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Verifiable data about Schlitzie's (spelling also “Schlitze”, “Shlitze”, “Slitzy”) life have not survived. Many sources on the Internet state that Schlitzie was probably born in New York on September 10, 1901. Schlitzie's official death certificate shows September 10, 1901 as his birthday, although some sources mention September 10, 1890 as his birthday. Schlitzie's birth parents and real name are not known. The erroneous assumption that he was born in Yucatán, Mexico is due to the fact that he was often presented in the so-called “sideshows” as “The Last Of The Aztecs” or “The Last Of The Incas”.

Schlitzie was born with the so-called “microcephaly”, a disability that causes a malformation of the head. In microcephaly, the head and brain (also called “microencephaly” in reference to the brain) are significantly smaller than in a comparable human. Microcephaly causes severe mental retardation as well as physical limitations such as short stature, nearsightedness, hearing problems, and epileptic seizures. People with microcephaly were also called “pinheads” in the English-speaking world at the beginning of the 20th century because of their special head shape and were paraded as a circus attraction. Because of the disability, Schlitzie was on the mental level of a 3-year-old. He could not take care of himself and knew only a few words with which he could formulate simple sentences. However, it can be assumed that Schlitzie understood what was said to him, because according to his contemporaries he had the ability to follow instructions and to react spontaneously to what was said to him with facial expressions and gestures. He could dance, sing and count to ten, but he always skipped the number seven.

Many sources assume that Schlitzie was probably sold to a circus by his biological parents. Even though this practice, which sounds strange from today's point of view, was already forbidden in the USA at that time, it was still practiced. So it is likely that Schlitzie was passed on to a variety of circus troupes in the course of his early life, so that an exact career can no longer be traced today.

Career

In the so-called “sideshows”, people with microcephaly were presented as “pinheads” or the “last Aztecs” (due to the practice, widespread in the Mesoamerican Aztec culture, of tying the head with cloth from early childhood in order to obtain a conical head shape) as an attraction. Schlitzie performed in well-known American circuses such as the Tom Mix Circus, Clyde Beatty Circus, Cole Bros. Circus, Crafts 20 Big Shows and Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the 20's and 30's. For example in 1924 and 1925 with the “Congress of Freaks” at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey in New York's Madison Square Garden. In the Tom Mix circus, Schlitzie performed with artist Ted Metz (erroneously called “Tom Metz” in some sources), since then he has been called “Schlitzie Metz” or “Simon Metz”.

Although Schlitzie was often presented as a woman under titles like “The Monkey Girl,” he was male. He always wore long dresses, which often left viewers confused as to whether Schlitzie was male or female. However, long loose dresses came in handy for Schlitzie's caregiver, as he wore diapers under the dress due to incontinence. Whether the incontinence was congenital or only developed over the course of life and was therefore a side effect of old age is not known. In order to accentuate the conical head shape, Schlitzie's head was completely shaved, with the exception of a small tuft of hair in the middle of the head. Schlitzie's contemporaries reported that he loved circus life and was always treated lovingly by his handlers and the other performers.

In 1928, Schlitzie made his film debut in the silent movie »The Sideshow«, a drama by director Erle C. Kenton in which other actors with physical deformities also took part. Schlitzie is also said to have starred in the movie “Island of Lost Souls,” also directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring actor Bela Lugosi, but it's unclear if that's really Schlitzie, because close-up shots from the movie give the impression that this is not Schlitzie, but another person. Schlitzie gained greater notoriety in 1932 with the movie »Freaks« by »Dracula« director Tod Browning. Originally planned as a horror movie, the movie takes place in a circus setting and is about the unfortunate love affair between the short Hans (Harry Earles) and the attractive trapeze artist Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova). In addition to Schlitzie, several other actors with physical disabilities also appear in »Freaks«, e.g. the two short siblings Harry and Daisy Earles from the so-called “Doll Family”, the two sisters Jenny Lee Snow and Elvira Snow, who also suffer from microcephaly, the so-called “living torso” Prince Randian, Elizabeth Green known as “Bird Woman” and Peter Robinson, the “human skeleton”.

“Freaks” was shown to a test audience in January 1932. The movie had a length of 90 minutes. Due to the horrified reaction of the test audience, the movie was severely shortened. On February 12, 1932, the movie, now only 64 minutes long, premiered in Los Angeles. The film sparked a great deal of controversy and received a very negative reception from audiences. In some states of the USA it was banned, in Great Britain this ban was even valid for 30 years. The movie has been allowed again in Great Britain since 1963, but with an X rating.

Over time, however, the perception of the movie has changed significantly. Since the actors with the physical peculiarities are portrayed as warm and loving people, who are characterized by a strong bond with each other, and not as the strange “monsters” that they were often perceived by the audience at the time, the movie is a plea for tolerance. The message of the film consists essentially in the fact that the true “monsters” are often found in the outwardly “beautiful” people and not necessarily in the people who, due to an innate physical difference or one acquired over the course of life, do not conform to the common ideal of a “perfect person”. The good or the bad of a person can be found in his or her character and not in the external appearance. Appearances are deceptive. »Freaks« is now considered to be of particular cultural, historical and aesthetic value in the USA and was therefore included in the National Film Registry in 1994.

In 1934, Schlitzie is said to have had a cameo appearance in director Crane Wilbur's movie Tomorrow's Children, in which he played a criminal who was sentenced to forced sterilization, a common punishment for felons at the time. The role is notable for the fact that it is the only role that has seen Schlitzie with a full head of hair and a beard. However, there are sources who have significant doubts as to whether the actor is really Schlitzie.

In 1935, Schlitzie was adopted by chimpanzee trainer George Surtees. Since then, Schlitzie has carried the surname “Surtees”. Surtees met Schlitzie while working at the Tom Mix Circus. During his time with Surtees, Schlitzie continued to perform as a circus attraction. Schlitzie's last film role was in the 1941 movie »Meet Boston Blackie« as the circus attraction Princess Bibi.

In 1960, Schlitzie performed in the E.K. Hernandez Circus in Hawaii. In 1961 and 1962 he was part of the Vanteen & Lee sideshow. His last known performance was in 1968 in the Dobritch International Circus's Hall & Christ World of Wonders sideshow at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

When George Surtees died in 1965, two years after his wife Dolores, his daughter, who had no connection with circus life, committed Schlitzie to the psychiatric ward at Los Angeles County Hospital, where Schlitzie spent about three years. He was recognized there by Bill Unks, a sword swallower who worked as a janitor at the clinic outside of the circus season. According to Unks, Schlitzie was in poor health, primarily mentally; he was depressed and visibly uncomfortable in the clinic. He missed the circus life he was so familiar with. Unks managed that Schlitzie was allowed back into the circus under Unk's employer Sam Alexander. His health is said to have improved significantly there. He could once again live the life he had known for decades.

Death

On September 24, 1971, Schlitzie died of pneumonia (bronchopneumonia) at the Fountain View Convalescent Home, Los Angeles, believed to be 71 years old. He was buried in Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Los Angeles County, California (Grave 69, Tier 21, Section E). The funeral took place on October 1, 1971. Schlitzie was buried in an unmarked grave without a headstone.

In 2007, the owner of findadeath.com visited the grave of Schlitzie. When he wrote about his visit, mentioning that Schlitzie doesn't have a tombstone, members of the site's forums thought about what they could do to properly honor Schlitzie's life. They contacted the administration of the Queen of Heaven Cemetery and were told that Schlitzie's funeral was still not fully paid for, as Schlitzie apparently did not leave enough money to fully pay for the funeral. Forum members organized a fundraiser and raised a few hundred dollars, which was used to purchase a flat black tombstone. The tombstone is inscribed: SCHLITZE SURTEES SEPT. 10. 1901 – SEPT. 24. 1971.

Cultural influence

• Years after his death, Schlitzie became the inspiration for comic book artist Bill Griffith's character “Zippy the Pinhead”.

• The Ramones' 1977 song “Pinhead” was inspired by Schlitzie and the movie Freaks. The lyrics “Gabba gabba, we accept you, we accept you, one of us” alludes to the famous wedding scene in “Freaks”, in which the main characters, the so-called “Freaks”, seated at a wedding table, sing the song “Gooble , gobble, we accept her, we accept her, one of us, one of us!” to express that they accept the trapeze artist “Cleopatra” (Olga Baclanova) as one of them, because she wants to marry Hans (Harry Earles). The scene escalates when Cleopatra, while drunk, insults and pokes fun at the “freaks”, making it obvious that she only wants to marry Hans because she is after his inherited fortune.

Epilog

The biography presented here does not claim to be complete or correct. There are a number of sources on Schlitzie's life, but these sources sometimes contradict each other considerably. It will probably no longer be possible to create a complete, fact-based biography due to the unreliable and incomplete data and the large time lag. The omdb community is welcome to edit this article for improvement.

Sources

• Memorial page by Verne Langdon at Find A Grave, created 04/27/2006
• The Human Marvels (Biography)
• A Biography by Asher Cantrell at Grunge.com, last updated 11/25/2020
• Detailed biography with photos at findadeath.com
• List of movies from the National Film Registry
• Report by author and musician Wolf Krakowski from April 9th, 2011 about his personal encounter with Schlitzie on altereddimensions.net
• “The Sad Story Of Schlitzie” by William DeLong at allthatsinteresting.com, published 8/13/2018, updated 1/27/2020
• Official Website of Comic Artist Bill Griffith's Zippy The Pinhead

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