Body Beautiful was an "art" magazine that was mainly pitched to gays. Glenn Bishop was described in the accompanying cover article as "teen America's favorite bodybuilder." It should be noted that Mr. Bishop won several titles and appeared on the covers of mainstream physical culture magazines.
Wonder what year this is? Reason I ask is the mention of "Ektachrome." Unlike the older Kodachrome, which in that era had to be processed by Kodak by mail, Ektachrome could be processed at home (for "naughty" pix) or by "drugstore" labs. Unfortunately, Ektachrome had a problem with color shifts over time, as opposed to Kodachrome, which if properly stored, retains its vibrant colors. I have some slides of each type shot by my father in the 1950s that testify to that. -Dee Exx
ReplyDeleteAn online seller says 1957, and thanks for the interesting info.
DeleteEasy to see why Bishop was a popular physique model. Bishop would go on to be one of the most popular models of the physique magazine era.
ReplyDeleteIn 1967 Bishop sent a homophobic letter to Drum Magazine, after they had published his full nude photos, and threatened to have his State Senator investigate the magazine’s publishers.
He sent a letter to another magazine saying they shouldn’t cater to deviates. After all the nudes Bishop had posed for numerous photographers you think he would have lightened up….:)
This is true, and a sad reflections of both the time and Glenn Bishop. He had to know that the main consumers of much of his modeling output were gay. He paid his way through chiropractic school with the money he made posing nude, so we know that he wasn't stupid. When archivists, journalists, and writers contacted him years later in hope of getting his insight into his career and the physique genre, the response was negative and angry. Talk about biting the hand that fed you!
DeleteKodak has brought back Ektachrome film for photo hobbyists. Kodachrome won’t be seen again because of costs and the great infrastructure required, as Kodak destroyed their Kodachrome labs.
ReplyDeleteAs for Bishop, he certainly knew who his clients were and that a few of the photographers were gay. He posed for photographers nationwide and at times well known gay resorts like Fire Island.
Rex in DC