by photius » Feb 16th, '07, 06:45
Mark and Nani have been dear friends for a good while. Mark doing his original Time for Magic in Dallas back in the early 1950's spawned my interest in magic. My first magic apparatus was a Magic Kit that he and Nani put together in their Dallas Apt. and sold thorough a local dept. store. When my father and mother went on a vacation to Los Angeles and my dad took me by to meet "Uncle Harry" (Blackstone, Sr.) I had no idea of who he was. I did my cups and balls from my Mark Wilson magic set for him (which was probably the worst performance of cups and balls he ever saw), but I was barely 6 years old at the time. He made a bird cage vanish from between my hands, and I realized he also had an interest in magic. I proceeded to tell him that if he really wanted to learn magic he needed to learn from Mark Wilson. (My dad insistes Uncle Harry got a chuckle out of that). We lived in the Market area of Time for Magic, the interim "Magic Circus" (syndicated in local markets, not the later specials), and the Magic Land of Alakazam.
I can't say enough about Mark and Nani, two of the nicest , warmest, friendliest people in the world. Mark loves magic. You can find him and Nani at the Magic Castle teaching frequently. If you ever get a chance to see his lecture, go. The man has a billon dollar knowledge of the business of magic. When magic was on the verge of dying, he turned it into a multi-million dollar a year business. Trade show magicians, Corporate magicians, and theme park magicians owe their careers to him, he virtually invented those markets. He is still the only magician to have a regular weekly network magic show on a major television network. If it is Television or film, Mark Wilson is probably the magician behind it. Magic Magazine named him one of the 10 most influential magicians of the 20th Century, and that is a group which included Houdini, Uncle Harry Blackstone Sr., and many other Legends of magic. Mark is a living Legend, and one of the most approachable magicians u will ever meet. By all means go by and introduce yourself. Tell him Fr. Photius from Texas says Hi.