Al Urban Quarterly

It's time for our quarterly Al Urban feature, and we start with the first of two photos 

of an unknown model who I think resembles a young Jake Gyllenhaal.

 

Johnny Davis

I'd love to know if this promotional photo of Johnny Davis appeared in a fitness or 

bodybuilding magazine when it was made in the 1940s.  It was rare, but not unheard of, 

for African-American athletes to appear in interior picture features in those days, 

but it much later before they were seen as cover men.

 

Unknown II

I'd really like to find more photos of our second Al Urban unknown model of the day.

 

Henry Karczewski

Henry Karczewski looks like he's saying,

"Don't shoot!  I give up."

 

Jules Bacon

All Urban took this cover photo of Mr. America 1943, Jules Bacon, 

for the Chicago based Body Builder magazine.

 

Unknown I Again

Here's the second photo of the unknown model who opened the series.

 

Joe Sawacki

This handsome fellow is Joe Sawacki.

 

John Platero

I had never heard of Zing magazine until I came across this Al Urban cover of John Platero.

I'm pretty sure the trunks were painted on, so I'm looking for the nude original.

 

Steve Wengryn

Steve Wengryn was one of those models who worked for a number of different photographers over the years.  Of course, this one is by Al Urban, but I also have pictures of him in my collection by Vulcan, Western Photography Guild, Lon of New York, and Barrington.

 

George Kuchler?

Our last model was in my files as an unknown, but both he and the covered box

look a whole lot like a photo I have of George Kuchler.  Can anyone confirm?

Disclosure:  This one was so faded that I applied a contrast filter.

 

Chubby Day

It's chubby day, and we start with a camper.

 

Bird

I thought for a moment that this was Pablo Picasso with the owl, 

but Google disagreed, and I think for once they were right.

 

Australian Role Players

Here we see some Australian naturists playing one of those murder mystery role playing games.  Apparently they thought they needed three crime scene photographers.

 

Ledo Road

LIFE photographer Bernard Hoffman must have really liked this fellow he shot washing his truck on the Ledo Road in World War II Burma.  I have at least eight photos from this session.

 

Barbecue

Our only color photo of the day shows a fellow at the barbecue.

 

Sportsman

We have to give this guy credit for making the effort, and who knows?

He may have been very good at whatever sport this is.

 

1958

This guy must have won a major nudist pageant.

He got a crown and a trophy.

 

Academy of Discipline

I think this was an advanced class at Helga Hottenstotter's Academy of Discipline in Stuttgart.

 

Boating

This is the best way to go boating.

 

Scumbeast Contribution

Ending the set with a contribution from Mr. Scumbeast

that he called "Thinking Inside the Box."

 

Skinny Dippers Day

Time for another nude swimming set, and our first photo has some guys in ankle deep water.  

I hope there was a deep end, or it would have been all skinny and no dipping.

 

On edge

Sitting on the edge dangling one's feet into the water can be relaxing.

 

Buddies

These two buddies don't seem to mind having their picture taken naked.

 

Discussion

The two men at left seem to be having a serious discussion.

 

Wet

This guy is wet, and I think he's about to jump back into the pool.

 

Climbing out

I'm pretty sure this shot of two guys climbing out of a pool was staged for the camera.

 

East Germans

East Germany was tolerant in at least one way, nude swimming.

This snapshot is from 1978, and it looks like they are having fun.

 

No clue

I have no idea what the objective was here, but I like the picture.

 

YMCA

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Quarry

Our last picture is supposed to be a young man headed for another jump into a quarry swimming hole.  There are a lot of photos of this type, including four from same session as this.