Tex Hobgood – "World’s Only Cowboy Magician"

A lot of magicians have come up with a gimmick, or a presentation, to make themselves better known and remembered by their audiences. Tex Hobgood claimed he was the “World’s Only Cowboy Magician”. The Linking Ring in July 1945 said about Hobgood, “Here’s a character for you--does magic in full cowboy regalia, chaps, ten gallon hat, etc., and is a clever chap at that.”

I have only seen this one throw-out card for Tex. It was produced for a specific appearance at Lambros Marine Room in Chester, Pennsylvania. It has a cartoon illustration of Tex on the front, and has a red Aviator playing card back.

Harvey “Tex” Hobgood was born in 1902 and naturally hailed from the great state of Texas. Hobgood performed quite a bit during the 1940’s and into the 1950’s. He performed in many states, and I found several references to him in various newspapers. When he played in Pampa, Texas as seen below, he was on the bill with Mel-Roy, a well-known mentalist and mind reader of the day. The other ad is for a drive-in movie theater in Akron, Ohio.

The Pampa, Texas Daily News for Apr. 18, 1943 and The Akron Beacon Journal for Sep 13, 1949.

 

The below photo of him was in the Amarillo Globe-Times for May 3, 1943, accompanied by this anecdote, which relates to it being during World War II. “H. Cowboy Hobgood, who has a saddle bag full of magic, says all tricks in which he used to use rabbits or other livestock have been shelved for the duration. ‘I produced a rabbit at a USO show in Omaha’, he said with regret, ‘and the rabbit was mobbed. Someone had rabbit stew that night. So because the rationing regulations endanger the lives of the rabbits, I have eliminated those tricks.’” 

 

Harvey “Tex” Hobgood was married and his wife was named Leona. Leona passed away in 1968, followed by Tex in 1979. Their final resting place is back in Texas, in the city of Fort Worth.