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…
Tag: Interview
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…
“Oakville Beaver” Interview-March, 1982
Five years ago, I posted a 1982 interview Doug did with the “Oakville Beaver.” Oakville, as you may know, was Doug’s old stomping grounds, and where he lived and attended high school. Recently, that same article was sent to me again by chance. I realized that in the original 2018 post, I posted it as…
The Times-News-2/9/1980 (Doug on Rainbows)
Today is the blog’s 900th post, and what better way to celebrate, than with a highly detailed article profiling Doug’s theory on rainbows?
“Vegetarian Times” Feb.1985-Full Article
Thanks to Michael Whitecar, I’m able to complete yesterday’s post with the full article from the February, 1985 issue of the “Vegetarian Times.” As you can imagine, it’s an article that checks off all the boxes from Doug’s early history, TM, his food habits, his love of animals, and Houdini. Yes , Doug even speaks…
Entertainment Tonight Candid Interview Shot
The above photo comes from the “Mr. Camera” Instagram page, and is from an unknown date and venue. According to the page, the man doing the interviewing is “Mr. Camera” himself, Don Jacobs. Don Jacobs is the founder of, you guessed it, “Mr. Camera.” By Doug’s look, and the “Entertainment Tonight” microphone it is definitely…
Pantages Retrospective: Part 3
While at the Pantages Doug sat down with Danielle Roter of the “Los Angeles Herald Examiner.” This interview originally appeared on October 16, 1981, and includes a review of the show at the end. It also has the distinction of being one of the most serious and non-smiling expressions on Doug’s face that I’ve ever…
New York Daily News Interview-Dec. 1976
Today’s article comes from the promotional blitz that surrounded Doug’s second “World of Magic” special in 1976. In it, Doug talks about the special’s main illusions, “The Flaming Miracle” and the “Disappearing Elephant.” However, the juiciest part of the article comes when Doug contrasts and compares how Houdini originally performed the “Elephant in the Room”…
Tom Shales Interview-Dec, 1975 (Washington Post)
Special Thanks to Kevin Connolly for alerting me to this item on Ebay!
“Lincoln Nebraska Sunday Journal” Interview-August 11, 1974
Today’s post is a very early interview with Doug from when “The Magic Show” had just opened, and was taking Broadway by storm. While Doug recounts some of the background information you may already know, what I liked about it in particular is reading Doug’s secrecy agreement with his cast and staff. Also, the interviewer…
Argus Leader Interview-5/1/1987
I was drawn to this article because of it being at a late stage of Doug’s magic career. It even begins with the interviewer asking about his opinion of Penn and Teller, and Doug’s view of them. Clearly they were the new kids on the magic block in the late 1980s. Times were clearly changing …
1997 Doug Bio Sent for “Genii” Article
The following biography was faxed to writer Gary Brown for an article he was doing on Doug for “Genii” in 1997. While Doug himself did not participate in the article directly, he did give his blessing to it. Tomorrow I’ll be posting Gary’s more detailed account of what occurred with the article and its reception….
People Magazine- August, 1974 “Magic Show” Interview
The above pages come from the August 5, 1974 issue of “People” magazine, and are straight from the time when Doug was taking the world by storm. As you can tell from the article, nothing like the “Magic Show” had been seen before on Broadway, and Doug, like the show itself, was a unique commodity….
Baltimore Sun Interview-June 10, 1982
Baltimore Sun: June 10, 1982
“World of Magic II”-Los Angeles Times 1976 Interview
Los Angeles Times: December 23, 1976
Popular Mechanics Jim Steinmeyer Interview
I just wanted to let everyone know that this month’s current issue of Popular Mechanics features an interview with Designer and Author Jim Steinmeyer. It goes without saying that Jim is responsible for designing some of the most important illusions in magic history. He also was one of the most important designers in Doug’s career,…
Magic’s Greatest Illusions Documentary-1999 Interview with Doug
I came across this three-part documentary today while deep diving into You Tube. “Magic’s Greatest Illusions,” narrated by Jason Alexander, originally aired on TLC in 2000. A great documentary unto itself, however, what immediately caught my attention was an extremely rare and largely unseen interview with Doug recorded in 1999. His interview, clearly recorded at…
Canadian Magazine Interview- January 1973
This early interview of Doug’s from 1973 is a real time capsule of an era in Doug’s career when things were about to explode, and the future looked eternally bright. His assistant in the piece is even Mars Barrick. So, that should give you a good indication on how far back this goes. The article…
Derren Brown “Doug” Name Check!
Mentalist Derren Brown, whose current Broadway show “Secret” is smashing records, was recently interviewed by “Long Island Weekly.” In it, Derren discusses the show’s history, and a certain other magician is mentioned regarding their time on Broadway. “Recently, breaking the record as the longest-running magician on Broadway, Brown made his U.S. debut with Secret, which…
Doug Henning: In His Own Words (Part Three)
In this final part, Doug touches on Merlin, Veda Land, his retirement, and what brought him back to Los Angeles in the late 90s. While the interview itself ends on a high note with Doug proclaiming “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” sadly this was not to be. Doug passed away a short four months after this…
Doug Henning- In His Own Words (Part Two)
Sorry for the delay in part two. As you will see, Doug goes into great detail about his earlier years in college, meeting Ivan Reitman, training with Dai Vernon, and Spellbound. It’s all exciting stuff, and straight from the horse’s mouth (so to speak). So, without further ado patient readers, is Part Two of “In…
Doug Henning- In His Own Words (Part One)
For the rest of this week I’ll be reprinting Magic Magazine’s now legendary interview with Doug from October, 1999. Conducted by magician David Charvet, this lengthy interview would sadly turn out to be Doug’s last as he would pass away from cancer four months later. For those interested, the circumstances as to how this interview came…
First Special “TV Listings” Cover and Interview
Today’s post comes from the collection of magician Greg Gleason, and features more fabulous TV listings and interviews that were commonplace over Doug’s long career. The interview and article itself is a general rundown of the making of the first special, and give a nice window into Doug’s pressure filled life at this time. Can…
Grover Dale Remembers “The Magic Show:” Part One
All this week, “The Doug Henning Project” is fortunate to be printing excerpts from “Magic Show” director Grover Dale’s upcoming autobiography. Mr. Dale has been gracious enough to allow the chapter devoted to “The Magic Show” to be previewed here, and what a chapter it is! As you will see all this week, “The Magic…
THE DOUG HENNING PROJECT 