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 MALINI
AND HIS MAGIC
by
DAI VERNON

Edited by
LEWIS GANSON

Illustrations by
DENNIS PATTEN

Published by
HARRY STANLEY

UNIQUE MAGIC STUDIO

14 Frith Street, London, England, W.1.

Printed in England by

Backhouse and Britton

Phoenix Works, Nungate,
Peckham High Street, London, S.E.15.
Digital conversion by
Craig Matsuoka
 CONTENTS

FOREWORD..............................................................................................5

CHAPTER ONE. MALINI, THE MAN......................................9

CHAPTER TWO. MALINI'S FULL EVENING SHOW.........15

CHAPTER THREE. MALINI'S METHODS.................................21

CHAPTER FOUR. MALINI AT THE BAR................................43

CHAPTER FIVE. MALINI AT THE DINNER TABLE..........55

CHAPTER SIX. MALINI AND A PACK OF CARDS..........65

CHAPTER SEVEN. MISCELLANEOUS MAGIC......................75

CHAPTER EIGHT. MALINI THE PROMOTER.......................81

CHAPTER NINE. EDWIN DEARN'S LETTER.......................97

3
 FOREWORD

Max Malini was one of the most extraordinary personalities in the

history of the performance of magic. In this book Dai Vernon shows how
successfully Malini acted the role of magician, and explains the clever
methods by which he entertained and mystified audiences all over the
world. By being taken behind the scenes we are enabled to see why Malini
became a legend.
Much of the material for this book was recorded on tape, with Dai
Vernon speaking from detailed notes prepared in collaboration with
Faucett Ross. The combination of Dai Vernon and Faucett Ross was ideal
for compiling a book on Malini. Dai knew him over a long period, and by
becoming as close to Malini as he would allow anyone to be, had been
able to study the man and his magic. With an unequalled knowledge of
magic, his inventive genius and supreme performing skill, Dai Vernon was
able to understand every facet of Malini’s magic. Faucett Ross, himself a
top flight magician and close friend and confidante of Dai’s, provided the
initiative and drive required to assemble the facts and present them in
chronological order.
Credit goes to Charles Larkey, one of the leading magicians in
America’s Midwest, for attending to the technical side of the recording
and providing the necessary equipment.
The recordings were sent to Harry Stanley in London who played
them back for Mavis Murrell to type. It was a long and painstaking task,
but it provided me with the manuscript for editing.
On a recent tour of Australia, the well-known magician Jay Marshall
met Edwin A. Dearn, an intimate friend of Max Malini. At Jay’s
suggestion, I wrote to Mr. Dearn, and he most kindly provided
photographs and Maliniana from his collection. Additionally, his letters
were of such interest that I have been able to compile a composite letter
from the contents to form a chapter of the book.
Stanley Simpson of Southampton, kindly provided the actual cheque
reproduced on page 87 and also lent me a copy of the book OLD
PINK’UN DAYS by J. B. Booth, mentioned in Chapters One and Nine.
Additionally, he drew my attention to the book TWO GUN COHEN by
Charles Drage, in which Malini is mentioned. Morris (Two Gun) Cohen
was one of London’s East End Jewish boys who became a Chinese
General—Malini was with him in Shanghai at one time, and his magical
performance is mentioned on page 205 of the paper back edition
(published by Hamilton & Co.).
Many magicians have kindly supplied material which has enabled me
to check information on Malini. I have been able to study a very long

5
letter, written in 1926 by Edward G. McGuire to the late T. Nelson
Downs. At that period, Mr. McGuire was acting as business manager for
Malini, and was consequently able to make an intimate study of the great
magician’s methods and technique. The letter gives a detailed account of
Malini’s programme and explains the methods he used. Incidentally Eddie
(Tex) McGuire, a fine sleight of hand performer in his own right, is the
author of that much sought after manuscript The Phantom of the Card
Table which details the methods of the elusive card expert Walter Scott.
Ronald Bishop kindly supplied me with a copy of his article on
Malini, published in the I.B.M. (British Ring) Budget—August, 1958.
This contains an eye-witness account by the late Eric de la Mare of
Malini’s full evening show with interesting sidelights on the methods
used. Additionally, Ronald Bishop himself met Malini and saw his show
at the Brighton Pavilion, where he played for one week in the Throne
Room. The pack of cards used by Malini for his Card Stabbing at one of
the performances Mr. Bishop attended, is now in the Magic Circle
Museum.
The 1955 September issue of Peter Warlock’s PENTAGRAM
contained an interesting article by Eric de la Mare on Malini, which told of
his reputation in the East and leads up to an explanation of Eric de la
Mare’s own method for producing a brick from a hat—an effect used by
Malini (but with a different method) and later adapted by him for
producing a block of ice.
Gerald Kosky in Los Angeles and Frederica in Glasgow both sent
articles they have written on Malini, which enabled me to check, confirm
and add to the material supplied by Dai Vernon and Faucett Ross. Jack
Avis, Will Ayling and Fred Lowe also aided me in the search for
‘Maliniana’.
Other sources of information from which confirmation of information
has been derived are OKITO ON MAGIC; Vernon on Malini from THE
STARS OF MAGIC; Stanley Collin’s INCONSEQUENTIALITIES from
THE LINKING RING 1948; Bill Woodfield’s MAGICANA (May, 1946)
—MALINI’S VANISH OF THE DECK and an interesting article by S.
Leo Horowitz—NOTES ON MAX MALINI from THE SPHINX.
After reading the manuscript prepared from the original recordings,
Andy Clements kindly wrote a paper containing valuable suggestions as
to the treatment of the material for presentation in book form.
Last, but certainly not the least worthy on the list of credits, is Dennis
Patten, whose excellent illustrations tell so much more than words.
Our thanks to all these good people who have enabled a record to be
preserved of the work of one of the world’s greatest magicians—MAX
MALINI.
LEWIS GANSON.

6
Photograph by Edwin A. Dearn.

8
 CHAPTER ONE

MALINI, THE MAN

I understand that Max Malini’s real name was Max Katz Breit, but
have only little knowledge of his early background. Although, over the
years, I have endeavoured to Fill the gaps in the information on his
childhood, it would seem that all that is known is that he was born in the
town of Ostrov, on the borders of Poland and Austria, in the year 1873 and
immigrated to New York with his family at a very early age.

At the age of twelve, Max became an acrobat, but three years later
came under the spell of Professor Seiden, a magician, fire-eater and
ventriloquist who kept a drinking saloon on the Bowery. Max was an apt
pupil and Seiden taught him sleight of hand tricks including ‘The Cups
and Balls’, which he featured later in his work. By his early twenties he
was a fully fledged busker and saloon entertainer and there is no doubt
that the experience he gained under these hard conditions enabled him to
cope with any situation. He would walk into a saloon, make himself
known by the name that he had adopted, then perform with everyday
articles which were readily available; knives, glasses, matches, etc. His
early associates were Professor Walters and the famous Emile Jarrow,
who later became one of vaudeville’s greatest comedy magicians.

During his middle twenties, Malini began to move in different circles;

he became a private entertainer and the reputation he acquired with his
entertaining magic gained him entree into the most exclusive circles—
financial and social, both in America and Europe. A list of prominent
people entertained by Malini sounds almost fantastic. He presented
performances before several American Presidents at the White House, and
had many Command Performances for British Royalty at Buckingham
Palace. He received decorations or gifts from almost every Monarch in
Europe and Asia. Not only did he merely entertain royalty, but in many
cases he became their intimate friend. At one time he spent a considerable
time as the guest of the Duke of Windsor, who was then Prince of Wales.
On special occasions Malini wore on his shirtfront a gorgeously
bejewelled ornament which was presented to him by the King of Siam.

9
pretended to take the button from between his lips, but actually pushed it
into his mouth. He did this very neatly, making a perfect illusion of
seemingly taking the button from his mouth, and apparently holding it
between his fingers. Then he brought his fingers down over the blank
space (the spot on the coat where the button was originally), and he slid
his thumb off the original button. With first a rubbing motion, he then
lifted his hand slowly, and there was the button as it was at first.
To read about it makes it seem like a very simple trick, but well acted,
and acted up the way Malini did, it was a veritable miracle.
To prove the strength of Malini’s button trick, it should be mentioned
that in 1922, at a public reception at the White House, Malini apparently
bit a button off the coat of the late President Warren G. Harding. The
result was that the next day the Washington newspapers ran a front page
story describing the event, and it was the talk of the whole town for long
afterwards. This well demonstrates Malini’s ability to gain publicity by
doing simple tricks in a dramatic manner, at the right time, and for the
right people.

38
Thank you for reading this preview of “Malini and His Magic”.
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