The Incredible Dave Draper

[hebneh]

This scene is a satire on the famous Charles Atlas cartoon-style ads that ran for decades in comic books, in which a "98-pound weakling" gets sand kicked in his face on the beach by an aggressive muscleman - who then walks off with his girlfriend. However, after buying the Charles Atlas at-home musclebuilding course, the former wimp returns to the beach, slugs the bad guy, and gets his girlfriend back.

[ericinghammontevista]

who is the blonde girl??? :D

[wkyken]

I think the cultural love affair with blond muscle began with this man -- wow!

[ronwelker8]

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that Dave Draper should not have become a huge movie star in Hollywood -- especially after all the acting ability he showed in the film DON't MAKE WAVES in 1967. there was room for him and Arnold on the Hollywood stage

[DippShits]

@ronwelker8 Well...

...looking like the MilkyBar kid on steroids may have had a negative impact on the variety of roles he was suitable for.

[23nbafan23]

the best ever

[ronwelker8]

after displaying superb acting ability in the film DON'T MAKE WAVES -- he stole scenes from Tony Curtis and Claudia Cardinale -- it is unbelieveable that the only place for a bodybuilding star in US films was reserved for Herr Schwarzenegger when Dave Draper fitted the bill

[jrBlondebomber]

Agreed although these guys did a bunch of roids, they arent as bloaded and are much much younger. The are in there lower to mid 20s at this size. I think if body building was still like this today, more people would like it. PLus these guys can get way more girls than ronnie coleman and dudes thaT big. NO girl likes that shit, sorry to say.

[ronwelker8]

Dave the blond bomber draper is a hugely important figure for the 1960's in the book AMERICAN HUNKS: THE MUSCULAR BODY IN POPULAR CULTURE 1860-1970, by David L. Chapman and Brett Josef Grubisic

[ronwelker8]

Dave Draper is an iconic figure in AMERICAN HUNKS; THE MUSCULAR MALE BODY IN POPULAR CULTURE 1860-1970, by David L Chapman and Brent Josef Grubisic

[ali1278]

well roids first appeared in world war 2..

the soviet russian army used to give to the soldiers to improve their strength and thats were it started from.. thanx to the soviets and the russians..

[ronwelker8]

thanks. i didn't know the history of roids. .. but REG PARK was able to bench 500 lbs in the 1950's -- unheard of from anyone else -- and his son testifies that his father was not on the juice

[Neil6000]

I really hate how they used to portray bodybuilders on TV and in the movies back in those days as totally narcissistic and stupid. Thanks Arnold for changing everything.

[ronwelker8]

@Neil6000 no thanks to arnold though for taking movie roles that dave draper would probably have done after starring in the film DON'T MAKE WAVES. Maybe dave should have gone to euope to do movies where they sometimes appreciate americans more than hollywood does

[CaneFu]

ronwelker8

May be some truth in that but Arnold had a much more outgoing personality and was exactly what we needed to change the image of bodybuilding.

[ronwelker8]

i guess personality is the bottom line -- but did the IFBB judges choose arnold as OLYMPIA because they thought he could take their sport farther than steve reeves did ...but don't forget dave draper was doing a los angeles show as GOLIATH ALREADY when he was only a teenager !

[CaneFu]

ronwelkder8

While Arnold probably deserved his Olympia wins through 1975, he most definitely did NOT deserve to win in 1980 and your point may be valid. Joe Weider and Arnold were good friends, Arnold was breaking into the movies, and the upcoming publicity could only help Weider Enterprises make millions of dollars more.

Arnold was the right choice to take bodybuilding mainstream as evidenced by the boom in gyms across the country after "Pumping Iron" and "Conan the Barbarian".

[ronwelker8]

@CaneFu so I think you are saying sir that Joe Weider influenced the judges to pick the Mr. Olympia that would bring Weider enterprises the greatest fan and fortune -- in their opinion -- since I will not budge on this point that Dave Draper could have been a THOR or a HE-MAN or other action hero just as famous as Arnold became

[CaneFu]

ronwelker8

Well, everyone has their favorite bodybuilder and at best I think that's something that's subjective. The fact is though is that Arnold made the breakthrough and Draper didn't so the "could've, should've, would've" arguments don't have much point at this time.

I suppose I could even make the argument that I could have been that bodybuilder when I was younger if only I hadn't trashed my left shoulder, both my knees, my right elbow, my lower back....LOL

Cheers

[ronwelker8]

true ......water under the bridge is just that but as you read his excellent autobiography, you will realize that NO ONE not even arnold S. can take away memories of Mr,. Draper's own television show when he was just a California teenager, guest appearances on THE MONKEES and THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES and of course his role in DON'T MAKE WAVES

[ronwelker8]

yes thanks .....i realize that could have would have should have are only possibilities and are not substantial if they never happen. like you say you COULD have done more if your injuries hadn't gotten in the way.  I am short like Larry Scott but I could have trained to have arms like his and didn't and the reality is that his arms are still superhuman ..he is of course too short to be a film star except for MUSCLE BEACH PARTY so that for him is a COULD HAVE from birth already.

[ronwelker8]

if you are as old as me, remember dave draper's OUTSTANDING comedic guest roles in THE MONKEES and THE BEVERLEY HILLBILLIES and his sensitive portrayal in DONT MAKE WAVES

[mayena]

@Neil6000 I think that many people, especially men, where indimated or threatned by them so they try to portray all the negative stereotypes to belittle them.

[DrRocksotheClown]

@Neil6000 wow...people actually WATCHED this super cheesy bullshit..?oh welll i guess peopel had diffrent tastes in teh 60's...

[CaneFu]

@DrRocksotheClown

I think the Monkees TV show was probably written for kids maybe 6-12 years old. I remember my friends & I were 13-14 and thinking this show was incredibly lame. I also remember an older friend of ours who was in a local rock band in the late sixties cutting out pictures of Mickey Dolenz & the rest of the Monkees and taping them up on his dart board and we threw darts at their pics for fun. At no point during the sixties were the Monkees ever considered cool by anyone over 12.

[bbgonnabe]

Loved Draper. Early roided guys look so much better than the current roided freaks.

[jxk2790]

its cuz todays bodybuilders are on hgh as well.

[mcduffiesteven]

Steroids weren't available to Draper at that time.

[bbgonnabe]

Roids appeared on the bodybuilding scene in the 50's, at least late 50's.

[mcduffiesteven]

@bbgonnabe I think you're correct about this. I thought that they hit the scene in the US in the 1970s. I had heard (or had thought) that the Russian weightlifters used them in the late 50s.

I stand corrected (possibly)

[ronwelker8]

both Mr Universe champions STEVE REEVES and REG PARK  said that they did not do steroids at all in the 1950's competitions or later when they did their movies. .

[bubbob21]

Well, they lied.

[ronwelker8]

Reg Park WAS the 500 lb. bench champion in the 1950's -- were steroids really that available in britain and the US in the 1950's? Steve Reeves didn't have a serious injury until about 1962 and THEN had a reason to take the roids to be able to train and do more films. You are willing to say both Reeves and Park DID ROIDS just like the Mr. Olympias of later years? have you concrete proof about their training habits?

[bubbob21]

John Grimek was taking steroids in those days, so I can't see why Reeves and Park weren't. Bodybuilders were taking steroids in the 50s, just not all of them.

[ronwelker8]

If I had the time and money to travel everywhere that living training partners of these bodybuilding giants still survive, I would be able to ask them tough questions about Reeves and Park, etc. Reeves only has only living wife and she was only married to him briefly...park's wife and children are now in the US I think.

[ronwelker8]

Did you see the comment above (mcduffiesteven) who thinks that steroids were not even available to Dave Draper? You say they WERE in California throughout the 1950's? Are you sure of this?

[ronwelker8]

@mcduffiesteven good news that he looked as perfect as that without roids. check out his autobiography available from his website. fantastic book about a great fitness expert

[ronwelker8]

Mr. Draper DID have a temporary cocaine problem that was masked by an AP news story "Mr Universe goes beserk" but I like to believe that this physically perfect man did not do steroids to look like he did.

[lonemapper]

Thanks for posting, had never seen this before. Was allways big Draper fan