Sam Mullins

With one foot planted on her stomach, Dante would lightly move his 200 pounds atop her 100, standing as she clenched every muscle beneath him. The chairs would quiver, but the small woman would nod as the crowd would gasp. Lana would stare at her husband posing atop the woman with a flourish, the perfect image of trust between operator and subject.

With one foot planted on her stomach, Dante would lightly move his 200 pounds atop her 100, standing as she clenched every muscle beneath him. The chairs would quiver, but the small woman would nod as the crowd would gasp. Lana would stare at her husband posing atop the woman with a flourish, the perfect image of trust between operator and subject.

When you go through the old newspaper archives looking for Dr. Ronald Dante stories, prior to his marriage to Lana Turner, there's almost nothing. It's almost like he didn't really exist before Lana. But there was one story about him that she didn't know. One small story tucked away in the Miami Herald from 1962. seven years earlier.

When you go through the old newspaper archives looking for Dr. Ronald Dante stories, prior to his marriage to Lana Turner, there's almost nothing. It's almost like he didn't really exist before Lana. But there was one story about him that she didn't know. One small story tucked away in the Miami Herald from 1962. seven years earlier.

The headline read, A Florida woman named Claire Kisiel was seeking an annulment in her marriage to Dante. She first met Dante following a period of unconscionable tragedy in her life, in which she lost two of her children. The trauma of it caused her to be in poor health, and her weight dropped to just 75 pounds, which is what first brought her into Dante's orbit.

The headline read, A Florida woman named Claire Kisiel was seeking an annulment in her marriage to Dante. She first met Dante following a period of unconscionable tragedy in her life, in which she lost two of her children. The trauma of it caused her to be in poor health, and her weight dropped to just 75 pounds, which is what first brought her into Dante's orbit.

She'd heard about the therapeutic and clinical applications of hypnotism. She learned that hypnosis was used to treat everything from bedwetting to drug addiction to disordered eating. And as luck should have it, she learned that one of the best hypnotists in the world was presently in her town doing a run of shows.

She'd heard about the therapeutic and clinical applications of hypnotism. She learned that hypnosis was used to treat everything from bedwetting to drug addiction to disordered eating. And as luck should have it, she learned that one of the best hypnotists in the world was presently in her town doing a run of shows.

So Claire went to Dante's show and approached him afterwards, imploring him to hypnotize her, to help her gain weight, get her health back. Dante agreed to work with her and he started meeting with her regularly, hypnotizing her. She remembers his early sessions with her and claims that initially she did start feeling better and gaining weight like she hoped.

So Claire went to Dante's show and approached him afterwards, imploring him to hypnotize her, to help her gain weight, get her health back. Dante agreed to work with her and he started meeting with her regularly, hypnotizing her. She remembers his early sessions with her and claims that initially she did start feeling better and gaining weight like she hoped.

But then her life was engulfed by a cloud of confusion. Suddenly she found herself in Chicago, standing at the altar with Dante, saying, I do, not knowing what was happening. And then he was gone. The lawsuit claimed that Dante had hypnotized Claire into giving him her hand in marriage and nearly $20,000.

But then her life was engulfed by a cloud of confusion. Suddenly she found herself in Chicago, standing at the altar with Dante, saying, I do, not knowing what was happening. And then he was gone. The lawsuit claimed that Dante had hypnotized Claire into giving him her hand in marriage and nearly $20,000.

Through her lawyer, she alleged that under the influence of hypnosis, she was rendered incapable of exercising her own free will and judgment.

Through her lawyer, she alleged that under the influence of hypnosis, she was rendered incapable of exercising her own free will and judgment.

In 1969, Lana was several years removed from her last hit movie when she decided to make the risky pivot from the big screen to the small screen. For people like her, there was a stigma to working in TV at the time. But this show? This show seemed like a home run. It was called The Survivors.

In 1969, Lana was several years removed from her last hit movie when she decided to make the risky pivot from the big screen to the small screen. For people like her, there was a stigma to working in TV at the time. But this show? This show seemed like a home run. It was called The Survivors.

It had a stacked cast, the biggest budget in TV history, and was helmed by one of the most successful authors of all time, Harold Robbins. It was genuine prestige television.

It had a stacked cast, the biggest budget in TV history, and was helmed by one of the most successful authors of all time, Harold Robbins. It was genuine prestige television.

And in every episode, there was Lana Turner.

And in every episode, there was Lana Turner.