Leon Mandrake: Difference between revisions
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John Arthur Leon Giglio was born<ref>Washington, Birth Records, 1870-1935</ref> in San Juan (Washington) on April 11, 1911. He was the only child of Antonio A Giglio and Harriet | John Arthur Leon Giglio was born<ref>Washington, Birth Records, 1870-1935</ref> in San Juan (Washington) on April 11, 1911. He was the only child of Antonio A Giglio<ref group="footnotes">Born in Italy by Felix and Lorena Giglio.</ref> and Harriet Florence Wagner<ref group="footnotes">daughter of John Wagner and Rebecca Wagner née Mc Donald. From her first marriage she had her son Alfred Carlyle Jackson.</ref>. When Leon was about one years old his parents were divorced<ref name="US-C">Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 ''(May 25, 1939)''</ref> and his mother brought him to New Westminster, British Columbia on the West Coast of Canada to live with his aunt Mildred<ref name="WP">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Mandrake Wikipedia: Leon Mandrake]</ref><ref>1921 Census of Canada</ref>. | ||
Leon began<ref name="WP">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Mandrake Wikipedia: Leon Mandrake]</ref> his magic career in 1922, giving vaudeville performances in New Westminster (British Columbia), only 11 years old. | Leon began<ref name="WP">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Mandrake Wikipedia: Leon Mandrake]</ref> his magic career in 1922, giving vaudeville performances in New Westminster (British Columbia), only 11 years old. | ||
Revision as of 10:31, 24 March 2018
| Leon Mandrake | |
| |
| Biographical information | |
| Born: | April 11, 1911 |
|---|---|
| Died: | January 27, 1993 |
| Nationality: |  American
|
| Occupation: | Stage Magician |
| Website: | The Leon Mandrake Memorial Web Page |
Leon Mandrake the Magician was an Italian-American magician, mentalist, illusionist, escapologist, ventriloquist and stunt performer.
Life and career
Early life
John Arthur Leon Giglio was born[1] in San Juan (Washington) on April 11, 1911. He was the only child of Antonio A Giglio[footnotes 1] and Harriet Florence Wagner[footnotes 2]. When Leon was about one years old his parents were divorced[2] and his mother brought him to New Westminster, British Columbia on the West Coast of Canada to live with his aunt Mildred[3][4].
Leon began[3] his magic career in 1922, giving vaudeville performances in New Westminster (British Columbia), only 11 years old.
The vaudeville was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill. The various olio acts were normally introduced by a MC (master of ceremonies) and could include musical performances by popular and classical musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, trained animals, magicians, strongmen, female and male impersonators, acrobats, illustrated songs, jugglers, one-act plays or scenes from plays, athletes, lecturing celebrities, ventriloquist and on.
At age 16 he travelled across North America with the Ralph Richards touring magic show[3]. According to Magicpedia[5] Leon used the stagename "Leon Wagner" in his early career.
When the tour ended in 1927 he settled[2] in Oak Harbor (Island County, Washington) and continued to give vaudeville performances on the west coast of the US. According to "The History of Metropolitian Vancouver" [6] Leon was billed as "Leon", and later as "Leon the Ventriloquist". In 1941 Leon married[7] the 21 years old Ruby Olive Burleson (née Armour) in Maricopa (Arizona) on August 13.
Gallery
1938: Little Charlie Chin, Leon and Jerry
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autographed photo
Mandrake the Magician and Princess Narda
From November 1941 Leon toured with the 20 years old Lola R Douglas under their stagenames Leon the Magician and Princess Lola. They married[8] in King (Washington) on 20 October, 1942. Spring 1943 they were headliners in Oakland (California) with their new stagenames Mandrake the Magician and Princess Narda.
Leon legally changed[9] his surname to Mandrake in 1944, when he prepared a melodrama vaudeville with the road show edition of "The Drunkard"[footnotes 3]. In "The Drunkard" Lola played the role figure Agnes Dowton (Mad Agnes), she was one of Leon's assisting magis and she had her own act, "Princess Narda and her Doves". The featured act was described[10] as:
"The tiny white birds, nestling on her head and chest, are fluttering on the backs of her hands, do her bidding as she performs several tupes og Egyptian and oriental dances, and they fly out over the audiece and return on cue. Back drops, costly and filled with color, and a system of neon lighting which made the doves dots of brilliant hue, .."
When Baldy, a white sacred Javanese dove, died on stage in Tucson Leon said[11] the dove was the last of seven trained about six years ago when the act was new. He said that the doves seldom breed in captivity so his extra supply of understudies came from the Far East some time ago.
Leon headlined his own West Coast tour in 1945 billed as "Mandrake the Magician and his entire Company" and "Mandrake the Magician and his Magic Revue". Although Leon and Lora got their divorce decree[12][13] in April both Mandrake and Narda were headlined in their "Gremlin Gambols of 1946" tour, billed in larger cities in states such as Utha, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota and Iowa.
Gallery
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Narda and her Doves
In December 1948 Lola[footnotes 4] married the magician Roy Benson (born Edward Emerson Ford McQuaid). The marriage was short-lived and after two years of separation they were divorced[14] in 1952. Lola continued to perform with her dove dance as "Princess Narda" in the years up to 1956.
Leon and Velvet Mandrake
In 1947 Leon was headlined as Leon Mandrake (the Magician) and Company, and was assisted by Velvet Salerno, Lucille and (Princess) Nadja. Leon and Velvet married[15] on tour in Kansas City on July 24, 1947. In October Leon Mandrake was billed two weeks at the Club Continental in the Jefferson Hotel (St. Louis), the hometown of both Lee Falk and Phil Davis.
In 1952 he bought the name "Alexander the Great, the Man who Knows" and performed occasionally as Alexander in night clubs and on television. He was billed with Prinsecc Nara (Velvet ?) in 1953 but later mainly headlighted as Leon Mandrake & Velvet in the following years.
Leon Mandrake also met[footnotes 5] Phil Davis and they corresponded for years.
ad 1947 St. Louis
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Note
- ↑ Born in Italy by Felix and Lorena Giglio.
- ↑ daughter of John Wagner and Rebecca Wagner née Mc Donald. From her first marriage she had her son Alfred Carlyle Jackson.
- ↑ a famous play which had been running 12 tears in Los Angeles, four years in New York and two years in San Francisco
- ↑ Also named as Lola Wilson
- ↑ in 1955 ?
References
- ↑ Washington, Birth Records, 1870-1935
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 (May 25, 1939)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wikipedia: Leon Mandrake
- ↑ 1921 Census of Canada
- ↑ MagicPedia: Richards the Wizard
- ↑ Vancouver History
- ↑ Arizona, County Marriage Records, 1865-1972
- ↑ Washington, Marriage Records, 1854-2013
- ↑ Watson, Patrick, "The Canadians: Biographies of a Nation", Volumer 1-3. McArthur, 2003, 439.
- ↑ Smith, George Porter, "Magic in Big-Time Style Presented by Mandrake & Company", Freeport Journal-Standard (Freeport, Illinois), 10 Oct 1946, Page 6.
- ↑ "Magician's Dove Act Ended After Bird Actor Dies", Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Arizona), 31 Oct 1944, p 6.
- ↑ Nevada State Journal (Reno, Nevada) 23 Apr 1946, Page 3.
- ↑ Reno Gazette-Journal (Reno, Nevada) 24 Apr 1946, Page 8.
- ↑ "Annulment Recommended", The Kingston Daily Freeman (Kingston, New York), 20 Nov 1952, Page 17.
- ↑ Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002