Richard DuBois, Mr. America 1954 and Mr. USA 1957, dead at 74

San Jose Mercury News


L.A. Times "In Passing" (Scroll halfway down...)

In Living Color - sleek stud in a classic pose

This is a vintage color slide -- unfortunately I have no other info to share on it.

Alex Pilin by Frank Collier

Alex was a competitive bodybuilder based in Pennsylvania in the mid-50s. Frank Collier operated under his own name as well as "Art-Kraft."

Kim Fox by Bruce of LA

A classic image... Just ran across it tonight and felt like sharing it right away...

Buddy Basil -- Mr. New Jersey, 1960

Buddy Basil (his first name has been given as both James and John, so I'll just stick with Buddy!) had a competitive and modeling career stretching from 1955 into the early 1960s. Only one of my files has the photographer ID'd -- the December, 1955 cover of "Muscle Power" is credited to the mysterious "Togof." The portrait sure looks like it could be by Danny Fitzgerald (aka "Les Demi-Dieux"), who was, like Togof, a New York-based artist. A few more shots of Buddy can be found at the fun site Classic Bodybuilders of the Golden Age.

(That's Bob Hover sharing the April, 1957 cover of "Tomorrow's Man" with Buddy.)

Tom Consul by Lon of NY

Robert Duranton by Gregor Arax

Blond demi-god Robert Duranton was Mr. France four years in a row, from 1948 through 1951. Here he is in five shots by France's greatest physique photographer, Gregor Arax.

Clarence Ross by George Quaintance

Before he became (in)famous for his homoerotic paintings of men doing manly deeds in a mythological American Southwest, George Quaintance was a staff artist for the Weider line of muscle magazines. He did some amazing covers for "Your Physique" magazine, and here's one from October, 1947 -- Clancy Ross. Pretty wild, huh?

Bob Schenfield by Cecil Charles

Look at that sailing ship tattoo! The mark of a true seaman!

Sorry for the delay...

...It's been a rotten week.

I will get some new material up Saturday evening (Pacific Time). Thanks for your understanding!

George Hackenschmidt - The Russian Lion

I collect pics of the turn of the (20th) century strongmen whenever I find them -- the classical poses they took are direct inspirations for the physique photographers of the 40s and 50s, and they were the men who created the base for the bodybuilding/fitness world we have today.

My favorite strongman was the Russian wrestler Georg(e) Hackenschmidt, the Russian Lion. Google him -- you'll find pages and pages on him. His autobiography, published in 1908 and kept in print for decades afterwards can be found scanned in its entirety here.

Born in 1878, he lived to the ripe old age of 90, passing away in London in 1968.

I think he's simply stunning.

In Living Color - Ralph Pfundstein by Champion

It's always nice to see a model with his body hair intact, and Ralph has just the right amount for me! That slightly-off-kilter smile gets me, too...

Seaton in Sox!

Chuck Renslow's Kris Studio came into its own in the early 60s, presenting a rugged kind of guy that was a major contrast to the twinkie-type that was taking over the fading physique era. Chuck often found his models at the gym or the bar that he owned with his life partner, Dom Orejudos (aka the artist Etienne).

Naked men in their sox and sneaks (or better, boots) are a major turn-on for me. These three shots of hunky Johnny Seaton are old favorites of mine!

Ron Nielsen by Rip Searby

Going through my files, looking for something little seen, I found this catalog page for Ron Nielsen, attributed to Rip Searby. What a hottie! I searched for more Ron and only found this second, slightly fuzzy color shot by California Models. Looks like the same setting, don't you think? Looks like Rip Searby was the man behind California Models!

Sanford "Sandy" Alcorn by Rip Searby

Ron Amick by AMG