Harry Thurston

Harry Thurston
Born	1867
Died	March 7, 1941

Harry Thurston (b.1867-d.1941), the older brother of the more famous Howard Thurston, also had a short career as a magician.

Biography

Harry Thurston started out in the world of carnivals and circus and for a time was an advance man for Ringling Brothers.

With the success of his brother in magic, he was tempted him to try it too. Harry's wife, Rae, worked in the act as Princes Ranee. He toured for a couple of years, before returning to Chicago where for almost 20 year he lived on the forth floor of a burlesque house in the Levee District. He eventually achieved financial success in the underworld.

In Percy Abbott's biography, "A Life Time in Magic," he describes his unhappy experience working for Harry, who would fire and hire assistants on a daily basis. George Boston who also later worked as stage manager for Harry described his better experience in his book "Inside Magic."

When Harry Thurston died in Miami, Florida newspapers only reported that the brother of the late Howard Thurston was dead. The Associated Press obituary only contained in a single line: "He was formerly a vaudeville actor."

References

• A Lifetime in Magic by Percy Abbott (1960)
• Inside Magic by George Boston (with Robert Parrish) (1947)
• The Other Thurston by Gerald A. Schiller in Genii 2009 May