Daddy Browning was a millionaire real-estate developer in NYC in the 1920’s, who received note in the press when he married a 15(?)-year-old (he was in his 50’s at the time), whom he called “Peaches”.
It’s a long story, so this is just the general outline.
The Collyers are in Paradox Press Big Book Of Weirdos. I’m sure I’ve come across them before in one of my many books of strange facts and useless information (Though not in the actual Book Of Strange Facts And Useless Information), but Paradox’s book is the most recent. As all of PP’s Bib Books are graphic novels, it’s a particularly striking account.
The Collyers were also mentioned in an episode of Frasier, when Frasier begins to fear that he spends too much time with Niles.
Oddly enough, I can’t find anything good online about Peaches and Daddy! No photos, no news excerpts, just some bare (!) outlines. Not even a mention that Peaches said at the divorce trial that she was traumatized by “Daddy’s frightening pajamas!”
Sounds like a project to me, Eve. And by golly, you’re just the girl for the job!
My dad had an Uncle Vivvy who collected newspapers and refrigerators IN HIS BEDROOM. The floor was bowed. He was touched by the fever as a child and never quite caught on about the housekeeping thing.
Naturally, the first line of this account references Niles and Frasier Crane. Thanks to the SDMB, I already knew the reference before I saw that episode!
As a kid, my Mom would berate Dad for his tendency to store scraps of wood in the shop to be used for a future project, and the Collyer Brothers would be used as a reference. Mom saved tons of stuff herself, she didn’t see that, though.
I’ve heard little reference since my generation (1956), and have drawn wrinkled brows with comments such as, “Wow. The Collyer Brothers would be proud,” when viewing someone’s cornucopia of collected crap.
My mom and I read Ghosty Men and, while humorous at times, it’s really sad. And a friend of mine is a modern-day Collyer sister.
The kitchen drawers and cupboards are stuffed with corks, plastic utensils, napkins, plastic bags, twistie ties, and more. They keep things in the fridge until they’re way past expiry. The back patio is loaded with boxes of stuff, and so is the garage. The front living room is almost impossible to walk through because of the crap piled up everywhere. The entryway has a lot of cobwebs, as does the bathroom, which has lots of tiny bottles all over the counter. The spare room is loaded with tons of old clothing, hotel toiletries, and more. The house cannot be vacuumed due to lack of room for the vacuum and the carpets being mostly covered with junk.
The den has magazines and mail in stacks all over; the bar in the kitchen has more stuff, and clothes are either hung over the backs of chairs or hung on the doorways because “Sister Collyer” cannot reach her closet. She can’t even get to her bed, and it’s covered with stuff anyway. At age 39, she sleeps in the same bed with her 82-year-old mom.
Sheesh, I’ve got material for a book of my own.
IIRC, I first heard of the Collyer brothers in a grade school textbook I read, way back in grade school. Heard about them lots of other places since then.
Safe to say these guys’ fame is pretty well established.
Peaches Browning:
The story:
A picture of her grave and the short version of her story:
I’d heard of them before, but it was fron you, Eve in another thread here.
Oh, lordie, I’ve lapped myself . . .
Wow, and I thought the Evelyn Nesbit case was sordid!
(Hey, Eve, that’s who you should write your next book about!)
(1010 WINS) (NEW YORK) A Bronx man spent two days trapped under newspapers, magazines and books in his apartment before being rescued by firefighters and neighbors, authorities said. Patrice Moore, 43, was apparently deluged when a mountainous collection of mail and other paper items collapsed in his apartment on Morris Avenue in the Tremont section. The building’s landlord discovered him Monday after coming to the apartment to give Moore a small loan, the New York Times reported Tuesday. The landlord pried the door open with a crowbar, found Moore trapped and alerted the fire department at about 1:45 p.m.
The incident recalled the legendary case of the Collyer brothers, who in 1947 were discovered dead in their house in Harlem after one of the brothers was found trapped under a pile of papers and the other died of starvation.
Post sensantionalized version linked here. 7 posts down