Sandra Reed
Sandra Reed | |
|---|---|
 Signed photo of Sandra Reed swallowing swords | |
| Born | Mary Armstrong 1945 |
| Died | 2019 |
| Other names |
|
| Years active | 1960s—1980s |
| Employers |
|
| Spouse | Harold Spohn |
| Honours | Guinness Book of World Records holder for swallowing 5 swords at once, female (1975–1977) |
Sandra Dee Reed (1945–2019) was an American sword swallower born with albinism.[1] She started working for the Slim Kelly and Whitney Sutton sideshow of James E. Strates Shows at the age of 24 as a lecturer (educator on albinism) before being trained in sword swallowing[2] and later performing in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.[3]
Career
[edit]Reed was offered a job by showman Whitney Sutton at the New York State Fair in 1969, initially to be a lecturer on albinism. Her family was supportive—her sister Doreen, also albino, also joined as a lecturer, their father joined to sell tickets, and their mother previously worked in vaudeville and girl shows.[4]
She learned sword swallowing from Ricky Richiardi in Gibsonton, Florida, in 1969.[4]
In the mid-1970s she married and performed with Harold “Big Jim” Spohn, billed as “the fat man”.[5]
From 1975 to 1977 she held the Guinness World Records title for most swords swallowed simultaneously by a woman (five swords).[citation needed]
An illustration of Reed swallowing swords was used for the cover art of volume one of James Taylor’s carnival history magazine Shocked and Amazed! for which she was interviewed in 1995.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Pat Leisner (February 23, 1975). "Deformity No Sideshow in Gibsonton". Pensacola News Journal. Associated Press. p. 38. Archived from the original on 2025-05-27. Retrieved 2025-05-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Meyer, Dan (2019). To the Hilt: A Sword Swallower's History of Sword Swallowing. Marc Hartzman (1st ed.). New York: Schiffer Publishing, Limited. ISBN 978-0-7643-6882-0.
- ^ "Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) Sword Swallower's Hall of Fame". swordswallow.com. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ a b Hartzman, Marc (2006). American Sideshow. East Rutherford: Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4406-4991-2.
- ^ "Lot Detail - Personal Photo Albums and Scrapbooks of Sandra Reed. Primar..." auctions.potterauctions.com. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "Volume 1 | Shocked and Amazed!". Retrieved 2025-06-14.
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