The Olympic Experience Continues – Rome

Muriel Grossfeld · Part 2

By Bruce A. Davis, Professor Emeritus Miami Dade College, Copyright 2020

In December of 1955 at the National Gymnastic Clinic (NGC) in Sarasota, a handsome 21 year old gymnast from New York with big biceps was approached by Walt Lienert, a gymnastics coach from the Athenaeum Turners in Indianapolis. Walt asked Abie Grossfeld to help his little girl gymnast learn a straight arm press handstand. The little gymnast came over to get instruction from Abie. Abie couldn’t believe his eyes: “This was no little girl!” A romance blossomed during the week long National Gymnastic Clinic between Muriel and Abie that included swimming at the beach and pool at Lido Beach and walks around St. Armand’s Circle.

The romantic relationship continued back in the Midwest before and after the 1956 Olympic games in Melbourne, Australia, Muriel and Abie both continued to hone their gymnastics skills hoping to improve on all-around scores and team standing for the next time! The U.S. finished sixth in the men’s competition and ninth in the women’s competition.

Glenn Sundby, a former professional hand balancer and the Publisher of the Modern Gymnast magazine of Santa Monica, California showed his July 1957 issue of his new magazine publication to Hollywood television producer and friend, Ken Murray. Murray was looking for a young, attractive, athletic woman to play the co-star role with established Hollywood star George Brent in a half hour black and white television Western that he had been planned to produce for sometime called “El Coyote Rides.” The Modern Gymnast magazine cover was a picture of Muriel Davis, 1956 gymnastics Olympian.

Murray auditioned Muriel along with many other applicants. Muriel was chosen and summoned to California to sign a contract. Our family flew to Hollywood on a TWA prop plane and stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel just across the street from the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Disneyland had just opened and we were taken to the Disney park by limousine. The next day Muriel signed a seven year contract with RKO Studios on her 17th, birthday (Oct. 7, 1957). Muriel had decided to pursue a television career as long as her amateur standing was protected and maintained because she wanted to continue competing in gymnastics.

Wild Bill Elliot was originally selected to play Col. Bart Edwards, Muriel’s father. He did not present a fatherly image so George Brent who had appeared in 13 pictures with the great Bette Davis was hired to play Muriel’s father in the pilot.

The El Coyote script depicted Col. Bart Edwards as the publisher of the small town newspaper that often exposed local “bad men.“ Edwards, whose wife was deceased, had a teenage daughter named Jane. Little did Edwards know that his daughter would don her Zorro type costume at night and proceed to help defeat all the bad guys before ducking back into her room just before her father would check on her to tell her good night! The El Coyote pilot was made but the series did not sell and was canceled. RKO became financially insolvent shortly after Muriel signed her contract.

Prior to moving to California, Muriel had used some of her contract money to purchase a new 1957 Ford hard-top convertible in blue and white. The top would get stuck down all the time. Muriel would ride me and my school mates along the way (they were often hitchhiking) from Speedway to Cathedral High School in downtown Indianapolis. Sometime we would all pile in and Muriel would buzz The Pole Drive In during the winter with the top down. It was the fifties, indeed!

Muriel continued to win National Amateur Athletic Union titles on floor exercise and the other gymnastics events. She defeated Sandra Ruddick in the 1957 NAAU in Chicago and was the NAAU All-around Champion. Only the blond Canadian, Ernestine Russell could keep up with her. Prior to leaving Indiana for Hollywood, Muriel was voted the Indianapolis 500 high school festival queen.

Muriel placed second all-around in the 1958 NAAU at Manual High School in Indianapolis in a close battle with Canadian Ernestine Russell and Doris Fuchs. The AAU sent a men’s team to the 1958 World Championships in Moscow; however, the AAU failed to send a women’s team to the 1958 World Championships.

Muriel moved to California in 1959 and lived with the Murray family. She attended Hollywood Professional High School and received a scholarship key at graduation for having the highest grade point average of any attending student in the last forty years. She met actress Debbie Reynolds. Actors like Paul Richards of Breaking Point and the Pontiac car ads, and Richard Boone of Paladin, “Have Gun Will Travel” fame, tried to pursue her romantically. These guys were definitely a little too old for her.

She was also being courted by a suave Grossfeld rival, Armando Vega. Vega, of Mexican descent and a Penn State graduate, was also on the 1956 Olympic team. He was able to have Muriel more to himself in California. Mondo’s mother who lived just over the border in Mexico made Muriel some custom jewelry as gift.

Muriel came back east to the Midwest to be coached by Don Tonry. Like Grossfeld, Tonry was a New Yorker, attending the University of Illinois. He was noted for his beautiful form. He was on the US Olympic team to Rome in 1960 and the 1962 World Championships to Prague.

The 1959 Pan American Games proved to be an enigma for Muriel. How could she go from number two only to the Canadian Ernestine Russell in 1958 to not making the Pan Am team in 1959? Was Muriel out of shape because of her Hollywood hiatus or were the AAU power brokers after her because of her recent financial professional success in Hollywood? How did she suddenly resurrect herself for the 1960 Olympic team to Rome and be the mainstay of the team in the number three position behind newcomer Olympians Floridian Gail Sontgerath and Ohioan Betty Jean Maycock?

Suddenly in 1959 “the Grossfeld romance” was back on! Muriel would travel to Big Ten dual meets to watch Abie in his final semester of competition for the University of Illinois. Muriel asked Abie to drive to Florida together for the 1959 National Gymnastic Clinic in December. On February 7th of 1960 they were married at the home of Charlie Pond, Abie’s collegiate coach.

Muriel and Abie both made the 1960 Olympic team and they were a celebrated couple in Rome. They were invited to the premier party for the movie Come September starring Rock Hudson and Gina Lollabrigida, Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin. The Italian media played up the fact “the yank” had better vital statistics than Gina, the Italian bombshell.

The U.S. women’s team matched their ninth place finish from Melbourne in a field of 17 teams and the U.S. men gained one place to fifth in a field of 20 teams. Competition took place at the unique and historic Baths of Caracalla.