To magicians who knew him Earl Presto Johnson was an influential, innovative, and generous magician who performed in the New York City area from the 1940s until not long before he died in 2009. Parent Assembly will pay tribute to Presto on Friday May 6 at a free in-person event in midtown Manhattan at 7:30 pm (everyone is welcome, reservations required, details below - the event will also be streamed). Several close friends and colleagues of Presto (Chris Capehart, Mal Cross, Wesley James, Dick Brooks, Dorothy Dietrich, and Carl Albright, with a virtual appearance by Jamy Ian Swis) will be on hand to help remember him and perform some of his material. We will also have rare video clips, photos and more and we look forward to adding to his legacy.
While I'm sure there are folks here who remember Presto, there are probably numerous others at this point who do not know much about Presto or what he contributed to magic. There are many accomplished and working magicians today who credit Presto as a major influence in their careers. He developed numerous original sleights and tricks, including some that have become embedded in common practice, and he was well-known for unique presentations that gave new life to classic material. But it is perhaps his style, his wit, his openness, and his willingness to share that made him such an influential and beloved figure. Although he was recognized widely within the magic community, he hasn't been immortalized in the same way as other conjurors of his time whose work has been preserved in videos, books, released tricks and other means.
To Attend
This program will be held in person at Pearl Studios, 500 Eighth Avenue, rm 312 (between 35th and 36th). Admission to the in-person event is free to Parent Assembly members and nonmembers, although reservations are required. Please write to parentassembly1@gmail.com for more information and to make a reservation. Masks will be required. A Zoom link will be posted here closer to the event, but if you write I will also make sure to send it to you.
Tribute to Presto, Friday, May 6 - New York, NY
Re: Tribute to Presto, Friday, May 6 - New York, NY
Hi - we hope to see some folks from the New York area at our free event tomorrow (Friday, May 6) honoring Earl Presto Johnson. Aside from the remembrances of his notable friends who will be in attendance (and online) we also have some great video that most people will not have previously seen. We anticipate that there will be a good cross section of people in attendance who knew and were influenced by Presto. Please note that the room for the event is now rm 301. The doors will open at 7:30 pm and the event will start shortly after that.