Comments on: A movie to rent: Freaks (1932)

By: Ralph Morgan

Ralph Morgan — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:44:47 +0000

I knew Johnny Eck, he was very nice and really put up with alot from stupid people though he never judged anyone nor had many bad words for them…his brother took care of him as best he could and their lives were alot like others'.
Baclanova thought that John was very good looking (he was) and was touched by John's sweet gift he'd made for her during the filming of "FREAKS"…John went on to play a giant bird in Johnny Weismuller Tarzan film shooting on neighbouring lot…it was a moot point that John was "VerySpecial"…he never saw himself as anything but a hard working man and brother.

By: chris

chris — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:11:51 +0000

i saw the movie great film these people yhat played in the film are great humans i wish i had the change to meet them all

By: Helen Reade Curl

Helen Reade Curl — Sat, 22 May 2010 17:06:05 +0000

I saw the1932 movie, "FREAKS", about 8 years ago. My Daddy had told me about this unusual but SAD movie. I've been curious about the actors who were "for real"! No make-up artist could have created such characters at the time! I've often wondered whatever happened to these real people who actually played themselves—except for their acting lines and their actions—they were WHO they were! I was intrigued with the armless & legless man. I felt compassion for them all because they were genuinely real! I couldn't imagine how life was for each of them in varying degrees of their abilities or lack thereof—physical, mental and/or emotional!!! I also wondered if any of these challenged people ever got married and had normal children. I wondered if SOME—by the looks of their misshapen heads and unusual facial expressions— were mentally slow or retarded. At the time this movie was filmed, my parents were 6 and 3 years old! My parents were in their forties before they ever saw this movie! My Mother is now 80! Incidentally—I've only seen this movie ONCE! It is not a well-known movie! Most folks I've spoken to about this movie never heard of it! Why hasn't it been shown more often?