The Magic Christian (novel) The Magic Christian (novel) The Magic Christian is a 1959 comic novel by American author Terry Southern (1924–1995) about an odd billionaire who spends most of his time playing elaborate practical jokes on people. It is known for bringing Southern to the attention of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, who had received a copy as a gift from Peter Sellers, and subsequently hired him as co-writer for "Dr. Strangelove" (1964) when Kubrick decided to make that film a black comedy/satire, rather than a straightforward thriller. In 1969, "The Magic Christian" was made into a film starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr; the
William S. Youngman William S. Youngman William Sterling Youngman (February 2, 1872 – April 25, 1934) was an American politician who served as a Massachusetts State Senator, the Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts and as the 50th Lieutenant Governor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1929 to 1933. Youngman attended Harvard, where he was a member of the debate team. Youngman served with a troop of Pennsylvania Cavalry during the Spanish–American War; he also served in World War I. In 1932 Youngman was the Republican nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, he lost that election by about 150,000 votes to the incumbent Democratic Governor