Today is the birthday of magician Norm Nielsen (b. 1934). In the clip below, after some typical close magic with cards and coins, he builds to his best known trick, the Levitating Violin, which was invented and devised by himself:
To find out more about the variety arts past and present, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.