401: David Berglas - International Man of Mystery, Part Two

This week we present the second installment of our two-part podcast with David Berglas. Last week we talked about his work on British television and this week we talk about his career in the film industry and people he worked with and knew. Also, David has a profound sense of "giving back" to our community. He is a supporter of the Capetown (South Africa) College of Magic. He is the founder of the "David Berglas International Award of Magic" which has been presented to Uri Geller, David Copperfield, Juan Tamariz, Lu Chen, Derren Brown, Jeff McBride, Dynamo and Penn & Teller.

David Berglas comes out of retirement for a special occasion August 2001

David Berglas talking with Andrew Eborn about The Magic Circle in Pinoli's at the unveiling of the British Plaque Trust plaque on 13th April 2016. Film by Gordon Drayson, Drayson Design.

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In this podcast, David talks about working with Orson Welles and Peter Sellers on the set of Casino Royale; his work with his marketing company, E.S.P.; the Piddington's mind reading act on the radio (which is featured on "Radio Lab" podcast HERE); how David acquired his moniker, "International Man of Mystery"; his philosophy on disclaimers; performing for British royalty; meeting Picasso; his philanthropic work with the Capetown College of Magic; magic conventions like the IMX, EMC, McMillan Weekend, etc.; his International Award of Magic, and more.

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.

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Please consider donating to David Berglas' pet project, the Capetown South Africa College of Magic.

279: The Cardini Connection with Randy Pitchford

Randy Pitchford is the nephew of Richard Valentine Pitchford, who was better known as Cardini. More than just a familial connection, Randy is also a performer, entrepreneur and successful businessman. Randy is the CEO and President of Gearbox Software located in Frisco, Texas (a northern suburb of Dallas).

Randy purchased much of the Cardini collection from the 2013 Potter & Potter auction and put the bulk of the exhibit in a museum at the Magic Castle. His most recent purchase may have the furthest reaching impact in our community: he is the new owner of Genii Magazine.

Randy is building a home designed to be like Brookledge, the home of Bill and Irene Larsen in Los Angeles. He even plans to present regular shows for the public in his home not unlike the Bookledge Follies.

Magician Cardini performing in 1957

Cardini (Richard Pitchford) performing coins and cards for some lucky people on a cruise. This rare footage was shot by Dr. Morris Young, and hasn't been seen for 50 years. Edited and restored by Magicbymax Steven Max Droge Productions.

Borderlands 2 creator Randy Pitchford (President and Co-founder, Gearbox Studios) gives his keynote speech at the 2013 D.I.C.E. SUMMIT. Titled "Video Games Are Magic". Brought to you by Variety and Machinima. The D.I.C.E.

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Randy Pitchford was born in 1971 and Richard "Cardini" Pitchford died in 1973 so Randy has no recollection of his uncle. In this podcast, Randy talks about the acquisition of his Cardini artifacts plus some stories that were passed down to Randy from the family and friends. He also talks about his experience in his early years of performing at the Magic Castle and his personal relationship with the late Irene Larsen.

Also, he briefly talks about his recent acquisition of Genii magazine from Richard Kaufman; however, since the details have not been fleshed out, there are not many details to share. At this point, I understand that no change of any kind is envisioned for the immediate future of the magazine. Randy just wants to preserve this part of magic history and make sure of the longevity, viability and vitality of Genii far into the future so it can "live on forever."

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

Here is the photo taken by Michael Wilcoxen, the winner of the contest, with the framed Peau -Doux card he received as he has it displayed in his home.

This is the framed fan of Peau Doux manipulations cards (used by Cardini) that was presented by Randy Pitchford to David Copperfield. This is NOT the number of cards nor type of frame that will be sent to the winner of the contest (which is now ended). The contest here was for one framed card (probably without the brass plaque) and I'm uncertain of the type of framing that Randy will prepare.

220: My Week at the Magic Castle 2015 - Part One

We're off to be the wizard. We head west this week to the hills of Hollywood a bit early before my week begins because I want to catch the Castle swap meet on Saturday. To kick off this multi-part podcast of my week at the Castle, there is no better way to indoctrinate you than to immerse you in the lore and with stories from the Castle's rich heritage.

In this Part One podcast, we sit down in "Vernon's Corner" to hear stories from Howard Hamburg and Newell Unfried. They tell story after story of legends some of whom are long gone but whose spirit lives on in the Magic Castle. They include stories of Dai Vernon, Eddie Fields, Earl Nelson, Ed Marlo, John Cornelius and many, many others. We also get to chat with Bill Goodwin, the Librarian of The Magic Castle. What a way to kick off this series!

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00:07:22 - Howard Hamburg and Newell Unfried seem to top each other by telling one story after another about many of the legendary magicians who have frequented the Magic Castle over its rich years of history. Newell has some great stories about those who have visited the old Hollywood Magic shop and Howard talks about some of the characters from the Castle like Senator Crandall and Dai Vernon. Our discussion is topped by a final story involving Martin Nash and the Professor. Nothing can top this one.

00:50:34 - Close-Up Magician of the Year (and current nominee again for 2014), Bill Goodwin talks about the Castle library and the thousands of videos available among the many tombs of books. He also talks about bequethment of collections and how you can provide for donatoins to the library after you are gone.

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.