Radio Digest (May 1931-May 1932)

63 .Harry Cjrlick mixes (chuckles and Exercise at WMCA Sy Muriel Allen WHEN you're the world's welterweight wrestling champion, you have to answer a lot of questions. The two most important ones are "How?" and "Why?" — "How did you get so strong?" and "Why did you take up wrestling?" One lad has the answer to both queries. He's Harry Glick, the exuberant air personality who conducts the "Seat of Health" gym class over WMCA every morning at 10.00 o'clock. "You, see, it's this way", says Harry (for some reason nobody ever thinks of calling him "Mr. Glick; he's such an all round good fellow) — "When I was a youngster — well, we won't go into the family album that far back — but all kidding aside, at thirteen years of age I threw a scare into myself — and the rest of the family — by having a serious attack of heart trouble. The doctor's verdict was, 'Don't have another or you'll be sorry.' That nearly took the tuck out of me, and for the next seven years, while I was learning all about Caesar's Gallic War and the shortest distance between two points, I wasn't even allowed to run a foot race. "When I reached the age of twenty I celebrated the event by contracting rheumatism, and if you think that's any fun, even after you pass the eightieth milestone, you're very much mistaken. In addition to being wrecked in pain, I was as mad as the proverbial March hare. Harry Glick Right there and then I made up my mind that I would become physically strong if it was the only thing I accomplished in life. So when the neighborhood gang went out to have a good time, I went down into the basement and started rigging up a gym. I made parallel bars out of my mother's old broom handles and a trapeze out of a discarded curtain pole. A friend of mine, an old 'salt', had taught me how to splice ropes. I made flying rings out of an old set of quoits and strung them from the ceiling. "Being an omnivorous — I guess that's Do you want to reduce? Do you want to build yourself up physically? Are there any other health questions on your mind? Harry Glick will be glad to help you. Simply write to Harry Glick, care of Radio Dicest, 420 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y., and he will give personal consideration to your particular problem. a good word, eh? — reader, I studied everything I could lay my hands on that had anything to do with physical culture — and what is more, I consistently put it into practice. Gradually my health began to improve and the gnawing rheumatic pains abated. "A little later I joined the gym of the local Y. M. C. A. and while standing along the ropes one night watching a wrestling match, someone pushed me forward on the mat with the words, 'Go on, kid, let's see what you can do.' I wouldn't welch, so I went through with it — and floored my man. I had known nothing about the technique of wrestling, but the sport fascinated me from that time on. My muscles were now as strong as iron and my whole physique had improved. 'And then — the big scrap — on the other side, I mean. I was in the 2 7th A. E. F. (the fact that I passed that physical examination is proof of my general condition). Somehow fighting got to be a habit with us "Over There' and along with the rest of the battles we went through. I had the good fortune to win welter and middleweight wrestling championships in my division. "And when we came back — well. I literally threw my hat into the ring — and that's that." "You mean, that's all?" "Well, nearly all. I had a taste of the stage as a Russian dancer with Natacha Nattova; a turn before the kliegs with Adolphe Menjou, and every once in .i {Continued on page 05) Harry Glick's "Seat of Health" Class at Brighton Beach. Left foreground, Gus Win; center, li.irrv Glick utd, right. Billv Snwk-r