Author Topic: Made in Montana - what's your relationship to Steve Reeves?  (Read 37326 times)

JohnnyVegas

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Re: Made in Montana - what's your relationship to Steve Reeves?
« Reply #50 on: July 18, 2008, 12:22:56 AM »
With all due respect to Mr Yarick and his family, I don't believe that he would have been as famous as he is today within the BB community if Steve had never trained at his gym. Back then you had to be an extremely exceptional  bodybuilding individual to get acknowledge in any way whatsoever.

In fact most people involved in the game back then were merely considered as oddballs and eccentrics. But Steve was the exception due to the fact that he always looked and dressed like every kid wanted to look like and dress like and get the girls' attention.

When he came to the Russian River during the summer months which was not too very often, everyone talked about this new kid down at the beach that was damn impressive and such a polite kid to one and all.

Any other gym owner in the Bay Area was mostly unknown unless he sought publicity by doing publicity seeking stuff. Jack LaLanne was a great example of that and eventually made him famous worldwide, but I can name a few others who passed through life relative obscurity.

I'll also go so far to state that the photographers who shot physique photos of the young Steve Reeve can attribute their success to Steve himself. Steve made many people famous just by his association with them.

There were a number of top BBers who lived in the Oakland area in those days.

Norman Marks, who is the least well known out of Reeves, Clancy Ross, Jack Dillenger and Jack LaLanne, but Marks had a health club that did very well, and he opend a state of the art 10 sq/ft club in Oakland about 6 blockes west of Lake Merritt in 1982 or so, and as far as I know the club is still there. The old Holmes Book store is where his club is located. Great gym.

That 10K sq/ft gym was the ONLY gym in America, outside of Gold's Venice, that was that big at that time. Gold's Venice in 1981 was just the main room and was 10K sq/ft also.

Marks had won Mr. California, took 2nd behind Clancy Ross in the Mr America. I doubt he is still alive. But who knows, Clancy was alive until May.


JohnnyVegas

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Re: Made in Montana - what's your relationship to Steve Reeves?
« Reply #51 on: July 18, 2008, 12:26:06 AM »
Norman Marks Health Club is still going strong.

He had some really hot daughters who used to work at the club, I wonder if they run it now???

http://www.normanmarkshealthclub.com/

Licensee Name: MARKS NORMAN L
License Type: Chiropractor
License Number: 6007
License Status: INACTIVE Definition
Expiration Date: September 30, 2008
Issue Date: January 01, 1943



http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=6007&P_LTE_ID=808

onlyme

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Re: Made in Montana - what's your relationship to Steve Reeves?
« Reply #52 on: July 18, 2008, 03:27:42 PM »
There were a number of top BBers who lived in the Oakland area in those days.

Norman Marks, who is the least well known out of Reeves, Clancy Ross, Jack Dillenger and Jack LaLanne, but Marks had a ealth club that did very well, and he opend a state of the art 10 sq/ft club in Oakland about 6 blockes west of Lake Merritt in 1982 or so, and as far as I know the club is still there. The old Holmes Book store is where his club is located. Great gym.

That 10K sq/ft gym was the ONLY gym in America, outside of Gold's Venice, that was that big at that time. Gold's Venice in 1981 was just the main room and was 10K sq/ft also.

Marks had won Mr. California, took 2nd behind Clancy Ross in the Mr America. I doubt he is still alive. But who knows, Clancy was alive until May.



The main room of the current location of Gold's Venice is 8,000 sq. ft.

JohnnyVegas

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Re: Made in Montana - what's your relationship to Steve Reeves?
« Reply #53 on: July 18, 2008, 08:48:20 PM »
The main room of the current location of Gold's Venice is 8,000 sq. ft.

The entire Gold's Gym  when it opened at Hampton was 10K sq ft, I dont know if they included the showers and offices or not.

stuntmovie

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Re: Made in Montana - what's your relationship to Steve Reeves?
« Reply #54 on: July 19, 2008, 04:27:58 PM »
JOHNNYV, Funny this Norm Marks subject came up because we just drove by Norm's location yesterday morning when we got lost in Oakland trying to find the 580 freeway location in that downtown area. It's still there on the corner in the seedy downtown area and looks like it needs an update on the outside. We didn't have any time to stop and go inside but I will do that on my next trip to downtown Oakland. I met Norm back in the 50's on one occasion and was really surprised to see his name still in big bold letters on the business front.

I don't know if Norm is still alive but I did hear that his two daughters are running the place.

JohnnyVegas

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Re: Made in Montana - what's your relationship to Steve Reeves?
« Reply #55 on: July 20, 2008, 01:11:34 PM »
JOHNNYV, Funny this Norm Marks subject came up because we just drove by Norm's location yesterday morning when we got lost in Oakland trying to find the 580 freeway location in that downtown area. It's still there on the corner in the seedy downtown area and looks like it needs an update on the outside. We didn't have any time to stop and go inside but I will do that on my next trip to downtown Oakland. I met Norm back in the 50's on one occasion and was really surprised to see his name still in big bold letters on the business front.

I don't know if Norm is still alive but I did hear that his two daughters are running the place.

That gym location is not that bad, it is by Oaklands small Chinatown. Not that far from Lake Merritt.


Marks is still alive, he still has an active chiro license-paste the full link from my earlier post into the browser.
He must be in his late 80's/early 90's.

His daughters, back in the early 80's, were hot little mama's!

Moosejay

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Re: Made in Montana - what's your relationship to Steve Reeves?
« Reply #56 on: July 28, 2008, 09:33:23 AM »
With all due respect to Mr Yarick and his family, I don't believe that he would have been as famous as he is today within the BB community if Steve had never trained at his gym. Back then you had to be an extremely exceptional  bodybuilding individual to get acknowledge in any way whatsoever.

In fact most people involved in the game back then were merely considered as oddballs and eccentrics. But Steve was the exception due to the fact that he always looked and dressed like every kid wanted to look like and dress like and get the girls' attention.

When he came to the Russian River during the summer months which was not too very often, everyone talked about this new kid down at the beach that was damn impressive and such a polite kid to one and all.

Any other gym owner in the Bay Area was mostly unknown unless he sought publicity by doing publicity seeking stuff. Jack LaLanne was a great example of that and eventually made him famous worldwide, but I can name a few others who passed through life relative obscurity.

I'll also go so far to state that the photographers who shot physique photos of the young Steve Reeve can attribute their success to Steve himself. Steve made many people famous just by his association with them.

Does that include in the mags as well?

Made in Montana

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Re: Made in Montana - what's your relationship to Steve Reeves?
« Reply #57 on: August 24, 2008, 10:06:47 PM »


Not to sound gay but I have to admit Steve reeves was very good looking.  I missed meeting him several times and now wish I had.

I understand what you mean, Keith. Both straight and gay men and many women thought he was good looking and told him so. Dan Lurie introduced him on stage for an award in 1978 in New York saying "Steve Reeves is God!!"  Steve did not know what to do. He was overwhelmed, but he felt how much Dan appreciated his work and his friendship and thought it was very nice. He though most people forgot about him when he finished making films and took up ranching, but I think he was wrong about that. I think he would have had a good time talking to you because you seem like a nice guy and probably know a lot of the same people. You have a lot of interesting stories too.

Rick...thank you for your comments and pm. I'm a little late in replying in here. I am glad Joe Roark was kind enough to come here to respond about Ed. I am going to send you an email with a couple photos with some info. if I do not have them resized to post here.

Thank you Stunt, Johnny and Moosejay. I appreciate your posts...always interesting.