Johnny Eck's (pictured at right) name, to magicians and magic historians, is entwined with that of Rajah Raboid, a mindreader and magician most prominent during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. In the 20s, Raboid was one of a host of conjurers who attempted to cash in on the craze surrounding the Sawing a Woman In Half illusion. But there was a marked difference between Raboid's version of the illusion and all others. Raboid had Johnny Eck on his staff - and Johnny's twin brother Robert, too.

In Raboid's version, a man from the audience was sawn in half. But instead of making the sawn man whole again at the conclusion of the performance, Raboid, in a display of what was, apparently magic gone wrong, found that the man's legs and torso remained separate - and each one apparently had a mind of its own; the legs ran around the stage in one direction, while the man's torso went another direction! Below is a photo of Eck with Raboid in rehearsals for the illusion.

Eck was a multi-talented performer and entertainer, practiced the little-known art of screen painting, and appeared prominently in the Tod Browning film, Freaks. Along with his brother Robert, he was a long-time resident of Baltimore.

You can read all about the Raboid illusion, Johnny's bio, and see countless rare photos, at the virtual Johnny Eck museum. I found the pages delightful, and so will anyone else interested in the history of circuses, sideshows, magic and this remarkable man. Click here.