- Franz Polgar
Dr. Franz Polgar (1900–1979) was a renowned
psychologist ,hypnotist ,lecturer andentertainer . Born in city ofEnying ,Hungary , he earned a PhD inPsychology from the University of Budapest.In his 1951 autobiography Polgar claimed that he had served as
Sigmund Freud 's "medical hypnotist" (Polgar's term) in 1924 and had worked in close association with Freud for six months and had assisted in the treatment of Freud's patients. In 1982, Gravitz and Gerton investigated this claim and determined that it had no foundation.He immigrated to the
United States in 1935 and honed his hypnotism skills by working inspeakeasy bars inNew York city. He married his wife, Lillian, in 1938 and she became his booking and publications manager.During the early days of television, Dr. Polgar had a 15-minute show on the CBS station in New York City. Most of his entertaining was done in colleges, universities, and resorts. His show consisted of three parts: hypnosis demonstration, a "mind reading" stunt where he would find an object hidden by his audience, and various memory stunts. He was an outstanding entertainer and would mix education and humor into his performances. He and his wife had two children: Julian and Risa.
References
* Gravitz, M.A. & Gerton, M.I., "Polgar as Freud’s Hypnotist? Contrary Evidence", "American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis", Vol.24, No.4, (April 1982), pp.272-276.
* Polgar, F.J. (with Singer K.), "The Story of a Hypnotist", Hermitage House, (New York), 1951.
* Schneck, J.M., "Freud's “Medical Hypnotist”", "American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis", Vol.19, No.2, (October 1976), pp.80-81.External links
*imdb title|id=0040998|title=The Amazing Polgar
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