It goes without saying that without the show “Spellbound,” there would be no Doug Henning. Directed by Ivan Reitman over the 1973 holiday season, the show’s story has since been lost to time. However, it featured a youthful and exuberant Doug who caught the eyes of Broadway producers, Edgar Landsbury and Joe Beruh. Broadway soon came…
“Dr. Doug Henning” Natural Law Party Business Card
Mike Segal was kind enough to recently send me items from his collection that I’m sure will be of interest to all of you. First up, is Doug’s Natural Law Party business during his “wilderness” years. After his retirement from magic travelled the globe under the auspices of the Maharishi and the TM organization. This…
“Young Harry Houdini” on You Tube
Hey Everyone! I just wanted to alert everyone to a recent post by John Cox of the excellent Houdini website Wild About Harry In 1987, the Disney Sunday Movie aired the very rarely seen TV film “Young Harry Houdini” on ABC. The film itself was a fictional retelling of Houdini’s life as a teen, played…
Hamilton Spectator (4/10/72)-Doug and Dicky Dean Duke it Out on Revealing Magic Secrets
I came across this very off the beaten path and little seen article from 1972. It details a young and pre-fame Doug publicly disagreeing with another young magician, Dicky Dean, over revealing magic secrets. Naturally, Doug is for keeping the secret. The subject is still a controversial one today, and is certainly still forbidden within…
Michael Mitnick on Doug and Magic
Today, I have a treat in that Michael Mitnick, playwright, screenwriter, and magic enthusiast, has graciously agreed to participate in today’s post. On the stage, Michael has written such productions as “Fly By Night,” “Spacebar,” and “Sex Lives of Our Parents. ” For the movies, Michael has written “The Giver,” “The Current War,” as well…
Chita Rivera (1933-2024)
Right up against the 24th anniversary of Doug’s passing this week, I wanted to acknowledge the recent death of theater titan, Chita Rivera. While, “Merlin” may have been a footnote in Rivera’s illustrious career. It is a production she still spoke about fondly, and, of course, her time with Doug. As the evil Queen, Rivera…
Buffalo Courier Express Focus: 4/30/1978
The article featured below was sent to me by Ken McCreedy. Thanks Ken. The article covers many things, but has a nice anecdote of Doug’s journeys to Buffalo as a youth where he would buy illusions at Gene Gordon’s shop on Franklin Street. It’s a nice snapshot of Doug’s life as a 31 year old…
Jim Steinmeyer Blog: Forgotten Henning (Pts. 1 & 2)
Hey everyone! I just wanted to point you in the direction of Designer/Writer Extraordinaire Jim Steinmeyer’s recent blog entries. As many of you know Jim knew and worked for Doug for many years, and occasionally touches upon his time with him in his blog. The two entries focus on the forgotten Tunnel Illusion and Floating…
Nathan Lane: Fergus’ Dilemma (Audience Footage)
Hello Everyone, and welcome to 2024! I just wanted to apologize for the long gap since my last post. Life, the holidays, and a 1 1/2 year old make things a bit hectic sometimes. But, moving forward I’ll be more regular in my posts. First up, this clip appeared very recently on You Tube, and…
Doug on “To Tell the Truth”
Today’s post is an absolute and unique delight. On May 20, 1974, Doug appeared on the venerable game show “To Tell The Truth,” and it’s hard to believe how unknown he was at the time. Aired eight days before “The Magic Show” opened on Broadway, this was a pre-internet age where if you didn’t have a…
“World of Magic ’82” NBC Promo
Original Air Date: 2/14/1982
1973 “Spellbound” Zig-Zag” Promo Photo
The above photo has been making the rounds on social media as of late. I’d seen it before, but not as clear as this version is. It was taken for a round of 1973 publicity photos in anticipation of Doug’s first show “Spellbound.” In an often told tale, the show had been booked at the…
World of Magic ’75-Houdini Segments
Happy Halloween, and World Magic Day everyone! As we observe the 97th anniversary of Houdini’s passing, what better to to pay our respects than with “World of Magic ’75.” Over the years, I’ve shown and talked about both clips. However, I’ve never paired them in one place, and today of all days seemed the most…
Goodliffe’s Abracadabra: April, 1976 Cover
Today’s post features Doug on the cover of the venerable British magazine “Goodliffe’s Abracadabra.” Holding a copy of “The Magic Show” poster, Doug, along with co-collaborator Charles Reynolds, seems right at home as the cover story of this 1976 issue. The magazine itself ran for a total of 3,296 issues from 1946-2009. Today, this weekly…
Unseen “World of Magic ’78” Photo
The above unseen photo comes from Mark Willoughby, and gives us a different photographic perspective on “World of Magic ’78’s” burning paper illusion. Below you’ll see the illusion itself in full. I weighed whether to play this clip or not due to it being racially insensitive in terms of its writing and costuming. However, I…
AI Midjourney Image of Doug
Today on magician Michael Kent’s blog he shows examples of the AI program Midjourney’s interpretation of famous magicians. Doug leads the pack with a not identical, but pretty close likeness. It certainly catches the magic and wonder part…minus the glasses. Anyway, I’ll put a link to the article/website: HERE
Vancouver Sun 6/20/73: Lighthouse Article w/Doug as Opening Act
The article below comes from the June 20th, 1973 edition of “The Vancouver Sun.” What’s fascinating about it is that Doug isn’t even the focus of the article. It’s the band Lighthouse. In his early days, Doug would pair up as the opening act for numerous Canadian bands. Lighthouse being one of them. It was…
World of Magic ’81-Sack Illusion with Ricky Schroder
Original Air Date: 2/15/1981 Special Thanks to Bill Green’s You Tube Channel: HERE
(AGVA) 9th Annual Entertainer of the Year Awards 1979 Photos
The pictures featured below recently turned up on the Getty Photo Archives website, and boy are they stunners. I have never seen them before, and I’m going to wager not many others have as well. They were taken when Doug won Entertainer of the Year by the American Guild of Variety Artists in 1979. Their…
Tissue Paper Illusion
I found this little seen clip online today, and wanted everyone to take a look at it. When and where it originally aired is a bit of a mystery to me, as no descriptive information was paired with it. However, the host’s name sounded like “Mort,” so if anyone knows please drop me a line. …
Original “Magic Show” Actress Annie McGreevey Reflects
I recently had the pleasure of asking original “Magic Show” cast member Annie McGreevey to reflect on her time with the show. Playing Donna, part of club Top Hat’s rock group “Donna & Dina, Annie was more than happy to oblige. I attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC. Within the first year…
San Francisco Examiner-2/14/1980
I liked this article because it gives you a real window into Doug’s hectic daily life circa 1980. A lot of articles at this time tend to rehash a lot of the same bullet historical points. But, this one mixes things up, and even throws in an anecdote about Doug’s abandoned shark illusion. Doug’s old…
“Saturday Night Live” “World of Magic’ 78” Commercial
In what is arguably the most unique intro to a Doug Henning special ever, this commercial interlude from Saturday Night Live is sure bring a smirk to your face. If not, then hopefully a chuckle. What can I say? It was the late 70s. Original Air Date: December 9, 1978
Doug Henning’s World of Mysterious Domain Names
Recently, I came across a bit of a mystery on this crazy little thing called the internet. It involves the address, “Doughenning.com,” and what exactly its purpose is, and why it’s even there for that matter. I had initially come across this six years ago when I began “The Doug Henning Project” website, and looked…
Doug Henning Magic Fan Club: Spring/Summer 1985
Special Thanks to Michael Johnson. Today’s image is from his excellent book, “Magician Doug Henning Collectibles Guide.” To purchase please visit the link below: Amazon.com
“Merlin” Closing Anniversary
And I’m back… I just wanted to briefly note that today, August 7th, marks the 40th anniversary of “Merlin” closing. While, commemorating closing anniversaries isn’t as popular as openings, “Merlin” is in a class all its own, and any date is worth a mention. The trials and tribulations of the show are well documented, and the…
Doug and the Mystery Woman Solved!
A week or so ago, I posted the above 1970s photo asking for help identifying the mystery woman with Doug backstage at the Las Vegas Hilton. Well, the mystery has been solved. While it may not be as exciting as some of the suggestions sent to me, it definitely cleared up things. Drum roll please…It’s…
The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)-12/14/78
Today’s post profiles Doug gearing up for “World of Magic ’78” starring Brooke Shields and Tom Bosley. It’s a fine article hailing out of Palm Springs. Not least of which are the vintage advertisements for the “House of Bamboo” and the “Lord and Lady Inn.” Did any of you ever attend these swinging 70s places?
THE DOUG HENNING PROJECT 