Hi,

Here is something I've been thinking about and I'm curious to know others' thoughts on the great Randi/Geller feud of the 1970s. More specifically, having a background in magic, professional wrestling and the carnival, I'm somewhat skeptical about taking anything at face value at my age. It occurs to me that before Geller and Randi feuded neither were well-known, but afterwards well, their careers speak for themselves. I have often wondered if the feud was genuine or a remarkable piece of misdirection, smoke and mirrors. Probably no one will ever say for sure, but based on some of the ploys done for publicity in the past by many great showmen, I think the question is worth posing at least. I don't expect either party to admit to anything if it was a game, but it is something interesting to ponder. If it was a game, I think it was masterfully played.

Just curious about others' thoughts...

D

I think you are absolutely right. Uri and James got together a couple of weeks in advance, and came up with a plan that would make both of them famous (and Uri very rich). It worked. Everybody is now happy. Just read the Pennies forum, and you'll see how happy everyone is.

This is a REALLY interesting hypothesis. It would be a great story but my own personal feeling is that more than anything, this is a clash of two massive egos. It is curious that without this collision neither one of the players would have been as well known as this conflagration spawned more PR than destruction.

Yet another case of that oh so rare lightning in a bottle.

Thanks, stoneunhinged. I wasn't sure what forum that discussion would be in but I located parts of it earlier this evening. Very interesting reading.

@Ray: I thought so. It's something that's been bugging me because both of them benefited from the push tremendously although it cost Randi a fortune in legal fees supposedly. I don't know for sure, but neither of them seemed destitute now. Just some food for thought.

Curious about others thoughts? Could it be a scam? We are all tricksters after all..who can tell?

Criss Angel and David Blaine animosity in the beginning.

Fixed.

In the beginning of the Randi/Geller thing, Uri was rapidly becoming a worldwide phenomenon and Randi was a relatively obscure magician (though, to be fair, he was known in the children's television market in the New York area where he regularly appeared on the Sunday morning kid show "Wonderama").

It was through his skeptical attacks on Geller that Randi became well known nationally. I put no credence in the idea that they were in collusion.

Geller just had long coattails.

Good thoughts,

Bob

Stoneunhinged-

Relatively speaking, everyone seems to be pretty happy in the Penny forum. We're just passionate.

:eek:

Best-

Bob

Bob, I wouldn't know. I haven't even bothered to stick my head in that wind tunnel for two or three years. Passion is good. Having my head blown off goes against my interest in aerodynamic research.

Well, yes, that's a good point. But at least we don't get political!

Best-

Bob

There is actually an episode to the TV show "Columbo" that I think is based on Randi/Geller. Halfway through the episode you learn that faker and the skeptic are in cahoots and were once prisoners of war togethor and there is a suggestive line about "what we meant to each other".

I don't think they set it up together.
Because one of the first confrontations between Geller and Randi was during a show "of which I don't remember the name" (try youtube)
where Randi set up a test that Geller couldn't pass. Geller could only reply with "feeling to weak" to perform. In my opinion the only
miracle Geller performed was retaining his populairity afterwards.
That happened quite early in the career of Geller and it would not have been logical for him to take such a risk at that
point.

To be clear. I don't have any reason or inclination to believe Randi and Geller conspired togethor. In fact, I think it's pretty ridiculous idea. It's just that when the idea came up it reminded me of the Columbo episode. I think the Columbo writers were inspired by Randi/Geller but needed to add a twist to it for Columbo to solve.

The Randi/Geller confrontation you mention was on the Johnny Carson show. Johnny consulted with Randi about preventing fraud. Johnny Carson was a magician and would never interfere with a magician's performance but Geller was a fraud.

Randi went after several people during his years of debunking. I have read his books Flim Flam and Faith Healers. I have met and talked with Bob Steiner, who also aided Randi in his expose' of faith healers. Randi and Geller were not friends as some would suggest from what I have been told.

I remember the Carson interview with Randi years ago. You are correct, Carson was a magician as well. I loved seeing fraud exposed in any form.

Glenn

I think it was, as Bob has intimated, merely a case of Randi jumping onto Uri's coat-tails,

Opportunistic Publicity Seeking at its best that has done no harm to either of them.

I don't think Randi and Geller were in "cahoots" but I think randi and Davy Penna were. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw9A1pR0......it?pli=1

The irony is that if Randi had not gone after Geller, the general public might have forgotten BOTH long before now.

The "general public" had no idea who randi was ... Geller was all over the TV etc.(As I recall) it's interesting to wonder how far Geller would have went without the distraction.

Hard to say. He was the 'flavor of the day' in psi circles.
Without the "war publicity" he might have continued to grab media attention, or he might just as easily have gone the way of Ted Serios and others from that era.

But we'll never know.

Full disclosure:

Uri is a close, personal friend of mine.

I mean, we are Facebook friends. Same thing, right?

I have to agree with Steve. I think it was a symbiotic relationship that sustained both of their careers, though in the beginning it was Randi who latched himself onto Geller's rising star.