The Contortions of Ena Bertoldi

Today a celebration of music hall and vaudeville (and early screen) performer Ena Bertoldi, sometimes rendered as Bertholdi (Beatrice Mary Claxton (1876-1906).

Raised in a family of acrobats, Bertoldi made her debut at age 8 in 1884, and specialized in contortionism. A tiny thing of around 5 feet, under 100 lbs. hers was not unlike the so-called “Indian Rubber” acts of the day. She described having super flexible joints that she could pop out at will without pain, which sounds very much like Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

In 1891 she came to the States with her father to work vaudeville, touring the Boston-based Howard Athenaeum circuit. In 1893, Edison captured her act in two short films Bertholdi (Mouth Support) and Bertholdi (Table Contortion), which were among those shown at the historic screening at Koster and Bial’s in 1896.

That same year she married fellow vaudeville performer George Albert Spink(1869-1947) of the knockabout acrobatic act (with his brother Fred) Spink and Spink, and whom I wrote abouthere. After breaking up with his brother, Spink developed an act with a dog named Rosie, which may be seen in the 1927 DeForest PhonofilmGood Luck. By then Spink had been a widower for over 20 years. Ena Bertoldi had died of alcohol related causes in 1906. (This source however convincingly reports that she had separated from Spink, and that he had been violently abusive. This fact may be relevant to her passing). She was not yet 30 years old at the time of her death.

For more on the history of vaudeville,consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, for more on early film please check out my book: Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube.