These fabulous photos were given to me by early Doug collaborator Brian Lumley, and feature “The Magic Show” marquee and billboard during Christmas, 1976. On my recent trip to New York I had tried to visualize what the theater and its surrounding areas looked like during that period, and these certainly give me a great idea. 

On a side note, I had mentioned to Brian that the theater looked much brighter and cleaner than it does today. He said it was most likely due to the wet snow, rain, and Christmas lights. New York of the 1970s was a gritty place filled with graffiti and garbage strikes. 

Regardless of the soot and grit, “The Magic Show,” like Doug himself, remains timeless.