Muslce Power, Vol 3 No 4, September 1947, pae 26, September 1947
When I arrived in Chicago on the evening of June 27th, just a day prior to the great show, I met more famous athletes than I ever anticipated. It seemed as though each street found several strolling along; but the next morning of the first day of the contest, the whole gang were gathered on the lawn of the Lane High School, where untold enthusiasm was displayed as the muscular marvels posed in the bright sunlight for a flock of photographers. There was Grimek, Stanko, Terpak, Van Cleef, Lauriano, Fields, Pedersen, DePietro and numerous others - too many to mention. And to add glamour to this anatomical setting, there were a flock of feminine bathing beauties which kept the newsreel camera men grinding overtime. These newsmen seemed to be parital to George EIferman, John Farbotnik, Eric Pedersen, Kimon Voyages, Russel Field, Lyle Fox and Russ Carroll as well as the great Grimek. Many old-timers were among the spectators and it was indeed a rare treat to witness such an array of physical perfection . But I must get into the show.
The weightlifting meet started at 3 P.M. Saturday June 28th and the 123 lb. class opened festivities. Joe DePietro won this with a total of 615 lbs. Joe also established a national record of 220 1/4 lbs. in the military press. What a lifter this DePietro is! Ed Goyette placed second with a total of 570 and Anthony Vega got third with 555 lbs. But brevity compels that I skip much of the lifting details, yet I must mention that Terpak, in the 181 lb. class, totaled 840, with Spellman next totalling 835, and Harold Sakata of Honolulu doing 805 lbs. The rivalry between Terpak and Spellman was terrific and it surely was a mighty thrill to see Terpak finally defeat Spellman in a last sensational lift of 330 lbs in a clean and jerk. And finally a 900 total was made by the great John Davis who ran away with the heavyweight division.
By the time this reaches print, you will all have known of the winners of the Mr. America contest and the runner-ups, but perhaps a little inside information which I fortunately secured, may enlighten readers as to how the judging was done. First there was the point scoring, with a possible 75 points as top perfection. And the following list of contestants and their points as awarded by the judges is worth absorbing:
| Place | Name | Points | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Reeves | 72 | Ed Yarick Gym, Calif. |
| 2 | Eric Pedersen | 72 | B Goodrich Gym, Calif. |
| 3 | Joe Lauriano | 70 | York Barbell Club, York, Penn. |
| 4 | John Farbotnik | 69 | Fritshe Gym, Penn. |
| 5 | George Eiferman | 68 | Fritshe Gym, Penn. |
| 6 | Kimon Voyages | 68 | Bal's Gym, New York |
| 7 | Alex Kigas | 64 | Central "Y", Chicago |
| 8 | Russ Field | 63 | Goodrich Gym, Calif. |
| 9 | Pat Graham | 60 | Unattached |
| 10 | Gene Jantzen | 58 | Unattached |
And that is the way the winner and the others were selected. As you may note that Steve Reeves and Eric Pedersen were tied for first place. Eric had 30 points for muscularity and Reeves 29 points, but after long deliberation by the judges, Steve Reeves was proclaimed Mr. America, and so the better man won! Though Eric Pedersen was trained by me, and naturally my 'pet boy', still I feel that Reeves deserved the title and I was among the first to heartily congratulate him. He's a swell fellow, with a swell development and has great personality. I salute him! However, I might modestly impart that Eric Pedersen won the most trophies -- for the most muscular development, for the best arms, and a second award for almost becoming the winner. Reeves also won a trophy for the best back. Farbotnik secured the award for the best chest, Kim Voyages won the best legs.
Fortunately I obtained Steve Reeves measurements . . . neck 17 5/8, chest 49 1/2, expanded 50 3/4, biceps 18, waist 29, forearm flexed 16, thigh 25 1/4, calf 17 1/8, height 6 ft.1 in. and weight 213 pounds.
- Steve Reeves "Mr. America of 1947" also took first place for the best back award. he is featured on the SEPTEMBER cover of Your Physique Magazine. Don't miss it!
- Eric Pedersen "Most Muscular Man", took second place and tied Reeves with 72 points each. Also won the BEST Arms award and the most trophies.
- Alan Stephan "Mr. America of 1946", is congratulating the new winner, Steve Reeves. On the extreme left can be seen Alan Stephan's newly wed wife.
- Joe Lauriano took third place. He is here seen displaying his magnificent body to excellent advantage. Joe is a excellent poser and can exploit his muscles to good advantage.
- John Farbotnik came in fourth, a step ahead of last year when he was placed fifth. He took the BEST CHEST award, winning it two years in a row.
- George Eiferman "Mr. Philadelphia", took fifth place. The newsmen seemed parital to George and keep gridning away at him with their cameras.
- Gene Jantzen, who took second place at the "Jr. Mr. Ameirca", came in 10th, at this classic event. Gene, readers will note, is our associated editor.
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