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Richard Valentine Pitchford

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Richard Valentine Pitchford

Cover of Genii (1942)
BornRichard Valentine Thomas [1]
November 24, 1895
St. Thomas, Wales
DiedNovember 13, 1973 (age 77)
Gardiner, New York

Richard Valentine Pitchford (1895–1973) was a master magician who performed under the name Cardini.

Biography

He was born in a coal-mining town in St. Thomas, Wales. He joined the British Army during World War I and passed time in the trenches by practicing card manipulations. After being injured in battle, he continued to hone his magic skills in the hospital.

Cardini performed in Australia and then in Canada where he entered the United States from British Columbia. While working his way across the U.S. he met his wife and lifelong assistant Swan Walker in Chicago.

He enhanced his performance by incorporating his magic tricks into a skit coordinated to music. One of the unusual features of a Cardini performance was that he did sleight of hand wearing white gloves.

He was president of the Society of American Magicians three times.

In 1957, he appeared on the Festival of Magic. This is believed to be the only known footage of Cardini performing his act.

Awards and honors


References

  1. The Linking Ring, Vol. 78, No. 1, January 1988, MEMOIRES OF A MAGICIAN'S GHOST, by John Booth, THE AMAZING STORY OF CARDIWS WELSH SHADOW, page 73
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