Stuntmovie
Wish I could go back to those times, but I was born in '72. My uncles, and some of their friends, witnessed a lot of that stuff. Listened to the old stories of a lot of veteran weight men around "The Beach", friends of my uncles. I went to college (lucky football scholarship) in the greater L.A. area, my uncles lived in Hollywood, and I spent some time with them (their the one's who got me doing the old 20 rep breathing squat workouts...very worth the experience..great for off season football). Also was loaned a stack of the original IronMan magazines (very small size back than) from one old timer. Greatest magazine I ever read, about training, as a young man. Got a lot of solid information from them. The guy who loaned them out died and his wife threw all the IronMan mag's away. Almost brought me to tears when I found out about that. I would have gladly bought all of them.
When ever driving around Hollywood or L.A., either uncle would point where old gyms had been, and some stories to follow about them and the members. They said that Richard Tyler had been working the desk at Marcy's, on E. Sunset. Remember him? Later became a chiropractor and wrote for some muscle mag's. I trained at a Okinawa Te karate dojo a few blocks away, on Sunset, for awhile. Marcy's had been closed, if I remember right.
Heard that Bill Pearl was hard pressed to move from Manchester Blvd, after the riots, to Pasadena. But probably for the best (not BB'ing related, but I met the great Ed Parker, at his dojo in Pasadena. Really a nice and friendly man. The good really die young, I guess).
Thanks again for all the history of what was. And please keep them coming.