BEST SIDE FORWARD... Remember I said Big John had a “Bad Side”? Well, it’s true; at least he thought so. He told
me that in his youth he was struck in the throat by a blow dart which left a very visible scar on the side of his neck. Big John thought
it was UGLY and would not permit himself to be filmed close-up from that angle as he preferred to put his “Best Side” toward the camera.
Well, I can tell you he looked GREAT from any angle. You always got the best side from Big John. Do you remember the side from which
Big John was never shot close up?
BIG JOHN was a Superstar with a capital “S”... he was a world champion Olympic
swimmer, a champion Tarzan among some great Tarzans, and he NEVER endorsed cigarettes or whiskey. These endorsements were there for
him and would have brought him $$$$ BIG BUCKS $$$$ when he needed money, but he refused to take them. Now that’s a genuine HERO for
you. When Big John died I called a news conference which was picked up by most of the news services. You may have read about it. I
wanted the world to know how I loved him and that he was a great father for “Boy” and me.
The last time I saw Big John alive I was hitting six-irons on the practice fairway at the Riviera, my home golf club in Los Angeles.
The word came down that my Jungle father, TARZAN, was getting ready to tee off on #1 above me. When I saw Big John’s foursome crossing
the Barranca coming down the fairway toward me to make their second shots on #2, I cut loose with Boy’s Tarzan yell and Big John answered
with his famous Tarzan yell. The golf course stopped. He left his group and came over to me and we talked. Big John watched me hit
a couple and encouraged me and hit a couple himself. It was like old times by that Continental trunk. I looked at him and he looked
at me. We both looked down to the practice green where our shots were resting. Then we looked at each other again and had a Great
Laugh. We both hit ‘em pretty darn good. He ruffled my hair. On the way back to rejoin his foursome he turned and smiled. It never
mattered what Big John was doing — he always had time for me. That was the last time I saw my jungle father alive.
FAME... Tony Curtis said it best. You find something you like to do and learn how to do it well enough to gain recognition. If you
are LUCKY you attain FAME. Then you have to learn another profession; how to DO fame. Maybe you can have a private life, but you must
learn to do FAME first. Big John LEARNED to do FAME like the champion he was.
AND NOW... Umgawa, my dear Reader,
Umgawa... ende
