Howard Thurston was born in Columbus, Ohio July 20th, 1869. He ran away from home and performed in a circus sideshow as did another famous magician whom Thurston eventually succeeded, Bro. Harry Kellar. The first magician Thurston saw was Bro. Alexander Herrmann, the then reigning “King of Magic.†Thurston resolved to match the style of his idol, but he briefly studied for the ministry before taking up a magician’s wand.
He first toured the United States with a small act. Then a European vaudeville tour started him on the road to magical fame. Thurston’s financial success in Europe let him build an illusion show which he took around the world. He visited Australia, India, and the Orient, polishing his skills and developing a stage presence that served him well. Thurston returned to the United States to succeed the then-reigning magician, Harry Kellar. Brother Kellar had established his reputation by touring the United States for decades with a marvelous stage show.
On May 16, 1908, in Ford’s Theatre in Baltimore, after Thurston had performed with him on his farewell tour, Kellar passed his magician’s wand to Thurston. A dynasty of magicians was started then that continues to today: Harry Kellar, Howard Thurston, Dante (Harry Jansen), Lee Grable, and Lance Burton. The Baltimore Assembly of the Society of American Magicians is known as Kellar–Thurston No. 6. Thurston was anointed second "Dean" of American Magicians, by the first Dean, the legendary Harry Kellar, when Kellar retired.
Thurston kept only a few of Kellar’s illusions while making full use of the fame that came from being Kellar’s successor. He produced lavish shows, adding pretty women and humor where Kellar had more formal presentations. New effects were added every year as old ones took a rest. While his original fame rested on card manipulations, Thurston’s later reputation was built with large stage illusions. One of his popular tricks was to make a Whippet automobile filled with beautiful ladies disappear. He also was famous for floating an assistant above the stage and out over the footlights where she eventually vanished without a trace.
The rather uncommon Thurston throwing card pictured below advertises one of Thurston's novel enterprises. The "Perfect Sleep Invention" was a miracle aid essentially consisting of a gold nose-clip guaranteed to banish snoring. Whatever his prowess as a businessman, Thurston was legendary at being able to scale throwing cards, such as this one, into the far reaches of the upper balcony.These are the cards he used to scale into the audience during his performances. It is a two-sided card (3 7/10 x 2 7/10â€) with Howard Thurston on one side and his daughter Jane, who assisted in the show, on the other. Both sides wish the barer good luck. Also there were other cards that were used going into the audience, which I have provided below as well.
Thurston was a contemporary of Houdini’s and this photograph of the two of them shows a young Howard Thurston with Harry Houdini.
Thurston's life was anything but grist for the gossip pages. He was devoted to his wife, and his daughter Jane who became his partner in the show.
Towards the end of his career, Thurston faced one of his biggest challenges, how to compete against movies? He presented a scaled-down version of his famous show in conjunction with a feature film—a movie and a magic show for one price! It was quite a step down from a ten-boxcar show, but he kept on amazing his audiences. His last years on the stage were during the difficult times of the Great Depression, but from 1908, when he succeeded Harry Kellar, until 1936, the year of his death, Howard Thurston was the top magician in the United States.
