In 2020, Jeanne “Hollywood” Basone wa a longtime Cauliflower Alley Club member, regular attendee, and honoree. She has constantly reinvented herself.
As a wrestler on the original weekly GLOW show, she was involved in all sorts of wacky, soap opera-esque storylines. Now she is directly involved in soap. Literally. GLOW’s Jeanne “Hollywood” Basone goes from one soap opera to another.
Since 1986, Jeanne has been a friend of GLOW’s taping days on The Strip. Basone became a breakout star of GLOW, much like Tina/Lisa Moretti, who went on to WWE stardom as Ivory. She stood out either paired with her tag partner “Vine” or in her many singles matches during her seasons there.
After leaving GLOW, she and another star, Cheryl “Lightning/Lil Mo” Rusa, knew they wanted more thorough pro wrestling training than the intense, short stint they had been given in GLOW.
They kept their newfound passion for grappling alive. With Sue Sexton and other CACers, they continued training.
Both have also attended Cauliflower Alley Club reunions since 1993, and both were CAC honorees when our Baloney Blowout Tuesday Night event became a total GLOW tribute evening several years back.
Jeanne “Hollywood” Basone Goes From One Soap Opera to Another
Jeanne, Cheryl, and many of their original GLOW compadres have always had their annual Glow booth in vendor rooms.
They are visible at many major Comic-Cons and related fanfests worldwide. Most surprisingly, she has even worked with Billy Corgan’s NWA and, hopefully soon, with his side project tentatively called Carnyland. Corgan, of course, is the creator and lead singer of the hugely popular alternative-music band Smashing Pumpkins.
Since GLOW, both Jeannie and Cheryl have also worked regularly on TV and film. Both women are decorated stunt performers and athletes in both media.
Now, Jeannie has also turned another childhood artistic dream into a business. Not long ago, she launched her own hand-crafted soap line called Hollywood Botanika/Nashville Botanika.
“It’s named that because I still call Hollywood, California and Nashville, Tennessee home, bopping back and forth between these major cities.
I enjoy being creative and expressing myself. Just as I’ve done in the ring all these years.”
There are intricate designs, such as her Sea Goddess and Mermaid soaps, with unique colours and reported clean ingredients. These include aloe, lemongrass, clover, and tea tree.
There are also dedicated hypoallergenic animal lines. Check out Jeannie’s hand-crafted, artisan natural soaps at hollywood-productions.myshopify.com. “Business really peaked since March as everyone needs to wash their hands much more now,” she said.
Many in the biz know Jeanne has always given back, often helping others in the wrestling world. So it was no surprise that she recently set up and donated to a GoFundMe for the burial expenses of a former GLOW star.
Ursula Hayden, aka Sally the Farmer’s Daughter, passed away recently. Just like her GLOW days of taking on Susie Spirit, Dementia,
Mt. Fiji, and more, Jeanne remains a colourful, thoughtful character bigger than life. She says she “can’t wait until this whole Pandemic is over, and we have a vaccine and a cure.”
Jeanne’s contributions to the wrestling and entertainment industry are immeasurable. From her time with Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling to her soap business and her work in film, Hollywood is proving there is more to her world than wrestling alone.
She’s a valued member of the wrestling community and continues to give back to her fans, as well as to those who see her value beyond wrestling.
In an industry that can beat you down, Jeanne “Hollywood” Basone has continued to rise above it and prove that Hollywood isn’t just what you do on or off the camera, but also a state of mind.
