
Joseph Dunninger
(18th April 1892 - 9th March 1975)
Born in Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City, NY, as son of poor German immigrants, his mother a Jew, his father Roman Catholic. Inspired seeing Kellar in 1898. Learned from a magic book. Semi-pro magician since c1909 doing magic, illusions and mentalism. Invented and marketed 2 card tricks by 1912: "TRI-Card Mystery" and "Cards Illusionary". Played New York's Eden Musée for 57 weeks in 1913-14. Specialized in mentalism since 1920. Played the New York Hippodrome in 1921 and the Palace in 1926. Did mentalism on radio in 1929 and 1943-44. Star of TV series in New York 1948-50 and nationally in 1955-56. Parkinson's Disease forced his retirement in the early 1970s as America's most famous mentalist. 1975 AMA Masters Fellowship.
Coauthors: Joseph J. Quod