I was at that Olympia. The crowd was crazy. Way more exuberant then the crowds today. After the show went out to eat with Ken Waller and Bill Pearl. Ken had 7 fish sandwiches and 4 shakes, 1 qt each. That man can eat! 😂
I was also there. Eighteen years old. After four years of Muscle Magazine. In 1977 I sat behind Robbie Robinson. God Lord his back was incredibly wide. Arnold walked out of the elevator at the hotel. He looked right at me and my training partner. Our hero right looked us. I stood right behind Ken Waller at a nearby steakhouse. Incredible and priceless!
30 miles south of Boston: In 1978 I was 1 year out of high school & thanks to a union job wages I was able to purchase my 1st home. I paid $62K for a 4 bedroom colonial with an oversized garage & two acres. Today $62K isn't even enough for the down payment. I spent much time in the local gym and bodybuilders of this time were smart enough to limit their use of steroids they only used just enough to reach the next plateau & then got off the chyte.
Another outstanding post. 👏 I think I speak for most of us when I say that I like these 12 to 15mns videos much better than the much longer videos for the sole reason that some of us have deficit problems but for most of us we only have 24 hours in a day. I enjoy the longer videos and can listen to them forever especially the interview ones such as the ones with Jerry Brainum, but by the time I get the chance to watch the whole video at the end of the week, a newer video had been uploaded already and I keep playing catchup. Whereas the shorter videos can easily be fitted in our hectic daily schedules. Again, another home run, John! Million thanks! 🙏
I mean they are old, grainy, black & white photos but Robinson's legs look better (bigger and more separated) than Zane's. He has the arms obviously and his mid-section is good (esp when he pulls that vacuum in the front double). Was Zane just overall more conditioned or balanced? Better back maybe? - there does seem to be a lot of detail there. Also, Makkawy did look amazing and he obviously did have the makings of a top pro, coming in 2nd in the 83 and 84 Mr. O. Def one of the more underrated pros of that era.
Hey John, why don't you read the article on the party that Don Peters and his wife gave that had Joe and Betty Weider, Vince Gironda, Sergio Oliva, etc. in attendance? That party yielded the iconic Sergio in the taylored shirt playing pool photos!
@naturalolympia Alright John, I haven't found the exact article that I read, BUT. . . I did find another article referencing the party which took place in the summer of '68. There is also a video there showing a lot of photos of the gathering taken by Artie Zeller. Sergio looks incredible with that tiny waist and the huge arms! Unbelievable! Arnold even showed up at the party, but late, and didn't get in any of the photographs. There's a group photo showing everybody at the party and they are all identified! Some other big names were present! I found your Instagram account, so I'll direct message you the link and you can decide whether this subject is worthy of a video. Possibly, you can track down the younger attendees, who could give you more information. Good luck!
Larry Scott did do Sergio’s arms over head pose and it was very impressive with his huge biceps triceps and forearms. In actuality ,seeing as how Scott had the first two Mr Olympia wins , Sergio was possibly copying him. Having said that, Sergio’s was definitely more impressive.
I believe that Larry did a different version of the victory pose and he did looked great but Sergio with his small waist did it straight on like at the 72 Olympia. I really think that Arnold did copied most of Larry's 3/4 and 1/4 back poses.
Zane's victory was the beginning of the end for guys of 'human size' being winning the Mr. O title... Soon it would be giant freaks bloated with drugs and riddled with weak points. Additionally, we have all the biggest baddest [highly drugged] guys on the planet struggling for one first place trophy.... the odds against winning it were six gazillion to one. And the purse for the runners up were insulting... as even Arnold remarked. Even though Joe and Ben Weirdo were trillionaires, did NOT pay for the contests expenses [that was the promoters who had to pay Weider a 'licensing fee' and line up all the sponsors, rent the venue, organize the event, buy the trophies, blah blah blah]. Weider took the dough, cashed the checks, went up to his penthouse, used the contest photos for the next whole year to sell his protein glop, magazines, and equipment, and rip off his chumps...er, champs. Not a negative reaction, merely the mechanics of how the whole drugged kingdom worked. And some praise Weider for being 'the father of modern bodybuilding'... that is half right... he was the father of modern drug contest promotion. Never tested his contests outside of the 90 Olympia, yet complained in every issue editorial about 'drugs in our sport'. And the only reason he tested once was because Congress and the Feds were trying to prevent deaths among especially high school and college kids who wanted to look like their drug monkey idols. Stepping down now from my soap box. You're welcome.
![FRANCO COLUMBU [The STRONGEST Bodybuilder Ever]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/m5_40SWh7sw/mqdefault.jpg)
![FRANCO COLUMBU [The STRONGEST Bodybuilder Ever]](/img/tr.png)
I was at that Olympia. The crowd was crazy. Way more exuberant then the crowds today. After the show went out to eat with Ken Waller and Bill Pearl. Ken had 7 fish sandwiches and 4 shakes, 1 qt each. That man can eat! 😂
Any thoughts on the placings? Someone you thought was overlooked or placed higher than your expectations?
I guess that's why Ken got so fat in the off-season.
I was also there. Eighteen years old. After four years of Muscle Magazine. In 1977 I sat behind Robbie Robinson. God Lord his back was incredibly wide. Arnold walked out of the elevator at the hotel. He looked right at me and my training partner. Our hero right looked us. I stood right behind Ken Waller at a nearby steakhouse. Incredible and priceless!
John narration with those black and white photos was 🔥🔥🔥.
Johnny maldonado just died a few weeks ago. I hope they can do tributes of him he was one of the golden era of bodybuilding .
Excellent work. As always.
30 miles south of Boston: In 1978 I was 1 year out of high school & thanks to a union job wages I was able to purchase my 1st home. I paid $62K for a 4 bedroom colonial with an oversized garage & two acres. Today $62K isn't even enough for the down payment. I spent much time in the local gym and bodybuilders of this time were smart enough to limit their use of steroids they only used just enough to reach the next plateau & then got off the chyte.
Another outstanding post. 👏
I think I speak for most of us when I say that I like these 12 to 15mns videos much better than the much longer videos for the sole reason that some of us have deficit problems but for most of us we only have 24 hours in a day. I enjoy the longer videos and can listen to them forever especially the interview ones such as the ones with Jerry Brainum, but by the time I get the chance to watch the whole video at the end of the week, a newer video had been uploaded already and I keep playing catchup. Whereas the shorter videos can easily be fitted in our hectic daily schedules.
Again, another home run, John!
Million thanks! 🙏
John , this is amazing. Do this with every old magazine and retro spective short video. Thank you brother.
Amazing John! Just a great video!
Robby was my pick
I mean they are old, grainy, black & white photos but Robinson's legs look better (bigger and more separated) than Zane's. He has the arms obviously and his mid-section is good (esp when he pulls that vacuum in the front double). Was Zane just overall more conditioned or balanced? Better back maybe? - there does seem to be a lot of detail there.
Also, Makkawy did look amazing and he obviously did have the makings of a top pro, coming in 2nd in the 83 and 84 Mr. O. Def one of the more underrated pros of that era.
Makkawy was over-rated in 83. He was given 2nd, but deserved no higher than 4th, as Bertil Fox, Lee Haney and Samir were all better than him.
Robby was too smooth next Zane in this contest. Zane did deserved to win.
Perfect description of Makkawy, by the way. 👍
Hey John, why don't you read the article on the party that Don Peters and his wife gave that had Joe and Betty Weider, Vince Gironda, Sergio Oliva, etc. in attendance? That party yielded the iconic Sergio in the taylored shirt playing pool photos!
What magazine was that in?
@naturalolympia A couple of years ago, I found the story somewhere on the internet. I could try to look for it when I get out of work.
@naturalolympia Alright John, I haven't found the exact article that I read, BUT. . . I did find another article referencing the party which took place in the summer of '68. There is also a video there showing a lot of photos of the gathering taken by Artie Zeller. Sergio looks incredible with that tiny waist and the huge arms! Unbelievable! Arnold even showed up at the party, but late, and didn't get in any of the photographs. There's a group photo showing everybody at the party and they are all identified! Some other big names were present!
I found your Instagram account, so I'll direct message you the link and you can decide whether this subject is worthy of a video. Possibly, you can track down the younger attendees, who could give you more information. Good luck!
Larry Scott did do Sergio’s arms over head pose and it was very impressive with his huge biceps triceps and forearms. In actuality ,seeing as how Scott had the first two Mr Olympia wins , Sergio was possibly copying him. Having said that, Sergio’s was definitely more impressive.
I believe that Larry did a different version of the victory pose and he did looked great but Sergio with his small waist did it straight on like at the 72 Olympia. I really think that Arnold did copied most of Larry's 3/4 and 1/4 back poses.
@@AngelOliva302 Yes
Sergio was a freak of nature. Unbelievable.
I miss the slender & symmetrical waist of yesterday's bodybuilders. Today they all look like 300LB mutant ninja turtles with bubble guts.
Turtle bellied curds.
Io pensi che i body .
Anni 70,/80 sono la parte + espressiva del culturismo grandi personaggi
Zane's victory was the beginning of the end for guys of 'human size' being winning the Mr. O title... Soon it would be giant freaks bloated with drugs and riddled with weak points. Additionally, we have all the biggest baddest [highly drugged] guys on the planet struggling for one first place trophy.... the odds against winning it were six gazillion to one. And the purse for the runners up were insulting... as even Arnold remarked. Even though Joe and Ben Weirdo were trillionaires, did NOT pay for the contests expenses [that was the promoters who had to pay Weider a 'licensing fee' and line up all the sponsors, rent the venue, organize the event, buy the trophies, blah blah blah]. Weider took the dough, cashed the checks, went up to his penthouse, used the contest photos for the next whole year to sell his protein glop, magazines, and equipment, and rip off his chumps...er, champs. Not a negative reaction, merely the mechanics of how the whole drugged kingdom worked. And some praise Weider for being 'the father of modern bodybuilding'... that is half right... he was the father of modern drug contest promotion. Never tested his contests outside of the 90 Olympia, yet complained in every issue editorial about 'drugs in our sport'. And the only reason he tested once was because Congress and the Feds were trying to prevent deaths among especially high school and college kids who wanted to look like their drug monkey idols. Stepping down now from my soap box. You're welcome.
Dorian Yates, hold my beer.
John, do you have an e-mail address I can write you?
First!
Frank was just too small.
Zane only deserved one Mr O title