Andre the Giant

[trof]

I'm watching an A&E program on pro wrestling and there's a segment on Andre the Giant.
Afflicted with acromegaly, also known as giantism, he was 7'4" and weighed 500 pounds.
And I met him once.

In the late 70s I was flying for TWA out of Chicago's O'Hare. Since I lived in Birmingham, if I had a day or two between trips I just stayed at a fairly cheap motel at the airport, The Airport Inn.

The bar was in the half-basement, with windows looking out at pool deck level. I dropped in for a beer late one summer afternoon. The first thing I noticed was that the place was full of some tough looking bruisers. Sipping my beer and keeping my mouth shut and my ears open I learned they were pro wrestlers. They traveled a circuit back then and it was Chicago's turn for the show.

I glanced out to the pool for a bikini check and saw a guy's legs sticking out of the water. He was evidently doing a handstand in the deep end. Six feet of water and his legs were visible from his knees to his toes. This must be a really big guy. His toenails were painted bright pink. Hmmm.

In a few seconds the legs disappeared and a head the size of a 5 gallon bucket broke the surface. I'm not a wrestling fan, but I knew that this had to be Andre the Giant.

A few minutes later he came in the bar, wearing a terry cloth robe. There were two empty stools next to mine and he put them beside each other and sat on both of them.

He ordered a beer and, glancing at my near empty glass, said "And one for the little guy, too."
I'm 6'3" and weighed about 230 back then.

I laughed and introduced my self and said "You have to be Andre the Giant". He laughed and said "How'd you guess?" It sounded like boulders rolling down a mountainside when he laughed.
When we shook, my hand looked like a baby's in his.

He asked what I did, and we talked for a little while about the relative pluses and minuses of our respective professions. We agreed that his working conditions were a lot worse than mine.

I later read he was also called The Gentle Giant and he did seem to be a very gentle man. Not at all what I had expected.

[tjwash]

1. Great story.

:thumbsup:

[Beausoir]

2. Great story!

Pink painted toe nails on Andre The Giant.

You don't see that everyday.

[trof]

5. Never found out about why the pink toenails.

Didn't seem prudent to bring it up.
;-)

[sakabatou]

3. Obey Giant

[skygazer]

4. Neat story

I have a soft spot in my heart for Andre - he was wonderful in The Princess Bride which is one of my favorite movies.

[AngryAmish]

6. Andre the Giant --We Hardly Knew Ye