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Seymour Davis
| Born | Allen Seymour Davis, Jr. June 23, 1910 Garden City, Kansas |
|---|---|
| Died | December 4, 1996 (age 86) Chesterfield, Missouri |
Seymour Davis (1910-1996) appeared on many regional and national magic conventions with comedy acts for almost 40 years.
Biography
Davis was the son of a Presbyterian minister and raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma. While attending Oklahoma State University, he met his wife, Gwen, who say him escaping from a strait jacket while hanging upside down from the rafters of the college sports arena.
After graduation, they toured small towns throughout the Southwest, playing community and school auditoriums.
During World War II, he served as a program director for USO clubs in Abilene and Mineral Wells, Texas and Oklahoma City.
After the war, Davis was successful in playing business conventions and "after dinner appearances" with his many novelty characters:
- Dr. I. Kent Kook, the world famous magic chef
- Professor Ignatz Baderwisky, the Mad Pianist
- Doctor Bull and his Medicine Show
He appeared on many regional and national magic conventions with these comedy acts for almost 40 years.
Davis continued to perform through 1994, despite a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease. He died on the eighth anniversary of his wife Gwen's death.[1]
Awards and honors
- I.B.M. Ring 46, the OKC Magic Club named "The Seymour Davis Ring" in his honor.
- Lifetime contribution to the art of magic at the 1992 Desert Magic Seminar
- 1994 Magic Collectors Association award for his talent as an entertainer, comedy magician and musician.
- The 1996 I.B.M. Ring 60 Magic Auction was dedicated to Davis
References
- ↑ Magic, January 1997
- Cover, THE SPHINX, Vol. 37, No. 12, February 1939, Seymour Davis, page 313
- Cover, M-U-M, Vol. 71, No. 1 June 1981, MAGICIAN of the MONTH, Seymour Davis, by David R. Goodsell, page 11
- The Linking Ring, Vol. 77, No. 2, February 1997, SEYMOUR DAVIS (1910-1996), A memorial tribute, page 56
- The Linking Ring, Vol. 77, No. 2, February 1997, Broken Wand - SEYMOUR DAVIS (1910-1996), page 131
- M-U-M, Vol. 86, No. 9, February 1997, Broken Wands, Seymour Davis, page 48