Horace Gomble was a psychiatrist and researcher for the CIA in the early-1960s, and later became a private practice psychiatrist in Beverly Hills with a specialty in hypnotherapy. Using his skill in hypnosis, Gomble created a stage act under the name of Horace the Hypnotist and became a famous Las Vegas performer by the mid-1970s, making four appearances on the Tonight Show. He fell out of favor with Hollywood after using hypnosis to embarrass some celebrities. A book was eventually written about Gomble.