Help us get to over 8,756 articles in 2024.
If you know of a magician not listed in MagicPedia, start a New Biography for them. Contact us at magicpediahelp@gmail.com
John Benzais
| John Benzais | |
| Born | circa 1942 |
|---|---|
| Died | March of 1968 (age 25) |
| Categories | Books by John Benzais |
John Benzais (ca. 1942 - 1968) was a close-up magician and one time clerk/demonstrator for Tannen's Magic. During his brief career John established a reputation as a magical innovator. and a past president of F.A.M.E. in New York City. He published only a small body of work, the bulk of which are contained in his book, The Best of Benzais (1967), which he wrote and illustrated himself.
Biography
Benzais married the daughter of Joe Fenichel, Diana (also a magician), on April 4, 1963.[1]
Benzais left Tannen's employ no more than a year before he died of injuries sustained in an automobile accident in Pennsylvania, he was at age 26. [2] [3] [4]
Highlights
The Secret of Gorius, a rope routine in which a knot repeatedly appears and vanishes, that Richard Kaufman once referred to as "one of the best kept secrets in magic".
Innovations
- Han Ping Benzais
- Benzais Cop
- Benzais Spinout Subtlety
- Benzais Cut
- Benzais Deal Steal
- Benzais Spin
- Benzais Friction Retention Pass[5]
Books
- The Best of Benzais (1967)
References
- ↑ MUM June, 1963
- ↑ Linking Ring, April 1968, Vol 48, No 4, page 51
- ↑ Genii 1968 March, Vol. 32, No.7, “Bagdad”, p.339
- ↑ Genii 2001 January,Vol. 64, “A Millennium of Magic Literature”, p.54
- ↑ Ed Marlo, page 7 in Bullseye Coin Tricks in 1942