Jimmy Grippo

Much of today’s magic is done through smoke and mirrors and is supported by entire engineering crew and a full set of cast members. Jimmy Grippo, however, was different. As a magician, he used only his sharp mind and sleight of hand to astound, amaze and flabbergast his audience.

Jimmy was well known by many celebrities like Johnny Carson, George Burns and Shirley MacLaine He was also good friends with President Franklin Roosevelt.

Jimmy Grippo – Hypnotist:
He was also a very accomplished hypnotist. He used his hypnosis skills not only for performances, but also for medicinal purposes. He used hypnosis to help train prize fighters, most notably Melio Bettina. Jimmy helped him overcome his shy tendencies and fend off bullies from the neighborhood. Later he coached Melio into wining the Golden Gloves and then on win the Light-Heavyweight World Championship. He would use hypnosis to help athletes overcome the fears in their subconscious and improve their focus.

As a hypnotist, Jimmy used his skills to help patients get through difficult surgeries without any anesthetics. High profile as always, Jimmy Grippo was even called upon to hypnotize the King of Siam for intricate eye procedure.

During World War II he used hypnosis to aid wounded soldiers in healing. A little secret about Jimmy Grippo was that the government also requested his aid to hypnotize soldiers carrying government secrets, so that in the event they were captured, they could not give the secrets that were hidden in the furthest recesses of their subconscious.

Jimmy Grippo – Master of sleight at hand:
Jimmy frequently performed for world leaders like Winston Churchill and also many of the Presidents during his lifetime: Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford and Carter. Not too long after the Cuban Revolution, Jimmy Grippo performed an amazing card trick for Fidel Castro. He would take the selected card from the deck and slip it into Castro’s pocket. Magicians today are still trying to figure out how Jimmy was able to accomplish the trick the second time he did it because Castro’s armed security guards were called forward to secure his hands.

Jimmy Grippo was the resident performing magician at Caesar’s Palace (Las Vegas, NV) from the time it opened in 1966 and performed seven days a week for nearly 25 years.

Jimmy Grippo – Notable Dates:

• Jimmy Grippo’s Date of Birth (DOB): November 25th, 1898
• Jimmy Grippo bought and ran a nightclub in Miami: 1951
• Jimmy Grippo began working at Caesar’s Palace: 1966
• Jimmy Grippo received award from Academy of Magical Arts Performing Fellowship: 1980
• Jimmy Grippo inducted into the International Hypnosis Hall of Fame: 1990
• Jimmy Grippo’s death: January 15, 1992 (age 94)

This site is a tribute to a great magician, one of the best the world has ever seen. Be sure to check out the rest of the articles and videos on this website for more information on Jimmy Grippo, Magic, hypnosis and sleight of hand.

Life of Jimmy Grippo (3 posts):

• Jimmy Grippo at Caesar’s Palace
• Jimmy Grippo Coached Melio Bettina
• Jimmy Grippo Video with Orson Wells and Merv Griffin

Originally posted 2009-12-18 08:41:40.