Underground Giant

Summary

Episode Summary: "Underground Giant"

Podcast: Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities
Date: August 6, 2026
Host: Aaron Mahnke
Production: iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

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Overview

In this episode titled "Underground Giant," Aaron Mahnke presents two remarkable true stories from the archives of history. The first tale traces the tumultuous life and legacy of Jean-Gaspard Deburau, the legendary French mime Pierrot, whose fame both elevated and nearly destroyed him. The second story recounts the heroic efforts of Mickey Davies, a physically small but morally towering optometrist, who organized and protected his London community during the harrowing days of the Blitz. Both stories celebrate individuals who, in their own ways, became "giants" underground—one beneath the surface of theater, another beneath the city streets.

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Tale One: The Silent Star—Jean Gaspard Deburau

[00:47 – 06:26]

Key Discussion Points

• Deburau's Mysterious Public Persona

  • Jean-Gaspard Deburau was famous throughout 19th-century Paris, yet virtually unrecognized in person due to his on-stage persona as Pierrot, a silent clown.
  • “He was a brilliant and brazen actor, intense and volatile and, well, completely silent.” — Aaron Mahnke, [00:54]

• Transformation of the Character Pierrot

  • Deburau didn’t play Pierrot as a mere "fool," but as a tragic, romantic figure, elevating the lowbrow commedia dell'arte form.
  • “Deburau wasn't content with bumbling. His Pierrot was not some fool, but a victim of fate, a romantic, and one capable of expressing deep emotion with silence and the simplest of gestures.” — [01:46]

• Fame's Double-Edged Sword and the Fatal Incident

  • His success led to loss of boundaries with adoring but invasive fans.
  • In 1836, Deburau fatally struck a boy who had accosted him in the street, triggering a sensational murder trial.
  • “The courtroom itself came to feel like a theater, with crowds watching breathlessly...” — [03:17]

• The Trial and Aftermath

  • Deburau's fame influenced the jury and public; he was acquitted, the case ruled an accident under ‘desperate confusion.’
  • “It hardly seemed fair how much Deburau's fame tilted the scale in his favor. ...Although Deburau had committed the crime, it was Pierrot who won the case.” — [03:49]
  • His work continued, and, despite the scandal, Pierrot's legend—and tragedy—grew.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “He left behind a body of work as complex as he was. He was a genius who transformed a stock comic character into a symbol of human suffering and resilience.” — Aaron Mahnke, [05:12]
• “Jean Gaspard Deburau was a mime.” — [05:30] (Revealing the true identity in a classic Cabinet of Curiosities twist)

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Tale Two: London's Underground Giant—Mickey Davies

[07:02 – 12:06]

Key Discussion Points

• The Blitz Begins: Chaos in London

  • September 7, 1940 marked the start of the Blitz, with devastating bombings and mass civilian displacement.
  • “Londoners who couldn't flee … were stuck with the new horrible reality. Their city had just become an active war zone.” — [07:30]

• Mickey Davies: The Reluctant Hero

  • Mickey Davies, known locally as Mickey, suffers a personal tragedy when his optometry shop is destroyed in a bombing.
  • Despite this, he seeks shelter with his neighbors and quickly notices the dangerous, unsanitary conditions underground at the Spitalfields Public Shelter.

• Community Organization and Transformation

  • Mickey organizes a shelter committee, raises funds for medicine, and convinces doctors to help.
  • They create systems for medical care, hygiene, and management of the 2,500 displaced people.
  • “Mickey and his committee created a card index system so they could keep track of the 2,500 people who used the shelter.” — [09:43]

• Recognition and Enduring Legacy

  • The government tries to install an official marshal, but the shelter community votes Mickey back in, renaming it “Mickey’s Shelter.”
  • Mickey continues his service after the war, eventually becoming Deputy Mayor of Stepney Borough.

• Reflection on Courage and Community

  • Mahnke emphasizes how ordinary people, when organized, become the pillars holding society together in catastrophe.
  • “When working toward the greater good, even a little man can accomplish more than a giant.” — [11:40]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Sometimes, when faced with the terrors of bombing and destruction, community is all we have to protect ourselves. ...even a little man can accomplish more than a giant.” — Aaron Mahnke, [11:34]

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Notable Quotes

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |---------|--------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:54 | Aaron Mahnke | “He was a brilliant and brazen actor, intense and volatile and, well, completely silent.” | | 01:46 | Aaron Mahnke | "Deburau wasn't content with bumbling. His Pierrot was not some fool, but a victim of fate..." | | 03:17 | Aaron Mahnke | "The courtroom itself came to feel like a theater, with crowds watching breathlessly..." | | 05:12 | Aaron Mahnke | “He left behind a body of work as complex as he was. He was a genius who transformed a stock comic character into a symbol…” | | 05:30 | Aaron Mahnke | "Jean Gaspard Deburau was a mime." | | 07:30 | Aaron Mahnke | "Their city had just become an active war zone." | | 09:43 | Aaron Mahnke | "Mickey and his committee created a card index system so they could keep track of the 2,500 people who used the shelter." | | 11:34 | Aaron Mahnke | "Sometimes, when faced with the terrors of bombing and destruction, community is all we have to protect ourselves." | | 11:40 | Aaron Mahnke | "...even a little man can accomplish more than a giant." |

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Theme Setup — [00:38]
• Tale of Jean Gaspard Deburau (Pierrot the Mime) — [00:47 – 06:26]
• Tale of Mickey Davies and the London Blitz Shelter — [07:02 – 12:06]
• Reflection & Episode Closing — [11:34 – 12:06]

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Tone and Style

Mahnke’s signature narrative blends thoughtful curiosity with gentle, dark whimsy. Both stories are told with an empathetic, almost fable-like touch, highlighting human ingenuity and the paradoxes of fame and heroism.

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Takeaway

"Underground Giant" offers two historical windows into people who, far from obvious heroism, rose up beneath the surface—on stage and in wartime—to become icons of resilience, compassion, and transformation. As Mahnke puts it, “When working toward the greater good, even a little man can accomplish more than a giant.” [11:40]

Transcript

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[Narrator/Host]

Welcome to Erin Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and mild.

[Aaron Manke]

Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. The man walking the smoky Streets of 19th century Paris moved cautiously through the crowd, even though nearly every citizen of the city knew him. As a matter of fact, the whole of Europe knew his work, although very few would recognize him if he stood directly in their faces. This was, after all, Jean Gaspard de Bureau, the man who many believed had changed the very soul of theater. He was a brilliant and brazen actor, intense and volatile and, well, completely silent. Born Jan Kaspar Dvorak in a small bohemian town, Deburau's family was a troupe of traveling acrobats seeking a bigger life. He ran away from the circus as a teenager and made his way to Paris, where he found the troupe of Funamboul. This troupe performed commedia dell', arte, an Italian art form steeped in mask work and slapstick comedy. And there he took the role of Pierrot, a clumsy, clownish figure known for his bumbling antics. But de Bureau wasn't content with bumbling his Pierrot was not some fool, but a victim of fate, a romantic, and one that was capable of expressing deep emotion with silence and the simplest of gestures. An elevated form of the historically lowbrow commedia, it was a hit too. Parisian theatergoers were enthralled with this sad character, so much so that his performances regularly sold out. But this proved to be a double edged sword. That Pierrot fandom was intense and many being unable to see the difference between the character and the man who played it. Although he had some amount of anonymity due to the mask, the makeup and the costumes that he wore on stage, he was still regularly called out to on the street and accosted at cafes. And then one fateful day in 1863, it all became too much for him. He was walking out one day when a young Boy called to him, pierrot. He ignored the boy, but the boy persisted, finally running up behind him and shouting again. Pierrot. In a lapse of temper, Debirau turned and struck the boy with his heavy walking stick. Although details are somewhat scant, we do know that the blow landed hard and that the boy fell. He died a short time later. The murder and the subsequent arrest of Jean Gaspard Debiraud sent shockwaves through Paris. What followed was no mere trial either. It was a cultural moment. Parisians by the thousands gathered at the courthouse, eager to catch a glimpse of the famous performer or to hear his voice, which he never used on stage. The courtroom itself came to feel like a theater, with crowds watching breathlessly as the prosecution attempted to paint the actor as a cold blooded murderer. The defense, arguing that he was merely a victim of his own fame and had snapped after being overwhelmed by the boy accosting him in the busy street. It hardly seemed fair how much Deburau's fame tilted the scale in his favor. And many on the jury had likely seen him perform and were reluctant to convict a man who had brought so much joy to the masses. In a verdict that surprised no one, Deburaud was acquitted of the murder charge, with the court ruling that it had been an unfortunate accident that arose from a moment of desperate confusion. Although Deburaud had committed the crime, it was Pierrot who won the case. In the years following his trial, Deburau remained in charge of the Funamboul. In fact, he remained with them until his death in 1846. Although the murder remained a shadow on his legacy, it may have actually done the theater some good. Audiences continued to buy tickets to see Pierrot, now made more tragic by real life events. When Jean Gaspard Debirau died, he left behind a body of work as complex as he was. He was a genius who transformed a stock comic character into a symbol of human suffering and resilience. And he is considered by most to be the archetype upon which all silent performers have been built ever since. That's right. Jean Gaspard Deburau was a mime. This episode was sponsored by BetterHelp. You've heard me talk about BetterHelp for a long time, but I don't know that we've ever actually talked about how much people love this service when they use it. You can check it out yourself [e-mail] reviews to out find, see amazing customer reviews in real time. The reviews are updated every day with hundreds of people saying how much they love BetterHelp and how helpful it's been to them. Please visit betterhelp.com reviews to see for yourself. BetterHelp has an average live therapy session rating of 4.9 out of 5 based on over 1.7 million client session reviews. 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On September 7th of 1940, life in the city of London changed forever. German planes darkened the horizon carrying with them 337 tons of bombs directed at the city itself. Air raid sirens sounded and the city was rocked day and night by explosions. This was the first day of The Blitz, a 57 day long air raid conducted by the Luftwaffe against Great Britain. For the people of London, it became a defining event of the war. Londoners who couldn't flee to the countryside were stuck with the new horrible reality. Their city had just become an active war zone. Over 400 civilians died on that first day and the bombs kept coming. On September 13, a bomb destroyed an optometrist shop in the East End. The man who ran the business was well known locally. His name was Michael Davies. Davies, who went by Mickey, had been born with a spine defect that impeded his growth. At the age of 30, he wasn't much taller than a 10 year old child. Sources differ on how tall he actually was. Some say a little over three feet, some say a little over four, but he was a hard person to miss. Either way, it's hard to imagine how he felt when his livelihood went up in flames, but he didn't have much time to think about it. Either way, Mickey and his wife Doris, crowded with many of their neighbors into their local air raid shelter, the Spitalfields Public Shelter. It was a pitiful place to hide. A run down series of tunnels attached to the basement of a local shop. Thousands of panicked Londoners packed into these tunnels. The air was too close, making it hard to breathe. There was garbage everywhere. People slept overnight on piles of trash rather than actual bedding. Water and food were sparse and medical supplies were non existent. In short, it was a problem. With thousands of people packed underground, some of them permanently displaced from destroyed homes, there was the real risk of disease spreading through the city. Mickey was one of several who noticed this and they took their problems directly to their elected representatives. The members of the Stepney Borough Council were sympathetic but unable to help. They were too occupied trying to figure out how to get the bare necessities of food and heating into the tunnels. They couldn't manage medical supplies as well. But rather than give up, Mickey redoubled his efforts. Locally he helped to put together an organizing committee for the air raid shelter and went out to raise money for medicine and first aid supplies. He managed to convince doctors to commute to his shelter to help administer medical aid to his neighbors. The Spitalfields Public Shelter provided medical aid to people for free and gave milk to children. The the organizational efforts didn't stop with charity though. Mickey and his committee created a card index system so that they could keep track of the 2,500 people who used the shelter. They implemented hygiene measures that could prevent disease and did their best to make sure that the shelter would be a home for those who couldn't go anywhere else. A persuasive public speaker, Mickey soon became one of the most fondly remembered figures in the Blitz. Eventually, the British government, seeing that shelters needed organization, mandated that every shelter have a shelter marshal to be responsible for the people. And then they appointed an official marshal for the Spitalfields shelter, effectively replacing Mickey. The shelter committee almost immediately took a vote to reappoint him. The shelter would eventually become known as Mickey's Shelter. Thanks to his efforts. People who passed through were amazed at how well it was run in comparison to other London air raid shelters. Mickey cut a strange figure at the head of the small community. He was short, but he commanded immense respect from the people around him. His work didn't stop once the Blitz ended either. With many people left homeless after the bombing, Mickey still had plenty of people to look after. His community service work led him into local government. Later in the 1940s, he was appointed Deputy mayor of Stepney Borough. He passed away in 1950. Four, but honored by his community, but largely unsung by the world outside of London. Sometimes, when faced with the terrors of bombing and destruction, community is all we have to protect ourselves. So I like to remember stories about people like Mickey Davies because they speak to what we're capable of when ordinary people work together to survive. When working toward the greater good, even a little man can accomplish more than a giant. I hope you enjoyed today's guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with iHeart Podcasts, researched and written by the Grim and Mild team, and produced by Jesse Fung. Learn more about the show and the people who make it [e-mail] curiosities. You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of Curiosities hardcover book available in bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook. And if you're looking for an ad free option, consider joining our Patreon it's all the same stories, but without the interruption. For a small monthly fee. Learn more and sign up [e-mail] grimandmild and until next time, stay curious

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