Episodes

Monday Nov 06, 2023
Ep 97 The Houdini Broadcasts
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Here we have something special once again. The episode today comes from a manuscript published by Micky Hades of Canada. I took the manuscript and turned it into an old style Radio Broadcast of sorts. Listen to the podcast to learn more about it! The recording takes place Nov 1st, 1926. Enjoy!!!

Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Ep 96 The First Houdini Seance -Did Houdini Return?
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
This is about the very first Houdini Seance that took place at Bess Houdini's home. Arthur Ford was the medium. Did Bess received the real message? Did Arthur Ford cheat or was it legit? Welcome to Season 6 of The Magic Detective Podcast! Remember to visit MagicHistorian.com to get your official Magic Detective T-shirt!

Saturday Oct 14, 2023
Ep 95 The Life of Eddie Joseph, Magic Writer and Magician
Saturday Oct 14, 2023
Saturday Oct 14, 2023
Today, I offer a hidden gem. A fantastic artist who I knew nothing about, but turns out to be an amazing magician, writer, and creator. He invented effects that are still done today, he wrote countless columns in magazines, and had 70+ of his own publications. He did card magic, coin magic, mentalism, escapes, pick pocketing, and even magic over the radio! In fact, I finish the podcast today with one of his effects, so for the first time on this podcast, I'll be presenting 'Podcast Magic!'.
In addition, because it's magic month, I'm putting my Magic Detective t-shirt on sale. Just go to MagicHistorian.com to get your t-shirt, and help support and promote the podcast!

Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Ep 94 The Amazing Maurice Fogel
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
This episode deals with the life and exploits of Maurice Fogel, the first man to do a solo mentalism show in Great Britain. He became hugely popular in his day and devised a number of diabolical publicity stunts!
check out his Russian Roulette Routine https://www.themagicdetective.com/2023/09/the-amazing-fogel-worlds-greatest.html

Sunday Sep 10, 2023
Ep 93 William Marion Fay - The Other Davenport Brother
Sunday Sep 10, 2023
Sunday Sep 10, 2023
William Marion Fay was a partner in the famous Davenport Brothers act. He traveled with them overseas, performed in their show, and had many adventures along the way. Some even say he is up to his old tricks today, listen to find out.

Saturday Jul 22, 2023
Ep 92 The Other Houdini - Tony Curtis
Saturday Jul 22, 2023
Saturday Jul 22, 2023
Did you know Tony Curtis had another life as a magician? I didn't either, but if you judge him by his talk show appearances, it sure looks that way! See what playing HOUDINI in a movie can do to a person!

Tuesday May 23, 2023
Ep 91 The Wonderful Life of Tommy Wonder
Tuesday May 23, 2023
Tuesday May 23, 2023
The great Jos Bema, aka Tommy Wonder is profiled on this episode of the podcast. The transcript for this episode is available on my blog, along with videos for each of the tricks mentioned in this podcast.
https://www.themagicdetective.com/2023/05/the-wonderful-life-of-tommy-wonder.html

Tuesday May 02, 2023
Ep 90 Hen Fetsch - The Epic Inventor of Magic
Tuesday May 02, 2023
Tuesday May 02, 2023
This episode is on the life of Henry 'Hen' Fetsch, author of The Milk Pitcher Book, creator of Mental Epic and many other mysteries. Listen to his fascinating story and if your new to Hen, you'll discover a resource for some incredible magic!

Monday Apr 24, 2023
Ep 89 Magic History News & Updates
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
The Magic Detective is back...well, sorta. Coming back shortly. This is just a quick heads up to let you know what's been going on and to announce a new contest with new prize!
In addition, check out my magic history items for sale on ebay
https://www.ebay.com/usr/carnegiemagic
Send contest entry to : mailto:[email protected]

Friday Jan 27, 2023
Ep 88 Tales From The Dark Side of Magic
Friday Jan 27, 2023
Friday Jan 27, 2023
This one features Ralph Emerson Powell, an unusual character from the 1930s. Popular in the Cleveland area but with a questionable background....and he was tied to a frightening event in history.
Magic History Items on Ebay https://www.ebay.com/usr/carnegiemagic

Monday Dec 26, 2022
Ep 87 Year In Review and More Radio
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Monday Dec 26, 2022
It's the final show of 2022. This time I did a quick review of the previous Season, and then I share with you a NEW Radio interview I did a short time ago. I will be doing a lot more radio and tv in the coming year 2023, and I will do my best to share that content with YOU! Also, don't forget the CONTEST from Ep 86. Go back and listen to the question if you need to. I'll be picking a winner sometime before the next podcast mid January. So you have time!!!!

Friday Dec 23, 2022
Ep 86 Charles Dickens The Unparalleled Necromancer
Friday Dec 23, 2022
Friday Dec 23, 2022
Did you know Charles Dickens of The Christmas Carol fame, of Nickolas Nickelby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and many more stories, was also an amateur magician? Indeed he was. Now hear all about it!
OH, and when you finish hearing about his exploits, stay around for a Christmas story written by HOUDINI, and narrated by Dean Carnegie.
UPDATE: After the episode went up, I was contacted by Ian Keeble, who I refer to as an authority on Dickens. He mentioned some errors I made in the podcast, some of which have been made by others historians in the past. He showed me the corrections, and I have put them up on my blog for historical accuracy. https://www.themagicdetective.com/2022/12/charles-dickens-amateur-conjurer.html

Sunday Dec 11, 2022
Ep 85 Milbourne Christopher Master Magician& Master Historian
Sunday Dec 11, 2022
Sunday Dec 11, 2022
The world of magic owes a lot to this man. He created the first TV specials devoted to magic. His efforts preserved on video some amazing acts. He was the first author to try and give an accurate accounting of Houdini's life. He...well, Milbourne Christopher was many things: magician, author, performer, producer, historian, investigator and much more. I think you're really going to enjoy learning about this remarkable man.

Monday Dec 05, 2022
Ep 84 A Magician Among the Spiritualists
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Well my Houdini week episodes took longer than expected, lol. This is the last of that bunch. On this episode I discuss a myth surrounding Houdini and also the medium Eva C., and more! Check it out!

Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Ep 83 The Strange Friendship of Houdini & Ira Davenport
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Here are details on the friendship of Ira Davenport, half of the act who invented the Spirit Cabinet, and Harry Houdini the great escape artist.
This is the transcript for this episode https://www.themagicdetective.com/2022/11/the-unusual-friendship-between-houdini.html

Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Ep 82 Houdini and His Ghost House
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
A look at one of the 'secrets' to Houdini's escapes and then one of his most famous challenges where he uses this device.

Monday Oct 31, 2022
Ep 81 Ching Ling Foo The Original Chinese Conjurer
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Here is the life story of Ching Ling Foo, the original Chinese magician who created a sensation at the turn of the century! It's an amazing story, filled with occasional tragedy.
This is the last episode for Season 4. Season 5 will begin shortly. I mistakenly said it was the end of season 3 on the episode, lol.

Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Ep 80 A Magic History RADIO Interview
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
This time, the Magic Detective gets interviewed! This appeared a couple years ago on WSMI-FM Radio in Mid Illinois. It was a fun interview that I had forgotten about. I just found the recording and thought you'd like to hear some stuff about Houdini, myself, and other historical figures. enjoy.

Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Ep 79 Charlie Miller-Sleight of Hand Master
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
Sunday Aug 14, 2022
This episode deals with the life of Charlie Miller. Charlie was a close friend to Dai Vernon and Faucett Ross, and one of the few magicians of his time who could present all of the material from the book, Expert AT the Card Table by S.W. Erdnase. He had a very interesting life. Even though he was known for his fantastic sleight of hand, he was equally adept with apparatus magic.
UPDATE: Seems I made an error during the podcast. Numerous times I mentioned the name 'Jim Riser' when it should have been 'Harry Riser'. Totally my mistake. I didn't catch it, and thankfully a listener pointed it out to me.
Enjoy!
Charlie on The Magic Palace https://youtu.be/WLElkBMl4To
Charlie, very old footage https://youtu.be/vkeJggTnN1Y

Friday Jul 29, 2022
Ep 78 When Magic Saves The Day!
Friday Jul 29, 2022
Friday Jul 29, 2022
Here are several stories with the theme, Magic Saves the Day. The first is the famous Fire in Decatur Ill, where Blackstone Sr. was performing. I've tried to give the most accurate information available, along with a brief bio of Ted Banks...a member of the Blackstone show.
The next stories involved Cruise Ships, and you'll have to hear them to believe them.

Saturday Jul 23, 2022
Ep 77 The Holocaust Magicians
Saturday Jul 23, 2022
Saturday Jul 23, 2022
Today, I explore the lives of 4 different Jewish magicians who were sent to Concentration Camps during WW2. There are some amazing stories here and also some tragedy.
Werner Reich's TED Talk can be found herehttps://www.ted.com/talks/werner_reich_how_the_magic_of_kindness_helped_me_survive_the_holocaust

Sunday Jul 17, 2022
Ep 76 Frederic Culpitt The Magical Comedian
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
Fred Culpitt, Magical Comedian, magic inventor, variety performer. Inventor of the Doll's House Illusion and more.
Link for 2 Culpitt Tricks: https://youtu.be/fLe0dW0c0nM

Sunday Mar 27, 2022
Ep 75 Houdini’s Needle Mystery
Sunday Mar 27, 2022
Sunday Mar 27, 2022
On this episode we take a deep dive into Houdini's famous East Indian Needle Trick, where it came from, where he first saw it, and more.

Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Ep 74 Anna Eva Fay the Great 19th Century Medium
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
The Magic Detective is BACK, this time with an audio biography of Anna Eva Fay, medium and vaudeville clairvoyant. There are many references to other podcasts episodes and I'll list those here for anyone interested.
The Fox Sisters Ep 57
Washington Irving Bishop Ep 15
Samri Baldwin Ep 30
Houdini and Anna Eva Fay Ep 22
For additional information on Anna Eva Fay visit https://www.themagicdetective.com/search/label/Anna%20Eva%20Fay

Thursday Nov 25, 2021
Ep 73 A Thanksgiving Story
Thursday Nov 25, 2021
Thursday Nov 25, 2021
This is a story from the life of Houdini and Hardeen. I give you a bit of backstory to start with and the actual Thanksgiving part is near the end. A funny story and a short one. Hey, who wants to listen to podcasts on Thanksgiving. This one is short enough to listen to and then get back with the family for dinner! Enjoy.