#ThrowbackThursday with Sophie Lloyd and Doug Henning

Sophie Lloyd

You may remember that almost 5 years ago on May 27, 2020 the CBC radio show As It Happens discussed some earlier goings on at The Magic Circle. 

From the Jenny Winstanley interview at As it Happens transcripts:

It was a major to-do about a major ta-dah. In 1991, The Magic Circle — the prestigious British organization of illusionists -- voted to allow women to become members. At which point one of its members — Raymond Lloyd — revealed he had something up his sleeve. A woman's arm. Raymond Lloyd was, in fact, Sophie Lloyd. For two years, she had pretended to be a young male magician. No one noticed. Unfortunately, illusionists apparently don't like to have their illusions shattered. So when Raymond announced he was actually Sophie, she was booted out of the Magic Circle — despite its new policy allowing women. Still, it was a triumph. Not just for Ms. Lloyd, who was just pretending to be a magician. But also for Jenny Winstanley, who actually was a magician. And had taught Sophie Lloyd everything she knew, so they could pull off the remarkable trick. In 1991, As It Happens reached the women at a party celebrating their magic moment. Here's Michael Enright, speaking, first, with Jenny Winstanley. 

Read more. 

  

We're delighted to read today at the BBC, that Sophie Lloyd has been granted membership into The Magic Circle.

From the April 24th article "Woman who tricked her way into men-only Magic Circle finally allowed in" by Grace Dean at BBC News: 

A magician who tricked her way into the Magic Circle is finally being granted membership - 34 years after she was kicked out.

Sophie Lloyd says she disguised herself as a man to fool examiners into letting her join the elite society in 1991, at a time female magicians were not allowed to be members.

When the Circle announced it was permitting women to join later that year, Ms Lloyd revealed her deception, prompting the society to expel her at the very same meeting it admitted its first female magicians.

Read more.

 

Doug Henning at The Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis.  

From the April 24th Facebook post at Canada's Magic:

A gift from our friends at Champions of Magic!

This photo was taken from the backstage wall at the The Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis.

Neil McNally at The Doug Henning Project, has a photo of Doug performing at this theatre circa 1985:
https://doughenningproject.com/2021/04/14/1985-fox-theater-st-louis-dancing-handkerchief-photo/

Neil has also posted this photo, but does not have information about the year it was created, or the tour to which it belongs.
https://doughenningproject.com/2017/07/07/backstage-pass/

📸 : Richard Young
(Young & Strange | The Magicians' Podcast Network)

You can catch Richard Young as part of Young & Strange in Champions Of Magic in Canada:

- May 7-9: Victoria BC, Royal Theatre
- May 11-12: Calgary AB, Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium,
- May 20-22: Vancouver BC, Queen Elizabeth Theatre

with a rumoured December booking in Kingston!
- Dec 14: Kingston ON, Slush Puppie Place

Check ChampionsofMagicTour.com for updates.

Thanks for sending this along to us Richard Young!

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest post] A tribute to Micky Hades

The following is a guest post from Brent Smith.

-- 

A tribute to Micky Hades

I'm sad these days as my friend and teacher in magic Micky Hades has passed away at the age of 97. I call him a teacher because he never mentored me but his door was always open for me and I could ask any question. They say to be successful in something you keep you mouth closed and your ears open and I did just that with Micky but I also asked a lot of questions. I enjoyed our time together especially because Micky would always ask me questions about magic, history and all about magic posters, not because he didn’t know, but to test me and see if I knew what I was talking about and I do :)

Micky Hades was a man who embraced all aspects of magic: Performer, publisher, collector, manufacturer, inventor, author, editor and a pioneer of the art of magic. He was born of Ukrainian parentage on a farm in Alberta. He got started in magic when he saw the magician John C. Green. Micky had mundane jobs but realised magic is what he wanted to do so he studied and learned all he could on magic. He then joined a travelling sideshow which featured not only magic but also fire eating. He then joined larger carnivals like Conklin Brothers Circus and then Clifford Entertainers Vaudeville circuit. Micky then quit show business for a while and went into Silk Screening and then went onto being a fire prevention Officer in the Army. Then for 13 months he worked in the Gold Mines in Yellowknife in the NWT. There in the Arctic climate he invented the Micky Hades finger chopper 2000 feet below the surface of the ground. Imagine just how many of those he sold. Micky Hades Enterprises became Micky Hades International and became a name recognized throughout the world of magic. 

Micky was behind the TV Show, Dale Harney's Magic Palace and Micky brought in all the top guys in magic at that time. Blackstone, Al Goshman, Paul Harris, Martin Nash, Slydini... the list goes on and on and on. I would get my dad to drive me down to Channel 2 and 7 TV Studios just to see Dale Harney with the worlds Top Magicians perform.

I miss that time in magic with no internet, without exposure on YouTube, magicians being babies online. Magic was real and everyone sacrificed and treated magic with great importance and value. When people don’t sacrifice much for what they have they do not treat it with great importance or value hence what some people are doing on the internet with exposure. Anyone who suffered for anything knows the value of what they suffered for.

Micky said to me once that you cannot make someone into a magician but they are born and that being a magician is a state of mind and a way of life. Micky never taught anyone magic, he never taught sleight of hand but he taught them the state of mind to make a living at magic. The only one I know of who Micky taught this to is John Kaplan.

Micky had many stories. How he told Martin Nash that he should call himself  "The Charming Cheat" and that he should wear big gold rings and fancy suits. He had a great ZIG ZAG lady Illusion story, How he gave Doug Henning a job and he accepted the position of editor of the Young Magicians section of the Hade-E-Gram MagiZette and performed his first professional appearance at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary in 1965.

Micky had three Magic Shops, Vancouver, Seattle, and Calgary. They were eventually closed or sold off.

In 2015 Micky sold me his 500 piece magic Poster collection which some I will treasure forever. They are framed in my house and I still enjoy everyday.

I will miss Micky and the coffee time we had together, I will miss going to visit him and seeing what magic he still had for sale all of which the props I grew up with, I will miss the jewels and treasures I would find when Micky let me look through boxes. I will miss talking to him about illusions and I will miss talking to him about Magic Posters.

Micky once said to me that if you really want to make a living at something have NOTHING to fall back on that way the fire under your butt stays lit. We both laughed at that for a long time.

The Micky Hades story is too incredible for this short newsletter so look for this book coming out of the Magical Life of Micky Hades in the New Year by his daughter Brenda.

Rest well Micky you are the reason I am what I am today and I have cherished every last second I had with you.

Thank you!!

Brent

--

 

Thank you Brent for sharing this heartfelt tribute to Micky Hades.

 

 

Doug Henning and Transcendental Meditation

From the January 5th article "Real Magic" by Lauren Collee in The Baffler:

As a magician, Henning was loved and admired throughout his career for leading magic “away from the tuxedo approach” and reinjecting the craft with a sense of mischief and wonder. Having initially studied psychology (with an emphasis on hypnosis), he abandoned medical school to train with magic greats like Dai Vernon (“The Professor”) and Tony Slydini. By the late 1970s, Henning’s star was rising. His magic-musical theatre show Spellbound had been a Broadway hit. He performed Harry Houdini’s water-torture escape trick live on NBC for the first time since Houdini himself pulled it off, and made a live elephant disappear and then reappear onstage. He did magic for the Reagans, and designed illusions for Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind and Fire concerts.

But those who worked with Henning directly were growing frustrated with the magician’s increasingly obsessive interest in Transcendental Meditation. While preparations for his new stage show were underway, Henning would frequently pause all activity so that he could mediate for hours on end. Often he would instruct everyone else to pause and meditate too, so that the collective energy they generated together might allow him to successfully levitate in the air; a feat he hoped to perform as part of the show. Exasperated, his long-time technical director Glenn Priest walked out mid-rehearsal in 1983. Three years later, to the chagrin of his fans, Henning himself sold his illusions to David Copperfield and other magicians, and permanently quit the world of fake magic to devote himself, full-time, to the real magic of Transcendental Meditation.

Read more.

via

File under "Real Magic"? An article about the late Canadian magician Doug Henning, and Transcendental Meditation (TM). https://t.co/yOvaB4DFmi

— Daniel Zuckerbrot (@dzuckerbrot) January 7, 2023

 

ICYMI: Plaque rededication on the 100th anniversary of the International Brotherhood of Magicians

On June 6th, Dean Gunnarson participated in a rededication of a plaque at the building where it all started over 100 years ago.

 

From the June 5th article, "Winnipeg still a magic city 100 years after international organization’s founding" by Sam Thompson at Global News: 

Internationally-known illusionist and comedy magician Brian Glow says the brotherhood, which is the largest organization of magicians in the world, was founded in Winnipeg in 1922.

The city’s long history of magic — which includes a 1923 performance by the legendary Harry Houdini, who escaped from a straightjacket 30 feet above a downtown building — is largely due to its geographic location.

....

Although the brotherhood became so popular that it moved to the U.S. less than a decade after its founding, Gunnarson said the city has a long history of famed magicians to this day — from himself and Glow to the likes of Doug Henning, Darcy Oake, and Greg Wood.

“Sometimes we don’t appreciate things in our own backyard… and Winnipeg has such a vibrant, rich history of politicians, entertainers — and of course magic,” Gunnarson said.

Read more.

 

From the June 6th article "'The magic city': 100th anniversary of International Brotherhood of Magicians marked in Winnipeg, where it all started" by Devon McKendrick at CTV News Winnipeg:

IBM was started by three magicians, including Len Vintus, who is from Transcona, in 1922, and now the organization has around 15,000 members with local groups in more than 88 countries.

"He created the world's largest magic organization with no computer, no smartphone, no fax machine, all with a typewriter and a mimeograph machine," said Dean Gunnarson, who is a Winnipeg escape artist.

The IBM was created to connect magicians who lived outside major cities and were unable to attend magic club meetings.

"(Vintus) promoted magic, the City of Winnipeg, the Province of Manitoba. He was a real ambassador for this city and province and, of course, magic."

Read more.

From the June 29th article "World’s largest magic club celebrates 100th anniversary, Winnipeg roots" by Cody Sellar in the Free Press Community Review:

To celebrate the anniversary, local members held a ceremony at the original headquarters on June 6, recreating the unveiling of the 1986 historical building plaque by setting the veil ablaze.

Transconian Melvin McMullen, better known by the stage name Len Vintus, founded the organization in 1922 at the age of 19. He rented an office on the seventh floor of the building at Main Street and William Avenue and set to work.

“He was absolutely driven. Wore a suit and tie and vest every day of his life that I knew him, until he went to the hospital with a stroke,” said Dean Gunnarson, a Winnipeg escape artist who became friends with McMullen until his death in 1999.

...

The Winnipeg ring has now morphed into the Magic Club of Winnipeg, run in part by brotherhood member Carey Lauder. He’s helped teach a host of young magicians, including Darcy Oake. He said for some kids, magic provides a crucial confidence boost.

“It’s like kid Toastmasters,” he said, citing parents who told him their children gained the self-assurance to speak up in class and other such things.

Lauder, who also works at the magic counter at Toad Hall Toys, said McMullen’s legacy is a point of pride for the Winnipeg magic community.

...

Gunnarson said his tombstone is carved in the shape of the province and inscribed with the title: “Mr. Manitoba.”

Read more.

Winnipeg: IBM celebrates 100th anniversary on Magic Day [June 6]

From the May 29th Facebook post by the Magic Club of Winnipeg:

Upcoming events!! Hope you can get out.

After the Monday June 6th plaque ceremony, we are heading over to the King's Head. Please pass on to any friends who may not be getting our posts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!!!

International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) 100th Anniversary

The International Brotherhood of Magicians will be celebrating it’s 100th Anniversary with a variety of events in Winnipeg.

On Monday, June 6th , also known as Magic Day, a plaque rededication will be taking place at 1:00pm on the corner of William and Main. (Originally dedicated on June 6th, 1986 with Doug Henning and Mayor Bill Norrie)

A display on the history of I.B.M. is currently up at the Millennium Library until mid June.

There will also be an I.B.M. lecture at the Transcona Museum, date to be announced.

The International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.)was founded February 10, 1922 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by Len Vintus (stage name of Melvin Justus Given McMullen) of Transcona, Manitoba, Gene Gordon (a.k.a. Gordon Avery) of Buffalo, New York, and Don Rogers (a.k.a. Ernest Schieldge). The I.B.M. was started by magicians living outside the major cities, who were unable to attend magic club meetings, and who kept in contact by post.

The International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) is an organization for both professional and amateur close-up and stage magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St. Charles, Missouri. There are over 300 local groups, called Rings, in more than 88 countries, largely concentrated in cities of the United States and Canada. The organization publishes a monthly periodical entitled The Linking Ring, which features tricks, coverage of shows and events in the magic community, and interviews with magicians.

Winnipeg has a vibrant magic community and history with many internationally famous magicians having started in our great city. 

Just to name a few;

• Doug Henning who it’s has been said brought a whole new era to the world of magic
• James Cielen an I.B.M. Gold Medal winner
• Dean Gunnarson World’s Most Daring Escape Artist
• Brian Glow a touring corporate Magician
• Darcy Oake top finalist on Britain’s Got Talent
• Other local magicians that played an important part in Winnipeg’s magic history;
• Mel Stover, Ray Starr, Gene Shelley, Terry Greenwood, Joe Kaufert, Ivar Roberts aka Richard Haldane, Greg Wood, Sean Fields and Anders Boulanger who have made a living performing magic locally and throughout Canada.

World Wide Doug Henning Birthday Celebration [May 7]

If you attended either of the Chip Romero CAM JAMs (April 14, 2021 or October 27, 2021) you'll know that Chip will be a fabulous host for this event!

 

From the April 30th post "World Wide Doug Henning Birthday Celebration, May 7" by John Cox at Wild About Harry:

Next Saturday, May 7th, S.A.M. President Tom Gentile and the great Chip Romero will host a 6-hour online "World Wide Doug Henning Birthday Celebration". No doubt this was inspired by the success of the World Wide Houdini Birthday Celebration last month. I'm looking forward to six hours of Doug...and Chip!

Check out the Event Page on Facebook for details. I will post the ZOOM link when available.

Read more.

 

From the Doug Henning Birthday Celebration Facebook event:

 

Doug Henning in the Toronto Star

From the February 20th article "Remembering Doug Henning, superstar illusionist turned politician" by ey Tong in the Toronto Star:

Seven “Doug Henning’s World of Magic” TV specials aired throughout the late ’70s and early ’80s, helping to make Henning a household name. He also made guest appearances on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and “The Muppet Show.”

Despite his enormous success in the US, Henning always considered Canada his home and was proud to tell people that he was Canadian, Nancy says. He returned often to visit family and to do the occasional performance. “He was always pleasantly surprised by the reception,” Nancy says. When their mother was diagnosed with cancer, he spent several months caring for her in Toronto.

Read more.

Remembering Ivan Reitman

Updated February 19th to add:

• a link to the February 18th article "THE SCOOP | The Royal Alexandra Theatre To Dim Lights In Honour Ivan Reitman" by Michael Vincent in Ludwig Van Toronto.
  
• a link to the February 16th post "Jim Steinmeyer Reflects on Ivan Reitman and 'Merlin'" by Neil McNally in The Doug Henning Project.
  

 

Updated February 16th to add: 

• a link to the February 15th article "The king of ‘slobs vs. snobs’: Ivan Reitman reinvented a Hollywood genre, then did it again" by Jaime Weinman in The Hamilton Spectator.
• a link to the February 15th post "Brian Lumley Reflects on Ivan Reitman" by Neil McNally in The Doug Henning Project.
  

 

Updated February 15th:

• at 1:45pm to add Peter Mennie's Facebook post from February 14th.
  
• at 8am to add a link to Neil McNally's post February 14th post "Ivan Reitman (1946-2022)" at The Doug Henning Project.
  

 

Ivan Reitman passed away on Saturday, February 12, 2022.  

You may know that the Toronto-raised filmmaker directed blockbusters such as Ghostbusters and Meatballs.  

We were reminded by Peter Mennie that Ivan was friends with Doug Henning.  From Neil McNally at The Doug Henning Project: "It was said that Ivan fronted him (Doug) the money to purchase the props to create his stage show which became known as Spellbound."

Ivan went on to produce and direct Spellbound at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre.  (Neil has uploaded an image of the Spellbound pamphlet.)  In addition Ivan co-produced Doug's The Magic Show on Broadway.

Our sincere condolences to Ivan's family and friends.

From the February 14th Facebook post by Peter Mennie:

Read more about Ivan:

• "THE SCOOP | The Royal Alexandra Theatre To Dim Lights In Honour Ivan Reitman" by Michael Vincent in Ludwig Van Toronto.
  
• "Jim Steinmeyer Reflects on Ivan Reitman and 'Merlin'" by Neil McNally in The Doug Henning Project.
• "Brian Lumley Reflects on Ivan Reitman" by Neil McNally in The Doug Henning Project.
  
• "The king of ‘slobs vs. snobs’: Ivan Reitman reinvented a Hollywood genre, then did it again" by Jaime Weinman in The Hamilton Spectator.
• "Ivan Reitman (1946-2022)" by Neil McNally at The Doug Henning Project.
  
• "Ivan Reitman, acclaimed Canadian producer and director of Ghostbusters, dead at 75" at the CBC.
• "Ivan Reitman just might be the most influential Canadian filmmaker of all time" by Barry Hertz at The Globe and Mail.
• "Director Ivan Reitman remembered as comedy heavyweight, champion of Canadian film" at CityNews.
  

 

 

Request for photos of Doug Henning and Breathless (Jeff Plewman)

From the February 8th post "'Nash the Slash' DOCU Needs Your Help with Doug Photos" by Neil McNally at the Doug Henning Project:

Brunton and his team are working on a documentary on the late Canadian musician Jeff Plewman. Plewman, better known as Nash the Slash, was a multi-instrumentalist pioneer in progressive rock music. The film “Nash the Slash Rises Again” will be the first extensive look at Plewman’s life and career. 

It just so happens that Plewman and Doug worked together in their early days.  Doug frequently used local rock bands as back up during his shows, and Plewman’s then band “Breathless” was one of them. 

The film is looking for any photos of Doug and Breathless on stage together during this time. If they exist I haven’t seen them, so I’m looking to you the reader to help if you can.

Read more and learn how to email Neil with leads.

Carisa Hendrix in the Greensboro News & Record and a Doug Henning Easter Egg

From the December 9th article "Meet Carisa Hendrix, host of 'A Magical Cirque Christmas' at Greensboro's Tanger Center" by Dawn Kane in  the Greensboro News & Record:

She won Stage Magician of the Year at the world-famous Magic Castle in Los Angeles.

She has been praised by famous magician David Copperfield as “... a true original — hilarious and delightful. An exceptional new talent in magic.”

...

Tell us about “A Magical Cirque Christmas.”

It is a brand new show ... It’s somewhere between a modern-day fairy tale and a jukebox musical. And then, just to make it a little bit more fun, we have thrown in a whole time travel, nostalgia-through-the-ages aspect. So it’s going to be a whirlwind of intense, beautiful visuals and wonderful music and great acts. And it’s designed to be great for families but really also good for a date night. It’s not a kid show; it’s a family show ... Kids of all ages will like it. But there are a couple double entendres that will go right over their heads.

All of the magic is narratively significant, and really stretched my abilities as a magician both creatively and in terms of sleight of hand. 

Read more and watch video.

 

 

From the December 9th Facebook post by Carisa Hendrix:

Little tired today, but all that went away when I saw this by my dressing room. This little Canadian magician is so grateful to set foot on a stage that once showcased Doug. Feeling very lucky, needed that boost.

 

 

 

 

TV magicians from the 1950s, '60s and '70s

From the June 9th article "8 magicians who dazzled us on TV as children" at MeTV:

1. Doug Henning
With his bedazzled overalls and beaming smile, Henning was the perfect man to introduce children to the world of magic, a lovable character akin to Gallagher or Slim Goodbody. The Canadian first broke in this country on Broadway, earning a Tony nom for his 1974 production, The Magic Show. A year after that opening, 50 million viewers tuned in for the TV special Doug Henning's World of Magic. The escape artist and lover of Houdini went on to create stage tricks for Earth, Wind and Fire and Michael Jackson tours.

4. The Amazing Randi
James Randi is as well known for his skepticism as his illusions. The performer famously offered $1,000 (then $10,000, then $1,000,000) to anyone who could prove the existence of the supernatural. He's still waiting to pay out. Randi, seen here on the cover of Dynamite magazine, had a mission to expose charlatans posing as naturally gifted psychics. He would especially work to debunk the following man, his nemesis… 

Read more.

[via The Doug Henning Project]

You're invited to a CAM JAM with Chip Romero

Updated April 19th to add:

• Screen shots and thoughts from the event at the bottom of the post.
  

 

Wednesday, April 14 at 8 PM EST

This is a magicians-only event and it's free to attend.  Membership is not required. 

 

From The Canadian Association of Magicians:

Recently, we caught rumour of a magician with some rare and exciting items.  

A collection of historical magic props, illusions and memorabilia that was out of this world. Including some treasured Canadian history from the likes of Doug Henning and Dai Vernon!

So, we offered this magician some maple syrup and Tim Hortons to convince him to share a peek at the rarest items in his collection!

We're happy to say Chip Romero agreed!  

Chip is a professional magician and collector who has offered to share CAM JAM attendees with a unique glimpse into magic's cherished history. Here's an opportunity to look behind the curtain in one of the largest collections of Doug Henning props, illusions and most treasured memorabilia.   

Read more.

--

Learned last night during the Chip Romero CAM JAM hosted by @cammagicorg:

Doug Henning's “Spellbound” was directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), written by David Cronenberg (The Fly) and music by Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings).

[with Google assist at @DougHenningProj]

— Canada's Magic (@canadasmagic) April 15, 2021

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A post shared by Canadas Magic (@canadasmagicdotcom)

Help Neil McNally fund “Doug Henning’s Magical World”

From the September 24th post, '“Doug Henning’s Magical World” Indiegogo Funding Begins Today!' at The Doug Henning Project:

Hello Everyone, 

It’s been a long road, but here we are!

The funding for my documentary “Doug Henning’s Magical World” begins today on Indiegogo and I hope you all will consider donating.

As I mentioned, this will be the first feature length documentary regarding Doug’s life and work and features many of Doug’s close friends and collaborators. Please share the links with anyone you may know. Doug deserves a project of this scale, and I’d love for you to contribute to its creation.

The links are:

Official Doug Henning Indiegogo Page

Official Movie Website

With Magic and Wonder, 

Neil McNally

Read more and donate.

 From the YouTube channel of Doug Henning's Magical World:

Dear Micky Hades. From Doug Henning.

From Neil McNally's Twitter feed:
A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

THE DOUG HENNING PROJECT: Another Micky Hades Letterhttps://t.co/SSkFfmgbzl

— Neil McNally (@DougHenningProj) July 24, 2018

The Magic Word with Scott Wells

For those of you who don't already know, Scott Wells hosts a podcast for magicians.

Recently, he's published a few which may be of interest to you!

From "410 - Carisa Hendrix - Getting Uncomfortable" on The Magic Word Podcast:

Carisa Hendrix is a magician who is on the rise. Oh, also, she happens to be a woman. She is one of the new breed who I believe is one of the "Stars of Tomorrow" as she pursues her dreams on stage. Most young people I see today seem to be involved in close-up and entertaining small groups of people, but few true entertainers are comfortable on stage in front of a large audience. Carisa is one of that rare breed.

She suggests that we should step out of our comfort zone and try new things that stretch our boundaries and move into new, perhaps uncomfortable, areas that will make us better performers and people. She says that artists should practice "moving towards the place of greatest discomfort and just sitting in that space." She suggests that magicians should not be afraid to fail.

On another matter, there was quite a bit of controversy about her July 2017 cover on VANISH Magazine. She addresses it quite well and succinctly on her blog.

Read more and listen to podcast.

From "423: Neil McNally - The Doug Henning Project" on The Magic Word Podcast:

Neil McNally is a passionate man. He is most passionate about Doug Henning and he hosts a weekday blog called "The Doug Henning Project". Who could imagine that there would be that much to reveal about this iconic figure. We recently "hit a nerve" with the podcast #415 with Chip Romero as that episode was one of our most downloaded podcast. So, it was a natural thing to chat with the webmaster of "The Doug Henning Project" so those who are interested in Doug Henning could learn even more. Neil is not a performing magician though he is taking lessons at The Magic Castle. But his passion is history and collecting of Doug Henning. He is also producing a documentary on Doug Henning and will soon be crowd funding his project.

Read more and listen to podcast.

And one from the archives.

From "201 - Murray Sawchuck - Celebrity Magician" on The Magic Word Podcast:

Murray Sawchuck recently completed two and a half years at the Tropicana's Laugh Factory in Las Vegas. On December 20, 2014, he will begin a new afternoon show at Planet Hollywood's "Sincity Theater" along his wife, Chloe, and his partner, Lefty. Murray will add illusions to his comedy magic show plus bring in different aspects of his other appearances on television such as "Pawn Stars" and other shows.

During our conversation, Murray talked about his upcoming appearance on Hallmark's Home & Family morning talk show. After you have listened to the podcast, then be sure to come back to watch this video. The other two videos below are from a couple of his appearances on "America's Got Talent" (sic).

Read more and listen to podcast.

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

Who are the top 10 Canadian magicians of all time?

Updated April 3rd at 6pm to add the following nominations:

• Celeste Evans and Reveen The Impossiblist (Reveen Sr.)

Updated March 31st at 9pm to add the following nominations:

• Greg Frewin and Mahdi Gilbert

Updated March 29 at 7am to add the following nominations:

• Billy Kidd, Carisa Hendrix, Joan Caesar, and Julie Eng

Updated March 24 at 10am to add the following nominations:

• Alain Choquette, David Drake, Mickey Hades, and Shin Lim

Updated March 23 at 9am add the following nominations:

• Bob Farmer, Carl Coultier, Francis Martineau, Gary Ouelette, Howard P. Lions, Mel Stover, Romaine, Roy Cotte, Tom Ransom, Tony Eng, Willis Kinney

Updated March 23 at 7am add the following overnight nominations:

• Additional submissions:  Bedros "Spidey" Akkelian, Bill Abbott, Bobby Motta, Dale Harney, Eric Leclerc, Johnny  Giordmaine, Juliana Chen, Leon Mandrake, Sid Lorraine, Stewart James, Ron Leonard, and Vincent C

Updated at 12:15pm to add:

• Additional submissions: Darcy Oake, Luc Langevin, Murray Hatfield, Ross Bertram, Tom Auburn

Updated at 10:15am to add:

• The following names have been submitted for consideration:  Chris Ramsay, Dai Vernon, David Acer, David Ben, Doug Henning, Gary Kurtz, James Randi, Jay Sankey, Martin Nash, Richard Sanders, Shawn Farquhar

Complete list of nominations received (alphabetical by first name):

1. Alain Choquette
2. Bedros "Spidey" Akkelian
3. Bill Abbott
4. Billy Kidd
5. Bob Farmer
6. Bobby Motta
7. Carisa Hendrix
8. Carl Coultier
9. Celeste Evans
10. Chris Ramsay
11. Dai Vernon
12. Dale Harney
    
13. Darcy Oake
14. David Acer 
15. David Ben
16. David Drake
17. Doug Henning
18. Francis Martineau
19. Eric Leclerc
    
20. Gary Kurtz
21. Gary Ouelette
22. Greg Frewin
23. Howard P. Lions
24. James Randi
25. Jay Sankey
26. Joan Caesar
27. Joel Machtinger
28. Johnny Giordmaine
29. Juliana Chen
30. Julie Eng
31. Leon Mandrake
    
32. Luc Langevin
33. Mahdi Gilbert
34. Martin Nash
35. Mel Stover
36. Mickey Hades
37. Murray Hatfield
38. Reveen The Impossiblist (Reveen Sr.)
39. Richard Sanders
40. Romaine
41. Ron Leonard
    
42. Ross Bertram
43. Roy Cotte
44. Shawn Farquhar 
45. Shin Lim
46. Sid Lorraine
47. Stewart James
48. Tom Auburn
49. Tom Ransom
50. Tony Eng
51. Vincent C
52. Willis Kinney

Devon Murphy recently posted the article, "Top Canadian Magicians and the Tricks That Made Them Famous," at the CBC website.  Devon lists seven outstanding magicians (Julie Eng, Dai Vernon,  Doug Henning, Billy Kidd, Mahdi Gilbert, Greg Frewin, and David Ben).  (Of note, two of the seven on that list are recipients of the "Editor's Choice Award" in the Canada's Magic "Readers' Choice Award" festivities.)

Devon's list got me wondering.

Who do you, dear readers, consider to be the top 10 Canadian magicians of all time?

For those of you who don't like to be influenced by the decisions of others, we're going to start with a clean slate and let you choose all ten!

Submit your nominations in the comment form below,* by 11:59PM EDT on Friday April 6th.  You may nominate as many Canadian magicians as you like.  (Number of nominations don't influence the vote.  If you see your choice(s) listed, please refrain from submitting duplicates.)  Voting will open shortly thereafter.  

What say you?  Who are your top (living or dead) Canadian magicians of all time?


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* or email me.  I'll send a confirmation back to let you know I received your email.

Society of Canadian Magicians “Levitator” from May/June 1974

If you aren't following Neil McNally's blog, The Doug Henning Project, I encourage you to do so.  He regularly updates on fascinating nuggets from Doug's life.

On March 8th, he published some images from Richard Sherry from the Society of Canadian Magicians publication “Levitator” May/June 1974 “Magic Show” Article.

A nice trip down memory lane!

Recently at "The Doug Henning Project"

From the Facebook page of The Doug Henning Project:

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Emily presents "Magic Manitoba" as part of the Red River Heritage Fair

Nine year old Emily T from Winnipeg, chose "Magic Manitoba" as her topic for this year's Red River Heritage Fair.  Visit Canada's History for Kids to watch the video that Emily prepared.  Her mom Linda, reached out to tell us that this project has been entered into a national history competition.

Watch Emily talk about Len Vintus, Doug Henning, Dean Gunnarson, and Philip Hornan. 

Don't forget to give her a vote if you liked what you saw!

The Doug Henning Project interviews John Cox

From Wild About Houdini:

Neil McNally's new blog The Doug Henning Project is going strong with terrific interviews with Milt Larsen, John Gaughan, and Jim Steinmeyer. This week Neil is sharing a multipart interview with, gasp, me!

So only after you finish reading Neil's interview with those far more interesting and deserving members of the magic community, check out my blather. Neil and I did have a great time conducting this interview over Friday Lunch at the Magic Castle.
Read more and listen to interview.