Born without legs in 1911 and famous for his role as the “Half Boy” in Tod Browning’s haunting 1932 film Freaks, Johnny Eck was a world famous performer and multi-talented renaissance man who lived his whole life in the rowhouse near Patterson Park where he was born. As part of the screen-painting festival Rowhouse Rembrandts (Eck trained at Baltimore’s Oktavec Art Shop and was a master of the genre) we salute this one-of-a-kind local personality with an exhibition, performances, conversation and a screening of Freaks. Master sword swallower and magician Johnny Fox and sideshow performer/historian James Taylor of Shocked and Amazed both perform and discuss Eck’s continuing mystique. Joining the conversation is screen painting historian Elaine Eff, Eck collector Jeffrey Pratt Gordon, and Eck friend and colleague Jack Gaylin. Make a night of it! Latoya Mcknight serves a delish American dinner of Johnny’s favorite food.