Photo
Image665 - The Criss Angel "MindFreak" Television
Show ceremonies at Hollywood's historic Magic
Castle, naming Criss Angel as The Academy of
Magical Arts' 2005 Magician of the Year. Those
honoring Criss Angel included: Gay Blackstone, Milt
Larsen, Criss Angel, Irene Larsen, Dale R. Hindman,
Troy Cory-Stubblefield, Josie Cory, Costa
Sarantakos, Demitra Sarantakos, Joann Sarantakos
and George Strumpolis - Photos snaps by Krista
Woodley
1.
Feature Story /45th Week
2005 Irene
Larson also known as "Princess
Irene" • •
Co-founder of the Magic
Castle, Honorary President for Life and
Ambassador-At-Large for the Academy of Magical Arts
and member of the Academy of Magical Arts, Inc.
Board of Trustees, is affectionately known
throughout the world as "Princess Irene," a stage
name she was given by her first husband, magician
John Daniel. Fate would have it, Irene
Larsen was born September 25, 1936, in Steuhlingen,
Germany (on the German-Swiss border) in the same
month and year her father-in-law, William W.
Larsen, Sr., founded "Genii Magazine," the
international conjurers' magazine. She attended
school in Oberndor, Austria. In later years Irene,
and her second, late husband, William W. (Bill)
Larsen, Jr., brother of Milt Larsen, become
co-editors of the magazine, which served then, and
still does to this day, as a vehicle to promote the
Magic Castle to magicians around the world. The
historic Magic Castle opened its doors to the
public on January 2, 1963, and only months later
Irene married Bill Larsen on November 10, 1963.
Irene is the mother of three children, including
Dante, Heidi and Erika and proud grandmother of
Libby, Lily, Liam and Jessica
Larsen.
• •
As a teenager she would
travel to Rosenheim, Germany for the Bavarian
celebration, Wiesenfest (a local Oktoberfest),
where another young magician named Siegfried
Fischbacher, attended the event as well. Even
though Irene and Siegfried lived in towns next to
each other during their childhoods, in Germany, it
wasn't until years later the Irene, along with her
husband Bill, met the legendary magic team
Siegfried & Roy.
• •
Irene is also an animal
right's activist and advocate for women magicians.
Bothered by the original sketches on the Magic
Castle's dining room place mats, she had them
redrawn. Before the revision, a magician pulled a
rabbit out of the hat by its ears. Now the magician
correctly holds the rabbit by the extra skin on the
back of its neck. Larsen advises female magicians
who want to have careers like their male
counterparts:
• •
"Originality breeds
fame. When you imitate, you get lost in the
crowd.
• •
Irene's career in magic
started by chance when, in 1965, she attended a
magic show in Germany and was asked on stage by
magician John Daniel. One year later she
arrived in America, married Daniel and became
involved with Owen Magic, a manufacturer of
magic products. She and Daniel became the first
people to perform the Thin Model Sawing in America.
She toured the school circuit with Daniel and after
that, with Daniel and Bob Towner, played
many RKO houses form California to New York City,
their spook show featuring Irene in the Burning
Alive Illusion and Substitution Trunk, as well as
many other illusions.
•
•
When John Daniel
purchased Owen Magic in 1960, Irene demonstrated
many magical products, including, Zombie Balls,
Block Penetrations and Die Boxes.
• •
Around this time she
caught the eye of actor, writer, director and
magician, Orson Welles, who asked her to
perform with him on "The Dean Martin
Show."
• •
In 1942, William W.
Larsen, Sr. traded homes with magic craftsman Floyd
Thayer, which now belongs to Irene. The three-story
Spanish-style home, built in 1937, was once the
stomping ground to some of magic's best-known
performers on Saturday mornings as they visited
Thayer's Studio of Magic. The home's name,
Brookledge, was derived from Bill Larsen's
"Genii Speaks"column in "Genii
Magazine." The homes' name also refers to the
Rio de Oro brook running through the backyard. In
it's heyday, and even today, Brookledge is a haven
for world-renowned magicians and celebrities alike.
In the early days, people like Dante and Blackstone
dined there, and Orson Welles used the home's
theatre with a red-curtained stage, to rehearse his
tent shows with Marlene Dietrich, Joseph
Cotton and Rita Hayworth, before they
left to entertain World War II troops.
• •
During his lifetime, Bill
Larsen an his wife, Irene, traveled throughout the
world spreading the word about the Magic Castle.
Today, Irene Larsen travels around the world as an
Ambassador-At-Large for the AMA, and the mansion
where she lives, Brookledge, has the requisite
magical bunny sitting on its roof, which Floyd
Thayer installed years ago. Brookledge is now a
historical landmark, and represents all things
magic, from the time of Floyd Thayer's Studio of
Magic, to that special day when the property became
the homestead of the Magical Larsen
Family.
Part
02 Milt Larsen, Collector of Memorabilia •
•
Milt Larsen is
a great collector of memorabilia, and all things
magic. The Magic Castle is the permanent home of
the headboard from Cher's movie, "The
Witches of Eastwick;" the bar from the movie,
"Hello Dolly!,"starring Barbra
Streisand; the costumes of Edgar Bergen's
puppet Charlie McCarthy; the bar from "The
Dean Martin Show;" the "Cowgirl"
marionette, popularized in the movie, "Toy Story;"
W.C. Field's pool table used in many of his
movies and personal belongs from Harry
Houdini, (housed in the Houdini Seance Room),
to name a few. The Magic Castle is literally a
museum of magic, as well as a seven-day-a-week
restaurant and private nightclub with live
entertainments.
•
•
Milt Larsen, co-founder
of the Magic Castle and Member of the AMA fulfilled
a life-long dream of his father's when he, along
with is later brother William W. Larsen, Jr., and
William's wife, Irene, opened a club for Magicians
on January 2, 1963. For the past few years, he was
the creative force behind the multi-million dollar
"Caesars Magical Empire" at Caesars Palace
in Las Vegas. Larsen has produced and written
numerous stage shows and musicals (collaborating
several times with the renowned Sherman Brothers).
His most recent television credits include, serving
as Co-Executive Producer/Writer of the "Magicians'
Favorite Magicians" Special for CBS Television and
serving as a consultant for "Now You See It-The
History of Magic," for the Learning
Channel.
• •
Larsen is the producer of
the ever-popular magic show, "It's Magic!" which he
describes as the old days of Vaudeville, where a
wide variety of acts are presented all in one show.
He also stared opposite Angela Lansbury in the
original feature film of "Bedknobs &
Broomsticks. Magic
Castle History
•
•
The Magic Castle is the
private clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts
(AMA), Inc., a very special organization devoted to
the advancement of the ancient art of magic. The
purpose of The Academy is to encourage and promote
public interest in the art of magic with particular
emphasis on preserving its history as an art form,
entertainment medium, and hobby. Beginning with a
charter membership of 150, the Academy has grown
into a world-renowned fraternal organization with a
membership of nearly 5,000. The
Birth of The Magic Castle
• •
The Magic Castle began
its life as a private home built in 1908 by banker
and real estate magnate Rollin B. Lane. Mr. Lane
owned much of what is now Hollywood, dreaming of
turning his land into orange groves, farms and
ranches.
• •
But a severe drought
brought an end to his dreams and orange blossoms
never filled the valley.
• •
After the Lane family
moved away in the 1940s, the mansion was divided
into a multi-family home, then became a home for
the elderly, and was finally transformed into a
maze of small apartments. By 1960, the fate of the
Mansion was uncertain. Then Milt Larsen met the
owner, Thomas O. Glover.
• •
Milt was a writer on the
NBC TV show "Truth or Consequences." His office was
on the ninth floor of a Hollywood office building
that overlooked the Lane mansion. Milt's late
father, William W. Larsen, Sr., was a renowned
magician and had long dreamed of building an
elegant private club for
magicians.
• •
The Lane mansion would
become that club. In September of 1961, Milt and a
crew of eternally generous friends and volunteers
began the extraordinary task of returning this
run-down apartment building to its glorious past.
After months of scraping and sanding, the rich
Victorian elegance began to
resurface.
• •
The Magic Castle opened
its doors at 5 p.m. on January 2, 1963. Today more
than four decades later, the Castle has become the
world-famous "home" to the Academy of Magical Arts,
Inc. and their invited guests.
•3.
Editor's NoteThe
Junior Program at the Magic Castle
• •
The Junior Program at the
Magic Castle, now celebrating it's 31st
Anniversary, continues to serve as a training
program nurturing the talents of young magicians
between the ages of 13-21. In 2003, a graduate of
the Junior Program, Jason Latimer, won the
title of the World's Best Magician. Latimer started
studying the craft of magic at age 13 at the
Castle. Today, there are many young people, who
just like Jason, are studying magic, in the Junior
Program, led by Robert Dorian and Diana
Zimmerman.
• •
Another great Castle
success story is Darren Romeo, a singing magician
in his 20s, who was discovered at The Magic Castle
by Irene Larsen. Presently Darren Romeo is touring
around the world with his show. He is the one and
only protege in the world, of the legendary
Magicians of the Century, Siegfried & Roy. In
March 2005, Romeo received the Magician of the Year
Award for 2004 at the Academy of Magical Arts
Awards Show at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre in
Hollywood.
• •
Criss Angel was named
Magician of the Year 2005, and will have officially
the award bestowed upon him on April 1, 2006 at the
38th Annual Academy of Magical Arts Awards Show
& Banquet, to be held at the Beverly Hilton
Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The distinction of
being named Magician of the Year by the AMA is to a
magician, what winning an Academy Award is to an
actor.
• •
Mecca of Magic
•
•
The Magic Castle is
regarded as the world's "Mecca of Magic." All the
greatest magicians in the world, bot past and
present, have been, or are currently affiliated
with the Magic Castle, from Siegfried & Roy,
to Lance Burton, to Penn &
Teller, to the late Dough Henning, among
countless others. Since the Magic Castle is a
private clubhouse for members and their guests, the
founders of the Castle continue to bring magic to
the community outside of the Castle's four walls to
the world at large, not only through AMA's Annual
Award's Show & Banquet, but through the annual
presentation of magic shows. The show, "It's
Magic!," has been delighting magic
enthusiasts for over four decades, since its
inception in 1956. This dazzling and enchanting
live stage show is unique in that it features top
professional magicians from all over the world,
with each act carefully selected to represent the
variety of the art of magic. On one stage, audience
members can revel at seeing internationally
recognized and award-winning magicians, direct from
the main show rooms of Las Vegas and Hollywood's
the Magic Castle, performing sleight of hand, big
stage illusions and comedy.
• •
Television viewers and
magic enthusiast may recall seeing Johnny Carson
perform his "Karnac the Magnificent" routine on
"The Tonight Show," Johnny Carson is a Castle
member. The inspiration for his television routine,
was an arcade fortune-teller named Madame Karnac,
who currently is housed in the Magic Castle. Madame
Karnac is a gift from Mr. Carson himself.
4.
Bylines
The
Hat and Hare Pub, helps keep the magic energy
going
•
•The
Hat and Hare Pub, located in the subterranean heart
of the Magic Castle, a private clubhouse, offers an
intimate atmosphere to relax and enjoy a libation
before dinner or between shows. The newly
refurbished bar features rare single malt Scotch
whiskies, limited run single barrel bourbons, rare
ports, cognacs and liqueurs, as well as four
exclusive imported draft beers.
•
•
The master bartender/greeter
on duty has been known, when so requested, to
occasionally perform a few miracles of sleight of
hand. The adjacent Pub Lounge features continuous
screenings of vintage magic performances from The
Academy of Magical Arts, Inc. archives, shown on a
wide screen High Definition monitor.
•
•
Just down the dimly lit
hallway one encounters the Pub Museum performance
area, an intimate gallery suited to performances
for small audiences. Here you may see unpaid,
unscheduled performances by both talented amateur
magician members as well as working pros, honing
their craft. Long a popular retreat for magician
members, the "Pub" is the place to rub elbows with
both local and visiting international magic
notables.
•
•
Note: The Hat and Hare Pub
is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday until
closing. Dress Code requires coats and ties for men
and dresses or pants suits for women. The Magic
Castle‚ is located at 7001 Franklin Avenue,
just off of Highland Avenue in Hollywood. For
further information about the Magic Castle, please
visit the website, http://www.magiccastle.com
Other
Photo 5 - Costa
Sarantakos, Demitra Sarantakos, Criss Angel, Joann
Sarantakos and George Strumpolis at Hollywood's
historic Magic Castle's ceremony naming Criss Angel
as The Academy of Magical Arts' 2005 Magician of
the Year -
