The Mayor Of Tiny Town vs Australia's Shiftiest Showman – Part One
12/01/22 • 47 min
2 Listeners
From a digitised formerly secret Australian military intelligence file comes one of Forgotten Australia’s strangest stories.
In 1911-1912, from Sydney to Brisbane, Perth to Melbourne, and all points in between, Australia was enthralled by the little people entertainment troupe known as Tiny Town.
Everyone was especially fond its undisputed star, 'The Mayor of Tiny Town', aka 'The Turkish Tom Thumb', the incomparable small-man performer Hayati Hassid.
Yet how did this beloved celebrity - who also acted as editor of 'The Tiny Town Times' - become designated an enemy alien after the Great War broke out?
What did this dark twist have to do with showman and self-professed father of Australian aviation Frederick Hooper Jones?
And just where do genocidal Turkish sultan Abdul The Damned, legendary escapologist Harry Houdini and Aussie rock band The Angels fit into this picture?
Join me for a four-part deep dive that takes us from the harems of the dying Ottoman Empire to the roller-skating-mad London vaudeville scene, from a forgotten antipodean box office blockbuster to the controversial very earliest days of Australia aviation.
You won't believe your ears.
Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia
My new book Hanging Ned Kelly is out now and will make a cracker of a Christmas present.
You can read a free excerpt here - and get 26% off the RRP: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From a digitised formerly secret Australian military intelligence file comes one of Forgotten Australia’s strangest stories.
In 1911-1912, from Sydney to Brisbane, Perth to Melbourne, and all points in between, Australia was enthralled by the little people entertainment troupe known as Tiny Town.
Everyone was especially fond its undisputed star, 'The Mayor of Tiny Town', aka 'The Turkish Tom Thumb', the incomparable small-man performer Hayati Hassid.
Yet how did this beloved celebrity - who also acted as editor of 'The Tiny Town Times' - become designated an enemy alien after the Great War broke out?
What did this dark twist have to do with showman and self-professed father of Australian aviation Frederick Hooper Jones?
And just where do genocidal Turkish sultan Abdul The Damned, legendary escapologist Harry Houdini and Aussie rock band The Angels fit into this picture?
Join me for a four-part deep dive that takes us from the harems of the dying Ottoman Empire to the roller-skating-mad London vaudeville scene, from a forgotten antipodean box office blockbuster to the controversial very earliest days of Australia aviation.
You won't believe your ears.
Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia
My new book Hanging Ned Kelly is out now and will make a cracker of a Christmas present.
You can read a free excerpt here - and get 26% off the RRP: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
The Cairns Grenade Murders Part 3
With the accused murderer of Holly Murphy and Kathleen Brown set to go to trial in April 1946, there's a series of shocking secret developments, including a bombshell letter that makes disturbing claims against Queensland's boys in blue. Via the original police murder file - and from information from a descendant of one of the men involved - we explore what might've really happened.
To hear me talk about my new book Hanging Ned Kelly - and for excellent true crime and history episodes, check out these podcasts:
Australian True Crime - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/australian-true-crime/id1217681421
In Black & White - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/in-black-and-white/id1466009446
To read an excerpt of Hanging Ned Kelly - https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
The Mayor Of Tiny Town vs Australia's Shiftiest Showman – Part Two
1 RecommendationsHaving conquered Australia with Tiny Town, Hayati Hassid goes out on his own and falls into the orbit of Frederick Hooper Jones. To heat parts 3 & 4 right now ad-free, become an Apple subscriber or Patreon supporter.
For a three-day free trial, Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia
For Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia
You can read a free sample of Hanging Ned Kelly and get 26% off the RRP here:
https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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