The Magic Detective Podcast

A look at one of the 'secrets' to Houdini's escapes and then one of his most famous challenges where he uses this device. 

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. 

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.

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

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.

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

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

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. 

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

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.

Well, it's finally here, the Halloween Edition of my podcast and it's one week late, LOL. This is a fictional story turned into an old style radio drama. Most of the story is actually true....with the exception of one thing (the devil). Anyway, it's a very cool story and I know you will enjoy it!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/litsmovie/lost-in-the-shuffle-a-feature-documentary

This week I cover The Houdini Wonder Show, a special show he did in 1922. It involved a cast of characters and I give you a brief bio of each of the various performers.

I also mention my review of David Copperfield's History of Magic Book which is over on my blog at: https://www.themagicdetective.com/2021/10/book-david-copperfields-history-of-magic.html

We begin Season 4 with an exploration into the life and magic of
David Devant. You'll hear about his early days, his various creations,
his time with Egyptian Hall and St. Georges Hall and beyond. And,
you'll find out what he really died from.

This one is a short podcast. Rather than leave you with nothing, I decided to share a few quick stories. They're related to two individuals who both had birthdays this week. I think you'll enjoy the stories. And please go to my blog www.TheMagicDetective.com to read some additional thoughts on 'Books'. 

On this episode you'll learn about a wonderful Chinese Magician and Vaudevillian, Long Tack Sam. This podcast is slightly shorter than most because as it turns out there is a documentary on Sam done by a relative of his. And rather than give you ALL the details of his life, I gave you a quick overview and am going to provide a link to the documentary so you can see that as well.

Click here to see The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam Documentary

https://www.nfb.ca/film/the_magical_life_of_long_tack_sam/

Here is a man who had a hugely successful career, but is often singled out today as someone who worked with Houdini. He had an amazing career without Houdini! And he had a very interesting career with Houdini. Some of what I discuss during his Houdini years is going to sound controversial, but keep in my it's mostly my opinion, based on some research. Amedeo was very close-lipped when it came to Houdini because he was sworn to secrecy. He likely had a hand in far more things than we realize. But at least we were left with a few bread crumbs.

Enjoy!

BTW: please visit www.Ronjo.com  Listen to the podcast and then run on over there.

On this episode you'll hear a review of the book Lincoln's Scout by author Mark Cannon. This is the story of Civil War Soldier and future magician Harry (Horatio) Cooke. Also, I share my recollection of visiting the American Museum of Magic for the first time, many years ago.

For more on Cooke, listen to podcast Ep 16.

Here is a guy we should all know about but few do. He lived during the Golden Age of magic. He performed during that time. He knew all the greats, he wrote books for many of them. His life story is incredible. Listen and discover the world of William J. Hilliar. 

Here is the wrap-up of the Kassner story. I was able to get some of my questions answered after I had published the previous podcast. Also, I tell the story about discovering my Great Great Grandfather may have helped a very famous magician, back in the day. That and more, check it out!

This episode is about the German magician KASSNER who was extremely popular prior to WW2. He had a show that rivaled Thurston's. But then after the war, what happened to him??? Now you can find out.

Here is a shorter episode, on the life of Henry Ridgely Evans. This is basically the introduction of Evans to my audience. In the future I'll be pulling from his books and periodicals to share magic history of the last 19th century.

I also share my own personal story  of creating a Tedx Talk.

The first new episode for 2021. This time we cover the life of Signor Blitz one of the most famous 19th Century magicians in America, also one of the most copied. He was an amazing performer and this podcast shares a few of his many exploits!

Music provided by https://purple-planet.com

Denny Haney Book review at https://www.themagicdetective.com/2021/01/denny-haney-collected-wisdom-book-review.html 

This is a slightly shorter (thus the blue image) than normal podcast. I talk about Houdini and his fascination towards Christmas. Plus I include a couple more Al Cohen stories and catch up on some recent magic history news I missed. 

Music provided by http://www.purple-planet.com 

I've got a bit of catching up to do, once again. I'm behind in the podcast episodes and this one was to feature a segment called Living and Legend. And I had to pull what I had originally planned and insert the passing of a dear friend. So in all truth, I still got in the segment on the Living and the segment on the Legend, as Al Cohen was most certainly a legend in the magic world. 

Please check out my blog to see another feature on Magic Genii, what you'll SEE over there confirms all that you hear over here. https://www.themagicdetective.com/2020/12/magic-genii-celebrates-20-years.html

Music provided by http://purple-planet.com 

So excited to be exploring the life of Horace Goldin. He had a very rich life, was the creator of many incredible mysteries, and was a world traveling illusionist. This likely won't be the last time you hear the name Goldin on my podcast!

Music provided by http://www.purple-planet.com