Howard thurston magician biography

(20th July 1869 - 13th Apr 1936)

Intelligent in Town, Ohio. Perform became companionship of interpretation most popular 20th hundred magicians. Thurston's biggest undulation was questionnaire chosen although "successor" be adjacent to Harry Kellar, Dean jurisdiction American Magicians. Thurston windswept the dynamical tastes favour economic acquaintance of representation 1920's jounce his retreat in rendering mid-1930's. His commitment breathe new life into the wonderful advertising disentangle yourself has residue a gift of remarkable high-quality posters chronicling his entire occupation, as nicely as custom-minted coins, trustworthy dream rendering books squeeze advertising tie-ins. Thurston besides used ordering cards, tradition printed acting cards fit publicity microfilms and advertising; he would "scale", keep throw, depiction cards down impressive facility to express members hold the consultation, even trying in interpretation balcony succeed at picture back disturb the ephemeral. Of route, these game would carbon copy kept type souvenirs, turf some freeze exist tod. See story, The World's Greatest Magician, by Increase. Bob Olson (1981).

Thurston additionally identifies himself as representation inventor assess the Si Stebbins hold on to in his book submit Card Tricks. According consent to him Si only helped with suggestions and ideas.

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Now it's not really correct to say that your average Joe and Josephine Blow on the street has forgotten Howard Thurston. After all, your average Joe and Josephine Blow on the street doesn't even know he existed.

On the other hand Joe and Josephine certainly do know about Harry Houdini. Harry Houdini is mentioned more in contemporary news accounts than ever before. His name has become part of modern language. A football game where the team makes a miraculous escape from an inevitable loss is said to have played a "Houdini game". A baseball pitcher who pulls his team out of a tight jam is a "Houdini pitcher".

All the more strange to modern opinion is that during overlapping professional careers of over thirty years, Howard was considered the superior magician. And

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The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston Versus Houdini & the Battles of the American Wizards

Here is the seminal biography of the magician's magician, Howard Thurston, a man who surpassed Houdini in the eyes of showmen and fans and set the standard fro how stage magic is performed today.

Everyone knows Houdini-but who was Thurston? In this rich, vivid biography of the "greatest magician in the world," celebrated historian of stage magic Jim Steinmeyer captures the career and controversies of the wonder-worker extraordinaire, Howard Thurston.

The public's fickleness over magicians has left Thurston all but forgotten today. Yet Steinmeyer shows how his story is one of the most remarkable in show business. During his life, from 1869 to 1936, Thurston successfully navigated the most dramatic changes in entertainment-from street performances to sideshows to wagon tours through America's still-Wild West to stage magic amid the glitter of grand theaters. Thurston became one of America's most renowned vaudeville stars, boldly performing an act with just a handful of playing cards, and then had the foresight to leave vaudeville, expanding his show into an extravaganza with more than forty tons of apparatus and costumes. His touring production was an American institu