Schlitzie was a sideshow performer in the early and mid 1900's.  Born with a condition called microcephaly, his cranium and brain were unusually small and he only stood about 4 feet tall.  He had the mental capacity of about a 3 year old.

Little is known for sure about Schlitzie.  His birthplace, real name, and who his parents were really remains a mystery.  It's thought that his parents sold him to a traveling sideshow at a very young age.  Throughout his entire life he was under the guardianship of people who operated sideshows.  

He was featured in the controversial 1932 film "Freaks".  Sometime in the 60's he was found to be very depressed and living in some sort of institution.  A sword swallower came across him, knew who he was and convinced the staff to release Schlitzie into his care.  They did and Schlitzie spent his final years living in Los Angeles, occasionally performing or people on the streets of Santa Monica and Hollywood.

He died in the early 1970's.

Steve Belgard is in the process of making a documentary film about Schlitzie.  Due out sometime in 2016, "Schlitzie: One of Us" will take a closer look at the mysterious life of this wonderful person.

We chat with Steve all about Schlitzie and his filmmaking process.

Special thanks to John Kite for allowing us to feature his song "Schlitzie" in this episode.

 

Email Joe Parisi at [email protected]

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