The above photo is unique in the sense that it’s not very common to find photos of Doug being directed, let alone by Ivan Reitman. Standing on the far left is designer and author extraordinaire Jim Steinmeyer. A unique and rare photo of three creative giants of their fields to be sure! Special Thanks to…
Category: Ivan Reitman
1,000th Post: “Merlin” Commercial BTS Photo
Well, today is my 1,000th post. I know right? When I think about that I’ve posted on this site 1,000 times, it’s a little mind boggling. But, Doug has always been worth the effort, and it’s an honor to do it whenever I can. Here’s to another 1,000! Anyway, I recently came across this behind…
Jim Steinmeyer Reflects on Ivan Reitman and “Merlin”
Esteemed Author/Illusion Designer Jim Steinmeyer graciously agreed to share his thoughts on working on “Merlin” with Ivan Reitman and Doug in today’s post. “Merlin” turned out to be the last collaboration between Doug and Ivan. While the production’s troubles are well known, Jim reminds us of how Reitman brought joy to the rehearsal process, and…
Brian Lumley Reflects on Ivan Reitman
To reflect on the sudden death of Ivan Reitman, I asked two key people in Doug’s design team that worked with Ivan Reitman to say a few words. Today is Brian Lumley who was with Doug at the start of his career for “Spellbound,” “The Magic Show,” and the early TV specials. Brian is currently…
Ivan Reitman (1946-2022)
Today’s post was supposed to be the 39th anniversary of “Merlin” which occurred yesterday. While I’d still like to make note of that, late last night came word that film director Ivan Reitman passed away in his sleep Saturday at age 75. Which, as you can imagine, is much more important. You can’t talk about…
Richard Sherry Remembers: Part Two
Growing Up with a Legend: Part Two By Richard Sherry Doug Henning was friends with a young director named Ivan Reitman who would go on to produce such blockbusters such as “Animal House,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Kindergarten Cop.” It was said that Ivan fronted him the money to purchase the props to create his stage show…
NY Times “Merlin” Interview: Part 3
FOR HIM, MAGIC IS MORE THAN TRICKS By GLENN COLLINS Published: February 13, 1983 Television newsmen have tried to bribe Mr. Henning’s stagehands – unsuccessfully – to learn his secrets. ”I could patent the illusions,” he said, ”but then anyone could find out how it’s done.” Instead, through the years, the hundreds of people who…
NY Times 1983 “Merlin” Interview: Part 2
FOR HIM, MAGIC IS MORE THAN TRICKS By GLENN COLLINS Published: February 13, 1983 Some of the ”Merlin” magic, like the horse and rider that vanish in midair, or the monster robot that mysteriously comes to life on stage, is new. Other illusions are updated variants of necromantic classics, like the elegant disappearing-duck stunt, based…
NY Times 1983 “Merlin’ Interview
I’ve been thinking recently about “Merlin.” Well, actually I’ve been thinking about how we only really know of it through pictures and some brief You Tube Clips. There was no cast album, and it only really exists through the veil of people’s memories and recollections. While we can’t travel in time, what we can do…
THE DOUG HENNING PROJECT 