Freaks (1932)

Director:

Tod Browning

Writer:

Clarence Aaron 'Tod' Robbins (story)
(more)

Release Date:

20 February 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Can a full grown woman truly love a MIDGET ?

Plot:

A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.

Plot Keywords:

Freak | Midget | Trapeze Artist | Circus | Poison

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Wallace Ford	...	Phroso
Leila Hyams	...	Venus
Olga Baclanova	...	Cleopatra
Roscoe Ates	...	Roscoe (as Rosco Ates)
Henry Victor	...	Hercules
Harry Earles	...	Hans
Daisy Earles	...	Frieda
Rose Dione	...	Madame Tetrallini
Daisy Hilton	...	Siamese Twin
Violet Hilton	...	Siamese Twin
Schlitze	...	Himself
Josephine Joseph	...	Half Woman-Half Man
Johnny Eck	...	Half Boy
Frances O'Connor	...	Armless Girl
Peter Robinson	...	Human Skeleton
Olga Roderick	...	Bearded Lady
Koo Koo	...	Herself
Prince Randian	...	The Living Torso (as Rardion)
Martha Morris	...	Armless Girl
Elvira Snow	...	Pinhead (as Zip)
Jenny Lee Snow	...	Pinhead (as Pip)
Elizabeth Green	...	Bird Girl
Angelo Rossitto	...	Angeleno
Edward Brophy	...	Rollo Brother
Matt McHugh	...	Rollo Brother (as Mat McHugh)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Aasen	...	Giant (uncredited)
Ernie Adams	...	Sideshow Patron (uncredited)
Jerry Austin	...	Dwarf Throwing Knife on Hercules (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey	...	Hans' Butler (uncredited)
Albert Conti	...	Landowner (uncredited)
Tiny Doll	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Edith	...	Little Girl Crawling on Her Knees (uncredited)
Delmo Fritz	...	Sword Swallower (uncredited)
Murray Kinnell	...	Freakshow Barker (uncredited)
Burgess Meredith	...	Carny Caller (uncredited)
Michael Visaroff	...	Jean the Caretaker (uncredited)

Directed by
Tod Browning

Writing credits
Clarence Aaron 'Tod' Robbins		(story "Spurs") (as Tod Robbins)
Al Boasberg		additional dialogue (uncredited)
Willis Goldbeck		screenplay (uncredited)
Leon Gordon		screenplay (uncredited)
Charles MacArthur		uncredited
Edgar Allan Woolf		additional dialogue (uncredited)

Produced by
Tod Browning	....	producer (uncredited)
Dwain Esper	....	producer (reissue) (uncredited)
Harry Rapf	....	producer (uncredited)
Hildegarde Stadie	....	producer (reissue) (uncredited)
Irving Thalberg	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Merritt B. Gerstad		(photographed by) (uncredited)

Film Editing by
Basil Wrangell		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons		(uncredited)
Merrill Pye		(uncredited)

Production Management
Harry Sharrock	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Ryan	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Will Sheldon	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
Errol Taggart	....	first assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
G.A. Burns	....	sound recording engineer (uncredited)
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
David S. Horsley	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Oliver T. Marsh	....	additional photographer (uncredited)
Paul Vogel	....	additional photographer (uncredited)

Other crew
Will Sheldon	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• Excelsior (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Joseph Brenner Associates (1970) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1932) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Tornado Film (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Magnus Opus (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1995) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Forbidden Love (USA) (informal title)
Nature's Mistakes (USA) (informal title)
The Monster Show
Fenómenos (Uruguay) (Venezuela) [es]
Freaks (Austria) (West Germany) (TV title) [de]
A Parada dos Monstros (Portugal) [pt]
Barnum (France) [fr]
Dziwolagi (Poland) [pl]
Freaks - La monstrueuse parade (France) [fr]
Freaks - Missgestaltete (Germany) (DVD box title) [de]
Freaks - kummajaiset (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
La Parade des monstres (France) [fr]
La monstrueuse parade (France) [fr]
La parada de los monstruos (Spain) [es]
Monstres (France) [fr]
Monstros (Brazil) [pt]
Sirkussällskapet (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Sirkusseurue (Finland) (informal title) [fi]

Runtime:

64 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Italy:(Banned) (original rating) | Italy:T (VHS/DVD rating) (self applied) | Finland:(Banned) (1932) | Canada:14A (video rating) | Finland:K-16 (1972) (Finnish Film Archive) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:PG | Germany:16 | UK:12 (re-rating) (2001) | UK:15 (video rating) (1995) | UK:R (original rating) | UK:X (re-rating) (1963) | USA:Unrated | Ireland:(Banned) (1999)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

During the 1920s and 1930s, photographer Edward J. Kelty took a succession of group photographs of members of the Barnum and Bailey freak show. What is interesting is how many cast members can be spotted in them (this film is the only movie credit for most of them). Familiar faces include Harry Earles (Hans), Daisy Earles (Frieda), Peter Robinson (human skeleton), Elvira Snow (pinhead), Jenny Lee Snow (pinhead), Elizabeth Green (bird girl) and Olga Roderick (bearded lady).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the scene in which Hans' friends menace Cleopatra in the wagon, the flute soundtrack doesn't match the finger movements of the dwarf playing the flute.

Quotes:

Freaks: We accept you, one of us! Gooble Gobble!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Clerks: The Last Episode Ever (#1.6)" (2001)

Great horror classic from early 30's.

"Freaks" is one of the most controversial horror films from the 30's,mainly because director Tod Browning hired as the actors real sideshow freaks.It does have a rather unsettling effect,but I think that really does work for the film.Browning builds up a great amount of suspense with the good use of locations,story and lots of atmosphere.The ending,where we see freaks crawling in the mud,is pretty creepy.Anyway check this one out-it's worth watching.