Ivor Boden - From New Inn to New York

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 This is the story of my first cousin (twice removed),  Ivor Levi Frederick Boden.


He was born on 16th January 1915 at Lower Mill Row to parents William Alfred Boden and Sarah Jane Baddeley.  He was born with what may have been a hormonal growth problem, today we call it Dwarfism, back then he would have been called a midget or something far worse.

He was born into a large family.  He had three brothers - William, Isaiah and Alfred.  He also had four sisters - Ann, Sarah, Olive and Iris.  Another sister Ruth died before her first birthday.

By the time of the 1939 register the family had moved to 47 Woodfield Road, New Inn.

Job opportunities would have been very limited for Ivor.  Many people with dwarfism ended up in the circuses or theatres.  This is exactly what happened to him.

By the 1939 register, Ivor had moved to Brighton and was living at a place called Pantzer Mansion with nine other 'midgets' as part of the Willie Pantzer Troupe of Performing Midgets.



Willie Pantzer was born in Germany.  He owned Pantzer Mansion from 1930 up until the second world war.  He was a performer and called the troupe Willie Pantzer and his Lilliputians, sometimes 'midgets' or sometimes comedians.  All ten of the midgets were adult men who had simply never grown physically.  They were often seen exercising in Preston Park on their mini bicycles and spending time at the local café.  From photographs they appear quite happy and were performing on stage with the likes of George Formby.






Once war broke out, the troupe stopped touring and never went on the road again.  Some carried on, calling themselves 'The Mighty Atoms'.  Willie Pantzer died in Brighton in 1955.

Pantzer Mansion was built in 1871 and was originally called Withdean Court.  It was situated a short walk from the corner of Withdean Road, Brighton and London Road.  A large red brick building in an acre of land, by the 1960s it had fallen into disrepair and had been abandoned.  For local children, inside it was the classic gloomy building that gave rise to it being haunted  - until its demolition.

On the 19th September 1949 Ivor Boden arrived in New York. It was at this point his family lost contact with him.  He became involved with James Moran who worked in publicity, creating crazy publicity stunts.  In 1951 Moran had the idea of flying three midgets on kites in Central Park.  Each was insured for $25000.  According to Moran it was perfectly safe.  The heaviest midget did not weigh more than eighty pounds and he had already tested his kites with a one hundred pound suitcase.  There was no danger - unless the line snapped!  The plan was for Ivor, George Shurety (also of the Pantzer troupe) and Elsie Shultz to hold placards advertising commercial products attached to a thirty six square feet kite. "We'll chance anything" they said.
The police though refused a permit and it never happened.

Into the 1960s and the trail goes quieter in the search for Ivor.  We know many Broadway shows employed midgets, so too did the circuses, Barnum and Bailey for example but so far no sign of him at either.  However there is a reference to an Ivor Boden in, what has to be the worst Christmas movie of all time - Santa Claus Conquers the Martians!  He played Winky, one of Santa's elves.  The film was shot on Roosevelt Field, Garden City, Long Island, New York and was released in 1964.

Ivor Boden



The last reference to Ivor Boden is his death in New York in 1977.

If anyone can add anything else to this story, Id love to hear from you







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