Johnny Eck, the "king of the freaks" who was born with half a body
Freak shows and “human museums” seem distant and almost mythical to us. It’s hard to believe that just a century ago, freak circuses attracted crowds. Although it was an ugly and degrading phenomenon, it not only gave many actors in such circuses a chance to survive, but, without exaggeration, opened the path to success. How else could the American Johnny Eck, born without a lower body, become an actor and wealthy man?
John Eckhardt, Jr. was born on August 27, 1911 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was born not alone, but with his twin brother Robert. The boys' parents, Amelia and John, did not expect twins. Moreover, they were not prepared for the fact that one of the boys would be completely special.
The first to see the world was Robert, who was a very ordinary baby. But when the midwife took the second baby in her hands, she exclaimed: “Oh, Lord! He’s like a broken doll!” Johnny was born with sacral agenesis, which means he has no lower torso. Because of this, his height did not exceed 20 cm, and his weight did not exceed 900 grams.
Few believed that the strange child would survive. But it turned out that John felt no worse than his brother. He learned to walk on his hands before Robert could stand on his feet. By the age of 4, the kids were already reading fluently, thanks to classes with their older sister Carolyn. At the age of 7, both boys went to school. Although this is not a completely accurate expression, because one of them had to be carried in the arms of his father.
But that was only the beginning. Soon Johnny began to be driven to school by his brother in a wheelbarrow, and sometimes he got there himself, briskly moving his hands along the way. It was just that the steps were difficult for him, but near the school his classmates were waiting for the boy, who kindly carried him onto the porch.
Eckhardt Jr. was such a friendly and cheerful guy that no one teased him about his disability. On the contrary, the children fought for the honor of sitting at the same desk with him. An excellent student, John always helped me in my studies and let me copy. But dealing with adults was not always pleasant. Sometimes local onlookers came to the school windows to gaze at the strange boy. To protect him from unnecessary attention, the windows in the classrooms had to be covered with curtains.
Johnny himself, if he was grieving over his misfortune, did not show it. When asked if it was difficult for him to live without legs, he answered like this:
It was clear that the guy would not be able to find a working profession. Therefore, John's mother oriented him towards serving in the church. He actually had an oratorical talent and preached excellently to friends and neighbors. But this hobby quickly passed and was replaced by painting and wood carving. Young Eckhardt had an undoubted artistic gift - his work was surprising in its professional thoroughness.
But everything changed in 1923, when the twins attended a performance by the famous magician John McAslan. During the show, the artist asked someone from the audience to come on stage. To his surprise, 12-year-old Johnny cheerfully ran onto the stage in his arms. The magician offered the boy cooperation and talked with his parents. After this, Eckhardt became Eck and began the life of an artist. For a year he assisted McAslan while touring the country. Thanks to John’s peculiarity, the illusionist was able to create simply fantastic performances.
But soon Johnny Eck got tired of being in the background and making money for someone. Together with his brother, they began to perform independently. Like all identical twins, the boys were very similar. But their bodies created a contrast, which was the main highlight of the brothers’ simple numbers. Johnny performed various tricks - stood on one hand and somersaulted, and his brother was just nearby.
In the summer of 1931, Johnny Eck went to perform at the Canadian Exhibition in Montreal. There he met an agent from MGM Studios. He offered Eck a role in the feature film “Freaks” directed by Browning. Unfortunately, the film did not live up to expectations and failed at the box office in 1932. Moreover, most of the scenes with Eck were cut out of the picture, which greatly upset the guy.
But Johnny managed to persuade him to star in another film, “Tarzan: the Ape Man,” in the same 1932. There Eck played the role of a fantastic creature, the bird Guni. The film became a success, and the man starred in two of its sequels - in 1936 and 1941. By the mid-30s, Eck had become a fairly wealthy man. When his parents were about to lose their home during the Great Depression, his son helped them pay off the debt.
Johnny Eck was known not only as a freak show performer and actor. He had a passion for music, which resulted in the creation of his own orchestra in his native Baltimore. Johnny conducted and his brother played piano. In total, there were 12 people on the team! Eck also did not abandon his long-time hobby - in his free time he continued to draw and carve figures from wood.
In the 50s, the artist became interested in motor sports. A racing car was made to order for him and Eck participated in amateur races in the USA and Canada. Johnny and Robert have earned good capital over many years of performing. He allowed them not to worry about a poor old age when their popularity waned.
In the 1970s, Johnny, who had retired, sat with his beloved Chihuahua dog on the porch of his and his brother’s house and received guests. He adored his fans and always tried to treat them to tea and sweets. Occasionally, the brothers gave charity puppet shows in orphanages and schools. But in the 80s something happened that changed the brothers' attitude towards fans.
The first, unsuccessful film with Johnny, “Freaks,” was shown on television. After that, there was no end to uninvited and impudent guests. “They are crazy!” the actor complained to his brother. There was no longer any desire to offer tea and sweets, and the money had run out. In addition, the constant crowd in front of the house quarreled the brothers with their neighbors, with whom they even had to go to court.
And in January 1987, a completely outrageous incident occurred. Robbers broke into the home of 76-year-old twins. One of them sat on top of Johnny, and the second rummaged around the house in search of valuables and money. Fortunately, it all ended only in the loss of a small amount and humiliation. But since then, the brothers stopped receiving guests and began to lead a secretive lifestyle.
Johnny Eck died on January 5, 1991, in his sleep from a heart attack. His brother did not survive him by much and left this world on February 25, 1995.