UPDATE: Jay Marshall has died

[Steve Bryant]

Max Maven contributed a terrific 16-page full biography on and interview with Jay in the July 1996 issue of Genii. This is must reading for any of you who don't possess the issue.

[Bill Palmer]

I first met Jay Marshall at the IBM convention in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1975. Some of my friends introduced us, and later that evening a bunch of us went out to an "Assyrian" restaurant, where Jay performed some of his "table crap" for us. Over the years, we got to be good friends.

The last time I saw him was at the Collector's weekend in Vegas. He didn't look too good then, but he seemed to be holding up.

There were few people who knew as much about magic as Jay did. He was a warm, honest, caring person who was a real credit to our art and profession.

I will miss him.

[Guest]

My father passed away yesterday May 10, 2005 at 7:17 pm with me, my brother Sandy, my son Chris and Alley Bongo(his cat) with him. It was very peaceful.

He will be at Drake and Son Funeral Home, 5303 North Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, Phone 773-561-6874. He has requested cremation. There will be visitation Sunday, May 15 from 6pm to 9pm and there will be visitation on Monday May 16 from 10am to 11am. The service, including the Broken Wand Ceremony will start right after this at 11am. Burial will be a family affair in the Showman's Rest section of Woodlawn Cemetery.

We thank all who have been in contact for their kind thoughts and all who have asked to perform the Broken Wand Ceremony.

In lieu of flowers the family is requesting donations to:
The Actors' Fund of America, 203 N. Wabash, Suite 2104, Chicago, IL 60601 or
The Jay Marshall Scholarship Fund of the Three Sheeters at Prarie State College, 202 S. Halsted, Chicago Heights, IL 60411

[Bill Wells]

Magic is fortunate to have been able to count Jay Marshall as one of it's own. He was a unique talent and a priceless addition to whatever discipline he chose to follow. A truly remarkable individual has gone from this stage to that "Wonderful Magic Show" that Karrell Fox used to tell us about.
Knowing and working with Jay will always be one of the great memories and honors for any of us who were so blessed. Goodbye Jay...you are deeply missed.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Bill Palmer:
I first met Jay Marshall at the IBM convention in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1975.

I first met Jay in about the same time frame in Tulsa, Ok. at a local magic convention... In fact I was performing mentalism during a Saturday afternoon show and met him afterwards...

Rest In Peace...

[Danny Archer]

The world of Magic is a little poorer today ... Jay was an absolute mastter of the craft and a world-class story-teller to boot ... once before I lectured at Magic Inc., Jay and I and Graham Putnam went out to dinner and shared a pizza ... Jay had us laughing so hard I could barely eat ...

people like Jay come along once in a great while and I glad I had the chance to watch him perform and got to know him a bit ...

[Brad Henderson]

I think Jay left a lasting impression on everyone he met. But I have a question, and it is a sincere one. What made Jay so great? By that I mean, what was it about his outlook on life, his experiences, work ethic, etc., that produced such a remarkable force in magic? I'm not asking why we consider him great, that question is easy and evidenced by the thoughts expressed in this thread. I'm interested in how he become the amazing man that he was.

Brad

[Guest]

Jay Marshall's passing is a loss to us in magic and much more. He effectively made Chicago the center of the earth.

Peace

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

[Guest]

As I never had the chance to hang out with Jay but I feel lucky enough to experience my visits to Magic Inc. for lectures and buying of magic items. I have briefly talked with Jay at my numerous visits and remember his introductions to the lectures. Everytime I went there I would always forget my camera to have a picture with Jay and the last time I was there, Jay and I joked about it for a second and he said "Remember it next time". Well I guess a photo chance has now passed but the best picture will lay enbedded in my memory.

Jay - Rest in Peace

[Dustin Stinett]

Originally posted by Brad Henderson:
What made Jay so great? By that I mean, what was it about his outlook on life, his experiences, work ethic, etc., that produced such a remarkable force in magic?

Its a great question Brad. I can only speak for myself and I only met the man a handful of times. Besides the things you mentioned, which are certainly factors, I cannot think of a single person who has ever spoken ill of Jay Marshall, and thats probably because I cannot think of ever hearing him speak ill of anyone else. Maybe Im wrong; maybe Im overlooking or forgetting something that occurred in the past, but all I can recall is that he genuinely seemed to like everyone he met. And he made you feel like you knew him for years. He had tremendous charisma; an incredible life force (for lack of a better term, because I dont want to get all new-agie here) that drew people to him and made him instantly likable. That quality came across in person, from the stage and even through the television screen! Thats how powerful it was. Other people have such charisma in public, but its often disingenuous and gets shut off as soon as you meet them in person; away from the spotlight. Jay was never like that as far as I know: His was genuine. I believe his was an enviable life not just because of its length, or even his many wonderful experiences: I think its enviable because he fully lived and so obviously loved every moment of that life.

Dustin

[Guest]

About 20 years ago or so I was hanging with 4 or 5 of my old magic buddies from West Virgina at some convention when Jay joined us at the table. We all took turns doing our stuff for him. Gary Plants did his thing, which even back then incorporated absolutely flawless center deals and a whole bunch of other stuff from Erdnase you never get to see because hardly anyone can do it right. Jay sat up straight, reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pen and a pad of paper and asked "What was your name again?" Gary told him, and without missing a beat Jay did one of the most gentlemanly things I've ever seen. He turned to the person sitting next to Gary and asked "And what was yours? And yours? And yours?" asking each person sitting at the table their name as he wrote it down. From my vantage point sitting next to him I saw that, as he returned the pad to his pocket he made a small check mark next to Plants' name, but still. He went out of his way to create a sense of inclusion with everyone, not just the guy who blew him away. Better still, how many internationally revered giants in magic, when they mesh with us lowlifes, make a point to keep the attention on the others and not themselves? A class act to the core. THIS, I think, is what brought him all the success he deserved.

[Steve Bryant]

and thats probably because I cannot think of ever hearing him speak ill of anyone else.

Um, you might enjoy his negative review of the Milbourne Christopher show in The New Phoenix. Gentlemanly, yes, but a masterful putdown. Jay was not unopinionated.

[Oliver Corpuz]

Originally posted by Brad Henderson:
What made Jay so great? By that I mean, what was it about his outlook on life, his experiences, work ethic, etc., that produced such a remarkable force in magic?

In response to Brads question, I proffer this story, a story that the person it happened to will probably kill me for telling it, but I think it explains why Jay was so greatly regarded and so well loved.

Many years ago, when my friend was a young man in college, he attended a magic convention somewhere in the Midwest. As a poor college student, he had scrapped together about $200 for spending money and meals, but as bad luck would have it, the first day of the convention he somehow lost his wallet. He searched everywhere and it was just plain gone. He was devastated that with no money, he would have to leave the convention early and drive home, having no way to eat. He was very embarrassed with his unfortunate situation. Borrowing money would be no good, because as a poor student, attending the convention was a luxury and he didnt have the budget to pay back any money hed have to borrow so he could stay.

Amazingly, later in the day, this young mans luck turned for the better, as when it was dinner time, he somehow got invited to dine with one of the convention performers. And when the next meal came, he again was invited to dine with another group of convention attendees. He couldnt believe how much his luck had turned and how he was able to meet so many wonderful people. Each day of the convention, when it was time for a meal, he amazingly got invited to dine with a different group. He thought he was the luckiest man on the planet. In a way, he was, because he knew Jay Marshall. Jay somehow found out about how this young man lost his wallet. Knowing how embarrassed the young man was about his predicament, Jay secretly made arrangements to make sure that he was taken care of, and in way that kept his pride intact. Thats the kind of generous person Jay was. He would go out of his way to ensure his friends were alright.

Jay billed himself as One of the better, cheaper acts. But as far as Im concerned, he is the definitive Class Act.

[Pete McCabe]

At the castle last night a small group of us gathered in the library to watch a video of Jay from a TV special. Can't remember the year -- Vernon was on, and I think Merv Griffin was the host.

And from that I can tell you that what made Jay great was that he was a terrific actor. His timing was great. His ability to deliver lines in character -- both for himself and for Lefty -- was great. His routine was also scripted brilliantly, worked out in every detail, and polished from thousands of performances.

These are the same things that make all great magicians great.

Being a wonderful human being is what made him so loved.

[Lisa Cousins]

SCENE: Dealer room at SAM convention in Las Vegas.

JAY: Lisa, I have tickets to the Amazing Johnathon show tonight. Would you like to join me?

ME: Oh, I don't know, Jay. I'm very prudish and easily offended.

JAY: Well, f**k.


He was delightful company. One of his very noticeable habits was the way that he would tilt his head and say "bless you" in response to the continuous stream of compliments he received as he meandered through life and conventions. I just loved that. He immediately returned all of the goodwill he received to the well-wisher, in this charming, dapper tone of "right back atcha!" A beautiful, beloved soul.

[Jeffrey Cowan]

The only thing I ever saw Jay perform was his "Lefty" vent routine, but I did see him "kill" the group at 4F one year in the late 1990s with his off-the-cuff wisecracks and ribald quips and jokes. In each instance, he had great presence and masterful timing and delivery.

[Paul Cummins]

Having just lost my wife on Mother's Day, I know exactly how Mr. Marshall's family is feeling at the moment. They are in my thoughts...

I met Mr. Marshall on a few occasions, not the least memorable was when I lectured at Magic, Inc. a few years ago. One of the guys behind the counter asked if I had lecture notes with me and I said, "I sure do." Jay bellowed, "Oh just give him a damn set!" And I did.

Paul

[Guest]

Paul, I'm very sorry to hear of your loss as well. I some what know the moment that one experiences having been told my wife had passed a couple years ago and she was, amazingly, revived after I was informed. I can't even discuss it to this day. Sympathies during this difficult time.
Steve V

[Brian Marks]

Originally posted by Paul Cummins:
Having just lost my wife on Mother's Day, I know exactly how Mr. Marshall's family is feeling at the moment. They are in my thoughts...

I met Mr. Marshall on a few occasions, not the least memorable was when I lectured at Magic, Inc. a few years ago. One of the guys behind the counter asked if I had lecture notes with me and I said, "I sure do." Jay bellowed, "Oh just give him a damn set!" And I did.

Paul

Sorry to hear that.

[Nicholas Carifo]

http://daily.nysun.com/Repository/getma ... ID=Ar00600

Bruce Kalver posted this link on SAMTalk today. It is a link to a great article on Jay Marshall from today's New York Sun.

Nick Carifo

[Tom Dobrowolski]

Nice article in the Chicago Tribune today also:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obit ... &cset=true

[gfajuri]

Here's the obit from today's New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/13/arts/13marshall.html

Gabe

[magicam]

Any chance any of you with access can post PDF files of the newspaper links posted by Tom and Gabe? Many thanks in advance! Clay

[Bizzaro]

Posted for Frances Mai-Ling, daughter of Louie...

http://www.livejournal.com/users/mai_ling/186877.html

[Rich Green]

One of the great things I have in my collect is a video I made of Jay doing Lefty in the early days followed by a video of the same act later. The two performances vary very little. I use it to show students and friends (and just for personal inspiration) how a well timed and perfected act can appear fresh and sponatious over the years. The act is perfect and makes me laugh everytime I see it.

I never got to meet Jay, but he has been a great influence on my life and will be missed.

Richard

[Tom Dobrowolski]

I (along with a number of other people I'm sure) have been thinking a lot about Jay Marshall these past few days. I appreciate my good fortune in having known and been able to have spent time with him.A lot of memories but I keep coming back to this one thing. It's a small thing but something he kept up until the last time I spoke with him. It is regarding how my last name is pronounced.

When people see it they invariably butcher the pronounciation. I myself would on occasion drop a syllable when I introduced myself. (from Do-bro-wol-ski to Do-brow-ski) Jay would always make sure he pronounced it correctly AND would correct me if I used the shortened version. It is a small thing but was important to him that it was pronounced correctly. Not sure why it was so important to him, but it keeps me in line pronouncing it correctly and I appreciated it.

Not sure why I keep thinking about that but I do.

I will miss him.

[Guest]

For those who want to see more, here are some links to some articles and a legacy book online about Jay:

Nanci and I have sponsored a guest book for 1 year for any and all to share their stories about Jay at:
guestbook
http://www.legacy.com/chicagotribune/Gu ... ID=3537111 Posting your comments to the book is free, but posting a picture to it costs about $4.95 (payable to the web company, not to us - we just paid to sponsor it and get nothing but the pleasure of knowing that it's there for everyone).

The New York Times wrote a really wonderful article in their entertainment section, complete with photo at:
NY Times
http://www.ourdailydead.com/oddRedirect.php?u=2&l=ja

The Chicago Tribune's story can be found here:
Chgo Trib/story
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obit ... ory?page=1

The Tribune's Obituary here:
Chgo Trib Obit
http://www.legacy.com/chicagotribune/Le ... Id=3537111

And the Chicago Sun Times article, here:
Chgo Suntimes
http://www.suntimes.com/output/obituari ... ars13.html

Lee Darrow, C.H.
http://www.leedarrow.com

[Bill Mullins]

From Walter Winchell's column, of Sept. 20, 1949:

JAY MARSHALL knows a cannibal who went to the tribal medicine man and said he wasn't feeling well.
"Natchelly," was the retort, "you're not eating the right people!''

[Guest]

I was fortunate enough to work on the same bill with Jay nearly 25 years ago. Though that was the only time I met him, I know he will be dearly missed by the magic community. :genii:

[Jeff Haas]

A few years back, Jay was on the bill at a magic convention, doing Lefty.

Part of the way through the routine, there's a pause, a bit of a stumble in the dialog. Then Lefty says, "You just forgot one of my best lines! You're going senile!"

And the audience broke up.

[Lisa Cousins]

I know I'm not going to be able to tell this story without crying, but here goes ...

Jay was a person who did not harden his heart in the face of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. He was so tender, so open, and so emotional, even as an elderly man who had lived through life's usual banquet of hurt and disappointments. He was fully and wonderously alive all the way until his death.

Last fall - Jay at age 85 - he and I were chatting about Charlie Chaplin movies, and the conversation turned to the ending of the movie "City Lights." As we discussed it he began to well with tears, became completely choked up, shook his head, and gasped out "He did so much for her!"

The poignancy of that scenario had not diminished for him in the least, although decades had no doubt passed since he had first witnessed it. It was an evergreen wound to him, and now it's mine. I will never be able think of that movie without these overwhelming thoughts of the overwhelmed Jay Marshall. He touched me to the core, he really did.

[Bizzaro]

http://www.livejournal.com/users/mai_ling/187363.html

photos from the Wake.

End of transmission...

[Guest]

I was sure that this past weekend would be one of the saddest of my life. I tucked a handkerchief in my pocket, just in case. Instead it was full of laughter and memories, Newcastle Brown Ale and jokes. It was a celebration of Jay's life and his contributions to our art.

Jay's wake was the only one I've ever attended that had an 8 page program with a full color cover and photos. It was 2 hours of celebrations and laughs. On the casket was a sign that read, "Not the first time I've died," and another that read, "Lefty on Board." It all ended with a standing ovation.

There was a great piece about the wake by Mark Brown in the Chicago Sun-Times today: http://www.suntimes.com/output/brown/cs ... own17.html

Time magazine had a nice piece in Milestones this week.

Jay, I don't miss you like I thought I would. So much of you is still with me, and will be forever. Thank you for everything.

Bob

[Terry_Holley]

Believe it or not, I met Jay at a Fellowship of Christian Magicians Convention at Winona Lake, Indiana, in the mid 1980's.

Our discussion took place one afternoon after he had the opportunity to view at least one of the evening shows that included various performers.

As we were talking about the week in general, he stated that he was impressd by the "family-feel" at the FCM Conference. But he then asked me a question that I have never forgotten.

His question went something like this. "If the message that the gospel magicians give is so important and if they believe it has eternal significance, why do so many wrap it in such a poor package?" Of course he was talking about the quality of the performance.

It hit me like a ton of bricks and it caused me to do some deep soul-searching regarding the quality of my presentation when performing that genre of magic.

I don't know what Jay thought about the gospel message, but he realized that if it was as important as many believe, it should be presented with excellence.

And all the people said, "Amen!"

Terry