Photo by Martha Swope Cort Theater Marquee Photo by Brian Lumley
Month: March 2021
Unseen Magic Show Publicity Photo: Part 2
Like I mentioned last Saturday, all this week I’m going to be featuring “Magic Show” photos from 1976 taken by photographer Martha Swope. These will show you alternative takes of familiar scenes, and illusions covered in previous 1974 photos. There is definitely a fun and a spark to these photos that give you a hint…
Unseen Magic Show Publicity Photo
I recently came across some rarely seen “new” photos of “The Magic Show” from 1976. A lot of what we see from the production are images taken in 1974 by photographer Kenn Duncan. Many I showed in a previous post a couple years ago, and those photos really gave you a taste of a fresh…
Doug and Debbie Houdini Plaza 1986 Performance
I’d be remiss in not mentioning that yesterday, March 24th, was Harry Houdini’s 147th birthday. In honor of that special day, I thought it would be appropriate to post the above photo of Doug and Debbie in May, 1986. Where was it taken you ask? Well, if the town of Appleton, Wisconsin means anything to…
Joe Abaldo “This is Broadway” Radio Interview
For those looking for a blast to the past, check out this radio interview with Magic Show understudy and star Joe Abaldo for the radio series “This is Broadway.” The program itself was recorded over 30 some years ago, and syndicated to stations across the country as a way to give listeners a taste of…
“Magic Show” MTA Subway Ad with Joe Abaldo
If you were riding New York public transportation in the late 1970s then chances are you saw this famous advertisement. By using then Broadway actors, the MTA was hoping to entice audiences to take the subway to their favorite shows. The ad would eventually become indicative of the era, and famous in its own right. …
Doug’s Understudies-Peter DePaula Playbill
Over the next couple days I wanted to focus on the unsung heroes of “The Magic Show”…Doug’s Understudies! At the time, Doug had issues with the idea of the show continuing without him. As the show’s producer Edgar Lansbury said in John Harrison’s book “Spellbound:” “Doug was always convinced that nobody else could do these…
Haversat & Ewing Auction Results
Last month I profiled two very unique items featured in Haversat & Ewing’s February auction. The first being an extremely rare “Henning and Mars” signed publicity portrait (one that I’ve never seen). The other a vibrant hand drawn portrait by the great Gary Darwin. Who won these items you ask? Drumroll please… Chip Romero is…
Linking Ring- March,1972 (Doug in Hollywood)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Many of us have read about Doug’s early days in Hollywood studying with Dai Vernon at the “Magic Castle.” However, this my friends is the real deal. Written at the time it was happening, this article gives us a first hand account of the whispers and rumors surrounding this Doug Henning….
Bill Hargate Designed Doug Costume
Today’s item once again comes from the collection of Mumdo Marzouki, and is an excellent example of a Bill Hargate costume designed especially for Doug. Bill Hargate (1935-2003) was a legendary Emmy award winning designer who worked primarily in stage and television. Hargate designed many of the costumes throughout Doug’s career, in addition to being…
Original “Magic Show” Program
Magician Mumdo Marzouki was kind enough to share with me recently some items from his collection. What struck me with this item from “The Magic Show” was that there even was a larger program. I had seen the original Playbill from the Cort Theater before. However, I was even unaware of this tantalizing three page…
Reno “Showtime” Magazine-August, 1979
Special Thanks to Michael Whitecar
“Abracadabra” Sept. 1974-Doug and the Larsens
The pictures below hail from the September 21st, 1974 issue of “Abracadabra.” Profiling that year’s S.A.M Boston Convention, the event was seemingly a who’s who of magic at that time. Most notable is the picture of Doug with Bill and Irene Larsen, co-founders of the “Magic Castle.” In fact, it was Bill Larsen who began…
1985 Doug Henning/Tom Jones Playbill
Special Thanks to Ken McCreedy
Cort Theater Renovation and Expansion
Some good news out of New York City is that Broadway’s Cort Theater is scheduled for a full renovation and expansion. Known for being one of the theater district’s smaller venues, the theater already has the hearts and minds of magic fans as being the original home of “The Magic Show” from 1974-1978. To read…
AI Animated Doug Head
This modern technological miracle comes to me from Doug fan Peter Ross. Click away! I’m sure you’ve been seeing this latest trending craze of turning famous people’s photographs into lifelike three dimensional renderings. In fact, it’s so popular that John Cox of Wild About Harry coincidentally did one of Houdini today. While it’s hard to…
Pantages Retrospective: Part 5
Well, the lights have turned on, the show is over, and it’s time to leave the theater doors, and venture back out into the dreaded real world. I can only imagine this is how audiences must have felt at the end of each Pantages “World of Magic” show, but what a high they must have…
THE DOUG HENNING PROJECT 