The Death of Chung Ling Son 107 Years Ago Today

 

He was a performer who struggled to gain fame. He was known by everyone in the magic world. The best of the best sought him out like Herrmann and Kellar. But it wasn't until he moved to London and created a character called Chung Ling Soo that any sort of notoriety came his way. His real name was William Ellsworth Robinson, he was an American, born April 2, 1861. 

I'm not going to give you his life story here, as that will be saved for a future episode of the podcast. But suffice to say he was a controversial figure back then and still today. He pretended to be Chinese when in reality he was not. NOT unusual for the time at all. Today that sort of thing is frowned upon by some. 

It was claimed that no one knew his identity and that when he died it was revealed he was really a white male American. But many many people knew who he was. Perhaps the British public did not, and he played it up for all it was worth.

On March 23rd, 1918, Soo was at Woodgreen Empire Theater in London. He was performing his famed Bullet Catch Routine, where a row of marksmen with rifles would shoot at Soo and he would catch the bullets. Except, on this night, as the shots rang out, Soo stumbled back and said, "Oh my God, something's happened, lower the curtain." That something was, he was truly shot. A malfunction happened and it allowed a real projectile to shoot out of one of the rifles, hitting the performer. He died the following morning on March 24th.

Today marks the 107th Anniversary of the Death of William Ellsworth Robinson/Chung Ling Soo.

Another Look at GENII

 

Ok, the second issue of Genii Magazine has come out with the new crew in charge. I had already written about this last month, but I feel like I need to do this again. There is a big difference from the first issue and the second issue. The cover. To be exact, the cover stock is thicker than the rest of the magazine, substantially thicker. It actually feels better holding the magazine, it's not all floppy as when all the pages are on the same thickness of paper. In addition, last month I mentioned 'a lot of white space'. I guess that was just the first issue, because this issue appears to be laid out slightly differently and fills all the pages. 

I really like the way the photographs are laid out as well. It has the look and feel of a totally different magazine. Yet it's still Genii. I always enjoyed Richard Kaufman's videos of what was in each issue. And here, we have Jim Steinmeyer talking about what is in the issue. This particular issue he mentions the column by John Gaughan called the Chamber of Secrets. This month it focuses on the Light and Heavy Chest. And gives a really in depth look into the prop. In fact, they even open it to show the inside. Many close up images. And on the video of Jim talking he interviews John and they show the Light and Heavy Chest during their chat. It's so good.

There is also a great feature for the professional performer, it's about getting booked. Specifically at some of the better known magic establishments like the Magic Castle, The House of Cards, and others. The bookers from those venues are interviewed and give great information on what they look for when hiring performers. Most of the information seems to be common sense to me, but sadly, no every person has common sense these days. A few examples of professionalism: Show up on time, don't short your set, treat the staff well. These should be standard practices. And then they talk about tips on originality and appropriateness. It's a very good article. I hope there is something for pros in every issue. Frankly, this info is good for pros, semi-pros, even folks starting out. Knowing how to approach a booker, knowing what they are looking for is very helpful.

One more thing, Richard Kaufman is back, this time with his own column, great trick, great line drawings. It's all good. Can't wait for the next issue!

I am really liking these changes. If you don't subscribe go to GeniiMagazine.com to get Genii!

The 25th Anniversary of the Passing Away of Doug Henning

 

Has it really been 25 years? Indeed. February 7th, 2000 Douglas James Henning passed away from liver cancer. I know I've written about it before, but I recall the day I heard the news. "How can this be?" I thought to myself. Doug had been making impromptu visits to magic shops across the country. There were sightings everywhere. Even in a magic shop close to me at the time, Barry's Magic Shop in Wheaton MD, Doug was said to have showed up. 

Could he be returning to magic? That was the speculation at the time. And oh man was it exciting. It was also interesting to contemplate, because he was very much a product of his time. How would this 1970s magician, reinterpret magic for the new millennium? But we never got to see it. Hardly a month into the new year, 2000, Henning died.

It's difficult for some to understand Henning's influence on magic. Much of his material is dated. The costuming and prop decorum and music are all from another era. But the magic is still solid. I've said this before and I'll say it again, Doug Henning LIVE in person was so much better than the TV specials. In fact, I think many of his TV appearances were better than the TV specials. I loved the TV specials, but the one thing that I think hurt them was the poor scripting. It was often just dreadful. But Doug was great. And it seemed that any of those routines that were on TV were better LIVE, the scripting was better too

In case you missed it, I covered a number of the Henning specials in the most recent episode of my podcast #107. I have talked about them in the past, but I found out some new interesting material that I wanted to share. Also, if you visit my website for the podcast you'll see a couple of links to Henning performances. On this 25th Anniversary why not spend a little time watching his videos and remembering a true Wizard, Doug Henning.