Vintage Muscle Men

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Physique Week, Day 7 - Favorite Models II

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Kip Behar

Kip Behar posed nude or seminude for at least half a dozen photographers,

and this photo is by Apollo Studio. There's no way he wasn't making my list.

Joe Tiffenbach

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Marc Arno

Don Whitman's photographic artistry, that great western setting, and a fine

model combined to make this amazing WPG image of Marc Arno.

Leonard Chambers was killed by the Los Angeles police in a 1956 incident that had some highly questionable actions by the cops. So much so that Bob Mizer editorialized about it in the next edition of Physique Pictorial. The photo above is by Bruce, and below we have Bob Mizer/AMG.

In these trying times, we need to remember to be vigilant and militant. We can't go back.

P.S. Mr. Chambers isn't here just because of history. He was a fine model.

Pat Parris

From what I've been able to gleen off the internet, Pat Parris was a returning World War II U.S. Navy man who agreed to pose nude for Kovert of Hollywood. I've only been able to locate half a dozen photos of him, and that's really sad because he shows an amazing range of expressions in those six. Because of that, he made my favorites list despite not being at all well known.

Bill Melby

We get a great smile from Bill Melby in a Western Photography Guild photo by Don Whitman.

Alan Arnold

Although his name doesn't spring to mind when many of us think of favorite models, Alan Arnold made my list. There's a lot there to like in this AMG photo, imho. Several of you sent me photos of Mr. Arnold after I previously posted pictures of him, but I managed to find this gem on my own.

Frank Klutka

Frank Collier took this photo of Frank Klutka under his Art Dezign brand. A Pennsylvania

bodybuilder who won several regional titles, Mr. Klutka became became a rail car

inspector for ConRail and a union activist after retiring from competition,

Thanks to Brian E., I acquired this and over a dozen other photos of this fine

model. If there is interest, I will give him his own day on the blog.

Bill Grant

I really like this full length view of Bill Grant by Pat Milo.

Mike Bradburn

Having long since posted all my nudes of Mike Bradburn, I had to resort to a posing strap shot to get him into my favorite models final set. I'm sure many of you will still appreciate his amazing physique. The photo is by Chuck Renslow of Kris Studio.

Wally Grimme

Our last favorite model is another that will be unfamiliar to many of you. Wally Grimme posed for Scott of London and could have been the poster man for the 100% British Beef ads. And so ends Physique Week, but you fans need not despair. In a few days we'll have another rousing round

of Name That Model. That should keep some of you busy for a while.

Friday, April 4, 2025

Physique Week, Day 6 - The Staff Motif

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Henry Karczewski

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Al Kaskey

The color quality on this slide of Al Kaskey by Bruce of LA isn't the greatest, but I used it anyway. That's because I think Mr. Kaskey is a great model and it's my only image of him with a staff.

Dan Lurie

Dan Lurie had a brother who looked a lot like him, and I have a lingering hunch that this

might be the brother. My usually impeccable source, however, says that it is Dan.

The photographer is Earle Forbes, and that I can believe.

Bob Lann

The only outdoor photo in this set is Bob Lann by Jean Ferrero.

Dick Stark

Our second color shot of the set is Dick Stark by Champion Studio.

Emmett Schaeffer

I am exceptionally fond of this Pat Milo photo of Emmett Schaeffer.

I only have one other photo of him, and that makes me sad.

Gene Staggs

This photo of Gene Staggs by Doug Juleff, aka Douglas of Detroit, survived the infamous Detroit police raid of 1958. This sort of repression is worth mentioning again in these challenging times.

Albert Struys and Gerard Ferket

Gregor Arax took this duo shot of Albert Struys and Gerard Ferket in Antwerp in 1951.

Jack Lalanne

Although my source did not have a photographer attribution, I'm fairly sure this is by Russ Warner.

Mr. Lalanne is said to have rounded up all and destroyed all his nude work except for that of Mr.
Warner, who refused to hand over the negatives. Somehow I managed not to post this one until now, but I did get in a shot of Mr. Lalanne and Jack Thomas together earlier this week.

Jim Frost

Dave Martin took this photo of Jim Frost.

Meichel Brocke

Kovert of Hollywood produced this photo of Meichel Brocke. I use the term "produced"

because it's been fairly well established that a large portion of that studio's output

was made by hired photographers under the direction of Freddie Kovert.

Henry Hojel

Lon of New York took this unusually posed photo of Henry Hojel.

Rusty Steele

This photo of Rusty Steele by Troy Saxon looks like another

instance where a curtain rod was used as a staff.

Vic Seipke

Vic Seipke makes a second appearance during Physique Week in this Clifford Oettinger photo.

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Physique Week, Day 5 - Fifteen who got away

Fifteen who got away - Cover men who kept their pants on . . . at least as far as I know

Strength and Health magazine was the preeminent bodybuilding publication of the 20th Century, having a run from 1931 to 1986. More than a few of the men who appeared in it posed for nude photos at one time or another, and you've seen them here. Today I'm presenting fifteen cover men from S & H who to my knowledge never posed nude. This is one of those times I'd love to be proven wrong, so please chime in if you have nudes of any of these exceptional men. These guys are so far off the radar that only one of them has ever appeared on this blog, and yes, he had a singlet on. We start the set with Billy Parker the S & H cover man for April 1966. Mr. Parker was known for refusing to use steroids late in his career, a time when others were doing so widely.

Mike Ferraro

Mr. USA of 1964, Mike Ferraro, appears here six years earlier on the June 1958 cover of Strength and Health. He placed in competitions from 1957 to 1965 and made three additional covers.

Al Berger

May 1941 saw Al Berger make the cover. Here is a blurb

I found about him on oldtimestrongman.com.

Nick Adams

What looks to me like a Samurai sword was used in this cover shot of Nick Adams

from July 1964. He is not to be confused with the actor of the same name

or a modern day bodybuilder who looks like a space alien.

Isaac Berger

The cover man for November 1961 is possibly the most successful 20th Century athlete you've never heard of. Isaac Berger won the weightlifting gold medal at the 1956 Olympics for the 60kg class. He went on to win silver in 1960 and 1964 along with three World and two Pan American championships. In a sport dominated by superheavies, he still managed to shine brightly.

Phil Courtois

World War II was raging when Phil Courtois made the November 1944 cover. If my research is correct, he had been discharged from the U.S. Army Air Force in 1943 due to a chronic sinus condition. That did not, however, keep him from placing in several bodybuilding competitions

and appearing on at least two additional magazine covers.

Tom Drescher

October of 1958 saw Tom Drescher on the cover.

Joe Mandallo and John Davis

In a rare two man cover, Joe Mandallo (left) and John Davis appear together on the January 1941

cover. In another rarity, we get a full derriere view of Mr. Davis, who appeared earlier

on this blog winning the gold medal at the 1948 Olympics. I'm repeating

it below so you can enjoy a G-rated front view.

Bob Hoffman

Bob Hoffman was the founder of the York Barbell Company and a co-founder of Strength and Health magazine in 1931. Assuming that this photo was made near the time of publication,

Mr. Hoffman would have been 41 years of age and still in top form.