RIP Robin DeWitt

[Riley G Matthews]

Kardor, Kardor, see you on the other side.. RIP Robin...

[Mathias435]

R.I.P Robin...

[Gordon Meyer]

Sorry to hear this. Thanks for the fun, Robin.
Kar-dor! Kar-dor! Kar-dor!

[Richard Kaufman]

Someone should write a little bit of background so most of the folks reading the Forum know who he was.

[Gregory Edmonds]

Robin DeWitt (he preferred to keep his real name private) was best known for his beloved character "Kardor." Wearing a long black cape and satin-like gold turban with an antenna projecting from the top, Kardor (a comical take, of course, on "car door") would entertain general audiences and, at their annual meetings, fellow members of the Psychic Entertainers Association. On stage, though he rarely smiled while in character, Kardor's dynamic personality and natural affinity for comedic byplay always won "the crowd" over.

While he was always entertaining onstage, it was an absolute gas to see other guests in the upscale hotels where the meetings are held, react when Kardor walked through the hotel lobby (something he relished doing). One of my personal favorite memories is Robin, as Kardor, strolling past a large contention of serious Japanese business folk. Their reactions were priceless, and I'm guessing they thought they'd seen a creature not of this earth.

Robin was active in "The Elders," a Southern California mentalism group founded by our mutual buddy Ed Fowler (the first "medium" at the Castle's Houdini Seance, and the guy who created the presentation performing as "Carlyle"). Ed introduced Robin to mentalism over four decades ago, and Robin, in turn, later invited Ed to join the PEA (where I met them both).

Robin left behind a few hundred magic and mentalism related texts, which are being sold by his dear friend, and fellow "Elder," Richard Ganstwig, to assist with the costs of settling his estate. I'll have the list (and I'm guessing the asking prices) in the next day or so; feel free to inquire if interested. While I have no part in the sales, I'll be happy to forward the information when received.

In addition to being an excellent and very knowledgable magician and mentalist, Robin was (as is often the case with such performers) himself nearly the polar opposite of his bombastic stage persona. I can genuinely say I've met very few individuals possessing a personality equal to Robin's for genuine warmth and friendliness.

At his request, Robin will be cremated, and his ashes spread over a favorite local natural environment. At the next Elders meeting, a "broken antenna" ceremony will be held in honor of this remarkable fellow.

As several have noted, Robin is already missed.

Greg Edmonds

[Bill McFadden]

Fascinating. Greg, thank you for writing and posting your excellent tribute. I was totally unfamiliar with Mr. DeWitt until today. Any sources for photos?

[Gregory Edmonds]

Hi Bill. Richard is traveling at the moment, but he promises to send a few photos my way shortly. I'll be happy to share them when received.

[Gregory Edmonds]

While neither the best quality nor one of his better performances, here's a short video of Robin (as Kardor) in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EMs6hCVUkU

I guess I should note that this is, of course, a performance for a group of mentalists and magicians, not a lay audience, so there are several "inside" quips. I'll try to get some clearer photos of Robin when I next hear from Richard Ganstwig.

Greg

[Steve Bryant]

Wonderful! Thanks so much. As it was difficult to see on the video, does anyone know what the Prince gag was?

The only Kardor gag I can recall from Invocationals was that he would write something on a slate and ask the audience if they knew what he had written. They of course would respond, "NO." "Close enough," he would say, and turn the slate around to reveal "KNOW."

[Mark Collier]

I'm guessing from her reaction and the line, "I guess you'll have to kiss it.", it was a frog.