Caption from LIFE. Best new trick at convention was variation of the famous old levitation act. Its inventor, Jack Gwynne, pretends first to hypnotize his daughter-in-law Helen. Then he stretches her across two sawhorses, finally removes the supports entirely so that Helen is seemingly suspended in mid-air. Gwynne passes a hoop completely over her body to show that there is no support. Gwynne tells nobody how it is done and few magicians at the convention could guess.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
At the The Society of American Magicians 2016 national convention, which will take place in Indianapolis this week, professional and amateur magicians following in the footsteps of Harry Houdini and David Copperfield get to see what tricks their favorite magicians have up their sleeves these days.
And there never seems to be a dull moment at these gatherings, based on past coverage of them in TIME and LIFE magazines.
In 1947, LIFE Magazine captured the highlights of what had been the convention’s biggest turnout since its founding on May 10, 1902, at Martinka’s magic shop in New York City. “The postwar boom in magic is largely explained by the fact that many soldiers who had enjoyed watching magic in USO shows are now teaching themselves to do tricks,” explained the magazine. Or maybe there was another reason behind the record attendance: LIFE observed that a lot of doctors attended the Chicago showcase, including a psychiatrist who explained that “many people take up magic because they have an inferiority complex. It gives their egos a lift.”
TIME reported on another growth period in the ’70s, when attendance at the society’s meetings reportedly doubled. That spike was thanks to Doug Henning, star of The Magic Show on Broadway, a “smash” hit that grossed about $60,000 weekly, thus proving “the magic boom is bankable,” according to a July 22, 1974, profile. With Henning at the center of this boom, magicians were becoming TV celebrities, while magic shops boasted record sales.
But some things never change: the “magic” of The Magic Show’s success “lies not with the star but with ourselves,” TIME reported. “In an epoch of uncertainty, people need a fraud they can believe in.”
Caption from LIFE. Dr. Harlan Tarbell, lecturer and famed magician balances egg on fan while he is blindfolded.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Floating golf stick is demonstrated by Russ Walsh, a Chicago businessman, in the "pro" room of South Shore Country Club. Walsh claims that his levitation trick will make a caddy's life much pleasanter because floating clubs naturally lighten the bag.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. In Chicago hotspot magicians are too absorbed in golf-ball trick to look at the strip-teaser.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Card sword is brandished by Waldo Logan, president of an oil company, whose hobbies are deep-sea diving and magic. In this trick several people select a card each, replace them in the pack. The pack is tossed in air and Logan spears all the chosen cards.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Tom foolery took place in lobbies where Magician Russell Swann and his pretty assistant surprised visiting Shriners with his magic snake-charming act.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Sly tricks were played at bar, where magicians planted gimmicks. Summoned to answer phone, Russell Swann lifted reciever, got his face squirted.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Inside the huddle, LIFE photographer George Karger found what was going on. Father Paul Lloyd, fellow magician, was picking a card—any card.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Funniest act was done by Sam Berman, as a clown who learns tricks without really knowing how he does them. To his amazement a lighted candle appears mysteriously in his hand, followed by another and another and another.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Best new trick at convention was variation of the famous old levitation act. Its inventor, Jack Gwynne, pretends first to hypnotize his daughter-in-law Helen. Then he stretches her across two sawhorses, finally removes the supports entirely so that Helen is seemingly suspended in mid-air. Gwynne passes a hoop completely over her body to show that there is no support. Gwynne tells nobody how it is done and few magicians at the convention could guess.George Karger—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
