Alan Robert Wakeling (1926–2004) was an American
magician and inventor who is known in the magic world for devising classic illusions and routines used by some of the top performers in the business. Some of his most successful work was done in association with leading television magician
Mark Wilson. They worked on the television show
The Magic Land of Allakazam
''The Magic Land of Allakazam'' was the name of a series of network television shows featuring American magician Mark Wilson. It ran from 1960 to 1964 and is credited with establishing the credibility of magic as a television entertainment.
Hist ...
, which was sponsored by
Kellogg's
The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...
cereal, and aired on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
every Saturday from October 1, 1960 then moved to
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
in 1962.
Early life
Wakeling was born in
Hollywood, California, but at an early age went to live with his grandparents in
Winslow, Arizona
Winslow ( nv, ) is a city in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,655. It is approximately southeast of Flagstaff, west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and southeast of Las Vegas ...
, where he grew up during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. He took an interest in magic at an early age as the result of seeing travelling magicians who passed through the small town. One that left a particular impression was
J. B. Bobo, who performed at his school. In addition he was inspired by finding the work of 19th century magic expert
Professor Hoffmann
Professor Hoffmann (1839–1919) was the pseudonym of Angelo John Lewis, an English-born barrister and writer who has been described as "the most prolific and influential magic author and translator until modern times." in his local library. Wakeling then began performing magic with improvised props. His family returned to Los Angeles in 1938 and Wakeling later studied drama at the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
.
Career
Following university, Wakeling did some acting but continued to seek a career in magic. He worked as a demonstrator at two magic shops in Los Angeles, the Thayer Magic Company and the Magic House of Charles. He was also employed by magic inventor and manufacturer Merv Taylor. A chance meeting with magician
Roy Benson
Roy Benson (January 17, 1914 – December 6, 1977) was a stage magic (illusion), magician born in Courbevoie in France. He was an accomplished musician. He is credited for Special Effects, having created the monster for the film ''The Flesh E ...
in the early 1940s gave Wakeling the beginnings on an idea for a routine with billiard balls, which later became something of a signature piece for him. For a while he did an act with long-time friend
Marvyn Roy, who later went on to be known as "Mr Electric". Wakeling gradually became a regular performer at clubs in the Los Angeles area, doing a range of acts with titles such as "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Hollywood Cowboy" as well as the "Fan Act", which he began performing with his soon-to-be wife Helen shortly before they were married.
Wakeling worked as a performing magician until 1966 when he began a behind-the-scenes job with
Mark Wilson, who had recently become famous across America for transforming magic into a successful format for network television. He was Wilson's creative director for many years, contributing to Wilson's television shows, including ''Magic Circus'', as well as to live productions in Las Vegas and major venues around the world. He also contributed to the work of other famous magicians including
Channing Pollock, John Daniel,
Marvyn Roy,
Norm Nielsen,
Dick Zimmerman
Richard “Dick” Zimmerman (born August 11, 1937) is a ragtime performer, historian, author and producer. He is regarded as being one of the key figures responsible for the worldwide revival of ragtime. Zimmerman is the first pianist to have ...
,
Peter Reveen
Peter J. Reveen (8 October 1935 – 8 April 2013) was an Australian illusionist and hypnotist who performed mainly in Canada, and particularly Atlantic Canada.
Early life
Reveen was born in Adelaide, Australia, and traveled to the US in J ...
and Earl Nelson.
Channing Pollock said of him: "Alan is a one-of-a-kind genius. I see him as one of the best kept secrets in magic, someone who was so good at what he accomplished that you’d want to keep him a secret".
Among Wakeling's inventions is at least one distinctive version of the ''
Sawing a woman in half
Sawing a woman in half is a generic name for a number of stage magic tricks in which a person (traditionally a female assistant) is apparently cut or divided into two or more pieces.
History
There remains a debate about the origin of sawing ill ...
'' effect.
One version of this illusion, which bears his name, takes certain elements of the first ever sawing trick performed by
P.T. Selbit
P. T. Selbit (1881–1938) was an English magician, inventor and writer who is credited with being the first person to perform the illusion of sawing a woman in half. Among magicians he was known for his inventiveness and entrepreneurial insti ...
and incorporates them into a new and very effective illusion.
However, while Wakeling performed and perfected that variant of the effect, the origins of the so-called "Wakeling Sawing" have been attributed to another magician Virgil Harris Mulkey (aka The Great Virgil), who first performed it in 1942.
A version that is fully attributed to Wakeling is the "''
Double sawing in half''" routine for Channing Pollock.
Among the illusions he devised for Mark Wilson were ''Backstage'', ''Girl Through Glass'', ''The Spiker'', and ''Excalibur''. He was also responsible for Wilson's "''Circus Act''" routine, which involved the ''Gorilla crush'' illusion.
Wakeling died peacefully on 10 November 2004 in hospital in his hometown of
Westlake Village
Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vil ...
, California and his memorial was held at The
Magic Castle
The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...
in
Hollywood, California.
Awards
, 1975 - Academy of Magical Art's Creative Fellowship Award
, 1995 - Academy of Magical Art's Lifetime Achievement Award
Book
The Magic of Alan Wakeling by
Jim Steinmeyer
Jim Steinmeyer (born November 1, 1958) is an American author, inventor, and designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. He holds four US patents in the field of illusion apparatus, including a modern version of the Pepper's Gho ...
Magazines
March 1952 -
Genii Magazine
![MarchGenii52](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/MarchGenii52.jpg)
December 1992 -
Magic Magazine
''MAGIC'', also known as ''The Magazine for Magicians'', was an independent magazine for magicians that was based in Las Vegas, Nevada. A creation of Stan Allen, it debuted in September 1991, with its first issue featuring Lance Burton on the cove ...
September 2007 -
Genii Magazine
References
Further reading
*
Jim Steinmeyer
Jim Steinmeyer (born November 1, 1958) is an American author, inventor, and designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. He holds four US patents in the field of illusion apparatus, including a modern version of the Pepper's Gho ...
, ''The Magic of Alan Wakeling: The Works of a Master Magician'', Carroll & Graf (2005),
External links
Obituaryby Jim Steinmeyer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakeling, Alan
1926 births
2004 deaths
American magicians
People from Hollywood, Los Angeles
People from Winslow, Arizona
USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni
People from Westlake Village, California