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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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387: Orson Bean - It Began With A Fir Tree

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The cover of a 1960 comedy album showed Orson Bean holding a "Fir Tree" (made from rolled-up newspaper) which started the search. While in the Los Angeles, California area, I learned that Orson Bean had an interest in magic and even belonged to the Academy of Magical Arts.

In a fortunate turn of events, The Magic Word Podcast was able to visit the home of legendary actor and comedian, Orson Bean, and his lovely wife (and talented actor in her own right), Alley Mills. What started out as a search into Orson's background and interest in magic led to a fascinating discussion through time and television history.

Orson and Alley were also putting the final touches on their new one act play, "Alright Then" that is "a true story of two people who fell in love and overcame insurmountable odds to forge a successful marriage." Their intent was to take it to the Mark Twain Library in Redding, CT (which they did this past July) then return to Los Angeles and present it there. During this podcast, Orson and Alley present a snippet from the play.

Watch SAFE AT HOME: An Evening with Orson Bean for FREE. Orson had offers to take his LADCC Award winning show to New York and elsewhere, but he feels strongly that this is a show he wants everyone to see and to enjoy, just as our audiences did here at Pacific Resident Theater.  He decided to “give it away to the world” and posted it on YouTube.  Now YOU and EVERYONE you know can enjoy this hilarious,

View fullsize  photo courtesy of Jeff Abraham via Facebook
View fullsize Live Retording from the "Hungry i"
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View fullsize Alley Mills and Orson Bean
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During our conversation, we start with magic but the real magic unfolds as we hear remarkable stories about Hollywood legends such as Johnny Carson, Ernie Kovacs, Bob Hope and so many, many more. Alley Mills also chats about her work on "The Wonder Years" TV show and the friendships that bonded the cast for life. Towards the end of this recording, Orson and Alley presented (and rehearsed) a bit of their new play "Alright Then"

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 Orson Bean, Alley Mills, one act play, Mark Twain, Alright Then, Johnny Carson, Ernie Kovac, Bob Hope, Dallas Burrows, To Tell The Truth, The Tonight Show.

October 5, 2017 by Scott Wells.
  • October 5, 2017
  • Scott Wells
  • Orson Bean
  • Alley Mills
  • one act play
  • Mark Twain
  • Alright Then
  • Johnny Carson
  • Ernie Kovac
  • Bob Hope
  • Dallas Burrows
  • To Tell The Truth
  • The Tonight Show
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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.”

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IYKYK Happy Mother's Day. Celebrating our annual pilgrimage with Kathy at my side, in spirit.
Daily podcast reports on the Magic Collector Expo from Las Vegas featuring chats with talent, organizers, dealers, and registrants. #lasvegas #theorleans #magic #magicconvention #davidcopperfield #magicwordpodcast https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/
Livin' it up in Las Vegas at the Magic Collector Expo. #magiccollectorexpo2025 #davidcopperfield #jeffmcbride #charlesgreeneiii
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IYKYK Happy Mother's Day. Celebrating our annual pilgrimage with Kathy at my side, in spirit. Daily podcast reports on the Magic Collector Expo from Las Vegas featuring chats with talent, organizers, dealers, and registrants. #lasvegas #theorleans #magic #magicconvention #davidcopperfield #magicwordpodcast https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/ Livin' it up in Las Vegas at the Magic Collector Expo. #magiccollectorexpo2025 #davidcopperfield #jeffmcbride #charlesgreeneiii Join us for our very special 900th podcast episode this week featuring @dansperry who is universally known in the magic community having performed with The Illusionists and often appearing on television plus casinos, theaters, and stages around the w Daily reports from the 4F convention in Buffalo,  New York.  The original close-up magic convention, invitation only, with some of the best close-up workers in the world. #ffff #fechtersfingerflickingfrolic #ffff2025 #cheektowaga #magicwordpodcast #m Keith Fields and Lady Sarah - And the Winner is... I.B.M. co-chair of the Contest Committee, Keith Fields and his wife, the Lady Sarah, provide advice, suggestions, and reasons for entering contests. They also talk about their “Magic Soiree&rdq
Moontower Comedy Festival: Genius + Poison Magic Week at the Hideout Coffee Shop in Austin, Texas #magic #zabrecky #derekhughes #nickdiffatte #comedy #austincomedy
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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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