In one segment of my show,
Man of Mystery, I'll discuss my experiences as a magician at the Coney Island Sideshow. As you might imagine, I met some interesting people.
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| Photo: Scott Helfrich |
This is Melvin Burkhart, the Anatomical Wonder. He's also the man who grows, the man who breathes through one lung at a time, and as you see here, the two-faced man. He smiles on one side of his face while frowning on the other. Take out a piece of paper and try this: Cover the side of his face on your right and he's a smiling man. Then, cover the other side and he's cranky. "I can be mad and glad all at the same time!" he used to say to slack-jawed viewers.
I joined the show for three weeks in '89 when Melvin, then age 80, was recovering from an illness. I couldn't do all the things he could do, but at least I could cover the magic act. Melvin retired the following year, and I joined the show in the summer of '90. I only knew Melvin for a couple of weeks, but he was a master in his field; he was written up by Robert Ripley on two occasions, toured with a number of sideshow organizations, and changed the way people would perform "The Human Blockhead" act.
What's a human blockhead? He drives nails, icepicks, and twenty penny spikes into the center of his head with a hammer and yet he lives to laugh and joke about it. Absolutely real, or your money back!
