Alexander Herrmann German, 1844-1896

Alexander was Carl’s younger brother, his junior by twenty seven years. When he was ten, he joined Carl and became an adept sleight-of-hand artist. At fifteen he appeared before the queen of Spain. He toured the United States with Carl, and together they met with great success. They separated amicably while in the United States, Carl returning to Europe and Alexander, now known as Herrmann the Great and considered the worlds top sleight-of-hand performer, staying and continuing on in America, where he was a great success.

Carl Herrmann German, 1816-1887

Son of the amateur magician-physician, Carl grew up surrounded by magic. Against his mother & father wishes he decided to become a magician, did his first big-time performance in London in 1848, and quickly became the top rank performer of Europe. He traveled extensively, performed before the crowned heads of Europe, made a fortune and toured North & South America achieving equal success.

Harry Kellar, American, 1849-1922

Harry Kellar ran away from home at the age of twelve, one day while browsing through a paper, he saw an Ad placed by an English magician, the Fakir of Ava, he answered the ad and was hired as an assistant. He left the Fakir at eighteen, an accomplished magician and ready to start on his own.

He met with little success, so he joined the famous Davenport brothers as an offstage assistant, mastered their techniques and eventually teamed up with fellow magician Professor Fay. After an unsuccessful tour with Professor Fay, Kellar did the vanishing bird cage to great acclaim in Cuba, enjoyed a successful tour through South America, and set sail for Europe with tons of newly acquired apparatus.

Shipwrecked near the coast of France, he lost all of his equipment and personal belongings. With great
fortitude and determination he started all over again Build his reputation and eventually enjoyed several highly successful world tours. According to historical records; he was involved in an intense rivalry with Alexander Herrmann in North America, then upon Herrmann’s death, he became the unquestionable leader of American conjurers until 1908, when decided to retire and turned his show over to Howard Thurston.

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Howard Thurston, American, 1869-1936

Thurston at the age of seven was fortunate enough to see and experience The Great Herrmann perform, and from that moment on he knew what he wanted to become, a magician. Despite a varied career during his youth, he was a newsboy, race track tout, carnival hangeron and medical missionary student, he maintained his passion and interest in the magical arts and developed into an expert card performer. He made his debut as a six dollar a week circus magician. Billing himself as the man who fooled the Great Herrmann, he worked his way up through a succession of carnival and dime museums, and he eventually became a hit in vaudeville with his specialty, card magic.

Unhappy with his present situation in life, he canceled his lucrative bookings, headed to London and eventually build a full evening show that was an instant hit! He later joined Kellar, toured with him for a year, and then became his successor. At one point Thurston had over thirty assistants and over thirty tons of magical apparatus in what was surely the largest, most lavish and spectacular show of its kind ever. Thurston died at the age of sixty-six, the most famous illusionist of them all.

Chung Ling Soo (William Robinson) American, 1868-1918

As an inventor & builder of illusions and an assistant to other magicians of that era, including Harry Kellar, he became Alexander Herrmann’s stage manager and did Herrmann’s act when the master was indisposed. After several attempts to perform on his own with little success, he devised a unique approach to his performance.

Hence creating a mysterious magician of the far east. He patterned his act after the famous Chung Ling Foo, and became an instant success as Chung Ling Soo. In time he managed to convince the world that he, not Chung Ling Foo, was genuine Chinese. One night his feat- ured trick, in which expert marksmen fired bullets that he caught on a china plate, failed , and Chung Ling Soo fell dead onstage, a victim of the dangerous bullet-catching trick. Harry Houdini, American, 1874-1926.

Born as Ehrich Weiss, of a desperately poor immigrant family, he learned his first magic effect at fourteen, was professional
at seventeen, and got married at nineteen. His wife Bess joined the act, and after six years of abject failure he made a moderate success with handcuff escapes. He eventually went to London
and escaped from Scotland Yards strongest handcuffs. The resulting publicity stimulated bookings, and Houdini was on his way to a successful career. He made a reputation for getting out of almost impossible situations, including a milk can, tied
to a track fifteen minutes before a train was due and he barely escaped in one incident, packing crates, escaped from ropes, chains, every conceivable constraint , and smashed box office records doing it.

Houdini was an early pilot, was the first to fly an airplane in Australia and was the first to make adventure style movies (serials) in which he made daring escapes without doubles. Because of his devotion and love for magic, he became the president of the Society of American Magicians, wrote books on the subject, collected enormous quantities of magic memorabilia and even exposed fraudulent spiritualists wherever he could find them. Houdini was backstage when a student asked if it was true he could withstand pain,but before Houdini was even prepared the student struck Houdini in the stomach. After the incident he refused to quit working despite the pain he was feeling, and in seven days, on Halloween evening, Houdini died of a raptured appendix

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T. Nelson Downs. American, 1867-1938

T. Nelson Downs, known as The King of Koins, was one of the most highly paid and most widely imitated magicians in vaudeville. He was a master coin manipulator, a specialist in the back and front palm with coins, and he was famous for his spectacular Miser’s Dream, a trick in which he produced showers of coins from the air. Max Malini. American.

Max Malini was a legendary magician, he worked around the world, and performed for the Czar of Russia, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, the King of Siam, including the crowned heads of Europe. He was a celebrated close-up worker who despite his lack of education and his unimpressive appearance, he was a society favorite among magicians.

Nate Leipzig. Norwegian, 1873-1939

It’s said, that Nate Leipzig card skills with the pasteboards was absolutely breathtaking! his delightful personality, his superb presentation and his brilliant skills in card handling made him a great vaudeville favorite, despite the fact that he worked large theaters with no more than a deck of cards rather than a stage full of complex magical apparatus. One can only imagine his abilities as a showman with cards!

Harry Blackstone. American, 1885-1965

Harry Blackstone was a master showman and illusionists. At one point in his career he traveled with a troupe of twenty-six performers and assistants and seventy tons of magical apparatus, but despite the excellence with which he presented his big illusions, it was his handling of small magic, particularly his Haunted Handkerchief, that really entranced audiences. His death in 1965 ended an era.

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The Magical World of Al Flosso

Al Flosso had a stage career any magician would envy. A talented, prolific performer, he graced as many as eight different stages in one day, and entertained millions at circuses, carnivals, amusement parks and on television. Political leaders, industrialists, entertainers and gangsters numbered among his fans. Whether at a Coney Island sideshow or a Fifth Avenue soiree, he amazed audiences with his original routines and singular wit. "Al was one of magic's great characters," notes James "The Amazing" Randi, "and he could do things with coins and playing cards that made your eyes water with envy."

Today, a century after his birth, Flosso is remembered not only for his performances, but also for his contributions to the magic fraternity. A knowledgeable, caring magic dealer, he dispensed advice and apparatus to neophytes and professionals. Visitors to Flosso's shop could purchase a small miracle, get a lesson or a repair on equipment acquired there or elsewhere, or just sit and chat with leading magicians. Flosso was a member of the Society of American Magicians, and a moving force behind the Magic Collectors Association. As T.A. Waters observed, "the stories of those he helped could fill a very large book."

Flosso's magic career began when, at ten years old, he saw Harry Blackstone, then Harry Bloughton, perform at the Educational Alliance, an institution offering programs for impoverished New York children. Flosso wanted to become a magician. "At that time, there were no magic libraries, no clubs, no schools and few books," Jack Flosso, his son, an accomplished magician and dealer, explains. "So how were you going to learn? You had to be an apprentice to someone else."

A kindly employee at the Educational Alliance directed Flosso to Wehman Brothers, a Bowery-area publisher that printed several magic titles. He bought The Wizard's Manual, a ten-cent treatise ostensibly written by T. Nelson Downs, but actually penned by Bill Hilliar. "The book was lousy and impractical," Jack Flosso relates. "In later years, while playing Marshalltown, Iowa [Downs' hometown], my father teased Downs about it. 'I'd like to see you do those tricks by reading your book,' he'd tell Downs. 'I went nuts trying to read that damn thing.'"

The book carried an advertisement for Martinka's, at which Flosso purchased his first magic trick. Like most magic shops of that era, Martinka's did not welcome young magicians. Aspiring conjurers were allowed to pay a small sum for a sealed envelope which they could open only after leaving the store. Flosso paid 25 cents -- his entire savings -- for an envelope containing a ribbon mouth coil and a paper barber's pole. Left without carfare, Flosso walked many miles home.

Flosso secured his first apprenticeship, acting as a shill for Henry Gordien, a street magician from Minneapolis working New York's Lower East Side. Gordien, who is sometimes credited as the inventor of the salt trick, was selling a "hoo coin," which vanished by means of a concealed hook. "Any child," Gordien pitched to street crowds, "can make this coin disappear."

"This chant served as my cue to step forth from the crowd meekly, take the coin and cause it to vanish, not forgetting to register deep surprise," Flosso wrote. "What we actually sold'em was a Dennison paper clip holder." Gordien and his young shill were frequently chased by local police. "In the evening, Henry and I would divide our day's spoils as we splurged over a nickel beer and a dime corned-beef sandwich, consoling ourselves [with] the fact that it was safer than selling French postcards," Flosso recalled, "and besides we couldn't get the postcards!"

By the time he was 13, Flosso began performing his own magic show, getting his first engagement at the Young Men's Benevolent Association, where he shared the bill with a young Eddie Cantor. At 14, Flosso quit school to pursue a career in magic, signing with a carnival in Newburg, New York run by "Ideal Monarch Shows."

The young magician became an apprentice to magician Louis "Pop" Krieger (photo), a master at the cups and balls, and Krieger's friend, Max Malini, carrying their bags while studying their craft. Each of these performers had, in turn, learned magic through apprenticeships -- Krieger picked up conjuring skills as a circus performer in Europe, while Malini served as an apprentice to a magician and tavern proprietor named Professor Seiden. Seiden's motto, "Watch the Professor," which was also used by Krieger, became a standard part of Flosso's patter. Eventually, Flosso married one of Pop Krieger's seven daughters.

Malini took Flosso to an event at the Saratoga, New York estate of Charles Schwab, head of U.S. Steel. Several industrial barons attended the event, including the Swift and Armour families, who arrived in private railroad cars, with cooks, servants and polo horses. Victor Herbert conducted an orchestra, accompanying stars from the Metropolitan Opera. Malini entertained the guests, while Flosso performed for the hired help.

"The Saratoga trip made a great impression on my father," Jack Flosso recalls. "Here was this kid raised in the tenements hobnobbing with America's wealthiest families. But the most remarkable thing was watching Malini -- here was this little guy with stubby fingers who could barely speak English captivating the most powerful people in the country with his tremendous personality. It became clear to him that show business had much to offer."

At 15, Flosso joined the circus. "The performing conditions in the circus were often discouraging to the youthful beginner," Flosso later wrote. "The minstrel showband would be blowing full blast, ticket takers and barkers out front yelling to get the crowd, and all this time you're shouting at the top of your voice to be heard while doing your act." In 1921, Al G. Barnes Circus Wild West Show hired him as a sideshow manager -- Flosso, equipped with a ten-gallon hat, called himself "the Jewish Cowboy from New York."

While traveling with various circuses, Flosso formed bonds with leading magicians around the country, meeting Floyd Thayer in California, "Doc" Talbot and Vaughn Klein in Spokane, Dr. A.M. Wilson in Kansas City, and Werner "Dorny" Dornfeld and Ben Badley in St. Louis. In 1929, historian David Price recalls, Flosso played Nashville while travelling with a circus or Wild West show. During this period, according to magic scholar Stanley Palm, that Flosso played the New York Hippodrome as part of a sideshow.

Flosso developed a magic and pitch act, which he performed on a platform at Coney Island's Dreamland. The pitch featured a ten-cent magic kit which included a hoo coin, diminishing cards, a tin Punch and Judy whistle, and several other gizmos. Bud Abbott worked as Flosso's shill, purchasing a kit after each demonstration to get the crowd rolling. Flosso, who referred to Abbott as a "poker faced sales stimulator," paid the comedian eight dollars a week. In addition, Flosso did a Punch and Judy puppet show at Dreamland, which he performed as many as fourteen times a day. On three occasions, he accidentally swallowed the whistle used in the show. "These were silver ones, and quite digestible," he told an interviewer, "I never did swallow one of the tin ones I sold on the pitch!"

Flosso moved on to vaudeville, and began playing club dates around the country. He performed for the Roosevelts at the White House and Hyde Park, the Kennedy family, William Randolph Hearst, Thomas Edison, Jack 'Legs' Diamond and Irving Berlin. At several affairs, Flosso amused guests while George Gershwin entertained at the piano. Flosso's improvisational style easily adapted to television; he was the first magician to appear on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and the last to perform on "Wonderama." Flosso also appeared on a television special called "It's Magic."

In 1939, Flosso was in the midst of his second season in "The Palace of Mystery," a big illusion show at Atlantic City's Million Dollar Pier, when he purchased Martinka's magic shop, then called the Hornmann Magic Company. Fortuitously, he found enough antique equipment and collectibles in the shop to recoup his initial investment, and establish a reputation with collectors of magic memorabilia. Ted Anneman and Keith Clark, his first two customers, searched the shop's archives, pulling out original Houdini documents and other treasures. "It was this eccentric old place where secrets were lurking under piles of stuff," said magician Jeff Sheridan, who worked for Flosso from 1969 through 1971, recalling his first visit to the shop. "It was filled with relics from a bygone era of magic."

Flosso provided a full-service magic dealership, unlike any before or since. Having mastered the art of troubleshooting through years of experience, Flosso was constantly repairing, soldering, building and tinkering with equipment and illusions. Customers could bring in their favorite deck of cards, and, for a nominal fee, have it made into a stripper or Svengali deck. He custom-painted thumb tips to match his customers' skin tone, and hand-crafted costumes and reeds for puppet shows. On one occasion, Sheridan recalls, a customer stopped in the shop after tearing his pants on the way to a performance. Flosso took out a sewing kit and stitched them up right on the counter.

His dedication was not lost on his fellow performers. "There is only one true, non-commercial magic shop left in the world," the Great Virgil once said. "It belongs to Al Flosso. It's a magician's heaven on earth." Al Flosso continued to work as a dealer and magician until his death at age eighty-one. "From ten performances a day on the platforms at Luna Park and Dreamland to numerous appearances on national television," said magician Dr. Arnold Boston at his funeral, "he never gave a bad show."

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Purkasz, Leon

Purkasz, Leon, b. October 1, 1842 in Krakow to parents of musical background. Father, Mihasz, a student of Chopin in Paris, cut short his medical training to concentrate on music. His career was cut tragically short by the onset of a mysterious illness that forced a concert performance to be cancelled due to the embarrassing noises resultant of the malady. He never performed again !

His uncontrollable farting was soon to become music to young Leon and it is assumed that during this period my great grandfather perfected the art that he and his protege, Joseph Pujol, "Le Petomaine", would soon unleash across European capitlols and in houses of Royalty.

Little information on his mother has been uncovered by our staff. Legend has it that she was a prostitute from Paris and a gifted painter.

Remarkably, for 78 years the child Leon is not mentioned in any literature save a cryptic reference by nazi leader Martin Bormann in his "Table Talks" published in 1946, where he refers to "Purkasz" as a temporary cell-mate of Adolph Hitler in Landesburg Castle prison in 1923.

The prison records note a request of Purkasz to, "Rid me of this foul farting fuhrer." He is again lost to history.

In 1986 three photographs were found in Warsaw. They are disturbing in their implications. The first is of Sigmund Freud reclining on a couch while a smiling Leon Prukasz sits on a chair leaning slightly to his left in an apparent "body music" state. Freud appears to be sleeping. On the back is written, "To my dear friend and colleague, Leon Purkasz, it's all music to me. As you say, "As in nature so in life."

The other photo is less clear and is of Purkasz embracing a smiling man at the piano looking very much like Duke Ellington.

In 1997 James Tully, in his book,"The Madman Who Was Jack The Ripper" has a photo of a house owned by a Mr. Purkiss at the site of one of the grisly murders. Purkasz was known to be living in England in 1888. The rights to reproduce these photos have not been granted yet.

The photos we are uncovering in the trunk are being shipped to us from Poland and will be reproduced in these pages.

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Silent Mora

Silent Mora'sreal name was Louis McCord. He was born October 25th, 1884 in Pennsylvania. His intrest in magic began when he was 10 years old. He learned magic from John McKissock and studied pantomime from a fellow named Renaldo at 14. Mora also learned magic from Alonzo Moore, who was an assistant to Edwin Maro. From Edwin Maro Mr. McCord took his name, the last letters being switched around to make Mora. Mora also studied magic with the magician El Barto who taught Mora among others things the 4 ball routine and the cone and ball. Silent Mora both new and performed with some of the biggest names in magic.

Mora exibited his magic at traveling tent shows , museums, theatres and vaudville houses. With the demise of vaudville he played a one hour show travelling the Chautauqua and Gus Sun circuits. Which are as far as I am able to understand were a combination travelling tent show/carnival. Perhaps the oldtimers out there can fill us in more on this.

Silent Mora had two acts. The first was his famous chinese act which was perfomed silently to music. The second was for club dates for which he would wear a tuxedo and the act appears to have been a comedy type affair involving some audiance participation.

Effects perfomed by Mora are many but here is a list of a few. 4 balls in a net, cone and ball, billiard ball on a fan, bowl vanish, chinese sticks (which he made himself),vanishing lamp, chinese strings, and 4 balls and two hats. Mr. Mora also developed a vanish of a billiard ball with a nice wand spin which Dai Vernon later adapted for his own use.

Silent Mora was known for his execellent sleight of hand skills and for making some very nice apparatice both for his own use and for others. I am told his hand made Chinese Sticks are a treasure to have and are wonderfully made.

The end of vaudville and the circuits hit Mora hard. He lived in Boston in a small cheap hotel scraping by on small, underpaid engagements. Thanks to some fine Boston magicians Mora was rescued and a place for him was found at the Long Island Hospital. Even here in his later years when some of the magicians would come to entertain at the hospital, Mora would occasionally still exibit his wonderful magic. It says something nice for magicians and the art of magic that one of our own was taken care of when he was down on his luck. Many thanks to the Boston magicians who refused to let Silent Mora stay "down on his luck" and helped him out.

Silent Mora passed away in 1972 at the age of 88. Mr. Mora lives on in memory thru his magic. Effects of Mora's can be found in the Tarbel books on magic. Although he never authored any books of his own, Mr. Mora contributed to the Barnstormer. The Barnstormer in the official newsletter of S.A.M. #9 the Herman Hanson Assembly. Silent Mora authored several articles in the old Sphinx magazine, several of which appear in the effects section of these pages. Mora also wrote poetry some of which he sent to his friends. IBM ring #122 of Boston is the Silent Mora ring.

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Amazing Kreskin

For over four decades, The Amazing Kreskin has dramatized the unusual power of the human mind with a rare combination of wit and showmanship. Kreskin, who has performed for the likes of royalty and presidential families, has also made well over 500 television appearances, in addition, to those as host of his own highly rated series and specials. Ever-earning his status as "the world's foremost mentalist." Kreskin offers $50,000 to anyone who can prove he employs paid assistants or confederates during any of his performances.

On stage and television, Kreskin seeks to reveal the thoughts of audience members, plant suggestions in fully aware subjects and dazzle with feats of extraordinary mental projections. As one of the highlights of his stage show, he regularly asks to have his check hidden anywhere in the premises. If he fails to find it he will forfeit his fee.

The roots of Kreskin's abilities can be traced to a simple childhood game. While trying to find a hidden object based on the verbal hints of "hot" and "cold", he discovered he could locate the object without the verbal communication if the person who hid it concentrated on its location. From this and other exercises, Kreskin gradually developed a telepathic-like sensitivity.

At age eleven, he developed an uncanny determination beyond his years when he received permission to study the entire psychology section of his local library. Soon Kreskin began to perform professionally, billed as "The World's Youngest Hypnotist." From his early experiments Kreskin developed a theory into his special talent: "In most cases the phenomenon of thought transference can be explained as a kind of hyper-aesthesia -- an almost unconscious raising of the threshold of one's senses to a degree far exceeding one's everyday feelings." With a hectic schedule of over 300 appearances a year worldwide, Kreskin is constantly challenging the impossible with amazing results.

Kreskin has also used his unique gifts to make a positive social contribution. His highly developed skills have led to the discovery of crucial evidence in several major criminal investigations. He has also devoted a great deal of time in and out of the nation's courtrooms questioning the validity of testimony given by hypnotized witnesses and the reliability of hypnosis in general. Kreskin even appeared on the television series "Missing Reward" to offer $100,000 to any hypnotist, psychologist or psychiatrist who could prove the very existence of a "hypnotic trance" under scientific conditions. To date, no one has collected on this challenge.

Kreskin dismisses any association with the occult and labels like psychic and medium. "I do not call myself a mind reader, because that implies I can totally penetrate the process of the human brain," he explains. "I prefer to describe myself as a thought reader. On many occasions I can perceive a single thought or a series of simple thoughts if the subjects are tuned to me and willing to open their imaginations to receive or project. I am totally helpless if they refuse." Kreskin maintains that this silent communication is within the capability of many people, once trained and self sensitized. "Basically, I apply the power of positive thinking which may be mankind's ultimate tool."

Kreskin's name and face have gained a household recognition from over 500 appearances on national television including five appearances within the last year on The Late Show with David Letterman with fellow guests: Will Smith, Governor Jesse Ventura, and Martha Stewart. Kreskin has also dazzled viewers on MTV, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, The Howard Stern Radio Show, Larry King Live and CNN Morning News. On New Year’s Day 1999, The Amazing Kreskin appeared on CNN Today to make his annual Predictions for 1999 and to the world’s amazement three of his predictions came true during the month of January.

Kreskin's unparalleled contribution to the study of parapsychology have made him the subject of articles in numerous scientific journals and magazines, along with earning him an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Seton Hall University, where he majored in psychology. Among thousands of volumes in his personal library on the subject of parapsychology (reportedly the largest private collection in the world) are eight books by Kreskin himself. Kreskin’s books include The Amazing World of Kreskin (Random House), Kreskin's Mind Power Book (McGraw-Hill), Fun Ways to Mind Expansion (Doubleday), Secrets of the Amazing Kreskin (Prometheus), How to Be a Fake Kreskin (St. Martin’s Press) and Kreskin's Secrets, a privately published mail-order tome which has sold nearly 500,000 copies.

The mentalist has dazzled millions of international viewers each week for years with his television series "The Amazing World of Kreskin" and starring in "Kreskin's Quest," a series of internationally syndicated specials.

Kreskin credits the childhood influences of Mandrake the Magician comic books, radio/television pioneer Arthur Godfrey and magnetic televangelist Bishop Sheen for the direction of his career. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Kreskin was fully fascinated with magic by age five, after which he began to perform for the neighborhood children. To this day Kreskin often warms up an audience with a deft display of sleight-of-hand as a preparation for the thought reading to come. He enjoys defying the eye and admits, "The ESP factor needs a solid mental foundation to be successful. Once the audience members become mystified, they are more susceptible to suggestion."

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