The Great Humberto

[Julie Stevenson]

No: HPFGUIDX 87687

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "quigonginger" <quigonginger at y...> 
wrote:
>One thing that puzzles me upon reading SS is the Great Humberto.  Dudley 
>fusses about missing the show of that name when they are running about 
>trying to avoid Harry's Hogwarts letters.  Upon first reading, I had 
>assumed that the Great Humberto was a magician, along the lines of the 
>Great Houdini.  The only other option that comes into my head would be that 
>of a superhero, but that sounds a bit corny.
>
>Given Vernon's attitude towards magic, imagination, and things of that 
>nature, would he even allow Dudders to watch such a program?  Sure, Dudley 
>is spoilt rotten, but he must have some limits.  I can see Vernon drawing 
>the line on this one for fear that it may give Harry, if not Dudley, 
>"ideas".
>
>So, Good Brits, *is* (or was)there an actual show called the Great 
>Humberto?  If not, what type would it be?  Magic?  Superhero?  Something 
>else?

The other modern pop-culture thing that 'The Great Humberto' reminds me of 
is the name of a pro-wrestler, and that is certainly something that Dudlley 
might very well enjoy watching, and Vernon & Petunia wouldn't dissuade him 
from watching it, either.

Not being British myself, however, I didn't know if professional wrestling 
(say, along the lines of the WWF) was at all something that might be found 
in the UK in the early 1990s. I did a little Internet research and came up 
with an obituary for a very prominent British wrestling television 
commentator named Kent Walton 
(http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2003/08/28/171214.html) which includes 
the quote:

"At its peak, wrestling in England reached 12 million viewers, including the 
Queen, Margaret Thatcher (who once asked Big Daddy for six signed 
photographs), and The Duke of Edinburgh."

I could also find evidence that the WWF was having 'WWF UK Rampage' tours of 
pro wrestlers fighting in various locations in the British Isles annunally 
from 1989 through this year at 
http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/wwf/wwfukppv.htm

In any case, that's my theory on who 'The Great Humberto' is.

-- Julie

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