Freak! Baby! Munchkin! The Unique Physique: Harry Earles.

The always impressive Turner Classic Movies showed The Unholy Three (1925) the other night, a film that stands as one of Lon Chaney Sr.'s most famous. The memorable story of three circus performers who leave the stage for a life of crime when they conceive what they feel to be the "perfect" crime is both simple, ridiculous, and highly orignal. The three will get into the parrot selling business(!), unloading the birds on well-to-do members of high society. When their customers phone the pet shop the next day to complain that their parrots don't talk, the three pay their patrons a visit, and rob them. Y'know, that tired story again.

The Unholy Three is notable for several reasons. Along with the absurd plot, Lon Chaney, initially introduced to us as a ventriloquist, appears in drag for most of the film. The opening sequence featuring an assortment of odd looking sideshow performers was predecessor to another of director Tod Browning's demented celluloid contributions which was to come seven years later, Freaks (1932).  Also, the concept of a hulking male dressing as a woman in order to commit crime was, remarkably, re-used eleven years later by Browning in his film The Devil-Doll (1936) with Lionel Barrymore. As if this weren't enough, The Unholy Three is most notable of all for the performance of the most famous thirty nine inch tall actor in Hollywood history, Harry Earles.                                                                        

Earles had an unmistakable look, and in Hollywood's silent era, the aesthetics of one's face was far more important than acting ability. During the twenties when film could not rely on anything but visuals (a reliance that hypothetically should remain today but too often does not), that distinctive look could be pay dirt for an actor. Knowing that a man of his unique physique could easily be type-casted into mere comedic fodder as almost all dwarves, midgets, and general Hollywood little people tended to be in the 1920s, it is said that Earles was the one who brought the stories of both The Unholy Three  as well as the story for Freaks (in the form of a novel by author Clarence A. Robbins called Spurs) to director Browning's attention, Earles knowing full well either could mean a juicy role for himself. Earles eventually did appear in a pair of comedic roles as "a funny little man" in Good News (1930) and Be Big (1931). But don't be concerned if you think Harry's dignity was jeopardized by being laughed at in these films, you can rest assured that in Good News he was billed as "Midget in Trash Basket." The extremely rare piece of footage from this film featuring his sequence has been posted on Youtube which you can watch here.

Born in Germany under the name Kurt Scheider, Harry moved to the United States in 1915 with his sister Daisy who was also afflicted with an abnormally small build. The two were able to capitalize on the burgeoning Vaudeville, Catskill, and Circus sideshow circuits. In 1920 their two pint sized sisters joined them in America and the four would tour under the name The Doll Family, performing their novelty act of small bodied song and dance, eventually joining the crowning jewel of the circus world, Barnum and Bailey. No information is available explaining exactly how, when, and why Harry or his sister moved to Hollywood, but one might wager that they took notice of the overwhelming amount of little people appearing in Hollywood one-reelers.

Although often able to avoid the typecasting of being a mere comedic foil, instead appearing in dramatic parts in the already mentioned Unholy Three and Freaks, and of course as a member of the Lollipop Guild in The Wizard of Oz (1939), he still ended up being typecast in a role that no other actor before or since has ever been typecast as. Earles was often stuck playing the character of an adult posing as a baby. In none of his roles was he playing an actual baby, but always an adult trying to pull a fast one. This gag was Harry's vehicle in That's My Baby (1926), Baby Clothes (1926), Baby Brother (1927), Sailors Beware (1927), of course The Unholy Three (1925) and then again when Browning remade it as a talkie in 1930 bringing the total amount of times he played a phony baby to six!  In all of the films in which he pulled this off it is utterly convincing thanks to his natural baby face. No where is it quite as hysterical as in The Unholy Three when Earles, in an attempt to avert suspicion from his crimes, is posing as a baby who robs parrot buying clients. He almost blows the whole operation's cover several times by forgetting to dispose of his smouldering cigars when someone enters the room, while he is still draped in baby attire.

During the shooting of Freaks the majority of the film's stars were barred from eating in MGM's legendary studio canteen which was notorious for being set up in the most hiearchal of ways. Cast members were no longer allowed to eat amongst the Gables, Harlows, and Garbos after some anonymous MGMers complained to Irving Thalberg that their prescence when they were trying to eat made them sick. One could note how a person was moving up the star system ladder at the studio based on their ever changing seating arrangements. The only exception to the "anti-freaks" rule was the ever debonaire Harry Earles and his sister (who played his jealous wife in the film), who were allowed to continue eating in the console, presumably, not making anybody ill. Freaks is without question the film Earles is best remembered for as he appeared in the love subplot with his sister and performing partner, Daisy. Unfortunately, their thick German accents did not treat their transition from silents to talkies well at all, and it is likely they were fine actors in their native tongue, but the language barrier marred their talents in english.
                                                                                                                           
Contrary to an oft-stated misconception, Earles was not in the classic "all-midget western," The Terror of Tiny Town. As explained over here, Earles had a Hollywood doppelganger named Karl Kosicsky. For an exhaustive list of little people who enjoyed show business careers, the vast majority in silent screen comedy at some point, go here.

After appearances in The Wizard of Oz (alongside every other available little person in California) Earles returned to life on the stage, touring around America well into the fifties until finally retiring to Flordia with his three sisters. They lived in a state-of-the-art custom built house which accomadated their size. The home was often featured in magazines of the era for its novelty. Harry lived well into his eighties, dying in the year 1985. At the very least, check out the silent version of The Unholy Three to see the "unique physique" of Harry Earles, at his finest and at the very start of his, very short (both literaly and figuratively) movie career.

Comments

[LS]

Very good article but a few corrections are in order. The short story "SPURS" by Clarence "Tod" Robbins was the basis of the movie, "FREAKS". THE UNHOLY THREE was the novel and the basis for the film of the same name. The other correction is that Daisy (AKA Hilda) Earle was Harry's sister not his wife. Every available source of biographical information on the Earles I've read states this fact. I also spoke to Harry many years ago so I know this as facr. Harry had 3 sisters, Gracie (born Frieda), Daisy (born Hilda) and Tiny (born Elly). There is an excellent bio of the Earles on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doll_Family

[Listener Kliph]

I stand corrected, thanks for that. So that means in Freaks his wife was his sister, right? Thanks for the help, I'd go ahead and re-edit the article right now, but then your comment would no longer make sense.

[Listener Kliph]

Ah, fuck it. Corrections have been made. Thanks again.

[Blind Uncle]

Say, if anybody has a dvd copy of the silent version of this film and wants to trade for something neat, drop me an email, please.

[LS]

You're welcome. Always glad to see anyone remember the Doll Family AKA The Earles. For the other poster who asked about THE UNHOLY THREE silent version. Neither that or the sound remake have ever been issued on video or DVD. I have seen the sound version years ago which was pretty entertaining but not the silent. The pair of films would make for a nice DVD reissue but that's up to whoever owns the current rights and I'm assuming its whoever owns the MGM holdings. LS

[Caroline]

Excellent article! Thanks for clearing up the whole "Terror of Tiny Town" misconception; it hadn't occurred to me that Karl "Karchy" Kosicsky was the one being mistaken for Harry. Two more very minor corrections for you: It wasn't Tod Browning who re-made "The Unholy Three" as a talkie in 1930; that version was directed by Jack Conway. Also, during the production of "Freaks," Violet & Daisy Hilton (the conjoined twins) were also allowed to dine in the studio canteen with all the "normal" people. The rest of the cast had to eat outside on picnic benches; there are photos of this sad setup on file at the AMPAS library. Anyway, very lovely article; I have been working on an extensive website on the cast of "Freaks" for several months now, & it's always good to see one of these remarkable performers recognized.

[Caroline]

Forgot to mention! To the poster asking about "The Unholy Three" on DVD, I have heard rumors that both versions will be included in the next Lon Chaney Collection box set. Don't know when or if that will ever happen, though. Actually the silent version is available in its entirety on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMK9ZM8kxCo. Anyone who has any further questions or insights into the Doll Family, please feel free to contact me.

[Michael Powers]

"But don't be concerned if you think Harry's dignity was jeopardized by being laughed at in these films, you can rest assured that in Good News he was billed as 'Midget in Trash Basket.'" Oh my god, Kliph, I laughed so goddam hard. You're the funniest writer on the internet.

[Michael Powers]

Chaney's premature death from cancer remains the most resonant might-have-been in Hollywood history. It's evident from the sound version of "The Unholy Three" that Chaney was as talented vocally as he was in every other way and that he had an utterly magnificent natural speaking voice. I can't even begin to imagine what impact he would've had on the films of the 30s and on our collective consciousness if he'd lived. Would he have played Dracula and Frankenstein (despite being contracted to MGM) and, if so, what would that have done to our imaginations? Chaney was right up there with Chaplin and Welles as one of the screen's most potent talents and the fact that he only lasted one movie into the sound era is almost too much to bear if you dare to think about it. His minimally gifted son adopting his name only makes the joke on us all that much crueler. (By the way, why doesn't Chaney, Jr. ever move his face in so many scenes in "The Ghost of Frankenstein?" Was he actually wearing a mask, or what?)

[andrew reed]

i luv the doll family

[Ruthie]

I've just come across a photo of the entire cast of FREAKS. You can find it at this link: http://gregkrieger.tripod.com/aladamson/angelo/angelofreaks1.jpg

Can you tell me why Harry (Doll) Earles is not pictured? That's not him in the front in a dress is it? I'd appreciate the help.

Thanks for your time,
Ruthie

[Ray]

Excellent article. Can anyone tell me where I can buy a book on Harry Earles and the Doll Family?

[Deb]

Great article, thanks for posting it. If only the Earle family could have lived forever...someone should make a biopic about them, but I suppose it might be tricky to cast. Harry Earles was a real original.