Iron History

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04/29/2004 Entry: "April 30, 2004: Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark Aug 6, 1986"

Dear Joe,

I have just got your letter August 4th and I am hastening to reply before I forget what I have to say. It seems to me that I am becoming more and more absent minded. I'm sure that one of these evenings I will kiss my bed good night and get into my girlfriend.

I got hold of Terry Todd, after a day of trying to phone him at his home. I received Rader's letter letting me know he had sold IM. When I told Terry after finally leaving a message with some secretary, he was so shocked that he actually gasped. His reaction was the same as mine- where in the hell did Balik get the money to buy the mag- I am sure the Raders have charged more for the other facilities and business. I wondered too-out loud- if our Woodland Hills pal wasn't behind it in order to eliminate a potential danger- running it for a few months and then letting it drop- another piece of ground gained for more readers.

But I was most- repeat most- PISSED OFF at a remark the Raders made to me to the effect that they had shown the article that I had submitted to them- AT THEIR REQUEST AND IN RESPONSE TO MY OUTLINE- to the new owner and he said he could 'probably' use it. It was the Raders responsibility to PAY me for the article and I lost no time sending them a letter pointing out that until paid by someone- and that THEY had COMMISSIONED ME to write it, that article was my property and I wanted it back at once and would do, and was capable of doing, my own negotiating with the new owner.

Now, what I am wondering is did the Raders pay Terry Todd for his article on Sid Chimney or Sri Chinmoy or whatever, and if they did then why wasn't I paid too?

Rader himself has always been a cheapskate when it came to money. Mabel however is not like this, but seems to be most generously mind- at least so my wife thought when we were in Alliance. I might, one of these days, tell you a story of what happened when we were at the Raders having dinner one evening. But let that go for the nonce.

As for the Oliva story here's what I was told - I may have told you this over the phone but can't recall now. But it seems that Oliva and his wife had an argument over who was to take out the garbage. Things went as they usually do in such a situation - from worse to wusserer and he slapped her around more than somewhat. Whereat the Mrs. Sergio took her spouse's service revolver - a 357 Magnum and let him have it in the umbilical area. How in the hell the man managed to survive a shot from this gun - which can shove a slug through an engine block - is beyond me, but survive he did and rumor has it that he will be out of dry dock in two or three weeks.

As for the story of Dave XXX. I got it from the same source as the Oliva story. XXX had gone into the hospital with chest problems and the usual expertise of our modern specialist medcos was unable to have a diagnosis made. Then he popped off and they did an autoposy. They discovered a collapsed lung and a wide spread fungus infection- I was told what it was but have forgotten. The one thing that puzzles me is that the collapsed lung wasn't discovered BEFORE HE DIED since this IS something they could have and should have found out.

I knew of Earle's [Liederman] previous marriage- four of them I think - but not the fact that he had kids. If I said I didn't know about his first wedding then I erred. The Miss Alaska - she came from Sweden or Norway- was his second bride. After he got moved to LA, there followed two more, one of them a doctor who just got bored and left him- but he never mentioned he had children. NEVER.

Rick Wayne is a good writer but tries to be too smart for his own good and often resorts to obscenity when it isn't necessary and when better and more apt expressions could have been used.

The Jowett Coulter letters spread over an astonishing span of 46 years- from 1922 when Jowett first wrote Ottley to 1969 and there are more to come. Yippee.

The more I read of them, the more I like and admire Ottley and the less I like George Fuisdale. Ottley wasn't fooled by GFJ. But he was polite, friendly and always helpful keeping in mind that what he did was for the good of weight training.

Jowett was, for my money, a liar, a cheat and a flim flamner of the first water. I do NOT believe anything he says in his letters and he spreads some horrible lies. And I'll give you some for instances.

He claims in one letter that Weider tried to get D. Johnson former editor of HEALTH AND STRENGTH to place him 2nd or 3rd in the 1951 Mr. Universe contest and Johnson compromised by placing him 4th. This is an outright lie. I was there- on the scene- present and accounted for and saw what was and wasn't done. [Roark: Weider placed 5th in tall class]

At no time did Weider EVER approach Johnson. Joe asked ME if I thought he should enter. I said I could see him doing no harm and even some good, that he stood no chance of winning since he hadn't trained. But I DID WARN HIM against any heavy lifting demonstration, telling him to do a few snatches or a bent press with 145- a weight well within his bounds. However he chose to try to press 200 and FAILED, then took three tries before he could JERK IT OVER HIS HEAD.

The story of Lurie beating up Weider came from Jowett and as a result should be taken grano salis or whatever. Jowett claimed Lurie chased Joe down the street to beat him up.

In another instance Jowett tells Ottley that Hoffman had gone to London and was supposed to be at a certain meeting at a certain time with Johnson, editor of H&S. Jowett had gone over to London in the sixties and had met Johnson, who, allegedly told Jowett the tale that Hoffman failed to appear on time and Johnson sent someone out to find him and the guy had come back saying that Hoffman was screwing a prostitute in a near by alley. Hogwash.

I guess I have banged your ear sufficient. If I haven't answered any questions- holler.

Best to you, Geni and Meg,

Chas