Harry Blackstone Jr.
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Harry Bouton Blackstone Jr. (June 30, 1934 – May 14, 1997) was an American stage
magician Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...
, author, and television performer. He is estimated to have pulled 80,000 rabbits from his sleeves and hats.


Early life

Blackstone was born in Three Rivers,
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, the son of noted
stage magician Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...
Harry Blackstone Sr. Harry Bouton Blackstone (born Henry Boughton; September 27, 1885 – November 16, 1965) was a famed stage magician and illusionist of the 20th century. Blackstone was born Harry Bouton in Chicago, Illinois. He began his career as a magician ...
(also known as "The Great Blackstone"). As an infant, he was used as a prop in his father's act.


Career

Rather than utilize the routines his father developed, Blackstone developed his own and modernized his performance, though onstage he would, on occasion, perform a sequence of his father's illusions in a period setting. Blackstone created four levels (beginner to advanced) of magic kits that were the best selling in the field. In the early 1970s, he promoted a "PF Magic Wedge Kit" on a television commercial for
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sneakers, and he appeared on several commercials for
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popcorn. In 1985, on the 100th anniversary of his father's birth, Blackstone donated to the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
in Washington, D.C. the original floating light bulb – designed and built by
Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...
– and the original Casadega Cabinet, used in the "Dancing Handkerchief" illusion. This was the first donation accepted by the Smithsonian in the field of magic. Blackstone appeared as a guest on '' The Tonight Show'', ''
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'', '' The Today Show'', '' Reading Rainbow'' and ''
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''. He also made occasional appearances as the mysterious Dr. Mephisto on the TV soap opera '' Santa Barbara'' and as fictitious magician Marcus the Magnificent on Hart to Hart in 1981. Of his several TV specials, the
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two-hour special was unique due to the intros by some of
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. Blackstone's "Backstage with Blackstone" appearances on PBS's ''
Square One TV ''Square One Television'' (sometimes referred to as ''Square One'' or ''Square One TV'') is an American children's television program produced by the Children's Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop) to teach mathematics and abstract ...
'', where he used magic tricks to teach mathematics to young people, was a favorite of his. He was a regular host of ''
ABC Weekend Specials ''ABC Weekend Special'' is a weekly 30-minute American television anthology series for children that aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1977 to 1997, which featured a wide variety of stories that were both live-action and animated. Similar to bo ...
'' in the 1980s. Blackstone designed the illusions used on SeaWorld's water show featuring the
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superheroes. They included The Joker cutting
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up into multiple pieces, a variation of a classic multi-box illusion, and the first use in many years of the Jarrett pedestal to vanish
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
. Blackstone and his wife Gay created and produced the special effects for " The Magic Summer Tour" for New Kids on The Block, as well as their "No More Games Tour". He also did special effects for
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
,
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
("The Victory Tour"), Earth, Wind and Fire, and
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from t ...
with
Perry Farrell Perry Farrell (born Peretz Bernstein; March 29, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as part (one of the ...
. During his career, Blackstone toured the U.S. extensively. Notably, his ''Magnificent Musical Magic Show'' played in 156 U.S. cities and Broadway. It opened in May 1980, and played 118 performances. Blackstone received 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 ...
Magician of the Year Award in 1979 and 1985. He performed at the prestigious FBI National Academy Association retrainer session in Chicago in 1980 where he was the featured performer at the formal closing banquet. At the time of his death he was the most highly awarded magician of all time.


Death and Legacy

Blackstone lived in
Redlands, California Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 census. The city is located approximately west of Palm Springs and east of Lo ...
. He died on May 14, 1997, in
Loma Linda, California Loma Linda (Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the c ...
at the age of 62 due to
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
. After his death, much of his performance equipment was sold off in two highly publicized auctions held by
Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
and Darien Julian. Many of the pieces went to collectors scattered across the world, and numerous props have made it into actual shows. Las Vegas performer Scarlett now owns and uses his Topsy Turvy. David Copperfield houses the Tire Vanish (performed by Harry Blackstone Sr.) in his museum of magic. Touring illusionist Aaron Balcom uses the Owen-built Clown Jammer. Washington state performer John Walton uses his menacing Buzz Saw. Dutch
illusionist Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...
Hans Klok Johannes Franciscus Catharinus "Hans" Klok (born 22 February 1969) is a Dutch magician, illusionist and actor. Biography Hans Klok was born in Purmerend, Netherlands. On his tenth birthday, he received a magic set as a present and began perfo ...
and Darren Romeo perform the famous "Blackstone Floating Light Bulb" illusion under a licensing agreement with Blackstone Magik Enterprises Inc. (It is one of only two magic illusions to be protected as intellectual property.) The Performing Arts Theater at
Redlands East Valley High School Redlands East Valley High School is a public English medium co-educational high school in Redlands, California, United States, near the San Bernardino Mountains. The school opened in the 1997-1998 school year as part of the Redlands Unified Scho ...
is named in his honor. His third wife and widow, Gay Blackstone, is the former president of
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. Their daughter Bellamie is a television producer; Harry and Gay's other children include son Harry Bouton Blackstone III. Gay Blackstone appeared in the season 10 episode 14 '' Pawn Stars'' episode "Tricky Ricky," in 2014, and sold a vanishing birdcage prop used by both Harry Sr. and Harry Jr. to Rick Harrison for $2,600.


Books

* Blackstone, Harry Jr., and Charles Reynolds and Regina Reynolds. ''The Blackstone Book of Magic and Illusion'' (1995) 248 pages. . (New York: Newmarket Press, 2002). * Blackstone, Harry Jr. ''There's One Born Every Minute'' Los Angeles, Calif.: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc, 1976. Softcover. . * Blackstone, Harry Jr. ''My Life As A Magician'' Paperback (Aladdin: 1992-05-01) . * He also re-edited his father's ''Blackstone's Secrets of Magic''. Paperback


References


External links


Blackstone Magik, Inc., History of the Blackstones
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blackstone, Harry Jr. 1934 births 1997 deaths American magicians People from Three Rivers, Michigan People from Loma Linda, California University of Southern California alumni Deaths from pancreatic cancer Deaths from cancer in California Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year winners Academy of Magical Arts Masters Fellowship winners Academy of Magical Arts Performing Fellowship winners