Howard Thurston
1869–1936 · United States
American magician who began as a card specialist and, after taking over Harry Kellar's show in 1908, ran the largest touring magic show in the United States until his death in 1936.
From the shop
Howard Thurston (1869–1936) was an American magician who first made his name with cards and then, as Harry Kellar's chosen successor, toured the largest magic show in the United States through the 1910s, 1920s and early 1930s.
Early life
Thurston was born in Columbus, Ohio, on 20 July 1869. His early years were unsettled: he left home young, worked odd jobs and travelled with circuses and racing crowds. He is said to have briefly studied with the idea of becoming a missionary before magic took over.
The card act
His first success was a card magic act. Audiences watched chosen cards rise one by one from the deck, and saw cards apparently appear and disappear at his fingertips. In the late 1890s and early 1900s he took the act through American vaudeville and to London and Europe, where he was billed as the King of Cards.
Card magic on a big stage was unusual then; most of the leading magicians of the day relied on large illusions. Thurston's act showed that small objects, handled well, could hold a theatre.
Kellar's successor
In 1908, at Ford's Theatre in Baltimore, Harry Kellar named Thurston as his successor and handed over his show. Thurston kept Kellar's best pieces, including the levitation of Princess Karnac, and kept adding. By the 1920s his touring production was billed as the Wonder Show of the Universe and travelled with tons of equipment and a large company.
Audiences remembered:
- the levitation, in which a woman floated above the stage
- the rising cards, kept in the show long after he became a stage illusionist
- large vanishes, including a motor car, presented in the 1920s
Death and legacy
Thurston suffered a stroke in 1935 and died in Miami Beach on 13 April 1936. With his death the great era of the big touring magic show was close to its end; film and radio were taking its audience. Harry Blackstone Sr was among those who carried the style on.
His large touring lithographs, like Kellar's before them, are among the best-known posters in magic and are still widely collected. For the context, see the history of magic and famous magicians in history.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Howard Thurston?
An American stage magician (1869–1936), first famous for card magic, who took over Harry Kellar's show in 1908 and ran the biggest touring magic show in America.
What was Thurston known for?
The rising cards, the levitation of a woman above the stage and a vast touring illusion show billed as the Wonder Show of the Universe.
When did Howard Thurston die?
On 13 April 1936 in Miami Beach, Florida, the year after a stroke ended his touring.
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