The Holocaust Conjurer

The 20th Century was a time of great extremes. In the early part of the century we saw the introduction of radio and movies. Advances in the automobile and the airplane changed the way we traveled. By the end of the 20th Century we had ventured into space and even landed men on the moon and returned them safely to earth.

However, the century was not without it’s darker moments. The globe suffered through two world wars as well as numerous other conflicts. Diseases would continue to wipe out millions of people despite our best efforts. And probably the worst, man against man event was the Holocaust during World War II. This was what the Nazis called “The Final Solution” to solve the Jewish problem. They would wipe out the Jewish race from the face of the earth. What could be more wicked and evil than that? What kind of people can consider this kind of thing let alone actually do it? And yet, today in the 21st Century, there are still wicked people in the world with this mindset.

WILD ABOUT HARRY: The untold story of Hardeen Jr.

John Cox has done it again. This article on his blog is a great piece of historical detective work. It's a MUST READ! And when you're finished reading about Douglas Geoffrey the successor to Hardeen, come back and read about Houdini's Forgetten Protege, Leonard Hicks.

WILD ABOUT HARRY: The untold story of Hardeen Jr.: "Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with the nephew of Douglas Geoffrey aka 'Hardeen Jr.' Despite the fact that Geoffrey was the offici..."

103rd Anniversary of the Mantle of Magic

Today marks the 103rd Anniversary of the Passing of the Mantle of Magic from Harry Kellar to Howard Thurston at the Fords Theatre in Baltimore MD. The reality of the situation was that there was no real Mantle, nor was there a wand or anything else passed over. It was basically a business transaction in which Thurston agreed to purchase the Kellar show and it's properties for a certain sum and then continue to pay Kellar a fee for the show. Not quite as romantic as the idea of passing on this theatrical legacy from one king to his successor.

Le Grand David Family

I hope you enjoyed the four part blog on Cesareo and the Le Grand David show. That was written 11 years ago. Since that time much has happened. With Cesareo's encouragement I had run and was elected as the MidAtlantic Regional Vice President of the Society of American Magicians. The plan was to take it all the way and eventually become President of the organization, as he had years before. While all that was happening, the events of 9-11 took place. A tragic event that has touched people across the globe.  I had just flown out of Boston visiting my friends in Beverly, a few months before 9-11, and the planes that hit the twin towers came from the Boston Airport. After that event I found that I was unable to fly. I just couldn't do it.

The plans to move forward with the S.A.M.  faded away sadly. The fear of flying also kept me from visiting my friends in Beverly for a while which I felt terrible about. Now, I have since gotten back on airplanes and flown, but it took a while believe me.

Meeting The Magi - The Eyes

When last I wrote I mentioned my first encounters with Cesareo. Up until now, he did all the talking and I did all the listening. The time had finally come for dialog. We sat down together after touring the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre's workshops, and he began to speak.  "So Dean…" he said, followed by a long pause.  "How are you?" he asked. My mind was racing to find the appropriate words to answer his question. "Wonderful Cesareo, very very thankful to you for showing me so much" was my reply.  "No, No, How are you?" he repeated. Did I miss something? What was he trying to ask? I told him how overwhelmed and astonished I was. Cesareo smiled and looked at me and softly said "How are you? How is your health, how are you feeling?" He wasn't concerned about magic or the tour he had just given, he was concerned about me as a person. And this is where the real magic began.

After a few moments we went downstairs to the lobby of the Theatre. There were a couple of chairs sitting there that hadn't been there earlier. We walked over and sat down and he began to reveal details about me and my life that he couldn't have known. He was telling me about how so many magicians are so pompous, so selfish and self centered. To illustrate the point he showed me a photo of himself with two very famous performers.  As I looked at the photo he asked me "What do you see?" I knew that whatever my answer was, it would be wrong. Then he said "Look at the picture and tell me who has 'the loving eyes'?"

Meeting The Magi - Cesareo

Did you ever wonder what it must have been like during the golden age of magic? Imagine meeting people like Houdini, Kellar, Herrmann, Malini, and so many others. What would it have been like to sit at the feet of these masters and learn the secrets that made them famous? Well, unfortunately those icons of conjuring have passed on long ago.

I'm about to relate a story of my encounter with an individual who has a rare connection with another time, a time when magic was ruled the entertainment world.  His name is Cesareo Peleaz. He was born in Cuba during the 1930's and as a child had the opportunity to see many of the great travelling magic shows of old.

One of the shows that Cesareo saw was the FuManchu Show.  Fu-Manchu was the stage name of David Bamberg, the son of Okito. David was arguably the best magician of the twentieth century.  North American audiences aren't as familiar with him because Fu-Manchu traveled mostly in South America. The Bamberg family produced magicians for seven generations. David Bamberg being the last in the family.

Meeting The Magi - The Cast

Before I discuss the time I spent with Cesareo Peleaz I would like to mention the cast and crew of the Le Grand David performance. Last time I named everyone, and I believe I left off Ellen, Marian and Martha.  Marian and Martha are two young girls, daughters of one of the cast members, who appear throughout the show. Cesareo believes it is important to include children and starts them off at a young age.

On Saturday morning I was to meet the rest of the cast members at the theatre. All the men arrived at the theatre first.  Their job was to sweep the theatre and clean up.  Following this was the Barbershop Quartet Rehearsal and every male participated in this as well.  Later the women arrived for dance rehearsal.  I believe all of the women were involved in the dance rehearsal even if they were not in the show.

Meeting the Magi 1

Over the next few days I'm going to share with you an event that happened to me. It was 11 years ago now, so in effect it's part of my magic history. It was life changing in many ways. I wrote about it in a magic newsletter but I don't think I've shared it with anyone since that time. I'm not going to edit what I wrote, so keep in mind this was eleven years ago. I hope you enjoy this look back...

Meeting the Magi

How many years have you been involved in magic? Whether you are a beginner new to the art or someone who has many years dedicated to magic you still have your likes, dislikes and opinions.  Over time we get accustomed to certain styles of magic we enjoy over others.  Some may have a better appreciation for close-up magic because that is what they perform.  Others have a preference for stage magic, illusions or whatever.  So it goes for everyone.  Now how many of you with years of magical knowledge behind you would figure on having your magic world reshaped by meeting one person?  Doubtful you say. Personally, I would have hardly expected after 25 years in Magic that I would come across someone who would change my whole concept of magic but I did.

The Man in the Bottle

In 1749 a newspaper advertisement announced that on the night of January 16th, at the Theatre in the Haymarket an unnamed conjurer would appear at the theatre and would perform for the following feats:

1. He takes a common walking-cane from any of the spectators, and thereon plays the music of every instrument now in use, and likewise sings to surprising perfection. 
2. Secondly, he presents you with a common wine bottle, which any of the spectators may first examine; this bottle is placed on a table in the middle of the stage, and he (without any equivocation) goes into it in sight of all the spectators, and sings in it; during his stay in the bottle any person may handle it, and see plainly that it does not exceed a common tavern bottle.

On the evening of Jan 16th the theatre was sold out for the show. People inside waited for a quite a while for the show to start and had begun to get restless.  The theatre management came out and announced that if for some reason the performance did not go through, everyone would get their money back. The management was aware that at this point, the supposed conjurer had not arrived for his performance and they were understandably nervous.

Faux Magic

Today I'm going to use words that weren't yet invented when this man lived. The fellow I'm writing about today was a real superstar. He was an entertainment icon. His name was Isaac Fawkes, sometimes spelled Faux, or even Fawks. He was born sometime in the late 1600s and he lived into the 18th Century. In a time before mass media, before any of the technological advances that we cannot live without today, this man made a huge name for himself.

Why Mom's Are Awesome

Today is Mother's Day. It also happens to be my Mom's Birthday as well. I got to thinking about how incredible mothers are for all of us, especially those of us who are performers. They are the ones who, quietly in the background, sew our costumes and table drapes when we are starting out. (Though, confidentially, my Mom just sewed three new table drapes for me just recently!) Moms are the ones who sit in the back of the audience chewing their nails while we perform, they are both scared for us and proud of us at the same time.

Moms are our cheerleaders and our support team when things don't go quite right. They are the ones who continue to act surprised after the hundredth time you've shown them the same lame trick. Moms are the ones who act all supportive when we tell them we want to hang upside down hundreds of feet in the air in a straight jacket, while in truth they are secretly planning to have us committed, for our own good.

Moms are the ones who help heal the wounds after a really bad show. They are the ones that teach us real world tricks, like how to fold our clothes and how to dress properly to impress people. Moms are the ones who rush in with the unexpected lunch when we are so engrossed with learning how to do the next trick that will make us a star, that we forgot to eat.

Mom's don't usually like the spotlight. But on Mothers Day, it's our turn to hold open the curtain, shine the spotlight on them and let them enjoy their much deserved day of fame. Come to think of it, for as much as they do, maybe Mother's day should be 365 days a year!  

Happy Mothers Day!!!! Love you Mom!

Just Max

As a student of magic, I often think about what it would have been like to meet some of the historical characters in our art. Of course it goes without saying, though I am saying, that I'd want to meet Houdini. He is hardly the only one. I'd love to meet Kellar, Blackstone, Fu-Manchu, Thurston, Robert-Houdin, Dante, Herrmann, Richiardi, and the list goes on.

But there is one guy who kind of stands out, I suppose because he was a little peculiar and yet his magic was incredible. His name was Max Katz Breit and he was born in 1873 in Ostrov, not far from the border of Poland and Austria. His performing name was Max Malini, or just Malini. I first encountered Malini reading stories that Dai Vernon shared in his Genii column 'Vernon Speaks'. If Vernon looked up to Max Malini, then he is surely someone we all need to pay attention to.

The Little Man of Nuremburg

His name was Matthias Buchinger and he was born in 1674 in Anspach Germany. He became known as 'The Little Man of Nuremburg' and was very famous in his day. It's difficult to say what his specialty was as he was proficient in many things. For example, he was an accomplished artist. The self portrait  above was drawn by Buchinger.  He was an excellent marksman and was equally skilled with rifles and pistols. In the performing arts area he not only could play numerous instruments but it is said that he even created a number of unique instruments of his own design. Finally, the reason he is on my blog is that he was an accomplished conjurer.