RyeGPT People of Note is a series highlighting individuals who have a connection to the City of Rye. In the series we ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT to prepare a biography and explain the individual’s connection to Rye.
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Buster Crabbe, born in 1908 in Oakland, California, is best known as an Olympic swimmer and Hollywood actor. He grew up in Hawaii and graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu. Crabbe attended the University of Southern California, where he excelled as an All-American swimmer and a 1931 NCAA freestyle titlist. He shone in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, winning a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters freestyle, and at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he clinched a gold medal in the 400 meters freestyle.
Crabbe’s acting career took off with his role in the 1933 Tarzan serial “Tarzan the Fearless.” He appeared in over a hundred films, including “King of the Jungle” and as the iconic Flash Gordon in the Universal Pictures serial. His portrayal of Flash Gordon and similar “jungle man” roles made him a familiar figure in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s.
In addition to his acting career, Crabbe had a notable connection to Rye, New York. He taught swimming and SCUBA lessons at the Durland Scout Center on Milton Point in Rye. Fondly referred to as “The Flash,” Crabbe was known for teaching SCUBA classes at the bottom of the pool without using an air tank, demonstrating techniques like mask clearing and buddy breathing. His unique teaching methods and impressive ability to hold his breath for long periods left a lasting impression on his students.
(VIDEO, below: Watch Buster Crabbe as Tarzan in Tarzan the Fearless (1933), full movie.)
Buster Crabbe was in the show with us at Rye High School which was a fundraiser for the Rye Library Children’s Room. I was in a skit with Gary Moore ( Morfit), Kathryn Murray , Buster Crabbe, and my friend, Steve Ecclesine. Maybe 1966? You might want to feature Steve Ecclesine sometime. Great interesting family!
My father, John McDonald, was Buster Crabbe’s milkman for many years. Buster Crabbe was also in the television show Foreign Legion and his “young” son Cubby, who was around my age at the time of the filming, starred in it with him. I had the biggest crush on Cubby. On day my father asked if I wanted to go with him on his local route through Greenhaven in Rye and go see where Cubby – my heartthrob – lived…you betcha. Imagine my surprise, disappointment – I did meet Cubby, he was on break and home from college – he was all grown up and I was still that star-struck little girl with memories of a cute boy…on tv.
Mr. Crabbe was my SCUBA instructor at Durland. He could comfortably hold his breath underwater for longer than anyone could imagine. A good guy and very safety conscious.