Carl Savoie Photographed by Bruce of Los Angeles

In 1964, Carl Savoie appeared in the thirty-second volume of Bruce of Los Angeles' magazine, The Male Figure.

Bruce writes of Carl:

"One picture tells all! Carl Savoie is a rugged young man - an all-around athlete. He plays football (guard), baseball, track (880 & mile), bodybuilds, and has a wrestling scholarship at a major Southern university. Others talents? Carl is musical, playing the clarinet and the saxophone. Also he will take you on at chess. Of French descent, Carl is 18, 5'8" tall, and weighs 170 pounds."

I especially like his square jaw and crooked smile.

John Grimek

It would be difficult to overstate the influence John Grimek has had on the development of weightlifting, bodybuilding and vintage beefcake as we know it today.

He competed in the 1936 Olympics and won the titles York Perfect Man in 1939, Mr. America in 1940 and 1941, Most Muscular Man in America in 1946, Mr. Universe Short and Overall in 1948, and Mr. USA in 1949.

Along side Bob Hoffman, he was a columnist and part owner of the magazine Strength and Health, which began in the early 1930's as the promotional branch of the York Barbell Company, which he also partially owned.

For much of his adult life, John promoted weightlifting, fitness and bodybuilding across the United States and Europe, where he helped found many, many weightlifting clubs and competitions.

He died in York, Pennsylvania on November 20, 1998.

Dick Spero Photographed by Bruce of Los Angeles

Bruce of Los Angeles took this great photograph of Dick Spero, of whom you can see more when you jump to this post on the blog.

Everett Lee Jackson Photographed by Pat Milo

Pat Milo took these nice photographs of Everett Lee Jackson (aka Cherokee).

I especially like the two images of Everett outdoors. I suspect the one in which he raises his hands overhead was taken around the same time as the "aft" photograph you will see when you jump to this post on the blog.

Ray Routledge Photographed by Russ Warner

Russ Warner took these great photographs of Ray Routledge, who won the titles Mr. America and Mr. Universe in 1961.

In 2008, Ray died alone in a Southern California retirement community, where he seldom or never discussed his triumphs in the Golden Age of Bodybuilding. Newspaper articles on his death reveal his friends and neighbors often noted the elderly man was a careful eater of natural foods and supplements, but were surprised to learn of Ray's place in the pantheon of competitive bodybuilding.

Blogs and internet sites devoted to bodybuilding have since plucked Ray from obscurity.

Sven Holm and David Knight

I know nothing about Sven Holm and David Knight, but think this is a great image and wonder how the photographer managed to have one of the models sit on the other's leg - quite provocative for its time.

Louis Venegas Photographed by Russ Warner

UPDATED April 7, 2018: Russ Warner took these photographs of Louis Venegas.

George Everett Photographed by David Martin

I was happy to update this post on the blog today, when sources helped me identify George Everett as the model who posed for David Martin sometime in the 1950's or early 1960's.

The three images in this post amply demonstrate why this handsome model remains popular today.

Doug DeWitt Photographed by the Western Photography Guild

The Western Photography Guild took this nice photograph of Doug DeWitt, of whom I want to acquire more images.

Ralph Kleiner

Here are four great photographs of Ralph Kleiner early in his career.

I hope to discover who took these images.

Bob Delmonteque

Like many of the very popular, early beefcake models, Bob Delmonteque was apparently game for nearly every artistic whim of the men who photographed him.

I love his huge smile in this photograph. I imagine he finds himself unable to stay in character as a hayseed sitting naked on some hillside, chewing on a piece of grass.

Ed Fury and Elmer Matt Photographed by Bruce of Los Angeles

UPDATED July 4, 2017: Bruce of Los Angeles took this photograph of Ed Fury and Elmer Matt.

Tabby Anderson

Here are several more great images of Tabby Anderson.

I am not certain who the photographer was.

Steve Spurgeon Photographed by Bruce of Los Angeles

Bruce of Los Angeles took these photographs of Steve Spurgeon.

Dick Stark Photographed by Champion Studio

Here are several more photographs of Dick Stark taken by Champion Studio.

I especially like the ones of him with his muscular back to the camera.

Chuck Hall and Ken Sullivan Photographed by Bruce of Los Angeles

In 1962, Bruce of Los Angeles took these photographs of Chuck Hall and Ken Sullivan romping around a pool.

In the twenty-sixth volume of Bruce's magazine, The Male Figure, he writes:

"From Chicago comes the popular model - Chuck Hall - who has posed for many photographers. In school Chuck played football, basketball and boxed (132 # class). This 24-year-old Dutch-Irish lad is quite a chess player and has ambitions to become a writer. Chuck is 5' 8" and weighs 144 pounds."

Marty Vogel

Marty Vogel was a popular "natural" or nude model in the 1960's.

I do not know who took these photographs, but suspect Pat Milo took the ones of Marty seated.