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Collins Pentz
| Collins Pentz | |
| Born | Collins Rice Pentz January 27, 1877 Faribault, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Died | February 08, 1956 (age 79) |
Collins Pentz (b.1877-d.1956), a magic dealer, publisher, and club organizer, has been called Minnesota's "First Son of Magic."
Biography
Pentz became interested with the idea of inventing magic effects in 1894 after seeing Herrmann the Great perform his "Magic, Mirth, and Mystery" show at the Grand Theater in Minneapolis.
Pentz started a mail-order business in 1896 and moved to Minneapolis in 1901 to start the Eagle Magic Factory and organize the Better Magic Club.
He was editor of The Eagle Magician, "P. A. L. M." (Pentz's Active League of Magicians) that ran for two issues from May 1919 to June 1919, Better Magic News (1920), The Truth About Magic.[1]
He started the "Mystic 13" club in 1932, which held its first convention the following year with Howard Thurston as the featured entertainer.
After membership in the club dwindled, Pentz formed the Quicker Than The Eye Magic Club, which members promised to refrain from drinking alcohol so their hands would remain "quicker than the eye."
In June of 1955, nearly 100 magicians gathered for a testimonial to Pentz, after nearly being in the magic business for over 60 years.
After his death, Eagle Magic was taken over by his longtime employee, Doris Davids, who had begun working there as a sales clerk in 1930.
Books
- Vest Pocket Series of Magic
- No.1 Modern Vaudeville Patter by Collins Pentz (1916)
- No.2 Cigarette Tricks by Louis Christianer (1916)
- No.3 Helpful Hints to Amateurs by Collins Pentz (1917)
- No.4 String Tricks by Louis Christianer (1916)
References
- ↑ The Eagle Magic Shop, Linking Ring, June, 2001