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CONGRESS OF THE ODD
ALFRED LANGEVIN – Smokes Thru His Eyes
At least twice a month I receive a link to the video below. I suppose it is time I shed some light on the figure depicted in the clip.
The name of this gentleman is Alfred Langevin. At the time of the video, he resided in Detroit, Michigan but was under the employ of Robert Ripley. Mr. Langevin was featured not only in the Believe-It-Or-Not cartoons of Ripley, but also appeared in Ripley’s renowned Odditorium from 1933 to 1940 and was even featured on the 1933 Odditorium postcard.
Not only could Mr. Langevin use his eye socket to smoke, he could also blow up balloons and play a recorder. It should be noted that Mr. Langevin indeed had two very real and functioning eyes. The medical reason for his unusual ability remains unknown but is likely due to an anomaly in the development of his tear gland. This rare tear gland defect is responsible for the fairly recent Guinness Book category of ‘squirting milk from the eye’. The record is currently held by Mike Moraal of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The record is for distance and Mike managed 8.745 feet in 2001.
image: Mr. Langevin demonstrating his unique ability alongside fellow performer ‘Big Mouth’ Paul McWilliams during their run with Ripley.
© 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.
7 Responses to “ALFRED LANGEVIN – Smokes Thru His Eyes”
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Just to let you know. The reason for Alfred’s ability to smoke through his eye was indeed the enlarged teargut. This such as air coming out of that duct when he sneezed were also common. He is my great-grandfather.
~Janelle Langevin
Trenton, MI
My father had his eyes removed (and placed back, don’t worry :) recontructive surgery, he had strabismus) when he was seven. Since then he is able to blow air out of his eye-sockets. He demonstrated it a few times in a swimming pool, but it hurts like hell, so he’s not fond of repeating the trick…
YAY british columbia XD
what a truly interesting website you have her. i’ve been interested in the marvels of the human body, ever since reading “freaks” by Annette Curtis Klause
I can blow air out of my tear ducts, should I get a job at a freakshow? :)
When I was little I remember discovering that I could blow air out of the corners of my eyes but it felt weird so I stopped and then I forgot how to do it. This sounds like a similar thing except he was just super proficient at it because of the enlarged tear duct..
hey i went to the ripleys belive it or not muesum in blackpool in england and it is so intresting and fun to learn all the diffrent things about people and what they can do with there bodys lol
i thought some off these things were not real and now that i found this website i now know that they are real.
I don’t know why but I just tried to do this. And I could!!