The Amazing Criswell
| The Amazing Criswell | |
|---|---|
Still from the intro from Plan 9
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| Born |
Jeron Criswell Konig August 7, 1907 Princeton, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | October 4, 1982 (aged 75) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cardiac arrest |
| Resting place | Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park |
| Residence | The Highland Towers Apartments at 1922 N. Highland Avenue (in the early part of the 1950s) |
| Other names | Jeron Criswell King Charles Criswell King |
| Occupation | Showman, actor, writer, seer |
| Years active | 1950s – 1970s |
| Known for | Making erroneous predictions, predicting the future on TV, radio, books, records and in newspapers and as a narrator and actor in the films of Ed Wood |
| Notable work | Criswell Predicts From Now to the Year 2000! (author) Plan 9 From Outer Space (narrator and actor) |
| Television | Criswell Predicts |
| Spouse(s) | Halo Meadows |
Jeron Criswell King (August 18, 1907 – October 4, 1982), born Jeron Criswell Konig, and known by his stage-name The Amazing Criswell /ˈkrɪzwɛl/, was an American psychic known for wildly inaccurate predictions. In person, he went by Charles Criswell King, and was sometimes credited as Jeron King Criswell.
Criswell was flamboyant, with spit curled hair, a style of speaking, and a sequined tuxedo. He owned a coffin in which he claimed to sleep. He grew up in a troubled family in Indiana with relatives who owned a funeral home, and said that he became comfortable with sleeping in caskets in the storeroom. He appeared in several of Ed Wood's films.
Criswell said he had once worked as a radio announcer and news broadcaster. He began buying time on a local Los Angeles television station in the early 1950s to run infomercials for his Criswell Family Vitamins. To fill the time, he began his "Criswell Predicts" part of the show. This made him a minor off-beat celebrity in Los Angeles and around Hollywood, and his friendship with old show-business people such as Mae West and rising fringe celebrities such as Korla Pandit made Criswell an entertaining presence at parties. His fame brought him appearances on The Jack Paar Show (1957–1962) which allowed him to publish his predictions in three publications of Spaceway Magazine (February 1955, April 1955, and June 1955), as well as run a weekly syndicated newspaper article. He later published three books of predictions; From Now to the Year 2000, Your Next Ten Years, and Forbidden Predictions. He also recorded a long playing record, Your Incredible Future (which was later released on CD), featuring 84 minutes of his predictions in his own voice. Criswell appeared in the movies of writer and director Ed Wood. After Criswell's death, his longtime friend Paul Marco released Criswell's song "Someone Walked Over My Grave" on a 7" record which was recorded by Criswell as a memorial song that he wanted released posthumously.
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