It’s 1978, and the world’s most famous magician wants to show you the true wonders of the universe.

“The Grand Finale” was inspired by the life and work of magician Doug Henning, and uses material that borrows heavily from his act. To learn more about Henning, his work, and Transcendental Meditation, we’ve compiled a list of resources used to research this story below.

Spellbound: The Wonder-filled Life of Doug Henning by John Harrison
A well-researched, intimate biography about the life of Doug Henning.

The Doug Henning Project
An archive of interviews and articles spanning the course of Henning’s career, many scanned from old magazines that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere.

Interview: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on The Merv Griffin Show, 1977
The Maharishi is interviewed about his new TM-Sidhi (Siddhi) program, which promises special powers through meditation.

Special: Doug Henning’s World of Magic, 1976
Henning’s second TV special, hosted by Michael Landon. (His first special, hosted by Bill Cosby, is unavailable online.)

Special: Doug Henning’s World of Magic, 1977
Henning’s third TV special, hosted by Glen Campbell.

Greetings from Utopia Park: Surviving a Transcendent Childhood by Claire Hoffman
A memoir written by a woman who grew up in Fairfield, Iowa’s Trancendental Meditation community. Greetings from Utopia Park gives an insider’s perspective on Transcendental Meditation during the time period of “The Grand Finale.”

CAST

Billy Griffin, Jr.
Amy Warren
Stephanie Rey
Michael Cumpsty
Adrián Burke
T.J. Mannix
Reza Nasooti
Louis Kornfeld
Michael Cullen
Rachel Botchan
Stefan Schuette
Mary McDonnell
Bill Rohlfing
Chris Kipiniak
Eli James

DAVID DREAMER
LAURA
PAMELA
HARRY
PAUL
TV EXECUTIVE
MAHARISHI
DIRECTOR
STAN
JUDY
JOE
LISA
ANNOUNCER 1
ANNOUNCER 2
VARIETY SHOW HOST

Written by Jonathan Mitchell
Produced by Jonathan Mitchell
Associate produced by Nichole Hill and A.C. Lamberty
Production assistance by Noam Osband

JONATHAN MITCHELL (writer, director, producer) has contributed a wide range of work— documentaries, fictional stories, non-narrated sound collages, and original music— to all sorts of programs: RadioLab, Studio 360, This American Life, All Things Considered, Planet Money, and PBS’s Nova, to name a few. His work has won many awards, including the Peabody, Third Coast Festival, The Sarah Lawrence College International Audio Fiction Award, and the Gold Mark Time Award for Best Science Fiction Audio. He studied music composition at University of Illinois and Mills College.