The Jack LaLanne Show

September 26 was the birthday of fitness pioneer and health guru Jack LaLanne (1914-2011).

LaLanne’s significance lies at the very pivot point between old school physical culture of the mail order era (Max Sick and Charles Atlas) to the more modern period of Richard Simmons, and the Jane Fonda workout videos. The Jack Lalanne Show originated in San Francisco and ran from 1951 through 1985 (it didn’t go national until 1959). One of my earliest TV memories is of him doing jumping jacks on his show in the morning. I was 20 years old when he went off the air. That’s a long tenure. Like most people in his field, LaLanne was entrepreneurial. He had health clubs. He sold products. But he also practiced what he preached and made genuine contributions to his field. He invented several of the weight lifting machines and devices commonly in use today, as well as protein supplements in the form of bars and drinks. He popularized juicing. He wrote books.

I used to do an impression of him when I was a kid, because he was a comical character, very much a ball of intense, almost manic energy. In his youth, he wrestled competitively. He opened his first gym in 1936. Starting in the 1950s, largely to promote his program and his products he engaged in public stunts of the time we associate with Charles Atlas. He swam from Alcatraz to the mainland with his wrists in handcuffs. He swam long distances while towing boats using muscle power alone. He did 1,000 push-ups followed by 1,000 chin-ups in under 90 minutes. He was still doing this kind of stuff when he was 70 years old.

LaLanne was so prominent in pop culture that he was often demand as a guest star throughout the televerse (I just coined that — you like?) He was on You Bet Your Life, Mr. Ed,Batman,The Addams Family, Laugh-In, Here’s Lucy, and even The Simpsons. He was still appearing on television well into the present century.

Jack LaLanne was 96 years old when he finally gave up the ghost. Was there ever anybody more reluctant to die?