be only one full rehearsal at the theater on the morning of the opening performance
that afternoon of February 25! It was a miracle of coordination. But Barney, they
said, had been working miracles for years and Barney would continue to do so for
years to come....Incidentally, I was in “Babes," in the chorus. In one number I was
Mickey Mouse, oversized papier maché head and all.
Ever susceptible to the lure of a new hobby, I delved into photography. First
I joined the camera club at school, which was not especially rewarding, but it did
afford a needed new dimension of involvement. At home, on my own, I periodically
commandeered the kitchen for a dark room and developed and printed my own
pictures.
Next I looked into ventriloquism with the aid of a ten-cent mail order book
and a dummy named Chatty Charlie. It was a flop.
Concurrently I tried to learn hypnotism, also with a ten-cent manual. When I
thought I was prepared, I tried out my new power on Vic Malloy in the 7-Up
clubhouse, using the experiment called “How to Clasp the Hands Together." Here is
an excerpt too amusing not to record:
Place your subject on a chair. Have him clasp
his hands together with the fingers interlocked and
the arms straight. Place yourself in front of the
subject and request him to stare into your eyes....
Slowly stroke his arms downward and say to him,
‘You will find your arms are getting stiff...you can-
not bend them. Your hands are getting stuck tighter
and tighter together.’
“In many cases the subject will be utterly unable
to unclasp his hands. Don’t permit the hands to be stuck
together too long, but when you are convinced he cannot
take them apart, clap your hands together and say: ‘All
right,’ and you will find that he can take his hands
apart without any difficulty.
“If by any possibility you should become hysterical in
case he did not take his hands apart the first time you
told him to, the likelihood is that he would become
hysterical in imitation. Tell him decidedly that it is
all right, that now he can take his hands apart, and you
will find no difficulty.
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