Daisy and Violet Hilton
Encyclopedia
Daisy Hilton and Violet Hilton (5 February 1908 – January 1969) were a pair of conjoined twins
who toured in the U.S.
sideshow
and vaudeville
circuit in the 1930s.
, England
(East Sussex
) on 5 February 1908. Their mother was a single barmaid named Kate Skinner. The sisters were born joined by their hips and buttocks; they shared blood circulation and were fused at the pelvis but shared no major organs. Skinner's boss Mary Hilton, who helped in childbirth, apparently saw commercial prospects in them, and thus effectively bought them from their mother and took them under her care. The girls first stayed above the Queens Head in Brighton, but later moved to the Evening Star
.
According to the sisters' autobiography, Mary Hilton with her husband and daughter kept the twins in strict control with physical abuse; they had to call her "Auntie Lou" and her current husband "Sir". They trained the girls in singing and dancing.
A medical account of the birth and a description of the twins was provided for the British Medical Journal
by Dr James Augustus Rooth
, the physician in charge at the time of their birth. He reported that subsequently the Sussex Medico-Chiurgical Society considered separation, but unanimously decided against it as it was believed that the operation would certainly lead to the death of at least one of the twins. He notes that these twins were the first to be born in the United Kingdom conjoined and to survive for more than a few weeks.
, Australia
and to the USA
. In the true sideshow manner, their performance was accompanied with an imaginative "history". Their controllers kept all the money the sisters earned. In 1926 Bob Hope
formed an act called the Dancemedians with the Hilton Sisters, who had a tap dancing routine.
When Mary died in Birmingham
, Alabama, her daughter and her husband took over. They kept the twins from public view for a while and trained them in jazz
music. They lived in a mansion in San Antonio
, Texas
until the early 1930s.
In 1931, the sisters gathered enough courage to sue their managers, gaining freedom from their contract and US$100,000 in damages. They left the sideshows and went into vaudeville as "The Hilton Sisters' Revue". Daisy dyed her hair blonde and they began to wear different outfits so they could be told apart. They had numerous affairs, failed attempts to get a marriage license and a couple of short marriages. In 1932, the twins appeared as themselves in the movie Freaks
. In 1951 they starred in Chained for Life
, an exploitation film
loosely based on their lives.
in Charlotte, North Carolina
. Their tour manager abandoned them there, and with no means of transportation or income, they were forced to take a job in a nearby grocery store.
On January 4, 1969, after they failed to report to work, their boss called the police. The twins were found dead in their home due to the Hong Kong flu
. According to a forensic investigation, Daisy died first; Violet died within two to four days. They were buried in Forest Lawn West Cemetery.
musical loosely based on the sisters' lives, Side Show
, with lyrics by Bill Russell
and music by Henry Krieger
, received four Tony
nominations.
Conjoined twins
Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...
who toured in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sideshow
Sideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
and vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
circuit in the 1930s.
Early life
The girls were born in BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
) on 5 February 1908. Their mother was a single barmaid named Kate Skinner. The sisters were born joined by their hips and buttocks; they shared blood circulation and were fused at the pelvis but shared no major organs. Skinner's boss Mary Hilton, who helped in childbirth, apparently saw commercial prospects in them, and thus effectively bought them from their mother and took them under her care. The girls first stayed above the Queens Head in Brighton, but later moved to the Evening Star
Evening Star (pub)
The Evening Star is a pub in Surrey Street, Brighton, in the county of East Sussex, England, owned by the Dark Star Brewery.- History:Built in the 19th century, the pub has always been called The Evening Star...
.
According to the sisters' autobiography, Mary Hilton with her husband and daughter kept the twins in strict control with physical abuse; they had to call her "Auntie Lou" and her current husband "Sir". They trained the girls in singing and dancing.
A medical account of the birth and a description of the twins was provided for the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
by Dr James Augustus Rooth
James Augustus Rooth
Dr James Augustus Rooth was a colonel of the Royal Army Medical Corps a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and house surgeon at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford. Born in London, the son of John Wilcoxon Rooth, Barrister-at-law , and Elizabeth , daughter of Henry Smith of Bristol...
, the physician in charge at the time of their birth. He reported that subsequently the Sussex Medico-Chiurgical Society considered separation, but unanimously decided against it as it was believed that the operation would certainly lead to the death of at least one of the twins. He notes that these twins were the first to be born in the United Kingdom conjoined and to survive for more than a few weeks.
Publicity
The Hilton sisters toured first in England at the age of three as "The United Twins". Mary Hilton took them to a tour through GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and to the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In the true sideshow manner, their performance was accompanied with an imaginative "history". Their controllers kept all the money the sisters earned. In 1926 Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
formed an act called the Dancemedians with the Hilton Sisters, who had a tap dancing routine.
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama, her daughter and her husband took over. They kept the twins from public view for a while and trained them in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music. They lived in a mansion in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
until the early 1930s.
In 1931, the sisters gathered enough courage to sue their managers, gaining freedom from their contract and US$100,000 in damages. They left the sideshows and went into vaudeville as "The Hilton Sisters' Revue". Daisy dyed her hair blonde and they began to wear different outfits so they could be told apart. They had numerous affairs, failed attempts to get a marriage license and a couple of short marriages. In 1932, the twins appeared as themselves in the movie Freaks
Freaks
Freaks is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film about sideshow performers, directed and produced by Tod Browning and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers. The film was based on Tod Robbins' 1923 short story "Spurs"...
. In 1951 they starred in Chained for Life
Chained for Life
Chained for Life is a 1951 exploitation film featuring the famous conjoined Hilton Twins, Daisy and Violet. It features several vaudeville acts, including juggler Whitey Roberts, a man doing bicycle stunts, and a man who plays the William Tell Overture at breakneck speed on an accordion.The movie...
, an exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
loosely based on their lives.
Later life and deaths
The Hiltons' last public appearance was in 1961 at a drive-in movie theaterDrive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. Their tour manager abandoned them there, and with no means of transportation or income, they were forced to take a job in a nearby grocery store.
On January 4, 1969, after they failed to report to work, their boss called the police. The twins were found dead in their home due to the Hong Kong flu
Hong Kong flu
The Hong Kong flu was a category 2 flu pandemic whose outbreak in 1968 and 1969 killed an estimated one million people worldwide. It was caused by an H3N2 strain of the influenza A virus, descended from H2N2 through antigenic shift, a genetic process in which genes from multiple subtypes reassorted...
. According to a forensic investigation, Daisy died first; Violet died within two to four days. They were buried in Forest Lawn West Cemetery.
Legacy
In 1997, a BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical loosely based on the sisters' lives, Side Show
Side Show
Side Show is a musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who make a change from being a circus act to becoming famous stage performers in the 1930s. The show was written by Bill Russell and Henry Krieger . The show starred Alice Ripley as Violet and Emily Skinner as Daisy...
, with lyrics by Bill Russell
Bill Russell (lyricist)
Bill Russell is an American librettist and lyricist. Russell's works include Side Show Playbill Critics Circle , Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens , and Pageant .Russell received a Tony...
and music by Henry Krieger
Henry Krieger
Henry Krieger is an American composer.Krieger wrote the music for the Broadway shows Dreamgirls , The Tap Dance Kid , and Side Show , as well as other works of musical theatre.He was nominated for the Tony Awards for Best Score for both Dreamgirls and Side Show, won a Grammy...
, received four Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations.