Joe Wieder - 1919 to 2013 ~ Dead at 93. An Era has come to an end.
Remembered for his physique, his creation of the Mr./Ms. Olympia contests and most famously for unleashing the ex-governor of California (Arnold Schwarzenegger ) on the world...Joe was mostly about caring and giving. He worked tirelessly with Arnie to help him achieve his dreams of being the greatest body builder in the world.
As a skinny kid from the tough part of Montreal, he literally developed into a self-made man. Creating homemade weight sets from scrap metal and working out like a madman to develop his body. Turning his love for physical development into a business and eventually into creating competitions for the world to see. He was responsible for bringing Arnold to America and allowing him to unfold into the 7-time Mr. Olympia...including a run of consecutive years from 1970 to 1975. I remember first hearing about Arnold during these final years of high school.
I remember as a kid buying comic books or Mad Magazine and always seeing a full page add in the back for Joe Wieder's system to keep from being bullied or having sand kicked in your face. Usually a picture of some skinny guy on the beach with his girl and a buff dude actually kicking sand in his face. These are hard to see but if you ever saw them in a magazine they are enough.
He also had the How To Develop A He-Man Personality...whatever that was back then. You could send away $9.95 or whatever it was and your worries would be over when that package arrived. Of course that never happened. But I can still see those ads today.
Joe and Arnold remained friends for life and Arnold is still the executive editor for Muscle & Fitness as well as Flex & Shape publications. Joe was instrumental in the worldwide promotion of fitness and health as well as creating interest in bodybuilding. Sort of the Godfather of bodybuilding.
Many of his memorabilia items have been donated to the University of Texas in Austin which opened the Joe and Betty Weider Museum of Physical Culture in 2011.
He is survived by his wife Betty.
Pump up in peace, Joe.
11 comments:
As soon as I saw the start of your post, the ad with the bully kicking sand in the wimpy guy's face popped into my mind. And then, there it was! I remember buying an isometric training device of his when I was young. do you think he used steroids?
Those ads were his? I never knew that. He really did a lot for the industry. Pretty much started it!
Did he also teach Arnold to impregnate the maid?
Pat: Yeah when I read the obit that "sand in the face" was the first thing I remembered. I am going to say that he did not use steroids...I think it would have ben out by now if he had. I am sure I bought something of his as well.
Alex: You are right, he did start the industry and spent his life promoting it.
PTM: I think Arnie did that all on his own...
Whoa, his neck was bigger than one of my thighs (or maybe both put together).
And I'm laughing at PTM's question.
xoRobyn
Thanks for sharing this, Chuck. Sounds like he did his first body building in an age before steroids.
Mary Montague Sikes
I need to go hit the gym...
Robyn: Laughing at him only encourages bad behavior :)
Monti: That is what I think too.
Milo: Yeah, you and me both!
We owe him thanks for the Schwarz. The ads are cool; I'm surprised you were able to find them!
Shannon at The Warrior Muse
im sure his heart was as big as his muscles. great post.
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Shannon: Really?? You were surprised I found them on google? If you type in anything to search and add "pictures" to the end of it...you can find anything! You are so funny.
Nutschell: He seemed to be a genuinely good guy and if you live to 93 and nothing negative really comes out, you gotta believe he was okay.
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