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HERO

Jack LaLanne, the Father of Fitness Dies at 96

I took a day or two to decide whether to write about LaLanne.

I have a hero category for people who I have looked to emulate and have reached the age of 90 as I hope to do.

LaLanne is a question mark because he got his foot in his mouth over some gay talk that wasn't nice. Bodybuilders have long been sensitive to any hint that they might be just a little bit light in the g-string and so, as most insecure men would do, go on the offense before anyone can call them a fairy for admiring their own and other men's muscles.

LaLanne's great contribution comes after his body building days anyway.

I can't find the data, only the implication that he did this but I have gotten over it anyway.

Look, LaLanne had a television show about exercise and his force of belief and his winning personality got people off their asses and doing stuff in front of the teevee. Then they went out and got themselves to a gym. The rest is history.

I watched him. You know, a lot of us have our total impression of him on YouTubes or when he was kind of over the hill. He kept going to the end.

I remember his little talks most of all. Between exercise sets. He would pull up a chair, take it easy for a minute and exhort.

He does look a litte excessive in these old kinescopes but it is kinescope and in those days you had to overact to get across. Most people's television sets were very poor soundwise and you had to continually adjust the antenna or tuning to get a good picture.

Look at the Lucy shows. Over the top and loud. They had to be.

LaLanne was not the only one to innovate with exercise shows. Vic Tanny and others too. They were often tied into a gym enterprise that had questionable sales tactics and membership agreements that suckered a lot of people into lifetime memberships. Such was the case with a lot of shows like this. Arthur Murray Dance studios.

The stars had turned their program over to a franchising business and the hucksters had a holiday with it. But the stuff was still good.

He lived to a ripe old age. I think he was OK down to the end and not vegging out. Lifetime exercise. A testimonial.

Labels: fitness, heroes, nostalgia