Dog-faced Man

Here's a sad childhood memory.

Just around the corner from us, on Ditmas Avenue, there lived the ugliest man I've ever seen in my entire life. He was a small, always solitary old man. He was not deformed, just plain ugly. His nose and mouth stuck way out, but his chin receded; he had very long canine teeth and the world's saddest eyes. He walked the ugliest little dog. 

I confess that when we passed in the street, I looked away, even though I was fascinated enough by his repulsiveness to steal a surreptitious backward glance. I imagine that everyone else whom he passed averted their eyes as well, and that the poor fellow lived in a world not only without friends, but even without eye contact.

Later I learned that he made his living my exhibiting himself nightly at a Coney Island freak show. He was the "Dog-Faced Man."

This was in the late 1940s or early 1950s. I hope that freak shows are a thing of the past. 

Comments

[Tina Beck-Shapiro]

I remember the Dog Faced boy..my mother said his name was "JoJo" and he was indeed in a side show in Coney Island. Apparently, he did his laundry in the laundromat on CI Avenue. My brother, Robert E. Beck went to 217, and graduated in 1954. He went on to St. John's Univ and became a Pharmacist. Beginning at age 13 he worked as a delivery boy for Madenick's drugstore..(corner of CI and Foster). My brother was 13 1/2 years older than me and passed away at age 57 to cancer. I am wondering who recalls him? He was best friends with Eugene Cozza (who became a doctor) Herbie Weinberg, Ralph De Silva (spelling?) Sammy Basso (another doctor) It would be so wonderful to find people who remember him...most sincerely..Tina