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Like all the early newsreels, Topical Budget delighted in frivolous news items, and this story from 1925 is a particularly entertaining example. Despite the title, the story has little to do with the weather (in fact, the title is the answer to a question posed in the previous item in the newsreel, London's Own Cross-Word Puzzle) - although the print of this item is not as clear as it might be. Its subject is American performer Harry Kahne, popularly known as 'The Incomparable Mentalist' and 'The Man with the Multiple Mind'. Here, Kahne demonstrates his ability to complete a crossword puzzle while suspended upside down from a high building (possibly in New York City). Astute viewers may notice what appear to be one or two errors.
Something like a David Blaine crossed with 'lateral thinking' guru Edward de Bono, Kahne displayed an array of stunts and routines, frequently performing six tasks at once, including reading aloud from a newspaper while writing backwards and upside down with one hand and mirror writing with the other. Kahne believed that human beings were guilty of underusing the powers of their minds, and developed a course to encourage what he called 'multiple mentalism'.
Mark Duguid
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Complete item (1:14)
