In the early 1900s, contortionists were all the rage. Newspapers would often print photographs of contortionists in various positions and they were the source of common, slapstick humor, featured in newspaper cartoons. People were fascinated with contortionists and simply could not get enough of them.
In Australia, there were advertisements in the wanted ads for contortionists. The Melbourne University School of Anatomy wanted them to “give demonstrations to medical students studying joint mechanisms and muscles.”
With so much attention being given to those who could contort their bodies and perform incredible feats using balance, it is no wonder that they were often the source of some pretty unusual stories. [SOURCE 1]
Apprenticeship
Jesse, a member of a contortionist group, shared how he became a contortionist in an article from 1882. Bucking popular belief that contortionists rubbed their joints with grease and slept in oiled blankets, he explained that his career began when he just six years old. He was apprenticed to a circus man in California and said that he was just like any other boy at that time.
After four years of bending and twisting on a daily basis, he was finally deemed a “good” contortionist and was given a weekly salary, but his practice did not stop there. “To be able to tickle your ear with your toe, you have only to take about two hours’ practice daily for four or five years,” he said. Heavy lifting and jumping was forbidden because he was taught that it would stiffen up the joints. Peanuts and alcohol were not allowed for the same reason. It was only with strict diet, exercises that did not bulk up the muscles, and almost daily performances that a contortionist could truly become great in the eyes of the audience. [SOURCE 2]
Sold His Body For Dissection
Walter “Daddy” Wentworth was once well known for his box trick where he would fold himself into a small box, about the size of a suitcase. In the mid 1800s, Wentworth said he was earning an astonishing $20,000 a season performing the box trick, but by the early 1900s, contortionists who could fit themselves into small boxes were only earning about $15 a week.
But the decrease in earnings did not bother Wentworth because, by 1902 he had just retired from the circus at the age of seventy-seven. Interestingly enough, popular belief at that time said that Wentworth would not reach old age because he was a contortionist. In fact, on two separate occasions Wentworth had sold his body for $100 to physicians who had hoped to dissect him upon his death, but he had outlived both of them.
Wentworth went on to say that he was again looking to sell his future corpse to yet a third doctor, believing that this time the doctor might outlive him. Whether he succeeded or not is not known. [SOURCE 3]
Legless Beggar
Not all contortionists went on to make a living in the circus or by being a sideshow exhibit. Some found it far easier to just beg for their money.
A contortionist living in Paris, France in 1917 was bringing in the money by pretending to be a legless beggar. The story he liked to tell people was that he was in the German invasion of Belgium. Claiming to be from the Belgium military, he said that the Germans took him hostage. He woke up in Germany and both of his legs had been amputated for no reason other than cruelty.
His story not only brought him sympathy, but plenty of coins. The contortionist was caught having legs and his story was published across Europe, Australia, and the U.S. No word was given on how he was caught or what happened to him afterwards, but he more than likely came up with a new story and a new city to bring in the money. [SOURCE 4]
Faked Accidents
If begging did not appeal to a contortionist, he still had other options available to earn some decent cash. One contortionist used his ability to dislocate his bones to swindle money from the railroads.
In one case, the contortionist was on the train’s platform when he went to step down, caught his foot in a crack, and fell, dislocating his hip. The company’s surgeon as well as two other surgeons looked the man over and said he would be a cripple for life. He got a lawyer and the railroad company paid him $2200, his lawyer fees, and a free train ride to another city.
While the man was in Virginia,1898, he was seen investigating the railway station for a place to catch his heel. The witness recognized the man as the person who had sued the previous railway company. It was soon learned that the “professional contortionist” had sued numerous companies for his falls. [SOURCE 5]
His Last Trick
While some contortionists made a living faking accidents, other contortionists had their lives ended from fatal accidents.
Carlisle Harley was known as Little Gen. He was a short man, only four feet high, and he gave his performances at the Ripon Casino sideshows in Australia. At the end of each performance, he would “stand on his head, with his hands straight by his side, and throw himself backwards on to his feet and bow to the audience.”
The stunt was a recipe for disaster. On his final performance in 1919, he managed to land on his feet, but lost his footing. He hit the rail near the stage, hurting his shoulder, and then hit his head. He was unconscious when removed from the stage and was sent to the Ripon Workhouse Infirmary.
When he regained consciousness, he was unable to move. His health rapidly deteriorated and he passed on.
Doctors examined him after his death and discovered that he “had a fracture and dislocation of the spine.” His death was listed as, “Accidentally killed by breaking his neck.” [SOURCE 6]
Frog Hopper
Dave Mitchell, of West Footscray, had been a contortionist since he was a mere six-years-old and by the time he reached 77 in 1948, he was not about to quit doing what he loved. In fact, his doctor told him that he could not quit because he had been “contorting” for too long to just suddenly give it up.
That was okay with Mitchell. He planned on doing his frog leaping contortion act for another twenty years. For those days when he did not feel like hopping around and putting his legs behind his neck, he made himself a teddy bear costume to act in.
Besides his age, what was really interesting about Mitchell was that his father was a tailor for contortionists and would create costumes that would allow Mitchell to wrap and twist his body in many different ways. Mitchell picked up the tailoring skills of his father and began making his own costumes. [SOURCE 7]
Insane Dope Fiend
Not all contortionists lived charmed lives. Frank Caswell was a famous contortionist for Barnum & Bailey’s Circus and thousands had witnessed his acrobatic acts, but in 1909, he was little more than a dope addict.
Caswell had been arrested. He was emaciated and was begging for “hypodermic injections of drugs.” Since he had to spend the night in jail, the jailer went out and bought Caswell his drug of choice so that everyone inside the jail could get some peace of mind.
The next day, Caswell was brought before the lunacy commission and he was declared insane. He was taken to an asylum where even he himself hoped that he could overcome his addiction to morphine.
It turned out that his morphine habit was not intentional. He had previously damaged his spine and during his time in the hospital, he had a 20-pound weight attached to his head to “cure” his neck. This naturally caused him a tremendous amount of pain and he was given large doses of morphine. He continued using the morphine after his body had healed.
A Billboard from 1911 shows that “Professor” Frank Caswell went back to work in the circus as, yet again, a contortionist. [SOURCES 8, 9]
Pining For The Good Old Days
Ed Ford began his act when gas flares were used as floodlights. At first, he was a boy singer, but he eventually developed a facial contortion act where he could do such stunts as cry on one side of his face while laughing with the other side of his face.
After fifty years in the business, he really missed the good old days when the acts were clean. According to him, “There were none of the jokes with double meanings. They’d make an old-timer trouper turn in his grave.” The 1930’s were, apparently, a little too crude for Mr. Ford.
On the flip side, he said that managers were far ruder in the late 1800s. According to him, if someone came in for an audition, he was more likely to be given the “bird” than to be given a job. They also had “property guns” that were loaded up and fired if an act was deemed to awful to watch. [SOURCE 10]
Retirement And Long Life
What did contortionists do after they retired? “Professor Mons Rex” just kept on going. At the age of 91, he was still moving about, but this time he was running messages and delivering flowers for a florist shop in Sydney in 1945.
He used to be known as “The Human Frog,” a popular title for many contortionists who would wear costumes and perform frog-like stunts with their lanky legs. According to him, he could still perform most of his old moves in spite of his age and said that his sight and hearing was still in perfect working order.
His daily routine included getting up every morning at 5 am and taking a walk before having his breakfast. He would work all week and spend Saturdays watching football or cricket matches.
No obituary could be found that listed his stage name. [SOURCE 11]
What Happened To Alice?
It was a life that left behind numerous questions. Alice Broenimann, a Swiss contortionist, went to Australia in 1949 with a theatrical troupe to perform amazing stunts that showed off her flexibility and balancing skills. Then, all of a sudden, she was gone.
The police searched for her, threatening deportation, but she was soon found. She had left the troupe for reasons unknown and had gotten a job as a waitress at Blackheath. With a job, she would be able to show herself as a productive member of Australia and not a drain on resources.
The threat of deportation went away, but the men of Australia were enamored with the 18-year-old contortionist. She received numerous fan letters and two marriage proposals, but she was able to laugh them off, calling it all “one big joke.”
After this, she disappeared from the newspapers until 1952. Two letters were sent out: one to Alice’s parents and one to Blackheath. The letters stated that Alice, at 21 years of age, had died while at sea on her return to Switzerland. No cause of death was given.
Nearly two weeks later it was reported that Alice’s relatives were seeking information. They did not know that she was returning home and wanted to know why she had left Australia.
After this, her story goes cold and falls into the cracks of the long forgotten ages. [SOURCES 12, 13, 14, 15]
