Dave Elman (May 6, 1900 – December 5, 1967), birth name David Kopelman, was a noted American radio host, comedian, and songwriter, and important figure in the field of hypnosis.
[1][4] Dave Elman was born David Kopelman to Jewish parents Jacob and Lena on May 6, 1900, in Park River, North Dakota.
In 1902, the family moved to Fargo, where they started a business on Front Street making wigs, switches, and related performance equipment.
His stage name in vaudeville was Elman, shortened from Kopelman when his billing as "The World's Youngest and Fastest Hypnotist" did not fit on marquees or promotional material.
[1] The most well-known songs the duo wrote during this period were "Atlanta Blues", which was later recorded by dozens of other artists including Louis Armstrong, and "Oh Papa!
In 1937, he approached NBC with an idea for a new show: "Ordinary people would become advocates about their unusual hobbies", which were to be judged by an invited celebrity.
She also collaborated with Dave Elman on a movie advocating the use of hobbies as activities for soldiers, which she described in her "My Diary" newspaper column.
From 1949 through 1962, he traveled extensively throughout America teaching his training course in hypnosis as a series of lessons called "Medical Relaxation" which he published as audio recordings.
It was a 336-page book which he dictated to his wife, Pauline, a stenographer, and then gave to his son Robert Elman, an author and editor to edit.