The Amazing Kreskin
Before he was amazing, Kreskin was a pirate.
“The public may have known him as The Amazing Kreskin, but we at Seton Hall celebrate the life of a cherished alumnus from the Class of 1963, who throughout the years remained engaged with the University,” said Anthony D. Bellucci, associate vice president of alumni engagement and philanthropy at Seton Hall University.
“We were thrilled to have George return to the Hall in 2013 with fellow classmates for his milestone Golden Pirates 50th Anniversary celebration on the Seton Hall Campus.”
Born George Joseph Kresge Jr. in Montclair, Kreskin grew up in Caldwell. He attended Seton Hall University, earning a bachelor of arts in psychology, and graduating in June of 1963. He worked for several years as a clinical psychologist while developing his act and becoming The Amazing Kreskin. He died on Dec. 10, at the age of 89.
From 1972 to 1975 Kreskin’s television series “The Amazing World of Kreskin” was broadcast throughout Canada on CTV and distributed in syndication in the United States. An additional set of episodes were produced in Toronto billed as “The New Kreskin Show.”
People who were around in the 1960s and 1970s may remember Kreskin as a Guest — countless times — on “The Steve Allen Show,” “The Mike Douglas Show,”
“The Merv Griffin Show,” and “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”
In fact, it was Johnny Carson who gave him the name “The Amazing Kreskin.”
In later years Kreskin was also on “Late Night with David Letterman,” “The Howard Stern Show,” “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,” and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”
Some of Kreskin’s crowd pleasing tricks included counting the exact amount of change an audience member had in their pocket. Or performing at a show and guessing where they hid his paycheck.
While checks were usually found under an audience member’s chair, they were also found in strange places like inside the stuffing of a turkey—or inside a man’s mouth.
He also correctly predicted presidential election results and Super Bowl outcomes.
Off stage, Kreskin had a tender side to him. He had cats as his companions and expressed admiration over their innocence. He once performed at West Milford High School to raise money for the town’s animal shelter.
According to an article in The West Milford Messenger, he stunned the audience by reading the dozen or so playing cards in the hands of two people while standing with his back to them—at the opposite end of the stage.
He also loved Christmas and sent out more than 2,000 Christmas cards every year.
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