Schlitzie Surtees - The Most Famous American Freak (22 pics)

He looks so smiley :)

don't call him a freak. that's mean, it's not his fault he was born like this

why would they dress him up as a girl always :( that's mean

i at least appreciate the fact that he almost always looks really happy.

as long as he was taken care of, and treated at least somewhat decently

I'll bet he was one of the sweetest people alive- he's always smiling : ) I would have given him a big 'ol hug!

I feel bad calling him a "freak" though, when I think of "freaks" that makes me think about people who make themselves look weird & unusual- people who are born with an actual deformity like that should just be called "different" or something.
But that's just my opinion- plus this is back in the day, when actual freakshows were seen as prefectly acceptable.

shimaa,
Actually all of the people that were in the movie freaks developed a strong bod with each other and were proud to call them selves freaks. And ol schlitzie was the most normal looking one in the entire movie

ooh i saw that film, it was interesting :P

Aw! But why the dresses?

Gawd damn!!!

siempre estaba feliz!

wtf

best friend :D

I turned 18 late in the summer of 1965. I was working for Conklin and Garrett Shows at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, where I lived with my family and attended high school. It was there that I got to know Schlitzie, who was billed as "The Missing Link" on the midway. It would break my heart and piss me off to see him abused by idiots in the audience who not only taunted him mercilessly, but threw bottles and even lit cigarettes at him.
When the show moved on to London (Ontario) and the Western Ontario Fair, I went along. I was dissatisfied with life at home and at school. In Ontario, they have a Grade 13 . . .
After setting up in London, I was made foreman of the bumper cars ride.
The carnies stayed at the Clarendon Hotel in London's tenderloin. I had a room next to Schlitzie's and his guardian, Frenchy, a former sword-swallower and, as he claimed, a "Gypsy prince." He wore an impressive ring that represented his "royalty."
After a long day on the fairgrounds, we would all hang out together, maybe play a few sociable hands of poker and just relax.
Frenchy would drive us all to work, stopping off at the liquor store to pick up a bottle for the night's relaxation, as the government-run stores would be closed when we got off work.
One day, on the way to the fairgrounds, Frenchy stopped the car. We had just passed a pawn shop with a number of long knives and swords in the window and Frenchy had the sudden urge to swallow a sword; to keep in practice, he said.
Schlitzie and I lingered in the car for a few moments, waiting for the song playing on the radio to come to an end; Schlitzie loved music and would wave his arms to the rhythm.
When Schlitzie and I entered the shop, hand-in-hand, I observed Frenchy disinfecting a sword and proceed to swallow it. The two elderly women running the place gasped in horror and disbelief. When they turned and saw me (with long hair for the times) and Schlitzie, I could see all the blood drain from their faces.
Frenchy thanked the women for the use of the sword and we continued on our way to work. Later, back at the hotel, Frenchy would practice using a straightened coat-hanger. He always disinfected it, of course.
Schlitzie, like any child, craved tenderness and affection. He would snuggle up to me
and I would naturally give him a hug. The contact and warmth caused him to moan and then weep. When Frenchy saw this, he told me not to be so demonstrably affectionate, explaining to me that Schlitzie would come to expect this closeness and the hugs and never let me go. I reluctantly did as he said.
I'm 63 now and treasure these memories as I recall the kid who "ran away with the circus' all those years ago. Rest in peace, Schlitzie. I'll never forget you.
Peace and love,
Wolf Krakowski
www.kamea.com

i hate the word freak