Grover George – What Might Have Been

This story is about a magician who was on the cusp of greatness, but was thwarted by the man behind the “Wonder Show of the Universe”. Because of that, original stone lithograph posters of George are some of the easiest to find today. I will not go into great detail on the life of Grover George, as many others have done an excellent job on the internet and elsewhere, but here are a few pieces of trivia.


A brochure used by Grover George

Like so many other magicians before and after him, Grover George had a throw-out card. On heavy card stock, it has a blank back. While not overly elaborate, I’m sure the card served its purpose well. It wished everyone “Good Luck” too!

Grover George Throw-Out Card

Grover G. George was born on August 18, 1877 in Zanesville, Ohio. I have a particular interest in George, as I live between Zanesville and Columbus, Ohio, which was the birthplace of Thurston the magician. More about Thurston in a moment.

It looks like George developed an interest in magic at an early age. Unlike most, however, he parlayed that interest into a professional career as a magician. He met with success as can be attributed to this remembrance by M.S. Mahendra in The Linking Ring of April of 1939: “George sells his magic with a capital S. Here is one of the best magic acts on the road today. The marvelous thing to me about George is the way he works big magic and illusions, with only his wife to assist. Twenty years ago I saw Grover George at the National Theatre, Chicago, with a full evening show. This was before he toured South America. He has the most beautiful equipment ever.”

George doing thimble magic and a broadside for his show

Somewhere along the way, George decided to attempt the big time. He contracted with the Otis Lithograph Company to have a series of beautiful posters made proclaiming himself, “The Supreme Master of Magic” The posters stated it was his “Triumphant American Tour” with “18 People” and a “Car load of Scenic Effects” He attempted to contract with the leading theatres to showcase his illusion show, and that’s when Thurston stepped in.

Otis Lithograph posters for Grover George

Thurston was the biggest name in magic in America at the time and he proceeded to threaten the theatre managers who booked George. He told them that if they took on George, then he would not perform in their theatres. George attempted, with the help of his father (who was an attorney) to fight Thurston legally, but he was no match for the “World’s Greatest Magician”. So instead of continuing the fight, George decided to switch continents. He traveled to South America. Grover George went on to become fairly successful in South America, so much so in fact, that he moved there for the rest of his life.

Due to his move to Latin America, he was not able to use those beautiful Otis posters, announcing that American tour. They languished in a barn in Berlin, Wisconsin for many years until being bought up and dispersed to dealers and collectors around the world.

Grover George, the “Supreme Master of Magic” from Zanesville, Ohio, died in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 14, 1958. He was 71.

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From Billboard, 1930: