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'?"