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George Boston

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George Boston

Cover of Genii (1949)
BornGeorge Leon Boston
January 6, 1905
Chicago, Illinois
DiedMarch 14, 1975 (age 70)
Los Angeles, California
CategoriesBooks by George Boston

George Boston (1905 - 1975) was a performer that spent his entire life in the theatrical profession. He was best known as chief assistant/stage manager for 22 leading magic shows including Harry Blackstone Sr., Charles Carter, Laurant,Willard the Wizard, Jack Gwynne, Nicola and Howard Thurston.

Biography

Boston was a feature magazine contributor to both Genii and Tops and was featured on the cover of Genii 1949 November. He was a member of the first Board of Directors and former Secretary of the Academy of Magical Arts.

He wrote a book about his experiences titled Inside Magic (1947) (with Robert Parrish). He also wrote "Ladies Free" and "He Who Pulls the Strings".

He was also the technical adviser for films and TV shows including "Houdini" starring Tony Curtis, "You Asked for it" and "This Is Your Life". He taught all of Houdini's tricks and escapes to Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.

Boston worked for the Magic Castle until he suffered a stroke which paralyzed half of his body. The last few years of his life were spent in hospitals and convalescent homes until he succumbed to a final stroke.[1][2][3]

Boston has been erroneously linked to the Boston Box, a variation of the Okito Coin Box, by J.B. Bobo in his book Modern Coin Magic. Most believe now that it just originated in the city of Boston.[4]

Books

  • Inside Magic [5]

References

  1. Cover Genii 1949 November
  2. Cover Genii 1951 February
  3. Obit Genii 1975 February (published in April)
  4. "The George Boston Combination Coin Box" in New Modern Coin Magic by J.B. Bobo, page 230.
  5. The Linking Ring, Vol. 86, No. 10, October 2006, Cutting Up Jackpots by Bev Bergeron, George Boston: Inside Magician, page 80
  • The Linking Ring, Vol. 55, No. 5, May 1975, George L. Boston, page 94