The Premiere

1967: When Wolves Conquered the USA was given the Hollywood treatment in Wolverhampton during the recent October international break as the documentary charting Wolves’ influence on the birth of soccer in America premiered to an exclusive audience.

Set to be released to a wider audience in November, the 30-minute documentary was given its first airing at the Arena Theatre in Wolverhampton city centre, with a private screening in front of 150 special guests, including former players and their families.

Following the documentary’s trailer being released earlier this year to mark the 56-year anniversary of the United Soccer Association’s championship final at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the final cut of the film was shown at the exclusive premiere event, which also featured a drinks reception and two Q&A panels.

Firstly, Wolves TV presenter Gemma Frith posed questions to writers and directors James Bird and Owen Blackhurst of MUNDIAL, and executive producers from Wolves, Yannie Makarounas and Russell Jones.

Following a screening of the documentary, the evening ended with three Wolves players who represented the club in Los Angeles, Phil Parkes, Terry Wharton and Gerry Taylor, sharing their intriguing tales from their time in the US with those in attendance.

Among the audience were key figures from Wolves’ past and present, including friends and family of the LA Wolves players who have since passed, legendary Wolves stars such as ‘King John’ Richards and Steve Daley, the Mayor and Mayoress of Wolverhampton, civic dignitaries and members of the Midlands press.

Ahead of the documentary being shown, MUNDIAL’s Blackhurst and Bird discussed the pride they’ve experienced as Wolves supporters, the incredibly long hours which have been put in to bring the untold story of the club’s USA championship title to the big screen, as well as a chance to work with big figures from Old Gold and American soccer history.

Image from the premiere of LA Wolves in Wolverhampton

“It was very difficult to cut it down to 30 minutes,” Blackhurst admitted. “There were lots of days, lots of late nights and lots of going back through it.

“I don’t know how many times we’ve seen it – 200 times, 250 times, 300. I’ve seen Phil Parkes in slow motion about 500 times, so it was a lot of work, but it’s enjoyable, so it’s not work, really.

“We’re very lucky to be able to do things like this and even when you’re struggling and there’s a bit you can’t get right or there’s a breakthrough that won’t come, it’s still an enjoyable thing to do. We’re getting to tell football stories. It’s amazing.”

Bird added: “It was a big pull to speak to Alan Rothenberg, who is a former US president of soccer, but, to be honest, I was more interested in meeting someone like Phil Parkes, who my dad had always said was a great keeper, a fantastic keeper.

“But, for me, as someone who since I was a toddler has been going to watch Wolves and been dressed in Wolves kits, to meet players from the history of the club that I’ve always supported, it was amazing. It was really great.”

But the audience were there to hear from the heroes of the story – Parkes, Wharton and Taylor.

The trio captivated all those in attendance to almost an hour of gossip, unheard tales and laughs from a tour of America which was more than just about the football on the pitch, but an experience off it which those involved will remember forever.

However, Parkes revealed that one of the most remarkable achievements in Wolves history came close to never happening at all.

“Ronnie Allen came in and told us we’d been offered this tour to America, and that we’ve been offered so much money for this and money for that. But when John Ireland found out, he told us we couldn’t have it.

“However, Doog [Derek Dougan], Mike Bailey and Waggy [Dave Wagstaffe] had a meeting and they said if we don’t get what we’ve been offered, we’re not going, but fortunately a contract had already been signed, so we had to go.”

The tour was one of the first times Parkes and Taylor had ever been out of the country, let alone on a 12-hour flight to the other side of the States.

Wharton explained: “To go to America to start with was great, but when they said we’re representing Los Angeles that was better still. We’d just finished runners-up to Coventry, we’d got promoted, and then we had this massive trip of eight to 12 weeks in LA. We were just looked after so well.”

“It was an amazing experience,” Taylor said. “We played in about six different cities, from coast to coast – Chicago, Washington, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco – and it was an amazing adventure, but it was hard work. Playing that many games in eight weeks – it was a lot, but we enjoyed it. We really enjoyed it.”

“When you come from West Brom, going to LA is a completely different world,” Parkes admitted. “I’ll be honest, after nine weeks, I didn’t really want to come home. The sun shone every day, we had a lovely hotel with a swimming pool, we had everything we wanted.

“But the only problem was you have to be 21 to drink, and they’re really, really spot on. But I used to go to the Whisky a Go Go. It was probably the most iconic nightclub in the world. It was two blocks away from our hotel, so I would just go to listen to the music. It was hippies and flower power. Free love. It was great.”

“We had two days off, so me and Ernie Hunt went to Vegas,” Wharton recalled. “We got on the plane; Clint Walker was on it and introduced himself to us. He then invited us to see Ann-Marget who was making her stage debut and they were having a red carpet do.

“We were walking on the red carpet, me and Ernie, and Ann-Margret was there, and Roger Smith, her husband, was in front. But I was bursting for a wee.

“I was walking down this corridor and there was a fellow standing at a palm tree. I asked him if he could tell me where the toilets were, and he said, ‘They’re here. Have a pee here.’ I recognised the guy, and he told me who he was – I was having a pee in a palm tree with Trini Lopez!”

LA Wolves player leaps for the ball during the final

Playing in the blistering heat of the American summer was a big memory for many of those involved, as Taylor explained.

“We played a game in Dallas and the humidity and temperature was about 106 degrees, and you couldn’t run more than 25 yards without getting out of breath.

“Alongside the pitch, they used to put big tubs of ice water, so when you did a run, you’d have to stop, get a pack of ice out and put it on the back of your neck just to cool down.

“I remember we were playing in Washington and Dave Burnside tried to take a quick throw-in and he threw the ball into the face of Frank Munro. Frank lost his rag and went running after him. Dave jumped into the box where the chairman, John Ireland, and Ronnie Allen was. He tried to punch Dave but missed him and ended up hitting John Ireland on the head!

“I read recently that when he came to Wolves to sign on, John Ireland was in the office with Ronnie Allen and he put his hands up over his head and said, ‘Don’t go doing it again!’”

Parkes added: “One of the best things that came out of the trip was that we signed Frank Munro from Aberdeen. Frank was my roommate for nearly ten years, and he was a quality, quality player.

“Because of the heat, Ronnie Allen said to us that if anybody gets sunburned and can’t train, we’d get fined a week’s wages, but I went to Santa Monica Beach and ended up being red all over.

“When I got hit by the balls in shooting practice, tears were running down my face. Ronnie Allen asked me what was wrong and I said, ‘I think I’ve got hay fever, boss!’ He said I’d never had it before, but I said, ‘But I’ve never been to Los Angeles before!’

“Fortunately, Davy Jones out of the Monkees came to the hotel to see Waggy as they went to school together. Waggy asked Davy if there was anything that could help my sunburn, and he said, ‘Go to the pharmacy and ask for a bottle of Solarcaine. In fact, looking at you, ask for two or three!’ But it worked.”

As well as remembering a time when he used the fact he played for the LA Wolves to get out of a ticket when pulled over by police, Wharton was regaling on the microphone, with the audience latching onto his every word, but one topic he was tight-lipped on was spending his US tour as roommate of Peter Knowles – who shortly after the visit quit football to start a new life as a Jehovah’s Witness.

“I could write a book about that, but I can’t because I’d be in trouble,” Wharton exclaimed. “Peter liked to be on his own. On the pitch, he was brilliant player, a happy-go-lucky kid, but he never really mixed with the players, as such.

“He loved the players, he loved training with them, and we’d have laughs, but he never mixed. We’d all go out and have lunch or have breakfast and Peter would stay in the hotel round the pool, trying to meet somebody nice, which he did.

“We had nine good weeks with Peter, and I could write a great book on Peter, but I never will.”

But the former Wolves winger summed up the overwhelming feeling of all three players when he ended the premiere with the words, ‘It’s probably one of the highlights of my life and my career.’

There are not many players in the world who can say they were instrumental in introducing soccer to a national audience in America, but those lads from the Black Country definitely are part of that unique part of history.

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