Last week, in Manhattan's Carnegie Hall, an audience that had come to watch a demonstration of hypnosis got more than it bargained for. The star attraction, Franz Polgar, was illustrating his powers on a dark-haired young woman when he was interrupted by shouted challenges from rival Hypnotist Ralph Slater (who performs in Loew's neighborhood theaters). Ushers rushed back & forth trying to restore quiet, but the meeting ended in uproar.
Mesmer & Magnetism. Hypnotism has been inspiring public interest and noisy argument ever since the days, in 18th Century Paris, when Franz Anton...