Franquin’s Story

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28436, 16 November 1957, Page 3

Franquin’s Story

The Eyes Have It. By Franquin. Angus and Robertson. 206

d Franquin began his career as a a hypnotist only about eight years ago, yet his name is already welle known to thousands in England i,' and the United States as well as in Australia and New Zealand. f In remarkably short time he has achieved fame as one of the e greatest showmen of our time, [t He did not gain this reputation without an uphill climb, and in j this book of reminiscences he a j gives a vivid and cheerful account of the adventures, troubles and n triumphs he met with oi his way 1’ to the top. s Franquin (his real name is e Frank H. Quinn) was born in s Christchurch, 1914. When he was o about five years old his parents d moved for a short while to live ein Australia, and it was in e Sydney as a small boy that he d first realised that he possessed a j remarkable power—when he fixed s a road-side barrow man with s his eyes and willed him to give r away four large luscious . peats y free. After the family returned t to New Zealand, whilst still at school he “mesmerised” . several of his school-mates and _ even cured a girl of an involune tary sniff. His first “big” case occurred when he was but 14 ; years of age, a boarder at Wellington College, when he hypnotised his mate “Stuffy” Logan and i caused him at prep time next day to hurl his inkwell at v the blackboard. He left e school when he was 16, when e the economic depression was y beginning in earnest. His 21st birthday found him assistantt manager of a picture theatre in t Auckland. He already had ideas 3 of using his hypnotic power for V public entertainment and was r putting his savings into the s Hypnotic Fund which was to 2 launch him one day on his stage i career. At this time the fund a was nearly £2O. "With a fine i disregard for finance. I fell in love g and married my Eileen. For thc first time, and then only after we i hadn't eaten for two days, 1 s borrowed from the Hypnotic Fund, a Four years later, when it again , stood at £2O. World War II broke a out. and I joined the Army,” he _ writes. f In 1945. as Captain F. H. Quinn. . he was discharged after service r in the Pacific, and since show „ business was in his blood without _ delay plunged into his first new > | stage venture. This was a disf mal failure. In the nomadic life of side-shows at Agricultural and Pastoral shows in different parts I of the Dominion, however, he was more successful: and many ChristJ church people will still remember his Globe of Death and that noisy - motor-bike which he had stationed 1 for some weeks just at the end ; of thc War in a vacant section off , Manchester street. 1 In 1947 he plucked up enough i courage to book the Grand Opera i House in Wellington for a week, 5 and thus launched himself on his [ stage career as a professional • hypnotist. His firstt' appearances r were not a big success. At Nel-i ■ son he did better, but it was at i his next stopping place. Motueka. ; ; that he knew that his faith in himself as an entertainer was justi- ’ fled. Blenheim confirmed this [i faith sufficiently to enable him to ! , bear with poor houses in Christchurch without real discourage- . ment. At Dunedin he vas • J received enthusiastically and J further successes at Invercargill [and later at many North Island ! H cities, including Auckland, caused ’] him to turn his attention to Aus- ' ’ tralia. In the foreword of this 1 ‘ book. Sir Frank Tate confesses j 1 his astonishment at the effrontery ! of the black-bearded young man ' I “who importuned my brother John ■ and myself to allow him the use ' ! of our Empire Theatre in Sydney —the largest stage theatre in the ■ Southerr- Hemisphere. Our brash ’ young visitor informed us that he ‘ had a one-man show . . . Intrigued , i by the young man's intensity and , self-assurance, I asked liirn ‘ whether he would want the , Empire for one or for two nights. : ‘Nights!’ he exclaimed. ‘I want it for at least six weeks.’ ” It is now theatrical history that ’ after being banished by the Tate , Brothers first to Brisbane “on 5 trial.” Franquin did play in the Empire Theatre in Sydney and did take up his options for even longer periods than six weeks, and created attendance records f which Sir Frank states “will prob- 1 ably never be broken.” In May. ? 1957, when this book went to the press, Franquin had just com- i pleted his fifth session at the Empire Theatre, and had broken even his own records again c Wherein lies the explanation of i the Great Franquin’s success? 1 Readers will find the explanation I in this book. First he has a flair for publicity, and secondly, he i knows how to send his audiences away satisfied and happy. r He has. of course, been implored by hundreds of people to use his 1 hypnotic power to cure all manner of illnesses “which the doctors •' cannot cure.” quin confesses ! that he knows nothing of medicine ' and is untrained in the use of * hynosis for medical purposes In this field he openly reveals his f fear of amateur experimentation. . Nevertheless he has, fc pity’s ‘ sake, yielded on a f°w occasions. *' and he includes in these memoirs s a description of several remarkable cures as well as the frank * account of one unsuccessful case J performed in a Wanganui 1 surgery. There is undoubtedly a great deal yet to bo earnt in 1 the realm of psychic phenomena: c and until research by properly a qualified and accredited scientists has revealed more, the dangers of ' amateur experimentation are incalcuable. Some might even r go so far as to say that no person ’ should ever be permitted to c hypnotise another unless properly 9 licensed to do so by some respon- 1 sible body such as the B.M.A. p The publication of Henry Blythe’s a “The Three Lives of Naomi Henry. An Investigation into Reincarnation” recently reviewed in these columns would confirm such an a opinion. At the same time even r the most prejudiced will conclude a after reading this book that the major part of Franquin’s enter- a tainment is harmless enough. There appears to be little danger fi to the average individual when s it is suggested to an audience that y they are unable to unclasp their J fingers’ While it remains a fact • that we still know little of the s power of hypnosis, this entertain- a ing record of unusual experiences, because it removes much fear, b will be enjoyed by a wide circle o of readers. v