Blindfolded Hypnotist drives down Murray Street
| Type of event | Social |
| Street name | Murray Street
|
| Date occurred or began | 28 April 1955
|
The article headed
"Blindfold Attempt to Drive Car through Main Street"
comes from The Bunyip, 22 April 1955, page 1.
The article headed "800 See Hypnotist's Blindfold Drive" comes from The Bunyip, 29 April 1955, page 1.
Lee Saxon did four shows at the Gawler Institute on 26, 27, 28 & 30th April 1955. He returned for two more shows on 9 & 11 May 1955 and a further two shows on 5 & 6 August 1955. The advertisement was in connection with the August shows and appeared in The Bunyip, 22 July 1955, and again on 5 August 1955. No page numbers for the latter two.
There is a souvenir booklet for Lee Saxon's tour in the State Library but it was produced AFTER the Gawler appearances. The booklet illustrates other members of Saxon;s entourage and the woman shown blindfolding Saxon is not among them. This suggests the woman is a local. Another uncertainty is whether the image is from the car drive or from his stage show. Would love to believe it was in preparation for the drive.
Researched by Martin Walker
Blindfold attempt to drive a car through Main Street
Visiting hypnotist Lee Saxon, while blind-folded, will attempt to drive a car through Murray Street next Tuesday afternoon.
He plans starting from the 'Town Hall at 4 p.m., travelling to the top end of the street, making a U-turn, then going to the Southern end of the street before returning to the Town Hall. Mr. Saxon says he will permit anyone to blindfold him in any manner with any article—even a bag over his head.
He has performed the same feat in two West Australian towns—Norseman and York. "It is done by extra-sensory perception," states Mr. Saxon. His father, who is blind, has charge of a department in a W.A. blind institution and under his direction the hypnotist spent months practising while blindfolded to cultivate this sixth sense. For two years he practised walking in a large room strewn with objects while his eyes were covered. Mr. Saxon claims to have cured or relieved by hypnotic suggestions many nervous disorders, and carries testimonials to this effect.
In the past month during his S.A. tour, he states, he has cured two boys of stuttering ' one at Peterborough, the other at Spalding; considerably helped a Terowie woman suffering from nervous asthma; cured a Nuriootpa woman of insomnia; stopped the smoking habit of a Wallaroo publican; and cured a Peterborough woman of migraine headaches. At each of his shows he invites sufferers from nervous disorders backstage when the performance has concluded. No charge is made. Although he has been interested professionally in hypnotism for only three years, he has been training for it about 12 years.
Mr. Saxon says he was once a surgical dresser at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. then at the Royal Perth Hospital. He also had clinical training in massage and dietetics. One of his feats in Western' Australia some months back was to hypnotise a patient while he had a tooth extracted.
800 SEE HYPNOTIST’S
Blindfold drive down Murray Street
Crowds lined Murray Street Tuesday after-noon to see hypnotist Lee Saxon, blindfolded, drive a car from one end to the other and return.
It is estimated over 800 people, including 300 children, were present. Saxon had his eyes covered with adhesive tape criss-cross-ed, then a heavy black blind-fold tied across the tape. He drove at about 15 m.p.h. making U-turns at the South and Northern ends of the street. Returning to the Town Hall after completing almost the entire route he bumped softly into a station wagon and halted—just a few yards from the Institute where the drive had begun. Saxon was then interviewed by the police.
Older residents afterwards re-called the drive of a blind-folded visiting hypnotist about 50 years ago from North to South ends of Murray Street. He drove four horses and drag at a smart pace without mishap, according to the reminiscers. The Lee Saxon performances in Gawler have been presented to crowded audiences. Reactions of local and district volunteers on stage have amazed those attending.
At the hypnotist's suggestion each of up to 12 or 13 volunteers have fought like Joe Louis, sung like Johnny Ray, played imaginary pianos, danced hula-hulas, ridden horses or carried out any other action as directed to them. Mr. Saxon also demonstrates nmemonics (the science of memory) and mental telepathy, extra-sensory perception, hypnosis upon a member of the audience, and self-hypnosis. Crowds are remaining after the shows for hypnotic treatment of various disorders, for which no charge is made. Mr. Saxon's final show in Gawler is Saturday night.
References
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