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Genii:
A Retrospective
By
David Charvet
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The
1930s
When Genii burst upon the magic
scene in September of 1936, Bill
Larsen, Sr. had put his heart,
soul and pocketbook at stake in
much the same way that David did
when he faced the mighty Goliath.
But in this case, “Goliath”
was John Mulholland’s Sphinx;
long-established independent journal
of the art, brought to its zenith
in the 1920s by Kansas City physician,
Dr. Albert M. Wilson.
Larsen, together with his close
friend, T. Page Wright, were frequent
contributors to the Sphinx when
it was under Wilson’s hand.
But after Wilson’s death
in February, 1930, Larsen watched
as the journal, in his opinion,
deteriorated under Mulholland’s
leadership, from the factual presentation
and reporting of the magician’s
art, into a glossy “Harper’s
Bazaarish” (to use Larsen’s
own words) magazine.
Certainly, in New York City, the
scholarly Mulholland felt in the
fall of 1936 that the small upstart
way out on the West Coast would
never have the impact of the venerable
Sphinx. But by 1937, when Genii
subscriptions increased and more
kept coming in, John Mulholland
must have realized that the Genii
would never again be restrained
in its bottle.
Magic, in the 1930s had seen little
change from the days of Robert-Houdin.
Certainly, there were the large
elaborate shows of Blackstone
and Dante, and the standout smaller
acts such as Cardini, Jack Gwynne,
and Ade Duval. But these were
the exceptions rather than the
rule. In general, the amateurs
and semi-pros were content in
presenting the same magic that
had entertained audiences in their
grandfather’s day.
But Bill Larsen, in his thought-provoking
editorials, always challenged
the complacent magicians to modernize
their ways of thinking and bags
of tricks to suit the new demands
of the entertainment buying public.
Readers responded to Larsen’s
editorials and his magazine, with
its qualified contributors and
practical tricks; and by 1940,
the subscriptions had blossomed
to several thousand throughout
the world.
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The
1940s
The first half of the decade of
the forties found the world involved
in war. And Genii was there every
month; to bring reassuring news
of home to magicians in the trenches,
and words stateside from those
on the front lines, whose common
link was the art of magic.
In 1942, the Larsen’s purchased
Floyd Thayer’s Magic Company.
Again, Bill’s desire to
improve the art pervaded every
part of the business. He eliminated
many effects from stock that he
felt were antiquated in favor
of ones more suited to a contemporary
audience. But, rather than turn
Genii into a “house organ,”
the magazine remained entirely
independent. Bill limited the
amount of advertising space given
to Thayer’s and kept the
interest of his readers foremost
in his mind. With the magic shop,
shows, lectures, and later involvement
with the legal profession, Larsen
was finding little time for Genii;
but with Gerrie Larsen as Business
Manager and Bill as Editor of
Magic, during the decade the magazine
prospered.
In 1941, the S.A.M. had shown
their confidence by awarding Genii
with the contract to print their
M-U-M. as part of the magazine;
thus taking away some of the Sphinx
readership. Then, with the end
of the war in 1945, many soldiers
who had taken Genii with them
into the battlefield were back
home again as regular readers.
And later, in November, 1949,
Genii absorbed The Conjuror’s
Magazine. All of these things
found, by the end of the decade,
a boost in the popularity of the
magazine, and because of it, the
art of magic.
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The
1950s
The Larsens sold Thayer’s
in 1950. When the Sphinx passed
its Golden Anniversary mark in
March of 1951, Bill’s opinions
of the magazine had not changed
from 21 years before; although
possibly in the intervening years,
they had mellowed a bit.
Then, on July 5, 1953, Bill Larsen
Sr. died suddenly at the age of
48.
Many predicted it would be the
end of Genii. But Gerrie, Bill
Jr., and Milt said “No”!
In stepped Bill, Jr. to take the
reins.
When John Mulholland’s health
and other pursuits caused him
to discontinue the Sphinx in the
Fall of 1953, Genii was firmly
in control of the magic scene;
although magic was having a hard
time holding its own.
General interest in magic had
begun to decline. With the 1950s
postwar “baby boom,”
many fathers had traded their
magic wands for diaper pins. But
subscriptions held steady, and
Bill Jr. kept his father’s
policies in effect: honest journalism,
fair reporting, excellent tricks
and articles. They all helped
keep Genii going through the lean
years.
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The
1960s
The full impact of the medium
of television was being felt in
the early 1960s. Bill and Milt
both became involved in the industry.
And out of that “box in
the living room” came a
new magic superstar: Mark Wilson,
who with his Magic Land Of Allakazam
shot a dose of life into the art
that some said was dying. And
all the while, Genii was still
there.
Then, in 1962 a dream come true—The
Academy of Magical Arts and The
Magic Castle! Originally an idea
of Bill Sr.’s, the Academy
had first been formed in 1952
(at that time all Genii subscribers
were automatically members), but
the project stood dormant after
his death. It took Bill, Jr. and
Milt to bring their father’s
dream to full fruition. And again,
Genii did not become just a “mouthpiece”
for the Academy and the Castle,
but fairly gave time to all magicians
and organizations with the betterment
of magic in mind.
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The
1970s
As Mark Wilson had done the
decade before, in the 1970s
Doug Henning brought a renaissance
to the art with his performance
in The Magic Show, and many
network television appearances.
And still, Genii was there,
keeping pace with the times
informing magicians of the current
news and happenings. And, Bill
and his bride Irene didn’t
just wait for news to come to
them; they searched it out.
Wherever magicians gathered
at major conventions or events
around the world, Bill and Irene
were there, too, with note pad
and tape recorder in hand making
sure Genii readers were informed
readers.
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The
1980s and 1990s
The rebirth of the large touring
illusion show of the past, modernized
by the likes of Henning, Copperfield,
Blackstone Jr., Reveen, and Kramien,
kept magic in the minds of the
theater-going public. Siegfried
and Roy continued to thrill capacity
crowds in Las Vegas. Magic clubs
and conventions find enthusiastic
attendees. And still, Genii was
there.
That any magazine survives, and
more importantly, prospers for
more than a half century, especially
in such a closely-knit fraternity
as the art of magic, is testimony
to one thing: dedication.
In this case, it is the dedication
of the entire Larsen family to
the art that allowed Genii to
continue and grow. Scores of magazines
have come and gone during the
last fifty years. As Bill Larsen,
Jr. became ill due to alcoholism,
the editorship of Genii was taken
over first by Dante Larsen (the
son of Irene and John Daniel),
and later by Erika Larsen. The
magazine faltered and it appeared
that it would end in 1998 when
it appeared only three times.
In October 1998, the Larsen family
sold Genii, The Conjurors’
Magazine, to a new company headed
by famed author, illustrator,
and publisher, Richard Kaufman.
Since the first issue published
by The Genii Corporation appeared
in January, 1999, Genii has been
on time every single month and
grown to over 100 pages an issue
with much of it in color.
With a fresh start, Genii has
once again become the premier
magazine in the field of magic
and has a long future ahead of
it in the 21st century. The entire
history of magic for the last
three-quarters of a century is
contained in the pages of Genii. |
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Copyright
© 2007 by The Genii Corporation.
All Rights Reserved. No image, artwork,
or text from these pages may be reproduced in
any form or by any means without the written
permission of The Genii Corporation. Violators
will be prosecuted. |
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