Grover George

Grover George
Born	August 18, 1887 Zanesville, Ohio
Died	September 14, 1958 (age 71)

Grover George (1887 -1958) toured South and Central America during the time when Howard Thurston was the dominate magician in the United States. He returned to the United States where he performed in second rate venues until he eventually returned to South America.

Biography

Born in Zanesville Ohio, he got interested in magic at an early age. He performed his first magic show for a school in his hometown and eventually put himself through college by performing magic. In the 1920's George decided to step up his game by upgrading his show and taking it to the larger first class theaters. He purchased the equipment and rights William "Doc" Nixon's act called 'Hong Kong Mysteries' and then formed the Mysteries Production Company. A young Paul Rosini was taken on as an assistant around 1923. He struggled with an American Tour because Howard Thurston, fearing competition, told theaters that if they booked George, they would not ever have Thurston on their stage again.

In 1924, Grover George decided to embark on a South American Tour starting with Cuba and then Central and South America. His tour was a huge success. He returned to the United States in 1929 and performed in second rate venues until he eventually returned to South America. George retired in Sao Paulo, Brazil to run a successful business manufacturing projection machines for theaters and was also involved in Brazilian TV.

Due to the fact his American Tour never panned out, his posters remained at the Otis Litho Company and were later purchased by magic dealer George Heaney. In the 1980s, the posters were discovered in a barn in Wisconsin. Today Grover George's memory survives due to his magnificent posters.