The Magic Show "Up To His Old Tricks" (1974)
Up to His Old Tricks
When I was in junior high I saw the S.S. Adams catalog of jokes and magic tricks advertised in Boy's Life magazine and sent off a quarter to get a copy. I convinced my mother to let me order a number of practical jokes and a few magic tricks. The jokes were to cater to my more devious side while the magic tricks were part of a genuine interest in learning to be a magician. I never mastered the tricks or attempted to perform them for anyone other than my parents and a few friends, but my interest in magic grew.
From early childhood I had always been a fan of performance magic. After taking a job with an actual touring magic show when I was 24 years of age, I became a fanatic about magic. Traveling with the Ken Griffin Magic Show starting in the summer of 1975 I began to live and breathe magic. Since I was hired on as stage manager I needed to become knowledgeable about the workings of the tricks we used. Ken and his wife were old timers and had many great stories to tell about show business in general and especially other magicians. I read magic books and looked for anything about magic I could find.
Ken and Roberta Griffin had been touring with their illusion show since the early 1950's and had gained fame among magicians with their book Illusion Show Know How. It was not long after I began touring with them that I realized the celebrity standing they had in magic circles. In each town where we performed there would be fans anxious to meet the duo and I would feel proud to be affiliated with their show.
During the two years I worked with the Griffin's show, we were booked at a number of prestigious magic events and venues that featured magic. In the summer of 1976 a portion of our show was featured as one of the attractions at the prestigious Tannen's Magic Convention held at the legendary Brown's Resort Hotel in the Catskills region of New York. A very young David Copperfield was also there in a breakout performance before the all magic crowd.
After the Tannen's Convention ended, we decided to go on into New York City since we were so close. The Broadway production The Magic Show starring Doug Henning was a big hit at that time. I'd seen excerpts of the show on television and it was the buzz among magic fans everywhere. Since we were there we decided that it was a must see.
Inquiring about tickets at the box office, we were informed that the show was completely sold out. Naturally we were immensely disappointed having come this far especially to see this show. Roberta jotted a quick note and asked if it could be taken backstage to Doug Henning. Someone in the box office complied and within minutes we were being whisked backstage to meet the famed hippie magician.
I was extremely excited.about meeting this famous magician, but he seemed even more excited to meet Ken and Roberta. He told them how their book had been a big help to him in putting together his show and that they were among his heroes. Even though every seat in the theater was sold, Henning managed to get us permission to sit on the steps at the front of the balcony--it was an ideal vantage point actually and not at all uncomfortable since the steps were plushly carpeted. We were able to not only see the show, but we got to see it free. I couldn't complain about that at all.
That incident raised my esteem of the Griffins another notch. They may have been in their waning years of performing, but they were legendary in the world of magic. Not only that, but Roberta was an oft published writer and Ken was a well-respected leather worker who specialized in Western leathercraft. His book Ken Griffin's Scrap Book, a collection of leather work patterns, used to be regularly sold in the Tandy Leather Stores when they were still prevalent.
Years later, after Ken had died, Roberta settled down in Burbank, California. I caught up with her when I too moved to California. One day she took me and my daughters to the Gene Autry Museum. Among the many artifacts on display was a fine leather saddle and gun holster that had belonged to cowboy movie star Gene Autry. The identifying placard showed that the items were the craftwork of Ken Griffin.
They were good people with more stories than I ever heard them tell and I heard them tell many a story. Interesting stories about a full life of experiences. And they had a darn good magic show.
Are you a fan of performance magic? Do you have a favorite magician? Have you seen any shows on Broadway?
