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Howard Schwarzman (November 20, 1927 – July 21, 2020,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
) was an American magician, card manipulator,
sleight of hand Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' () comprises fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card fl ...
expert, and trick
inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
. Considered a "living legend" in the Eastern United States magician community, he was best known as a columnist within the magician trade press, and an importer of very rare tricks from outside the United States.


Biography

In his youth, Schwarzman was considered a "red-headed prodigy", and was mentored by New York orchestra leader
Richard Himber Richard Himber (born Herbert Richard Imber; February 20, 1899 – December 11, 1966) was an American bandleader, composer, violinist, magician and practical joker. Early life He was born as Herbert Richard Imber in Newark, New Jersey to the owne ...
, creator of the Linking Finger-Ring trick (which later became part of
David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...
's stage repertoire). Schwarzman was known for pulling pranks at Himber's request, such as impersonating mentalist
Joseph Dunninger Joseph Dunninger (April 28, 1892 – March 9, 1975), known as "The Amazing Dunninger", was one of the most famous and proficient Mentalism, mentalists of all time. He was one of the pioneer performers of Magic (illusion), magic on radio and tele ...
. In 1962, Schwarzman began mentoring himself, working with the teenaged Denny Haney, who he booked to perform at the
Society of American Magicians The Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world. Its purpose is "to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and ...
. Schwarzman was one of the charter members of Future American Magical Entertainers (F.A.M.E.), which is a magic club created for young magicians in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in the 1940s, under the tutelage of Professor Abe Hurwitz, father of
Shari Lewis Shari Lewis (born Phyllis Naomi Hurwitz; January 17, 1933 – August 2, 1998) was a Peabody awards, Peabody-winning American Ventriloquism, ventriloquist, puppeteer, children's entertainer, television show host, dancer, singer, actress, author, a ...
, known as Peter Pan The Magic Man. Schwarzman became a magic dealer in 1976 and specialized in rare imported tricks, including those from
Lubor Fiedler Lubor or Ľubor is a Slavic masculine given name, a derivative of Lubomir. It may refer to: * Lubor Bárta, Czech composer * Lubor Blažek, Czech basketball coach * Lubor Knapp, Czech football player * Ľubor Kresák, Slovak astronomer * Lubor ...
. He also wrote a popular column, "I've Said It Before", for Tannen’s Magic Manuscript Magazine. He also edited "Professional Card Magic," by Cliff Green, published in 1961 by Lou Tannen. He was a member of the Parent Assembly Nr. 1 of the
Society of American Magicians The Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world. Its purpose is "to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and ...
for 45 years, and was named "Magician of the Year" in 2007. Schwarzman was also a long time attendee at FFFF, " Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic," a yearly, invitation-only convention for 200 of the world's best close-up magicians held in upstate New York. Much to the chagrin of his late wife, Laura, he never missed a convention for any wedding, funeral, bar mitzvah or christening. When Schwarzman first began to lecture at magicians clubs in 1961,
Dai Vernon David Frederick Wingfield Verner (June 11, 1894August 21, 1992), better known by his stage names Dai Vernon (pronounced alternatively as "DIE" or as "DAY" as in David) or The Professor, was a Canadian magician. Vernon's sleight of hand techn ...
said of him, "In the last few years, you have certainly taken your place among the top flight card men in New York ... I think I'm familiar with the work of almost everyone interested in card handling, both professional and amateur, in this country. I unhesitatingly assert you can hold your own in the fastest company

Vernon had known of Schwarzman for years; in a copy of his 1949 pamphlet, "Dai Vernon's Select Secrets," Vernon wrote, "Warmest Magical Wishes to 'Howie,' who is one of the younger and better magic performers." Schwarzman retired in 1993, but attended many major
magic conventions A magic convention is a gathering of professional Magic (illusion), magicians, magical hobbyists, dealers, collectors of magical apparatus, books and ephemera, and other students of the art of magic. It provides a place for lectures of subjects rela ...
and gave occasional lectures, selling his "Dynamic Deceptions" notes. He lived in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
. Until several years ago, he regularly flew his own airplane. He played more than 2000 pop songs from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, on the piano from memory.


Selected works

* Dynamic Deceptions: Close Up Magic by Howard Schwarzman (lecture notes) * MUM Reprint of Howard Schwarzman's column "I've Said It Before" from May 2007 onwards


References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070816153335/http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~roy/magictalk-wisdom/discussions/pass.html
Interview with Howard Schwarzman


External links


Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic


{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwarzman, Howard American magicians 1927 births 2020 deaths