Saturday Smile
Early Televised Fitness Gurus
Love Jack’s organ accompaniment…
TV in the 1960s and 70s was a bit of a wasteland. Public television and independent stations — not NBC, CBS or ABC — made do with a variety of low- and no-budget fillers.
When it came to exercise TV shows in the days of three-martini lunches, it was either Lilias, Yoga and You or The Jack LaLanne Show, though admittedly I may be blocking out some others. Both are considered high-camp today, and I’m sure some of the fitness gurus that came later studied and borrowed from these early examples.
They’re worth a look today, to see how far we’ve come — or not — while providing a brief dose of entertainment value.
What was your favorite fitness show to watch on TV when you were a kid? Leave a comment below.
Wow, did this bring back memories of being a little girl and doing Jack LaLanne with my mom! Thanks, Lisa!
I remember in 1966 when the first Star Trek episode came out. The next morning at school I excitedly told my best friend that this was an incredible new show and would be big. He disagreed and said Lost in Space was better. I was right of course but in Kevin's defense, we were only 11.