867: John Cox - What's New With Houdini?

As we end our “Month of Boo'“ on The Magic Word Podcast, we close it out on the 98th anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini who passed on Halloween (October 31st), 1926. It is fitting that we have a chat with the internationally noted expert on “all things Houdini,” John Cox. John is the blogger of “Wild About Houdini” which is a daily blog about the master of escapes. He always seems to find some interesting nugget about Houdini’s life that has been long overlooked or “escaped” his attention.

If you are more of a visual person, then you might enjoy watching our conversation that was recorded over Zoom.

This week, John Cox talks about the many variations of the “Houdini Seance” since the first one by Bess Houdini first held on the year following Harry’s death. These modern day seances includes the current “Official” one hosted by Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz and the “Original” one hosted by Tom Boldt and Bill Radner. John also tells us some details about Houdini’s trial in Germany, plus he updates us on the books he is writing including the elucidation on Houdini’s diary from his early years before he rose to his legendary status.

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844: Joe Devlin - Matador In The Arena

Known as the “Matador of Magic,” Joe Devlin has lived what, for most, would be several lifetimes full of magic. He has performed around the world aboard cruise ships for 37 years; he has created and performed unique, original illusions; he was one of the performers in NYC at the Magic Townhouse and Mostly Magic; he had long term engagements in Atlantic City and in the Bahamas; his wedding was the subject of a one-hour “reality” show; he appeared on “All My Children” daytime network television; he has been a consultant tor Criss Angel’s show “Magic of the Stars” and others, and; he was a featured performer on Criss Angel’s “Amysitika” show in Las Vegas.

In this week’s episode, Joe talks about his amazing history of performing, creating and consulting magic over the years. His fast-paced style and on-stage choreography reminds one of the moves of a flamenco dancer and also of a Spanish bullfighter in the arena. This week he chats about a lot of what he has accomplished over the past 40+ years including a bit about taking care of the Houdini Memorial in New York. He had two touring illusion shows, but since the death of his wife/assistant, he has focused on singular performances and consulting.

632: Rick Thomas - Big Cat on the Porch

No trip to Branson, Missouri, would be complete without seeing the amazing stage show of Rick Thomas. Among the many honors presented to Rick Thomas include the coveted “Magician of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts and Magic’s highest recognition "Illusionist of the World" by the World Magic Awards. Thomas has also been featured on numerous national television specials including the NBC series "The World’s Greatest Magic" and “Masters of Illusion” on the CW plus other appearances on MTV, FOX, TLC, Animal Planet, the History Channel plus his own special on ABC.

Rick has completed five world tours covering over 50 countries, including sold out performances at Caesars Colosseum, headlining the Sydney Opera House in Australia and performing both on Broadway and Las Vegas.

Few entertainers have succeeded in Las Vegas like Rick Thomas. His show ran consecutively for 15 years in the most magnificent theaters on the Las Vegas Strip, performing a staggering 600 shows a year. He is honored to have received the Key to the City of Las Vegas and also titled the most successful show for families in its history.

In this podcast, you will get to know the man behind the illusions and the cats. Though Rick no longer works with big cats on stage, he is still committed to helping this endangered species. He chats about working with big cats and the dangers. He also talks about his career in Las Vegas and around the world that has landed him “softly” in Branson where he may end up retiring…if there is such a thing for a world class illusionist.

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..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here