Johnny Weissmuller, the swimmer who gained world fame as Tarzan!

0
195

Prologue!

Johnny Weissmuller is the aquatic icon! The king of the pool and the jungle, combining swimming skills with legendary acting prowess. Johnny’s love affair with water began at age 8 when his doctor prescribed swimming to cure his polio. And boy, did he take to it!

He is the fastest Man in the Water: First to break the 1-minute barrier in the 100m freestyle (58.6 seconds).  Undefeated Champion: 5 Olympic gold medals, 52 national championships, and 67 world records. Speed Demon: Held every freestyle record from 100 yards to half mile

Tarzan Extraordinaire: Played the iconic role in 12 films, bringing the character to life.
– Jungle Jim: Starred in 26 episodes of the TV series, showcasing his adventurous spirit
– Water-Jungle Harmony: “The jungle and the pool – two arenas, one heart. Johnny Weissmuller’s legacy is a testament to his passion for water and adventure. He’s the embodiment of aquatic excellence and jungle mystique.

* * *
Johnny Weissmuller (Johann Weißmüller), was born to German Swabian parents in Freidorf in what Romania on June 2, 1904, is now. His family emigrated to the United States in 1908.

His father worked as a coal miner before moving to Chicago, where he died of tuberculosis before his son had started on the path to fame and fortune. His mother worked as a cook in a restaurant while Johnny helped out by earning money as a bellhop and elevator operator at a hotel.

On July 9, 1922, Johnny made swimming history by becoming the first person to swim 100 meters in less than one minute. At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, he went on to win gold medals in the 100- and 400-meter freestyle and was a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×200-meter relay. As a member of the U.S. water polo team, he also won a bronze medal.

On February 17, 1924, he lowered his time from 58.6 to 57.4, establishing a world record that would last for ten years. At the start of the 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics, Weissmuller found himself with 34-year-old defending champion Duke Kahanamoku on one side of him and Duke’s 19 year old brother, Sam, on the other side. Weissmuller was worried that the two Hawaiians had planned to swim a team race against him, but as they stood above the water Duke turned to him and said, “Johnny, good luck.

The most important thing in this race is to get the American flag up there three times. Let’s do it.” And they did, with Weissmuller starting quickly and winning easily.

That day he also won a gold medal in the 4 x 200 meter relay and a bronze medal in water polo. Two days earlier he had won the 400-meter freestyle.

Johnny Weissmuller was one of the most popular participants at the 1924 Olympics, delighting the tough Parisian crowd not only with his superb swimming, but also with a comedy diving act, which he put on several times between races with his partner, Stubby Kruger.

After Weissmuller’s 100 meters victory, the crowd of 7000 stood and called for him for two or three minutes, until it was announced that he would appear again later in the afternoon.

In 1928, at the Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, he won two more gold medals, for the 100-meter freestyle, and as a member of the team in the 4×200-meter relay. In the summer of 1929, because of his now international celebrity, he was chosen to officially open the Piscine Molitor in Paris.

Coming out of the midrace turn in the 100 meters final at Amsterdam, Weissmuller inadvertently gulped a mouthful of water and almost blacked out. He lost two yards, but regained his composure and went on to win the fourth of his five Olympic gold medals.

A couple of years later Weissmuller was training for the 1932 Olympics, when he got an offer of $500 a week to work for the BVD Underwear Company, advertising swimsuits.

Out in Hollywood one of his BVD photos was noticed, and he was invited to try out for the part of Tarzan. Needless to say, he got the part, and in 1932 Weissmuller made his film debut in Tarzan, the Ape Man.

The first of four Olympic medalists to play the part of Tarzan in the movies (the others being Buster Crabbe, Herman Brix, and Glenn Morris), Weissmuller acted in 11 more Tarzan films in the next 16 years. Another activity he engaged in more than once was getting married, which he did five times.

In 1959 Johnny Weissmuller was taking part in a celebrity golf tournament in Havana during a period in which Fidel Castro’s guerrilla troops were doing battle with the soldiers of the Batista government. Weissmuller was on his way to the golf course with some friends and a couple of bodyguards, when rebel soldiers suddenly appeared out of the bushes and surrounded their car.

The guerrillas disarmed the guards and pointed their rifles at the decadent Yankee imperialists. But Weissmuller had the proper solution to an otherwise difficult situation. Slowly raising himself to his full height, he beat his chest with his fists and let out an enormous yell.

After a moment of stunned silence, the revolutionaries broke into smiles of delight and began calling out, “Tarzan! Tarzan! Bienvenido! Welcome to Cuba!”
Dropping their weapons, they crowded around Johnny, shaking his hand and asking for his autograph. After a few minutes Weissmuller and his party were not only not kidnapped, but they were actually given a rebel escort to the golf course.

“Tarzan the Ape Man” was a huge success, and Weissmuller made a total of six Tarzan films for the studio, before moving to RKO where he made another six, though with markedly reduced production values. After that, he moved to Columbia, where he made thirteen Jungle Jim features between 1948 and 1954. He then took Jungle Jim to television for twenty-seven episodes beginning in 1956. He was involved in numerous business ventures, but spent a lot of time golfing and at his home in Mexico. He only had small roles in three more films, and after several years of ill health, including a series of strokes, he died at his adopted home of Acapulco at the age of seventy-nine. At his request, a recording of his famous Tarzan yell was played as his coffin was lowered into the ground.

FOTOGALLERY



The exclusivity on this page is dated: July 23, 2025

__________________________
Sports Vision +Plus / Champions Hour in activity since 2013
References: The Complete Book of Summer Olympics/2000 Edition / David Wallechinsky / Pag. 696-697 | Gods and Foolish Grandeur (Life and the Arts…from a retrograde perspective)

Share this post and spread the love:
        
    
      Yum                   

Discover more from Sports Vision +

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a reply

error: Content is protected !!

Discover more from Sports Vision +

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading