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…
Tag: The Magic Show
Magic Show Monday: Before Your Very Eyes!
Lets’s get this week started on a high note with a musical selection from “The Magic Show” soundtrack. “Before Your Very Eyes” is one of the showstoppers of the musical, and still holds up extremely well today! While it’s difficult to find a proper video recording of “The Magic Show” as originally presented (I’m not…
“Magic Show” Movie Newspaper Articles and Ads
The newspaper articles below represent the time when Doug made a live filmed version of “The Magic Show.” Meant to be an accurate recreation of the famed musical, this production was plagued by legal and funding issues which never allowed it to live up to its potential as a proper motion picture. In the end,…
New Playbill “Magic Show” Article
For those seeking new Doug content look no further than “Playbill’s” mini retrospective on the “Magic Show” that was posted this past Friday. It’s a quick rundown of the show’s history, musical highlights, and how it’s sadly one of the more unknown Stephen Schwartz scores. There’s even a great clip of Carol Burnett and Cher…
Peter DePaula Playbills and Magazines!
Today’s post is dedicated an unsung hero in the history of “The Magic Show.” When the time came for the production to tour, it was obvious to everyone that Doug wasn’t going to be the one to do it. Enter touring understudy extraordinaire, Peter DePaula. While a tour of Australia never panned out, DePaula (handpicked…
Brian Lumley: Final Musings on The Magic Show
Metamorphosis by Brian Lumley Part Five These are the kind of things that would serendipitously happen. They are part of the magic that made The Magic Show and kept it going. Needless to say, Doug never trusted the bag set again. He and his assistant double checked it every time. What those particular stagehands thought…
Brian Lumley: Metamorphosis Comeuppance
Metamorphosis by Brian Lumley Part Four Fingers were pointed at everybody like a Three Stooges routine. But it came down to who touched it last. I was blamed by the stagehands. But it was pointed out by the stage managers that the stagehands had demanded they take over that props pre-set. This had been done…
Brian Lumley: Metamorphosis Mixup
Metamorphosis by Brian Lumley Part Three Doug lifted the banner to his waist on one. Then raised it over his head. He then lowered it to his waist again and looked down at the trunk. He was supposed to say two when he raised it over his head, but instead he was talking to Dale…
Brian Lumley: Metamorphosis Mishap
Metamorphosis by Brian Lumley Part Two Charlie was the man that convinced the producers that The Magic Show could not make it without Doug’s personal Special Assistants. He had seen how closely we worked with Doug…He also advised IATSE and the production that we should be the only people to touch the magic props. This…
Brian Lumley: Magic Show Metamorphosis
Over this week, early Doug collaborator Brian Lumley is going to be sharing more memories of Doug and, specifically, his time with The Magic Show. Enjoy! Metamorphosis by Brian Lumley Part One The average person would not believe the level or intensity of the screw ups we had running The Magic Show. Especially in the…
Peter DePaula NYC Speaking Event
The following was sent to me by Joe Fox as featured in the “Genii Forum.” Peter DePaula, Doug’s touring replacement on “The Magic Show,” will be hosting a S.A.M evening of memories from his time with the show, and even teach some close-up magic that was used to promote the original touring production. As noted,…
The Magic Show-Celestial Elevator
There’s nothing like a brief snippet from the TV version of “The Magic Show” to start the day off right! If all elevator rides were this fun…
Lion Tamer from “The Magic Show”
One of my favorite songs from The Magic Show is “Lion Tamer.” The song itself was composed by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell), and originally performed by actress Dale Soules. However, this version is recreated by Didi Cohen (Grease) for the filmed version of the musical from the early 1980s. It’s a simple, but heart warming…
Never Before Seen Backstage Production Photos
The pictures featured below are a hodgepodge of never before seen production photos from “World of Magic 6 and 7,” as well as the filmed version of “The Magic Show.” All of them really give a nice snapshot (no pun intended) into what went into making these legendary specials. Special Thanks to Steve Zigmont-Doug Henning…
Doug at Ali’s Training Camp by Brian Lumley: Part Two
On stage in front of the Broadway audience Ali invited Doug to come to Africa as part of his entourage. Doug did a massive sputter not knowing what to say; there was so much going on that others did not know about. Then Muhammad saved the day when he invited him up to his training…
Doug and Muhammad Ali by Brian Lumley: Part One
Today’s multi-part story comes to us from Doug collaborator and website friend Brian Lumley. Brian has been kind enough to share a first hand account of when Doug met another legend in his field, the great Muhammad Ali. As you would expect, it’s a riveting story, and I’m very excited Brian has decided to make…
Tour and Show T-Shirts: Part One
Enjoy this plethora of vintage Henning T-shirt swag courtesy of Michael Whitecar. As you can see, each one truly represents a unique era and phase of Doug’s career. Collect that All!
Current New York Magazine “Magic Show” Article
You can’t say it’s very often these days that there is a new article on “The Magic Show.” Let alone one featured in “The Cut” from New Magazine. So, you can imagine my surprise when friend of the website Brian Lumley passed this onto me. It’s all about writer Christopher Bonanos’s first trip to see…
Doug Henning and Walter B. Gibson
The above image once again hails from the fine auction house of “Potter & Potter.” It’s from their upcoming June 16th David Baldwin auction, and in my opinion is a rare find indeed. The inscription reads: “To Walter Gibson–My favorite magical author. Magically yours, Doug Henning” Doug signed many autographs in his life, but this…
Jim Steinmeyer Interview: Part One (Revisited)
(To commemorate the website’s upcoming first anniversary, I thought it would be appropriate to dip into the vault and reprint some of the initial interviews that launched everything. So, in that spirit enjoy this interview with Jim Steinmeyer from our second week) For many in the world of magic the name Jim Steinmeyer conjures up fantastical…
Original Magic Show TV Commercial from the Michael Grandinetti Collection
This commercial featured above was originally broadcast on October 10, 1978, and features Doug’s replacement Joe Ablado in the lead role. While Doug may not appear in the ad itself, his presence can be felt in the poster, the songs, and of course the illusions themselves. So, enjoy this rare bit of Broadway TV magicana,…
Original 1976 Magic Show Marquee and Billboard Photos
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…
“The Magic Show” on Amazon Prime Streaming
John Cox of Wild About Harry was kind enough to let me know that the 1981 filmed version of “The Magic Show” is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime. While this production has been available on DVD for a while, this is the first time anything by Doug has been available on a streaming platform. Notably,…
Cort Theater Photos
And I’m back! After a busy three weeks off, “The Doug Henning Project” is up and running for service. During this time, I had the pleasure of spending a week in New York City. NYC is memorable for many reasons, not least of which is that Broadway is the home of the Cort Theater. The…
Brian Lumley: “Magic Show” Secrets
How did Spellbound end up on Broadway? Ivan Reitman, Spellbound’s producer/director, put an ad in Variety which was published Dec. 19/73. This was the pre-production week. Joe Berhu and Edgar Lansbury saw the ad and came to take a look. By the end of the week Broadway was in the air. We set up shop…
Brian Lumley Interview : Part Two
Glenn Priest (far left), Brian Lumley (Middle), and Doug Were you interested in magic before you met Doug? In a word no. Not Lesley, Glen, or myself had any experience with stage magic. We had each seen or performed magic on our own but that is another story. It is also why we each had…
Brian Lumley Interview: Part One
Today we have a treat in store for you in the form of a brand new interview with one of Doug’s earliest technical collaborators Brian Lumley. From “Spellbound,” to “The Magic Show,” to Doug’s first two specials Brian was there all the way. He was more than gracious enough to answer a wide range of questions,…
Vanishing Elephant Illusion
While I had hoped to find a clip of the original “Vanishing Elephant” illusion from Doug’s second special, everything on You Tube is an inferior and grainy copy. Fortunately for us, Doug recreated the illusion for the 1981 filmed version of “The Magic Show” which is the origin of this higher quality clip. The elephant…
Society of Canadian Magicians: 1974 “Magic Show” Article
In addition to writing a great article this week, Richard Sherry has shared this issue of the “Levitator” from May/June 1974. The issue focuses on Doug’s groundbreaking success with “The Magic Show,” and even features an interview with Doug culled from “The New York Times.” Early interviews with Doug are always great to read, and…
David Ogden Stiers
For most people, actor David Ogden Stiers is best remembered for “MASH,” numerous Disney projects (Beauty and the Beast), and a long list of notable television and film roles. However, most magic fans will know that Stiers co-starred with Doug in the original Broadway production of “The Magic Show.” Playing the villainous and washed up…
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