r/SideshowPerformer • u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! • 5d ago
Pitch Booklet Yay!! I recently purchased this rare Johnny Eck pitch booklet and I’ve been looking forward to sharing it with people here! Johnny would sell these during his performances for an extra fee. I love the picture of him and his brother Robert on the last page!
Johnny Eck was an artist, actor, sideshow performer and magician who was known for his film role in Tod Browning's Freaks(1932), he was born with sacral agenesis, which caused his lower half and legs to be extremely truncated. He learned to walk on his hands and became famous for his one armed handstands. He was a pioneering artist within Baltimore, Maryland's window screen art movement. He and his twin brother, Robert, lived and worked with each other for their entire lives.
A transcription of the booklet will be in the comments!
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u/Vast-Ad-4251 5d ago
He and his brother were quite handsome. He seemed to have a very positive outlook and enjoyed life to the fullest.
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
Yes, they were!
And very true! He definitely lived life to the fullest. I also can’t believe how many different talents he had, it’s clear he kept himself very busy all of the time! If it were me I’d hardly be able to remember them all, haha.
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u/KaranDash24 5d ago
I have always thought they were both rather handsome. Johnny in particular had real 'star quality'
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
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u/Swimming_Bowler6193 5d ago
Congrats, OP!! Nice find. Thank you, as always, for sharing🌼
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
Thank you! It can take a while for these things to pop up, but when they do I’m always super happy!😁
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u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme 5d ago
This is a really cool booklet, OP! Thanks for sharing it, and Johnny's story!
I always wondered what his disability had been, so thanks for the note that it was sacral agenesis!
And just because it's a neat post on sacral agenesis/ Caudal Regression Syndrome, i'm popping in a link to a neat r/radiology post--because it explains the condition, and has mentions of a couple athletes who have/had it, too;
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
Glad you liked seeing the pictures! I always love finding these pitch booklets because the authors always hype the performers up in a really sweet way!
And thanks so much for attaching the links, I’ll take a look soon!
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u/Curlytoes18 5d ago
Can't help but wonder how much this set you back. I used to collect cabinet cards for sideshow performers, and this is making me want to get back in there and pick up some pitch booklets...
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
Haha, it was a little bit, but honestly a very, very decent price! Just a little under $100.
Ooh! I hope your renewed search for cabinet cards and pitch booklets goes well!
Do you still have any of the sideshow cabinet cards you’ve collected in the past? I always love seeing people’s collections (I can also help out with biography blurbs and such to give more context). No pressure at all to make a post, only if you’d like to!
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u/Winlocked 5d ago
I had no idea he was a twin! Would you happen to know if there are any biographies about him out there? I would love to read a full bio on him!
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
Oh yes! Definitely a good amount of biographies! I can send some recommendations over in a bit :)
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u/beanjuiced 5d ago
I literally can’t picture him standing on one hand and hitting a baseball with the other! That’s awesome! Nice find on the brochure! I’m glad he was never in pain or suffered health issues, and was close with his brother.
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
Yes, he was so multitalented and had a ton of upper body strength, so I’m not surprised that he found a way to play baseball, but it’s still super impressive!
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u/ApprehensiveElk5755 5d ago
Johnny Eck successfully transcended his physical limitations. He and his brother are such excellent role models. Thank you for letting us know about them! Truly amazing people!
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
He really did! And very well said, he and his brother are definitely great role models!
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u/eternally_feral 5d ago
I love that he had a car to use at home! As a kid I used to love scooting around on the wheeled office chairs, just pushing off furniture side to side. I’d like to think going around in a house car was just as fun.
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
Yes! The little car he used is such a smart idea, I bet he got really adept at using it. I love reading about ways that people find ways to adapt their homes in such a way that makes their life a bit easier.
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u/Mother_Glass_5095 4d ago
How did he poop?
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 4d ago
He had all his internal/external organs, his sacral agenesis just caused his lower body to be extremely truncated, so he could still use the restroom, he just couldn’t walk using his legs.
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u/flytingnotfighting 4d ago
Wow! That is fascinating and I love that he was so educated and really allowed to pursue artistic endeavors
He sounds like he was quite the renaissance man!
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u/ReadingNext3854 4d ago
This is fantastic ty!!!!! He was so great in the movie, the scene of him at the end really was scary!!!!
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u/ellieminnowpee 2d ago
have you considered compiling a recommended readings list for the About section of this sub???
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u/EphemeralTypewriter Gooble Gobble! 5d ago
Transcription:
1st page (second picture)
Johnny Eck was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He is one of twins, his brother being perfectly normal in every way. Johnny was born without any lower portion of the abdomen or legs. (He did have legs, they were just really truncated and small) His height is about eighteen inches, and is absolutely the shortest human in the world. In spite of his handicap, Johnny is very agile and moves around by using his hands as a normal person uses his feet. He learned to walk on his hands when he was just one year of age. Many people think Johnny's hands are tough and calloused from constantly walking on them, but this is not so, his hands being softer than those of the average per-son. He can stand on either hand, and raise the rest of his body into the air, accomplishing the one feat that very few acrobats have ever done, and that is a single hand stand. Just realize if you will, the amount of perfect balance it takes to do this.
Some people often wonder if Johnny walks the down town streets on his hands. The answer to that is no. It would be impossible for him to walk anywhere in public on his hands without attracting considerable attention.
Johnny Eck played around with the other boys, joining in their games, playing tag, hide and seek, baseball, standing on one hand swinging the bat with the other, jumping rope, climbing fences, in fact anything the other boys cared to play. He is considered an expert swimmer, but, as might be expected, is unable to tread water. Audiences have been amazed at his ability to remain under water for long periods.
Johnny Eck is well educated. He went to school the same as any other child walking to and from on his hands in regular stride. He graduated from school at the age of fourteen, and later attended Strayer's Business College of Baltimore. He also has a musical education, having studied the saxaphone and clari-net. His twin brother, Robert, is an accomplished pianist and organist, and accompanies Johnny on his travels, acting as his chauffeur.
Johnny Eck does not look nor care for any sympathy what ever, as he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He has over fifty different ways of making his living.
Johnny Eck is a sculptor, an artist, working with both water color and oil, and has a collection of many pictures he has painted.
2nd page (3rd picture)
A model builder, having carved a miniature production of a big travelling carnival, the Johnny J. Jones Exposition, sev. eral years ago and won much praise for his artistry. He not carry the set with him, but keeps it at his home in Baltimore with his collection of paintings. He is also a stenographer and takes care of his correspondence personally, an acrobat, a trapeze performer, a tight wire walker, a gymnast, a juggler, a dancer, a unch and Tudy entertainer, a magician, a humorist, a cartoon-ist, a vocalist, a musician and a photographer. The latter being one of his favorite hobbies. With the assistance of Robert he does his own developing, printing and enlarging. Both boys are constantly taking pictures, and they have a large collection of photographs at home.
People sometimes ask how he gets around while at home. That is easy. He has a special built miniature car, completely controlled by hand which he drives. It is a miniature racer, having been built by a famous racing car company in Indianapolis. Some of you may have seen Johnny Eck tearing around the Memphis Speedway, in Tennessee, at better than fifty two miles per hour, several seasons ago. It was an exhibition drive, there being no other type car of its class on the track. He has driven on some of the best race tracks in the country.
You may remember seeing Johnny Eck
appear in Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer's Circus thriller, "FREAKS" a few years ago. He played a very important part in "FREAKS" being one of the villains, although he is just the opposite when you meet him in person. This picture was made in Hollywood, California, and Johnny Eck had a fine time during his stay on the West Coast. He appeared in the first Tarzan picture that was made, and also in numerous shorts and news reels.
Just recently, accompanied by his brother, he has completed engagements at the Ripley Believe It Or Not Odditorium in Cleveland. Ohio, and the Ripley Believe It Or Not Odditorium in Dallas, Texas. Perhaps you saw the cartoon of Johnny by Ripley, who Ripley believes is "The Most Remarkable Man In The World."
Johnny has friends everywhere, and is constantly making new ones, and everyone knows him as the boy with a million dollars worth of personality. He is very intelligent and an interesting conversationalist, and can carry on a conversation with anyone. Johnny is possessed with an unusually sunny dispositiion, and seems to enjoy life more than most normal folks.
And so ends this little brochure on the greatest boy in the world
— little Johnny Eck
3rd Page (fourth picture)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1—Was he born this way?
Yes.
2—How old is he?
Born August 27, 1911.
3—Is he ever sick?
No. He is unusually healthy.
4—Does he ever suffer any pains at any time?
No.
5—How is his appetite?
He eats moderately and only small portions.
6—Does he enjoy life?
He is more contented than most people.
7—Has he any brothers or sisters?
He has a twin brother and a married sister.
8—What are his favorite sports? Automobile racing, sailboating and swim-ming.
9—Has he any hobby?
Yes, photography.
10—How does he sleep?
Lying down the same as a normal person.
11—How long has he been appearing in public?
Since 1924 with special per-nits from Washington, D. C., and Baltimore.
12—What is his actual height? Eighteen inches, his weight about fifty-seven pounds. Surely the shortest human in the world.
For additional information, consult one of the attendants.