FRANQUIN SEASON HAS SUCCESSFUL GISBORNE OPENING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23043, 6 September 1949, Page 4

FRANQUIN SEASON HAS SUCCESSFUL GISBORNE OPENING

The energy and drive of "The Great Francium,” hypnotist, kept a packed Opera House brightly entertained on the opening night of his four-dav season in Gisborne last night. It was a one-man show with real entertainment value. “The Groat Franquin” was introduced by his assistant and sister, Miss Laurel Franquin. He opened by defining the two sciences, hypnotism and mesmerism. and then told of the part played by psychology. The importance of memory training was stressed by Mr. Franquin betore he called upon members of the audience to name 40 articles. As they were named thev were written on blackboards at the rear of the stage. Calling them over once with the aid of his assistant. Mr. Franquin then relied on his memory to complete the list of 40 articles in reverse order. Numbers called at random from the audience produced as the answer from Mr. Frannuin the name of the article bearing that number on either of the boards behind him.

Plenty of Volunteers Following the interval, the audience was taken deeper into the science of mesmerism and hypnotism. There was no dearth of volunteers. 27 coming forward. They were put through a quick mesmeric test to ensure that only the best subjects remained on the stage. The first class of seven, when asleep, were told that thev were violinists playing Verdi’s ''Rigoletto” and the bowing of some was much more realistic than that of others. The remaining five subjects found themselves at a Chopin recital. The group was then dealt with as a whole and under the will of Mr. Franquin were taken to the cinema, where their reactions to the various emotional situations suggested produced laughs aplenty from the audience. With the audience now taking a much deeper interest in the already gripping performance. Mr. Franquin took one .of his good subjects on a special test to convince any remaining sceotics in the bodv of the house.

He explained that a hypnotic sleep produced complete rest during which the subject felt no pain. It had the effect of an anaesthetic. Needles were stuck into the cheek, wrist and under a finger nail of the subject while “sleeping.” Questioned when brought out of his “sleep,” he, like all the others before him, had no idea of what had occurred. He said ho' remembered nothing and felt no ill-effects from anything done to him. To Sleep For 24 Hours

Mr. Franquin explained that special volunteers had been called for to be put under hypnotic sleep and soend the day in the display window bed in McGruer’s. The three volunteers for that portion of the performance had been on the stage and he chose Mr. Jack Murtagh as the most likely. ‘There was one thing I did not ask at the time,” said Mr. Murtagh, when asked if he still wished to carry on with the test. “If you put me to sleep and you are the only person able to wake me ' up. what happens to me if something should happen to you?” ‘lf I should die,” said Mr. Franquin, “Vour sub-conscious mind will work like a clock. After the given time you will slowly merge into natural sleep and you will awake, probably about five or six hours after that given time.” Mr. Franquin explained that the subject would be taken by ambulance to the display window in 'town and there he would be watched over by members of his staff during the night and nurses would be in attendance during the day. The presence of attendants at all times was necessary because, in the complete sleep of a hypnotic spell, the brain was not functioning. Temperatures, particularly, were watched and bedding was altered to suit the occasion. In a normal sleep, he said, a person naturally threw back a blanket or drew up another as conditions became either too hot or too cold. All that had to be done for the subject under the test. He was fold that- he would be awakened in the Opera House at the performance this evening.

Mr. Murtagh was put under the hypnotic spell, placed on a stretcher, and carried, awav to the ambulance by two officers of the St. John Ambulance.

“A Fishing Holiday”

Having his subjects under complete control bv this time, Mr. Franquin was able to bring his mesmeric powers to bear on anv one or all auickly. He took them on a fishing holiday during the course of which they caught _ a record fish. Their choice of drinks with which to celebrate their catch was a little odd. One became “The Great Franquin” and completed portion of the memory test without a falter in his induced “sleep.” Awakened, he said he wouldn't have a chance of remembering the articles in relation to their numbers on the board. A young woman knew where she was and was fullv alert when questioned about various things, but had forgotten her name. A snao of the Franquin fingers brought that back to her. When finally thanking them individually for their co-operation._ one found he was walking with stiff legs, another could not move his feet from the top step, Tui was told that she could not resist stroking the beard of Franquin before leaving the stage and a younger subject was told that he would stand ud and shout “vipee” as soon as he regained his seat in the audience. The season will be continued each night until and including Thursday.