Part of the motley crew commandeered by
Ernest Borgnine on the popular 1960s TV
series McHale's Navy (1962),
tall, gangly, beady-eyed, bulb-nosed comic actor Carl Ballantine was
better known in other ports as the ultimate "magician". Billed as "The
Amazing Ballantine," "The Great Ballantine" and "Ballantine: The
World's Greatest Magician" during his long career, Carl made a comedy
career out of being inept -- the magician who could never finish a
trick or get the trick right in the first place. So successful was he,
in fact, that in 2007 actor/magician
Steve Martin presented Carl with
the Lifetime Achievement Fellowship from the Magic Castle in Hollywood.
The Chicago native was born Meyer Kessler in Chicago on September 27,
1917, and became fascinated by the magic tricks his barber use to show
him at a young age. He immediately began studying the art. Deciding to
legit as a magician, he gradually realized that his potential as a
comic was much better than as a magician so he decided to spoof his
magic act -- pulling up laughs instead of rabbits out of a hat.
Changing his name to the more agreeable marquee moniker ("Ballantine")
in the early 1940s, it took Carl some time to refine his act as a "bad"
magician but eventually he found a successful formula. He later went on
to perform at such top establishments as the Palace Theatre in New
York, as well as a number of Las Vegas niteries (the first "magician"
to do so). The act also made its way to the small screen, becoming a
popular time-filler on the TV variety circuit during the 1950s and
1960s.
Carl began showing up as an actor in the early 1960s, appearing on such
comedy shows as "Car 54, Where Are You?" (recurring role) before
hitting the big time with
McHale's Navy (1962), which was
similarly styled to Phil Silvers' service
comedy "Sergeant Bilko". He played crewmen Lester Gruber for four
seasons. Carl also was featured in such film comedies as
The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968)
with Don Knotts,
Der größte Liebhaber der Welt (1977)
with Gene Wilder,
Nur du und ich (1979)
with George Burns and
Der letzte Komödiant - Mr. Saturday Night (1992) with
Billy Crystal. His last film was a bit
part in
Aimee Semple McPherson (2006)
(aka "Sister Aimee"). Carl also was part of the regular cast on the
sitcoms
The Queen and I (1969) and
One in a Million (1980).
Every now and then his magician alter ego would reappear on such shows
as "Fantasy Island," "Night Court" and "The Cosby Show".
In later years Carl made a strong dent in the cartoon voice-over field
and lent his voice to hundreds of regular commercials, including one
for the California Raisins. Long married to actress
Ceil Cabot, their 45 year marriage ended with
her passing on January 27, 2000. They had two daughters, Molly, and
actress/voice artist Sara Ballantine.
Working practically to the very end, Carl succumbed to age-related
problems on November 3, 2009, at age 92.
