(I posted a similar post to this elsewhere, but now here I'm turning specifically to the field of mentalism. I.e moderators - kindly don't move this post.)


The strongest *showmen* of mentalism - THAT WE CAN SEE RECORDED (video/DVD) - who are/were they? Mental entertainers - known for truly *CONNECTING* with the *LAYMEN* ?

Not "Oh, what a nice/cosy guy". Just not enough. I'm talking about "WOW, this guy/experience I'll cherish *for the rest of my life*" - but at the same time;

not *necessarily* bombastic charisma
not *necessarily* with extreme technical mastery
not *necessarily* laugh-your-pants-off

...even if all that is nice, too.


Here are some examples IMO (and I wish I could be more specific on *where* to find them);

Kreskin (goofy and very much connecting with his strong mysteries. See his many TV-performances)
Uri Geller (makes everyone feel great, experiencing genuine miracles. Maybe they are? No tape as far as I know, but many many recorded examples of course, available if searched for.)
Derren Brown (but I have no idea if he connects as much live as in his specials where he obviously, and masterfully, chose the perfect context for the effects.)

Dr Jaks (another Breese recording. I can see this man coming across at a very personal level.)
Dunninger - great for his day. Bombastic. Only heard recordings. IS footage available?
(Al Koran - I limited my question to mentalism and I consider Koran more of a magician, so...)

I'd really appreciate it if you could come up with others. Honestly, I think there should be more emphasis on these aspects of performance than any other.


...CONNECTING with LAYMEN generally AVAILABLE on tape or similar.


Thanks.

David Hoy

Derren Brown definetely gets my vote for being an amazing showman.

I wish there was somewhere to see footage or recordings of Annemann, is there? Or would it have been too long ago for footage?

Scott

There is footage of Annemann performing his bullet catch. Grainy, but interesting.

Jack Shalom

Jack,
Where is this footage available?

Chan Canasta - the only mentalist that really made an impact in the UK as being possibly real. Unless you count Geller!

What he and Geller have in common - as well as a debonair foreign charm - is the ability to use the same material over and over again and still get jaws dropping.

Regards,

David.

It shows up on Ebay from time to time. I purchased it, it was,if I rememebr right, about $15-20 total for a very few minutes of film.As jack said, it is very very grainy,but at the same time,Im glad I ahve it
Kim

Orson Wells was a GREAT showman. I remember him doing some amazing predition routines as a kid watching the Merv Griffin show. The vcr wasn't around back then.

A very powerful performer.

Thanks Kim. I'll keep my eys peeled

MindPhantom, it's funny you mention that, because I have the same strong recollection of seeing Orson Welles on Merv Griffin as a kid (I was a kid, not Merv Griffen ;-) But the memory is one of seeing the worst performance so bad it was laughable.

It's true his PERSONA as an illusionist was very believable. Unfortunately, the actual mechanics of his performance was embarrassingly bad. He opened a sealed envelope to reveal a predicition, and you EVERYONE could see him switch in a fingerpalmed substitute for what had previously been in the envelope. Even though I had no idea at that time that that could be a possible method, it was painfully obvious what he had done (even to me as a kid completely unfamiliar with magic techniques).

All these years I've remembered the slight smile on Merv's face (who obviously saw the switch to, along with the rest of the audience) and, out of politeness, he pretended to be impressed. To this day, I always tell myself "remember, pay attention, and don't be like Orson!"

Guys, thanks for your replies... but very little new has come up of mentalists known for connecting with laymen with available recordings.


Hoy - thanks for reminding me of Hoy, I recall seeing a recording of possibly his own TV show (Name of show??) Any ideas where to find this (or other) recordings?

Annemann - known for "connecting" with laymen and being a great showman??? Really??? Does this come across in the bullet catch clip?

Canasta - thanks for pointing him out, and with the just released DVD...!

Orson Wells - he wasn't a mentalist, was he?


Surely there must be many others?


Warmest thanks for your help. I believe it is an important question, on a topic worthy of study.

The Chan Canasta video is available from Martin Breese.

There is footage around of Dunninger, taken from his television series. I have several clips.

There is also footage around of Maurice Fogel, who was a fantastic performer. A couple of years ago realtives of Fogel's gave a talk at The Los Angeles Magic History Conference and showed the footage.

Burling Hull was another extra-ordinary performer, but as far as I know, no PERFORMING footage is available.

I do have a clip of Ormond McGill performing, but it is not mentalism or hypnotism. He's doing a comedy cigarette manipulation act!

I might add that FAlkenstein and Willard, in their prime, were wonderful performers, and video is definitely available.

In his early years, Harry Anderson and his wife performed an excellent Mentalism act. It was novel and very strong. Not the goofy stuff he turned to later. I wonder if any video is avialable of the early show?

- entity

Forgot to mention two wonderful current Mentalists who have video clips of their performances available on their websites:

Tim Connover
Joel Bauer



- entity

I think we would have to add Richard Osterland the lins.

I was wondering when someone would add him. No one connects with a crowd like Richard Osterlind. He's got it all: showmanship, likeability, charisma, and wonderful rapport with his audience.

--Mike

I agree that Osterlind is a great performer but honestly I didn't knew that he is notorious among laypeople as dunninger or kreskin or derren brown or Geller.....Are you sure?

Incidentally, a great book to use as a resource for anyone trying to find video clips of "strong" mentalism performers of the past and present is "The Mind Readers" by William Rauschke. The book won't itself directly lead you to repositories of such footage but will present you with the names of many, many top mentalism performers, video of whom you'd probably be interested in obtaining. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in mentalism!

The Astonishing Neal.

I have Dunninger on video from one of his old TV shows, I don't need to say anymore...

~Rick~

Is there any footage of Corinda performing? If he's half of how he says he is in his book, I would love to see it.

Jason

Thanks everyone for your input. You've got to agree there is surprisingly little around, at least if we don't include brief clips.


Entity and Rick Silmser;
do you know where to find the Dunninger and Fogel clips? I have soem Dunninger audio recordings, but have yet to see the man.


The Falkenstein and Willard video - are you, Entity, referring to their 3-video set from a few years ago? (I'm sad to say that the one lay person I showed it to left the room out of boredom.)

Harry Anderson, yes there is a strong (magic) performer. Anybody knows if this mental act is available for viewing?


Dr Stephen Midnight; Who is "the Astonishing Neal"?


Again, warmest thanks. This is truly valuable.