Broken wand: Everett Andrews

Updated October 15th, to include link to Legacy.com listing and date of passing.

Earlier this week on October 15th, Calgary magician Everett Andrews passed away.  Born May 5th, 1935, Everett was 77.

More details will be posted when they become available.

Thank you to Gwyn and Ryan for sharing the news.

Our thoughts are with Everett's family and friends at this difficult time.

Remembering Doug Henning

Evelyn Matlin has a wonderful post up at the Perfect Magic blog describing Phil's encounter with Doug Henning.   From her post:

Once, many years ago, Doug Henning, the first celebrity magician in  50 years, came to Montreal to perform. At that time a customer, who was an ardent magic collector and a friend, was dying in the hospital. The friend’s wife phoned Phil and asked if there was any way for Doug Henning to come and visit her husband because it would mean so much to him. Phil said he would try.


Read more.

More from Matt about Ron Leonard

Another comment from Matt DiSero, on the post Remembering Ron Leonard:

I just found a old VHS tape of a hat and rabbit club show I was on with Ron from 1996... he was the emcee. Black Tux, Red cummerbund. White Hair. It was later in his life...but he was still great. He did the production of the oranges and lots of great emcee bits. Man he's fun to watch. I miss him. Jeff Pinsky is right...he was an amazing business man... I STILL to this day, every day, use bits of professional advice he gave me.

He had an older style of performing, but people loved him. 

What stuck me most after watching this video was, that most of the acts on the show were younger " up and coming" acts... the new guys... all slick with their tricks and style of performing....but when you really watch the tape, you could see the audience still liked Ron best. Man he was funny. A zillion one liners... Just goes to show ya... no substitute for a solid, worked in act.

For me, Ron embodied something you don't see much of anymore. A guy who liked to PERFORM. Not just come up with tricks and moves to sell...but he liked his act. He impressed upon me the importance of always working on it, and always loving to perform. Its good advice. You don't hear it much anymore.... I wonder what Ron, or Herb Morrisey, or Len Cooper would think of the state of acts of late?

[Guest post]: Remembering Sam Cramer

I am grateful to Phil Matlin and all of his input to the creation of the Broken Wands page. In the absence of a proper tribute page, Phil offers some memories of Sam Cramer, from Montréal:

One of the names I gave you was Sam Cramer. Although I am not sure I believe he had the first magic shop in Montreal. My first visit to his store was in 1947. I was 10. For about 2 or 3 months he sold me what I wanted (i.e. what he demonstrated) and then one day he wouldn't sell me another trick until I bought books. He set me up with a plan that if I gave him $3.00 every 2 weeks he would give a volume of the Tarbell course. I eventually got all 5 (that's how many there were then). The price of each volume was $6.00. When he retired, his brother-in-law Alex Chervin took over the store and kept it. Had to move a few times and finally closed it up when the city expropriated the land they were on. Alex's main interest was stamp collecting but he also was a wonderful magician. Alex is still around. I spoke to him a few months ago. He is still living by himself, (his wife died close to ten years ago), and confided in me that he was 94 years old. Between Sam and Alex, every magician in Montreal then and now owe them, because without them, magic in Montreal as we know it today would never have happened. I know that Sam Cramer from Montreal was a cover feature in an issue of MUM. So far I have been unable to find it.

Jeff Pinsky and Matt DiSero remember Ron Leonard

In response to the earlier post Remembering Ron Leonard, the following comments from Matt DiSero and Jeff Pinsky have been added to the original post.

From Matt DiSero:

Ron was so nice to me as a kid at the magic club...when I got to be on a show with him for the first time it was one of the biggest thrills of my career at that time. He was so nice, and generous.... I miss him.

[Copied with permission from Facebook.]

From Jeff Pinsky:

I have fond memories of Ron Leonard. I was born in 1966. Thus I really only have my childhood memories during the decade of the 1970s.
 
Of course for those of us who were bitten by the wonderful magic 'bug' in Ontario Ron Leonard was an important figure.
 
How exciting it was to learn at the beginning of the Uncle Bobby Show that magic guest Ron Leonard was on. If memory serves me right he was not on all of the shows. That I learned many years later was due to his strong business acumen; busy with many professional performances and a gifted commercial painter.
 
In an era when there were about 12 television stations - one being in French - anything to do with magic appearing on television was exciting. Can you imagine the first Henning special? Or seeing for the first time Slydini on the Dick Cavett Show?
 
What was for me particularly wonderful about seeing Mr. Leonard perform on the Uncle Bobby Show was that he was using at times props which I might be able to afford if I saved my money. I could not dream of buying something I saw Doug Henning perform. And of course until I studied 'Magic of Slydini' I had no idea how Slydini's effects were done.
 
It was sort of a video catalogue for a magic shop well before there was any video! Watch Ron Leonard... then decide if I like the trick... then look it up in the (printed) magic catalogue and find out the price.
  
Years later after I took over Browser's Den of Magic I would have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Leonard. He was quite different than his TV personality. And why wouldn't he? On the show he was performing for little children at home.
 
But he was always pleasant when he would visit even with his poor hearing and health beginning to fail. One could tell it was affecting his enjoyment of life but at least he still had some 'magic' in him.
 
Jeff Pinsky
Browser's Den of Magic
Toronto, Canada
February 16, 2012


[With thanks to The Magic Demon for passing this along.]

James Randi remembers Ron Leonard

The following is correspondence from James Randi in response to the earlier post Remembering Ron Leonard.  These thoughts have been added as a comment to the original post.  James, thank you very much for making the time to put some thoughts about Mr. Leonard together to share.

(And thank you to The Magic Demon for making this happen!)

I recall that one of the very first magicians I ever saw - live - was Ron Leonard, at a large theater somewhere in Toronto. I sat in the very front row, the music played, and Ron stepped out fanning and manipulating cards. Then he paused for applause, riffled through the deck until he was told to stop, and extracted that card, its face toward him. He pointed at a man on the aisle and asked him to name a card - "any card." The gentleman did, and Ron flipped the card around - it was correct! Only backstage in his dressing-room, did he reveal the secret. It had been a total fluke! His usual line, he told me, was to simply reply to the card named, with "Absolutely correct, sir!" - without revealing the face of the card. He was only right about once every 52 guesses, but I'd been lucky to witness such a moment...

Handsome, well-dressed, well-spoken and elegant, Ron Leonard was one of my early heroes, though he was only five years my senior. In fact, when I was on my own in Toronto as a teen, I responded to an ad offering a room for rent, only to find that it was being rented out by Ron's mother, a spare room that she had available! It was a couple of months before that lady noticed my interest in the conjuring profession, and proudly announced the identity of her son...! I was appropriately floored by the coincidence.

Ron, along with Johnny Giordmaine, Ross Bertram, Dai Vernon, Raymond Lowe, Howard Lyons, Bruce Posgate, Tom Ransom, Sid Lorraine, and our spiritual father, Harry Smith, saw me through the tortures of a top-change, multiplying billiard balls, and various rope-ties until I was able to head off to the USA as a pro. I'll never forget these chaps, all of whom made it possible for me to enjoy a long and happy career as a performer...

James (The Amazing) Randi.

[via The Magic Demon]

Broken wands page

I have been moved by the number of heartfelt responses received regarding February 3rds post "Broken wand tribute sites."   There is now a tab to the left of the "Advertise" tab labelled "Broken wands" which will take you to a list of Canadian Magicians who are no longer with us.

If there is someone out there who would be so kind as to translate the few lines below into French, I would greatly appreciate the favour.

Remembering those who have passed before us.  Through your passion and spirit you have helped shape the magic community in Canada and around the world.  Thank you.

This list is far from complete.  Please e-mail additions or corrections to "canadasmagic at gmail dot com" or leave them in the comments below.

Broken wand: Steven Felsher

From The Montréal Gazette:

The family announces the passing of Steven Felsher on Saturday, January 7, 2012, after a lengthy illness. Cherished and devoted son of Ruth and the late Edward Felsher. Beloved brother of Guila Herchkowitz. Steven was a loving and caring person, who always put others before himself.

Read more.

With appreciation to Phil Matlin for letting us know.

Broken wand: Francis Martineau (1922-2012)

From the Ring 92 newsletter (PDF):

Sadly, Francis Martinau passed away January 8th, 2012. Francis was a charter member of the VMC and Past President (1954). Francis was a Canadian magician, magic illustrator and author. Best known for his amazing artistic contribution to the three-volume Rice's Encyclopedia of Silk Magic for which he drew thousands of illustrations and hand-lettered the entire text.

Read more (PDF).

Broken wand tribute sites

[Edited:

• February 12th:  This post has been followed-up with this one "Broken wands page"
• February 10th to include Dai Vernon.
• February 9th to include:  Ivano Fortier, Rene Johnson, Gary Ouellet, Mel Stover, Bruce Posgate and Len Vintus.  Thanks again Phil!
• February 7th to include Tom Auburn.  Thanks Phil!
• February 6th to include Stewart James. 
• February 4th to add Ross Bertram.  Thanks for the reminder Julie!]

Some time ago, a good friend of the blog suggested the great idea that a section of real estate here be used to honour those who are no longer with us by linking to their tribute sites. 
 
The sites will be listed under the header "Broken Wand tributes" and will be published immediately following the Magical blogs listing in the middle column.
 
Currently listed are:

• Auburn, Tom (1917-1990)
• Bertram, Ross (1912-1992)
• Cooper, Len (1928-2003)
• Eng, Tony (1946-2008)
• Fortier, Ivano
• Giordmaine, John (1898-1974)
• Henning, Doug (1947-2000)
• James, Stewart (1908 - 1996)
• Johnson, Rene (1911-2009)
• Lorraine, Sid (1905-1989)
• Mandrake, Leon (1911-1993)
• Morrissey, Herb (1938-2003)
• Ouellet, Gary (1945-2002)
• Posgate, Bruce (1900-1990)
• Stover, Mel (1912-1999)
• Vintus, Len (1903-1999)

As always, please let us know of errors or omissions.

Thanks for the great idea!  Keep 'em coming!

Broken wand: Maxwell Scott

From The Tillsonburg News:

SCOTT, Maxwell Charles - Born January 8, 1929, passed away in Tillsonburg on Tuesday, August 23, 2011.

....

Farmer, proprietor of Tillsonburg Organ Centre, musician and magician for many years, Max was a founding member of the London Magician's Guild I.B.M. Ring 265, and a member of the Doug Henning Magic Wand Club, Ring 49 and the Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle Ring 235.

Read the complete obituary.

[h/t: CAM - Northern Peeks]

Broken wand: Peter Howard Nash

From the Globe and Mail on Wednesday November 23rd.

Died peacefully at home with his wife of 60 years by his side in Montreal on the 19th of November. Born in Sidcup, Kent, England in 1917, he graduated from the Stowe School, after which matriculated at Queen's College at the University of Cambridge where he earned his BMS and MA and qualified as an MD.

....

He was additionally an accomplished amateur photographer, birdwatcher and magician, the last of these avocations having been interpreted on stage while he was a university student.

Read the complete obituary.

Broken wand: Les Brockelsby

From the Globe and Mail on Thursday May 5th:

DECEMBER 8, 1923 ­to  APRIL 30, 2011 Leslie 'Les' George Brockelsby of Calgary passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at the age of 87 years.

...

He also had a passion for magic from a very young age, performing his first magic show at age seven as 'The Wonder Boy of Plymouth'. Once retired, his interest in magic returned when he helped organize a local magic club, Calgary Magic Circle - Ring 66 which is now known as the 'Les Brockelsby Ring'. Les spent much of his time mentoring aspiring young magicians.

Read the complete obituary or visit the online guestbook.

Broken wand: Walter Earl Hopkins

Found at ConjurersCourt.ca:

HOPKINS, Walter Earl, QC – On February 22, 2011 we said goodbye to Walter Earl Hopkins (1933-2011); husband of 44 years to Dorothy (Fleming); dad to Susan and Glenn; Hoppy to friends and family; and Grandpa to Sam, Savannah and Siena. Walter practiced law for over 40 years in the Halifax area. Before completing his law degree at Dalhousie (1966) he spent 7 years in the Air Force and right into his 70's he still loved to go to the Officer's Mess on Friday evenings. Most of all he loved performing, practicing, and dreaming about magic and being a magician. His first show was as a young boy, his last as a 75 year old man. Sam (6) described his Grandpa as gone to another world like Luke Skywalker, and Savvy (4) and Siena (3) waved goodbye to him in the sky while enjoying one of his favourite things – cookies. So as a family that is how we all choose to say goodbye and remember him. Thank you to the many wonderful family and friends who have supported us through this difficult time. We will honour Walter's wishes for a small farewell with family from the home he loved very much and never really wanted to ever leave.

Visit the online guestbook at legacy.com