Reviews of "Johnny Weissmuller: Twice the Hero"
— Booklist (American Library Association) Reviewed by Mike Tribby (June 2000)
Johnny
Weissmuller was a bona fide big star in the era of big stars, and Fury's sympathetic biography treats him suitably, with a certain
gush that evokes old-Hollywood glamour and grandeur. Meanwhile, the many illustrations display a beaming, tanned, frequently scantily
clad man who was every inch the Olympic swimming champ as well as movie star. Weissmuller liked "good-looking women, flashy clothes
and toys," says Johnny Sheffield, (who played Boy to the man's Tarzan), freeing Fury to attend to the lurid details so important in
a Hollywood life. Fury's handling of Weissmuller's relationship with Lupe Velez is exemplary. Now a historical footnote, the liaison
was then the stuff of scandal sheets. Fury mentions Velez's penchant for raising her skirts when in high reverie, which revealed her
habitual innocence of lingerie, but discreetly turns from the Mexican Spitfire's spicy antics to Weissmuller s career for chapters
at a time. So this is a traditional big starstruck bio that includes just enough dirt to spice the myth. Well worth the reading.
—
Classic Images #303 Reviewed by Anthony Slide (September, 2000)
David Fury and his Artist's Press have already provided us with first-rate
studies of Burt Lancaster and Chuck Connors. David Fury's latest effort is Johnny Weissmuller: Twice the Hero, an exhaustive biography
of the five-time Olympic gold medal winner, who was not only the greatest swimmer of all time but also the screen's most enduring
Tarzan. A good third of the narrative is concerned with Weissmuller's pre-Hollywood career, his birth in what is now Romania,
his upbringing in Chicago, his 1921 debut in competitive swimming, and his promotion of B.V.D. swimming attire. David Fury's research
is exhaustive, and he corrects many errors in previous biographical studies. For example, he notes that Weissmuller claimed to be
born in Pennsylvania because when he entered the 1924 Olympic Games, the swimmer was not technically an American citizen.
Johnny Weissmuller began his film career in 1929 posed as Adonis in a tableau sequence from Glorifying the American Girl, wearing
even less than the loincloth he was later to adopt. B.V.D. was not particularly happy with his initial film work. The company compromised
with the swimmer and M-G-M in 1931, permitting him to sign a contract as the screen's new Tarzan.
The rest is history,
as David Fury documents in detail Weissmuller's career not only as Tarzan but also, of course, as Jungle Jim. Nor does he neglect
Weissmuller's somewhat dismal final films: The Phynx and Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood. There is also much here about Weissmuller's
first marriage to showgirl Bobbe Arnst and to actress Lupe Velez. Weissmuller's daughter Lisa and last wife, Maria, are prominent
in helping David Fury discuss the swimmer's later life.
Weissmuller's Jane, Maureen O'Sullivan, and Johnny Sheffield also contributed
much to the book, which is enlivened by a lengthy foreword from Sheffield. A complete filmography rounds out the volume, together
with a record of Weissmuller's swimming records and medals.
Johnny Weissmuller: Twice the Hero is an impressive
book, professionally researched and written. No fault is to be found, least of all in the volume's production values that are exceedingly
high. It should find a wide audience not only among those interested in film history and the history of American swimming, but also
with those who appreciate books that display a quality of style and production missing from most trade publications.
There are two editions of the book available. The regular edition sells for $35.00, plus $6.00 shipping and handling. The "Special
Collector's" edition, consisting of 500 signed and numbered copies, sells for $60.00, plus $6.00 shipping and handling. I recommend
the latter, with its special 16-page supplement of color photographs. For more information, check out the Artist's Press web page
at www.artistspress.com. And watch out for David Fury's next biography: Maureen O Sullivan: A Remarkable Lady.