Tarbell and the Juvenile Wonder Workers

It’s been some time since I posted last but I hope this item makes up for lost time. The subject line leads with Harlan Tarbell but the real story is about Korman and “Merlin,” both juvenile wonder workers. The promotional item discussed here does not have a conventional playing card back but rather features photos of two young magicians.

So, who exactly were Korman and the mysterious Merlin? Korman is much easier to identify as being Louis H. Korman, born around 1906, a resident of Chicago and longtime member of S.A.M. Assembly #3. Korman doesn’t really start appearing in conjuring literature until the early 1920s.

 At that time the assembly was holding its meetings in a club room with a small stage. Korman’s first appearance on stage came as a surprise to a fellow magician and to the delight of the audience. According to Dorny (Werner Dornfield), during a club show a magician was doing the Rising Card effect with Korman off stage pulling the thread. When the performer took his bow, the curtains parted at the side of the stage and Korman stepped through and took a bow as well. “The laughter was dynamic. The magician was robbed of his glory, but inasmuch as the show was for magicians only I do not think that Korman’s conduct was too improper,” Dorny wrote. Korman was remorseful afterward and admitted he shouldn’t have done it.

The Juvenile Wonder Workers first started performing locally very early in the year 1922. A notice in the February 4, 1921 Billboard reported, “Korman and Merlin `The Juvenile Wonder Workers’ recently introduced their act at neighborhood theaters in Chicago, their home city, and registered so good that it is safe to predict a good name for them in magic.”

By September of that year, Korman was working at Arthur P. Felsman’s magic shop at the Windsor-Clifton Hotel. And then in the October 1922 issue of The Sphinx, we learn that “Merlin” is none other than Johnny Platt.

Platt was born in Chicago October 15, 1903 and started his interest in magic with a Gilbert Mysto Magic set. By 18 he was working with Korman but eventually left that gig to work in the publicity department of Middle West Utilities Co. in Chicago. He jumped back into show business at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair appearing as Hadji Baba, Indian Magician in the Oriental Theater in the Oriental Village. Platt was an early I.B.M. member holding number 109.

That wasn’t the end of the juvenile wonder workers though as another young Chicago magician George Boston stepped in to fill the role of Merlin.

Boston was born January 6, 1905 and first became interested in magic after seeing Thurston at age 10. He then started buying magic from Roterberg's magic shop and then over his career was an assistant to the Duval brothers, McDonald Birch, Howard Thurston, Harry Thurston, Carter, Mel-Roy, Virgil, Will Rock and Nicola. 

And so, when Boston left the act, was that the end of the juvenile wonder workers? No! The next Merlin was none other than Victor Torsberg, another Chicago stalwart and all-around talented magician.

 

He was born in 1906 and served as president of Assembly #3 three times, was president of The Wizard’s Club and president of I.B.M. Ring 43. He was best remembered as a demonstrator at Jim Sherman’s National Magic Shop. He was very close friends with George Boston.

 

On February 9, 1923, the juvenile wonder workers appeared on the first annual Assembly #3 magic show at Kimball Hall. With them that night on the show were Herman Homar performing “Spirit Paintings.” Prince Rajbar “Master Mystic;” Jim Sherman “Magicprestoignoracy;” Elmer Gylleck assisted by Chester Gump;” The Marvelous Jossefy presenting Balsamo, his amazing talking skull;” Arthur and Helena Buckley presenting telepathy; with Korman and Platt closing the show.

 

In December 1923, Korman accompanied a group of magicians who traveled to Michigan City to catch the Blackstone Sr. show. Accompanying Korman were Mr. and Mrs. Felsman, and Homar Woulffe. Earlier that month the wonder workers had a stage mishap. One of their big effects was the Pagoda Trick combined with the Tabouret production of four large ducks from a tub on the tabouret. When it came time to produce the ducks one had died. It was not for improper packing as the ducks apparently had lots of room in their hidden state.

 

All of the various Merlin’s went on to full lives of magic but it appears that Korman eventually dropped out of performing. A report on the 1940 Abbott’s Get Together act of Boston was reported with a note that all of his boyhood friends were still performing except for Korman. The May 1966 issue of The Linking Ring announced Korman’s death at 59 and referenced his early partnership with Boston and Platt. Boston died March 14, 1975. Platt passed away in 1990.

 

And so we return to Harlan Tarbell and finally disclose his relationship to the Juvenile Wonder Workers. Well, at the very bottom of their promotional card on each side you find “Harlan Tarbell” and according to experts, it was the very magic card designed by Tarbell. I hope you’ve enjoyed this look back at the vibrant Chicago magic scene and the intricate threads that wove these conjurors together especially Tarbell who played such a creatively and artistically important role in the history of magic. .

 

Tom Ewing

Henry "Hen" Fetsch

This wonderful ad card features a tuxedo-clad Henry "Hen" Fetsch (1912-1961) along with a bunny and a perforated top hat, from which he presumably produced the creature.   A prolific conjuror, inventor, writer and lecturer, Fetch released more than 50 marketed effects, five books and numerous magazine articles.  He contributed effects and routines to classic magic texts, including the Tarbell Course, Bobo's Modern Coin Magic and Annemann's Practical Magic Effects.   The best known of his marketed effects include the word "epic" in their titles, including Fetsch's Rope Epic, Silk Epic and Mental Epic.  He often collaborated with Milbourne Christopher, whom Fetsch met when he joined a Baltimore Boy Scout troupe in 1926. Fetsch's throwing card, depicted here, is an oversized throwout printed on heavy stock.   The corners are rounded and the back is blank.

From M-U-M, 1952

 A limited edition biography entitled  Fetsching Magic: The Life and Legacy of Hen Fetsch was first released in 2002.

The June 2006 issue of M-U-M featured a terrific tribute to Fetsch and his magic. That tribute ended with this fine epitaph:

"The imprint he left on the magic he loved is distinct and indelible, and his legend and legacy are worthy of rediscovery and being kept alive."

The same photo used on his throwing card
appeared on the cover of The Linking Ring in 1952

Davis “The Man Who Mystifies”

Richard Davis, “The Man Who Mystifies” left quite an impression on his fellow magicians during his magic career. He was known for his novel presentations and unique methods in the performance of his effects. According to the write-ups in the magic magazines of his day, the reason for his methods to his tricks was due to the fact that when he got his start in magic, he had never read any magic books. He did not know how many magic tricks worked, and had to figure out how to do them. Many times, his method was a whole new way of doing the trick. Richard Davis was nothing if not clever.

From The Menasha Wisconsin Record for January 9, and The Decatur Illinois Herald for October 27, 1923

Richard Davis (1875-1933) was born and lived in New Hampshire. I found many references and ads for him in newspapers around the country. He was best known as a Chautauqua and Lyceum magician. Like all of the other magicians featured on this blog, Davis had a throw-out card. He had several as a matter of fact.

All of the above cards are on heavy card stock, and do not utilize playing card backs. The card on the top left however is laid out like a playing card, as it is reversible. It advertises the Coit-Alber Lyceum Bureau. The two cards on the top right depict one of the Harlan Tarbell cards, which have been used by many other magicians as seen on this site. The two cards on the bottom left mention the Affiliated Lyceum and Chautauqua Association on the back. The card on the bottom right is blank, and is more like a business card.

Davis passed away at the age of 57 in 1933 after a long illness that had stopped his performing. In his obituary written in The Linking Ring, they paid him the utmost compliment by saying, “Davis always performed any of the old tricks a little different with some new wrinkle or entirely new manner which marked him the genius he was in figuring out new ideas in his chosen art”. From everything I read about him, and the praise he received from his peers, it seems that Richard Davis was truly, “The Man Who Mystifies”.

From the cover of The Linking Ring for October, 1926.

Uncle Ed Reno – “It’s all in the Stick”

I recently acquired this throw-out card for magician Ed Reno. It has as its back, one of the ads for the Tarbell Magic Course that is seen on a number of throw-out cards here on this site. Because it was glued into a scrapbook at one time, it has a fair amount of paper loss, and looks a little shabby. As you will learn in this post, the look of this card fits Reno rather well.

 

Reno was born Edward Munn Burdick on August 23, 1861 in Baldwinsville, New York. Like so many others, he got his start in magic while young by apprenticing to a magician. Reno was paid about a dime a day, and learned the ropes of being a magician. By the time he was fifteen, he was on his own as a performer, and even did tours of Australia and England, with a prestigious stop at London’s famed “Egyptian Hall” magic theatre.

Chautauqua brochures for Ed Reno
 

In time Reno decided to go into the Chautauqua and Lyceum field. Chautauqua was known as “Culture under Canvas”. It was a form of entertainment that traveled from town to town, setting up under a tent, presenting a week’s worth of lectures, concerts, plays, and vaudeville type entertainers. There was a different presentation each night. Lyceum was essentially the same thing, but was done in theatres in the winter. Reno went into this field and remained in it for many years.

A Chautauqua poster for Ed Reno (Author's collection)

Life on the Chautauqua circuit was not easy, as you were constantly travelling to the next town, setting up and tearing down your show, and always on the move. While many magicians excelled at this life, it would seem that it was a little tougher for Reno. While everything I have read says Reno’s magic shows were excellent, they were not without their issues. It was said that Ed Reno’s personal appearance and his apparatus were somewhat shabby. His clothes were often unclean and unkempt, and his props were beat up and looked like he made them himself. Instead of a magic wand, Reno used a rung from a chair and called it his stick. When asked how he did his wonders, he replied, “It’s all in the stick”. One report said that at the end of his performance, he would set his suitcase under his table and sweep his props into it with his arm!

All indications though, seem to reflect highly on his ability to give a good show, and he was well respected by his peers in magic. Magicians liked him so much, that he was fondly referred to as “Uncle Ed Reno”. One of his featured tricks was the “Egg Bag” trick in which an egg mysteriously appears and disappears in a cloth bag. Reno’s egg bag exists to this day, as I was able to purchase it at a magic auction several years ago.

Ed Reno's Egg Bag

Ed Reno died on April 2, 1949 in Kankakee, Illinois where he had lived for many years. He was 87. I am indebted to magic author David Meyer who wrote a fine article on Ed Reno in July 2013 in the pages of Magic magazine. I learned a great deal about Reno from his story.

I feel that the beaten and worn throw-out card above is a fitting remembrance of the rough and tumble career of the man who had such a long and strenuous journey as a professional magician…. “Uncle Ed Reno”.

What’s the Russ?

No, I didn’t misspell the word “rush” but rather tried lamely to do a play on words about the subject of this posting, Russ Walsh. In short (two words you can hardly use regarding Walsh), he was one of only a few people to hold the presidency of both the S.A.M. (1934-35) and the I.B.M. (1949-50). That remarkable feat notwithstanding, he was also a wonderfully creative and inquisitive magician and a real gentleman.

R.W. Hull: Crooksville, The Tuned Deck and the Essential Nature of Being

R.W. Hull Green Ace Playing Card - this is actually
the back design of a full deck of cards.

The most amazing benefit of working on this blog comes from the astonishing things you learn while developing the history of a small piece of cardstock.  The human elements make these historical detours so very interesting. Today's subject, Ralph W. Hull, is a case in point. Printed in green ink, this throwing card sports a groovy elf conjuring up a profusion of cards.  And while it appears to be the face of an ace of spades, the green side is actually a back design of an entire deck of cards.  The reverse of this marvelous specimen features a handsome Ace of Spades by the Russell Playing Card Company. Gary and Tom both found another, printed in red, with a playing card back, seen below.  In the red deck, it seems that the ace of spades design is a single card from a deck, rather than the back design.


Delving into Hull's history, I found a rich biographical record: Ask Alexander produced nearly 1,000 references in magic books and periodicals, and the Internet revealed still more.  There is far too much material for a detailed biography, so a few highlights will have to do:

Henry Gordien

Henry Gordien passed away at seventy-seven on February 9, 1967 in Maple Grove, Minneapolis. He was active in magic for well over fifty years. He specialized in presenting assorted effects including producing bowls of water filled with gold fish, a production of a live rabbit, a torn and restore newspaper effect, the ever popular borrowed bill in lemon effect, and a featured effect that seemed almost common place in his time and that was threading over a dozen needles after swallowing them which he called the “Hindu Needle-Eating and Threading Trick”. Another magician made this trick popular and his name was Harry Houdini. When the opportunity appropriate, Houdini would mention that he purchased the original needle trick from Gordien. 

Bamberg, the Elusive Mr. Heir and the Triple-Promotion Throwout Card

Some time ago, when Tom published this terrific post about Theo Bamberg a/k/a "Okito", I wondered about the odd layout and language on the card reproduced here.  Why the empty space between the Bicycle Playing Cards banner and the "Free Trick" text below that?  At first I thought perhaps it was part of a trick that the card would be used for, but that didn't feel right.   And when it says "I can recommend The Bamberg Magic & Novelty Company," who is this mysterious "I"?

We have, of course, written elsewhere about the Bicycle Playing Card promotion offering free throwout cards to magicians,  In years of research, though, I have never found a specific reference to the arrangement, other than a mention by John Mulholland.   And, certainly, we've covered a throwing card hawking the Tarbell Course, as yet another form of cross-promotion.   But the layout of this Bamberg card proved curious.


Then, fortuitously, I came across an eBay auction for another card, advertising what is presumably a magic show called "Wonderland" starring someone named George (using the quaint, largely obsolete abbreviation "Geo.")  Heir.  The card, which sports a US Playing Card Company 808 back, answers certain questions about Tom's Okito card.   Heir's card features largely similar text about Bamberg Magic and the Bicycle Playing Card marquee, but also has the photo and text for Mr. Heir overprinted within that mysterious space.  So Bamberg must have sold or given cards like the one seen above as "blanks" to performers seeking to pitch their shows, who would overprint the cards with an image or additional text in the empty space.   So this card, from an advertising perspective, is a triple-threat: it simultaneously promotes Heir's show, Bamberg's shop and Bicycle cards.

In fact, this card also provides some evidence of something I've suspected for a while: it may be that US Playing Card distributed the cards printed with their backs and the "Hold Good Cards" banner, and performers were required get the fronts printed elsewhere.  If this theory is correct, it would account for the vast differences in the quality of printing between the beautiful backs of these cards and the often abysmal imaging on their faces.

Even assuming that this card provides a clue to this production mystery, it raises a new question. Who in the world was George Heir?  So far, my research has turned up an absolute blank on him.  So like Stincel, he may remain a man of mystery. . . .

Oh, and before we bid farewell to Mr. Bamberg, Gary Frank brought this piece to my attention.  It's a sticker, playing card sized, that he could use to convert a blank (or presumably even a printed) card into an advertising piece.  And Gary raises a very interesting question: do you think Bamberg got a discount on these given that they misspelled his name?

Cardini's Birthday: His Fanning Card and Mystic Craig

Today marks the birthday of the legendary Cardini (b. Richard Pitchford, 1895-1973), who was known for his superlative manipulation act, which showcased his unparalleled skills with cigarettes, billiard balls and card fanning and production. Though he progressed through several varieties of cards, he ultimately settled on the type pictured here.  This card bears Cardini's trademark back, which has a fascinating history, as related in John Fisher's terrific biography Cardini: The Suave Deceiver:

"For his fanning sequences, Cardini originally used a brand called "Park Avenue," which was obtainable from Woolworth's, until he was introduced to a card with an even more attractive back design on general sale in Walgreen.s drug stores.

Clarke on the Winter Solstice

So, here in North America, it is the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year.  And as we ponder darkness and shadow, what a perfect time to reflect on this fine specimen, advertising the magical services of Brewerton Clarke (1905-1986) early in his career, before he became more widely known as Sir Felix Korim.  Note the unusual incorporation of the common devil theme -- Clarke casts a shadow in the shape of a demon.   Clarke, who began his career as a graphic artist, may have designed this card himself -- regular readers may recall that he illustrated one of the Moore cards we featured in our very first post.

The Expert at the Banquet Table

Ted Annemann

 - O.K. I'm probably already violating the parameters for this site by posting this item related to the famous mentalist Ted Annemann, but what the heck. Here is a card for the Convention of New England Magicians which held their conference at the Hotel Bond in Hartford, CT Nov. 11-12, 1933. It is, in fact the menu for their banquet and it is autographed by Annemann. I don't believe Annemann ever had a throw out card so this may be the closest we'll ever get. It has a nice red decorative back. Other thoughts?

Well, I stand corrected. It appears that Anneman did have a scaling card and here is an example provided through the courtesy of London Ervin, one of the leading collectors of Anneman memorabilia.

 

The front of the card displays a devil with smoke coming from his mouth that encircles his head spelling out Anneman's name. The reverse is a pitch for Harlan Tarbell's Course in Magic. If anyone knows of another Anneman card please let us know. And, if you have any Anneman memorabilia, we're sure that London would love to hear from you. Thanks London for sharing the image.