Today is the birthday of Tony Slydini (1900-1991), seminal close-up magic man of the 20th century, master of the psychology that informs sleight of hand. Originally from Foggia, Italy he moved with his family to Argentina when still a child, His father was an amateur magician and it was he who interested him in the art. Slydini got his start in the Argentinian equivalent of vaudeville, then moved to the U.S. where he worked at Hubert’s Museum, Times Square, and carnivals and sideshows throughout the country.
In time his skills became legendary, and younger generations of future masters came to study at his feet, among them Ricky Jay, Doug Henning, Mark Mitton, and even Dick Cavett, who wrote this wonderful tribute about him for the New York Times:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/conjuring-slydini-part-2/?_r=0
You’ll find tons of clips of Slydini from Dick Cavett’s show in the 1970s on youtube.
To learn more about the history of vaudeville, including magicians like Slydini, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous
(Travalanche) 