Magic: the Science of Illusion

When movies came along, the vaudeville theaters that had supported so many magicians turned into movie theaters. Most magicians had to look for new venues for work. The popularity of magic waned.

Nightclubs were one place magicians turned to, but it was a different kind of work. Vaudeville performers traveled around circuits of theaters, so they were always getting fresh audiences. In nightclubs, the audience was the same, so the act had to be different. Magicians had to keep changing their shows and adding new material to stay in demand.

Magicians soon discovered another way to perform—television. Many people doubted that magic could work on TV, because they thought viewers wouldn't believe what they were seeing was what was really happening on-stage. Mark Wilson and the other magicians who pioneered magic on camera proved that it could work, and it did. Over time, many magicians made a name for themselves in this new medium.

Cantu was the first to make doves appear
Mexican magician A.J. Cantu became famous working with doves. His magic inspired magician Channing Pollock.

In the 1950s, magician Channing Pollock set the standard for producing doves from thin air. Better known for his magic than for his film career, Channing Pollock dressed formally, smiled only at the very end of his act, and inspired magicians around the world. His handsome face, serious air and graceful moves left nightclub audiences spellbound. As he made doves appear, he seemed to be shaping them from air with his hands. Magicians everywhere copied his moves.

In the mid 1930s, vaudeville was dying. Magician Jack Gwynne knew that he'd need to take his show somewhere else–hotel dinner dances and nightclubs. He reshaped his show, making it longer and changing some effects to fit having an audience on three sides. He was always creating new shows to stay in demand.

Playing off the many people claiming to be the world's greatest magician, in 1935 Gwynne successfully advertised himself as "The World's SECOND Greatest Magician."

Magic happens under your nose
"Close-up" magic is magic done for just a few people. Magicians started to make a living with it.

Dai Vernon taught close-up to other magicians–naturally
Before magician Dai Vernon came along, many magicians liked to show off their skill with cards. Vernon taught instead that card magic should look like something that just happened, with no extra moves. He became a mentor in person and through books. Vernon taught magicians to act in their own style and make their work look natural.

In the 1960s, Dai Vernon came to the Magic Castle, a private magicians' club in Hollywood. People moved to Los Angeles just to study with him.

Slydini's close-up fooled the mind
Magician Tony Slydini mastered close-up magic through his skill with misdirection–fooling the mind more than the eye.

Close-up magic, by definition, is magic for just a few people. But when Don Alan's "Magic Ranch" series aired on American TV in 1962, he showed it to a whole country. He had turned these "pocket tricks" into an entire act with a beginning, middle and an end. His timing and his build to a finale showed that close-up could be as good as any stage show.

Don Alan appeared on the TV shows of Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson and many others.

When Mark Wilson tried to get a magic series for children on national television in 1958, people told him that magic "won't work on TV." But he never gave up. He found his own sponsor in Kellogg's. "The Magic Land of Allakazam" first aired in 1960; the first sponsored magic series on American TV.

The magic of Mark Wilson and Nani Darnell inspired quite a few youngsters to become magicians when they grew up.

Milbourne Christopher did variety magic specials on TV
Magician Milbourne Christopher performed in the first magic show on national TV. He promoted his specials with a grand effect at the end, making people stay tuned to the end of the show. In this photograph he's doing a dangerous bullet catch.

The talent and energy of Canadian magician Doug Henning revived magic on TV. His look captured the spirit of his time. And in his TV specials in the 1970s and 80s, he presented magic with an open, childlike wonder that delighted viewers.

Henning's magic on stage and his many live TV specials helped make magic popular again. When it aired live on December 26, 1975, "Doug Henning's World of Magic" drew 50 million viewers–and became the highest-rated magic special in the history of television.