Belsaz

Belsaz
Born	John C. Green March 26, 1867 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	August 26, 1951 (age 84)

Belsaz (1867-1951), born John C. Green, was a magician and movie exhibitor.

Biography

By sixteen, Belsaz was touring with circuses, side-shows and theatrical stock. He traveled widely in Canada and the United States. Learning of the debut of the Edison Vitascope at Ottawa, Green offered his services as lecturer and entertainer for the company, even though he had not even seen it yet.

In 1896, following his regular magic show, Ottawa witnessed one of Canada's first projected film shows. The presentations were a huge success, playing to thousands for a number of weeks. Belsaz acquired his own projector and proceeded to tour Canada, like Johnny Nash, with a combined magic and moving pictures show for twenty years.

Once it became clear that the days of traveling shows were over, Green settled down and turned to managing theaters in Canada and the United States, staying devoted to magic.

References

• http://cinemacanada.athabascau.ca/index.php/cinema/article/view/582/654
• Who's Who of Victorian Cinema: A Worldwide Survey
• Bum Kids, Dumb Ukes, Good Beer: Old Man Green The Sheriff-Dodging Magician, by Daniel Waldron, Magicol No. 175, May 2010