Howard Thurston

Howard Thurston was born July 20, 1869, in Columbus, Ohio. He was the middle son of William and Margaret Thurston. His father William Henry Thurston was a wheelwright and carriage maker who served briefly as a private during the Civil War in the Third Ohio Regiment. His mother Margaret (Cloude), was the daughter of an Ohio farmer.Steinmeyer, Jim (2011). "The Last Great Magician in the World: Howard Thurston versus Houdini & the battles of the American wizards". New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, a member of Penguin Group. He attended Mount Hermon School for Boys in Northfield, Massachusetts, class of 1893. Among his fellow students were Lee de Forest, "The Father of American Radio," and musical humorist Charles Ross Taggart, "The Old Country Fiddler."Boyce, Adam R. [https://books.google.com/books?id=HJMVBAAAQBAJ&dq=Howard+Thurston+lee+de+forest&pg=PA21 The Man from Vermont: Charlie Taggart, the Old Country Fiddler.] Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2013. {{ISBN|9781626192119}}. Google Books. Retrieved February 24, 2016.

When he was a child, Thurston practiced sleight of hand, but his mother viewed this as "devil's work".{{rp|113}} She later sent Thurston away to undertake Bible studies.{{Cite book |last=Randi |first=James |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/26162991 |title=Conjuring |date=1992 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=0-312-08634-2 |location=New York |oclc=26162991|author-link=James Randi}}{{rp|113}} Eventually, Thurston saw one of Alexander Hermann's shows, which led to Thurston's decision to begin his career as a magician.{{rp|113}}

Thurston said, "The historian of magic can trace an unbroken line of succession from the Fakir of Ava in 1830 to my own entertainment."

File:Howard_Thurston.png

He is still famous for his work with playing cards. According to legend, a Mexican magician appeared at a magic shop owned by Otto Maurer in New York City. The enigmatic magician demonstrated how he could make cards disappear, one by one, at his fingertips.{{cite book|last=Steinmeyer|first=Jim|year=2004|title=Hiding the Elephant|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=0-7867-1401-8}}

Maurer showed Thurston the move, which he would later feature in his act. He added the "Rising Cards" trick from Professor Hoffman's Modern Magic, the book from which Thurston had learned the rudiments of magic. For this trick, he would walk into the audience and ask several people to choose cards from a deck of cards. The deck was shuffled and placed into a clear glass. Thurston would then call for the chosen cards. One by one the cards would rise up to the top of the deck.

Thurston arranged an impromptu audition with Leon Herrmann, nephew of Alexander Herrmann. His performance fooled Leon. From that point on he called himself "The man that fooled Herrmann" and used the publicity to get booked into top vaudeville houses in the U.S. and Europe, billing himself as the King of Cards.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140318122640/http://www.all-about-magicians.com/howard-thurston.html "Howard Thurston (1869–1936)."]}} www.all-about-magicians.com. Retrieved February 24, 2016.

Thurston became well known for performing a floating lady illusion known as the "Levitation of Princess Karnac". The illusion was originally performed by John Nevil Maskelyne and most famously by Harry Kellar.Pritchard, William Thomas. (1958). This is Magic: Secrets of the Conjurer's Craft. Citadel Press. p. 98 "In America, the Maskelyne Levitation was staged by Harry Kellar, who entitled it "The Levitation of Princess Karnac." Later, the illusion passed to Howard Thurston, who brought it back to England when he toured this country."Price, David. (1985). Magic: A Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theater. Cornwall Books. p. 147. {{ISBN|978-0845347386}}

Magic historian Jim Steinmeyer has written that "In Thurston's hands, the Levitation of Princess Karnac became a masterpiece. The beautiful trick was perfectly suited to Thurston's lyrical baritone."Steinmeyer, Jim. (2006). The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo, the Marvelous Chinese Conjurer. Da Capo Press. p. 346. {{ISBN|978-0786717705}} By 1908, the levitation illusion was sought by famous magicians. It was duplicated by Charles Joseph Carter on a world tour and had interested the magician Chung Ling Soo.

Thurston continued presenting the Thurston–Kellar Show following the retirement of Kellar. He continued presenting for about thirty-five years until, on March 30, 1936, he suffered a stroke from a cerebral hemorrhage. He died on April 13 at his Oceanside apartment in Miami Beach, Florida. His death was attributed to pneumonia.{{cite news |title=Leading American Illusionist Had Vast Repertoire, but Liked Card Tricks Best. Headed Last Big Show of Kind Played Before Royalty. Studied for Ministry. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/04/14/archives/howard-thijrston-ma6i3ian-is-dead-leading-american-illusionist-had.html|work=New York Times |date=April 14, 1936 |access-date=2009-02-22 }}{{cite news |title=Thurston Dies Of Pneumonia At Miami Beach |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/247353372.html?dids=247353372:247353372&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=APR+14%2C+1936&author=By+the+Associated+Press.&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=Thurston+Dies+Of+Pneumonia+At+Miami+Beach&pqatl=google |newspaper=Washington Post |date=April 14, 1936 |access-date=2009-02-22 |archive-date=2012-10-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019130410/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/247353372.html?dids=247353372:247353372&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=APR+14,+1936&author=By+the+Associated+Press.&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=Thurston+Dies+Of+Pneumonia+At+Miami+Beach&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |title=Thurston, Peer of Magic, Dies in Miami |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/459936122.html?dids=459936122:459936122&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Apr+14%2C+1936&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=THURSTON%2C+PEER+OF+MAGIC%2C+DIES+AT+MIAMI+BEACH&pqatl=google|work=Chicago Tribune |date=April 14, 1936 |access-date=2009-02-22 |archive-date=2012-10-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019130429/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/459936122.html?dids=459936122:459936122&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Apr+14,+1936&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=THURSTON,+PEER+OF+MAGIC,+DIES+AT+MIAMI+BEACH&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }} He is entombed at Green Lawn Abbey, a mausoleum in Columbus, Ohio,Myers, David; Walker, Elise Meyers. (2015). Wicked Columbus, Ohio. The History Press. p. 77. {{ISBN|978-1626199224}} which opened again to the public in 2021 after more than fifty years.{{cite news |last1=Hasson |first1=Audrey |title=Green Lawn Abbey opens to the public for first time in 50+ years |url=https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/green-lawn-abbey-opens-to-the-public-for-first-time-in-50-years/?fbclid=IwAR3v-MMgEafWfXgT7tMMUzYbM-IZGjKp7T5DHw3iIei5c-ffkYoC7VtJDoU |access-date=11 February 2021 |agency=WCMH-TV |date=8 February 2021}}

Thurston is quoted as a subject matter expert in Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People. He appears in Part Two, Chapter One ("Do This and You'll Be Welcome Anywhere"), on pages 67–68 of the original text.{{Cite book|title=How to win friends and influence people|author=Carnegie, Dale|date=2015-01-01|publisher=Magdalene Press|isbn=9781897384558|oclc=936559159}}

A poster for Thurston can be seen in many episodes of the TV show The Magicians hanging on the wall of the protagonists student house, known as 'the physical kids' dorm, so named because the magic they perform is physical, as opposed to say, psychic, or illusion based magic. The poster's placement in the show would lead viewers to believe that Thurston was possibly a student of the school, and thus his performances used "real" magic.

File:Howard Thurston performing a levitation illusion.jpg

Articles

• [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19260101&id=PAUhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4XUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1463,579515&hl=en Revealing the Mysteries of Magic], an exposure of the methods of the Egyptian conjuror Tahra Bey. The Day (January, 1926)
• Thurston, Howard. [https://books.google.com/books?id=nNgDAAAAMBAJ&dq=The+Truth+About+Indian+Magic+Howard+Thurston&pg=PA618 The Truth About Indian Magic]. Popular Mechanics (April, 1927)
• Thurston, Howard. [https://books.google.com/books?id=itgDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Magician+of+today+must+be+an+artist%22&pg=PA546 Magic and How It Is Made]. Popular Mechanics (October, 1927)

Books

• Howard Thurston's Tricks With Cards (1903)
• 50 New Card Tricks (1905)
• [https://archive.org/details/ThurstonsEasyPocketTricksTheABCOfMagic Thurston's Easy Pocket Tricks: The A-B-C of Magic] (1915)
• The Mishaps of Magicians (1927)
• [https://archive.org/details/FoolingMillions Fooling Millions] (1928)
• Tales of Magic and Mystery (1928)
• My Life of Magic (1929)
• [https://archive.org/details/400TricksYouCanDo 400 Tricks You Can Do] (1940)

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |title=The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston Versus Houdini & the Battles of the American Wizards |last=Steinmeyer |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Steinmeyer |year=2011 |publisher=Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, a member of Penguin Group |location=New York |isbn=978-1-58542-845-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/lastgreatestmagi00stei_0 |oclc=646111788 |url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book |title=My Magic Husband: Howard Thurston Unmasked |last= Thurston |first= Grace |author2=William L. Rhode |author3=Charles Holzmueller |year=2006 |publisher=Phil Temple Publication |location=[United States] |oclc=70700027}}
• Worthington, Thomas Chew. (1938). Recollections of Howard Thurston: Conjurer, Illusionist and Author. (With an introduction by Henry Ridgely Evans). Baltimore.

{{Commons category}}

• {{Find a Grave|5194|Howard Thurston|work=Magician|date=Apr 22, 1999|access-date=Aug 17, 2011}}
• [http://www.ThurstonMastermagician.com "ThurstonMasterMagician.com - The #1 Source For Howard Thurston Information."]
• {{YouTube|i6f4a2l_w3Y|Howard Thurston - Master Magician}}
• [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/594461/Howard-Thurston Howard Thurston] Encyclopædia Britannica
• [http://classicschemes.net "Digital Howard"] Classic Schemes
• {{IMDb name|id=0862250}}
• [https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keywords=thurston+poster Howard Thurston posters], held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

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Category:1869 births

Category:1936 deaths

Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Florida

Category:American magicians

Category:American vaudeville performers

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Category:Burials at Green Lawn Abbey

Category:Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni