Willard S. Smith and Thurston’s Throw-Out Card Change

While doing research on the “Ask Alexander” data base, I came across a very interesting story that encompasses my two favorite collecting interests, namely Thurston the magician, and of course throw-out cards.

In the May 1956 issue of “The Linking Ring” Willard S. Smith wrote an interesting article entitled “Howard Thurston throw-out cards” about how he influenced Thurston to change a throw-out card design he had been using, to the card design of Thurston on one side, and his stepdaughter Jane on the other.

It was while Thurston was appearing in Worcester, Massachusetts in October of 1928.  Smith had gone backstage to visit Thurston in his dressing room.  Smith noticed some of the magician’s throw-out cards advertising his “Perfect Breather” on the back of the card.  This was the anti-snoring device that Thurston had high hopes for.  He was expecting a financial windfall from it, but it never happened.

The Thurston transition went from the top two, to the bottom two cards.

Smith mentioned that he thought the anti-snoring device seemed inappropriate coming “from the world’s greatest magician”. Thurston thought about this for a bit, and then called for his secretary. " "Take this letter to my printer," Thurston said. "Quote price on new throw-out cards with Jane's picture on back instead of present ad.  Wording to read, "She's just like her dad." ” (In reality Jane’s side of the card actually read, “She takes after her Dad”.)

Howard and Jane Thurston, and Baby Elephant

 The year 1928 was Jane’s debut season as his co-star performing her own magical numbers on the show.  Judge Brown has covered the subject of Jane and this new card with her likeness on it, in his post “Meet Jane Thurston”, elsewhere on this site.

While we are discussing Willard Smith’s article here, I should also mention that Smith had his own throw-out card. Smith was a Baptist minister and served as the National Chaplain of the Society of American Magicians at one time. He was born on October 9, 1898, and died on January 5, 1981. From my research, it would appear Smith’s interest in magic lasted for most of his life. He wrote a monthly column for "The Linking Ring” for ten years.

 

From "The Linking Ring" for May 1952 on the left and "The Sphinx" for September 1936 on the right

If Willard Smith’s recollections are correct, this is a fascinating glimpse of a Thurston throw-out card transitioning from one design to another.   Of course the card that it became, turned out to be the last card Thurston produced that we know of.  When the Thurston show was purchased out of magician Gerald Heaney’s barn, in which it was stored in Wisconsin so many years ago, they literally found thousands of these cards still waiting to be thrown out to the enthralled audiences of Howard Thurston, “The World’s Greatest Magician”!