HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Glenn Falkenstein
OR:
Glenn Falkenstein on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Glenn Jacob Falkenstein (February 3, 1932 – July 4, 2010) was a world-renowned magician and mentalist, and partner to
Frances Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879 an ...
from 1978 to 2010.


Career

As a mentalist, Falkenstein was at the top of his profession for more than three decades and featured internationally on stage, TV and radio. He was the opening act for many stars, including
Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...
at the
Las Vegas Hilton The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is a hotel, casino, and timeshare resort in Winchester, Nevada. Located near the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, it is owned by Westgate Resorts. It opened in 1969 as the International Hotel, and wa ...
and
Marty Robbins Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and succ ...
in Lake Tahoe. He was a guest star on
Hilly Rose Hilly Rose was an American radio personality and a pioneer of the talk radio format. His professional career has spanned seven decades. He was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame as a "Living Legend" pioneer broadcaster in 2016. Early ...
' talk show in the 1970s, and eventually was given his own talk shows on KMPC and KFI. When Falkenstein performed his mental feats on KGBS Radio Star Theatre, which broadcast from Universal Studios, the switchboard reflected ten thousand incoming calls per day. Many of these radio shows were recorded and will be digitized in 2020. Mr. Falkenstein appeared on ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'', ''
That's Incredible! ''That's Incredible!'' is an American reality television show that aired on the ABC television network from 1980 to 1984. In the tradition of ''You Asked for It'', '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' and ''Real People'', the show featured people ...
'', ''
The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 ...
'', ''
ABC's Wide World of Entertainment ''ABC's Wide World of Entertainment'' is a late night television block of programs created by the ABC television network. It premiered on January 8, 1973, and ended three years later. The title was based on the long-running broadcast ''ABC's Wid ...
'', ''
The Best of Magic ''The Best of Magic'' was a British magic show produced by Thames Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV network that aired from 13 September 1989 to 19 September 1990. The show was hosted by Geoffrey Durham, Simon Mayo, and Anthea Turner, with ...
'' -
Thames TV Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...
, '' The Paul Daniels Magic Show'' -
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, Mandrake's Award - Paris, Magic Olympics - Asahi TV Tokyo, Magicians' Favorite Magicians -
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 ...
and was featured on his own special on
SBS television The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Wor ...
in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
,
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
to a viewing audience of over ten million. Falkenstein and his partner/wife, Frances Willard, have been consecutive award-winners at the world-famous
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 California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
where they were Honorary Life Members. The
Academy of Magical Arts 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 ...
voted Falkenstein Stage Magician of The Year two consecutive years. In 1978, Glenn joined forces with Frances Willard, daughter of legendary tent showman Harry "Willard the Wizard". Together, the couple presented Glenn's signature
blindfold A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the eyes to disable the wearer's sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a poorly tied or trick blindf ...
act followed by the classic Willard Spirit Cabinet. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Falkenstein & Willard entertained countless film stars, socialites, and national leaders with their classic feats of mentalism. In 1990, Frances Willard & Glenn Falkenstein received the prestigious Jack Stuart "DRAGON Award" presented to couples who integrated drama, romance, artistry, glamour, originality and necromancy into their acts. Glenn and Frances also received "The Dunninger Award" and "Milbourne Christopher Award" for outstanding feats in mentalism. In 1994, Glenn Falkenstein was inducted into
The Society of American Magicians The Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world. Its purpose is "to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and t ...
' Hall of Fame as a living legend. Perhaps his greatest feat was balancing two separate careers, and many people were unaware that he successfully wore two professional hats. He earned his master's degree from Pepperdine University and worked for years at the Los Angeles County Office of Education as a Speech Pathologist. The careers complimented the other, and he used his magic skills to aid young people overcoming speech defects. He was constantly amazed at the positive impact that magic had on special children. Among his most memorable shows were performing for President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, at the inaugural dinner for President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, and at
Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...
in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
's West End. Falkenstein brought his ESP Act and Spirit Theatre to countless charitable organizations; along with magic colleagues
David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...
and
Lance Burton William Lance Burton (born March 10, 1960) is an American stage magician. He performed more than 15,000 shows in Las Vegas for over 5,000,000 people until retiring after 31 years in 2010. Professional history Burton first became interested in ma ...
, Glenn helped Children's Village, USA raise enough funds to pay off its mortgage.


Memorial

On Sunday July 11, 2010, the Palace of Mystery stage at the Magic Castle was the setting for Falkenstein's memorial service, a perfect tribute to a gentleman who fascinated countless spectators with his dynamic style. The showroom was filled with devoted friends, family, and fans, including the William Larsen family, who created the Magic Castle. This magician's wake included a broken wand ceremony and a standing ovation worthy of this Wizard of ESP.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falkenstein, Glenn 1932 births 2010 deaths American magicians Deaths from dementia in Texas Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Academy of Magical Arts Stage Magician of the Year winners