He was the first American magician to call himself a millionaire from magic income. Eight train carriages of props, a touring cast of forty people, and an illusion show that lasted three hours. Howard Thurston was America's greatest illusionist — forgotten by many, honoured by every insider.
From street kid to world star
Born in 1869 in Columbus, Ohio, Thurston was a true street kid — he ran away from home, lived briefly in a seminary. Only at thirty did he find his true calling: card tricks on stage. His Rising Cards act made him a sensation in Europe in 1900.
In 1908 he took over the show of Harry Kellar — America's greatest illusionist at the time. Kellar personally chose him as successor. With that Thurston became the official 'greatest of America', a title he held for two decades.
The Wonder Show of the Universe
Thurston's evening-filling show was called The Wonder Show of the Universe. He made girls vanish, lions become transparent, a car appear on stage. He picked his volunteers personally from the audience with a warm, fatherly style that made him everyone's friend.
He was famous for his principle 'Every audience is the most important audience.' Before each show he stood in the wings and whispered: 'I love my audience. I love my audience.' — a mantra that has influenced generations of performers.
- ✦Famous for: 'Levitation of Princess Karnac', 'Bangkok Bungalow', 'Rising Cards'
- ✦Personally chosen successor of Harry Kellar
- ✦Author of the standard work 'My Life of Magic' (1929)
The forgotten icon
Although Thurston at his peak was much more famous than Houdini, he has been largely overshadowed by history. Houdini's story was filmed; Thurston's wasn't. Houdini died young and dramatically; Thurston reached his sixties and died quietly in 1936.
Among magicians, however, he is still a legend. His posters from the 1920s — 'Thurston, the Magician, Wonder Show of the Universe' — are today collectors' items worth thousands of dollars.
Thurston was the quiet king of American illusion. Love for the audience was his trademark — a lesson that never grows old.