oddity – The Devil's Muse

Horror Cinema Trivia: Freaks

Author F. Scott Fitzgerald, a member of the MGM writing department at the time Freaks was in production, did not quite feel at home with all the movie stars and powerful moguls, so he often dined with the sideshow attractions during his lunch hour.

Fact from Horror Movie Freaks by Don Sumner, Krause Publications, 2010.

Browning, Tod. Freaks, MGM, 1932.

Telekinesis

I have always been intrigued by the power of telekinesis. Although some of the clips in this video are fakes, like 6, 1 and most likely 4, they are still fun to watch. I especially like 7! So cool!

Buddy and Tippi

“If you thought Tippi Hedren’s affinity for big cats was somehow rooted in revenge on birds, think again. According to the Dec. 4, 1962, edition of Look magazine — published prior to the 1963 release of her first Alfred Hitchcock film, The Birds, but after the harrowing scenes were shot in which the crew threw real birds at her — she accepted one of the creatures as a pet.

“The caption from the feature story, ‘Tippi Hedren: Hitchcock’s New Grace Kelly’ (with Tippi on the cover), reads: ‘Buddy, a pet raven, neatly lights Tippi’s cigarette. She grew so fond of him that she put a sign, ‘Buddy and Tippi,’ on her dressing-room door.'”

Myrtle Corbin, “The Four-Legged Girl from Texas”

“Myrtle Corbin entered the freak show circuit at the age of 13 and was billed as the ‘Four-Legged Girl from Texas.’ Born with two separate pelvises situated side by side, Corbin’s four individual legs made her a very popular ‘oddity:’ she had the ability to move her two inner legs, but they were too weak to sustain her weight or be used for walking.

“Corbin’s fame in the circus directly led to several phony four-legged acts popping up in other freak shows worldwide.

“After her successful circus career, Myrtle married James Clinton Bicknell at the age of 19 and went on to birth four daughters and a son. Corbin died six days short of her 60th birthday, in 1928.”