‘American Heroes,’ in Black and White

The images reflect a world of sports before scandals, steroids and salary arbitration:

Sandy Koufax striking out another helpless batter.

The smile of Willie Mays.

The fury of Leo Durocher.

“Athletes were having fun in those days,” said noted photographer Leigh Wiener, whose exhibit of sports pictures, “American Heroes,” opened recently at Stratton’s Parkside Grill in Encino.

The work focuses on baseball and football--the last two major sports, Wiener claims, to be corrupted by the modern athlete’s obsession with greed. Shown in black and white, the photos reveal the sheer simplicity and intimacy of sports in the 1950s and ‘60s.

“Baseball and football personified the American sports ethic,” said Wiener, 62, of Hollywood, “which was a way of life--to win, to be honest. It’s not a stretch to say that you can begin to see the disintegration of the country through the disintegration of sports.”

The collection only includes one photo taken after 1970--a profile of Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser during his record-setting 1988 season. Wiener said he included him to demonstrate that even a popular player such as Hershiser, a throwback to baseball’s age of innocence, places financial gain above team loyalty.

“After a year of the Dodgers carrying him,” Wiener said, “he’s a free agent. At what point does obligation to one’s family become separate from greed?”

Hershiser, however, signed a new three-year package last week with the Dodgers.

Wiener displayed only black-and-white photographs to make it easier for people to relate to the athletes.

“With black and white, you find yourself more compelled to stare at the picture,” Wiener said. “Somewhere in the subconscious it compels the person to participate more in the experience of the picture.”

Added his wife, Joyce: “Color doesn’t sell these days.”

In all, the exhibit, which opened Nov. 14, displays 24 photographs, priced from $800 to $1,250 apiece. Among the football shots are a smiling Jim Brown signing autographs and USC’s Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett diving into the end zone.

Some of Wiener’s photos are being shown at the Pauline Hirsh Gallery in Los Angeles in “Portraits of Note,” a tribute to musicians. Wiener’s pictures include profiles of Andre Previn, Billie Holiday and Judy Garland.

“He is not just a sports photographer,” Joyce said. “Not at all.”

In fact, Wiener has captured images of such noteworthy figures as John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Eleanor Roosevelt.

“I got a call one day from Bobby Kennedy, who asked me to take pictures of his brother’s campaign in 1960,” Wiener recalled. “I spent 15 days with J.F.K. in Washington and Oregon. I never thought he was going to win.”

As for Monroe, Wiener claims he took the only shots of the actress shortly after her body was brought to the Los Angeles morgue in 1962.

“They’re in a safety deposit box somewhere in Southern California,” Wiener said. “Not even my wife knows where they are.”

Wiener’s photos frequently graced the covers of the Saturday Evening Post, Sports Illustrated and other national magazines. Recently, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington acquired three of Wiener’s photos, including images of Koufax and Mays.

“American Heroes,” an exhibit of portraits by photographer Leigh Wiener, will be shown through Jan 17 at Stratton’s Parkside Grill, 16925 Ventura Blvd., Encino. Call (818) 986-2400.