Crystal Balls in Film

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Crystal Balls in Film

My entwined interests in folk magic, divination, and popular culture form the cutest braids when it comes to depictions of crystal gazing in film, art, and photography. The hokiness of the props, the inadvertently multicultural set decorations, the exotic costumes, the random weirdness of it all ... i can't explain it. but crystal balls in films are ridiculous, fun, and charming. They always make me smile. So, for no particular reason, here is the beginning of an annotated set of publicity stills, lobby cards, and posters featuring crystal balls in the movies!

The films are listed by year of release om order to provide a culturally informative viewpoint of how Hollywood has viewed crystal balls through the decades. This is but one of several pages, and when they are all released and compiled on one public page, the full panoply will be revealed.

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  1932: "Business and Pleasure," starring Will Rogers, Joel McCrea, and Boris Karloff. A black and white publicity still featuring Will Rogers with a crystal ball and Jetta Goudal as Madame Momora. Genre: Comedy.

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  1932: "Business and Pleasure," starring Will Rogers, Joel McCrea, and Boris Karloff. A black and white publicity still featuring Will Rogers with a crystal ball and Peggy Ross as Olivia Tinker. Genre: Comedy.

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  1933: "The Mind Reader," starring Warren William and Constance Cummings. Colour Lobby Card. Genre: Action, Crime, Drama.

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  The Mind Reader, 1933; Warren William and Constance Cummings crystal ball lobby card

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  1943: "The Crystal Ball," starring Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard. Colour poster. Genre: Comedy, Music, Mystery.

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  1943: "The Crystal Ball," Paulette Goddard publicity still. Genre: Comedy, Music, Mystery.

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  1943: "The Crystal Ball," starring Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard. Colour lobby card featuring Virginia Field and Paulette Goddard. Genre: Comedy, Music, Mystery.

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  1943: "The Crystal Ball," Paulette Goddard and Ray Milland black and white publicity still. Genre: Comedy, Music, Mystery.

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  1948: "The Amazing Mr. X," also released as "The Spiritualist," starring Turhan Bey as the lead character, with Lynn Bari and Cathy O'Donnell. Full-colour poster. Genre: Thriller.

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  1948: "The Amazing Mr. X," also released as "The Spiritualist," starring Turhan Bey as the lead character, with Lynn Bari and Cathy O'Donnell. Blue duo-tone poster. Genre: Thriller.

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  1948: "The Spiritualist," an alternate title for "The Amazing Mr. X," starring Turhan Bey as the lead character, with Lynn Bari and Cathy O'Donnell. Full-colour poster. Genre: Thriller.

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  1948: "The Amazing Mr. X," A black and white publicity still shot from beneath the table of a Spiritualist seance with a crystal ball. B. Genre: Thriller.

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  1964–1972: A publicity still fo the "Bewitched" television series featuring Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara, holding a crystal ball. Colour publicity still. Genre: Situation Comedy.

See Also

Lovely Ladies and Their Little Balls