Professor Backwards

Comedian, Deceased Person

1910 – 1976

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Who was Professor Backwards?

James Edmondson, Sr., 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 January 28, 1976, Edmondson was dropped off at his home by Randy Koehl, his sixteen-year-old driver and friend, who lived next door. Koehl then drove a woman in Edmondson's Cadillac convertible Eldorado to a house in East Point. Koehl stated the woman was acting oddly. He stated he had never seen her before. After returning the car, he went home.

The next day, Edmondson was accosted at his College Park residence by three men, one of them armed with a pistol. After a demand for $5000, Edmondson produced a check for $300; afterwards, the gunman decided to wait overnight with Edmondson until the local bank opened, at which time, the intruders escorted Edmondson into his automobile and "drove around for an hour". When the car was stopped, three of the four men exited, and the life of "Professor Backwards" ended with three gunshots to the head. All three assailants were eventually arrested, charged with murder and armed robbery, convicted on both charges, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

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Born
Jun 10, 1910
United States of America
Also known as
  • James Edmondson, Sr
  • James Edmondson, Sr.
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Died
Jan 29, 1976

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Professor Backwards." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/professor_backwards>.

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