Looking for certain photos

[Glenn Farrington]

Ok gang, here's what I'm looking for to finally wrap up the documentary on black american magicians. Photos of the following people:

Albert Young
Marcellus R. Clark
Clarence "Chandu" Hunter
Alonzo Moore
M. H. (Milton Hutchin) Everett

If you have any of these photos or know of anyone that does please contact me here or e-mail me directly asap.

As always, thanks for everyone's help here.

Glenn Farrington

[Pete Biro]

I hope you include Medal of Honor winner Tuskeegee Airman, magician, Emile Clifton.

[John Smetana]

Originally posted by Glenn Farrington:
Ok gang, here's what I'm looking for to finally wrap up the documentary on black american magicians. Photos of the following people:

Albert Young
Marcellus R. Clark
Clarence "Chandu" Hunter
Alonzo Moore
M. H. (Milton Hutchin) Everett

If you have any of these photos or know of anyone that does please contact me here or e-mail me directly asap.

As always, thanks for everyone's help here.

Glenn Farrington

Glenn, if you haven't already done so, you may want to contact Jim Magus. As I recall he wrote a book on black magicians several years ago. He may be able to help.
Good luck and as always,

Best thoughts,
John Smetana

[Guest]

Ditto - Pete Biro's vote for EMILE CLIFTON, whose magical career spanned decades, and influenced many.

[Chris Gillett]

Double ditto Clifton, could probably do a very interesting piece on Clifton alone. Wasn't there something in Apocalypse? Good luck.

[Bill Mullins]

Is that the inventor of the ring and rope move? Is he still alive?

[Bill Mullins]

The owner of THIS SITE appears to have footage of Clifton (and many others) performing.

[Jerry Harrell]

Does anybody know anything about these programs listed on the site Mr Mullins references? Goldfinger and Doug? Excuse me?

[Jeff Haas]

They must've been done a long time ago...Al Goshman and Larry Jennings are listed! (Along with Bruce Cervan, Darrell Martinez, Michael Amar and more amazeeing magiceens!)

[Guest]

Originally posted by Bill Mullins:
Is that the inventor of the ring and rope move? Is he still alive?

That would be the one! I remember Emile quite well. He used to hang around the House of Magic, in SF when I worked there. Emile was one of the nicest guys I ever met, and a terrific performer. Also, as Pete mentioned a pioneer in many ways. A Medal of Honor recipient, Tuskogee Airman, and one of the humblest men I ever knew.

Imagine this: You enter the magic shop, a long, narrow space, with counters along the right and pegboard walls on the left, a distance of about eight feet between. The shop is forty feet deep, so it's a long way to the back wall. Sitting on a barstool in front of the glass showcase along that back wall is a small, elderly, black man. A shock of white hair, glasses, legs crossed, he sits reading the local paper. Emile is dressed nicely, slacks and polished Tom McCanns, a sport coat and open-necked, button-down oxford shirt, no tie. The very picture of serenity. Relaxed, composed, almost professorial. And totally out of place amongst the fake poop, the blow-up "Judy" dolls, and other adult gags that are at the back of the shop. (No kids past the yellow line, a dividing line about two thirds of the way back. Just the other side of the yellow line is a stenciled square on the floor with the message: "TRAP DOOR, ALLIGATORS BELOW!").

You are looking for magic. "What's new?"

Emile says: "If you haven't seen it, it's new..." He watches you for a bit, continues to read the paper. Suddenly he says something like this:

"Have you read the paper today? There's an ad for a new drink, Pepsi just came out with it - it looks great!"

He's paging thru the paper, as if looking for the ad. Your response is irrelevant, he about to smoke you, trust me.

"Here it is, with a coupon for a free one. All you have to do is ball this up and tear it open and they'll give you a free sixteen ouncer!"

Suiting actions to words Emile balls up the newspaper you've just seen, tears the top of the ball open and produces a full to the brim, monstrously large glass, full of Pepsi!

I remember the first time I saw this, and the following hundred or so times as well. It looked GREAT every time! Emile would then sell you the trick. It consisted of an envelope with one page of directions, six feet of thread, three pipe cleaners, and his best good wishes!

In fact, Emile would come to the shop, have coffee, then run over to the pharmacy across the street and get the required materials, go to the bank next door and make copies of his original direction sheet, come back to the shop and "borrow" envelopes from "Buma". Then he sat at the back of the shop, made up his trick packages, and read the paper, waiting for "customers".

Emile made a lot of friends, and many of them bought the "Clifton Glass Production" by way of introduction - it was a great lesson for a young magician, and a lot of fun to watch - No one ever asked for thier money back, and it was a five dollar trick in 1975!

This is just one of many fond memories I have of a really great guy - anyone else remember Clifton? By the way, one of his good friends was an LA magician named Chris Michaels, who I think is also deceased - anyone remember Chris?

Best, PSC

[Pete Biro]

Thanks for the great anecdote on "Cliff"... When I entered (and won) the Grand Prix at the PCAM Covention, it would never have happened if it wasn't for him.

I would go to his place in S. San Francisco, and do the act and do the act and do the act... over and over and Emile would make changes, make suggestions... hit me with a stick (he later gave it to me, it is my prized possession--a bamboo stick wand) and make me work work work until it was right.

Almost no one knew of his war record. His medals and his figher pilot background.

His four ace laydown is the best I have ever seen, and I use it today.

Sadly, Emile moved away from the Bay Area and died of cancer before I had a chance to see him.

RIP

[Anthony Blake]

PSC...

You are correct, Chris Michaels is deceased. He was a regular fixture at the Magic Castle usually performing in the Parlour. He was a big, tall man, a bit portly with a balding pate who was quite friendly to those he knew. He had several effects marketed, including ESP 2000 which was put out through Neil Lester/Cards By Martin (I've used this effect many times)...

Chris died at the Castle itself. He did an early show in the parlour, set up for the next show and then sat at a chair to relax before doing another set. He died of a heart attack in between shows. When the host came in to tell Chris that he was about to let the audience in he found Chris slumped forward in a chair deceased. Paramedics were called but there was nothing they could do. I was there the night it happened.

Success!!!

Tony Blake

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