. If you got it, flaunt it, the saying goes, and ann does. I wear hot pants. I mean, at 42 years old, people say you shouldnt wear hot pants. I say, hey, look, when youre my age, you should look so good in hot pants. As jim grows up, he doesnt outgrow his roller derby fascination. He takes up skating himself, and after High School Scores a job on the track crew with the hometown bay bombers. Its a skate in the door. One night, i walk into the oakland auditorium, and the owner comes over to me and he goes, youre skating tonight. Thats when i went, holy crap, am i ready for this . Jim goes on to skate with teams across the u. S. , in bueno aires, and on a u. S. All star team in japan. I pursued my dream. You were too determined. Yeah. But after 5 years, injuries forced jim to switch jobs to parttime ref. Next thing he knows, hes facing off with ann calvello, now 56 years old and swinging a handbag. She grabbed the purse, took the straps, she swung it around, and she nailed me on the side of the head. In time, that lump on jims head will get replaced with a soft spot in his heart for a battered and aging roller derby queen still busting chops but worried about fading away. Thats next. I cant believe im doing this. Heres another quiz question for you. Ronnie robinson, one of the top roller derby stars of the 70s was related to what more famous figure . Boxing champ sugar ray robinson, former first Lady Michelle robinson obama, or baseball great Jackie Robinson . The answer when we return. We trust usaa more than any other company out there. They give us excellent customer service, every time. Our 18 year old was in an accident. Usaa took care of her car rental, and getting her car towed. All i had to take care of was making sure that my daughter was ok. 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So, who was roller derby star ronnie robinsons famous relative . Its a. His dad was boxing champ sugar ray robinson. By the mid1990s, Jim Fitzpatrick has left behind his days a pro roller derby skater. The profession, he says, isnt what it once was. The sport has gone through so many ups and downs. The traditional roller derby was a totally legitimate game, but there have been other people that have come along, and theyve just taken it in a whole bizarre direction. Just wait till you see these skaters take on the 14foot high wall of death. Ive seen some that have had a wall of death. Hes getting him onto the rail hes putting him in the pit . An alligator pit. I cant believe what were witnessing here tonight i got to go the changes dont seem to bother annie calvello. Even as she nears 70, shes still selling those tickets. They want all the young girls, you know, with the nice figures, but i dont have a bad figure, and theyre real whats all too real the offtrack life of an aging roller derby demon who never remarries, never saves money, and makes end meeting pushing carts and bagging groceries at the safeway. Its around this time that jim runs into ann at a roller derby reunion. Hes compiling a book about the history of the sport. I kind of put it together for just some of the skaters as a keepsake. I started asking her questions for my book. Over a string of long interviews and sharing stories, they become close friends. So close that jims by her side when ann learns she has eye cancer, then it spreads to her liver. Ann confides to jim her worry that shell be totally forgotten when shes gone and her wish for one last night in the spotlight. She really wanted to skate, and she was 70 years old, and i really thought that this is not a good thing to do. In august 2000, ann calvello skates before cheering roller derby fans one last time. She doesnt take you know what [ whistle blows ] and there they go ann calvello puts him up into the rail, and look at her go one lap to go. If she gets there first, shes gonna win this thing she can get it. And she got it she knocked him down with an old roller derby move old banana nose is back, and what an outpouring of love for ann calvello. That red jersey is the last thing ann calvello places in her lifelong collection of roller derby memorabilia. Im gonna miss all you guys and then she delights jim by announcing shes leaving much of it to him when she dies. I go by my own rules its on march 14, 2006 ann calvello hangs up her skates for good, succumbing to cancer at age 76. I remember going over to her apartment, and it was a sad day. And when i saw what i had, i was blown away by it. Jim gathers up his strange inheritance trophies, pennants, fan letters, skates, knee pads, jerseys, and more. This is the Madison SquareGardens Program for the first alifrazier fight. They have a section in here on other great athletes that performed in the garden, and sure enough. Its ann yeah, two pictures of ann. So she represented roller derby. And then this is after she had some real knee problems and she was starting to wear a special brace. This is touching. Ann saved all of her fan mail. I even have a lot of her letters when people were wishing her to recover after the brain tumor surgery. Stuff any roller derby fan would covet. Jim, you ever have any of this stuff appraised . Not really appraised, but what i have noticed over the years, ive seen people sell items on ebay. There was one jersey that was sold for about 3,000. I think ann is just as much if not more of a star, so. It might go for more. But as youre about to see, jim has another idea for his strange inheritance, one hell try out in his new position as general manager of the storied San Francisco bay bombers. 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Browsing hundreds of styles and sizes to find the perfect fitting shirt and blazer. So that tonight john could feel totally himself. At stitch fix we dont just see your size or your style. We see you. Let us find your perfect fit at stitchfix. Com now back to strange inheritance. Roller derby legend ann calvello saves practically everything from her 50year career skates, jerseys, programs, photos, pennants, trophies, and on and on and on. Fellow derby legend judy arnold is glad she did. Annie had a heart to preserve what she did. I think its wise that she did that. I didnt think that way. When ann dies, she leaves all this to Jim Fitzpatrick, her lifelong fan whom she inspired to join the roller derby himself. Hes sure its worth many thousands of dollars, but knows ann had a plan for him. Why did she leave you her inheritance . I love the sport, and she knew that i was doing the best i could trying to bring roller derby back to where it should be. Jim now manages the San Francisco bay bombers, one of the first teams calvello skated for. But if roller derby has a future, its now in the hands of skaters like stacey blitsch. Malibu stacey who skates for the l. A. Firebirds is in town to face the bombers. Oh, my goodness hello so she, Jim Fitzpatrick, and judy arnold teach me some tricks of the trade. So, jim, what are you gonna teach me today . Were gonna start out with a whip. And a whip is a way of propelling a skater or teammate down the track. It accelerates their speed. Now its my turn. Im gonna do this. Stand by. I promised my mom id wear these. Whoopsy. [ laughs ] lets try that again. Right, left. Right, left. Hey shes got it okay, im getting the hang of this. Thats it . [ laughs ] no biggie. Hey, if raquel welch can use a stunt double, so can i. Thanks, stace. Walking. Its clear im not gonna help jim reach his goal of returning roller derby to its former glory years, but he believes his strange inheritance might. See, jim understands that while some fans like him might get hooked on a sport after catching it on tv. Bay bombers . Usually fandom is passed down from a parent or grandparent. He figures it will only help if he can draw connection between todays skaters and those who raced around these banked tracks in generations past. Todays game is dedicated to the original roller derby legend and former San Francisco bay bomber ann calvello. Thats where his strange inheritance comes in. We love this and we want to try and carry it on and carry the tradition on. Yes, there are some empty seats, but jim sees a promising mix of kids, moms, and oldtimers who take in ann calvellos treasures, fondly remembering old banana nose. I loved to see her, the way she used to fight and skate around. She was wonderful. Come on, baby take her out take her out so, can ann calvellos heir bring their sport back to the days of big ratings and soldout stadiums . Star of the night, annie calvello. [ whistle blows ] it sounds like a pipe dream. Get in front, [bleep] get in front fight calvellos on the move. The fans are very excited about this, look at them stand up and watch. You never know. [ cheers and applause ] in fact, the federation of International Roller sports has been lobbying for decades to get the derby into the olympics. Skaters say they were almost a demonstration sport in 2016, but they lost out to rugby and golf. Better luck next time, jammers. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember you cant take it with you. Arthel mark has the best assignment of the day. Were back in one hour. Please join us. Paul welcome to the journal editothe journaleditorial repol gigot. Democrats and the media claiming a bomb shell this week after William Taylor testified before the House Intelligence Committee as the impeachment inquiry into President Trump continues behind closed doors. The proceedings were disrupted wednesday when a group of House Republicans staged a protest, storming a secure hearing room to demand transparency, accusing democrats of trying to overturn the results of the 2016 election in secret, all this as another investigation picks up steam with the Justice Department review of the russia probe now said to be