Here's Melvin Burkhart

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.

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!