Talk:Kreskin

2005 comment
Surely this article should be at one or other of its bold titles? If "The Amazing K." is really the more commonly used one, presumably that one. Alai 13:35, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

It's not. Smith Jones

Penn quote
Can someone shed some light on this quote? It doesn't seem obvious to me from the rest of the article. It implies Kreskin presented himself primarily as an entertainer. Without some explanation and support, I think repeating Penn's quote is borderline libelous. Cool Hand Luke 17:30, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

It doesn't really matter, since the small section on Penn is non-encyclopedic. The quote, along with its tiny section, should be removed entirely. SeanAhern 13:22, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Failed UFO trick with Art Bell audience?
Does anyone have any information on this, I remember hearing an Art Bell show were Kreskin had claimed there would be a UFO event, I believe over Las Vegas, A few thousand people showed up, and 500 were chosen to be taken into his tent, where some kind of mass hypnotism was attempted, however the feat failed when less than a dozen actually claimed to have seen any UFO's, and even some of those realised how they had been manipulated almost instantly, many people also called in to Art Bell to explain how and what Kreskin had attempted.

My memory of this event is very vague, and I could be wildly inaccurate, but I do remember laughing at the time at how badly he had failed, especially as the Art Bell audience would be expected to be far more gullible and manipulatable than the general populace. I guess some would use the line that hypnotism works better on smarter people, as they have more imagination, and their intelligence allows them to create very convincing lies for themselves. Kresk (talk) 00:12, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

Yes, everything you said is correct. Quite an embarrassment. 2,000 websites on Google reference this. I'll look for specific articles in Google News that can be cited. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=kreskin+UFOs+%22Las+Vegas%22 MotivationalMagic (talk) 07:40, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Kreskin's Cube
I remember back in the very early 1970s, when Kreskin was demonstrating and selling his Kreskin's Cube at Shillito's Department Store in Cincinnati. I had never heard of Kreskin, but he had a crowd of people around him, demonstrating this cube. It was just a lucite block with an indentation in the middle. He had people holding a string with a ball attached to it, holding it over the middle of the block. I tried it, and the ball started to revolve around the indentation, faster and faster. I couldn't believe it, and I quickly looked up at the ceiling as if there might be something up there causing this effect. Kreskin saw me and said it would work just as well at home. I couldn't buy one quick enough. But when I got back to the office, it didn't work at all, and I returned it to Shillito's for a refund. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.27.9.34 (talk) 18:31, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

Amazing Karnak
Was Johnny Carson's character based on Kreskin? JayHubie (talk) 18:42, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

No. Carson adapted his bit from one Steve Allen used to do some 20 years before... long before anybody ever heard of Kreskin.Ted Newsom (talk) 11:06, 7 November 2015 (UTC)

Using "while finding" to mean "while he found"
Is there a place on Wikipedia where this mistake of non-native English speakers is addressed? -Tom Haws (talk) 20:08, 13 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Incorrect example: While being apparently thought correct, and while being used and seen increasingly, it is not standard usage. How's that for a painful example?
 * Corrected example: While it is apparently thought correct, and while it is used and seen increasingly, it is not standard usage.
 * Appropriate usage of While __ing: While seeking the money, he was hit by a train.

Did Kreskin claim to have paranormal abilities?
From a letter Penn Jillette wrote to The Skeptical Inquirer:


 * "I cringe at the memory of begging my parents to buy me the overpriced 'Advanced Fine Edition' of Kreskin’s ESP. For their hard-earned money, I got a pendulum (with cards marked 'Finance,' 'Travel,' 'Career,' and 'Love' -- this is science?), a board, some ESP cards, and a pamphlet -- all junk. The pendulum moved (ideomotor effect, like Ouija boards) and the other stuff just didn’t work. My parents sat with me many evenings and we tried to get some results. We were wasting our time.


 * After several weeks of disappointing 'experiments,' I stumbled across a book on 'mentalism' (I think it was Dunninger) and realized Kreskin had duped me. I felt humilitated and betrayed. It wasn’t until I was 18 that Teller, James Randi, and Martin Gardner restored my love of science. Since then, a good part of my career has been dedicated to making sure others are not bilked by scumbags like Kreskin."

From the Chicago Tribune:


 * "Here is where Kreskin becomes adamant, and frankly, somewhat annoyed to be lumped in with psychics: He insists he possesses no paranormal or clairvoyant powers, can't see ghosts and can't channel the great beyond.


 * However, the course focuses on psychological methods such as jogging lost memories through relaxation techniques or detecting lies through body language and voice inflections.


 * 'Bottom line is that the mind is a remarkable tool,' Kreskin said. 'We all pick up a lot more than we're consciously aware of.' "

From the box of Kreskins' ESP board game:


 * "Extra Sensory Perception is the ability to send or receive thoughts, using only your mind to do so. Do you have this supernatural power? Kreskin, the world’s foremost authority on ESP, thinks you do. You need only to develop it. This fascinating ESP game shows how!


 * Imagine the fun! Alone, or with a friend, or with a whole party of people, players can reveal their innermost thoughts on love, politics, or any other subject. Kreskin’s ESP game will give you the opportunity to reveal your ESP powers and explore the outer frontiers of the human mind in two scientifically proven ways.


 * Similar to an Ouija board, this game includes several tricks and a magic pendulum which can be used to determine answers to yes/no questions and even spell out words."

From the Tampa Bay Skeptics:


 * "As always, Kreskin disowned the label 'psychic' ('I cannot foretell the future') while claiming psychic-type powers ('I can read people's thoughts'). As an example of his non-psychic yet amazing 'intuition,' Kreskin told of how three years ago, 'I studied for 30 hours' before correctly predicting 'for one of the networks' the six main Academy Award winners, even noting that 'in the foreign movie category I couldn't come to a decision [between] two movies. ... [and] it was the first time in years that it was a tie and both movies [won].'"

So, did Kreskin claim to have paranormal abilities? Did he allow his name to be put on a game that claimed that ESP exists? Did he claim to be able to predict the future? --Guy Macon (talk) 16:50, 4 December 2018 (UTC)