Chautauqua Festival 2023 – Secrets Revealed – Robert Ripley

Robert Ripley (1890-1949) performed by Larry Bounds.

Robert “Believe It or Not” Ripley lived an unbelievable life. A barefoot and bucktoothed boy became a radio, film, and television celebrity who was voted “the most popular man in America.” A reluctant writer who dropped out his senior year of high school and became a best selling author and a world renowned journalist.  A nonstop doodler who was told he would never be an artist became a newspaper illustrator earning more than $500,000 a year – during the Great Depression! Ripley traveled the world finding and reporting the oddest and most unusual facts about people, places, and events. Often controversial, sometimes shocking, and always entertaining, Robert Ripley created a media empire that survives and thrives more than 70 years after his death – believe it or not!

Larry Bounds has performed on the Greenville Chautauqua stage since 2002.  He has portrayed Einstein, Churchill, Disney, Houdini, and Cronkite, among others, but recreating Robert Ripley holds a special place in his heart.  Since 1973 Larry has worked as a professional magician, including 8 years appearing with Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach and 3 years as a theme park magician in Kentucky.  Over the years he has presented thousands of public, private, and corporate magic shows.  Larry is also a well-respected South Carolina teacher with a Masters degree in education from The University of Tennessee, a National Board Certification, and 35 years of classroom teaching experience. He has recently retired from teaching but serves on several community boards and is an active member of Piedmont Area Mensa.