Carl Ballantine
Carl Ballantine (born
Meyer Kessler; September 27, 1917 – November 3, 2009) was an American
magician,
comedian and
actor. Billing himself as "The Great Ballantine", "The Amazing Ballantine" or "Ballantine: The World's Greatest Magician", his
vaudeville-style comedy routine involved transparent or incompetent
stage magic tricks, which tended to flop and go "hilariously awry" to the wisecracking Ballantine's mock chagrin. He has been credited with creating comedy magic and has influenced comedians and magicians alike.
Provided by Wikipedia