Talk:Johnny Weissmuller/Archive 1

Archive 1

Nothing about the rescue of the 'favourite' July 28 1927?

How come nobody mentions that Weissmuller and his brother took part in the rescue of passengers from a sunken boat on lake Michigan? I thought this was apocryphal but it appears quite well documented.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.108.236.63 (talk) 23:35, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

Supposedly, Johnny pulled 20 folks from the lake while his brother performed resuscitation on shore. Supposedly, 11 of the 20 survived. I can't read articles at the Chicago Sun-Times or Chicago Tribune without paying money. If true, this episode would make a good addition here. Wordreader (talk) 04:02, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

I checked the Tribune archives on Pro-Quest for 1927 and a couple of years on either side for any mention of Weissmuller in a rescue context. Lots on his swimming career, but nil on rescues. WHPratt (talk) 19:49, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

Danube Swabian

comment below well said. Very well said!!! You are not bonded with the country you were born in if you immigrate and you don't have to be born in the US to a real American. Those who think otherwise had better show their Comanche pedigree or be dumb-ass hypocrites. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.225.131.60 (talk • contribs) on 03:21, 18 July 2006

Danube Swabian? Weissmuller was not a Danube Swabian swimmer. He immigrated to the United States — according to this article — at seven months of age. That makes him an American. The Danube Swabians — whoever the heck they are — can't take credit for his success. (He wouldn't have become an international swimming star and a movie star had he stayed in Europe.) This is a minor thing, but it's a recurring problem with Wikipedia. The folks who write these articles think that a person's nationality is determined by their place of birth. In most cases, this is true. However, when you leave a country at a young age, spend all of your life in another country, become a citizen of that country, learn the language of that country, you should be treated as ... a member of that country. I supposed the Wikipedia scribes feel that they are being more "accurate," but they are not. Weissmuller was "an American swimmer born in Romania (?)." There. That's easy. Isn't it? P.S. Bob Hope was not a British comedian ("an American comedian born in London" will suffice.") —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.72.143.47 (talk • contribs)

Hi! Just to clarify: Not'an American swimmer born in Romania' than 'an American swimmer born in Hungary(or Austria-Hungary). KaracharNevian (talk) 16:00, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

I suspect Europeans will contend that your comments show American arrogance and ethnic specialists will contend that they deny the whole melting-pot concept of America. I suspect he wouldn't have had an acting career if he'd never been in the US, but no way to know about swimming since there is also water in Europe (I've seen it!) On the other hand, his ethnicity (not nationality) didn't belong in the opening paragraph, as it had nothing to do with why he was notable. I've moved the info from the second paragraph up, leaving the later sections to discuss his birth, ethnicity and what-not. --Habap 11:29, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Habap -- calling Weissmuller an "American" does not betray any arrogance. Weismuller was an American. He was not European. This isn't arrogance. It is a simple statement of fact. Ethnic specialists shouldn't be offended either. He left Europe at seven months of age. It isn't necessary to pay homage to his Danube Swabian ancestry. Was it an important aspect of his life? Was Weissmuller active in the Danube Swabian community? I doubt it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.72.143.47 (talk • contribs)

Please don't over-write the heading or post your comments at the top of the page. Put them right below the comment to which you are responding so that people can read the discussion in order. Also, consider getting an account (they're free!) and signing your posts using the signature icon or manuallu typing four tildas ~~~~. I didn't say they'd be justified in thinking you were arrogant, but that they would contend you were. If you notice in the revised article, the opening paragraph no longer references his ethnicity, which played no part in his fame, so no argument here. --Habap 11:41, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

PLEASE GET SOME RESPECT FOR REALITY::: The background of Mr. Weissmueller is an important part of the aspect of his character and what allowed him to be successful in America. Such is the background of all successful Donauschwaben and all successful immigrants of any one background period. I would suggest returning the Donauschwaben ancestory to his initial profile because he is still considered to be Donauschwaben and he was still raised ,I would most definately assume, by his parents which would have instilled the character and language and most definately the culture of the Danube Swabians. If poeple who were danube swabian were to be asked about who Johnny Weissmueller was, they would most definately identify him as a Danube Swabian, which in course would invite you to read up on your history. Exclusion of the fact that he is of Donauschwaben decent is an exclusion of who he really is beyond his success and achievements. People did not come to America to become one of the "hicks" for better lack of better term, they came here to be free to practice their customs. America still allows for a man to hold his customs and traditions and live here freely. If you close minded individuals would accually have looked further into the Donauschwaben character, you would find that many of the things you do period are the result of the German Bread basket and its great traditions and customs.

His birth name was Johannes, recorded as Janos in the official language. It was his younger brother who was born Johann Peter in Windber, Pa. He later took his brother's birth record as his own to claim American birth. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.247.148.73 (talk) 05:20, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

1994

According to http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_484.pdf Johnny Weissmuller finished the event in 1994 in 1:00.8 min (19 Jul) and 59.0 sec (20 Jul). The dates as well as the times differ from the article. Also there is no world record registered in 1922 so i don't know where this date is from.

Notes to FredR

I notice you reverted most of my changes. I agree with some, but not with all:

• First of all, the section headings should start with == for main sections, then ===, and then ====. See also Wikipedia:Guide to Layout. I've put the headings back as I left them.
• Second, you removed the lead section. This section is meant to give an overview to potential readers of a (long) article so that they can see if the article is what they need. This is particularly recommended for articles that want to become a Wikipedia:Featured article candidates, which is what I would ultimately want. I re-added the lead section I wrote to the article.
• Third are the names of the Weissmuller family. You obviously have access to many official certificates (or to sources that have access), which is great. The names on these forms are all in Hungarian, while we know that Weissmuller's parents were from Swabia, Germany, and spoke German. In your original text, you also wrote both Petrus/Peter and Erszebet/Elizabeth, if I'm not mistaken. As far as I can judge, the official records have the Hungarian version of their names (which is not strange, as they lived in the Hungarian part of Austro-Hungary, but used the German versions in common life. I will try to rewrite the section to reflect this. If you have any additions to this, go ahead.

I'll be going through the rest of the page in the next few days; as I already said, I'd like to make this a featured article, and I think we could both add a lot. I'm still looking for some (public domain) pictures however, if you have any, that would be nice. Jeronimo 06:49, 20 May 2004 (UTC)

POV Line

I removed the following line, which I found to be POV and un-provable.

He was the greatest swimmer of all time.

- DropDeadGorgias (talk) 14:45, Jul 7, 2004 (UTC)

Discrepancy with Duke Kahanamoku

The Johnny Weissmuller page says:

Johnny Weissmuller broke Duke Kahanamoku's world record 
on the 100-meters freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds.

But the Duke Kahanamoku page says

On August 11, 1911, in an amateur swim meet, Kahanamoku 
was clocked at 55.4 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle, 
beating the existing world record by 4.6 seconds, 
in the salt water of Honolulu Harbor.

So, which one's correct? Is Johnny's record just the olympic record? Pyrop 05:08, Jul 9, 2004 (UTC)

---

Kahanamoku's record was set in the 100 yard, not meter. Weissmuller was the first to break 1 minute in the 100 meter. Jeronimo 17:32, 9 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Five Queries

I have five queries re the following sentence: "His parents were later divorced, as is shown on the divorce document filed in Chicago by Elizabeth Weissmuller, although a lot of sources state incorrectly that Weismuller's father died of tuberculosis contracted from working in coal mines."

• Why is it necessary to refer to the evidence of the parents' divorce? Has the fact of the divorce been disputed anywhere?
• What is the connection between his parents' divorce and the cause of his father's death? Seems to me these are completely unrelated matters, and belong in separate sentences. Unless the divorce somehow caused the death .... ????
• If it is not correct that his father died "of tuberculosis contracted from working in coal mines", then what is the correct cause of death?
• Why are we talking about the cause of his father's death anyway? What does this have to do with Johnny Weismuller's life and legacy?
• Am I missing something here?

Cheers JackofOz 03:06, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I suspect at some point this sentence read something like "His mother was widowed when his father died" and has been progressively reworked. Research and recasting is probably in order. - Nunh-huh 03:13, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I'm sure that since Peter left the family, supposedly resulting in Johnny's dropping out of school to start working, they didn't want to advertise it. Many families have reacted in the same way. Therefore,the story of the early death of Peter came into being. Were there any more young Weissmullers as Peter got around? If so, did Johnny have a relationship with them? Curiously, Wordreader (talk) 04:08, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

From John Weismuller, redirected here

Content from redirected page. Charles Matthews 08:15, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Born, 2 June, 1904, Died 20 January, 1984

Olympic gold medalist in swimming, Johnny Weissmuller broke three records at the 1924 Olympics in Paris.

However he is perhaps best known for playing the part of Tarzan.

Swimming Achievements

1924 Summer Olympics - Paris

• Men's 100 m Freestyle Gold 59.0
• Men's 400 m Freestyle Gold 5:04.2

This statement is not correct:

"In all, he won five Olympic gold medals, one bronze medal, won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records. Johnny Weissmuller never lost a race and retired from his amateur swimming career undefeated.[10]"

It is at least not compleet. How can one be closing career undefeated and having besides gold medals, a BRONZE medal for being third intead of first..? What happend to the numbers one and two contestents who won gold and silver..? Where they diskwalified for defeating Weissmuller..? If that's the case than he would be promoted up the empty places which is appearently not the case if you end up with a BRONZE medal..!

I know next to nothing about competitive swimming, but aren't there team competitions, like relay races, in which Johnny's team may have come in third? That wouldn't exactly have been a race loss for him, as it wan't head-to-head. WHPratt (talk) 05:05, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

Can someone please correct this or at least be more specific. thanx 82.169.213.201 (talk) 11:18, 23 May 2009 (UTC)

The book refference nr 10 in previous message wich let to an isbn booknr is false..!

"# ^ Simonton, Dean Keith (1994). Greatness: Who Makes History and Why. Guilford Press. pp. 156. ISBN 0-898-62201-8. "

Forementioned isbn nr does not exist..! What is going on on this page. Mayebe I did not look or searched to well but please can a number of wikipedian affirmed trusty persons look into this article an keep it locked and review the supposed contributions and edits for a while.

My opinion after little research and foremost reading the edit and talk messages to one and other is that this page is sort of getting used as propaganda or at least dipicted from view with coleurd intrest. Wikipedia should be neutral as it is stated by its own guidelines. So I geuss its important to moderate for the time being.

Previous message is left by me to but my name dit not come along as I'm not registered as an editor. I only read and love to read neutral wikipedia information. That's why I leave aq message to keep information clear and neutral instead of from a certain point of view.

Peter —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.169.213.201 (talk) 11:37, 23 May 2009 (UTC)

Actually, it's cleared up in the article: Weissmuller's bronze medal was for playing on the U.S. men's WATER POLO team. The fact that the team finished third can hardly be counted as a swimming loss for him. WHPratt (talk) 06:40, 2 March 2020 (UTC)

Filmography

Glorifying the American Girl (1929) as Adonis (segment "Loveland")

Tarzan

• Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
• Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
• Tarzan Escapes (1936)
• Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939)
• Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941)
• Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942)
• Tarzan's Desert Mystery (1943)
• Tarzan Triumphs (1943)
• Tarzan and the Amazons (1945)
• Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946)
• Tarzan and the Huntress (1947)
• Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948)

Swamp Fire (1946) as Johnny Duval

Jungle Jim

• Jungle Jim (1948)
• The Lost Tribe (1949)
• Mark of the Gorilla (1950)
• Captive Girl (1950)
• Jungle Jim in Pygmy Island (1950)
• Fury of the Congo (1951)
• Jungle Manhunt (1951)
• Jungle Jim In the Forbidden Land (1952)
• Voodoo Tiger (1952)
• Savage Mutiny (1953)
• Valley of Head Hunters (1953)
• Killer Ape (1953)
• Jungle Man-Eaters (1954)

Himself

• Cannibal Attack (1954)
• Jungle Moon Men (1955)
• Devil Goddess (1955)

links

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0919321/

Serbian-born

I object to the assumption that he was "Romanian", simply because that was not Romania (as was mentioned, and as opposed to Edward G. Robinson, who was born in Bucharest, not Austia-Hungary), but even more so because he never made it clear what his views were on that, and even forged his data to seem that he was born in the US. He never held Romanian citizenship. I think the "Romanian-born" reference should be removed, and he should not be included in Cat:Romanian actors. You could replace the first with "Austro-Hungarian"; the second, you just don't need.Dahn 22:46, 27 December 2005 (UTC)

===========

Agreed. The village Međa he was born in is in Serbia. You will note that the online biographies cite that he was born "near Temishvara, Romania." This is true, but only up to extent that Međa is near Temishvara, BUT ON THE SERBIAN SIDE OF THE BORDER (Temishvara is a city on the Romanian side of the Romanian-Serbian border). Thus, he was born is Serbia, and not Romania.

The New York Times Article stating Weissmuller was born in Serbia

The Following is an article by FRANCE-PRESSE, also published by the New York Times, that says he was born in Serbia. Pay attention to the sentance in bold-face.

Serbia: Monument to Tarzan

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Published: February 17, 2007 The village of Medja, on the border with Romania, plans to build a monument to Johnny Weissmuller, the best-known film Tarzan. Mr. Weissmuller, who won five Olympic gold medals in swimming, was born in Medja in 1904. He died in 1984. Residents said they were inspired by a decision this week by another Serbian village, Zitiste, to erect a statue of Sylvester Stallone’s film boxer Rocky Balboa to rid itself of bad luck.

Ketzman

The Businessweek article stating Weissmuller was born in Serbia

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2007/gb20070328_537605.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe_more+of+today's+top+stories Here is a passage from an article. It unambiguously states that Weissmuller was born in Serbia:

Drawing inspiration from the Rocky-related news, Medja, a tiny hamlet near the Romanian border, garnered the media spotlight itself when it announced plans to commemorate perhaps its most famous son: Johnny Weissmuller, the five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist and longtime actor who played Tarzan a remarkable 12 times.

Weissmuller himself reflected the ethnic mosaic here.

Born Johann Weissm�ller in 1904 to German-speaking parents of Jewish and Roman-Catholic background, he was registered with the Hungarian name Janos in the baptismal records of the times. He left his native village at just seven months old, when his parents emigrated to the United States. Raised in the States, he would later falsify his place of birth, reportedly to secure his participation for the U.S. Olympic swimming team.

==========

I do not agree with the fact that Johnny Weissmuller was born in Medja. While it is true that members of his family lived there, he was actually born at 6 pm in a house at number 84 in Freidorf, which is now part of Timisoara. The proof can be found in the [Annals](Romanian) from Banat Museum 2004-2005 (page 524). His birth was declared by his father on 5.06.1904.

His son, Johnny Weissmuller jr acknowledged this in an [interview], he was also part of a [documentary movie] about his father and attended the [centennial anniversary] which took place in Timisoara in 2004. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.166.20.194 (talk) 23:03, 11 March 2007 (UTC).

Let's make this thing clear: Johnny Weismüllet was born in Temesvár (Romanian name: Timişoara, German name: Temeschwar), in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, or more exactly in the Kingdom of Hungary (the other half of the aforementioned monarchy, beside Austria). The fact that Serbia and Romania seized the region after 1918 is another story.Mazarin07 23:57, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Well just to say that Serbia and Romania did not "seized the region after 1918" - the region was mainly inhabited by native Serbs and Romanians who lived under Hungarian occupation and who in 1918 united with their native countries (I just do not like to see that somebody spread irredentist lies here...). PANONIAN (talk) 13:42, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

My dear Mr. Panonian ("or what ever" <- your words),

Sorry, for touching you on the raw. I just wanna quote you a short news from Tirana Times, dated March 29, 2029: "the region of Kosovo was mainly inhabited by native Albanians who lived under Serbian occupation and who in 2028 united with their native country". Keep digesting. :-))) Mazarin07 16:57, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

So? Perhaps you should see "This user support aims of the people of Kosovo" on my user page... I do not support any kind of irredentism - I support only people (any people living anywhere...). PANONIAN (talk) 22:40, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

"Hungarian occupation" pre 1918? You reveal yourself with yr rhetorics, PANONIAN. I will check all of yr sources, since I see, you like to use those, wich are... khmmm... far from objective. --Vince ^{hey, yo! :-)} 15:03, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

BTW "Weismüller" is not a traditional serb name, neither romanian, and he was born in a place, called Freidorf... --Vince ^{hey, yo! :-)} 15:06, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Vince, just remember that you was blocked because of disruptive behaviour several times, so do not start this behaviour again... Do you think that non-Hungarians living in the Kingdom of Hungary had democratic right to choose in which country they want to live or they were forced to live under Hungarian rule? Please tell me the source that claim that they had this democratic right during Hungarian rule. And by the way, stop creating sockpuppets already... Regarding Weismüller, that is German name, and have nothing to do with your Greater Hungarian nationalism - find some other talk page to polute with that. PANONIAN (talk) 15:15, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

"Do you think that non-Hungarians living in the Kingdom of Hungary had democratic right to choose in which country they want to live"

Non-Hungarians living OUTSIDE of Hungary had the democratic right to move INTO Hungary (in fear of Turks or looking for a better life), but after a short time (a few decades) they were already claiming rights as if they were natives. And those ugly Hungarians didn't dare to expect the immigrants to learn the language of their adopting country... Mazarin07 17:03, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Sorry, but go back to the 9th century. Who lived in the Pannonian Plain back then? Hungarians? I do not think so... A South Slavs whose ancestors lived in the Pannonian Plain before they settled in the Balkans just migrated back to the land of their ancestors, not to mention Slovaks who never moved anywhere from their native land. Also, "Hungary" as you call it was destroyed in the 16th century - after this time those people who migrated into this land did not migrated into Hungary, but into Ottoman Empire and Habsburg Empire, while artificial autonomous post-1867 Kingdom of Hungary was not even a place where people would want to imigrate (only to emigrate from it). PANONIAN (talk) 22:40, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

LOL, not I'm creating, but the internet provider. How many times did I wrote that down? I'm sure, you understood it long before now. So please stop, since if you continue it, it will be pure trolling. Kingdom of Hungary, was, as it's name shows, a kingdom, therefore not a democracy. People were able to choose in Hungary, since 1222 (see: Golden bull) Many did, as Weismüllers also: User:VinceB/Immigration. They acted similar as other 3 million ppl. in the Monarchy. Immigrated. What are your sources for yr claims? --Vince 16:12, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

I also strongly advise you to read a LOT about suffrage, especially general suffrage. --Vince 16:17, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

First, internet provider cannot register new user name on Wikipedia. Second, the trolling is something that was done here by both of you: you who said that "I reveal myself with my rhetorics" and your "friend" (or sockpuppet, what ever...), who said that "Serbia and Romania seized the region" that was mainly inhabited by Serbs and Romanians. Both claims are insults, both, personal and ethnic/racial. Also, it is very nice that you confirmed that Kingdom of Hungary was not a democracy (I did not expected that from you). And for what my claims you want sources? That his name was German or what? PANONIAN (talk) 16:24, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

It is pointless to talk with you. You continuosly repeating your ridicuolus, far rigtht extremist views, like a mantra, wich are absolutely far from reality, and in here, absolutely OFF topic. Weismüller was born in Freidorf, a german part of Timisoara (that time Temesvár), to a german speaking jewish family, since Temesvár was a german (more precisely: Transylvanian Saxon) town, for abt 3 centuries, or more. So, W is a jewish Hungarian by nationality, german (jew) by ethnicity, an was born in Freidorf (now a suburb of Timisoara), in Austria-Hungary (now Romania). An I don't create usernames, never did. My roommate has another username since, so when I'm at his PC for some reason, I don't log in, like right now. Stop, these ad hominems, and personal attacks. I spoke in conditional and future mood, but you made false statements about me, as if they were facts, and you did not spoke abt the topic (Where W is born) Vince 19:27, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Far right extremist views? What exactly is far right or extremist in my views? (Please explain, because I do not understand such accusation). Regarding place where Weismüller was born, remember that Banat was bilingual region in that time, and that cities of the Banat had at least four names used for them equally (Romanian, Serbian, Hungarian, German). Regarding your sockpuppetry, it was confirmed that user:Slovan is your sockpuppet (for other possible sockpuppets checkuser was not yet asked). By the way, the "roommate explanation" is really poor one... And it is ridiculous that you claim that "I made false statements about you" when it is well known how many false statements you said about me so far. PANONIAN (talk) 22:40, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

BTW, I'm intrested, why dubious, that Međa or Freidorf (not to mention Timisoara) was in the Monarchy? All of Vojvodina was part of Hungary before Trianon... :) --195.56.212.224 19:37, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

It is not wrong that Vojvodina was administered by the Austria-Hungary before 1918 - the only problem is that user Mazarin07 used insulting word "seized" in his post (that word really insult me because it imply that my ancestors "seized" land in which they were natives and lived in it for centuries). PANONIAN (talk) 22:40, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

That's your argument. Mine is that why is still dubious, where Meda was? And Why Meda, while 95% of the sources names Freidorf as birth place? Correct it, please. --91.120.70.199 19:29, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Why Medja, you ask? Because the two of the most important newspapers in the English-speaking world (Businessweek and The New York Times) says he was born in Medja, and so does one of the most important French news agencies, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE (see the copied articles above). I think that this makes any further discussion redundant. You ask "where Meda was"? It was in Austro-Hungary when he was born, and it is in Serbia now, just like the article states. --User:Ketzman, 30 March 2007

Yeah, trust New York Times on this... First they need to make up their own mind: http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=75337&mod=bio Isn't it extremely conspicuous that all these articles are popping out only in the last two months, now that Medja is planning to build its monument? The association with the other article on Rocky's statue built for tourist attraction certainly does not make the statements very plausible. CrimsonForce 06:05, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2007/gb20070328_537605.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe_more+of+today's+top+stories

Avala 16:57, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Ohh... Rocky will be Serbian born soon... :D --195.56.212.224 19:27, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

---

LOOK, The New York Times (see copied article above) says he was born in Medja, Serbia; if you guys have a problem with that, than come up with some more respectable reference than the NY Times that says he was born elsewhere.

How about every respectable encyclopedia out there (save Wikipedia apparently)? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.156.122.224 (talk) 22:38, 12 April 2007 (UTC).

If he was born in Medja, why his son come to Timisoara in Romania to vist the house where his father was born ? And acknowledge on public television that his father was born in Freidorf, Timisoara ?!!! He was stupid or something ? I bet his son knew better than you or than a newspaper editor where Johnny was born. Well, you asked a more respectable reference, here it is, Encyclopedia Britanica and Microsoft Encarta, 2 famous encyclopedias, I bet they are 10 times more informed than a NY Times article. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9076468/Johnny-Weissmuller http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576297/Johnny_Weissmuller.html

The Weissmüller family made the whole thing very confusing when they led the Olympic Committee to believe that he was born in Windber, Pennsylvania, USA. In a highly publicized event in PA, the now-famous Weissmüller even visited the town at one point and visited the birth registry that recorded "his birth" in company with his supposed mid-wife. Further confusion is heaped on by the European given names that morphed in the USA. Has a birth record been found for him in any of the supposed European places of birth?

Just because a Serbian city is eager to claim him, and who wouldn't be, doesn't mean it's factual. How many US states claim that they were "first in flight", for instance? The Times and Businessweek may have utilized one of those very confused sources. Also, I don't see the point in re-hashing 9th century history. Where was he born and what government controlled the area on that day? Thank you, Wordreader (talk) 17:25, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Tarzan Yell

According to the article, Weissmuller did the Tarzan yell. However, it was done by sound sfx and later mimicked by him. His voice was never used in the films for the Tarzan yell. Steve-O

Several sources say he DID record the Tarzan yell and the recording was used in the films. I dont know what to believe, there are so many urban legends. Dont forget Maureen Sullivan did a soprano version of the yell in the film Tarzan and His Mate. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.93.17.202 (talk) 04:05, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

(I know it's been a year, but I only just now stumbled on this) Sources even say that it is the Weissmuller yell heard in the Tarzan movies starring Denny Miller and Miles O'Keeffe respectively (both direct remakes of the first Weissmuller one) and the Ron Ely TV series. When asked how he did it, Johnny would reply, "I'm Austrian; I yodelled." BTW, relevant to a debate elsewhere on this page, that strongly implies that he was from western Austria, where the Alps are and where yodelling became an art (particularly associated with Switzerland, Austria's neighbor in that direction), rather than hundreds of miles to the east in what is now Romania! --Ted Watson (talk) 20:18, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

I suspect that some people may be taking "mimicked" to mean "lip-synched." In the films, it was probabvly looped onto the soundtrack, but JW really could do a passable live version of the yell, as he demonstrated in televised and public apearances. WHPratt (talk) 15:11, 4 February 2010 (UTC)

Is it correct that he explained how the yell was artificially created on the Mike Douglass Show? I was a faithful MD watcher in those days, and I remember that he refuted the claim that he didn't do the yell. He also told of doing the yell in public to prove he had done it (although I don't recall him doing it on the show). Also the later story in the article says he saved himself from capture by Cuban rebels by doing the yell. How could that be true if he was lip-syncing a studio-fabricated sound? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.136.157.106 (talk) 22:08, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

Wait

Didn't John Wayne pay Johnny a visit at his home in Acapulco, Mexico?

Confusing bit about names

This is the beginning of the background text:

He was born János Weißmüller in Freidorf, Hungary, at the time part of Austria-Hungary (present-day Timişoara, Romania) to German-speaking Austrian parents, Petrus Weißmüller and Erzsebet Kersch, as is shown on his birth and (Roman Catholic) baptismal records.

When Johnny was seven months old, the family emigrated to the United States aboard the S.S. Rotterdam. They left Rotterdam on January 14, 1905, and arrived in New York twelve days later, with their names recorded in English as Peter, Elizabeth and Johann Weissmuller. Peter had been born 1876-12-31.

I have some questions about this:

1. A name like János Weißmüller is a bit odd. I would expect either "Weißmüller János" (the Hungarian version, albeit with a German surname) or "Johann Weißmüller".
2. The bit about "their names recorded in English as Peter, Elizabeth and Johann" is odd. Johann is not English; that would be "John".

So, it seems hard to believe that his German-speaking parents would give him a Hungarian name at birth, then translate it to German at the same time they had translated their own to English. --Saforrest 19:19, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

Hungarian names are frequently used in the Western name order in English Wikipedia (e.g. Sándor Petőfi). What I find odd about the names is that the article states his parents were German-speaking Austrians, while both his and his mother's first names are recognizably Hungarian. He must have had mixed heritage. – Alensha 寫 词 22:16, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

• No. He was from german-speaking family, but they had hungarian names because the area where the lived (Banat) was in the Hungarian part of Austro-Hungary, and it was under extensive magyarization. So, altho he actualy had german name (Johann was his real name), he was registrated as Janos (hungarian version of Johann). Vanjagenije 23:59, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

That's a fact! He was registered as Weissmüller János when he was born in Freidorf near Temeschburg, (today a suburb of Timişoara, Banat, now in Romania but at the time part of Austria-Hungary) the son of German-speaking parents, Petrus Weißmüller and Elisabeth Kersch, according to his Hungarian birth and (Roman Catholic) baptismal records. In fact, he was named Johann by his parents, but all legal records at the time used the Hungarian forms of personal names. After 1920 Banat was split between Romania, Serbia und Hungaria. His birth registry is conserved in the parish of Freidorf-Timişoara. And that's another fact! (unsigned)

According to the Hungarian Encyclopedia he was born as Weiszmüller János. Britannica, on the other hand, gives Jonas Weissmuller (and Peter John Weissmuller as his later name). --Tgr 15:54, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

(Note that Jonas means Jónás, not János in Hungarian. --Tgr 15:55, 24 July 2007 (UTC))

Wrong data?

According to this website, Weissmuller's family immigrated to the US in 1908. This means that he was 4 (or almost), and not seven months old. The article states that his family took a ship, the Rotterdam, in Rotterdam (which is an odd coincidence) in 1905. We need to straighten this out, and given the [possibly] conflicting sources, we better link it next to whichever sentence is determined to be correct. However, right now I don't know of any source corroborating the 1905 version, and an unsourced statement cannot hold up against a minimally reputed, identified source.
The same website also states that his brother, Peter, was younger than he (whereas our article says that Peter was born in 1876, making him 28 years older than Johnny [??]) and that Peter was born in the US (whereas if he were born in 1876, this would mean that he was born in Austro-Hungary as well) . Those are severe inconsistences that need to be clarified asap. Do we have sources to back the current statements? Regards, Redux 19:15, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, Peter was younger than JW. It's his birth info that Weissmuller used when preparing to join the US Olympic team in order to ensure eligibility. Their father was also named Peter. AIf you go to the Ellis Island site, there are 2 Johann Weissmullers that arrived. The 1905 emigrant was 7 months old. This is JW's manifest, not the 1908 manifest. It was the SS Rotterdam; the embarkation port was Rotterdam. Not odd at all. You can see microfilm images of the actual arrival manifests. Very cool! Wordreader (talk) 06:08, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

Birth place - what the heck?

Britannica says Freidorf, near Timisoara, Romania. Encarta says Freidorf, Romania. Reference.com says Freidorf, W Romania. What reason is there to suppose that the NY Times and Business Week are right and those 3 are wrong?

Does the date change things? Europe has been in flux since, well, forever. An Army sweeps by and the government changes. I really don't know about the history of the Timisora area, but if you're interested, WP probably has some information about it. European history is a fascinating, if somewhat complex, area of study. Yours, Wordreader (talk) 01:48, 15 March 2014 (UTC)

School Reference

I will note here for this august group, that Johnny Weismuller went to Lane Technical High School in Chicago, where he excelled on the High School swim team. I do know that he went there,I actually saw transcripts years ago when I attended there. I believe it was for three years, but in any case he did not graduate for unknown reasons. Therefore, he should not be listed as alumni, but as having attended. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lane_Technical_College_Prep_High_School has some info on this. Also: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/preps/highschool/386780,CST-SPT-spot16.article It is worth mentioning, since this school influenced his career as well. There is a reference in the bio that says..."After he left school..." which would benefit from this additional information. Ken L (talk) 04:31, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Another contridiction

One line says "other than his debut as Adonis, he never played any roles other than Tarzan, Jungle Jim and himself" but prior to that and in his list of credits is a listing for Fire (1946) as Johnny Duval?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.55.196.124 (talk) 05:07, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Good catch. I've change the text to reflect that he also played Johnny Duval in Swamp Fire. I also added some corrected some other mistakes and added additional sources. Pinkadelica (talk) 06:16, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

health

he was an alcoholic and had a serious brain disorder, according to the documentary which contains his son and ex-wife. no mention of it here. Markthemac (talk) 14:47, 10 July 2009 (UTC)

Film of races?

As a child, I watched Tarzan movies at Saturday Morning Pictures. There was always a convenient pool in the jungle where Weismuller could demonstrate his swimming ability. But what I now know is the directors made him swim with his head out of the water so his female fans could admire his handsome profile! Explains why we had so much difficulty learning to swim freestyle....... Is there any film in existence of Weismuller actually racing?

Mikehimself (talk) 10:13, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

Reference #6

^ a b Rasmussen, Frederick N. (2008-08-17). "From the pool to Hollywood stardom". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2008-10-09.[dead link]

Today, there's no article by that name found on the Baltimore Sun site. When searching "Weissmuller" instead, there are three results:

• November 7, 2008 - "For Phelps, a new pool venture" By Kevin Van Valkenburg
• June 23, 2004 - "Solo dive for history: mission impossible?" By Paul McMullen, Sun Staff
• October 30, 2003 - "For most, water far from green" By Paul McMullen, Sun Staff

Since the article purports to contain valuable info about JW's passport, it should be found. Was it from some other newspaper, perhaps? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wordreader (talk • contribs) 05:58, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

Thanks to whomever found the correct link. Wordreader (talk) 02:06, 15 March 2014 (UTC)

time inconsistency

The text at the top of the article states "Born June 2, 1904"
and
"The records of St Rochus Church in Freidorf show that Johann, son of Peter Weissmüller and Elizabeth Kersch, was baptized there on 6 May 1904."
Was he baptized in utero? Quebec99 (talk) 22:02, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Weissmuller in Popular Culture

Someone may want to work this into the article:

Edgar Rice Burroughs himself paid oblique tribute to Weissmuller's screen persona in the last Tarzan novel that he completed, albeit with a misspelling of the actor's name.

But what seemed a long time to them was a matter of seconds only. The tiger's great frame went limp and sank to the ground. And the man rose and put a foot upon it and, raising his face to the heavens, voiced a horrid cry--the victory cry of the bull ape. Corrie was suddenly terrified of this man who had always seemed so civilized and cultured. Even the men were shocked.

Suddenly recognition lighted the eyes of Jerry Lucas. "John Clayton," he said, "Lord Greystoke--Tarzan of the Apes!"

Shrimp's jaw dropped. "Is dat Johnny Weismuller?" he demanded.

Tarzan shook his head as though to clear his brain of an obsession. His thin veneer of civilization had been consumed by the fires of battle. ...

Tarzan and "The Foreign Legion" (1947) by Edgar Rice Burroughs. WHPratt (talk) 14:51, 25 August 2012 (UTC)

Has an interesting fact been lost?

In a box above, it says:

"A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the On this day... section on July 9, 2004, July 9, 2005, July 9, 2006, and July 9, 2007."

The fact discusses Weissmüller's 100 meter swim, breaking a record and the "minute barrier". Although the article still mentions this swim, the portion about breaking the minute barrier has been jettisoned. Was it in error, uncited, or inadvertantly edited out? Thank you, Wordreader (talk) 21:54, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

My edits

I combined two redundant paragraphs for easier reading. I was not sure how to work in the following passages, which seem to be partial duplications as well:

"According to his son Johnny Jr., Johnny (senior) was named Peter by his parents; but, once he began to be successful as a swimmer, he formally used his brother's name, Johnny, because his brother John was, by birth, a U.S. citizen (and had official records that verified this fact), and Peter was not (this was done so that non-citizen Peter could represent the United States in the Olympics)."

"(For most of Weissmüller's career, show business biographies incorrectly listed him as having been born in Pennsylvania. Some sources state that Weissmüller lied about his birthplace to ensure his place on the US Olympic swimming team.)"

If you can clarify these two passages, please readd them to the article. --Khajidha (talk) 23:48, 9 July 2015 (UTC)

References

Image problem

Not displaying right. File:Wohnhaus Weissmueller.jpg Weissmüller homestead, Freidorf Needs a formatting fix. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 15:14, 5 April 2017 (UTC)

 Fixed 7&6=thirteen (☎) 16:16, 5 April 2017 (UTC)

Special funny event

Hello all! Was hoping we could all reach a consensus to remove the section titled ‘special funny event’. This doesn’t seem fit in my mind to be included in an encyclopedia! Let me know your thoughts! Thank you Elvisisalive95 (talk) 18:17, 18 March 2021 (UTC)

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