Pinheads

Known nowadays as microcephaly but it means pretty much the same thing (small head). Microcephalics are characterised most particularly by their small heads (their hair was often shaved around the head and pulled into a ponytail to emphasise this) but also by their short stature. Since their heads do not develop, neither do their brains and so they remain childlike.

There are three in Freaks, two sisters Jenny Lee and Elvira Snow and a man known only as Schlitze but whose real name might be Simon Metz.

I was pretty much unable to find out anything about the two women apart from possible years of birth -1901 for Elvira and 1912 for Jenny Lee and possibly country of origin (Germany). Elvira died in 1976 but Jenny Lee died in 1934 aged only 21.

There is more to be found out about Schlitze as he was particularly joyful and loveable and fans took a shine to him.

He is thought to have been born in 1901 but could have been born earlier, in 1892. For rather nebulous reasons, he was usually presented as a female and wore a dress and he is presented as female in the film. The usual reason given is that he was incontinent and a dress was easier in managing this but there is some dispute about this, not least that he often wore trousers underneath, rather negating the point of a dress. He was said to like getting new dresses and it may just be that he liked wearing one and the concept of a male wearing a dress was too freaky even for a circus sideshow!

He loved being the centre of attention and enjoyed performing in front of crowds in some of the biggest and best known circuses of the day such as Barnum and Bailey and Ringling Bros. However in 1965 his legal guardian George Surtees died and he was passed on to the Surtees' daughter who had no wish to look after a pinhead. Poor Schlitze was shipped off to a nursing home where he mouldered away, becoming depressed. One day he was recognised by a circus performer who was working in the hospital in the off season. His employer took custody of him, putting him back on the stage where he began to enjoy the attention of the crowds once more, both in sideshows and on the streets of Hollywood. However, not having any real family, when he died in 1971 he was buried in an unmarked grave until 2008 when fans located his grave, held a collection and had a gravestone made for him, in the name of Schlitze Surtees.

If you like, you can see Jenny Lee, Elvira and Schlitze in this clip from the film. The clown gets a reprimand!