Body Shaming, 1934

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Piece of Pi55 writes:

Glimpses Of Erin (1934) Featuring Dick Harrold “The fattest man to ever set foot on the Emerald isle” (@2.50)…

Just big boned.

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31 thoughts on “Body Shaming, 1934”

  4. Scundered

    Great footage, it’s interesting how we rarely see very overweight people in early photos or film, obviously they were less sedentary and had better diets. And when you see footage of a circus freakshow back then it just resembles an average day at Walmart today.

    1. george

      They didn’t have better diets in the 30s. They couldn’t afford food. Malnutrition was common in 1930s Ireland.

    2. f_lawless

      https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/94654353

      I did a quick bit of internet sleuthing – he wasn’t actually from Ireland. I guess the scenes with the donkey were just staged. Australian newspaper clipping from 1936:

      “TRAGEDY OF WORLD’S FATTEST MAN

      ALTHOUGH Dick Harrow, world’s heaviest man, had earned thousands of pounds for theatre and film directors, he died in London this week practically penniless. In a humble home in Bromley, Kent, his heartbroken wife, who had been too ill to attend’ her husband’s funeral, spoke of the secret tragedy that lay behind the life of the man who had made millions of people laugh.

      “My husband’s name was Richard Faraday, but his stage name was Dick Harrow When he died, aged 38, he weighed 40st. 91b. “He has toured the British Isles and practically every country on the continent and appeared before Royalty as the world’s heaviest man, But he left me so poor that after his funeral showmen made a special collection for me and my son….”

  6. Lilly

    Look around your office, you’ll see fatter men than that. Unless they’re in the canteen.

    That’s a lovely thatched cottage and impressive hay stacks. Will have to watch later.

    1. Janet, dreams of big guns

      it really saddened me that over half the young men at work were desperately unhappy with their bodies, this in a fairly active workplace, a quick glance at lunches were processed and bought ” convenient ” foods , you cannot out run a bad diet, those trying to fix the problem were on really dramatic liquid diet drinks instead of lifestyle changes, it’s sinfull these young lads can’t throw together some basics, what’s the answer cooking classes in schools ?

      1. Lilly

        At least they’re trying to address it, Janet. I worked in a place with a number of two-seats-on-an-airplane guys who seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time in the canteen shoveling down chips and didn’t appear to give a rat’s ass about the state they were in. They weren’t young either; one I’m thinking of was probably late 30s although it was difficult to tell.

        1. Janet, dreams of big guns

          probably depressed,
          so avoidable, a little knowledge of portion sizes , balance of carbs and some basic cooking skills it just doesn’t have to happen.

          1. Brother Barnabas

            it should be taught in primary school as a core subject – as important as reading and writing

          4. Charger Salmons

            Why not replace Irish with it.
            When was the last time you heard someone say Cé a d’ith na pióga go léir ?

        2. Slightly Bemused

          Forgive me, Lilly, but something you said there gave me a laugh.
          “They weren’t young either; one I’m thinking of was probably late 30s”
          My daughter, at the time about 8, once made a comment about old people. So I idly asked her what old was.
          “I don’t know,” she replied, face down to her Nintendo DS. “30, I guess.”
          I was older than 30 when she was born, so did that make me ancient? And what on earth am I now? Antiquated?

          1. Lilly

            You and me both, Slightly :)

            I meant, they weren’t young, fresh out of school or college, learning how to feed themselves.

          2. Slightly Bemused

            Oh, no worries. I understood that. You just sparked a funny happy memory is all.

            From the mouths of babes, occasionally

      2. Cian

        This.
        I worked in a fast-food joint when I was younger and it was amazing how many (overweight) people would get a large salt-and-fat-laden meal… but then ask for a diet drink. WTF?

  7. Slightly Bemused

    I am curious when Galway moved to the south. When did it move back? And when did life in Ireland revolve around Dublin?

    But it is wonderful to see this footage, even if the reportage is a little miguided. I have seen several of these TravelTalks and they are fascinating. In many ways, modern Facebook, Instagram, TikTok travelogues owe a lot to them. They fascinate both from the glimpses of life in far away places, and in the commentary which, often, tells you as much about the society from where the commentator grew up.

  9. Kingfisher

    90% of fat people would slim down in a few months if they sold their car & bought (& rode) a bicycle. We’re a nation of car addicted sloths.

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