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I watched Batman with Adam West growing up. Now everyone refers to it as Batman66, because it came out in 1966. I saw every episode there ever was, but I saw them as a kid. Imagine my surprise to come upon THIS episode called, "Zelda the Great". It starred Anne Baxter as Zelda the Great. She was a criminal, but also an illusionist and escape artist. Hanging in her secret warehouse was this huge poster (see above) which reads at the bottom, "EVEN GREATER THAN HOUDINI".
Houdini is mentioned in the episode as well. And this interesting line is said, "and you know Batman, he's the greatest escape artist alive!" Pretty cool stuff. Below is the contraption that is built as Zelda's new show piece. Except there is one problem. Neither Zelda nor the builder know how to open the device. So they set a trap for Batman and Robin. They trap Batman and Robin and then watch closely on how Batman escapes. That will then reveal to Zelda HOW to escape!!!! Holy Houdini Batman!
This animation app is all the rage, and I've done the typical ones that everyone is doing. But I thought I'd try some lesser known performers so here are three icons of mentalism for your enjoyment. First up, Anna Eva Fay. She will have a podcast episode is Season 3 for sure. She has a shorter one, that I did previously. http://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/houdini-anna-eva-fay/
“Come and Laugh, Come and See the Funny Blitz–The Amusing Blitz–The Remarkable Blitz–The Laughing Blitz–The Popular Blitz–The Blitz who Makes All Happy"
That headline comes from an actual 1863 playbill. I didn't even catch on to the play on words with his name 'Blitz', when I finished by most recent podcast. But as is often the case with these folks I cover either here on the blog or on the podcast, once an article is finished, more information pours in.
For example, I recently saw this Signor Blitz Token for sale (it had already sold). First thing I thought upon seeing it, it did not belong to the real Signor Blitz, so it must be a competitor. Just look at the image, that is NOT Signor Blitz. But then I found out that the token is actually a fake. It was created by Bill Kuethe in modern times and it's fake or what is called 'a fantasy piece'. There is no Signor Blitz coin that we know of. The link above is to another article that describes the entire story behind the creation of the fake coin.
One of Signor Blitz's big talents was his ability to throw his voice or ventriloquism. He was a master and seems to have used it more offstage than on. There are articles filled with funny stories that happened to Blitz. In my latest podcast episode #61 on the master himself, there are numerous stories of when he used his ventriloquism in everyday settings. I just heard another one, Blitz was in a library reading room and had all manner of fun with the folks in the room by throwing his voice and making it sound as if a bee were buzzing around! lol.
Speaking of ventriloquism, though Signor Blitz was a master of throwing his voice, he was also an early pioneer of the vent dummy or vent figure. His was a country bumpkin character he called 'Bobby'. By today's standards 'Bobby' is pretty freaky looking, but I'm sure back in the day he was cutting edge.
Here is something you don't see every day, a statue of Alois Kassner the famous illusionist. I received this photo from his grandson. Kassner is a fascinating character in the annals of magic. In fact, he will be the subject of an upcoming podcast. YES, lol, the podcast is returning after a short hiatus.
I own one vintage Kassner poster (see below). But as it turns out, Kassner had a great deal of posters, full color, quite a variety. I'm looking forward to doing the research on this fellow. It won't be next in line, that one is on Signor Blitz, but hopefully soon after.
Denny Haney was a magician and a magic shop owner. But to those of us who knew him, he was much more, he was our teacher, our mentor, our professor of magic. He was never a household name, but he was extremely successful . That man should have been a world famous magician, and frankly to us, he was. To us, he was the King. He had done it all and done it well. He had met the greats in magic and in show business and they respected and revered him. It didn't matter to Denny if you were famous or not, he still treated you the same. If you had a desire to learn magic, he was going to take you under his wing and show you the right way to go about it. This book is about the life of an amazing man. Over a lifetime he encounters some interesting people whose stories are also shared in this huge volume. There is enough biographical background information on various people to make this book a very very important part of magic history, beyond just the Denny story.
Scott Alexander was a student of Dennys. As were so many of us. But Scott was tasked with finishing the Denny Haney book. Titled: Denny Haney Collected Wisdom, it is a large book of some 486 pages. The first part is a biography of Denny's life. There are a total of 5 parts to the book and I'll get into them more in a bit.
I knew Denny Haney. When he had his first shop in Essex MD, I would go to the shop often, hang out until everyone else had gone and then stay until the wee hours of the night talking magic with Denny. Usually, it began with a single question and then Denny would speak and I would shut my mouth and take in all the knowledge he shared. I learned so much from that man. Starting to read this book was difficult for me because, well, Scott Alexander has done a near perfect job. So many of the stories in this book I have heard before because Denny shared them with me at one time. One after another after another. It is as if he is speaking to me as I read this. I can hear his voice! And then a moment will come and I remember, I remember, I'm reading this book because he is gone. If you knew Denny, you'll experience this as well.
I sat in my chair for a good 30 minutes trying to contain myself enough to read the book. I cannot even imagine how Scott did this. He was extremely close to Denny, far closer than I was, far closer than most. My hat goes off to him for this incredible job. For the record, the book arrived yesterday, I've read half of it already. I'm only writing this first part of the review, because I want to get it out while it's fresh in my mind. I will read till the end before I finish this review. Just realize, there will be a bit of time between these above paragraphs and those below.
The Review
Part 1 The Biography. The stories and content are brought to you by both Scott Alexander and Denny. All of Denny's contributions are in italics. Here you'll learn how Denny got started in magic, who his early influences were. You'll discover who the red-headed demon was. There is so much magic history in this part. You learn about the magic scene in and around Baltimore in the 50s & 60s, right off the bat.
One thing that really astonished me was that Denny loved to play the piano. He was apparently a gifted musician as well as magician. He could play guitar as well. Though in later life as magic took over, music was left behind.
Denny was drafted into the military to fight in Vietnam. If you knew Denny, you knew about his time in Vietnam to some degree. What I didn't know was Denny actually had an out. He was 4-f. But he didn't like the idea of there being something he couldn't do. So he asked the doctors how he could beat the test and he did. He was chosen because of his linguistic abilities, it was determined he had the aptitude to pick up languages easily. He had to learn North Vietnamese. He learned from Harry Blackstone Sr. who, apparently was in the same program, that if you were in this part of the military you didn't have to see combat. Denny was fine with that, until the day came when he got his papers to go overseas to Vietnam (they lied). And again, he was given an out, a way to stay in the states. And again, he passed on it.
The chapter on his time in Vietnam is remarkable. I knew many of the stories but there were a few that were new to me. But they are a must read. You'll look about Johnny Aladdin, the guy who taught Denny about confidence on stage. And you'll discover where the Lee from Denny and Lee came from.
As each chapter moves forward, you see the voraciousness of Denny to become a great magician. His whole focus is on his love of magic and creating a great act. He had so many mentors along the way. Denny was mainly interested in stage magic and had no interest in close-up. You'll learn what changed his mind on that. You'll read about the Chavez School and his passion for manipulation.
The lessons he learned are just as valuable today to a performer as they were to Denny when he learned them. Doug Henning shows up in a chapter. I remember having many talks with Denny about Henning. None of that is in the book, but what is in there is revealing on a different level.
You're going to learn a lot of things about Denny. He was not perfect, he was a flawed human being, like the rest of us. But he had a passion for magic that was extraordinary. I'm not going to give you a play by play of the bio, you need to read it. It's worth every moment.
PART 2
Stage Magic
Here we get into the magic that Denny performed. These are Denny's touches on many classics, his ways of doing things, his methods, his bits. Read the chapter on The Egg Bag. You'll learn a great deal. I was happy to read that Denny disagreed with both Johnny Thompson and Charlie Miller on one aspect of their Egg Bag routines. They both came out and made note of the fact that they were using a blown egg or an egg with no insides. I too felt this was a mistake when I first heard that, and I was on the same page as Denny. That's the only issue with Johnny and Charlie everything else, was spot on. And you'll read WHY Denny thought mentioning the blown egg was a mistake.
There are many classic Denny routines in this mix. They truly did cover everything he presented over the years that had that special Denny mark to it. Denny's clever take on the Newspaper Tear, his Card Manipulation routine, The Multiplying Bottles, The Razorblades, and much more. All routines have Denny's history with them, and his approach to each routine. Please do yourself a favor. At the end of this review is a video of Denny performing. You'll actually get to see several routines that are covered in this part of the book. Listen to the audience. Watch how he connects.
PART 3
The illusions are featured in this section. The Crystal Casket, The Hindu Basket, The Sword Suspension, The Canvas Covered Box, and finally the Blade Box. I saw Denny perform all of these, except for the Blade Box. But it is the Blade Box that connects Denny and I. One day I will share that story, but not today.
I couldn't wait to read this section, though I have a feeling many folks will just gloss over it. This part is filled with incredible knowledge. I wish there had been more as I know Denny had many strong opinions when it came to illusion presentation. But this chapter perfectly covered those routines that Denny used in his career.
PART 4
The Specialties. These are routines that in Denny's hands were as close to perfect as one could get. It begins with his Billiard Ball routine. His take on the Lloyd Manipulation Candles, Denny's Dancing Cane Finale, and then some routines not for the faint of heart, which you'll understand my meaning when you get there, lol.
PART 5
Thoughts On Magic
This is pure Gold plated with Gold, with a Gold Veneer. It's Denny's thoughts on a lot of subjects within the world of magic. Like How to Buy Magic and How to LearnMagic, Your Working Library, Standing Ovations, Creating Effective Openers and much more. It's Gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I mentioned earlier the book is nearly 500 pages. It's HEAVY and large in size. It's not politically correct, because that is the way Denny wanted it. And I for one would not want a watered down version of Denny. I heard his voice while reading the majority of this book. The only thing I can say is, when I finished the last page...I wanted more. Not because anything was left out, but because, just like it was when hanging out with Denny, you never knew when he was going to hit you with some piece of knowledge that could change the whole direction of your career, or at least, how you approached a routine in your show.
As is pointed out in the book, Denny didn't open a magic shop to become wealthy. He opened a magic shop in order to leave behind a legacy of performers, who he touched, instructed, advised, and advanced magic forward. He did one hell of a job. Thank you Denny Haney for everything you did for me. Thank you Scott Alexander for this fantastic tribute to this wonderful man.
From the periodical BROADWAY WORLD, we get news that a new Houdini Musical is coming. Not only that they list Ramin Karimloo as playing Houdini and Laura Osnes as Bess Houdini. Both of them are Broadway veterans.
Minerva was a female escape artist who performed the same time as Houdini. I covered a bit of her story here on the blog and also on Episode 26 of my podcast. One of the things I uncovered on the podcast was the face she was married 5 different times. Her fifth marriage only lasted a few weeks as she died. As it turned out, she was then buried with her 4th husband George Backus who died before she did. The unfortunate thing is, the grave marker for George Backus is there, but the blank area for Minerva is blank, never having been carved in. Probably because she went and married someone else. But fore whatever reason, she is buried with husband #4. Above is Minerva's grave along with a small memento, which likely will not be there very long. Both the memento and the photos were provided by Michale Stroud.
Episode 59 of The Magic Detective Podcast, begins with a feature of The Magic Genii. She is a hidden gem in the Bay area. She is a magician's assistant, a magic shop owner, a dancer, a choreographer, a gymnast, an acrobat, a magician, and many other things. She works with Majinga the Magician. I thought you'd like to see first hand who I was talking about. So enjoy these video images of Magic Genii doing what she does best, entertain!
Listen to what others in her industry have to say about her....
“Genii really is the epitome of a magic genie. She took a magic store and made it into a successful business which continues to thrive in today’s world where brick and mortar stores have fallen by the wayside. Not only has she taken a magic shop and turned it into a success but she has also parlayed it into an online business.
Her beauty and grace is abundantly clear and she has the ability to float across the stage during her performances. Genii is the consummate magicians assistant always there fitting into whatever prop she needs to squish herself into. Whether it’s costume changes, dance numbers, or magic tricks- she’s got you covered. Genii brings her joy of life to every performance.
Not only does she run a San Jose Magic Shop and perform, she also posts a radio show and podcast- Genii does it all. And she does it with a smile and her podcast is a go-to for most magicians as her interviews are a delight, and enlightening.
With so many years ahead of her I can’t wait to see what new things she will bring to the world of magic!
-Ariann Black,Las Vegas Magician of the Year in 2014, and Female Magician of the Decade
Next let's take a look at Genii in her own shop. Here she demonstrates a piece of magical apparatus. I have been in a lot of magic shops. You rarely see someone demonstrate Apparatus magic and do it well!
And here is another quote about Magic Genii.
"Genii presents magic with such grace and professionalism! Thank you for being one of the few women in magic that loves and respects the art form!” -Jade
Finally, watch Magic Genii assisting Majinga with a levitation. Watch how she gets onto the board, pure gracefulness! This is from their venue at the Improv, which they had for 7 consecutive years.
“Dear Genii, I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate you for your wonderful lifetime in magic.
I am in awe of everything you have done. Your skills onstage as a dancer- both in assisting as well as playing the role of the magician- are impressive. You move well on stage and have extreme grace and charisma.
You not only own a magic shop, but are a producer, director, guide and teacher to so many. What a great inspiration you must be to those who know you!
The magic world is in good hands with you and Majinga. I wish you continued success in your career, and wish you the best life can offer.
With Respect and Admiration,
Lupe Nielsen
Nielsen Magic
One particular thing I found amazing about Genii is that she had her own podcast several years ago. In other words, she had a magic podcast before most of the current top magic podcasters. THAT is pretty impressive. From what I understand from Majinga, they are trying to get the podcasts moved over to a new hosting platform. The previous one has since gone defunct, as it were. But this is great news, because we will soon be getting a great deal of magic content to listen to.
Let me just add, Genii, Majinga, the Magique Bazaar, is a throwback to another time, an older way of performing magic. It is essentially historical in nature, yet theatrical in it's purity. So many people try to define magic as one thing or another, like magic has to fit inside a little box and it can ONLY be that, and nothing more. But magic is enormous. And many of todays artists, as wonderful as they are, have seemingly forgotten that magic is a theatrical art. Many have stripped away the theatrics in order to make it seem more real. That worked for a time. But things are turning again, in my opinion. The 'theatrics' might be a bit different, but it is what magic needs, THEATRE!
Magic Genii and Majinga keep the art of stage magic alive through their presentations. They are masters of apparatus magic. And again, this is another thing modern performers have left behind. Watch the videos, there are (700+) videos and you'll see they also carry on a tradition of multi-cast performances, something you rarely see today. In other words, there are more than 2 people on the stage. The Le Grand David show is the only other show I can think of that really captured this well. Blackstone Jr. back in the early 80s with his huge show, also had multiple people on stage. Its a different way of doing magic and a form of magic that I really wish there was more of. It's not for the weak of heart. But it sure does showcase magic in a grand manner. In much the way that Cesareo Pelaez's old world approach worked for LeGrand David, so it does with the Magique Bazaar. What is old is new again!!!!
For an illusionist, a magician's assistant/dancer is the backbone of the performance. They are just as much part of the act as the magician, and honestly, maybe even a bit more important. A magicians assistant may not be out there doing fancy card manipulations, or sleight of hand routines, but they are none the less, doing magic with the way they utilize their bodies in the execution of large scale illusions. There is a dynamic difference between a good assistant and a great one. A good assistant will present their part of the illusion well, but will not add much to the routine other than being the person involved in the illusion. A great assistant on the other hand will stand out. They will make that routine unique. Their very presence can pull you in and arrest your attention on them. A great assistant can make an illusionist look like a super star!
I just heard the news today that Nathalie Padberg Hoop passed away. I felt like someone punched me when I heard the news. I never knew Nathalie. Never had the good fortune to meet her. But she was one of my favorite assistants in magic, she was a GREAT assistant! Her work with Hans Klok was phenomenal. She made every trick, every illusion look like a million dollars. I often thought when searching for my own assistants, that this young lady is what I'm looking for, she is the example of the perfect female assistant.
I might add, I dislike that term assistant. I think Hans Klok must have also hated it because he referred to his girls as the Divas of Magic. THAT is a more fitting term, especially for his dancers and assistants. They had their own personalities on stage, they were not carbon copies of each other, easily interchanged. I love when a performers personality shines through and it sure did with Nathalie.
Her intro into the world of magic began with Dutch Illusionist Hans Kazan. And then after being with him for a short time, she went to work with Hans Klok in 1999. In 2016 she retired from showbiz to work on her own business and to be a Mom. Though, apparently the larger story was she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer. In 2019 when Hans Klok came to Vegas with this big show, she appeared in the show on one special night, as I recall.
She passed away this week from cancer at the age of 43. She leaves behind a son and daughter and husband. And she leaves behind many friends and fans from the magic community. RIP Nathalie.
The only thing I can add is, I HATE CANCER. I've lost uncles and aunts and my Mom to cancer. I hate this disease.
A few years ago, I was invited to speak at the First Houdini Festival in Danville Virginia. It was a small event but a lot of fun. I did a lecture on escapes and also another lecture on Houdini. There are some unique things about the organizer of this event. Wayne Alan is a professional magician, but he is also a huge Houdini buff. I believe it was the early 1980s, Wayne duplicated Houdini's Upside Down Straightjacket Escape in front of Keith's Vaudeville Theatre in Washington. But that wasn't all. He also picked up some items from inside the historic theatre before they tore it down.
Wayne has also been working on a Houdini book for years. He has some information that is very different from things I've heard in the past. I've been privy to a lot of the information and it's eye opening. The amazing thing, much of it comes directly from sources involved in the events of Houdini's life.
Now fast forward to 2021. Wayne Alan owns the Historic North Theatre in Danville VA. He is planning on holding the next Houdini Festival in Spring of next year. We spoke together at length about the way to do it, and I think Wayne has a clever solution. The Festival will be both Virtual and In-person. Of course, the in person events will be socially distanced (if we still are dealing with Covid at that time). Below is Wayne's press release. Watch for more updates in the coming weeks.
Houdini Festival Scheduled for 2021
World Champion Illusionist Wayne Alan has announced that “The Houdini Festival" will be held at The Historic North Theatre in Danville, Virginia, on April 8-10, 2021 (April 6 was the date that Houdini celebrated as his birthday.). The Historic North Theatre is a beautifully restored 1947 vaudeville house with 500 seats and a full balcony owned and operated by Wayne Alan. Due to the pandemic the number of in-person attendees are still unknown. Even under the best scenario, there will be a limit of only 313 in-person attendees. Send an email to Wayne@WayneAlanMagic.com to be put on our mailing list for updates (put Houdini Festival in subject line). A new website will be up in November. A refundable $50.00 deposit for in-person attendees will give you priority seating. Reservations can be made by calling 434-793-SHOW (7469) or emailing Wayne@WayneAlanMagic.com
The goal is to bring together Houdini aficionados, magic collectors, escape artists and magicians. The Friday night show will feature Magic Castle award winners and the Saturday night show will showcase FISM winners. Plus, dealer displays, a viewing of a Houdini movie on the big screen, Houdini memorabilia display and other surprises. Close-up shows will be held in the Balcony Mini-Theatre with beautifully raked seating to provide for an amazing viewing experience. The first 113 in-person registrants will watch the close-up live while the others watch on the big screen in the main theatre. Because of its uniqueness we are hoping to receive national publicity, not only in the magic press but also in the mainstream media.
In Wayne Alan’s research for his upcoming Houdini book, he discovered that Houdini had an affinity for the number 13. Based on numerous cost factors and Houdini’s lucky 13, the rates for the convention will be $169.00 (13x13) for online and $213.00 in person. Individual tickets for certain (non-secret revealing) sessions and shows will be available to the general public. Reservations can be made by calling 434-793-SHOW (7469) or emailing Wayne@WayneAlanMagic.com
This is a sad day. Ken Klosterman curator/owner of the Salon de Magie has passed on. He was an avid collector even later in life. He has some incredible pieces in his collection. But mostly, I have to say, Ken was a super nice guy. I remember visiting him and spending the day with him at the farm/complex. It was a most enjoyable visit. I think we left the museum some time in the early morning around 8am or 9am. So we'd been down there probably 12 hours, lol. It was awesome. Ken always seemed like a big kid to me. Just as excited for his latest piece no matter how big or small. He loved the history of magic. Sure going to miss him. RIP Ken Klosterman. More on Ken later.
James, the Amazing, Randi has passed away. He died on Oct 20, 2020 at the age of 92, complications of old age. I suppose if there is a way to go, THAT is the way you want to go. A life well lived. I've been reading the various stories about folks who knew Randi or met Randi. I'll share with you some stories of my own.
I remember the first time I saw Randi in person. It was at FairOaks Mall in Fairfax VA. He was walking through the Mall. I spotted him as I was shopping. I was a teenaged kid. I followed the man around the mall and I mean completely around the mall, from one end to the other and back, but never got the nerve to go up to him and introduce myself. Probably a HUGE mistake.
A few years later, I was in Al's Magic Shop on my lunch break from work and there in the shop was The Amazing Randi. He was sort of holding court. Telling jokes, sharing stories. I think, I said hello. I think. It was safer ground and I was a few years older at that point.
Fast forward yet another couple years. Somewhere along the line I began a correspondence with Randi. We shared several letters back and forth. He had included his business card. So one day I picked up the phone to call him. I wanted to inquire about handcuff escapes. He had a rather interesting answer. At the time I thought it was a rather incomplete answer. But he wasn't wrong in the information he gave me. It just wasn't a very extensive answer, the one I suppose I was looking for. Still we had a cordial talk and I believe he left the door open for further inquiry if I had more questions.
I always enjoyed watching Randi on TV. One of my early books on Houdini was the one he wrote with Bert Randolf Sugar. I read that book many times. I knew Randi was a fan of Houdini, but I suppose I didnt quite understand the extent of his connection. He was quite the escape artist for a period of time. He had a very amazing straightjacket escape over the icing waters of Niagara Falls, which can still be seen online.
Through my friendship with Steve Baker, I learned even MORE about Randi. They were competitors and not really friendly competitors. I think Randi thought Steve was crazy. Steve thought less of Randi. LOL the old school escape artists and their rivalries, still cracks me up.
I have more stories about Randi, but I'm going to hold onto them and share them on the podcast. Of course, at this point I guess I'll need to do a podcast specifically about Randi. He more than deserves it. He influenced a lot of people: Dean Gunnerson, Penn & Teller, Uri Geller (maybe not in a good way), Banachek, Me, and many others. We will miss you A-R.
My friend Tom Ewing was kind enough to provide me with this photo of Imro Fox's grave. Isadore IMRO Fox is buried in the Oheb Shalom Cemetery in 1321 North Broad St. Hillside NJ. He is buried in Lot 1001, Block 59, Grave #3. His wife Pauline is also buried there in Grave #2.
I had done a podcast on Imro Fox a few months ago and had mentioned that the grave was in a different cemetery. Turns out, that very cemetery was right next to this one. Tom Ewing went out searching at the first cemetery and couldn't locate it. That's when we realized it was in the second. Somewhere over time, someone in the magic world had listed the cemetery incorrectly, and it had been passed on several times, as did I. NOW however, we have that corrected and here is proof!
ok, I have to admit, this is pretty cool. An old style flip book with Houdini doing front and back palm. It can be found on the following site, http://amarantoo.com/producto/el-gran-houdini/
I first saw this when Richard Kaufman posted it on his Facebook page. I thought you'd all enjoy it.
One thing you may not know about me, I'm a HUGE fan of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. This comes from my Dad, who was also a fan and shared with me as a child all the wonderful radio shows of Abbott and Costello, as well as movies and TV shows.
Well, just yesterday, I was interviewing my friend Judge Gary Brown about his book, The Coney Island Fakir: The Magical Life of Al Flosso. Imagine my surprise to find out that Al Flosso had a connection to Bud Abbott. This I learned AFTER the interview was over, which is why it's appearing here in the blog rather on the podcast. OH, and here is the link to the episode on Al Flosso.
When I often speak of the 'rich history of magic' it's because some of these tricks and people have stories that are incredibly fascinating and in some cases mind boggling. Such is a small, generally forgotten prop that today we call, "The Hoo Coin". It's origins are in the seedier street hustling side of things. At one time, according to the book, The Coney Island Fakir, Al Flosso teamed up with a gentleman by the name of Henry Gordien from Minneapolis. Gordien pitched an item where, "Any child can make a coin disappear." In the course of presenting the item to a crowd, Al Flosso would step forward, 'as the shill' and likely be duped by the vanishing coin and then buy one. Thus stoking the crowd into buying as well. The item they received was a very cheap imitation of the Hoo Coins of today. Often, the police would run off the duo for hustling the crowd.
Well, in the 1920s at Coney Island, Al Flosso meets Harry Abbott, the father of young Bud Abbott. Harry is working concessions and he talks to Al about helping his son Bud find some work. Well, Bud Abbott becomes the "shill" for the Hoo Coin routine. For his work, Al paid Abbott a whopping 8 dollars per week!
Now, if you look at the life of Bud Abbott, he is in and around these types of folks his whole life. The carneys, the pitchmen, the burlesque performers. He uses all of this to create his con-man type straighten character that he is famous for. When he and Lou Costello meet, it's gold in the making. They do many of the old burlesque routines, but they do them better than anyone. The reason? Their characters were so well defined, the old jokes and bits became funnier.
Take a look at a routine called, The Lemon Game. This is essentially The Three Shell Game, or Cups and Balls from the magic world. But they've got a clever twist to the game. Add to that some honestly, clever sleight of hand by Lou Costello with dollar bills and clever sleight of tongue by Bud, you've got yourself an incredible routine.
There is another routine they do, which is quite frankly a magic routines, The Passe Bottles. But their routine is played 100% for laughs. I admit, I always cringe when the secret is revealed to this routine, no matter who is doing it. But still, it shows the 'magic skill' that Bud Abbott possesses.
I often wonder, if the boys ever visited Al Flosso at his shop once they became famous? But one thing is for sure, there is a connection between magic and Abbott and Costello and now we know there is a connection between Al Flosso and Bud Abbott.
If you listen to the podcast, you'll hear the connection that Flosso has to many old time comedians, Jackie Gleason, Danny Kaye, The Marx Brothers, and Milton Berle. It's truly a small world!
I've recently created a GROUP page for The Magic Detective on Facebook. I already had a PAGE, but there were some things I wanted to do that the PAGE wouldn't allow. So I opted to add the GROUP page. I know it's probably a bit confusing but there are methods behind the madness.
The pandemic has not been kind to the blog or podcast, because so much of my research material is in a location far (600+ miles) from where I am. But that will be changing soon. I've got some podcasts in the works, some new blog articles as well. And as far as the group page, I've been trying to add magic history material from other sources. Thankfully there are some in the group who have been contributed cool images to the page. All are welcome as long as they are magic history related.
One thing I'd love is that when a podcast goes up, if members have material related to that person, maybe they'd be willing to share their photos. I know this happened with Tarbell, Leipzig and a few others. It just enhances the existing articles.
One new feature coming to the podcast will be INTERVIEWS! I have toyed with this idea forever, but resisted it. Thankfully, I have the tech to do it easily now. Thanks to my work with Zoom Magic Shows, I've got what I need. I've been doing Zoom Shows since June and they've been a blast. I've even had some Magic Detective listeners buy tickets and join in as well. I probably have the only Zoom Magic Show that features a bit of magic history during the show. Most of it however is interactive magic, between the audience and myself. If you're interested in checking out a show, go to ZoomMagicShow.com for more info and ticketing.
In addition to the Interviews on the podcast, I do plan on doing something special with the Group Page, but I don't yet have all my ducks in a row for that. So I'm still keeping that one under wraps for now.
The most recent podcast, Ep 54, was on Fetaque Sanders. In the course of the podcast I mentioned the fact that one of the reasons we know about him is because of what he left behind, posters! He spent a lot of money on advertising his show and it paid off in his life time.
In fact, in later years, he even sold a packet of his advertising materials through the Linking Ring Magazine. Valuable for both collectors and for those who wanted to study what a real pro used to advertise his show.
Every once in a while one of his posters comes up on ebay. My favorite of the Fetaque Sanders posters is the one with the two sets of eyes. This was a common marketing trick among the magicians in the 40-50s. They would put up posters with his face looking normal and then a couple days before showtime, replace this posters with an exact copy, except below his eyes on the poster was a second set of eyeballs. It made you stare at the poster and wonder if something wasn't wrong with your own eyes! Genuis.
The Magic Detective Podcast is going strong. A month or so ago I finally hit the 10,000 download mark and the hosting company has given me this 'badge' to promote that event. Though, now I'm closer to 12,000 downloads (roughly about 300 short of that).
Since the pandemic, it's been rough going because I've been separated from my library. Yet despite that situation, I still have been able to get out some interesting podcasts. Among them were, Episode 50 on the Hooker Rising Cards and The Men Who Fooled Houdini, sort of a two segment episode. Then #51 was Hereward Carrington, a name that shows up a lot in Houdini biographies but how many people really knew a lot about him? So I did some digging and found him to be quite a fascinating character.
Episode 52 of the podcast was on Nate Leipzig and thankfully I had Dai Vernon's book on Leipzig here with me to rely upon. Askalexander.org was also full of great content on Nate, the gentleman conjurer.
On Episode 53, I thought I was going to get away easy, because I had previously done a blog article on KIO. But there wasn't quite enough info on there for a podcast. I could have done a short podcast, but I've not done one of those this season and am going to try and avoid that. Thankfully, I was able to get a book on KIO as well as rely upon Askalexander.org and a russian friend who helped me through some of the translations (spasibo for that).
Finally, Episode 54 was on Fetaque Sanders (pronounced FEE-TAKE), a wonderful magician of color who was popular in the 1930s-1960s. His story was amazing and inspiring. I loved the fact that he was born right here in Nashville, where I currently am. And he really did it all, from schools and churches to even working on Broadway.
I've not yet begun to work on Episode 55, trying to get a couple other projects done first. IF the pandemic continues the rest of the year, I may add something NEW to the Magic Detective World, but you'll have to wait on that for now.
Speaking of adding something new, I've been doing Zoom Shows for a while now. One of the things I did on my weekend evening shows was to add some stories. The last one I did I told the story of Lafayette and Beauty, I also shared a fictional story of Houdini and Charlie Chaplin which has been a routine in my stage show for almost 20 years. And I included a presentation for the antique Coffee Vase trick. So MY Zoom shows are quite different from what everyone else is doing. Granted, there are elements that are the same, I have a lot of interactive routines as do other performers. I think this is imperative when doing this sort of show. But I like including history into the show. Those are ticketed shows on select weekends. More info can be found at zoommagicshow.com
Harry Blackstone Jr. was the first big named magician I ever saw. I had just visited Al's Magic Shop a few months earlier and inside the first issue of Genii Magazine I ever bought, was a write-up on Harry's upcoming tour. Sure enough, he was going to be coming to Washington D.C. to the Warner Theatre. I mentioned it to my Dad and didn't hear another word. I must have forgotten. Well, as it turned out, my Dad didn't forget. He got us tickets for third row from the stage. I remember he took us all to a Chinese restaurant in Falls Church, which is now a bank, lol. And then we took the subway to the Warner Theatre.
Blackstone was touring with a huge show which included a live orchestra. Costumes, scenery, magic, big illusions, wow. This show had it all. He opened, as always with the Vanishing Bird Cage. What can you say? It was brilliant magic, perfectly done. He had various themed routines, many elaborate costumes. All the classics were there. The flower routine from his Dad's show. The Dancing Handkerchief, perhaps my favorite of the Blackstone routines. The Buzzsaw, where he cut his wife Gay in half with that super loud saw and you could smell the sawdust from my seat!
Fast forward many years and I find out that there is to be a Blackstone Auction. I ordered the catalog
and prepared for the bidding. This was a few years before Potter and Potter Auctions would be around. I bid on so many things, never really expected to get anything. I came away with a host of costumes worn by various dancers, including one wore by Gay Blackstone. I bid on many illusions, loosing all to other bidders. I bid on Harry's costumes, again, loosing all to other bidders. Then there was this giant book, the Book of Life Illusion. I bid on it. And I won. I never dreamed in a million years to win a real illusion from the show! But sure enough I won it. As it turned out, I paid more for shipping than the book cost me. But it was worth it.
Now, fast forward a few more years and Masters of Illusion is in town. They are playing at the same theatre that I first saw Harry Blackstone Jr. all those many years before. By sheer coincidence, my assistant Denise was doing a review of the show for an online review site and Gay Blackstone came up to talk to her. The three of us began to chat. I told her about seeing her and Harry at that very theatre so many years before. And THEN I said, OMG, AND I OWN the BOOK OF LIFE! She lit up like a christmas tree. Oh what a great conversation we had. She had no idea that Denise and I were also full time magicians. She requested my promo video in case I might be interested in touring with Masters. Sadly, never heard anything back on that, but I'm sure they receive tons of those and mine likely just got lumped in with the bunch. It did not diminish the wonderful time we had with her that day and the memories that came back of seeing Harry Blackstone Jr present his incredible show.
Had he not gotten sick in 1997, he would be 86 today and probably look the same, except with a full head of gray or white hair. He would be magic's elder statesman. And I'm sure he would still be sharing his remarkable mysteries even to this day. I sure do miss Harry Blackstone Jr.. He holds a special place in my life as a magician.
Harry did sadly pass away on May 14th, 1997. But he still lives in the hearts of those who were lucky enough to enjoy his magic!
I didn't realize it until just last night, but you can actually set up your podcasts by a playlist, just like you can with music players. With that in mind, here is a sample playlist with all the episodes featuring Houdini. In truth, I could have included a couple other episodes that he is also featured in, but these currently make up the core of the Houdini episodes. And I'm taking it one step further. I'm embedding the episodes in the following order so you can listen to them from right here!
BTW: the additional episodes where Houdini is mentioned include the Samri Baldwin Episode, The T.Nelson Downs Episode & the Raymond Episode. I did not put them on the playlist.
HOUDINI
ep 5 Early Years
ep 32 Martin Beck
ep 01 The section on Houdini’t trip to Germany 1900
ep 03 The section on Queen Victoria’s Dress
ep 35 Milk Can
ep 10 Harry Kellar
ep 34 Protege
ep 33 Evanion
ep 26 Minerva
ep 22 Anna Eva Fay
ep 50 Men Who Fooled Houdini
ep 46 Radio Illusion
ep 7 Houdini & Congress
ep 36 His Own Words
ep 6 Final Days
Just the Portion on Houdini's Trip to Germany 1900...starts at 13:35 into the podcast
Just the Portion on Queen Victoria's Dress.....begins at 21:30 into the podcast
