George Moore (the living skeleton) vs. Fred Howe (the fat man), two circus performers, 1897
George Moore (the living skeleton) vs. Fred Howe (the fat man), two circus performers, 1897. Very scarce sources out there so here is the best I could piece together: Howe’s father was a carpenter in Pennsylvania and a young Fred started to learn the same trade, but he soon became too heavy. At the age of eighteen he joined the Forepaugh Circus as a “tat boy,” and there met his present sparring partner. SHOP NOW ON AMAZON Eclipse Series 37: When Horror Came to Shochiku (The X from Outer Space; Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell; The Living Skeleton; Genocide) (The Criterion Collection) [DVD] George Moore was born in Helena, Montana, where his father had a little dry goods shop. He had a desire to see the world and so when the first big circus came to Helena and the manager offered him an arrangement to exhibit himself as the “living skeleton,” he signed immediately. Howe and Moore became friends and would spar in private just for fun. The manager saw them squaring off one day and he i...