Difference between revisions of "Al Cohen"

Revision as of 16:06, 17 July 2015

Al Cohen
Cover of Genii (2002)
Born	Alfred Lee Cohen January 11, 1926 Wilmington. Delaware
Known for	Magic Dealer/Performer, Magic Demonstrator, "Parnell Zorch"

Al Cohen (b.1926) was owner and demonstrator of Al's Magic Shop (no longer open since his retirement) in Washington D.C.

Biography

Early life

In 1936 at age 10, Al began working at his father's gift shop, "The Oriental Bazaar", in Washington D.C., which sold gifts, novelties, and even prepared Income Tax returns. He continued to work in the shop even while attending college (first to get a degree in Entomology, and then Accounting).^[1] When the shop added some magic tricks from S.S. Adams Company to their inventory, this led to magic taking a hold on Al, and on the store as well --- which would eventually evolve into Al's Magic Shop.^[1]

Career in Magic

As a performer, Al has played many venues, including among others: the White House, early Washington TV, birthday parties, magic conventions, and Blue-Gold Banquets.^[2][3]

Early on, Al became a very successful demonstrator for his store, and a favorite at conventions. He would often appear and perform at conventions in the guise of his character, "Pernell Zorch".

General Norman Schwarzkopf, who shared with all of us an interest in Magic, and who was a regular customer at Al's shop, once attended a magic convention in St. Petersburg, Florida, to watch Cohen’s Pernell Zorch Act, and Al was the one who signed Schwarzkopf’s (then a Colonel) application for the I.B.M..^[2][4]

Al's Magic Shop had an array of famous, regular customers who included (in addition to virtually every well-known performing Magician at the time who passed through D.C.):
George H.W. Bush, Gen. Schwarzkopf, Henny Youngman, and Muhammad Ali, among a number of other TV and film celebrities, prominent government officials and politicians, and a variety of other well-known personalities.^[3][5]

In a 2013 interview with a M-U-M reporter, Larry Becker, expressing sentiments with which all those who have known Al would undoubtedly agree, said:

--- "Al Cohen is not only one of the most honest and respected dealers in the world, he is above all else a gentleman. I have yet to meet a magician who doesn't hold Al Cohen in the highest regard."^[5]

Original Effects & Handlings

Al created many effects of his own, which he sold through the shop, and which were distributed to other dealers, including:

• A Professor's Nightmare handling with Ed Mishell called "Rope-A-Rama."
  

  Bob Carver doing Professor's Nightmare,
  "M-U-M",
  Jan. 1959
• The Mark manufactured by Sterling Magic.
• 'One Cup & Coins" handling.
• "Penny Go".

• (more to be added)

Publications

Booklets/Pamphlets

• "Magical Mish-Mosh (and Other Tricky Trivia)", by Al Cohen, 1985.
• "Memoirs of a Magic Dealer", by Al Cohen, 2013(?)

• (more to be added)

Videos/DVD's

• "Mr. Nice Guy" video.
• Roger Lindsay Interview video.
• Parnell Zorch performing at AARP video.

• (more detail & dates to be added)

Retirement

After the shop closed in 2004, Al started writing a periodic column, "Memoirs", for Genii.

Outside of magic, Al's interests include photography and travel.

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Al Cohen: The Best Pitchman in Magic", MUM, June 2013 - p.40.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Norman Schwarzkopf Obituary - Linking Ring, Vol 93, Number 2 - p. 116, Feb. 2013.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Gingles, J. - "My Secret Hobby & Favorite Escapes (puns intended)", from Accidents of Luck - A Personal Memoir, Washington, DC, 2007.
4. ↑ http://www.magician.org/node/1313
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} M-U-M, Vol. 103, No. 1, June 2013, "Al Cohen: The Best Pitchman in Magic", by Christian Painter, page 40.

Sources

• The Linking Ring, Vol. 65, No. 2, February 1985, OUR COVER, AL COHEN, page 57.
• The Washingtonian, April 17, 1988, "Al Cohen: It Takes a Flexible Man to Sell a Rubber Chicken", by Vic Sussman, page 15.
• M-U-M, Vol. 84, No. 1, June 1994, THE AL COHEN ISSUE, "Al's Magic Shop", by Larry White, page 14.
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 82, No. 2, February 2002, "Al and Alice Cohen to Close Al's Magic", by Larry Lipman, page 41.
• Genii, Vol. 65, No. 3, March 2002, "The End of an Era ... Al’s Magic Shop", by Jamy Ian Swiss, page 24.
• M-U-M, Vol. 103, No. 1, June 2013, "Al Cohen: The Best Pitchman in Magic", page 40.