While Steve Mills was managing Schlitzie, he was also running his Glenwood Hotel in the Catskills which was then, as now, a popular destination spot for tourists. In 1926 Mr. Mills' 200-room lodge was destroyed by fire. It seems that in his resolve to rebuild he weighed his options and decided to retire from the show business and devote his energies to the inn. My best guess is the Schlitzie pit show was then sold to fellow New Yorker and showman Ted Metz. Soon thereafter, Ted and family with Schlitzie in tow decided to relocate to the West Coast, probably in late 1927. This timetable is supported by the fact that the last time we hear of Schlitzie in the New York area was in a 1927 news article conducted as a mock interview to advertise the Elks Club charity circus. The next we hear of him, Schlitzie is touring with Clarence Wortham's carnival, a carnival that was based in New Mexico.
Further supporting this is Ari Roussimoff, director of "Freaks Uncensored", who testifies that Schlitzie's first film appearance was in the (Dec) 1928 silent film "The Side Show." I cannot verify this, as the film exists only in its original form and is rarely screened. The Al G. Barnes Circus provided the backdrop for this film and one is tempted to believe that Schlitzie must have been part of that traveling show. However, this Circus at the time of filming was then wintering in the Los Angeles area. Therefore, because of its proximity to Hollywood, the wintering Al G. Barnes Circus provided the backdrop for several other motion pictures as well, including "His Tiger Lady" (1928), "Charlie Chan at the Circus" (1936) and "Circus Girl" (1937) |
