Kuda Bux, “the man with the X-ray eyes,” was one of the favourite novelty acts on early American television.
After appearing as a regular on several series (including the appropriately named I’d Like to See), he had his own 15-minute network show in the spring of 1950.
Feats of magic, mind-reading, and other illusions were performed weekly by the man from India who had been plying his trade in Europe for years before coming to the US. The highlight always came when Kuda Bux’s eyes were wrapped in bandages, tinfoil, lead, and just about anything else (on one show, sponsored by a bakery, he had his eyes covered with baker’s dough!)
He would then proceed to “see” through it all to thread needles, hit bullseyes, copy pieces of text, light a set of candles and perform other feats.
Every viewer had a theory about how he did it. Some thought Kuda saw through his nose . . .
A lady said Kuda marked off places on the floor just before he was blindfolded, and then just felt his way around. A little boy wrote in to say he believed Kuda swivelled his head completely around and then saw out the back. Kuda Bux just laughed and looked mystifying.
Kuda Bux (real name, Khudah Bukhsh) was born in Kashmir in 1905. He died in February 1981, aged 75.
Rex Marshall served as announcer and interpreter on this series, and Janet Tyler was Kuda’s helper and assistant.
He would then proceed to “see” through it all to thread needles, hit bullseyes, copy pieces of text, light a set of candles and perform other feats.
