I love this photo. On the back it reads "July '03 Season 1923". I'm not sure who A.G. Barnes was but Harry Earles who played Hans in Tod Browning's Freaks and Tweedle Dee the Dwarf in both versions of The Unholy Three 1925 and 1930 (the first was silent and directed by Browning, the second version was the talkie remake directed by Jack Conway) is the little guy in the front with his left hand in his pocket. Now that's entertainment!
6 minutes ago
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10 comments:
As you're a Herzog fan, you must already know about his "Even Dwarfs Started Small"--a descendant of Klinkhart's Troupe?
'Terror of Tiny Town' is another peach of a pixie picture. Isn't Earle's wife in Freaks really his sister? I think her name was Daisy.
Hey Jim, Its Larry Shell, and as someone who's collected sideshow related material for 30+ years including multiple photos of Harry Earles and his sisters, I can say with total certainty that he is not the little guy with his hand in his pocket. He's definitely not in this photo. Its a cool one though, I have this postcard in my collection too!
" I can say with total certainty that he is not the little guy with his hand in his pocket. He's definitely not in this photo. "
I'll take your word for it, sure looks like him to me though. Something about the look on his face reminds me of the scene in The Unholy Three when he lets the ape out of the cage.
I'm with Mr. Shell, here, definitely not Mr. Earle; this fella looks older & plumper, and with dark hair as opposed to Harry's blonde locks. But you're right, he does have that same gleeful glow of pure evil in his face...
My favorite scene in all of cinema is in the remake of UNHOLY THREE, where Earle scowls and glares daggers at the audience while the talker goes about his spiel (just prior to Harry kicking the snot kid in the teeth!). Definitely the model for Major Mosquito in Gresham's NIGHTMARE ALLEY, whose seething first appearance and inner dialogue is practically a transcription of this scene (minus the kid-kicking).
" Definitely the model for Major Mosquito in Gresham's NIGHTMARE ALLEY, whose seething first appearance and inner dialogue is practically a transcription of this scene (minus the kid-kicking).
"
I never thought of that, I bet you're right, no doubt Gresham saw the movie. I did blog about him back in
April:
http://thehoundblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/william-lindsay-gresham.html
I love Harry Earles! There is nothing more terrifying to me than a midget dressed as a baby. I actually have a terror of dwarves, but not midgets (there is a difference) and that Herzog movie, for me, is the stuff of nightmares.
I definitely think the sound version of UNHOLY THREE was an influence on Gresham (whose profile on your site I greatly appreciated -- a major talent whose obscurity is a crime of cosmic proportions). Not only the midget, but the strongman character in the book very much resembles the Unholy Three's somewhat dim, accented thug. I always thought you could stitch together a pretty complete translation of the book by combining the film adaptation, the midget and strongman from the sound UNHOLY THREE, and Johnny Eck in FREAKS. I surely love the movie as it is, but I can't help but imagine what it coulda been like with an extra hour of running time & the aforementioned actors added... (though I wouldn't give up Mike Mazurki for anything, accent or not).
I've got a mag here somewhere with "A.G. Barnes" on it. Can't remembr what...sorry.
PJL
I am attempting to uncover the mystery of Riverside, CA's midget village. It is rumoured that the Klinkhart midgets may have been stranded in Riverside sometime between 1928 and 1938. See "mysteries of midgetville" youtube video. I happen to have special information (evidence); the concrete steps have the impression of a tiny handprint and the name Bill Van Laan (Lavn?-last word illegible really) and the year 1936. The village was torn down but the steps were "fished" out of the demo heap and salvaged so the ugly mystery could be rehashed at a later date. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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