Alma, the Court Magician

Oswald Henry Bishop (November 18, 1880-1956) was an illusionist that performed as "Alma, the Court Magician", "The Mysterios Alma", "Pang Sue Foon" and "Pharos". He was also father of well known magic collector Will Alma.

Biography

Alma, a tinsmith by trade, performed with his wife, Rose, from about 1900 until 1912. He had a son Will Alma in 1904

His father however deserted them in 1913 deciding to go on tour in the full professional, making his way to American Samoa and finally settling in Hawaii.

Giving up conjuring in 1916, he became the manager of a chain of six theaters until 1918 when he was appointed a manager of the insurance department of the Bank of Hawaii, a position he held until his retirement in 1946.

He became a U.S. citizen in 1920, and performed over 2,000 shows for the USO during WWII.

There is some evidence to suggest that initial hostilities caused by the desertion may have given way to some dialogue between father and son on the matter of conjuring.

References

• http://calisto.slv.vic.gov.au/latrobejournal/issue/latrobe-74/t1-g-t3.html