The Fabulous Fraud

This short, loosely based on a very small portion of the life of Dr. Franz Mesmer, is short on style, substance, and running time. Actually, very few facts are related here, and the desultory manner in which they are conveyed do nothing to help this very short short.

While not exactly the inventor of hypnotism, his social impact was of such an extent that the word "mesmerized" is derived from his name. The Fabulous Fraud is not a well made, or acted, documentary short, but at a mercifully crisp 11 minute running time it's still pretty difficult to get up a head of angry before the thing is over.

Another one of the little "space filler" numbers run on TCM in the early morning hours, these shorts are still fun to watch strictly for the "What the hell is this?" oddness of it.

Was he a healer or a fraud? We'll never know and this short subject gives no definitive answer.

It begins with Dr. Anton Mesmer (JOHN BARAGREY) shocking a wheelchair patient into walking when he splashes liquid into her startled face. She struggles to her feet, wanting to attack him, but he reminds her that she's walking--and she faints.

Thereafter, other cures with Mesmer's "kill or cure" approach--some successful, others not.

This is one in a series from John Nesbitt's "Passing Parade" and is certainly among the more curious looks at an historical figure from the 1800s. But it all leads to nothing, with no resolution even suggested.

Summing up: Not exactly mesmerizing.

I always watch these short documentaries with a great deal of interest because it typically rouses enough curiosity in me to do my own research afterwards.

Such was this case.

I also found the documentary to be non-conclusive,though one might gather, from the title, that it is in the negative.

The most glaring error, however,in material is that the narrator and documentary has a grim, misty picture of an "unmarked" gravesite or obscure one at best, while after my research, discovered,though banished to Switzerland, Mesmer had a brisk practice there until his death.

Additionally, Germany has erected a huge sculpture honoring him in Meersburg, Germany where he died.

Sensationalistic claims not based in fact are a waste of time for me,although, as I said before the initial appeal of most documentaries myself is prompting me to do my own research.

The Fabulous Fraud (1948)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Nice entry in John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series. This episode takes a look at the life and death of Dr. Anton Mesmer, the man who helped discovery hypnotism by accident and then took it to the history books. The main focus of this short is to show that Mesmer ended up taking a lot of grief for his discovery and exactly what happened to him during his final years are somewhat of a mystery. If you're looking for a complete and up-to-date documentary on Mesmer then you're certainly not going to find it here but I think fans of the series should at least be entertained with these 9-minutes. I think the best thing going for the film is its rather dark atmosphere created by Edward L. Cahn. While watching the film you also feel as if you're watching a Universal horror film from this era due to all the thick fog, which just helps with the atmosphere. The performances are also quite good and as you'd expect the narration from Nesbitt is top-notch.

Atmospheric entry in John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series that covers the life of 18th century German physician Franz Anton Mesmer. Yes the 'mesmerism' guy. This short tells of the techniques Mesmer used to treat the ill, including his experimentation with hypnotism. The short is dripping with cynicism from the start with narrator (and writer) John Nesbitt never missing an opportunity to mock Mesmer and those who believed in his quack medicine. Nothing wrong with pointing out the guy was a fraud but the tone is so harsh it struck me as a bit personal, like Nesbitt was ranting. It's all the more strange when you consider the short ends asking the question of whether Mesmer was a healer or a fraud, as if it had not been exclusively making the case for the latter the entire time. This was made in the 1940s and the runtime is brief, so obviously don't expect an accurate history lesson. As entertainment it's not bad for a short. It's a nice production with good atmosphere from director Edward L. Cahn and cinematographer Paul Vogel. John Baragrey, sounding somewhat like Charles Boyer, is good as Mesmer. Morris Ankrum has a bit part as the father of a blind girl. Definitely worth a look if you're into the subject matter or just enjoy the Passing Parade series.