Thomas inch in action

[supersqueeze]

Unbelievable!

Roark's words seem truer than ever.

"The whole matter, were it not so inherently sad, would

be laughable."

For me the video was sad to the point of being pathetic.

Mike M.

[Roark]

I plugged in my speakers and watched the clip six consecutive

more times, pausing it so I could get measurement ratios

between the bell length and Inch's torso.

While he is cleaning the bell and it is vertical, its length goes

from his belt to over his head.

He makes a few factual errors, here are two:

1. Saxon was not around the bell for 15 years- at the

most he could have been around it for 5 to 7 years because

of the timelines of both men's lives in relation to when the

bell was manufactured.

2. Inch says that in 40 years (which should be 32 years if the

film is 1939) no one ever got the bell off the floor one inch.

But he acknowledges in print to the contrary.

If Saxon, Padoubny, Strongfort, and Deriaz- all world class

strengthmen had failed, what in the blue blazes is the point

of having a boxer's trainer try, or of having Trevor Evans try?

Were they supposed to make a better effort than Saxon and company?

And what exactly is the point of proving the bell is made

of metal by striking it with a hammer? Would not have

weighing the bell been more beneficial?

By the way, I closed my #4 tonight. If you doubt it, I

have a video of my wife striking a gripper with a hammer.

Unbelieveable

[Nathan Say]

And what exactly is the point of proving the bell is made

of metal by striking it with a hammer? Would not have

weighing the bell been more beneficial?

Maybe they were showing that it wasn't hollow.

[mobsterone]

To answer all of Roarks questions with one reply - showmanship!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. He made a living based on what he said (indeed Joe's making a few bucks based on being accurate - not a living mind). Plus the media influence wouldn't have been so strong. Lastly who would go there, from the famous strongmen available, and look weak compared to and lets be fair here, an old fat man.

Joe not eveyone now, never mind then, is seaking the truth as you are. I know what you're thinking but its the way they are.

[Roark]

Another thought about the film clip from 1939:

You remember from my INCH101 series, and from old

grip board posts, that Inch retired the Challenge 172

circa 1931 AFTER he made a film that year of him lifting

it overhead.

He did not mention other lifters attempting it on that

occcasion, but he did acknowledge that he alerted the

camera operator to get the shot on the first take because

he wasn't sure he could lift it for a second time.

Well the camera man, awed by the brutal strength he was

witnessing, missed the shot. HOURS PASSED before Inch

could muster the strength, helped along by massage, to

lift the bell a second time.

Okay, That takes us to 1939 when this film clip was apparently made. Inch was in his late 50s, the bell shown

IS NOT the Challenge 172, though he does refer to it as his famous Challenge dumbell, and as the one which Saxon, Padoubny, and Deriaz could not elevate AT ALL

off the floor. But we know from other references that the

bell in this film clip is most assuredly NOT the famous

challenge 172. Anyway...

He then proceeds to lift the bell one handed overhead

in what appears to be a very sub-max effort. So, had the

camera operator missed the shot, the viewer gets the

impression that several more takes were in the offing. All of this, eight years after his weakened condition for the

first film.

If there was a single BB rolling around in either of those

spheres, I would be surprised.

So now we know of 5 bells which he presented under the guise of his Challenge bell!

[Patrik_F]

That wasnt very funny to see. The clean was so fake and with such a poor style it couldnt have been more obvious.

[OldGuy]

It can be suspected, that even in the 1931 film, Inch was not lifting his heaviest bell. This most likely was reserved for people he considered strong enough to lift the bells that were lighter than the 172 pounder. If there was a chance that the 172 itself might be lifted, the dumbells would not be available at all. Like that other Tom, Tom Black, Inch was a juggler of heavy obects.

[Tom Black]

Joe, You had me with "Well the camera man, awed by the brutal strength he was witnessing, missed the shot." I was awed by Slim, Dennis and Mark at the AOBS dinner and had no problem getting the shots. 3Crusher and Sybersnott had no problems taking videos.

[Guest Harlan Jacobs]

I personaly think that ie the truth be known, most of the oldtime strongmen preformed stunts, not feats of strength. I guess I have said that before in a previos post. Sorry to repeat myself. I'm old.

[Roark]

Harlan,

Richter said, "Repetition is the mother of education."

The errors have several decades of repetition to draw

from, so it will take some time to spread the truth. There

are internet sites that maintain errors about Inch and others because new info has not reached those sites.

Age happens to the body; old happens to the mind.

I suspect you are not old; perhaps aged? :huh