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“

Tricks are only the crude residue from which the lifeblood of Magic has been drained. -S.H. Sharpe

”

Featured article Tampa Tampa (b.1887-d.1939) was born Raymond Stanley Sugden in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. Biography He became a professional magician at the age of 30, performing a Chinese act with magician Ray Hartman in the "Chau Tung Mysteries". When Hartman was drafted, Sugden started performing with his wife and two sons under the name "Sugden the Magician". In 1925, Sugden changed his billing to "Sugden England's Court Magician". He was friends with Harry Kellar, Houdini, and Howard Thurston. He assisted Thurston in the planning of illusions such as his "Ghost in the Blue Room", "Beauty", and "East Indian Rope Trick". He also built effects for Thurston including a version of the "Spirit Painting" effect. Howard Thurston signed Sugden to a ten year contract on November 2, 1925. In 1926, he traveled with a full evening show under Howard Thurston as "Tampa England's Court Magician". In 1929, the stock market crashed and everything came to a halt for the world of entertainment. Thurston was barely keeping his company paid. He couldn't keep the Tampa show booked, so Ray started to find bookings on his own. Thurston only saw that Sugden was taking business away, not helping to keep the "Thurston" name in the public's mind. Sugden suggested that they part company and end the contract. Thurston kept delaying inevitable. Read more about Tampa… Did you know... From MagicPedia's random pages: Harold Sterling … Jules Kallen designed the first spring animal to use in his act? … The first Servante was probably done by attaching a gibecière to the back of a table? … Derek Lever wrote Stranger than Fiction? … Harold Sterling started the Sterling Magic Company? … Swann Galleries auctioned the Christian Fechner and Tom Blue collections? See also Recent changes. Featured Tip Use the Discussion tab at the top of an article to add comments or make a suggestion. Send News Items and Upcoming Events here. If the front page content is out of date purge the cache Subscribe to MagicPedia updates MagicPedia RSS feed for new articles MagicPedia RSS feed for latest changes Follow @MagicPedia on Twitter Collaboration requests Help MagicPedia by: Selecting a Random page and reviewing it. Making an article from the Wanted Page list. Adding public domain pictures to articles. All you need to do is join (free) and click "Edit"

On this day September 19... Paul Rosini 1860 - Elmer P. Ransom is born. 1948 - Paul Rosini dies at the age of 46. 1970 - Doc Mahendra dies. Search for all articles with the date: September 19 In the news Magic Castle Vanishing Inc. burns, but undaunted. Eminem discusses Houdini with Blaine. Good review for the floating castle. Recent deaths:|David Berglas| |Tom Craven| |Leo Behnke| |Micky Hades| |Andrew Galloway| |William Rauscher| Featured Video Richard Himber(1900-1966) Upcoming Events 2024 Magic Texas August 30th - September 2 Dallas, Texas Friends of MagicPedia Sites which have been useful to MagicPedia or are linking to MagicPedia articles: Conjuring Arts Research Center Wild About Houdini blog Magicana Magic Detective Blog Gordon Meyer's Chicago Magic Studio Denis Behr's Conjuring Archive Genii Magazine forum Find a Grave Canada's Magic Blog Conjuring Credits Abracadabra project on Geni.com The German language MagicPedia, Zauber-Pedia Potter and Potter Auctions Quicker Than The Eye

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