Shel created this flyer (below) for me when my Houdini lecture got hot on the
college circuit. He created it in one day, which included taking the photo and
developing it.
college circuit. He created it in one day, which included taking the photo and
developing it.
--Then he created this combination poster and
brochure.
I remember the night Shel came to see "Two
Gentlemen of Verona at the Globe." Marc Singer, who
went on to create the role of the Beastmaster and star in
the series "V" was hitching a ride to and from work that
night. Shel, Marc, and I were all big guys and we rode in
and back in my '61 Mercedes 190 SL--a rather small 2
seater.
Shel was already something of a hero to Marc, who
had not met him but understood that Shel was the guy
who helped me find the Little Lulu comics that had
brightened up the life in our dressing room.
The Houdini Mystery Show was thrown together for
the '74 San Diego Comic-Con. Shel had introduced me to
the great Forry Ackerman, and he had suggested I go on
a TV show he had done called "the Collectors" with my
Houdini collection.
I had not looked at that collection since I had
packed it away around the time my reserve unit was
activated for service in Vietnam. That was about March,
1968. Now it was March, '74. I got out my Houdini
memorabilia on this Sunday morning. I was amazed at
what I had assembled. Spread out, it filled a room. One
of the guys asked me when Houdini was born.
I said, "March 24, 1874"--then it struck me--"100
years ago today."
Anyway, my dad saw the show and suggested I play
Houdini on the college circuit. Then, Shel called up and
asked me to do some magic at the Con. At that point, I
cast myself as the reporter in Citizen Kane whose boss
tells him: "Find out everything about him. Find out what
Rosebud meant."
Only I was chasing down Houdini. I introduced the
presentation at the Con, then, did it all over the country
for four years and finally at the Magic Castle, famous for
being a hotbed of Houdini haters.
I was awarded the Magic Castle's equivalent of the
Oscar as Lecturer of the Year in 1978. And it would
never have happened if not for Shel Dorf.
I was able to meet close to 600 people who had
known Houdini or seen him perform or actually worked
with him. Needless to say, they are all gone now,
including the lovely Dorothy Young, who was the last
surviving assistant.
brochure.
I remember the night Shel came to see "Two
Gentlemen of Verona at the Globe." Marc Singer, who
went on to create the role of the Beastmaster and star in
the series "V" was hitching a ride to and from work that
night. Shel, Marc, and I were all big guys and we rode in
and back in my '61 Mercedes 190 SL--a rather small 2
seater.
Shel was already something of a hero to Marc, who
had not met him but understood that Shel was the guy
who helped me find the Little Lulu comics that had
brightened up the life in our dressing room.
The Houdini Mystery Show was thrown together for
the '74 San Diego Comic-Con. Shel had introduced me to
the great Forry Ackerman, and he had suggested I go on
a TV show he had done called "the Collectors" with my
Houdini collection.
I had not looked at that collection since I had
packed it away around the time my reserve unit was
activated for service in Vietnam. That was about March,
1968. Now it was March, '74. I got out my Houdini
memorabilia on this Sunday morning. I was amazed at
what I had assembled. Spread out, it filled a room. One
of the guys asked me when Houdini was born.
I said, "March 24, 1874"--then it struck me--"100
years ago today."
Anyway, my dad saw the show and suggested I play
Houdini on the college circuit. Then, Shel called up and
asked me to do some magic at the Con. At that point, I
cast myself as the reporter in Citizen Kane whose boss
tells him: "Find out everything about him. Find out what
Rosebud meant."
Only I was chasing down Houdini. I introduced the
presentation at the Con, then, did it all over the country
for four years and finally at the Magic Castle, famous for
being a hotbed of Houdini haters.
I was awarded the Magic Castle's equivalent of the
Oscar as Lecturer of the Year in 1978. And it would
never have happened if not for Shel Dorf.
I was able to meet close to 600 people who had
known Houdini or seen him perform or actually worked
with him. Needless to say, they are all gone now,
including the lovely Dorothy Young, who was the last
surviving assistant.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Shel saw me do some magic in Allen Fletcher's very imaginative production
of Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1973. He suggested I do something with magic
at the '74 San Diego Comic-Con. The result was my program, the Houdini
Mystery Show. The painting behind my right shoulder is of future Starman,
Robert Hays, and the painting at the right of the photo is Anthony De Longis,
the fight choreographer.
of Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1973. He suggested I do something with magic
at the '74 San Diego Comic-Con. The result was my program, the Houdini
Mystery Show. The painting behind my right shoulder is of future Starman,
Robert Hays, and the painting at the right of the photo is Anthony De Longis,
the fight choreographer.