The World’s Strangest Married Couple
Many colorful show people have been associated with the tiny town of Gibsonton, Florida, over the years, but none were as visible a fixture as Al & Jeanie Tomaini, “The World’s Strangest Married Couple”.
“Al” Tomaini was born in 1912 as Aurelio Tomaini. He was a claimant to being the world’s tallest individual at a height of 8 feet, 6½ inches; however, Guinness World Records stated he was really 7 feet, 11 inches.
Tomaini was the son of Santo Tomaini and Maria Bossone. He was one of seven children. At the age of 12, he was taller than his father, who stood 6 feet, 1 inch tall. He had a great-grandfather in Italy who was also of abnormal height. His parents consulted a physician who, through the use of X-rays, discovered the cause of his gigantism to be an overactive pituitary gland.
‘Jeanie’ Bernice Smith was born in Bluffton, Indiana, on August 23, 1916. Realising the money-making potential, her parents started Jeanie down the sawdust trail. She had been a trouper almost since birth, and as she grew into a teen, she found she readily enjoyed the work. She was born without legs and was only 2 feet, 5 inches tall.
Al was about twenty-two years old and taking medication to retard his growth when he met Jeanie. Weighing 356 pounds and wearing size 27 shoes, he was already popular as a sideshow performer. The couple were working separately at the Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland in 1936. When Jeanie met Al, a romance soon began to blossom. The unusual couple eloped on September 8th of 1936 and were wed by a justice of the peace that same day. They honeymooned in Niagara Falls.
From that point on, they toured for decades as “The World’s Strangest Married Couple”. The pair were always inseparable and deeply in love. Al was often spotted with his pretty “Half-Girl” wife Jeanie, propped on his shoulder or carried at his side.
After touring for years with many shows, the couple settled in the small, outdoor show business community of Gibsonton, Florida. Al and Jeanie purchased a piece of property along the banks of the Alafia River and built tourist cabins and a trailer court, a TV repair shop and a restaurant known as ‘The Giant’s Camp’ ( that was marked by one of Al’s enormous cowboy boots ). He became active in community affairs in the late 1940’s and throughout the 1950’s, donating the town’s first ambulance, serving as fire chief, helping build the community hall, and serving as president of the Chamber of Commerce.
Unfortunately, the glandular condition that caused Al’s gigantism also doomed him to an early death. Al passed away at the age of fifty on August 30, 1962. Jeanie outlived her husband by over three decades but died on August 10, 1999. They are survived by one daughter, Judy (adopted).
Although I never personally knew Al, I remember Jeanie fondly as a gracious, personable and sweet lady
