Emil Jarrow

Emil Jarrow
Born	Emil Javorzynski April 9, 1876 Pleschen Stadt, Prussia
Died	March 4, 1959 (age 82) Islip, New York
Resting place	Cremated

Emil Jarrow (b.1876-d.1959) was a vaudeville magical comedy star. Hi is known for his rope tricks and as inventor of the Bill in Lemon.

Biography

In 1891, as a young man of 15, he began his professional career as a strongman for the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show in Germany. He traveled with the show when it moved to England and then the United States the following year. Later, he began working independently by performing acts of strength in local venues, in Chicago and New York.

A stage accident left a leg permanently damaged, so he reinvented himself as a sleight of hand artist with a flair for humor. With a thick Low Dutch-accented patter, Jarrow became quite adept with closely observed sleight-of-hand tricks. For instance, while seated at a dining table, he would unwind the salt shaker lid and empty it into his fist, and with a flourish, “vanish” the salt only to have it later reappear. The props he used for his illusions were simple, household items, rather than elaborate devices. Friendly with his peers, including Harry Houdini, he had a particularly fond relationship with Harry Blackstone, Sr., who would remain his friend until his death at the posh Percy Williams Home for Retired Actors and Actresses on Long Island.

Bibliography

• How To Do Rope Tricks (1941)
• Stars of Magic Series 3, No. 5 (1947) : Jarrow's Hanky-Panky

References

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