The Manning Brothers - Part 5 (END)

John Manning in what I think was his final photo session at AMG. 

I posted a B&W photo of John from this session that was featured in PP Vol 17 dated January, 1969. Mizer stated John was 32 years old at the time, again confirming that 1936 birth year. 

As for his brothers Jim and Joe, my best guess is they went back to Portland not long after filming Experimental Model in 1961. I can't find anything either one of them did after that year, while John did a few films in the mid 1960s. It's possible John moved back to Portland in the mid 1960s as well and visited LA in the late 60s. Mizer mentioned that John was making cement deliveries in the LA area, but I know from other sources that he took up that type of work when he permanently moved back to Oregon. 

One of my well-informed followers (CambriaDavid) wrote and confirmed for me some of the  details I've learned over the years. John was married four times and fathered thirty (30!) children, but I seriously doubt they were all from his four wives. John passed away in the 1990s (possibly 1997) and Jim died in 2001. As far as CambriaDavid and I have heard, Joe is still with us and lives in Oregon.  

One final thought: I've always assumed the name Manning was not the brothers true last name; however, I do believe that John, Jim and Joe were indeed their real first names. Mizer had a habit of using the real first names of his models to avoid confusion among them when he gave verbal instructions on the set.  In my search for personal information on many models, it is often impossible to find anything without their true surnames.  I have never heard or read anyone mention the real name of any of the brothers, but if you know, please leave a comment. 

The Manning Brothers Story - Part 4

The three Manning brothers did two films together at AMG -- Pharaoh's New Slave and today's feature, Experimental Model.  

AMG released the film in 1964; however, I have a 1961 AMG bulletin that states the film was "in production".  In the short video clip seen below, the brothers hold a placard giving their ages at the time. John is 25 years old and that fits with his birth year of 1936 and a production date of 1961. Brother Jim is 21 and Joe is the youngest at 18.  

Although Jim posed nude for photographs from BoLA, Martin, Milo and Frisby, this film and Pharaoh's New Slave are the only two films Jim did for any studio. Joe was exclusive to AMG and, therefore, we never saw him without the pouch. He did, however, do two other AMG films -- The Trespasser with Bob Wilson, and Monkey Business with Tom Perry. Both of the films were made in 1961 and released in 1964. I've often wondered why there was a three year delay. 

So, as best I can tell, Joe and Jim's posing career was short-lived. More on them in the next part. 

 

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Jim and Joe enjoy their attempts to "subdue" big brother John. Mizer put that word in quotes. 

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The Subjective Characters were assigned to all three guys. Let's see. All three were hustlers and "enthusiastic".  Mizer misspelled the word "horny". 

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You could always count on John for a facial expression that conveys his thoughts.  In this case his face says what I'm thinking. What the hell is Jim doing?  

The Manning Brothers Story -- Part 3

The first time we learned John had not one, but two younger brothers (Jim and Joe) was with the release of the epic film Pharoah's New Slave in 1958. (Yes, the word Pharaoh was spelled incorrectly.)  To make sure his customers were well aware of this big production, Mizer ran promotions in four separate issues of Physique Pictorial: Summer 1958, Fall 1958, Spring 1959 and January, 1960.  I'm sure Mizer was trying to recuperate his costs, but he probably believed he had a hit on his hands. I mean, where else could you find three nearly naked brothers flashing their bare butts for the camera in 1958?  Plus the other two young models weren't exactly hard on the eyes. 

Top photo, from the right we see John, Joe and Jim Manning. John was the executioner who wrestles Joe, Pharaoh's new slave. Jim plays the cute guard at Pharaoh's side. (I love the codpiece he's wearing with no visible strings.) The Pharaoh was played by Victor Gottlieb, who looks like he was either Mizer's accountant or dry cleaner. Far left is Frank Renault who played the Pharaoh's courtesan and next to him is another guard, Richard Collier. 

In the next photo, Pharaoh places his hands on slave Joe who, unbeknownst to him, will soon wrestle for his life against John, the Executioner. 

In the next photo, Joe (legs toward the camera) has lost the wrestling match to John who's standing on the left in a pose later adopted by Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie. (I Dream of Johnny?) Joe learns his loss means he will be executed and begs the Pharoah to spare him. Pharaoh relents and offers Joe an honorable position next to the throne. 

John and Joe's wrestling match was pretty darn good. I imagine they had plenty of practice growing up together in Portland. Jim took his role seriously, looking both stoic and attentive.  Miraculously, the patch covering his nether regions remained firmly attached. 

I had to include this photo from PP Vol.8 No.3.  Although John was eventually the victor, he looks a little concerned here. You would be concerned too, if Joe was holding you down in such a vulnerable position. (Yeah, the line starts here fellas!)  

I notice Richard has assumed the Jeannie position. 

The Manning Brothers Story -- Part 2

Below are three AMG photos of John Manning without a posing pouch. The top photo is from PP Vol. 17 No. 2-4 (Jan 1969) and the other appeared a year later in PP Vol. 18 No. 1 (Jan 1970).  By this time John had posed fully nude for Bruce, Milo, Martin, Frisby and possibly Spartan, but we had to wait until Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through The Grapevine hit number one on the charts before Mizer posted this nude of John -- though I doubt those two events are related.  

There are some good details on John in the blurbs Mizer wrote on the pages. Firstly, Mizer tells us John's middle name is Charles and he is now 32 years old.  That fits with the circa 1936 birth year we will discuss later.  We're also told John was a paratrooper at one time and I am skeptical of that claim -- a trait I developed reading Mizer's blurbs over the years. John claims he can swim 12 miles in the ocean.  If true, that's quite a feat. The subjective character codes tell us John is married and I would like more details, if possible. They also tell us John was available for personal encounters with generous men. Oh, and John was very well endowed. Yeah, we noticed. Finally, Mizer notes John is available in an 8mm film. Was that a new film at the time?  I'm not sure.  If it was, I would expect him to be nude. Was this photo from that film?  Again, I don't know, but I am not aware of any nude AMG films of big John. 

The second photo is from PP Vol. 18, precisely one year later. The only new detail we learn is John had acquired a cement truck and was ready to deliver you a big load. I have since learned John actually did make cement deliveries when he eventually moved back to Portland, OR.  

John would make his final appearance in PP Vol. 21 in July, 1972. I have that issue of PP., but I cannot find my copy.  I think the last photo in this post is from that session at AMG, which was promoted in that issue.  Note the letter J tattoo on his arm.  Now check that top photo again. No tattoo. We're probably looking at John's very last session with AMG. He would be roughly 35 years old and (IMO) he looks great, maybe better than ever.  

I realize I'm starting at the end of John's posing career, but don't worry.  I'll cover all the other years, including his sessions with other photographers. 

Next post will introduce his two younger brothers. 

The Manning Brothers Story -- Part 1

John Manning was very proud of his Native American ancestry and did several photo and video sessions for AMG dressed in what could (loosely) be called native garb. I do recall one PP blurb where Mizer told us John was eager to don the native costumes. 

I recently came across the B&W photos of John below and found them to be much clearer than any of the copies I have in my collection. They are all from Bruce of LA and I assume were taken at Bruce's ranch outside of LA. The photos were used to promote Bruce's films Indian War Paint (released in 1965) and the simply titled The Indian (released in 1969). They are the same film.  I have seen the film a few times. Near the end of it, John climbs some large boulders to survey the land around him. It must have been a huge ranch. 

I've also included two color photos from a session at Bruce's studio. The costume is similar, but not identical. Years ago, I found a well-curated website that had many (if not all) of the color photos from that session. The curator stated John was photographed in Bruce's studio in 1957 -- and I have no reason to doubt that. For reference, John first posed for AMG in 1955/56 and first appeared in PP Vol. 8 No. 2-4 in the fall of 1958.  

The B&W images are dated 1963 and that may be misleading. The images were published in the magazine The Male Image published in 1963. I suspect the photos date closer to 1957 because John looks pretty much the same in them. 

Finally, as you know, I'm a big fan of John Manning and his two younger brothers. I've recently taken the task of learning all about the three brothers and some of what I've learned came directly from you, the readers of this blog. This is Part 1 of what will be several postings in my attempt to accumulate that information. I ask for your assistance in sending me a note or commenting on the posts -- even if you previously sent me information on the Manning bros. Your information will be much appreciated.