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Jack Merlin
Jack Merlin was an American card manipulator that performed in vaudeville.[1]
| Jack Merlin | |
| Born | James Meyers ? |
|---|---|
| Died | ? |
| Categories | Books by Jack Merlin |
He originally teamed up with Frank Nightingale from upstate New York to do magic shows as Nightingale and Merlin. It was Frank who suggested that his friend use the stage name of "Jack Merlin". Meyers later legally changed his name to Merlin and became a famous vaudeville act.
Jack lived for awhile in Indianapolis. His wife assisted him in the act in the manner of a spectator (picking cards and showing them to the audience).
Merlin always opened his act with the penetration of a glass of water through a derby hat and closed with cards across from C. Lang Neil's book The Modern Conjuror.[2]
Bart Whaley's Who's Who in Magic states he was one of the magicians whose career suffered from, and life possibly shortened by, ill-controlled heavy drinking.
He died some time prior to 1963.
Quotes
- "To me practice is something I cannot resist. I practice because I enjoy it. When I force myself to do it, I accomplish nothing."
Books
- ...And a Pack of Cards (1927)
References
- ↑ Ask the Doctor, MUM, JANUARY, 1985
- ↑ Genii 1966 March, Vol 30, No. 7, page 294 - Intermission by Charlie Miller
