Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

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Richard Kaufman
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Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 23rd, 2006, 3:26 pm

Trying to check some dates. Anyone know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach, California?
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Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Guest » June 23rd, 2006, 5:09 pm

Richard,if you don't get a better response you might try giving Ken Sands a call at Magic Galore in Westminister Ca I believe he worked there way back when. I think he was with the Long Beach Mystics as well. :cool:

Guest

Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Guest » June 24th, 2006, 10:47 am

Hi Richard,

I couldn't swear to it, but I remember my friend Jerry Camaro working down there when it first opened, and it seems like that was in the early eighties. I think I have some photo's that would date it to within a couple months of the opening - I'll look...

Best, PSC

Guest

Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Guest » June 24th, 2006, 10:53 am

"J.C. Wagner was working the Magic Lounge in San Diego until 1981, when he was asked to come to Magic Island..." from his (Wagner's) website. There is a photo of Wagner and Camaro working Magic Island in '83. You can find it on the web - jcwagnersmagic.com. Hope that helps...

Best, PSC

Guest

Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Guest » June 24th, 2006, 11:25 pm

That's about right. Magic Island in Houston opened in 1984, and the Newport Beach Magic Island had been open for a couple of years before that.

Guest

Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Guest » July 1st, 2006, 10:06 pm

I found a pdf file on line that was a report about the history of the Association of Professional Consultants. They referenced a meeting at "the recently opened Magic Island" in Newport Beach in 1981.

Guest

Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Guest » July 2nd, 2006, 12:05 am

Richard I talked with ken and he said to give him a call he can hook you up with what ever you need he was along basicly from the inception and is still friends with the original manager. SB :cool:

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Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Guest » July 27th, 2006, 5:11 pm

In 1983 I was a regular at Merlin McFly's in Santa Monica and I remember going to Magic Island early in the year. My recollection is that it opened in 1982. Not sure of the date.

Guest

Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Guest » July 30th, 2006, 1:59 pm

If you check the index of The Vernon Touch, you should find the answer. I can't remember exactly where in the book, but Vernon talks about going there the first week. Maybe the index will help.

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Dustin Stinett
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Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Dustin Stinett » July 30th, 2006, 2:12 pm

He talks about going to the grand RE-opening in 1986. (Also, "Magic Island" didn't make it into the index). It was a very good thought though.

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Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Dustin Stinett » July 30th, 2006, 4:08 pm

I found mention of the expected opening in the August/September 1981 issue of Magic Manuscript. I haven't found anything in Genii at all. I seem to recall Bill Larsen saying that he would not mention Magic Island in Genii because, after he was welcoming to them, the management there apparently started trash-talking the Castle. Bill whole-heartedly believed there was plenty of room in the marketplace for both clubs. He also knew that The Castle had something The Island would never have: The Professor. I believe all this was mentioned not in Genii, but in the Castle newsletter. I no longer have my 1980s newsletters (they, along with a lot of great stuff, was lost in our move here). Perhaps another pack-rat can check those newsletters. The timeframe is definitely narrowed down to late 1981 to early 1982.

Dustin

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Re: Anyone Know when Magic Island opened in Newport Beach?

Postby Guest » August 1st, 2006, 9:31 pm

From:
"Party Materializes in Magical Setting"
Mary Lou Hopkins
_Los Angeles Times_; May 19, 1981; pg. OC_D2
Magic Island will be a stage for the world's top magicians, who will perform in an Egyptian setting when the club opens with a mystical gala in June.
From:
"Guests Given a Magic Island Tour"
Mary Lou Hopkins
_Los Angeles Times_; Sep 1, 1981; pg. OC_D4
Officially Magic Island, located at Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach, will open Sept. 11, after more than two years of planning and preparations.
[Richard, I'm sending these articles to you off-line.]

In a Sept 29 column, Richard Buffum mentions having gone to Magic Island, so it was open by then.


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