OUR BENEFACTORS
THE BALLYHOO
CONGRESS OF THE ODD
PRINCE RANDIAN – The Human Caterpillar
The man who would become Prince Randian was born in 1871 in Demerara, British Guiana to Indian slave parents.Despite being born without arms or legs he was incredibly self sufficient.
Randian was brought to the US in 1889 and, while he performed at many dime shows and museums, he gained most of his fame performing for P. T. Barnum. In front of the large crowds Barnum provided Randian demonstrated the ease in which he was able to shave, paint, write and even roll cigarettes. Not only was he able to roll a cigarette, he was also able to pull a match from its box, strike it, and light his freshly rolled cigarette.
Randian had many nicknames during his career. Randian’s typical costume consisted of a striped wool garment and his main mode of transportation was writhing about on the ground in a worm-like fashion. These two visuals led to his most common nickname – ‘The Human Caterpillar’ – and he went on to appear in a variety of carnivals and sideshows, including Coney Island, for a forty five year stint.
Randian had a role in the 1932 film freaks, in which he demonstrates his cigarette rolling skills and utters a single unintelligible line. Oddly enough, it is said that he spoke several languages including Hindi, French, English and German.
By all accounts, he was a bright and charming man with a great sense of humor. Both of these talents helped him land a wife and make use of his one remaining appendage.
He and his wife had five children.
Eventually Radian retired to Paterson, New Jersey and in 1934 he died at age 63 of a heart attack following a comeback performance.
Call him what you like: The Living Torso, The Snake Man, The Human Worm, The Human Cigarette Factory or the Amazing Caterpillar Man. Radian was a man who, despite his physical limitations, truly lived live to his fullest.
Update: As the film ‘Freaks’ is now public domain, click here to see Randian in action.
© 2006 – 2008, J Tithonus Pednaud. All rights reserved.
RECOMMENDED READING
American Sideshow: An Encyclopedia
Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit
Sideshow U.S.A.: Freaks and the American Cultural Imagination
Freaks, Geeks, and Strange Girls
Pickled Punks & Girlie Shows: A Life Spent on the Midways of America
The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins
The Circus Age: Culture and Society under the American Big Top
Freakery: Cultural Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body
James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed: On & Off the Midway
THE AUTHOR
J Tithonus Pednaud has dedicated this site to highlighting the remarkable lives of those born exceedingly different. These so-called freaks and human oddities stand as uplifting testaments to human spirit and serve as inspiring examples of human tenacity.
20 Responses to “PRINCE RANDIAN – The Human Caterpillar”
Trackbacks for this post
Leave a Comment
personally i think he’s awesome but he somewhat scares me
he has a lot of motovation
he has a lot of motovation
I’m fluent in caterpillar. He says “I can do anything with my mouth!”
how the hell do you roll a cigar with no hands?!?!?!
When I saw him in the movie, I wondered what he said. Makes me a little happier that I didn’t miss much… xD
I got all happy when I saw him in “Freaks” – this guy is so cool! The scene at the end, when he’s coming towards the “bad guy” with the knife in his mouth, made me laugh. Not, like, making fun of him or anything, just…what’s he gonna do with that knife? I mean really. Love ya, Prince Randian! <3
I had the subtitles on when watching “Freaks,” (the DVD) and according to them Prince Randian says “Can you do anything with your eyebrow.” If you listen hard, it sounds right. I suppose he means it as a sharp remark to the clown character, who as I recall is griping about women. I suppose Randian means “Look buddy, you’re better off than a lot of other people so stuff it.”
I wonder: What happened to his parents? Did he leave them in slavery or was he able to help them out at all?
a character in Annette C. Klause’s book “FREAKS” is based on this cool guy :)
Yes, and if I am not mistaken Freaks: Alive on the Inside is currently in production filming.
Wow, five kids? This guy was truly amazing. I saw him in the movie “Freaks” and was amazed of what he could do with the cigarette with no arms!! God rest his soul.
A cigarette with no arms!
I really admire this amazing human being !
I think he says “that really gonna be okay with you, boss?”
“Gak ree-ally onna b’kay wi’oo, baws?”
I study phonetics and the evolution of slang culture as just a hobby, so I’m probably wrong. I’m sure the man would have had better diction as educated as he was, but was portraying the caricature of black stereotype as a role. All in all I had just as hard a time understanding his coworker in that clip, since the sound hasn’t survived time very well.
According to the subtitles on the Freaks DVD he says something along the lines of “can you do anything with your eyebrow” but I looked up the script and I got “Anything I can do in the act, bro?”
I think the eyebrow thing makes more sense, taking a jab at the other guy bragging about his act, the fact that Prince Randian could roll (which they didnt show) and light a cigarette himself with no arms or legs, stick it to the normals!
i want to use him as a pillow
I saw him in ‘Freaks’ in a theatre. When he began to roll that cig you could hear the audience hold their breath(s). When he lit the cig the audience EXPLODED with applause and zeal and delight!!!
What are you Karl ??? some kind of Nazi prick