n view of the recent outstanding gold medal immigrated to America where he was baptized Johann Iperformances by the USA’s Michael Phelps and Ryan Peter at St. John Cantius is Windber, Pennsylvania. By Lochte this past summer at the Olympics in London, a 1910 the Weissmullers were living at 1521 N. Cleveland, look back at America’s first Olympic swimming hero, in the heart of Chicago’s German “Nord Seit.” Johnny Johnny Weissmuller, should prove interesting to all took to swimming at an early age off the “rocks” of Lake German Americans. Indeed, from the cold chilly waters Michigan between Fullerton and North Avenues. The off the “rocks” at Fullerton Ave. beach to the Olympic “rocks” were the steel and concrete breakwater swimming pools in 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam, constructed to keep the lake’s often turbulent waves Weissmuller set the American, if not international from crashing in on the lakeshore. It was, literally, a standards, for energy, daring, endurance and athletic Chicago boy’s rite of passage to swim off the “rocks.” ability as a swimmer who was selected in 1950 as “the Weissmuller once related, “Swimming came natural to greatest swimmer of the half century by the Associated us and like all kids, we yearned for adventure; if our Press. An extraordinary honor when considering that mothers had known, we’d have been lashed with a Babe Ruth was chosen for the same honor for Baseball, whip.” Jesse Owens for Track, Jack Dempsey for Boxing and Jim Thorpe for Football! Although a charter member of ropping out of Lane Tech H.S. Weissmuller the US Olympic Swimming Hall of Fame, Weissmuller Dfloundered through a series of jobs, including one as a is probably better lifeguard on the lakefront. known to those of us Through a friend, he was who grew up in the introduced to “Big Bill” post World War II Bacharach in 1920, the era from Sunday swim coach for the Illinois Matinee TV movie Athletic Club. Bacharach fare for his film decided to take young portrayal as “Tarzan, Weissmulller under his the Ape Man.” But he wing and, within a year of literally swam his way rigorous “no questions into these roles and asked” training, had him into American not only ready for local but consciousness after national competition as winning 3 gold medals well. In extraordinary, yet in Paris and adding 2 undisputable, fact, more in Amsterdam. Weissmuller began his With his broad career by breaking 4 shouldered, full Amateur Athletic Union chested, yet slim torso records and continued on filling out his 6’ 3” to win each and every frame, he was said to swimming competition he have been sculpted entered, including the for the sport. What The Michael Phelps & Ryan Lochte of their time: 1924 Paris and 1928 another German Johnny Weissmuller (rt) with fellow Olympic medalist as well as Amsterdam Olympics, American George future Swimming Hall of Famer, the Hawaiian, Duke Kahanarroku, until he retired. He was Herman Ruth did at the 1924 Paris Olympics. the first man in the for America’s world to break a minute national pastime, Johnny Weissmuller did for Olympic in the 100 meter freestyle. Weissmuller credited swimming during the “Roaring Twenties,” an era some Bacharach with teaching him his “greatest secret,” historians have called the “Golden Age of American that of relaxing before the competition at hand. Sports.” Legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice once noted that eissmuller was born in a small village (Freidorf) before the starter’s gun, “Weissmuller was about as Win present day Romania which was then part of tense as a loose towel.” Johnny Weissmuller swam it all, the prewar Austrian-Hungarian Empire to German each and every swimming event during his ten year ethnic parents, Peter Weissmuller and Elizabeth amateur career from the 50 yard freestyle to the half Kersch on 6 May 1904. Shortly afterwards, the family mile. During this time he won an unprecedented 52

The GAPA Brennpunkt Sep/Okt 2012 national titles while setting 67 though as he noted, “It was up my world records by the time he alley. There was swimming in it, retired at age 25. In later years, and I didn’t have much to say.” however, he recalled that his Except, of course, for a couple greatest honor was being chosen to things that eventually became male carry the American flag into mantras in the ensuing battle Amsterdam’s Olympic stadium upon between the sexes: Tarzan’s yodel, the opening of the games in 1928. “Yoooooooooo, ohohoooooooo,” as he Weissmuller was also the first swung from vine to vine as well as Olympic athlete to successfully the unforgettable, “Me Tarzan, you market himself once his swim Jane!” quotation that was never career ended. A high profile job as a actually scripted or said in any of BVD swimwear representative his Tarzan films. Weissmuller did, quickly led to a screen test for the however, create the Tarzan yodel role of “Tarzan,” the hero of Edgar himself. In Burroughs’ book, Rice Burroughs’ jungle classics. Tarzan did have a victory shriek Weissmuller won the role as but it was never spelled out “Tarzan” among 150 competitors, throughout the text in any of his and the movie, Tarzan, the Ape books. Weissmuller’s yodel came man, struck Olympic gold at the box from those he remembered while office across the United States and attending German American internationally as well. Weissmuller picnics with his parents as a kid in went on to make 19 Tarzan flicks. Chicago. And, although he was among the first athletes to adorn a oo old and too many children for “Wheaties, Breakfeast of TWWII military service, Champions” cereal box, he refused Weissmuller did use his all offers to use his celebrity to raise celebrity to shill for millions for the war alcohol or cigarette effort on the home advertisements. front. The Navy also Weissmuller modestly used him to teach summed up his life in recruits how to swim these words, “I started out of flame filled out as a scrawny kid in waters. In 1965 he Chicago, and even that retired to Fort was lucky. It got me to Lauderdale in Florida swimming. Then all the where he and others good breaks in the founded the world began. . . ” As International Tarzan, would say, Swimming Hall of “Ungawa!” Fame. By the mid 1970s his health began to Mike Haas, GAPA Editor decline, and he suffered a series of strokes. He Ed. Note: While my father, died from a heart Michael J., swam off the condition in 1984. Belmont Ave “rocks,” with his buddies in the ‘40s; my budz and I would swim off the Foster Ave. “rocks,” a few miles north, in the Despite his swimming prowess, Weissmuller is early ‘70s, where we would tie off six packs of beer in the water to still basically remembered as the “definitive Tarzan,” keep them cold and outta sight and reach of the old 20th District (Foster Ave.) police!

The GAPA Brennpunkt Sep/Okt 2012