James Edmondson, Sr. (June 10, 1910 – January 29, 1976), also known as Professor Backwards, was a vaudevillian/comedian who appeared on TV from the 1950s to the early 1970s, most notably on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Dean Martin Show and The Mike Douglas Show, where he appeared more times than any other guest. In addition to traditional stand-up comedy, Edmondson's act featured his ability to write in script that was upside down and/or backwards, spell and pronounce words backwards, and read an inverted blackboard correctly.
On Jan. 29, 1976, he was abducted from his home and his body was found the next day. Three men and a woman were later arrested for the crime. Apparently the woman, who was his housekeeper, let the other three into the house in order to rob him. They wound up kidnapping and then killing him.
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Mike Douglas Show
1964-1975
TV Series
Himself - Comedian / Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1972-1973
TV Series
Himself
The Joey Bishop Show
1969
TV Series
Himself
The David Frost Show
1969
TV Series
Himself
Della
1969
TV Series
Himself
The Merv Griffin Show
1965
TV Series
Himself
The Ed Sullivan Show
1951-1964
TV Series
Himself - Comedian / Himself
The Jimmy Dean Show
1963-1964
TV Series
Himself
The Jack Paar Tonight Show
1958
TV Series
Himself
Known for movies
The Ed Sullivan Show (1951-1964) as Himself - Comedian / Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1972-1973) as Himself
The Joey Bishop Show (1969) as Himself
The Mike Douglas Show (1964-1975) as Himself - Comedian / Himself