217: The Good Old Days

This podcast may not be for everyone. If you are interested in magic history and like to hear stories about days and magicians gone by, then you will enjoy this podcast. It also notes the passing of some of the greats, particularly to Texas magicians and to me personally. I attended the funeral of long-time magician Doug Kornegay who was a Past President of the Texas Association of Magicians (T.A.O.M.) and Dean of S.A.M. Assembly #19. Many magicians turned out for his service.

And while there I spoke with Madeline and Eugene Willard, a couple children of the late "Willard the Wizard", who told me some stories of their famous father.. A few days following the service we learned of the passing of another T.A.O.M. President, Claude Crowe, who was the driving force behind the Texas Collectors group and a frequent attendee and presenter at the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History. Clause hosted our annual Texas Collectors meeting during the Austin Magic Auction which always takes place the night before the auction. Despite the inclement icy weather, Claude made the 80 mile drive to be with us that night.

And while searching through the internet, I happened upon a short recording I did with Aldo and Rachel Colombini. That recording is separate from the podcast as it resides on a server with AudioBoom.com but the link is provided below in this blog.

So I guess what I'm saying is to treasure the memories of friends and times gone by. But remember that we are creating new memories now because "these are the good old days".

The story of the Willard magic family, who presented one of the largest magic shows in the world in their own tent throughout the southern U.S. from 1880-1970.

00:01:12 - During the Texas Magic Collectors Meeting hosted by Claude Crowe the night before the Austin Magic Auction, Kent Cummins talks about the origins of the World Famous Magic Auction. This may have limited interest to a regional group, but it is nice to hear some of the names and dates Kent talks about in this talk. If your club is thinking about hosting a magic auction, Kent tells how Austin began which could be applied to your own local group. You will hear the voice of Claude Crowe introducing Kent at the beginning of his talk. We learned that Claude passed away 12 days later after this meeting.

00:32:31 - Noted collector of Houdini memorabilia, Arthur Moses, talks about some of his recent acquisitions among his 5,200 artifacts. He also talks briefly about Harry Houdini's brother, Hardeen. Arthur gave a brief presentation of some of his items that he talks about in this chat.

00:43:22 - During a memorial service for Doug Kornegay (Dean of the Houston, Texas S.A.M. Assembly #19), I spoke with Madeline and Gene Willard, two of the children of Willard the Wizard. They delighted me with many stories of their father's tent show. Near the end of our chat, we were joined by Walter "Zaney" Blaney who had some stories of his own.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

listen to ‘Scott's Spotcast - April 26, 2011: Aldo & Rachel Colombini talk about their U.S. Farewell Lecture Tour with Scott Wells’ on audioBoom

I recently ran across a five minute chat I had with Aldo and Rachel Colombini in 2011. I had arranged what they prophetically called their "Farewell Lecture Tour". I think you will enjoy hearing our old friend one more time.

171: Simon Lovell & Joanie Spina July 2014 Health Updates

Simon Lovell is in the Elmhurst Hospital in New York...and he's not happy about it. Joanie Spina is in Houston anxiously awaiting a donor for her lungs and liver. Each has their own health issues that have been widely reported on social media, but I know that many in the magic community are interested in hearing from them in their own words.

I spoke with Simon via Skype on the day before he left for the U.K. where he will be attended by his father. Randy Wakeman has set up a website where he is posting updates on Simon's status. Randy reported this morning (July 10, 2014) that Simon is back in the U.K. with his father. According to Tony Lovell,

"Simon has arrived safely. All OK but there is a long road ahead for both Simon and me. I am concerned about Simon and his appearance. As you say he is skeletal. We are going to the doctor on Monday - first steps in the road to recovery. Simon has promised that he will be totally honest with the doctor especially about his drinking!!!."

You can find updates from Randy Wakeman by Clicking Here. If you are interested in more details on Simon's status, plus if you are able to donate to the fund set up for Simon, then please visit his site. And here is a video of one of Simon's last projects, a short film called "Redemption" in which Simon plays the Devil. Typecast? Hmm.

Redemption from Chris Carden on Vimeo.

Joanie Spina was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award from the Academy of Magical Arts at the recent banquet this past Spring. Many people got to congratulate her and tell her how much she has meant to them. And during the recent I.B.M./S.A.M. Combined Convention, over $5,500 was raised for her to help defray some of her extraordinary medical expenses. They will continue to accept donations in this account until July 31, 2014. You can donate funds today by sending it through PayPal to registrar@ibmsam.com.

She has recently relocated to Houston where she is now awaiting both lungs and a liver transplant. Daniel Summers has graciously provided her with a place to live during this waiting time plus he drives her back and forth to the hospital, as needed. He should be deeply thanked by the magic community for his wonderful, kind spirit. During this time, Joanie has been arranging for the disposition of her property in Las Vegas and many personal belongings in preparation of whatever happens next.

Walter "Zaney" Blaney, Daniel Summers, Scott Wells and Joanie Spina

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:26 - Simon Lovell talks about his "interment in Hell" though he seems to have retained his sense of humor while going through all this ordeal. Unfortunately the quality of the phone reception on his end was very poor. You will have to listen closely and you may even have to listen a second time I tried my best to clear it up, and the quality you hear is 100% better than the raw data.

00:34:07 - Joanie Spina gives us an update on her wait for lungs and a liver. She also expresses her appreciation to all those in the magic fraternity who have sent her prayers, emails, good thoughts and financial assistance.

00:46:02 - Walter "Zaney" Blaney was at the home of Daniel Summers while I was visiting with Joanie. He gives us a delightful story of when David Copperfield bought his Ladder Levitation. He also talks about the time he and Joanie first met.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. (please note: this RSS Feed subscription system may not work with Android systems). Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

The latest information on Simon Lovell can be found by clicking on the image above. Thank you, Randy Wakeman.

142: Walter "Zaney" Blaney, his Ladder Levitation and David Hoy

Walter "Zaney" Blaney's career has spanned well over 50 years. He is a creator, innovator, performer, engineer, politician and an all-around great guy and friend to thousands of magicians and non-magicians alike. Over the many decades of his professional career, Walter has appeared on many television shows that are now part of broadcast history such as the Mike Douglas Show, the Dinah Shore show, The Merv Griffin show and of course, the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He has won multiple;e awards in magic not the least of which is being in the S.A.M.'s "Magicians' Hall of Fame".

Walter has been the subject of many articles, broadcasts and discussions. I spoke with Walter in 1996 about his history of his Ladder Levitation and his hoop that had several funny anecdotes behind its making and his performances over the years.

One of the earlier interviews was done "on the radio" in 1965 by his good friend, David Hoy as Walter was on his way to perform at Abbott's Get-Together. Perhaps David Hoy is best known among magicians today as the creator of the "Tossed Out Deck". But David contributed so much more than that to our magic community that you can read about elsewhere on the internet. In this famous (infamous?) radio broadcast, David hosted their mutual friend, Logan Pritchett (aka Doctor Zuko) as one of the guests that featured Walter talking about his "new" levitation.

A rare audio recording highlights a look back at Walters banquet show career. http://www.walterzaneyblaney.com Including commentary from David Copperfield, Lance Burton and Stan Allen.

00:01:18 - On January 26, 1996 Scott Wells interviewed Walter "Zaney" Blaney using a rather cheap cassette recorder. So please pardon the quality of the sound, but the content is golden. Walter talks about how he got the nickname of "Zaney" and the evolution of his famous Ladder Levitation/Suspension and the long history and problems with developing his hoop and funny (and sad) anecdotes along the way.

00:49:15 - During the I.B.M. national convention in Phoenix on July 17, 2013 I asked Walter to share the funny story behind the "radio" interview with David Hoy.

01:01:00 - July 1965 in Evansville, Indiana, David Hoy greeted guests Logan Pritchett and Walter "Zaney" Blaney on a radio broadcast hoax that has never before been available on the internet.

Walter Blaney tells the story of one of Magics greatest practical jokes. http://www.facebook.com/StillZaney Part of the documentary series " Still Zaney After All These Years" Featuring Lance Burton, Rick Thomas, Steve Dacri, Peter Reveen, Jeff McBride and Stan Allen

Magician Walter "Zaney" Blaney's seven year effort to debut his Ladder Levitation Illusion on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. https://www.facebook.com/StillZaney This is part of a documentary series "Still Zaney After All These Years" . Tonight Show Footage courtesy of Jeff Sotzing - Carson Entertainment Group.

On August 15, 2017, David Copperfield paid tribute to Walter "Zaney" Blaney at the dedication of the Walter Blaney Exhibit at the David Copperfield Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas. (Produced by Timothy Drake) http://www.walterzaneyblaney.com