Friday, February 27, 2015

One GIANT Memory of East Lake in the 1960's

It was 1960 something, and me along with my brother and cousin rode our bikes over to The Grand Opening of the new Colonial store located in East Lake. We were there to see one thing "The Tallest Man in the World".
He arrived in the smallest car I had ever seen and when he stepped out, he was a  GIANT.
His name was Henry Hite

Henry Hite facts on the back of the 1960's card include:

Age: 49
Height: 8'2"
Weight: 300 lbs
Married 28 years ago in Springfield, Missouri.
Wife: Maria stands 5' 3" tall
Five brothers, seven sisters - all under 5' 11".
From Atlanta, Georgia, but now makes his home in Chicago.

Shirt size: 19
Sleeve length: 42 inches
Size 22 shoes - cost $250 per pair.
Suits cost $250 - require yards of material.

From: http://www.thetallestman.com/henrymullens.htm
Henry Hite (1915 – 26 May 1978) born Henry Mullens, was a giant who was well-known in his day for making movies and personal appearances and the occasional movie that would capitalize on his height, 7'6.75" (230.51 cm).

When he was 18 years old he adopted the name Henry Hite and started a comedy duo with his friend Tommy Lowe (real name Roland Picaro): the Lowe and Hite comedy team, later joined by the midget Stanley Ross. Together, they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.

An example:

"How did you get so tall?" Mr. Low asked Hite who would reply,"I eat what's right."
Mr. Low would then turn to Stanley to inquire, "How did you get so short?" bringing the reply of, "I eat what's left."

Apart from Henry Mullens and Henry Hite, he was also known as the Corn King Giant, the Certified Giant and the Jolly Giant. 

Photo credit: me. This was the photo card they gave out.

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