Photo by Levent (All Rights Reserved)Last week I shared the sad news of the passing of magic legend and historian Charles Reynolds with a post written for us by Levent. Today, the New York Times posted a very thoughtful and well developed obituary on Charlie.
Mr. Reynolds belonged to the circumspect, virtually invisible world of “backroom boys” who help magicians refine their acts. In “Merlin,” a 1983 Broadway musical starring Doug Henning, he figured out how to make a live white horse and rider vanish into thin air. In “Blackstone!,” a 1980 Broadway show, he helped Harry Blackstone Jr. bifurcate his wife with a buzz saw.
He was producer, director, magic creator and magic consultant for television, stage and film productions from Hollywood and Broadway to London, Paris and Hong Kong. He was chief magic consultant to Mr. Henning for all eight of his annual one-hour network magic specials. The first, in 1975, attracted 50 million viewers.