Vintage Muscle Men's Top Ten

I periodically get asked what the most viewed posts have been, and I recently got such an inquiry 

from Mike G. of Corning, New York.  So today's series will be a countdown to number one.

Coming in at number 10 is a locker room shot of Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers.  

Mr. Greenberg served two hitches in the U.S. Army during World War II with a break

 in between to play a season with the Tigers.  This photo is believed to have been made 

during that interval, hence the servicemen, one of whom appears to be a reporter.

 

 

No. 9 - Nudist Beauty Pageant

The nudists had to get into this countdown somehow, and it was one 

of their all male beauty pageants that came in at number nine.

 

No. 8 - Bruno by Colt

Number eight is Bruno popping out of his jeans by Jim French of Colt.

 

No. 7 - Ed Miller by AMG

Our number seven entry was originally posted in a "name that model' series,

and we quickly learned that he was Ed Miller by AMG.

 

No. 6 - Playgirl's Dan Delaney

Playgirl makes a respectable showing at No. 6 with this poolside shot of Dan Delaney.

It's also the only derriere shot in the entire Top Ten.

 

No. 5 - The Navy

These three World War I Navy men came in at number five,

surprisingly, the only purely military photo in the top ten.

 

No. 4 - Julian Duarte, originally posted by Men From Back Then

Way back when, I replied to a viewer query about which other blogs were my personal favorites.  

Of course, Men From Back Then easily made the list, and I used this borrowed photo of Julian Duarte by Bruce of LA to plug my friend James' fine blog: http://menfrombackthen.blogspot.com/  I'm tempted to say that Big Dude may have made multiple visits to this one, helping it make No. 4.

 

No. 3 - Bruno . . . Again!

All I can say is that Bruno on one hell of a popular guy, making two appearances in my top ten.

This time he is shown early in his career with the Rip Colt marque.

 

No. 2 - Bob's Naked Guys is Back - Drew Burton and Paul Strand

Apparently a whole lot of you were eager to know when Bob's Naked Guys came back on line, because my post announcing it came in at number two.  Of course, the fact that I used this borrowed picture of Drew Burton and Paul Strand by Bruce of LA might have had something to do with it.

Thanks, Bob, and we're all glad that you're still blogging.

https://bobsnakedguys.blogspot.com/

 

And finally, Number One! - Bill Derrick

This was a real surprise, and not because it's Bill Derrick.  The surprise is that somehow this 

grainy picture by Dave Martin won out over some truly spectacular studio shots.  

And there you have it, the ten most frequently viewed posts on this blog.

 

Most Popular, Part 2 - Best Series and top rated post. . . a Surprise

This Japanese man working in what appears to be a boatyard is the all-time most popular image on this blog, and it is also in the most popular series.  That was a big surprise, and Google Analytics tells me that this wasn't a one-time flash.  Viewers keep going back to this series again and again over time, with three of the photos making the top 12.  I was expecting something like the always commented on hairy, bush, and skinny dipping gangs to head the list, but no.  I am not just surprised, but pleased.

 

I was quite surprised to find this photo of rural Japanese workers near the top of the all-time rankings.  

I like it a lot myself, but didn't expect so many of you viewers to agree.

 

These Japanese fishermen on a beach made it into the top 12.

Gotta love the fundoshi. 

 

Japanese conscripts lined up in the World War II era.

 

This handsome studio model trailed the others in this group in popularity,

but I still think it's fine photograph.

 

Most Popular, Part 1 - Posts rated Nos. 2 through 10

 

Every so often someone asks me to list either my own favorite posts or those of the viewers.

Thanks to Google Analytics, it isn't too hard to come up with a ranking of viewer favorites, so that will be the subject of our Sunday double feature.  In part one, we'll see the individual photos ranked from No. 2 to No. 10.  In part two, well see the No. 1 post and the series it appeared in, which was also top ranked.  Given the number of comments and "likes" that Playgirl models have garnered, it was no surprise to see Vanna White's ill-fated fiance Sam Jones in the No. 2 spot.

Edited to add:  Not Vanna's fiance.  See comments.

At No. 3 in the rankings, this is the top rated of the hundreds and hundreds of classic era physique photos I've posted.  I think his hairiness, unique pose, and a facial expression that left us puzzled combine to make the overall attraction.  And then there's that wrench . . . It's an amazing photo.

 

Now I post a lot of 1960's nudist photos, but I wasn't expecting this one 

to be the viewers pick of the litter.  It came in at No. 4 overall.

 

 This still from the AMG move Eight Athletes came in at No. 5, and it's no surprise.  

There's something here for everybody except maybe the chubby chasers.

It seems like everybody liked this unknown model and nobody knew who he is.

He came in at No. 6 on the list of favorites.