The Genii Forum

Me and some buddies are going to spend a day soon visiting and paying our respects to mentalists/magicians buried in and around NYC.

I have already been to Houdini (and Bess upstate), Alexander Herrmann and Signor Blitz (whom I believe I was the first to rediscover in the 1980s).

Anyone know of any others we might visit such as Al Baker, etc?

Thanks,
Bobby

Is Al's daughter Naomi Baker Marshall, still alive? She would know.

You should also pay your respects to Al and Jackie Flosso. I'm sure Ted Bogusta at Martinka.com would know where they're buried.

I would guess De Biere, Scarne and Dunninger are less than 5 miles away from NYC in NJ.

Bob:

I believe that Charles Carter is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens, NY.

Eric DeCamps

What do you mean by Bess being upstate?

Bess Houdini is buried in a Catholic cemetery in Hawthorne, N.Y., in Westchester County. If you Google "Bess Houdini grave," you can find the grave site.

Nate and Leila Leipzig are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Westchester.

If you'd like, I can send you a copy of the map marking off where their graves are. When I went a few years ago, the guy in the office gave me a bit of misinformation that had me wandering around for about 15-20 mins. Ended up it was just a few steps from where I had parked my car.

-Jim

No kidding... I always thought she was burried with ol' Houdini. I thought I even saw her name on the lil' temple Houdini had built for himself.

Steve-

You did see Bess's name at the Houdini gravesite. It's actually the saddest part of the monument. It lists her year of birth followed by a dash but is blank where her year of death was supposed to go. I have heard and/or read that she was not permitted to be buried in the cemetary because she was Catholic, but I'm not certain that that was the case.

On a related topic, could someone tell me where Kevin King's career is buried? He used to work at Malone's but no one seems to know what happened to him after that.

Jason

Thanks everyone for the info. If any others occur to you, please let me know!

Best,
Bobby

Kevin King is living in Jacksonville Florida, my former homeland, near Paul Cummins, who is in Orange Park. He works comedy shows, his wife made him toss out his magic magazines, and he is easily tracked down.

Bess is in "Gate of Heaven" cemetery - basically right across from the "Kensico Damn" in Valhalla, N.Y. (my early childhood home).

While you're at Gates of Heaven, tell my mom -- Lucille Peterson McCabe -- I'm still thinking of her. She's down the row from Vic Damone. You might as well check out Babe Ruth's memorial while you're there.

I know this thread is about magicians gravesites in New York, but while on the subject.... anyone attending Abbott's gettogether this year in August, the is a little graveyard in Colon, Mi with quite a few major names in magic memorialized....

Pete, I just checked crooner Vic Damone's website, and he is still alive at this time, as I suspected.

Could it be someone else maybe?

Wasn't David Blaine buried in NYC! ;)

I buried my act somewhere in Washington Square Park. If you find a 3 of Spades, let me know.

Where is Frank Garcia buried?

Poor Vic Damone, buried alive....

Vic Damone, best version of The Lady is a Tramp ever recorded--puts Sinatra to shame.

Well, that was a hell of a night's work, but I can finally confirm that Vic Damone is in fact dead and buried.

Fought you every step of the way, eh Pete?

Well, that was a hell of a night's work, but I can finally confirm that Vic Damone is in fact dead and buried.

Must be that Pete is trying to perform a headline prediction since Vic is among the quick--not doing real well since he had a stroke recently.

Arnie

Shouldn't Vic had arranged to have his web site updated?

David:

Yes, he wouldn't keep still, wriggling about.


Steve V:

Wait for it.


Arnie:

Sorry for Vic Damone's stroke. I would apologize to Vic myself, but he's dead.

For about fifteen years I was dead in NYC. Enjoy a tram ride and have a slice of pizza at the pizza place on Roosevelt Island if you're up for it.

Hey David,

Thanks for the tip, hope all is well with you. I used to ask Jackie where Al was buried and I think he's the one that said Uniondale. Will follow up on that.

When I performed a few years ago for the Al Baker Assembly, they had Al's daughter or granddaughter as guest of honor. I asked her where Al Baker was buried but she was extremely shy and nervous but still happy to be there. But didn't get an answer.

Best regards,
Bobby

Bobby,

It also occurs to me that Alexander "Sandy" Marshall, Jay and Naomi Baker's son, who I believe lives in Manhattan, would know where his grandfather is buried. I don't have a contact number for him, but perhaps RK does...or maybe a call to Magic, Inc will produce an answer.

There is an Alexander Marshall listed in NY on Google . No idea if it's the same Alexander Marshall, but it's a place to start if no one else has the info.

-Jim

Pete,
I have looked at many references/bios of Vic Damone online, and can't find an obit...birthdate yes, death, no.
The "Dead or Alive?" website, lists him as alive.
Do you have a date/place of his demise?

Diego (and anyone else):

It was my mistake (and subsequent joke). As far as I know, Vic Damone is alive. My mom is dead -- that I'm sure of. But Vic Damone, still alive.

There's some moderately famous singer buried right near my mother, but I can't remember the name (obviously).

Richard...

Vic Damone, best version of The Lady is a Tramp ever recorded--puts Sinatra to shame.

Better than Sinatra? Where can I find this track?

Adrian

The Vic Damone track was a single, a 45, that was in a jukebox in a bar I spent way too much time in during my late teens. Back then, the legal drinking age was 18. :)
I don't know if it's ever been released on CD.

Don Rickles used to compliment Sinatra on how great his voice was and that it was too bad it was in Vic Damone's throat.

You know what, it was Sal Mineo. Not even a singer.

James Cagney is also there.

Au Contraire, Pete....

In 1957, Sal Mineo hit the Billboard charts 4 times and in 1958, twice. The 1957 "Super Hits" (my sarcasm) were "Start Movin'", "Love Affair", "Lasting Love" and "You Shouldn't Do That".

The 1958 "smashes" were "Little Pigeon" and "Party Time".

Thank God he was in "Rebel Without a Cause" or we'd never be remembering him.


PS: I MUST add that singing a song does not necessarily make you a singer.
Adrian

Adrian:

Singing a song makes you a singer. Recording a song doesn't.

Can you please explain how you record a song without singing it?

How to record an album without actually singing?

Ask Milli Vanilli.