876: Chris Blackmore - Looking Back at Lahaina

Chris Blackmore was a regular performer in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, at Warren & Annabelle’s. That is, up until the devastating fire in August 2023. The fire destroyed homes and businesses and was responsible for the deaths of over 100 people. Lives were forever changed in an instant. Warren & Annabelle’s was a premier destination dinner theater that featured magic and was one of the highest rated, most visited sites in Hawaii

This week, Chris talk about his experience in Lahaina as the fires started, grew, and eventually overtook the city. His perspective as “boots on the ground” are chilling yet insightful. His recollections of the halcyon day of Warren & Annabelle’s are recounted here, too.

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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.

832: Magic Collector Expo 2024 - Days One and Two

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

10:00am-4:00pm Registration Open

1:00pm to 4:00pm Dealers Open

4:00pm to 5:00pm Session #1 “Welcome To Long Beach”

5:00pm to 7:00pm Dinner

7:00pm to 8:30pm Session #2

8:30pm to 11:30pm Dealer Room Open

Wednesday, May 8th, 2024

9:00 am to 11:00am Dealer Room Open

11:00am to 12:30pm Session #3

12:30pm-5:00pm Dealer Room Open

1:30pm-5:00pm Mike Caveney’s Egyptian Hall

Museum (In The Queen Mary Boardroom) & Queen Mary Guided Tours

5:00pm-7:00pm Dinner

7:00pm-8:30pm Session#4

8:30pm-11:30pm Dealer Room Open

Timestamps for this episode:

00:00:17 – We take off from Austin for Burbank, California, where we’ll head to Long Beach and the Queen Mary for the convention then come back to Hollywood to the Magic Castle later and the awards presentation of the Academy of Magical Arts where I will be receiving a Special Fellowship for this podcast.

00:03:36 – Dana Daniels, one of the presenters who told some stories about working in Disneyland.

00:15:48 – Lance Rich, another of the presenters, told us a bit about his book “Neon Dreams” that was the focus of his talk last year. This year he spoke about “Neptune’s Sorcerers” which was about cruise ship magicians prior to the 1970’s.

00:22:42 – Les Arnold, one of the Long Beach Mystics, talked about his association with the club as a builder and performer

00:28:00 – Mike Caveney, one of the presenters gave us a quick recap of what was in his talk that I missed. It was about several of the artifacts in his Egyptian Hall and how he came about being the heir to the David Price collection.

00:32:22 – We kick off Day Two at breakfast with Peter Rogers, from Australia, and Dick Olson, from Texas, who are registrants at this event. They tell us what they have been doing and their reflections on this convention. It was Peter’s first Expo.

00:41:27 – Arthur Moses, Houdini expert/collector/historian/author, is a dealer at this Expo who talks about some of the things he has available. He talks about his new book that would interest those who are researching Houdini.

00:49:50 – David Charvet was another speaker at the convention who spoke about the Golden Age of Magic in Southern California 1893-1963.

00:57:00 – Chuck Jones was interviewed by Stan Allen on stage for the Expo. In this chat, Chuck recapped his life in this short chat. He tells some stories about his early television work.

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

876: Chris Blackmore - Looking Back at Lahaina

844: Joe Devlin - Matador In The Arena

832: Magic Collector Expo 2024 - Days One and Two

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Wednesday, May 8th, 2024

The Magic Word