Frederick Willis Culpitt (9 May 1877, in
Southwark St Saviour,
London
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– 1944 in
Wandsworth
Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
Toponymy
Wandsworth takes its nam ...
, in London) was an
English
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stage
magician and magic inventor. He achieved stage success in the early part of the 20th century with a comedy magic act and is also notable as the first magician to appear on a regularly scheduled television show.
Culpitt got his first big break when the American "chinese-style" magician
Chung Ling Soo
William Ellsworth Robinson (April 2, 1861 – March 24, 1918) was an American magician who went by the stage name Chung Ling Soo (). He is mostly remembered today for his accidental death due to a failed bullet catch trick.
Early years
Robinso ...
booked him for a tour of Australia in 1909. Between 1914 and 1918 Culpitt replaced
David Devant at
St. George's Hall, London, performing as a "magical comedian".
Culpitt is credited with inventing the ''
Doll's House Illusion'', the ''
Costume Trunk Illusion'' and the ''
Silk To Egg Trick'', which continue to be used by magicians. He is also credited with devising methods for the ''
Torn and restored newspaper'' trick and various other effects that have become a part of the stage magic repertoire.
In 1936 the
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. ...
...
, London, for the world's first regular television service. In an effort to find material that would work well on the new medium the corporation sought entertainment acts that had a strong visual element. Culpitt was recruited to present magic, thus helping to establish a lasting place for magic in television
programming.
Also in 1936, Culpitt appeared in the film ''Keep Your Seats, Please'', which starred
. According to the ''British Film Catalogue'', Culpitt, in a small supporting role, played a magician.