Dick Tyler

Dr. Tyler has been a doctor of chiropractic for over 40 years, with practices in both southern and northern California and in Vermont. He was the editor of The Chiropractic Family Physician for the American Chiropractic Association, and served as the associate editor for the news publication, Dynamic Chiropractic. He has also had numerous papers published in professional journals, was a contributor to The Osteopathic Physician, and has authored two books on physical conditioning and health.

Dr. Tyler has lectured around the country on subjects such as diversified diagnostic procedures, nutrition, homeopathy, herbal medicine and various alternative treatment modalities. He is currently a member of the California Chiropractic Association and serves on the California Chiropractic licensing board.

Dick was an actor for twenty-six years, during which time he starred on Broadway and later in a television series, winning numerous acting awards. Dave and I occasionally visit Dick and his wife, Penny, and on one such visit we spent a few hours in his chiropractic clinic, where Dick checked Dave over, and I snooped around the office. The halls are covered with old images of Dick, the young Dickie Tyler being awarded this or that, and one enlargement of a rave describing how Dick carried the show, a real beauty of a New Yorker review. There’s even a Norman Rockwell painting, the image of the youngster Dick very clearly the model.

His abiding love of strength and well-developed muscles led him to writing for Joe Weider in the magazine Muscle Builder, and those finances put him through chiropractic college. College during the day, haunting the local gyms at night, from Vince’s over to Joe Gold’s, and on the weekends out to the Weider office or Vasquez Rocks for article photo shoots with Artie Zeller, Russ Warner and the bodybuilding heroes who were their subjects. Those stories from 1965-71 became the book, West Coast Bodybuilding Scene, which in the maturing fans brought those long-ago memories to light, and introduced a new generation to the most agreeable Dick Tyler.

Just the writing of that sentence puts me in mind of what a pleasure it is to be around Dick, and what a joy it was to publish that book.

It all began so quietly. The men started to assemble in the cool of the evening. The sun set over the horizon of the Pacific and the soft blue of the evening was beginning to accept the blackness of night. An ocean breeze drifted across the sands of the beach and wound through the crooked little streets of the city. The lights in the homes and apartments flicked on as the windows of the hippies’ pads glowed with crazy hues of blue or red bulbs and the sounds of hard rock music fought those of Lawrence Welk. It was night in the city of Venice. Still they came. First there was Zane. He quietly nodded to Zabo, who was sitting behind the desk, and went upstairs to the dressing room. Soon Franco and the current Mr. Belgium, Serge Jacobs, arrived.

Draper was next, followed by Eddie Giuliani and Mike Katz. After a few minutes, Don Peters came in and within seconds, Arnold arrived. Gold’s Gym was now busting with championship lumps. Already at work was Ken Waller, who is one of the most massive bodybuilders of all time. The cannon was loaded and was ready to explode.

You see what I mean?

Click here to read the rest of that excerpt from West Coast Bodybuilding Scene.

You can read his thoughts about the current state of chiropractic medicine, and read an excerpt from Alternative Chiropractic by visiting alternativechiropracticbook.com.