'Battle of the Sexes' to Include Billie Jean's King's Litigious Lesbian Lover

Tennis films have been historically awful.

Regular readers know I'm strangely immune to the charms of the famed Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, so you can only imagine how not-interested I was in the big-screen version starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell. (Yes, I know it was culturally enormous, but tennis exhibitions always leave me flaccid. Plus there's all that crap about the match being fixed by the mob.) 

But that was before I saw that Andrea Riseborough had been cast as Marilyn Barnett, BJK's former hairdresser turned lover who outed the tennis legend with an explosive galimony suit in 1981 -- which stated she had been promised a home and financial help "for the rest of her life" -- and that Stone had nailed Billie Jean's voice! 

Jan. 28, 1948-April 12, 1996 

Barnett lived in the Kings' Malibu beach house between 1972 and the time of her lawsuit, which was reportedly sparked by the Kings' attempt to evict her so they could sell it. Barnett became a paraplegic as a result of a fall from the balcony of the house. It had been reported that Barnett's fall was actually a suicide attempt, but King declined to ever comment, other than to say she knew Barnett had been "unstable" for some time. 

Check out the scenes of Billie Jean and Marilyn in bed -- I don't see BJK listed as a consultant, so I wonder how she feels about this delicate subject.

I remember the summer this story broke like it was yesterday. As I wrote in my memoir, it was the first time I understood exactly what "homosexual" meant -- and that I was one.

The Daily News made the "confession" front-page news.

I'll never forget that press conference with her mortified parents looking on.

And how the Kings tried to save their "business" by pretending they were working through the affair and were considering adopting a child. (It didn't work -- BJK lost all her sponsorship deals and Avon dropped the women's circuit.)

Only Abscam tops lesbianism!

Emma Stone and Steve Carell Hold Court in 'Battle of the Sexes'

Here's our first look at Emma Stone and Steve Carell as Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs on the L.A. set of their upcoming movie named after the infamous "Battle of the Sexes." While I'm certainly a fan of giving tennis more exposure, the doubles alleys are lined with disastrous films about the sport. What's more, despite realizing what a huge moment it was in history -- not just for women, but for every underdog -- the fabled 1973 showdown at the Houston Astrodome never really captured my attention (exhibitions rarely do), so I have a hard time believing the public is going to care, either. That being said, they both look the part very nicely!  

Some say the match was an elaborate mob set up, an allegation King denies.

Didn't Ron Silver and Holly Hunter already double fault?

Double Fault: Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs

Tennis has served as the backdrop for some of the worst movies of all time (proof HERE), and something tells me this "Battle of the Sexes" -- with Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris directing Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs -- won't be an exception. From HERE.

If Holly Hunter couldn't pull it off, what makes anyone think Emma Stone could?! 

Topsin Lib

Although I fully appreciate its significance, the Battle of the Sexes has never been a part of tennis that I obsessed about much, probably the beginning of my anti-exhibition mentality. But I do love this poster I just spotted on Tennis' website -- The Lib vs. The Lob!

Racketeering

I read Don Van Natta's Jr.'s story "The Match Maker: Bobby Riggs, The Mafia and The Battle of the Sexes" last night and I have to say it didn't ring true to me. (Billie Jean King would bet her life Riggs didn't throw the match for money.) My brother made a good point that it would be worth watching how he crushed Margaret Court shortly before the match to try to gauge whether or not his lopsided loss against Billie Jean was plausible or not. (He couldn't have gotten that much worse amd p;der so quickly.) I always figured Court got nervous and choked, whereas King trained hard and rose to the occasion. But either way, the story is worth a look even if it sounds a little too made-for-Hollywood to be true.

TRAILER: 'The Battle of the Sexes'

Absolutely cannot wait to see "The Battle of the Sexes," the just-released acclaimed documentary about the infamous 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.Although I'm well-aware of the match and its significance, it was a little before my time -- I started watching tennis avidly when Tracy Austin made a splash at the 1977 U.S. Open -- so I can't wait to see it all on the big screen! Readers might remember I ball-boyed for Billie Jean in the early '80s and got to have a great chat with her at the airport a couple years ago. BTW: Andy Murray and Serena Williams are in the news this week for their proposed "battle of the sexes" (sort of), but for the uninitiated, you might find it interesting to know that Serena -- and Venus -- both got creamed by a man ranked  203 who drank and smoked before going on court. (It's about the disparity of strength.)