| Meet Mark Edward |
| Your Guide To Psychic Entertainment |
|
By Randall K. Schostag
Feature Writer
|
Just in time for Halloween, Stevens Magic is pleased to feature in this catalog Mark Edward, who worked the renowned Houdini Séance Room at Hollywood ‘s Magic Castle for 14 years.
He is one of only five performers trained as a medium privileged to have worked that room. Stevens Magic is now the exclusive dealer handling Mark’s products: an enticing assortment of books, which offer the “real work” on doing psychic entertainment with a heavy emphasis on doing séances. Some of Mark’s past mentors have included Dai Vernon , Jules Lenier and Tony “Doc” Shiels.
“It was suggested I change my name, so I
went with Mark Edward, my middle name.”
Mark Edward, 55, has been doing magic, mentalism and bizarre magic since he was 10-years old. He was born into a family with a grandfather who taught him sleight-of-hand. By age 21, Mark was performing professionally. He started working at the Magic Castle in 1975, doing close-up magic. Including the 14 years in the Séance Room, Mark worked 26 years at the Castle. You may have seen him and his wife, Rena Small (who took many of the photos for this article), who together performed the now legendary “Levitating Dog” routine, which featured “Jim-Emperor Of All Dogs” in the Palace.
Mark’s birth name is Mark Wilson, but when he started at the Castle, Mark Wilson of ” Magic Land Of Alla-kazam” fame was on its Board Of Directors. “It was suggested I change my name,” Mark said. “So I went with Mark Edward, my middle name.”
Most of Mark’s early work was based on a comedic persona, “…the regular guy who has strange powers.” He gives credit to Carl Ballentine, one of the first comedy magicians (and television star as The Great Ballentine on the Ed Sullivan Show, Gruber in “McHale’s Navy” and Cousin Al in “Car 54 Where Are You”). During those years, Mark developed his “anti-Kreskin” persona, delivered in the
|
