Funny fool Schlitz Sertis: how the fate of the most famous freak of the XX century turned out

The sight of this ugly, but at the same time sweet, kind, lively and friendly person causes not so much horror as sympathy and affection. He was familiar to most visitors of circus performances and cinemas of the first half of the twentieth century. And our contemporaries will also recognize this face: after all, many on the web make gifs from frames of films with his participation, and from photos — demotivators… But at the same time, few people know who this person really was.

He remained in history under the name Schlitzie Sertis, but perhaps his real name was Simon Metz. It is believed that he was born on September 10, 1901 in the New York Bronx, however, this is nothing more than an assumption. The reason for its unusual appearance and strange behavior is a rare disease - microcephaly (malformation of infant development).

People with this disease have a very small skull, and, consequently, the brain. That is why Schlitz's height stopped at 122 cm, and his intellectual development was equated to the level of a 3-year-old child. This terrible disease prevents a person from taking full care of himself, talking articulately, and the vocabulary of microcephals is reduced to a few words or phrases. At the same time, the doctors who observed Schlitz noted that the patient perfectly perceived what he heard, had an excellent reaction and the ability to imitate.

Microcephals in the circus were called "pinhead people." They are usually very good-natured and resemble the behavior of small children

There is no information about his real parents, but historians suggest that the child could have been bought out by visiting circus performers, and in the future, as a rule, his employers were the guardians. Like many unfortunate people with mental or physical disabilities, Schlitzi performed in a circus, various attractions and shows, but this is a topic for a separate article. It is also worth noting here that the host of the performances, as a rule, called these artists "pinhead people", "the missing link of evolution", and the actor himself was announced as "The last of the Aztecs" (hinting at the nation degenerating by that time), "monkey girl" or simply "What is it?".

The circus troupe in which Schlitzi was a member

Schlitzi had to perform with midgets, bearded women, Siamese twins, the famous "caterpillar man" and similar people, but it was this little freak that the audience remembered for his charming smile and cheerful voice. During his long and bright theatrical career, Schlitzi managed to perform in the arena of all the most famous circuses in the USA. But the real recognition and success came with a role in the sensational 1932 film "Freaks", directed by Tod Browning. The film told about a traveling troupe, and the main roles in it were performed by real circus actors who had physical disabilities.

A shot from the movie "Freaks" in 1932

The release of this "blockbuster" has generated fierce controversy among not only film critics, but also many viewers. As a result, the film was withdrawn from rental for a long thirty years, and Browning had to look for a job for quite a long time. Historians say that Schlitzi managed to star in some more films, including a small role of a "fluffy mammal" in "Island of Lost Souls" in 1932, as well as a mentally ill criminal in "Children of Tomorrow" in 1934. There were other works in the cinema, but little is known about them.

Schlitzi Wax Figure