Cute blonde does cig. manipulations on YouTube

[Bill Mullins]

Note: if the age in the last article is correct (18 years old, in 1935, and I can believe the woman in the film clip is that age), then I doubt that she really had lessons from Houdini. She would have had to have been nine or less.

[Ian Kendall]

I know this is a long shot, but what are the chances that Suzy and Marion are the same woman?

Second long shot; Suzy _was_ aware of Marion and the film, and claimed it was her to get the credit?

[Marco Pusterla]

This matter was discussed in the feature article of Ye Olde Magic Mag, Vol. 4 n. 4 (September 2018) by Kobe, who was at the time completing his biography of Suzy Wandas. At the time, the name of Marion was not known yet, but from access to first-hand sources, Kobe could dismiss the thought that the young cigarette manipulator was an almost-40-year-old Suzy.

[Bill Mullins]

I know this is a long shot, but what are the chances that Suzy and Marion are the same woman?

Not very large. Marion Stephanie was touring through multiple cities in America in 1934 and 1935, and there is no evidence that Wandas was anywhere but in Europe during that period.

[Brad Jeffers]

Thanks Bill, for posting the information about Marion Stephanie.
It is now apparent that it is she, and not Suzy Wandas, who appears in the film.

[Tom Gilbert]

In Nick Lewin's blog he ponders if the film is Suzy Wandas, he received an email from Raven Tekwe who was a friend of Suzy's in the 80's. Briefly she mentioned coming to the US very quickly and doing a film with a man that played the ukulele. He mentioned that it took a few tries to understand what she was saying when she said ukulele. https://remarkablemagic.com/2018/08/30/ ... zy-wandas/

[houdinisghost]

The Owensboro Messenger (Owensboro, Kentucky)

Hollywood Celebrities To Appear in Film At Empress

". . . Starlit Days At The Lido" makes no attempt to present a story other than the actual record of a gay afternoon at the paygrounds of the stars. . ."

Various stars of the time are mentioned included Cliff Edwards.

"Various celebrities of the stage and radio appear in the scene among them Marion Stephanie, the world's foremost feminine magician. . ."

[Kobevh]

Everything you need to know about Suzy Wandas you can find in her biography.

The Lady with the Fairy Fingers is the incredible true story of Suzy Wandas, a woman who persevered against a backdrop of cultural turmoil, international strife, family tragedy, and a male-dominated profession to achieve worldwide success on her own terms. It is also the history of variety entertainment in the twentieth century, a personal view of women's rights, and a story of true love and pure magic.

Hardbound, 204 pages in full color, illustrated with never-before-seen posters, photographs, and ephemera. Edition limited to 750.

You can purchase the book here: http://www.squashpublishing.com/product ... cts_id=272

[AJM]

Suzy Wandas eh?
With the SW prominently displayed on the cover.
And what other mysterious author also has the letters SW in their name?
I think it is now time to explore the possibility that our old friend SW Erdnase was actually female.
It is quite conceivable that child prodigy Ms Wandas could have written her magnum opus at the age of 6 or thereabouts before embarking on a career of producing tobacco based products out of thin air.
I think this possibility merits some serious investigation.
At the very least there’s more than enough room on this forum for a few more Erdnase threads.
What say you, esteemed forumites?

Andrew

[Richard Kaufman]

Hahahahahaha.

[David Nethery]

This is an old thread (from 2006) so the original link to the clip from the MGM film "Starlit Days at the Lido" is no longer working ... here's the clip in question , on a current link (as of May 5, 2020 ) on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AGL3tdw0T8

[Steve Bryant]

Has anyone tried to apply facial recognition software to the candidates? Might prove interesting.