“The low spark of high-heeled boys” is the title track from the 1971 album by British rock band Traffic. The 11 minute, 44 second song, was written by Jim Capaldi and Steve Winwood. Capaldi credits diminutive actor Michael J. Pollard (Bonnie & Clyde) for coming up with the term while the two were in Morocco planning a movie (that was ultimately never made). In a 2009 radio interview, Capaldi said, “Pollard and I would sit around writing lyrics all day, talking about Bob Dylan and The Band, thinking up ridiculous plots for the movie…Pollard wrote in my book ‘The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys’. For me, it summed him up. He had this tremendous rebel attitude. He walked around in his cowboy boots, his leather jacket. At the time he was a heavy little dude. It seemed to sum up all the people of that generation who were just rebels.” For this writer, that lyric succinctly sums up the creation of the most iconic cartoon character of our time: Shrek. And since it is Halloween week, I’m going to tell you why.
Shrek was created by William Steig (1907-2003) who, during his lifetime, was hailed as the “King of Cartoons.” Steig began drawing illustrations for The New Yorker magazine in 1930, ultimately producing more than 2,600 drawings and 117 covers for the magazine. Steig began his “second career” writing children’s books at the age of 61. In 1990, Steig published his picture book Shrek! which formed the basis for the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film. After the 2004 release of Shrek 2, Steig became the first sole creator of an animated movie franchise to gross over $1 billion after only one sequel. Eventually, three sequels and three spin-offs were produced. When asked his opinion about the movie, Steig responded: “It’s vulgar, it’s disgusting — and I loved it.”
It is widely believed that Steig based his Shrek character on the professional wrestler Maurice Tillet a.k.a. “The Angel,” a nickname given to him by his mother when he was a boy. Maurice Tillet (1903-1954), a Russian/French professional wrestler, was a two-time World Heavyweight Champion and a leading box office draw in the early 1940s. Tillet was born in 1903 in St. Petersburg, Russia. His mother was a teacher of languages and his father was a railroad engineer involved in the construction of the Trans-Siberian railroad. Tillet’s father died when he was young. In 1917, Tillet and his mother fled Russia to avoid the Revolution, settling in Reims, France. When Tillet was twenty years old, his feet, hands, and head began to swell uncontrollably. A doctor diagnosed him with acromegaly, a rare condition usually caused by a benign tumor on the pituitary gland, which causes the body to produce too much growth hormone. The condition causes the body tissues and bones to grow rapidly resulting in bone overgrowth and thickening. Over time, acromegaly leads to an abnormally large head, oversized hands and feet, and a wide range of other symptoms. Maurice had a head almost twice the size of normal for a man of his size and he could shuffle three decks of cards at once in his mammoth hands.
Although Tillet’s acromegaly resulted in an abnormally grotesque appearance, in truth, “The Angel” was a highly intelligent man. He spoke 14 languages, played chess brilliantly, and despite his massive size and frightening face, was known as a modest, gentle, and friendly man. Tillet completed his law degree at the University of Toulouse but felt he would never be successful as a lawyer due to his deep voice and imposing physical appearance. Tillet joined the French Navy and served as an engineer in the submarine service for five years, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Always a good athlete, Tillet excelled at rugby. After being named to an all-France rugby team in 1926, Tillet earned the honor of shaking hands with King George V at a game in London, a feat he considered one of his greatest acheivements. In February 1937, Tillet met Lithuanian light-heavyweight champion wrestler Karl Pojello in Singapore who talked Tillet into entering the ring. Tillet wrestled for two years in France and England from 1937 to 1939 until World War II forced them to leave for the U.S.
In Boston in 1940, Tillet began wrestling as “The French Angel” and was billed as the closest living specimen of a Neanderthal man known to exist. Tillet went unbeaten for nineteen consecutive months and became an instant attraction in the area. At his American debut at Boston Garden on January 24, 1940, Maurice walked down the aisle, climbed into the ring, leaned over the ropes, and roared at the crowd. The crowds flocked to see this monster of a man who was a throwback to prehistoric times. He was hawked as the unstoppable man and was AWA World Heavyweight Champion from May 1940 until May 1942. Maurice was 5 foot 8.5 inches in height, 276 pounds with a 47-inch chest. The bear hug became his signature move. Tillet reported to the U.S. Army in 1942 to enlist in the war effort but was turned away after being told that he would be a curiosity and distraction.
As a result of his success and unique look, several Angel imitators emerged during World War II, including “Angels” from Sweden, Russia, Canada, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Ireland, and several ubiquitous American versions emerged including the Golden Angel, Black Angel, and Lady Angel, most of whom were also suffering the effects of acromegaly. The most famous imitator was Tor Johnson known as the “Super Swedish Angel.” Johnson is best remembered not as a wrestler, but as an actor who appeared in many B-movies, including the famously bad 1957 Ed Wood movie Plan 9 from Outer Space.
Maurice proved incredibly strong and highly popular. He staged highly publicized stunts where he would pull a bus or street car with his massive hands. By 1945, after many years of punishment in the ring combined with the fact that most people suffering from acromegaly didn’t live past the age of 30, Maurice Tillet’s health began to fail and he was no longer advertised as unstoppable. He briefly considered a movie career, but the B-movie genre was years away and the Drive-in theatre craze had not yet swept America. The mid-1940s/early 1950s were a long, slow ride to irrelevance and the once mighty Angel was little more than a curiosity now billed as the “Ugliest Man in the World.” A highlight came in February 1947 when Maurice took the oath of citizenship to the United States. He was a devout Catholic who attended church every Sunday and that same year he was given an audience with the Pope. In his final wrestling match, in Singapore on Valentine’s Day of 1953, Angel agreed to lose to Bert Assirati, the British World Champion recalled as being one of the strongest men to ever enter the ring.
Suffering from an enlarged heart caused by his acromegaly, Tillet died of a heart attack in Chicago’s County Hospital on September 4, 1954. He was buried at the Lithuanian National Cemetery in Justice, Illinois. As for the “low spark of high-heeled boys” reference, I find it infinitely interesting that Shrek, one of the crudest, yet most beloved animated characters of the past 50 years, was created by the principal artist of one of the most high-brow publications in the country: The New Yorker. And it was all inspired by a highly-intelligent participant in one of the world’s most low-brow professions: Pro wrestling. Things are not always what they seem my friends. Happy Halloween!
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. His newest books are “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View,” “Irvington Haunts. The Tour Guide,” and “The Mystery of the H.H. Holmes Collection.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
