CARL BALLANTINE

Carl Ballantine (born Meyer Kessler) was a Jewish actor/magician from the 1960s to the 2000s. He is best known for his role as Lester Gruber on TV's "McHale's Navy" and he was a magician billed as "The Great Ballantine" and similar names, and his gimmick was that he was a terrible magician! Some of his movies include: Speedway, The World's Greatest Lover, and Mr. Saturday Night. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 92.