OK, I'll stick this here. If you want to move it to another/more appropriate Forum Category, feel free.

As I mentioned previously, I've done a lot of research on Health Gurus, primarily Paul & Patricia Bragg, Norman Walker, Ann Wigmore (nobody seemed to know her "birth name" before I found her Ellis Island records), St. Louis Estes, etc., etc. Maybe because they can tell the most amazing---and/or ridiculous stories. depending on how you look at it.

As to Mr. LaLanne, his health & wellness recovery story was that he was a sickly, underweight boy, back brace, poor eyesight, bedridden from school for half a year, couldn't play sports---in other words a Real Health Mess. However, his worried mother (allegedly) dragged him to a Paul Bragg lecture at age 15 at The Women's Club in Oakland, CA, which completely turned his sad life around. In a People Magazine story on Paul Bragg in 1975 (the year before Bragg died), LaLanne was quoted as saying that if it hadn't been for Paul Bragg, he would have been dead by age 16. It was that bad. Jack DID go on to participate on the Berkeley, CA High School football team in the early 1930ties, & opened an exercise gym in downtown Oakland, CA circa 1936. However,his previous poor health story and his attendance at a Bragg health lecture (which was a series which first took place over 7 nights at the Women's Club in October 1930---Bragg returned to Oakland for health lectures several times in the years between 1930 & 1942) didn't resonate well with me for several reasons which I won't go into; however, I had nothing concrete to base my feelings on. Until...

As is often the case, very old newspapers came to the rescue. Because of my interest in genealogy, both I & my city pubic library subscribe to a couple of on-line newspaper archive services, and I happened to notice that the Berkeley [CA]Daily Gazette (the city where the LaLanne family moved to in 1928 & lived until about 1940) had been fairly recently digitized from microfilm, and a name search on members of the LaLanne family (most importantly, Jack) appearing in its newspaper articles was now available.

It quickly became clear that from 10 to 5 months prior to Bragg's first life-saving lecture that Jack LaLanne had been very involved in sports activities, including football, baseball, track & field, and wrestling in the San Francisco Bay Area. And he entered the track & field and wrestling competitions as a representative for the Berkeley Y.M.C.A. in the 130# Class (specifically mentioned in the article coverage) at age 15 in the spring of 1930, not the 90-95# underweight he claimed at that age.

Since there's absolutely no evidence that Paul Bragg & Jack LaLanne even met each other until probably 1959 when they both were on Los Angeles TV with exercise programs (Jack, national; Paul & Patricia, local), I'm guessing this whole story was concocted in the Hollywood press agent style. The first time it was even mentioned was in a book Jack "wrote", copyright 1959, which according to a Sports Illustrated article/photo layout in December of that year, was "ghostwritten" anyway.

But reach you own conclusions on this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2015 03:43AM by KFCA.

Thank you, KFCA. Another fractured fairy tale bites the dust.

At the very least nobody died from Jack's fantasy stories that I know of, and he did probably get some people to exercise who might not normally do so, but it's still an example of the fame & fortune to be made in the Health & Wellness area if you come up with a backstory that resonates with the public as Jack's clearly did.

BTW, if you go to Jack's Wikipedia page at Link #13, "Jack LaLanne, A Berkeley (Not Oakland) Original", there's a photo of the Paul Bragg advertisement for his 1930 Oakland lecture series, which I found quite amusing---but that was Paul Bragg.

KFCA Wrote:
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> At the very least nobody died from Jack's fantasy
> stories that I know of, and he did probably get
> some people to exercise who might not normally do
> so, but it's still an example of the fame &
> fortune to be made in the Health & Wellness area
> if you come up with a backstory that resonates
> with the public as Jack's clearly did.
>
> BTW, if you go to Jack's Wikipedia page at Link
> #13, "Jack LaLanne, A Berkeley (Not Oakland)
> Original", there's a photo of the Paul Bragg
> advertisement for his 1930 Oakland lecture series,
> which I found quite amusing---but that was Paul
> Bragg.

Yeah, his false backstory sounds benign for a health guru.

KFCA, have you found any yet that has a backstory that is real?

Here is the Link #13 link...

[www.berkeleydailyplanet.com]

Interesting feedback as usual KFCA, and as a well-to-do cash register salesman once told me, "if you have a good story you can sell anything". One can make easy money in this world, but what is more important, money and lies or living with integrity? To me lies come too easy in this world because it is a low level world full of low level behaviour, but for me this will simply not do, better to take the high road if you can and develop trust like a mature soul would. This is not to imply that Jack's story was a lie, but a warning of indulging in cheap and common behaviour.

In the old days people would have easily been able to fabricate stories like Bragg etc, but if people try it these days they will get caught out. So many raw leaders have had doubts cast over them these days, but it is their fault for being so full of low level behaviour and questionable knowledge and applications of the knowledge. Leadership is not for the average person who knows a lot, leadership is for the wise so they can inspire ideal behaviour on many levels.

www.thesproutarian.com



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2015 10:43PM by The Sproutarian Man.

No, SuzE, I can't say that I've ever run across a Health & Wellness Guru that I've felt had a legitimate backstory to tell. Maybe some day.

BTW, when I was attempting to determine (or not) the veracity of LaLanne's "Me & Paul Story", I was having problems finding an early-before-he-got-famous interview with Jack that at least mildly backed up his miserable to healthy life as a youth. It was difficult since although his picturesque physique sometimes appeared on the covers of body-building magazines that were popular in the 1940ties-50ties, Jack never seemed to speak in the magazine text itself.

EXCEPT for an issue of "Ironman" from 1952, entitled "Jack LaLanne Champion of Endurance" by somebody named David Martin, which first paragraph reads:

"Few people are aware of the amazing background of Jack LaLanne of Oakland, California, a background which shows with great determination, physical handicaps can be overcome. At 14 years of age Jack weighed only 90 pounds and was very sickly and extremely weak. Being in such poor health, Jack started on an extensive study of diet. Books occupied his time and he read everything he could lay his hands upon that pertained to diet and health. After about a year or more of practicing proper eating and living there was such an improvement in Jack's health, he had great incentive to develop his body physically, such was the inspiration."

The article goes on to mention Jack's later high school football and other sports career, but notice this 1952 Amazing Story mentions absolutely nothing about attendance at any Paul Bragg health lecture that Jack constantly claimed turned his life around. Obviously that "invention" was about seven years into the future.

Now, of course, having read the Berkeley Gazette sports page articles on Jack from late 1929 & early 1930 when he was age 15, I don't buy into the weak & sickly story either, but I thought it particularly interesting on the glaring omission of any accompanying Bragg angle.

KFCA, that's very disappointing that the counterfeit backstories are running at 100%. At least the Health & Wellness gurus who were jocks all along will be easier to discover the truth about. Local newspapers were always crammed full of children's sports news for loyal local sports fans to pour over and proud parent subscribers to scrapbook.

On second thought, though, the jock backstories of their faked ill health and poor fitness may not really be so benign as I thought at first because they seem tailor made for appealing to their marks - young scrawny or fat sickly young men and second stringers who wanted more attention from girls and less embarrassing attention from creepy school coaches who probably made their lives miserable. I guess we'll never know how often the deception worked. Due to it's nature (and their marks' nature) I doubt there was much public or locker room complaining.

It does sound like you were right that the Bragg/Lalanne angle was created and added later by Hollywood pre$$ agent$ for $ome unknown rea$on of mutual benefit to all at exactly the right broadcasting time ...

The story that impressed me about Jack was that he pulled 70 people on 70 boats for one mile when he was 70 years old.

[www.youtube.com]

Y'all are reaching on this one, why???

Tai Wrote:
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> The story that impressed me about Jack was that he
> pulled 70 people on 70 boats for one mile when he
> was 70 years old.
>
> [www.youtube.com]

Agreed, that was a memorable story.

www.thesproutarian.com

But was the boat story fake too?

"LaLanne died of respiratory failure due to pneumonia at his home on January 23, 2011 According to his family, he had been sick for a week, but refused to see a doctor. They added that he had been performing his daily workout routine the day before his death" from wiki

He was not healthy with all of the raw food and exercises



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2015 01:05PM by RawPracticalist.

RawPracticalist Wrote:
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> But was the boat story fake too?

He was a very strong man but by understanding currents and wind, etc. one can 'harness' nature's assistance to the extent of even by merely floating ahead of large floating objects one can appear to be the Hercules of boat towing.

So who knows? Those who would know will remain silent.

> but by understanding currents and wind, etc. one can 'harness' nature's assistance to the extent of even by merely floating ahead of large floating objects one can appear to be the Hercules of boat towing.

That is probably the answer

RawPracticalist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > but by understanding currents and wind, etc. one
> can 'harness' nature's assistance to the extent of
> even by merely floating ahead of large floating
> objects one can appear to be the Hercules of boat
> towing.
>
> That is probably the answer

Now you're in big trouble around here, mister ...

his diet hurt him. destroys the skin and rest of the body.

compare him to jim morris

plus as i said, his brother outlived him.

[www.thedailybeast.com]

fresh Wrote:
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> [www.thedailybeast.com]
> ack-lalanne-fitness-guru-dies-at-96-learn-10-of-hi
> s-habits.html

[www.thedailybeast.com]

Quote

3. Eat twice a day. LaLanne consumed exactly two meals, breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was taken late in the morning after his workout and usually consisted of “several hard-boiled egg whites, a cup of broth, oatmeal with soy milk, and seasonal fruit.” Dinner was more egg whites, salad, and fish. Snacks were strictly verboten.

4. No meat, either. Fish was pretty much the only animal LaLanne ate. (His New York Times obit says he occasionally enjoyed a roast turkey sandwich, though LaLanne has been quoted as saying that he never touched the stuff.)

Young liars can live on to be old liars it seems.

He was eating egg whites for breakfast and eggs + fish for dinner. Then he was selling juicers on tv

>his diet hurt him. destroys the skin and rest of the body

Why was egg white his the main dish?
He was not in living raw food that much



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2015 04:16PM by RawPracticalist.

I think he was following the old gymn trend of eating egg whites (bodybuilding) to build muscle. Probably he would not do so if he knew the newer negative research on animal proteins. Back then, the only research was by word of mouth on the gymn. There was no internet or scientific studies and it assumed that everybody eats animals and eggs to be strong.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2015 04:32PM by Panchito.

Now I understand, thank for the explanation
The internet has changed the landscape in learning



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2015 04:49PM by RawPracticalist.

"Jack LaLanne begins each and every day with 50 grams of soy protein."

[www.obesitycures.com]

SueZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Jack LaLanne begins each and every day with 50
> grams of soy protein."
>
> [www.obesitycures.com]

We soy protein and egg white in his daily diet, one could say he was successful.
He got to 96 in spite of all of that.
I guess the exercise played a big role.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2015 05:37PM by RawPracticalist.

RawPracticalist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SueZ Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > "Jack LaLanne begins each and every day with 50
> > grams of soy protein."
> >
> >
> [www.obesitycures.com]
>
>
> We soy protein and egg white in his daily diet,
> one could say he was successful.
> He got to 96 in spite of all of that.
> I guess the exercise played a big role.


Well one thing is for sure - all that soy did not turn him into a woman. So many, these days, fear soy hormones will do that to men. Always did seem like pretty silly notion to me.

his brother outlived him.

It will be interesting to know what is brother life style and diet was

According to his obituary, Norman LaLanne ran his own business until he was 88, was a regular at a local barbecue joint, enjoyed playing golf at his club regularly until shortly before he died and he would speak with his brother on the phone every day.

Norman LaLanne smoked, drank and loved pork fat....he lived to 97!

Longevity is a mystery.
Maybe it is in the genes.
He smoked ate pork fat and oulived his healthy brother.
I guess heavy exercising does not help that much.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2015 08:18PM by CommonSenseRaw.

NuNativs Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> According to his obituary, Norman LaLanne ran his
> own business until he was 88, was a regular at a
> local barbecue joint, enjoyed playing golf at his
> club regularly until shortly before he died and he
> would speak with his brother on the phone every
> day.
>
> Norman LaLanne smoked, drank and loved pork
> fat....he lived to 97!

Lol. Hilarious!

NuNat:I think you're overstating Norman LaLanne's obituary. Let's not go overboard. If you search Norman LaLanne SF Gate Obituary, his San Francisco Chronicle Obit will come up. From his photo, probably late 1940ties-early 50ties---notice the hat---he looked a lot like Jack.