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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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770: Buddy Farnan - Reflections on a Life of Firsts

Magicians have a long-standing reputation being on the leading edge of science and technology. After the television became a household item, several magicians found a home on air where they increased their visibility and spread joy to millions of viewers. Although some were able to parlay their local TV appearances to the national networks, most were content to be big fishes in small ponds. Buddy Farnan was one such magician who was well-known as a TV celebrity magician in a regional area. Buddy was the general manager of Funtown in Atlanta, Georgia, and a leading magician on a fledgling TV channel owned by Ted Turner. He later moved to Buffalo, New York, where he became known on local TV there as Buckskin Joe. All of this began in the early 1960’s and continued for many years. Now at age 89, Buddy looks back at his illustrious career.

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On this week’s episode, Buddy Farnan talks about his roots in early television and some of the many celebrities we know still today. He chats candidly about his TV studio work as a magician and tells a few stories about the joy he spread to children as the magician from Funtown in Atlanta then later as Buckskin Joe. Meir Yedid recorded a short video interview with Buddy in 2019 that is located on Meir’s Magic Times website. I recommend that you take a look at this short video by Clicking Here.

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

Tagged with Buddy Farnan, Atlanta Georgia, Funtown, Martin Luther King Jr., Buffalo Bob and Howdy Doody, Billy Bishop, Fantasy Island, Ted Turner.

July 20, 2023 by Scott Wells.
  • July 20, 2023
  • Scott Wells
  • Buddy Farnan
  • Atlanta Georgia
  • Funtown
  • Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Buffalo Bob and Howdy Doody
  • Billy Bishop
  • Fantasy Island
  • Ted Turner
  • 2 Comments
2 Comments
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617: U.K. Kid Show Magicians

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Kids are kids the world over and they all love magic. But there are some subtle differences in how and where magic is presented to children in the U.S. versus how it's done in the U.K. This week we chat with family and children show entertainers from the U.K. about these differences and some of their challenges (i.e. taking the tube and/or train in London between shows) and how they brand themselves by using memorable names for their characters.

Listen this week to our chat with Martin "Mr. Biscuit" Cox, Dave "Magic Dave" Allen and Paul "Colonel Custard" Megram as we hear how it's done "across the pond."

This week’s podcast episode on YouTube.

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This week, Paul Megram, Dave Allen and Martin Cox represent a small sample of the complex and multi-levels of children’s show magicians in England. Someone could easily make a podcast devoted to just the kid show industry in the U.K. by featuring a different entertainer each week, but that’s not what The Magic Word Podcast is about. So please enjoy this 35,000 foot (or 10,668 meters) overview of this lucrative industry and accept our apologies if we have left out you as a guest or topics that you think we should have discussed.

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

Tagged with Martin Cox, Paul Megram, Dave Allen, Mr. Biscuit, Col. Custard, Magic Dave, U.K. magic, kid show, children's magic.

June 17, 2021 by Scott Wells.
  • June 17, 2021
  • Scott Wells
  • Martin Cox
  • Paul Megram
  • Dave Allen
  • Mr. Biscuit
  • Col. Custard
  • Magic Dave
  • U.K. magic
  • kid show
  • children's magic
  • Post a comment
Comment
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Martin Cox at 2018 Blackpool Convention

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A big "THANK YOU" goes out to Martin Cox who sent in his report from the largest magic convention in the world, Blackpool Magic Convention in Blackpool, England. In this Un-Numbered, Special Edition, he roams around the Winter Garden through the Dealer's Hall and elsewhere grabbing some conversations with dealers, registrants, organizers and talent. This gives you a pretty good feel of what went on during this event.

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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. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Tagged with Martin Cox, Blackpool Magic Convention.

February 19, 2018 by Scott Wells.
  • February 19, 2018
  • Scott Wells
  • Martin Cox
  • Blackpool Magic Convention
  • 1 Comment
1 Comment
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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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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!

Travel Breather in the Eye of the Storm - We are between two (actually three) major events: FISM, Abbott's Get Together and MAGIC Live! Last week was a full week of FISM reports. Next week we travel to Colon, Michigan for Abbott's Get Together then i
FISM 2025 Daily Reports from Turin, Italy We are in the middle of the World Championship of Magic in Turin, Italy. Join us and/or catch up on the daily podcast updates on FISM 2025.
#fism2025
#fismturin
#turinitaly
#italy
#magic
#worldchampionshipofm
Travel Breather in the Eye of the Storm - We are between two (actually three) major events: FISM, Abbott's Get Together and MAGIC Live! Last week was a full week of FISM reports. Next week we travel to Colon, Michigan for Abbott's Get Together then i
Another delightful day under the Tuscan sun in Siena and other cities I can't spell, but enjoying the sun, the food, the wine, and the culture. And the Gelato is amazing. #gelato #siena #italy
A tour of the Chianti Classico region. Two wineries and a sunset Tuscan dinner followed by, of course, gellato. #chianti
From Turin to Parma where we tried the music,  cheese, prosciutto,  wine, and Gelato. #parma
Under the Tuscan sun with truffle hunting, a cooking class, and wine. #tuscany
FISM 2025 Daily Reports from Turin, Italy We are in the middle of the World Championship of Magic in Turin, Italy. Join us and/or catch up on the daily podcast updates on FISM 2025.
#fism2025
#fismturin
#turinitaly
#italy
#magic
#worldchampionshipofm
We departed for Turin and arrived in time for FISM registration, street magic, and dinner. #turino #FISM2025

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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