The Amazing Kreskin (b.
1935), US mentalist
Born George Joseph Kresge, Jr. in
Montclair,
New Jersey, "The Amazing Kreskin" is probably the most famous
mentalist in the US.
"I’m so delighted about Kreskin being here tonight, I hope I don’t neglect my other guests! I’ll tell you what we are going to do, we’re going to do a commercial - forget about the commercial. Don’t worry about the damn commercial. Don’t patronize our sponsors. We have something much better than commercials for you tonight. We have Kreskin." –
David Letterman
Kreskin presents the usual array of stage tricks: "reading minds", card tricks, finding hidden objects, etc. At the end of his act, one of his favorite tricks is to find his paycheck in the unusual location his employers have hidden it, such as a tablecloth, a chandelier, and stuffed in a
turkey.
Kreskin has based much of his act on the work of mentalist
Joseph Dunninger (
1892-
1975). Like Dunninger, Kreskin offers a large unclaimed reward ($50,000) to anyone who can prove that Kreskin works with an accomplice or assistant.
Kreskin has been coy about the source of his act. At times he admits that all he’s doing are stage conjurer’s tricks, while at others he implies that he is
psychic. Either way, Kreskin eschews the word "psychic", preferring "thought reader" when he does claim or imply that he has actual powers. Such as the time he offered to read the mind of
O.J. Simpson to settle the question of who killed his ex-wife.
http://www.amazingkreskin.com/