
TITLE: Fact, Fictions, and the Forbidden Predictions of the Amazing Criswell
AUTHOR: Edwin Lee Canfield
PUBLISHER: Headpress
ISBN: 9781915316004
PODCAST EPISODE: Episode 138
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
“We are all very interested in the future, for that is where you and I will be spending the rest of our lives…”
Those words are burned into the mind of most cult movie fans. It’s easy enough to conjure up the image of Criswell as he said them, blond hair perfectly coiffed and eyes so blue they are downright mesmerizing. Even in black-and-white, his image is striking, the lights reflecting off his sequined tuxedo. Criswell, for a brief time, was nigh inescapable in America. Now, he is relegated to the realm of cult movie fans, yet still his impact upon culture is undeniable.
Edwin Lee Canfield is the first to dig into the mysterious life of the Amazing Criswell. Fact, Fictions, and the Forbidden Predictions of the Amazing Criswell (Headpress, 2023) is the culmination of over two decades of work tracing the obscure biographical facts of the man’s life. How did Jeron Charles Criswell King become Criswell - one of the first mononym celebrities? How did he come about his ‘gift,’ and did he truly believe he had it? Was he truly the anti-psychic many now claim him to be - a man who never had a prediction come true?
Criswell, Canfield argues, was one of the first pop celebrity psychics. He was also one of the first of that rare breed to be famous simply for being famous. Through interviews, endless trawling through newspaper archives, and so much film footage long thought lost, Canfield has pieced together the story of a man determined to be famous. Criswell’s near preternatural ability to market himself and spin a good tale carried him far on the fringes of Hollywood. His life was deeply entwined with the infamous director Ed Wood, as well as actors such as Vampira, Bela Lugosi, and Mae West.
While Canfield has uncovered a wealth of information, at times the mysteries he raises are even more interesting than the bare facts. Criswell has long been rumored to be a closeted member of the gay Hollywood community. There are allusions to this throughout the book, but scant evidence that would ever be shared to respect his privacy. Similarly, the question of Criswell’s sincere belief in his predictions is something left open to question and interpretation. Perhaps it was what he occasionally claimed: a gift he held that disappeared as soon as he began making money with it.
Regardless of details left unknown, this biography is a true gem. Criswell’s life is as large as his reputation among devotees. Canfield relays a vast collection of Criswell’s predictions - many of which are now difficult to find courtesy of Criswell’s books being long out of print, and archives of his show mostly lost. Canfield gives credit where it is due to the predictions that did come true, some of which were truly startling. He accentuates just how much Criswell was a showman ahead of his time, and a character with a professionalism and sharp insight that many to this day can still admire.
Criswell predicted many things. I predict readers will enjoy this book.
AUTHOR: Edwin Lee Canfield
PUBLISHER: Headpress
ISBN: 9781915316004
PODCAST EPISODE: Episode 138
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
“We are all very interested in the future, for that is where you and I will be spending the rest of our lives…”
Those words are burned into the mind of most cult movie fans. It’s easy enough to conjure up the image of Criswell as he said them, blond hair perfectly coiffed and eyes so blue they are downright mesmerizing. Even in black-and-white, his image is striking, the lights reflecting off his sequined tuxedo. Criswell, for a brief time, was nigh inescapable in America. Now, he is relegated to the realm of cult movie fans, yet still his impact upon culture is undeniable.
Edwin Lee Canfield is the first to dig into the mysterious life of the Amazing Criswell. Fact, Fictions, and the Forbidden Predictions of the Amazing Criswell (Headpress, 2023) is the culmination of over two decades of work tracing the obscure biographical facts of the man’s life. How did Jeron Charles Criswell King become Criswell - one of the first mononym celebrities? How did he come about his ‘gift,’ and did he truly believe he had it? Was he truly the anti-psychic many now claim him to be - a man who never had a prediction come true?
Criswell, Canfield argues, was one of the first pop celebrity psychics. He was also one of the first of that rare breed to be famous simply for being famous. Through interviews, endless trawling through newspaper archives, and so much film footage long thought lost, Canfield has pieced together the story of a man determined to be famous. Criswell’s near preternatural ability to market himself and spin a good tale carried him far on the fringes of Hollywood. His life was deeply entwined with the infamous director Ed Wood, as well as actors such as Vampira, Bela Lugosi, and Mae West.
While Canfield has uncovered a wealth of information, at times the mysteries he raises are even more interesting than the bare facts. Criswell has long been rumored to be a closeted member of the gay Hollywood community. There are allusions to this throughout the book, but scant evidence that would ever be shared to respect his privacy. Similarly, the question of Criswell’s sincere belief in his predictions is something left open to question and interpretation. Perhaps it was what he occasionally claimed: a gift he held that disappeared as soon as he began making money with it.
Regardless of details left unknown, this biography is a true gem. Criswell’s life is as large as his reputation among devotees. Canfield relays a vast collection of Criswell’s predictions - many of which are now difficult to find courtesy of Criswell’s books being long out of print, and archives of his show mostly lost. Canfield gives credit where it is due to the predictions that did come true, some of which were truly startling. He accentuates just how much Criswell was a showman ahead of his time, and a character with a professionalism and sharp insight that many to this day can still admire.
Criswell predicted many things. I predict readers will enjoy this book.