In the aftermath of the Black Sox scandal, Johnny Weissmuller was a breath of fresh air to a shell-shocked Chicago.
But it was more than a breath. It was more like a hurricane of vitality, competitive energy, and an unequaled level of skill in swimming
pools across the country in which he competed against America’s best swimmers. This young teenaged phenom had all of America opening
their collective eyes, and marveling at the phenomenal skills that would make him a legend.
Through it all,
the good and the bad of sports history in Chicago during the 1920s, one thing and one person could be counted on: Johnny would give
his best in each and every race he entered and would win them all. Few athletes in the history of sports can lay claim that they retired
undefeated, as was the case with Johnny, who never lost a freestyle race in his amateur swimming career. From his official debut in
competitive swimming in August of 1921, when he won his first A.A.U. championship in the 50-yard freestyle, Weissmuller was the winner
in every freestyle race he ever entered through 1929, when he retired from competitive swimming.
As difficult as
it is to achieve fame and reach the pinnacle of success in a particular field, Johnny Weissmuller did it twice: He was the greatest
swimmer of all-time, and then became eternally famous and internationally loved and remembered as “Tarzan” on the silver screen. As
an undefeated swimming and Olympic champion, he was a hero to millions of Americans. His fan adulation eventually spread around the
world, and knew no boundaries by country or creed. As Edgar Rice Burroughs’ jungle god in twelve Tarzan adventures, he was the ultimate
screen hero. Tarzan didn’t use guns to fight his enemies; instead, he used his cunning, guile, and superior physical prowess to send
his enemies to their ultimate demise. Weissmuller continued to wear the mantle of heroism with his role of “Jungle Jim,” another pulp
fiction character brought to the big screen for sixteen thrilling adventures (and one TV season) during an eight-year run from 1948
through 1956.
Johnny was in the right place at the right time for the screen role of Tarzan — it was simply a matter
of fate. Those closely entwined cousins of fate, serendipity and fortuity, certainly helped guide Johnny through his magical life.
You could also say that Johnny got lucky when Maureen O’Sullivan was cast as “Jane” in the first MGM Tarzan picture in 1932, Tarzan,
the Ape Man. This turned out to be a brilliant stroke of casting, as the duo enjoyed unequaled popularity during the decade that they
shared top billing in the treetops in six Tarzan films.
As the guest of honor at the 1971 Edgar Rice
Burroughs’ convention, Johnny recalled that an MGM executive wanted to change his name when he was being considered for the role of
Tarzan. “Weissmuller,” advised the producer, “is too long for the marquee. You’ve got to have a shorter name.” When the gentleman
was informed and enlightened to the fact that Johnny’s name was known around the world for his swimming heroics and Olympic gold medals,
the producer relented. “Okay, we’ll lengthen the marquee...” If the movie people had foolishly changed his name to the contemplated
“Jon Weis,” it just never would have been the same.
Johnny lived and enjoyed life to the maximum, during all of
his nearly eighty years here on Planet Earth. He loved swimming and athletic competition, which was his first love. Swimming made
him a star to an adoring public, which was captivated by the feats of the young man who couldn’t be defeated in his watery domain.
He reveled in the role of Tarzan, which kept him in the limelight for more than two decades as a silver screen hero and matinee idol.
He appreciated the beauty of women, and was married five times to five different women who each brought something special to his life.
(The pressures of Hollywood broke up each of his first four marriages, but his loving union to Maria Weissmuller lasted for more than
twenty years until his death.) Johnny loved a good joke, and he possessed a wonderful sense of humor and a marvelous laugh that rang
out and filled others with their own laughter.
Johnny Weissmuller was and still is remembered as one
of America’s legendary heroes, one of sports’ greatest undefeated champions, and one of the movies’ most memorable screen legends,
Tarzan. But knowing these facts, what pertinent information must we know about Johnny that we don’t already know? Better still, what
inaccuracies, falsehoods, and distortions of the truth can we correct at the beginning of this biography? When we have accomplished
this mission with the initial pages of this volume, we can then continue on with the thrilling story of one of America’s most beloved
heroes. This is The JOHNNY WEISSMULLER Story: Twice the Hero.
