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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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444: Don Wiberg - Part Two: Chicago Magic Roundtable History

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Don Wiberg is a Past International President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Hre is the historical information on the Chicago Round able as reported on the website of the Chicago Magic Lounge:

The Chicago Magic Round Table was originally established in 1929 as an informal gathering of professional and amateur magicians, meeting daily for lunch at De Lazon’s restaurant. Luminaries like Jay and Frances Marshall, Dr. Harlan Tarbell, Harry Blackstone Sr., and Werner Dornfield, held court in the spirit of camaraderie and a shared love of the art of magic. Word quickly spread, and the Round Table came to be a headquarters for magicians. 

The gatherings continued into the mid-1950s, and endured a few changes of location, eventually settling on a daily lunch at the Drake Restaurant. Eventually though, meetings tapered off, sometime in the 1960s, and the first iteration of the Round Table slowly vanished. 

The Chicago Magic Round Table had a brief resurgence in the late 2000s when Dan Mindo, Tracy Atteberry, and David Parr revived the informal gatherings beginning at the Green Door Tavern under the name "Chicago Magic Round Table". However, that too,  faded away as schedules and availability had their eternal clash, and schedules won...

In 2018, the Chicago Magic Round Table has been re-established with a new permanent home: the Chicago Magic Lounge. An association of practicing, amateur, and hobbyist magicians, our goal is to create a community for practitioners and lovers of magic. Be a part of the grand history of Chicago magic. Click the link below for more information. 

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Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here.. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Tagged with Don Wiberg, Chicago, Chicago magic history.

August 23, 2018 by Scott Wells.
  • August 23, 2018
  • Scott Wells
  • Don Wiberg
  • Chicago
  • Chicago magic history
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443: Don Wiberg - Part One: Magic Shops Around Old Chicago

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Don Wiberg is a Past International President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. and a great historian of Chicago's rich magic history. In this first of two parts, the early part of this podcast includes a nostalgic walk through some of Chicago's magic shops that were tightly distributed within a few blocks of downtown Chicago. The latter half of this podcast is filled with stories of some of the early members of the Chicago Round Table.

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Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here.. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Tagged with Don Wiberg, Chicago, Chicago magic history.

August 16, 2018 by Scott Wells.
  • August 16, 2018
  • Scott Wells
  • Don Wiberg
  • Chicago
  • Chicago magic history
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355: Bill Smith - The Man Behind the Illusions

Former Long Beach Mystic, Bill Smith, has been a long time resident on Las Vegas and doesn't consider himself as a creator so much as he is a builder. He has seen a lot of magicians come and go. For ten years, he was a stage hand for Harry Blackstone, Jr. and traveled across the U.S. including his Broadway show. He also has some strong beliefs on building from original plans rather than building rip-offs.

As part of the Las Vegas Chronicles, one of the visits was to the illusion fabrication warehouse of Bill Smith's Magic Ventures where his crew was busy building props for upcoming shows. For more info on Magic Ventures, visit his website at: http://www.magicventures.com/

To hear our chat with Bill Smith, visit: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/bill-smith

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Bill Smith talks about his migration to "Sin City" as magic began to flourish. He talks about magic he has been involved with from Caesar's Magic Kingdom to the current big shows on the Strip. He also talks about working with Stan Allen in the magic shop in Los Angeles and his early attempts at building. Bill started out as a performer and gradually moved into building. He also chats about how he met Harry Blackstone, Jr. and how he starting working for him including a lot of behind-the-scene stories with Harry. Some of Bill's best memories are from his attendance at Abbott's Get Together.

We then have a good discussion about rip-offs of illusions, ethics, rights, YouTube, China, lack of creativity, and more. He now laments the lack of new, original illusions coming on the market today.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Tagged with Bill Smith, Les Arnold and Dazzle, Las Vegas, Caesar's Magic Kingdom, Harry Blackstone Jr., Long Beach Mystics, Karrell Fox, Abbott's Get Together, Del Ray, Jim Steinmeyer, John Gaughan, David Copperfield, Walter "Zaney" Blaney.

May 4, 2017 by Scott Wells.
  • May 4, 2017
  • Scott Wells
  • Bill Smith
  • Les Arnold and Dazzle
  • Las Vegas
  • Caesar's Magic Kingdom
  • Harry Blackstone Jr.
  • Long Beach Mystics
  • Karrell Fox
  • Abbott's Get Together
  • Del Ray
  • Jim Steinmeyer
  • John Gaughan
  • David Copperfield
  • Walter "Zaney" Blaney
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The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

This podcast is totally free for everyone to enjoy. This is provided to you out of love and respect for our art of magic. If you enjoy the podcasts and other material on The Magic Word, then your financial support will be greatly appreciated and help offset the monthly hosting service fee as well as the hardware and software to produce this podcast. Just click on the "Donate " button at the top of this page to make a one time donation through PayPal.

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Thanks to all of you listeners, The Magic Word Podcast and our newsletter (or “podletter” as I call it) has been recognized by FISM and received nominations in two categories. Please click on one of the graphics above and cast your vote to help push us on to victory in Turin, Italy, this summer! Thank you!

In May 2024, Scott Wells had the distinguished honor of receiving a “Special Fellowship” from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) for the Magic Word Podcast which promotes “not only personal stories of fascinating individuals, but also fellowship amongst our extended family of artists and entertainers everywhere.”

Do you have a comment or suggestion for The Magic Word Podcast? Click on the SpeakPipe logo and leave a short audio message for Scott. It’s fast, easy and fun. Send a “shout out” today and who knows? Your message may be heard on an upcoming podcast!

This week on The Magic Word Podcast, "The Good Liar" Brian Curry from the Washington, D.C. area. #comedy #washingtondc #magicduel
Joe Monti was one of the creative minds and producers behind the early seasons of “Mind Freak with Criss Angel” and he has also fooled Penn & Teller. Listen to this week’s podcast episode at: https://themagicwordpodcast.com/909-
This week on The Magic Word Podcast, a chat with Christian & Katalina who have been performing their Mind Tripping Show in Indianapolis for 16 years.  https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/908-christian-and-katalina
#indianapolis #m
This week we feature an episode about two magicians 🎩 🎩 who share ideas on how to find your own theatre to perform in, plus learn how to work with a magic partner on stage. Visit the website for more information:  https://www.themagicwordpodcast.co
What a great, action-packed, adrenaline-laced, fast-paced movie. I recommend watching part one (Dead Reckoning) to catch up from where we left off two years ago. Best to see this on the big screen. Recommended!
Eric Leclerc joins us from Canada this week to talk about comedy and his experience being the compere (emcee) at the Blackpool convention 2025. #ericleclerc #canadianmagician #comedymagic #mikehammer https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagi
My son, Nick, received stem cells today for his leukemia. That means that today is his new "birthday." Let's hope and pray that this treatment works this time. 🤞
And then this happened! I was surprised at AbraCORNdabra with this award. Thank you for recognizing and appreciating my efforts. #abracorndabra2025 #tinybubbles
This week on The Magic Word Podcast, "The Good Liar" Brian Curry from the Washington, D.C. area. #comedy #washingtondc #magicduel Joe Monti was one of the creative minds and producers behind the early seasons of “Mind Freak with Criss Angel” and he has also fooled Penn & Teller. Listen to this week’s podcast episode at: https://themagicwordpodcast.com/909- This week on The Magic Word Podcast, a chat with Christian & Katalina who have been performing their Mind Tripping Show in Indianapolis for 16 years.  https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/908-christian-and-katalina
#indianapolis #m This week we feature an episode about two magicians 🎩 🎩 who share ideas on how to find your own theatre to perform in, plus learn how to work with a magic partner on stage. Visit the website for more information:  https://www.themagicwordpodcast.co What a great, action-packed, adrenaline-laced, fast-paced movie. I recommend watching part one (Dead Reckoning) to catch up from where we left off two years ago. Best to see this on the big screen. Recommended! Eric Leclerc joins us from Canada this week to talk about comedy and his experience being the compere (emcee) at the Blackpool convention 2025. #ericleclerc #canadianmagician #comedymagic #mikehammer https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagi My son, Nick, received stem cells today for his leukemia. That means that today is his new "birthday." Let's hope and pray that this treatment works this time. 🤞 And then this happened! I was surprised at AbraCORNdabra with this award. Thank you for recognizing and appreciating my efforts. #abracorndabra2025 #tinybubbles

The Magic Word Has been recognized by FeedSpot as the # 1 magician podcast in the world. Thank you all for your support and for listening throughout the years.

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