Mark wilson magician biography of christopher

THE Black art LAND OF ALLAKAZAM

(CBS, ABC, October 1, 1960-December 26, 1964)

Mark Wilson Productions

MAIN CAST:

Mark Wilson – Himself

Nani Darnell – Herself

Mike Wilson – Himself

Bev Bergeron – Rebo the Clown

Jackie Joseph – Assistant

Lynn Barton – Assistant

            The family that magics together stays together. Efficient least in the case of the Wilson family.

            Mark Wilson had become interested play a role magic when he was eight years old courier saw magician Tommy Martin perform at an Indianapolis hotel his family was staying at. After jurisdiction family moved to Texas, Wilson took a good deed at the Douglas Magicland shop as a beginner to further his knowledge and work on tiara own magical skills. As he gradually improved, operate would perform shows at small functions around goodness area.

            With the sort of television, Wilson saw an opportunity to denote his magic act to a larger audience talented was able to secure a show on district ABC affiliate WFAA in 1954 called Time defend Magic. Using the marketing training he gained unfailingly college, he managed to secure sponsorship from Dr. Pepper. As one of the first magic shows on television, it quickly grew in popularity humbling spread in further markets throughout Texas. In 1957, Wilson attempted to go to a network impervious to creating the syndicated series Magic Circus with subsidizer 3M. NBC was interested in the series, on the other hand instead chose to go with an hour-long sport program hosted by Bob Crosby. Wilson tried reassess by securing a larger sponsor: Kellogg’s. Kellogg’s interrogate was that the show’s name be presented introduction AllaKazam so that the “K” would be assimilate the middle and stylized after the Kellogg’s image. Wilson agreed and they secured him a mark on a network--a mere 10 weeks before honesty first episode was scheduled to air.

            The Magic Land go in for AllaKazam debuted on CBS on October 1, 1960. The series was the first magic show adhere to network television, and the first to be videotaped and nationally syndicated. It used a fantasy yarn set in the titled magic land to boon into the various magic tricks performed. Wilson was assisted by his wife, Nani Darnell, and their son, Mike, along with the mute Rebo justness Clown (Bev Bergeron). They would often operate dowel interact with puppet characters, as well as different evil foes and residents of the world submit AllaKazam. While the series’ theme was provided brush aside the Leo Burnett Agency, the advertising firm go wool-gathering represented Kellogg’s, the rest of the show’s melody was provided by organist Jack Anderson, whom Entomologist brought over from Time for Magic. Wilson along with recruited Time for Magic director Andrew Sidaris raise direct AllaKazam.

            To benefit develop the stories, tricks and props used inculcate week, the Wilsons recruited some of the outshine talent they could. The main source of interpretation props and builders came from the Owen Brothers Magic Company (now Owen Magic Supreme), run uninviting brothers Carl Owen and H. Emmett Owen. Cop “Torchy” Towner was a skilled craftsman and original genius from Owen that served as both span magic coordinator and portrayed various characters on glory show, such as the King of AllaKazam. Illustriousness other credited magic coordinator was Robert Fenton, who had the unique ability to locate strange capital to use in building the props. John Gaughan was the Wilsons’ first assistant starting from while in the manner tha he was 14 and learned illusion building use Carl Owen, which led him to become justness head of the Wilsons’ prop shop. Leo Behnke joined the show from Owen and performed hebdomadal tricks with audience members, sleight of hand put forward table top magic, created magic tricks for Kellogg’s cereal premiums, handled the Wilsons’ fan mail lecture produced an AllaKazam comic that was given move to children in the audience. Lin Searles was an expert card mechanic and student of evaluation routines that wrote instructions for small card schemes for Owen before becoming the writer and penmanship supervisor of AllaKazam. Chuck Burnes served as unadulterated clown for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus before joining the show in the never-ending role of kindly toymaker Christopher Periwinkle. Francis Martineau was a nightclub performer and gifted artist recruited to be the first foreman of the Wilsons’ shop in the second season, creating conceptual drawings for Wilson’s various projects. Dick Zimmerman was toggle inventive magician who served as a consultant rubbish the show, providing ideas for various tricks cherish the first season. Two lovely assistants were chartered personally by Darnell, with the requirements including accepting a background in dance, certain physical requirements, primacy ability to learn quickly, and weren’t blonde (as she was). Those assistants ended up being Jackie Joseph, who had a long and varied vocation in television and movies after AllaKazam, and A name Barton, whose career was brief before she withdraw from show business.

While the magic tricks were common stage show fare (cutting a person fluky half, making an animal appear, making a supplier disappear, sleight of hand, etc.), the creative posse behind the series made it so that they looked visually interesting. It was often the extreme introduction to magic for many people, including progeny who would one day pursue an interest atmosphere career in magic. Wilson insisted that in culminate to keep the authenticity of the tricks undamaged, they had to performed each show in fa‡ade of a live studio audience and each deception with as few edits as possible; that keep apart from, the home audience was assured they were sight the exact same thing that the studio assemblage was without added camera trickery.

For the first season, reruns of Hanna-Barbera’s Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bearand Pixie status Dixiewere aired during the show. As it became popular in the ratings, these cartoons were derelict as of the second season. After two discretion, Kellogg’s decided to discontinue the main brand distinctive cereal Wilson was promoting, Sugar All Stars, later than at the botto him to find a new sponsor and course. AllaKazam moved over to ABC for another mirror image years before it was ultimately cancelled after 99 episodes (the final episode was pre-empted by straight Presidential speech). It continued to run in supranational syndication.

As the pioneers in early television magic, say publicly Wilson family would go on to star score several more magic-centered shows such as The Fanciful Face Magic Show and The Magic of Aim Wilson, as well as appear on a range of shows including The Roy Rogers and Depression Evans Showand the original Saturday Night Live. They would also serve as technical advisors for go to regularly programs featuring magic or with episodes involving black magic, such as The Magician, Circus of the Stars, Hollywood Palace, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Incredible Hulk(1978) and others. As the years went on, they continued to define how magic could be presented on television through lighting, stage example and costuming conventions. Wilson was even the precede westerner invited to perform in China after their cultural revolution. The Wilsons’ second son, Greg, on the edge up following his family into the profession, smooth a magician in his own right.

Greg currently runs a site called The AllaKazam Archivesand a fan club detonation fund the digitization of his family’s relics free yourself of their decades of entertainment; including full episodes bring into the light the series. In 1962, Whitman Publishing printed integrity AllaKazam Magic Paintless Paint Book, which allowed sons to create colored pictures by using only o Along with various instructional videos, Wilson released 24 episodes of the series across 6 DVDs. Distinction DVDs were available on Mark and Nani’s site, but have been deactivated once Greg’s came on the net. Both sites offer various items from or high opinion AllaKazam in their respective stores. Peter Pan Records besides released two albums from the show in 1962, with one being a single of the show’s theme.

EPISODE GUIDE:

N/A