![]() ![]() In the 70s she also appeared in two horror movies: The Sentinel (1977, an excellent film the Duchess and I watched it a few months ago. ![]() She continued to perform in carnivals and sideshows until 1982. She proved to be nearly as prolific as an actual alligator, giving birth to a total of seven children. The following year, Esther gave birth to her first child and began billing herself as “The World’s Strangest Mother”. In 1947, Esther married Thomas Blackmon, a musician with the show and they split off and started their own show. Her brother Bill had the same condition and for many years starting in the 1940s they were exhibited as twins in Joe Hilton’s Side Show. Born Esther Parnell in Kenly, North Carolina, she was born with a condition called icthyosis, characterized by dry, scaly skin and no hair, hence her designation as the Alligator Girl. “No Jane Fonda workout for me tonight after Serpent,” she said.Today is the birthday of Esther Blackmon (1926-2003). She retired from the business in 1988, and a year later she founded Florida Wildlife Tours in the Everglades.ĭuring her tours, she befriended Mikosukee and Seminole Indians and learned about alligator wrestling from them.Īfter her shows, an exhausted but happy Chase sat watching as workers added more security to the pen where the gator wallowed in the muddy water. “I think it’s crazy, but I loved it,” said Tiffany Nguyen, 8, of Lantana.Īs a professional wrestler, Chase performed at Madison Square Garden, in Japan and Kuwait. Grove officials said they had a bigger crowd than usual. The couple notified grove workers, who tried unsuccessfully to capture the gator themselves and then called in professional trapper Lee Kramer, who finished the job. I said ‘Yes there is, and he’s got tape around his mouth.’ She said, ‘I bet that’s the gator that was stolen.”‘ “My wife said ‘No, there isn’t.’ As usual, I was right. “I said, ‘Look, there’s a gator over there,”‘ Matousek said. As they were driving back toward the entrance, they saw Serpent. When they got to Boynton Beach, the couple accidentally went past the grove entrance. ![]() They had heard that the gator had been stolen, but they had free passes to see the attraction and decided not to waste them. ![]()
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