Johnny Eck

Johnny Eck, born John Eckhardt, Jr. (August 27, 1911, Baltimore, Maryland – April 28, 1991, Baltimore, Maryland) was an American freak show performer born without the lower half of his torso. Eck is best known today for his role in the 1932 cult classic film Freaks.

Early life

Johnny Eck was born to working class parents, Amelia Dippel and John Eckhardt, Sr., who lived in a rowhouse in Baltimore. Eck had an older sister named Carolyn and a twin named Robert, neither of whom was born with Eck's congenital birth defects: Eck was born with virtually nothing beneath his rib cage, and with his tongue permanently embedded in his cheek. At birth, Eck weighed two pounds and was less than eight inches in length.

Eck was educated at home by his older sister Caroline, and had learned to read and write by 4 years of age. His mother intended that he would go into the ministry, and the young Eck was often called upon to perform impromptu sermons for guests. "I would climb atop of a small box and preach against drinking beer and damning sin and the devil," Eck recalled in an autobiographical fragment. These sermons quickly came to an end when Eck began passing around a saucer for donations.

Eck and his brother enrolled in public school at age 7. He recalled that larger students would "fight each other for the 'honor' or 'privilege' of lifting me up the stone steps" to school, and that school windows were blacked out to discourage throngs of curious onlookers from peering in at Eck during his studies.

At an early age, Eck developed an interest in painting and woodworking, and would spend hours with his brother carving and painting elaborate, fully articulated circuses. He was also a prolific screen painter.

Professional career

In December of 1923 Eck and his brother attended a performance of stage magic at his local church. Eck clambered onto the stage at one point to accept a gift from the magician, John McAsian, who was flabbergasted at the sight of the boy. McAslan offered Eck a contract with a local carnival, and his parents signed a one-year contract, which Eck claims the magician later changed to a 10-year contract by adding a zero.

Eck was billed as a single-o (solo sideshow act), though he traveled with Robert and used Robert's normalcy to emphasize his own abnormal physique. His performance included sleight-of-hand and acrobatic feats including his famous one-armed handstand.

Eck and Robert were recruited by illusionist/hypnotist Raja Raboid for his Miracles of 1937 show. Robert would be "recruited" from the audience for a hypnosis stunt, then kept on-stage for a sawing-in-half illusion, During the illusion, Robert would be switched with Eck and a dwarf wearing trousers that covered his whole body, disguising him as the subject's pelvis and legs. Raboid would saw between Eck and the dwarf. Eck would then chase his "legs" across the stage. Stage hands would pluck Eck up, set him atop the dwarf, and twirl them off-stage, replacing them with Robert, who would then threaten to sue Raboid and storm out of the theater. Though the act met with applause and laughter, Eck would later tell stories of audience members fainting, screaming, or fleeing the theater in terror.

Eck is featured as the "Half-Boy" in Tod Browning's 1932 film "Freaks," and as a bird creature or "Gooney Bird" in three Tarzan movies: "Tarzan the Ape Man" (1932), "Tarzan Escapes" (1936) and "Tarzan's Secret Treasure" (1941).

Later Life

Eck resided in Baltimore with his twin brother Robert and pursued his interests in screen painting, race cars, photography, music and model-making. In 1988, Eck was physically assaulted during a home robbery. Soured by the experience, he and Robert thenceforth lived in seclusion, declining to admit strangers into their home. Eck died in his sleep on April 28, 1991. Robert died on February 25, 1995. They are buried under one headstone in Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore.

References

• Skal, David J. The Monster Show, pages 145-6. Second edition, 2002. Faber And Faber, New York. ISBN 0-571-19996-8

American Sideshow: An Encyclopedia of History's Most Wondrous and Curiously Strange Performers (Tarcher/Penguin, 2005) by Marc Hartzman. Johnny Eck and his twin brother are featured on the cover.