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]

Las Vegas: Juliana Chen's Avant Garde

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

"Avant Garde" opens Tuesday at the Plaza's vintage showroom as a variety show with international appeal. It's directed and headlined by Juliana Chen, a Chinese-born magician who came to live in Las Vegas by way of Canada.

Read more.

Toronto: Browser's Den auction

From the Browser's Den:

SUNDAY, MARCH 25
11 am until 4:00 pm
At ‘Browser’s Den of Magic’
Cost to Attend: Free!

Dear Magic Friends,

It is time for another fun-filled and bargain-filled magic auction!!

This is the time of the year when you our customers get to bid on magic equipment, books and dvd’s at fantastically low prices.

For those of you who would like to bring in items to be auctioned off…Please bring in those items beginning March 12 until March 22.

Read more.

Toronto: Baldini's Palpable Parlour Magic

From the Palpable Parlour Magic Facebook page:

Enjoy an intimate evening - up close & personal - of a powerful display of parlour prestidigitation put on by the Man of Magical Mystery himself, Baldini.

This will be Baldini's first live solo show outside of the Ontario Science Centre, and coupled with the fact that the room only holds a maximum of 50 people, tickets are sure to go very quickly.

Tickets can be purchase on line at ComedyBar.ca or at the Comedy Bar Box Office. Tickets can also be purchased directly from either David Grosfield or Scott Baragar.

Read more and purchase tickets.

[h/t: Deborah Fallick]

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.

[Guest post] Remembering Ron Leonard (1923-1998)

[Edited:

• February 22nd to add an additional comment from Matt DiSero.
• February 17th to include comments from Matt DiSero and Jeff Pinsky.
• February 15th:  Correspondence from James Randi added to the comments.
• February 14th to include the second last paragraph and bullet list of related links.]

I had the pleasure of making Mr. Leonard's acquantaince through Toronto's Hat and Rabbit club.  He was always a true gentleman, the likes of which are rare these days.  As I sat through his Broken Wand ceremony, I was deeply moved by the impact he had on the lives around him.  I attended an art showing of his, in his memory, and was awestruck by his talent and passion for painting.

   

There is no official tribute site for Mr. Leonard.  Thank you Magic Demon for putting this together.
 
The following is a guest post from an author who wishes to be known as The Magic Demon.

--
REMEMBERING RON LEONARD (1923-1998)
by The Magic Demon

When I was a kid the first Canadian magician I ever saw on TV was probably the late Toronto-based Ron Leonard. Ron was tall, lanky, and silver or white haired with a friendly wide grin. He had an engaging style of presentation which was both kind of sophisticated and kind of goofy at the same time. I thought he was terrific. Although Ron performed magic on and off for most of his life he is probably best remembered for his numerous appearances during the 1960s and 1970s (and rerun for years thereafter) on the daily CFTO/CTV children's show "Uncle Bobby". The British-born host Bobby Ash always appeared during Ron's performances on the show, playing the part of his seemingly dimwitted stooge and creating a fun chemistry between them. Ron's weekly fast-paced appearances featured the classics of magic performed with energetic mock vaudeville-like gestures and intonations. Ron and Bobby really did seem to enjoy themselves which is why they were such great fun to watch working together.

Ask any grown up Canadian kid of a certain age today about the magician on Uncle Bobby's show. They will probably at least remember Ron's trademark explanation for all his minor miracles, "It's maaaaaaaaaagic!" Those words, repeatedly sung (merrily) during the course of a telecast by one or both of them (badly), would serve to comedically punctuate the climax of any particular routine or effect.

Ron was a former President and Life Member of Toronto's IBM Ring 17. His name appears as a young founding member on its original IBM Ring Charter issued in 1941. His brother, the late Canadian ventriloquist Cy Leonard, was also a regular weekly visitor to the Uncle Bobby Show over the years.
 
I remember writing a fan letter to Ron in care of the Uncle Bobby show and getting back an autographed 8x10 b&w photograph and a very kind handwritten reply encouraging me in the hobby of magic. In today's digital world full of instantaneous tweets and e-mails it's perhaps hard to imagine the sheer joy of receiving a snailmailed letter like that after anxiously waiting several weeks. Even after all these years I can still recall that he generously provided details about Ring 17 (which I was too young at the time to join) as well as what was then Toronto's only magic retail outlet, The Arcade Magic & Novelty Shop (now long vanished.)
 
If you do a search on line on Ron Leonard today you are more likely to find references to his much sought-after artwork than his magic. His magic seems to have been only a part-time profession for most of his life which he juggled alongside his other avocation (painting) and a full-time day job.
 

Among the few notable magic-related on line links about Ron that I've found to date:

• His listing at the Canadian Magicians' Archive;
• A fun colour screenshot of Ron and Uncle Bobby captured mid-performance (circa probably mid to late 1970s);
• Ron's writeup at Genii magazine's Magicpedia (which appears to have been inspired by this post);
• A b&w publicity photo of Ron with other performers on the Uncle Bobby show in their prime (circa probably mid to late 1970s);
• A reference from his friend James Randi about Ron's suggestion to modify Randi's $10,000 psychic challenge;
• And according to this site, Ron volunteered secrets learned from The Great Raymondo's protege to David Ben for the opening effect in Ben's stage show "The Conjuror".

Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Ron Leonard in person he seemed to be a genuinely nice man as well as being a talented and very entertaining magician.

Chilliwack: SECRETS with Shawn Farquhar

See Shawn Farquhar perform on Saturday, February 25, 2012!

From the Chilliwack Cultural Centre website:

What sets Shawn Farquhar apart from every other rabbit pulling magic act? Just that! He's not some rabbit pulling magic act! Shawn offers a fast paced experience that will draw everyone into the entertainment so you will not soon forget. As the International Federation of Magic Societies' Grand Prix World Champion of Magic, Shawn knows the right blend of magic and comedy to make every audience member believe in the brilliance of illusion.

Read more.