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Jack Earle

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Circus Performer

The Resume

    (July 3, 1906-July 18, 1952)
    Born in Denver, Colorado
    Birth name was Jacob Rheuben Ehrlich
    Height: 7 feet, 7.5 inches
    Toured in the sideshow of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus
    Appeared in over 20 silent short films, including 'Hansel and Gretel' (1923) and 'Jack and the Beanstalk' (1924)
    Nicknamed 'The Texas Giant' and 'Pecos Bill'

Why he might be annoying:

    Ironically given his later size, he weighed only four pounds at birth and doctors feared he was too small to survive.
    Growing up, he would avoid people by walking down alleys on his way to school.
    His film career was based on height rather than acting talent.
    In the sideshow, he added nearly a foot to his height, billing himself as 8'6.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His film career came to an end when he fell off a scaffold, breaking his nose.
    While in the hospital, he lost his sight.
    Doctors discovered a pituitary tumor which had pressed against the optic nerve after the fall.
    He underwent four months of x-ray treatments which restored his eyesight and also halted his growth.
    After leaving the circus, he became a successful salesman for the Roma Wine Company.
    He was referenced in the Tom Waits song 'Get Behind the Mule.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 19 Votes: 52.63% Annoying