Posted on Leave a comment

Frank Seltzer Magican, Mentor, Friend

Frank Seltzer Gentleman Magician

Frank Seltzer, passed away Sunday, Dec. 19 2021, after a brief illness.

Frank enjoyed a long career in broadcast journalism, which began as a desk assistant at NBC News while attending American University in Washington, D.C. After graduating in 1972, Frank’s career blossomed as he covered world events as a writer, correspondent, reporter, anchorman and producer for various broadcast news outlets, including Voice of America; NBC local affiliates in Columbus, Ohio, and Corpus Christi, Texas; CNN and ABC News. He eventually settled in Dallas, Texas, and in 1986 established Singing Pig Productions, offering communications consultant
services to clients. Frank’s journalistic style hearkened back to an earlier age—he relentlessly pursued facts and presented the news confidently and fairly, with a slightly sardonic twist that often brought a clever touch of humor to his reporting.

While Frank pursued a career in journalism, perhaps his first love was magic. Frank was a skilled magician who was a member of The Society of American Magicians, The International Brotherhood of Magicians, and Los Angeles’ famous The Magic Castle. He also served as president of the Dallas Magic Club and The Texas Association of Magicians in 2017.

 

Frank Seltzer Gentleman Magician

Posted on

Steven Shaw

20120608-The-Alpha-Project-–-Banachek-15-Photo-by-Corbin-Smith[1]

Stage Name: Banachek
Influences:
Bio: Born in England and raised in South Africa and Australia, Banachek began performing before his arrival in the United States in 1976.  He as been a consultant for entertainers and magic TV shows around the world including Penn & Teller, David Blaine, Lance Burton, James Randi and Criss Angel. During the early-1980s Project Alpha hoax, Banachek was one of the “psychics” that fooled scientists at Washington University into believing that their supposed psychic abilities were genuine. Also, with James Randi, he took part in an investigation of alleged faith healer Peter Popoff’s activities, which ultimately exposed Popoff’s false claims.

Posted on

Dai Vernon (1894-1992)


Canadian show Celebrity Revue hosted by Carol Taylor and Peter Pit.


‘Dai Vernon: The Spirit Of Magic’ (Toronto: History Television – The Canadians: 1999) produced by Great North Productions in association with History Television and the CRB Foundation’s Heritage Project.

Stage Name: The Professor
Influences:
S. W. Erdnase – The Expert at the Card Table
Alan “Bill” Kennedy (1897–1961)