The Magic Detective Podcast

Imro Fox was known as The Comedy Conjurer and may have been the first comedy magician who did good strong magic and not just lampooned magicians. I tell of his life and his magic.

I also talk a bit more about Dr. Walford Bodie & I talk about Doug Henning because we just had his 20th Anniversary of his passing on Feb 7th, 2020.

As always, music provided by http://www.purple-planet.com

CORRECTION: FOX is NOT buried in Evergreen Cemetery as I stated on my podcast. He is in Oheb Shalom Cemetery which is next to Evergreen in Hillside NJ. 

#Imro Fox

Dr. Walford Bodie and his SHOCKING Career is the subject of this episode. He was an eccentric hypnotist, showman, healer?, and more. His act centered around 'electricity' and it was shocking in more ways than one.

He was without a doubt one of the greatest showman who ever lived. And even a pioneer in many ways. 

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

Link To News Site on Potential NEWLY Discovered Houdini Water Torture Cell

https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2020/01/a-water-torture-cell-has-been.html

#DrWalfordBodie

Chevalier Ernest Thorn was one of the greatest Illusionists in all of Europe. He traveled the world with his wonders and delighted everyone who saw his show. He was also a very prolific inventor of illusions. No doubt he invented some that you were not aware of. Sadly, a lot of his illusions are lost, we have the names but no descriptions. But I do uncover some that you may have never heard of. 

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

Please check out the companion article on Thorn's Illusions over at my blog, https://www.themagicdetective.com/2020/01/the-illusions-of-chevalier-ernest-thorn.html

The final podcast for 2019 and this time I get to share the life of Eugene Laurant. He was friends with Germain, Brush, Maro and others who all performed in the Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits. His magic was INCREDIBLE and I believe modern audiences would agree if Laurant were still alive.

The music for the podcast provided by http://purple-planet.com

Also, to see where we rate among other magic podcasts, check out this site...https://blog.feedspot.com/magician_podcasts/

Charles Morritt was a very prolific inventor of magic illusions. He created some very stunning effects in the late 1800s right into the early 20th Century. He is also credited as the man who helped Houdini make an elephant vanish! 

The music for today's podcast was provided by http://purple-planet.com

I mention several other people in this podcast, so if you'd like to check out more information on them here is a list:

Buatier DeKolta Ep31
Harry Kellar Ep 8,9,10
Robert Heller Ep 14

And I mention Jim Steinmeyer many times during the podcast as I credit him with keeping the Morritt name alive. You can find more about Jim and his books at www.JimSteinmeyer.com

 To see Paul Daniel's recreation of the OH! Illusion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr2zKCsbkdA

This podcast deals with the life and tragic death of Theodore TED Annemann. He was a prolific writer on mentalism and a charismatic performer in his own right. He wrote and published The Jinx from 1934-1941. His story is unique and I know you'll enjoy this episode.

The music for this episode provided by https://www.purple-planet.com

To see actual footage of Ted's Bullet Catch, click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvBCkVOAF4I

Episode 37 has to do with two men who I knew personally, Steve Baker and Norman Bigelow. Both men were escape artists. I give a brief bio of their lives, some highlights of their signature escapes and then I share with you a practically unknown story about a Challenge between the two men. 

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

The final episode of Houdini Week 2019 features some talks and articles that Houdini gave during his life. The first was an address to the Club of Odd Volumes in Boston in 1922. The second is an article that Houdini wrote on Success but didnt make it to print until after he passed away. In some ways, these could be his final words. Then there is one addition story, the last one comes from Theo Hardeen. 

The music on this podcast is provided by https://www.purple-planet.com

This is Day 5 of Houdini Week 2019, I hope you've enjoyed our look into the life of Harry Houdini. 

The Death Defying Mystery, Failure Means a Drowning Death! Houdini's escape that was a game changer in his career. You'll learn all about the can(s) the presentation for the routine, mishaps, and where the cans are today. The music played during the discussion of the presentation is 'Asleep In the Deep', the same music Houdini used.

other music provided by https://www.purple-planet.com

Day 4 of Houdini Week 2019

Day 3 of Houdini Week features an episode about Houdini's Forgotten Protege. His name rarely shows up in the Houdini biographies, so this may be new news to many folks. 

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

I will be back tomorrow for ANOTHER Episode of the podcast!

The second episode during Houdini Week 2019 centers on Henry Evans-Evanion, a Victorian era magician and avid collector.  You'll learn how he becomes associated with Houdini and more. A shorter podcast but I know you'll enjoy it.

The music for the podcast is provided by http://www.purple-planet.com

Expect another episode tomorrow!!!

This is the first episode of Season 2 OR Episode 32 overall. I'm beginning with a series of episodes on Houdini. This one deals with his big break and how it played out. There has been some controversy about this event recently, so I wanted to address that as well. I give my opinion, backed up by some information I found online. I do think the 'new theory' has merit, so I discuss both. 

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

DeKolta is likely the most prolific inventor of magic of his era. Many of his mysteries are still presented today, that speaks volumes for the power of his magic. I discuss his life and a number of his popular illusions. Also, the contest from August is still going on. A technological glitch prevented me from receiving emails, so I didn't get anyone's entries. So please try again, as the problem has been fixed. The Contest question is: Who Was The Great Raymond's Second Wife, give her REAL NAME. Send your answers to [email protected] and please put CONTEST in the subject heading. Also include your name in the body of the email.  

Music for the podcast is provided by http://www.purple-planet.com  

This is the final episode for Season 1. Season 2 will start up in October 2019

Complete transcript of this episode https://www.themagicdetective.com/2020/01/buatier-dekolta-master-of-illusion.html 

Samuel Baldwin may look like Mark Twain, but he was one of the pioneers of Mentalism and Mind Reading. He created an act that was stolen, copied, borrowed by near every performer who ever attempted to read minds. He had a very long career having traveled the globe numerous times. His story has plenty of unexpected twists and turns.

As always the music is provided by http://purple-planet.com   And at the end of the episode I give the question for the next Magic Detective History Contest, so take a listen and enter for a chance to win a piece of real magic history ephemera!

The Great Raymond was a globe trotting magician from the Golden Age of Magic. He was an excellent performer, but probably less than stellar business man. He had a few run ins with Houdini in his career. Listen to this podcast to learn more about this amazing character. The music provided by www.purple-planet.com  

This episode features a new Magic History contest. What is the 'real name' of Maurice Raymond's second wife? Send your answers to [email protected], please include your name in the email. I'll choose a winner randomly from among all the winning entries at the end of August. The winner will receive an authentic piece of magic history ephemera.

This week I discuss Talma The Queen of Coins. She was part of the famous show, LeRoy, Talma, & Bosco-The Monarchs of Magic, but she also had her own solo career for a time. This is another show episode running 14 minutes. You can see some rare images of Talma over at my blog, TheMagicDetective.com  

Also, the music for this episode was provided by http://www.purple-planet.com

This short episode features the life of Herbert Albini as well as a discussion of Professor Mingus the inventor of the Catching a Goldfish trick. The music is provided by http://www.purple-planet.com. 

This short episode comes directly from my blog, TheMagicDetective.com. However, it contains information that I didn't have when I originally published the blog article. You'll discover what happened to Minerva after she married Guy Jarrett, and when she died and where she is buried. 

Music for this podcast is provided by http://purple-planet.com 

This is the life story of Karl Germain, Germain the Wizard, a truly incredible performer, who, if he had his way, we would know nothing about today. He was friends with Kellar, Thurston, Houdini, Downs, Powell and many others. His story is thrilling and tragic. Listen and learn. Music provided by http://www.purple-planet.com There is a companion article on Germain's Water Jars over at my blog, themagicdetective.com

This episode deals with the life of Daisy White and her controversial relationship with Houdini. Daisy was a well known figure in the NY Magic Scene in the 1920s and 30s. She has connections to Houdini, Frank Ducrot, Servais LeRoy and more.

Please visit my blog at themagicdetective.com to see more pics of Daisy White.

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

T. Nelson Downs was heralded as the greatest manipulator of his day. He was the first of the speciality acts. He retired rather early in life, but continued to stay in touch with magic and magicians. Here is his story, much of which is in his own words. 

The music for the podcast was provided by http://www.purple-planet.com 

There is an additional story about Downs & Houdini over at my blog. https://www.themagicdetective.com.

To see a video of an older T.Nelson Downs in action, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFxQVQMPsuk

Ep 22 is another 'short' episode. This time I talk about the strange relationship between Houdini and Stage Medium Anna Eva Fay. There will be a full Anna Eva Fay Podcast coming in the future. But for now, you can enjoy this piece on Houdini & Anna Eva Fay. 
This podcast runs approx 15 minutes.

The music for this podcast comes from http://www.purple-planet.com  

Episode 21 deals with the lives of Julius and Agnes Zancig, and later Ada Zancig. They were mind readers at the turn of the 20th Century who obtained world wide fame. Along the way a couple well known magic performers also joined the show, before they became well known. 

Contest #4 is also on this podcast. The question: Name the Celebrity That Worked for Kuda Bux. This is someone who was employed by Kuda Bux and later went on to fame of their own. Send your answers to: [email protected] and put 'Contest 4' in the subject line. 

Music for this podcast, provided by http://purple-planet.com To see more photos of the Zancigs, visit my blog at https://www.TheMagicDetective.com 

This full episode is tied to Ep 13, where I first began to discuss the World of Magic TV Specials by Doug Henning. In this episode I cover Specials 5-8. I also mention some of Doug Henning's final TV appearances and how he was the first to use so many revolutionary illusions like Origami, The Pole Levitation, The Magical Toy Shoppe, Walking Thru A Mirror and more.  Today, May 3rd, is Doug Henning's birthday too btw! 

Music for this episode was provided by http://www.purple-planet.com 

This is another 'SHORT' episode, running approx 13 minutes. This time I talk about the life of Litzka Raymond Gibson who was married to first the Great Raymond and then Walter Gibson, as well as having an incredible music and magic career of her own. This episode is transcribed on my blog https://www.themagicdetective.com/2019/04/the-magical-musical-litzka-raymond.html and contains additional photos of Litzka Raymond Gibson. Music for this episode is provided by https://purple-planet.com