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373:. Without warning, their tour manager abandoned them there with no means of transportation or income. They applied for a job in a nearby grocery store, offering to work for one salary. The owner hired them at two full salaries and designed a discreet two-person cashier station so that customers could not tell the sisters were conjoined. The Hiltons rented a small two bedroom home courtesy of the shop owner's church,
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258:, who helped deliver them. He reported that subsequently the Sussex Medico-Chirurgical Society considered separation, but unanimously decided against it as it was believed that the operation would certainly lead to the death of one or both of the twins. He noted these twins were the first to be born in the UK conjoined and to survive for more than a few weeks.
261:
Their mother was unmarried. Kate
Skinner's employer, Mary Hilton, who helped in childbirth, apparently saw commercial prospects in them, and effectively bought them from their mother and took them under her care. The girls first stayed above the Queen's Arms pub in Brighton where they were exhibited.
286:
The Hilton sisters toured first in
Britain in 1911 (aged three) as "The United Twins". Mary Hilton took them on to a tour through Germany, then to Australia, then in 1916 to the US. In true sideshow manner, their performance was accompanied by an imaginative "history". Their controllers kept all the
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West
Cemetery in Charlotte. They share a grave with a Vietnam veteran Troy Thompson whose father was an acquaintance, since they didn't have enough of an estate to pay for their own plot. Visitors to the site often leave two pennies, as that was the price of admission to see the twins in the side
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In 1931, the sisters sued their managers and were legally emancipated, gaining freedom from their contract and awarded US$ 100,000 in damages (equivalent to $ 1,600,000 in 2023). They went into vaudeville as "The Hilton
Sisters' Revue". Daisy dyed her hair blonde and they began to wear different
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In 1936, Violet married actor James Moore as a publicity stunt. The marriage lasted ten years on paper, but it was eventually annulled. At the time of the wedding, Daisy was visibly pregnant. Her child was given up for adoption. In 1941, Daisy married Harold Estep, better known as dancer Buddy
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They later moved to the
Evening Star pub. According to the sisters' autobiography, Mary Hilton with her husband and daughter strictly controlled the twins by means of physical abuse; they had to call her "Auntie Lou" and her husband "Sir". They trained the girls in singing and dancing.
189:, England, on 5 February 1908. Their mother was Kate Skinner, an unmarried barmaid. 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.
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The couple took over management of the twins. Held mostly captive, the girls were beaten if they did not do as the Meyers wished. They kept the twins from public view for a while and trained them in
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On
January 4, 1969, after they did not report to work and attempts to reach them by telephone failed, the police were called to investigate. The twins were found dead in their home, victims of the
404:, with book by Michael Dansicker and Bob Nigro and music and lyrics by Michael Dansicker, premiered at the WPA Theatre and ran for 35 performances. The script can be found in the
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408:. It began as an accurate portrayal of the twins' early life, but then included a wholly fictitious plot by their keepers to have them surgically separated as adults.
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On 26 May 2022, a commemorative blue plaque was unveiled at 18 Riley Road, dedicated to Violet and Daisy
Skinner: The Hilton Twins.
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nominations, but closed after 91 performances. In 2014, a substantially rewritten version of the musical was mounted at the
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loosely based on their lives. Afterwards, they undertook personal appearances at double-bill screenings of their two films.
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bus that currently operates on the 27 (Westdene Park & Ride – Saltdean) in their home town, was named in their honour.
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called it "scrupulously researched" and a "masterful film". The film won Best
Documentary awards at both the 2012
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outfits so as to be distinguishable from each other. After vaudeville lost popularity, the sisters performed at
1219:
500:
863:"Violet and Daisy Hilton, San Antonio's conjoined twins. Their uplifting story facing the odds and adversity"
220:. After years of being managed professionally by their legal guardians, in the early 1930s, on the advice of
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formed an act called the
Dancemedians with the sisters, who had a tap-dancing routine. When Mary died in
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https://web.csulb.edu/colleges/cota/theatre/documents/ShowDocuments/11-12/SideShowAudienceGuide.pdf
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and the current owner of the house in which the twins were born had agreed that a commemorative
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and moved to
Broadway, where it opened at the St. James Theater on November 17, 2014, starring
326:
Violet began a relationship with musician Maurice Lambert, and they applied in 21 states for a
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in December, 1932. They spent most of 1933 in the UK and returned to the US in October, 1933.
343:. Afterwards, their popularity faded, and they struggled to make a living in show business.
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music. Violet was a skilled saxophonist and Daisy a violinist. They lived in a mansion in
8:
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Shortly after gaining independence from the Meyers, the Hiltons sailed to the UK on the
901:"York's Daisy and Violet Hilton Musical, Twenty Fingers, Twenty Toes, Plays Oct. 15-17"
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circuits in the 1920s and 1930s. They were best known for their film appearances in
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Sawyer. The marriage lasted ten days. In 1952, the twins starred in a second film,
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A medical account of the birth and a description of the twins was provided for the
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The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins
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154:(5 February 1908 – early January 1969) were English-born entertainers who were
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Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America
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158:. They were exhibited in Europe as children, and toured the United States
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as Daisy. Although well-reviewed, the revival closed on 4 January 2015.
428:, opened at the Richard Rodgers Theater on October 16, 1997. It starred
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829:"Long-lost relative finds the Hilton twins decades after their death"
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Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (10 March 2018).
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751:"S.A.'s Hilton twins lived for celebrity, longed for normalcy"
664:"Bid to honour Brighton's 'forgotten' conjoined Hilton twins"
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musical loosely based on the sisters' lives, with lyrics by
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Brighton & Hove no. 708 has been named in their honour
723:"Old-time variety returns to Blackpool, with a new face"
593:"The Tragic Life Story of the Conjoined Hilton Sisters"
582:, mybrightonandhove.org.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
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The Hiltons' last public appearance was in 1961, at a
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They were variously in media called or referred to as
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and the 2013 Louisiana International Film Festival.
1116:, hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
1108:
San Antonio Siamese Twins Have Unlike Finger Prints
1029:"Names on the buses - 708 Daisy and Violet Hilton"
1165:English expatriate actresses in the United States
1126:
692:. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky.
282:Daisy and Violet with Mr. and Mrs. Meyers c.1927
406:New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
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400:In 1989, a musical based on the Hilton twins,
16:U.S. based British conjoined performing twins
1011:""Bound By Flesh" a film by LESLIE ZEMECKIS"
1195:Infectious disease deaths in North Carolina
1175:Deaths from influenza in the United States
1015:"Bound By Flesh" a film by LESLIE ZEMECKIS
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135:Daisy's: Harold Estep (1941－1941, 10 days)
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1120:The sisters singing the song "Love Thief"
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930:"Defeated, 'Side Show' Is Closing Jan. 3"
634:
1155:20th-century English non-fiction writers
1053:Bergman, Megan Mayhew (6 January 2015).
967:"A Grandeur That Eclipses the Grotesque"
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185:The twins were born at 18 Riley Road,
1205:People from Charlotte, North Carolina
1033:Brighton and Hove Bus Company website
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1150:20th-century British autobiographers
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749:Hayward, Susana (18 August 2013) .
531:The Pretty, Grown-Together Children
499:In May 2018, it was announced that
333:In 1932, the twins appeared in the
287:money the sisters earned. In 1926,
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1160:20th-century English women writers
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533:," is based on the Hilton twins.
507:could be erected at the property.
212:. The sisters performed alongside
14:
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721:Herbert, Ian (18 February 2006).
224:, they were legally emancipated.
137:Violet's: James Moore (1936－1946)
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984:Byrge, Duane (24 October 2012).
928:Lyman, Rick (23 December 1997).
899:Gans, Andrew (15 October 2004).
208:and in the United States as the
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1021:
1003:
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892:
881:
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525:'s 2015 short story collection
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1145:20th-century English actresses
827:Washburn, Mark (25 May 2014).
793:
742:
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501:Brighton and Hove City Council
392:show when they were children.
1:
1225:British women autobiographers
986:"Bound by Flesh: Film Review"
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436:as Violet, and received four
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330:, but it was always refused.
244:The Hilton sisters, aged four
227:
38:
1110:. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
1056:Almost Famous Women: Stories
514:Blue plaque at 18 Riley Road
463:, about the sisters' lives.
236:Daisy and Violet as children
206:The Brighton Conjoined Twins
7:
611:"The Brighton united twins"
609:Rooth JA (September 1911).
10:
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757:. San Antonio Express-News
402:Twenty Fingers Twenty Toes
816:– via Google Books.
580:Background of the sisters
371:Charlotte, North Carolina
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86:Charlotte, North Carolina
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48:
30:
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1190:Identical twin actresses
689:Secrets of the sideshows
1200:Actresses from Brighton
1099:Daisy and Violet Hilton
867:Memories of San Antonio
492:708 (YP58 UGH), a 2009
471:Hollywood Film Festival
251:British Medical Journal
152:Daisy and Violet Hilton
25:Daisy and Violet Hilton
1180:English film actresses
1059:. Simon and Schuster.
990:The Hollywood Reporter
627:10.1136/bmj.2.2647.653
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481:
466:The Hollywood Reporter
459:filmed a documentary,
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245:
237:
1220:Vaudeville performers
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806:. Psychology Press.
523:Megan Mayhew Bergman
256:James Augustus Rooth
176:and the biographic
1215:Sideshow performers
595:. 27 December 2022.
527:Almost Famous Women
521:The first story in
490:Brighton & Hove
335:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
293:Birmingham, Alabama
106:sideshow performers
971:The New York Times
963:Isherwood, Charles
934:The New York Times
834:Charlotte Observer
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494:Scania OmniCity DD
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284:
276:
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202:The Brighton Twins
198:The Hilton Sisters
168:American burlesque
1210:People from Miami
1066:978-1-4767-8657-5
869:. 5 February 2021
789:978-1-58008-758-2
360:exploitation film
266:Performing career
210:San Antonio Twins
194:The Siamese Twins
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1091:Biography portal
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621:(2647): 653–54.
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560:Chained for Life
544:The Unholy Three
378:United Methodist
367:drive-in theater
355:Chained for Life
328:marriage license
179:Chained for Life
125:Chained for Life
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424:and music by
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1036:. Retrieved
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732:. Retrieved
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684:Nickell, Joe
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485:Other legacy
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434:Alice Ripley
422:Bill Russell
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396:Media legacy
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145:Kate Skinner
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80:(1969-01-00)
78:January 1969
18:
1140:1969 deaths
1135:1908 births
995:25 November
734:12 November
537:Filmography
505:blue plaque
389:Forest Lawn
304:San Antonio
94:Occupations
42: 1927
1129:Categories
947:4 February
910:4 February
568:References
446:Erin Davie
347:Later life
320:Berengaria
274:Aged eight
228:Early life
164:vaudeville
55:1908-02-05
942:0362-4331
761:29 August
455:In 2012,
413:Side Show
312:burlesque
306:, Texas.
132:Spouse(s)
69:, England
905:Playbill
783:, 2006;
708:65377460
686:(2005).
669:BBC News
645:20765808
615:Br Med J
418:Broadway
314:venues.
289:Bob Hope
214:Bob Hope
187:Brighton
182:(1951).
160:sideshow
63:Brighton
1114:Profile
636:2332195
375:Purcell
1063:
1038:29 May
940:
873:18 May
810:
787:
706:
696:
643:
633:
563:(1952)
555:(1932)
552:Freaks
547:(1925)
340:Freaks
173:Freaks
142:Mother
119:Freaks
88:, U.S.
67:Sussex
840:2 May
358:, an
337:film
1061:ISBN
1040:2018
997:2016
949:2020
938:ISSN
912:2020
875:2023
842:2022
808:ISBN
785:ISBN
763:2018
755:Mysa
736:2020
704:OCLC
694:ISBN
641:PMID
438:Tony
416:, a
300:jazz
216:and
200:and
166:and
75:Died
49:Born
1101:at
631:PMC
623:doi
369:in
204:or
122:,
1131::
1031:.
1013:.
988:.
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865:.
850:^
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613:.
601:^
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710:.
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619:2
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53:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
