Vic Tanny
Victor "Vic" Tanny (c. 1912 - June 11, 1985) was a pioneer in the creation of the modern health club.
In 1935 he opened his first club in his hometown of Rochester, New York. In 1939 he sold the club and opened a new one in Santa Monica, California. The Vic Tanny Centers flourished in the 1950s and early to mid-1960s and expanded the field to a new type of customer.
Prior to the advent of Tanny, gyms had the reputation of being strictly for men, and often of the rougher type at that - sweaty, dirty, and dingy lairs reserved for serious bodybuilders. Tanny's gyms were modern and inviting in comparison, featuring amenities such as mirrors and carpets, and welcomed both men and women.
Tanny's business eventually fell into bankruptcy — a result, analysts said, of over-expansion, poor management, and insufficient capital —[1] and the Vic Tanny Centers were closed or sold. (Among those sold, some retained the Vic Tanny name.) Nonetheless, Tanny's gyms had played a part in the evolution of the all-male gym to the modern fitness club of today.
Many of the Tanny health clubs became part of the Bally Total Fitness network.[2]
[edit] In popular culture
The September 1959 issue of Mad magazine featured the article, "Vic Tinny Gyms".
Comedian Don Rickles' character "Jack Fanny" in AIP's 1964 film Muscle Beach Party was a humorous take on him.
The gym also figured prominently in the 1963 Jerry Lewis' classic The Nutty Professor.
[edit] References
- ^ "Vic Tanny, Health Club Owner And Body Builder, Dies at 73," The New York Times, June 12, 1985. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 25. St. James Press, 1999 (via fundinguniverse.com)]
[edit] External links
- "Vic Tanny, Health Club Owner And Body Builder, Dies at 73," The New York Times, June 12, 1985.
- Vic Tanny reference at Mr. Pop History
- The Evolution of Health Clubs, Fitness Business Pro magazine
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