The Amazing Professor Cooke Handbill

I have written about this man before, but recently have a new found interest in him because he has become part of my show. First, he became part of my Houdini lecture, but now he is in my new ASTONIFY Show.

Professor Horatio (Harry) Cooke was a remarkable man. He served in the Civil War, he was one of Lincoln's Federal Scouts, he was witness to the assassination of President Lincoln, and later he became a mentor of sorts to Houdini and many other magicians in the Los Angeles area. He was also, one of Harry Kellar's pallbearers.

Harry Cooke had long been forgotten until he was rediscovered by Mark Cannon in 1981. Mark met one of Cooke's daughters while performing at her senior citizen center. In April 2006, Mark wrote a great article in MUM Magazine all about the life of Harry Cooke.

Prior to this rediscovery, Cooke could be found within the pages of The Sphinx and other magic magazines. He was often dubbed 'The Oldest Living Magician in America'. I knew from the Cannon article and from other sources that Harry Cooke performed magic following the end of the Civil War. His favorite trick was the Linking Rings. For a number of years his show was called SPIRITUALISM Without the Aid of Spirits. Well, imagine my surprise as I'm watching the Potter and Potter Auction on Saturday last, and up comes a handbill belonging to none other than Professor Harry Cooke. The moment I saw the name, I jumped and started bidding. It may be one of my most favorite auction wins! Now that I own this wonderful item*, I'm going to alter my Cooke story yet again. And it will help me to adjust the 'spirit' portion of my Astonify Show.

The one thing left that I wonder about is whether or not Harry Cooke was a descendant of the Mayflower Cookes? Given that he was born in Connecticut, I'd say the chances are pretty high.

The Most Famous Magician of All Time

Ask someone who the 'most famous magician' is or was, and you're likely to hear: Houdini, David Copperfield, David Blaine, and maybe even Merlin, if the person is trying to be clever. Certainly all of these individuals are famous and certainly all rank high. But the most famous magician is one you've likely all heard of and yet never heard of. What? Read on.

His name was William Vincent. Surely, you know who I'm talking about now. No? Well, he did not go by his real name. Like many magicians, (myself included), he went by a stage name. And his stage name became so iconic, that even small children today know it. He was known as Hocus Pocus. That's right, the phrase that so many people think of as 'magic words', was actually a magician.

During the reign of King James of England (1603-1625), Vincent was known as "The King's Most Excellent Hocus Pocus." He was a juggler, an artist in legerdermaine. His tricks included the Cups and Balls and the cut and restored 'tape' trick, among others. Vincent began his career in 1619 after receiving a licence 'to exercise the art of Legerdemaine in any Townes within the Relme of England and Ireland.'

A book titled, Hocus Pocus Jr. was published in 1634. A short book of 50+ pages, it contains a wealth of knowledge on how to present the Cups and balls and many other wonderful tricks popular during the 17th Century.

The new book, The Secret History of Magic by Peter Lamont and Jim Steinmeyer says that Vincent is the author of the book, Hocus Pocus Jr.. Other sources list the author as anonymous, and still other sources say 'it could possibly have been William Vincent'. 

Many editions of Hocus Pocus Jr. were printed after the original, and apparently each new edition contained new material. Houdini's copy resides in the Library of Congress and is available to view or download as a .pdf. Here is the link.

William Vincent died a few years after the publication of Hocus Pocus Jr.. according to the website www.hocuspocusjr.com (the actual site is long gone, but you can see the original in the Internet Archive site)

Magic Potion #9 Houdini Artwork

I stumbled upon this yesterday. An unusual piece of art using HOUDINI. It reminded me of the Tony Curtis movie, when they referred to the Water Torture Cell as 'The Man In The Bottle'. Here, Houdini IS the MAN in the bottle!

If you're interested in this piece, you can pick it up in various sizes and in various mediums like canvas, wood print, and more.  http://studio-v.wingsdomain.com/featured/magic-potion-number-9-patent-pending-20140922-wingsdomain-art-and-photography.html