Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/05/31/incredible-rare-1930s-color-fo.html
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He left the world far too young but he died a hero’s death. (Fucking Ramsay Bolton.)
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How do you think a guy like that rides a bike?
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Is there really such a thing as “rare footage”? I mean, once it’s on YouTube, there it is.
It could still be “footage that’s recently been found and digitized that’s never been on YouTube or only just got there”, or “footage that was hard to find (misnamed/tagged?) but now here it is”.
And while we’re at it, even if it was originally filmed on film, once digitized, is it still “footage”?
Not trying to be pedantic, this was what I was wondering while, due to surprising poor signal at a major US airport while waiting for the vid to play, and it never did.
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No doubt that was Kodachrome home movie film.
THAT’S BECAUSE IT’S RARE!
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Ah. Well done.
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So cool to see. My grandmother dated Robert’s brother before marrying my grandfather. I have a few photos of her with both brothers - some of my favorite family treasures.
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As a person of inherited gigantism I have mixed feelings about that joke. 
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It got kind-of awkward when I grew too tall for my Schwinn. First, I had to adjust the handlebars so there’d be a lesser chance of banging my knees/legs into them. Then the wheel bearings went bad, and the pedals bent, a brake broke, because apparently I had become too heavy for the bike. People of gigantism can buy special oversized bicycles that can accommodate their extra height and weight if they can afford them.
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I was just posting the John Bender quote for snark value, but actually I sort of knew that. A company named Dirty-Sixer popped up on my radar after they gave a bike to Shaq as a publicity stunt.
Your friendly local framebuilder would surely be accommodating as well, but as you say, in either case, it’ll cost ya. The quality will be outstanding, though.
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I half-heartedly looked into custom bikes. I remember seeing prices over $5,000.00 and that made me even less interested. (haha) There was also the freak factor. On busy roads I almost caused accidents because drivers were looking at the giant on a bicycle instead of other cars. I’m a major distraction when I go out in public.
(and) I’ll confess, I was being a little bit snarky by replying to you. 
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I can empathize in a certain way. I’m a 6’3" beanpole, my proportions trick the eye into seeming taller–everyone guesses 6’5". Normal-height folks will sometimes give me that “other” look.
I worked across the street from where the Atlanta Hawks play for a while and Zaza Pachulia (currently in the playoffs with Golden State) used to come in a lot. He’s 6’11", so 7’ in shoes. One day, it happened that I was standing right next to him and realized that I hadn’t bent my neck to that angle to talk to someone since I was a child. Then I realized I was looking at him how others look at me. Dammit.
I understand that he and I are just tall and that gigantism is a different thing, but not physically fitting into cars, on furniture, knocking your head on stuff etc is something I get.
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Funny (but not fun) thing about me is that I’m so accustomed to looking down to make eye contact that it’s like I don’t feel it. I consciously know the height difference, I know my head is tilted forward, but I don’t fully sense the difference in height between me and normal height adults while in a conversation. I’ve been doing it since age 14 (I was 30 on May 27). I hate seeing pictures of myself standing in a group of people. It is then that I see what other’s see, an objective view. I see how much I freakishly tower over everyone, and I can see why people stare at me like I’m an alien from outer space. I bet, I’m sure, Robert Wadlow could have commiserated with that. When I look at the few pictures of me in a group I actually experience a sensation of mild pain in my eyes, and I get a slight feeling of nausea. It’s just a dumb thing I will have to deal with, or avoid it.
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Maybe you could turn things around and mildly mess with them a bit when they do this, by saying something like “Hello down there!” I feel like I’d probably do something like that if I were exceptionally tall, heh, but I am an oddball.
I imagine you’re probably the tallest person a lot of folks will ever see, so some surprise is obviously going to happen pretty regularly. I don’t think most people likely mean offense by it – people often don’t know how to respond when something occurs that doesn’t fit into normal routines – it can trip a circuit, of sorts. As for the ones who are genuine assholes? F 'em! You seem like a perfectly nice fellow.
I’m pretty short, 5’6", and I have a friend who’s quite tall, quite a bit over 6’. One time we were at a trade show (we’re in the same industry) and hatched comedic plans – when we saw each other in a pretty crowded exhibit area, I ran up to him, leaped into his arms, and he swung me around a few times. I know we thought it was hilarious! LOL!
I have another quite tall friend/colleague I work with at my own company. Sometimes my dark hair gets a bit shaggy. I can’t remember where the idea came from (might have been his idea?), but somehow one day it came up that it would be a good thing if I climbed onto his back, so we could imitate Hodor and Bran from Game of Thrones. Oh man, hilarity ensued!
Anyway, not trying to make light of the challenges that having a genuine uniqueness can cause. But make sure to remind yourself that your friends don’t give a shit about it, and in many ways, both literally and figuratively I suppose, it will give you the opportunity to experience life from another perspective. This is the bbs for happy mutants after all. 
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“Anyway, not trying to make light of the challenges that having a genuine uniqueness can cause. But make sure to remind yourself that your friends don’t give a shit about it, and in many ways, both literally and figuratively I suppose, it will give you the opportunity to experience life from another perspective. This is the bbs for happy mutants after all”
Hey, I’m not tall and I do not know Tim but feel the need to thank you for the smart and sensitive words…
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When I walk through a store, or anywhere else, I’m always saying “Hi!” or “Hello!” or “Hey!” with a friendly nod of the head as I pass people with whom I’ve had obvious eye contact. I want to set them at ease if I can. I know they mean no offense, they’re just startled, or awestruck, or amazed at how there can be a person who is so much taller and larger than everyone else. I know some people find it disturbing, and some even frightened by my size, which is a shame because I’m just a person like anyone else. I’m just a dude named Timothy. How can you be afraid of a Timmy? (haha) I know there are people who use the word “freak” in regards to me. There have been bar fights between a person(or two) who have referred to me as a freak and other persons coming to my defense. I try to humorously describe myself as having “Non-celebrity Celebrity Status.” I’m not a movie, or TV star, not a pro-athlete, but I draw similar attention from the general public, including people taking my picture. Some people assume I’m a pro-basketball player.
I carried my buddy, Mike, on my back, Hodor style, when he got hurt falling over a hillside when we were hiking through woods. His worse injury was his lower leg and ankle, and we determined the easiest, quickest, way to get him the 1.5 miles home was for me to carry him like that while our buddy, Rich, carried our stuff. (His ankle was only sprained.)
If I seem down it’s because it’s so wearisome that I can’t go anywhere, do anything without everyone in public gasping and remarking, “Oh My G-d, Look how tall that guy is!?” - “Holy Sh-t! How tall is that guy!?” - “Jes-s Chr-st, Look at the size of that guy!?” and etc. I hear a lot of foul language like that. (haha) Then there is the questions, but at least those people are talking to me.
Thank You for your comment!
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And thank you for sharing your experience! I can imagine the drain gets old, certainly, from this being a thing everywhere you go.
Just don’t forget that it opens up some very interesting possibilities to make a unique impact on people’s lives, by showing them in a pretty direct way that we’re all very similar, despite physical form.
There will always be haters — let them keep showing the world that sometimes the folks who appear “normal” can actually be awful monsters. You, Sir, have the great opportunity to teach a rather more lovely lesson.
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