The MUSCLE BATTLE Of The CENTURY

By George Greenwood

ONE OF THE JUDGES RECALLS THIS MIGHTY BATTLE OF MUSCLES THAT TOOK PLACE 19 YEARS AGO IN THE FIRST MR. UNIVERSE CONTEST HELD IN LONDON, AND PROVIDES A FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF THIS LEGENDARY BATTLE

WHENEVER THE MR. UNIVERSE CONTEST in London rolls around, my mind always goes back to that exciting day when the first Mr. Universe contest was held here. The day? August, Friday the 13th! Though we've held this contest almost every year since, this particular contest still remains the most exciting battle of muscles ever staged on these shores.

We had many entries that year because amateurs and professionals were allowed to compete against each other. . . yet this great event revolved around two Americans -- John Grimek and Steve Reeves.

I recall the excitement this contest created when the bodybuilding enthusiasts in this country found out that Grimek and Reeves would be competing. Even the Olympic Games didn't create any more excitement than this impending battle of muscles. It was the "talk of the town!"

There was a reason for this. Bodybuilders the world over knew that each man had been known as the "greatest physique" at various times, and this description is perfectly justified. You can ask any 100 bodybuilders today - Who was the greatest? And you'll probably get 40 votes for Grimek, 40 votes for Reeves and 20 votes to end in a tie.

When we first decided to stage this physique pageantry we knew there was much to be done. The famous Scala Theatre was selected to stage this contest, and although the theatre is rather large, every seat was sold out, including standing room! Of course months before the actual contest advanced publicity was channeled to weightlifting and bodybuilding headquarters around the world, urging these organizations to nominate and send their best representatives to compete in this contest. The response was staggering, and far exceeded NABBA's expectations. Everything pointed to a successful event, and it truly was.

We knew from the beginning that with so much physique talent in the contest, impartial but competent judges would have to be selected. So after much speculation the committee selected the following men to judge this big event.

George Walsh from Britain. A bodybuilder and weightlifting coach with a high international reputation. George Hackenschmidt, the Russian Lion. He doesn't need any introduction for he's well known around the world in athletic circles. Gregor Arax from France. A great athlete in his day and now one of the best physique photographers in the world. Dr. George Bankoff from Russia. A celebrated surgeon and at one time a leader in Russian weightlifting circles in Petrograd. Tromp van Diggelen from Cape Town, South Africa, a famous strongman and physical culture teacher. And Bob Hoffman, the world's leading authority and coach on weightlifting. However, when the committee sent Bob the invitation to be one of the judges, Bob declined on that grounds that two Americans would be entered and he might be accused of playing favorites, so he was dropped from the panel of judges and I was invited to take his place. Since I was interested in bodybuilding and weight training all my life, and having served as judge for many Mr. Britain and other important physique events, I ably qualified for this position.

One of my tasks was to evolve an unbiased system of judging that would meet with the committee's approval. After due consideration I came up with the following point system:

In this article it is not my intention to go into full detail about the contest but only cover the highlights that centered around Grimek and Reeves. The contest had four different height classes, but those who saw this event can't seem to recall anything except the titanic battle between Grimek, Reeves and the mighty Frenchman, Andre Drapp.

My Impression of John Grimek

Before I ever met John I had heard much about him and I wasn't quite sure what to believe. One day he dropped by the NABBA offices in a blue windbreaker that had an Olympic emblem on the left side, and York Barbell Club across the back. It was snug-fitting and made him look much smaller than he was. I admit, I was a bit disappointed. He was average height, around 5' 9" and dressed he didn't appear to weigh over 180 pounds. Later he told me that he took off 15 pounds for this contest but forgot about the food shortage in London, so lost another additional 10 pounds from not eating.

When we asked him to take off his shirt, he obliged without hesitation and took jacket and shirt off . . . now the man did look surprising. He flexed his arm. It was huge. Larger than anything we've seen. He was deep-chested and thick throughout the entire upper body. We didn't see his legs but if they were anything like his upper body, they would have to be sensational.

Everyone in the office knew now why the name of Grimek was said with reverence by those who knew or competed against him. John had won every contest he ever entered, although he didn't compete in as many events as he was eligible for, as John, you remember, was not strictly a bodybuilder as so many physique entries are today. He took part in lifting contests and is known to have supported a thousand pounds above his head. I also recall seeing pictures of him doing handstands, working on horizontal and parallel bars, and as a master of controlling his muscles, few indeed could approach him. So there he was, in his late 30s, with the largest arms I ever saw. I now felt the contest was over except for the shouting, although I still didn't meet Steve Reeves, the other American giant of muscles.

Impressions of Reeves

I didn't get to meet Reeves until the contest, backstage, when he was stripped down. I was running around backstage when, through mere accident, I came face to face with him. Again I was flabbergasted. Here this 6' 1" giant stood in front of me. Broad of shoulders, narrow in the midsection with lots of dark hair and perfect teeth that flashed when he smiled. He seemed to embody everything one was searching for in physical perfection. I knew now that this battle would be the likes of which we would never forget. How on earth were we going to decide who to choose? The answer was to judge each man according to the system we decided upon and put all personal bias aside. There was no question about the integrity of the judges. All had experience and knew how to judge.

The four height divisions were presented on stage so the audience could get a preliminary view of everyone. The reaction of the audience was explosive! After this the judges again got into a huddle, trying hard to reach a decision but none could be reached. There was nothing to do but wait for the finals.

Now each man in the running was told to give his final presentation and do whatever he liked. Grimek's culminating demonstration was fantastic and words cannot express the exhibition he presented. He performed an entirely different routine from the one he used in the preliminaries and he went from pose to pose, each different from the last, then performed some muscle control stunts that made the audience gasp. And just when we thought he was finished, he dropped into a full split, pressed up into a handstand, then rolled over and came up to an erect position. Again words cannot describe the excitement that followed. People stood in their seats, hats were thrown in the air and pandemonium reigned throughout the auditorium. There just couldn't be anyone else now. The judges quickly marked their ballots and when John was called up to the "mike" to say a few words he did so like the fine champion he was. He told the vast audience that day: "I have been thrilled before at Madison Square Garden in New York at the first Mr. America Contest, and again at the Arena in Philadelphia in 1941, and at the Most Muscular Physique Contest in Philadelphia, but here in London the thrills and chills that vibrated through my body were so intense that I found it difficult to stand still. I was overjoyed to learn that I was the ultimate winner but desperately felt sorry for Reeves, to whom I know this title would have meant so much. But I know his big day is coming and we'll encourage him all the way."

Steve Reeves was called up to say a few words and he said: "Perhaps you will permit me to say that I know the judging was eminently fair, but as the audience screamed that day -- 'There is only one John Grimek' and that's a fact. When I was 14 years old, just starting to get interested in bodybuilding, John Grimek became the first Mr. America. He was a never-to-be-forgotten inspiration to thousands of youngsters like myself. After all these years John Grimek is a worthy Mr. Universe and I only hope that in the future I will emulate the position he holds in the bodybuilding world."

As a matter of fact, two years later Reeves did return to London and did become Mr. Universe, sent and encouraged by John Grimek and the York Barbell Company. Since then Reeves has gone on to make a fortune and the youngsters that see him in films all want to become a Steve Reeves.

I've seen all of the Mr. Universe contests we've had in London, all of which have been exciting. But when I recall that exciting day back in 1948, I must admit that was the greatest battle of muscles of the century!

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- Winners and runners-up in the various classes. Reeves third from left, Grimek third from right.

- The final selection of Mr. Universe winners. Left to right: Steve Reeves 2nd, John Grimek Mr. Universe, Andre Drapp 3rd, and M. Namdjou 4th.

- Above: D. G. Johnson (left), man who started NABBA, John Grimek (center), and the author George Greenwood are looking over some pictures of the contest.

- Right: The pose adopted by NABBA as their official insignia.

- Below: Reeves being congratulated by Tromp van Diggelen, one of the judges.

- Steve Reeves, one of the tallest men in the Mr. Universe competition that year, shakes hands with M. Namdjou, the shortest competitor in the contest.