The Story of “Olga the Headless Girl” in the Late 1930s
“Olga the Headless Girl” was
first brought to the United States in 1937 from Hamburg, Germany, by a man who
called himself as “Doctor” Heineman. It was also a featured exhibit at the New
York World’s Fair of 1939. Olga became a very popular sideshow amusement during
this time.
The
Headless Lady illusion was actually a popular magic trick performed at
sideshows in the 1940s. As the story goes, the poor woman lost her head in a
horrible accident. But doctors were able to keep her alive through the miracle
of advanced scientific technology.
“Doctor”
Heineman staged “Olga, the Headless Girl” in Blackpool, England before bringing
her to America. Its popularity in England at the time is substantiated by the
fact that in 1938 there were at least nine Olga shows.
Egon
Heineman with “Olga the Headless Woman,” Blackpool, England late 1930s.
A
“Headless Woman” making an appearance at the Iowa State Fair.
Novelist,
editor, and magician, Clayton Rawson with a “Headless Woman” at the New York
World’s Fair, 1939. Rawson authored a mystery novel ‘The Headless Lady’ in
1940.
A
“Headless Girl” giving a radio interview in New Jersey.
The
“Headless Girl” routine was a rather terrifyingly realistic looking illusion,
especially given the time period in which it came to be. When Olga was
displayed in a store window in London, shocked onlookers recoiled at the
headless torso of a woman with tubes running from her throat to a contraption
that supposedly controlled her food intake.
Olga
would be copied by other illusionists who called her “Tina” and the classier
sounding “Mademoiselle Yvette” who all claimed that the woman—despite not having
a head—was being kept alive by the feeding tubes and unexplainable technology.
As you will see in the photos, the headless girl act is optically baffling. To
help bolster the authenticity of the headless girl, many of the attractions
would include backstory as to how the poor thing lost her head—such as a shark
attack or an unfortunate showgirl who parted ways with her head thanks to a
truck.
According
to Sideshow World, the headless girl illusion continued to appear around the
U.S. and the world through the 1980s and a version even made an appearance at
Ozzfest in 2002.
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