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Al Cohen
| 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 (now closed) in Washington D.C.
Contents
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 and novelties. He continued to work in the shop even while attending college (first to get a degree in Entomology, and then Accounting). 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.
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.[1][2]
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..[1][3]
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, 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.[2]
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."
- The Mark manufactured by Sterling Magic.
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Norman Schwarzkopf Obituary - Linking Ring, Vol 93, Number 2 - p. 116, Feb. 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gingles, J. - "My Secret Hobby & Favorite Escapes (puns intended)", from Accidents of Luck - A Personal Memoir, Washington, DC, 2007.
- ↑ http://www.magician.org/node/1313
- The Linking Ring, Vol. 65, No. 2, February 1985, OUR COVER, AL COHEN, page 57
- 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
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