Martinka (company)

Last updated

Martinka & Company is America's longest running magic company. The business was for a period owned by Houdini and throughout the years the company has acquired and combined with over 30 other magic firms including Flosso-Hornmann, and Milton Chase.

Contents

Beginnings and early history

The business was founded as Martinka & Company in 1877, by two brothers: Francis (1842–1924) and Antonio (1833–1915) Martinka. It is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating magic shop in the United States. [1]

The back of their New York City store housed a workshop where the company was soon building magic illusions and props for virtually all the famous magicians of the day.

In 1902, the Society of American Magicians was founded in Martinka's backroom. And, early on the Martinka magic shop became a hang-out and gathering spot where both famous and unknown, professional and amateur magicians alike could socialize, swap stories and share insights. Over the decades of its circa 150-year-old existence, generations of magic enthusiasts have congregated there. Customers of the past included Alexander Herrmann, Harry Kellar, Howard Thurston, Joseph Dunninger, [2] John Mulholland [3] and Harry Houdini. [4] And in more recent times, Woody Allen, Dick Cavett, Alan Alda, Penn & Teller, David Copperfield, David Blaine and celebrity magician John Stessel among others, have visited the shop. The original magic business location at 493 Sixth Ave, New York city has been listed as a historical site by CityLore (Place Matters) and is identified as the oldest in New York City. [5]

The New York Times once described the shop while owned by the Flossos as "a messy Aladdin's cave of magical marvels from trick cards and ropes to a live lion that one owner, the magician Carter the Great, kept in the back room. It was [like] a fraternity house where a visiting European magician . . . and a curious teenager from Queens might rub elbows, ideas, and magic wands. [6]

The Back Room

Martinka's "Back Room" contained magical treasures dating back to the 1800s along with other secret items that were reserved for a select few. [4] Being invited into the back room was said by some to be a rite of passage in the world of magic. [7] In this space, professional magicians would perform for each other and discuss "the latest developments in the world of magic". [4] Over time, these meetings became more formal, and in 1902, the Society of American Magicians was founded at the back of the store. [4]

Special projects

The Martinka brothers also built the special effects for number of shows, including the classic 1939 film production of "The Wizard of Oz". [8]

Owners

The business was owned or run by several famous magicians, including Charles Joseph Carter The Great (1917), Harry Houdini (1919), Al Flosso the "Coney Island Fakir" (1939), and his son, Jackie Flosso. [4] [6] Most recently, the firm was acquired by Ted Bogusta who pioneered the online magic auction with high end collectables that on many an occasion achieved record prices for certain items. According to Martinka's then own website, the company continued to purchase magic collections and libraries, which are used to supply magicians and collectors throughout the world with vintage and modern magic and memorabilia.

In 2004, after closing the Martinka brick and mortar shop in NYC, the company had only an online presence for a year before reopening a store in Midland Park, New Jersey. The company also resumed the manufacture of magic tricks and props.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Houdini</span> Hungarian-American escapologist and stuntperson

Erik Weisz, known as Harry Houdini, was a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his mentor in magic, French magician Robert-Houdin (1805–1871).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Copperfield (illusionist)</span> American magician (born 1956)

David Seth Kotkin, known professionally as David Copperfield, is an American magician, described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Joseph Carter</span> American stage magician

Charles Joseph Carter was an American stage magician, also known as Carter the Great.

This timeline of magic is a history of the performing art of illusion from B.C. to the present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Society of American Magicians</span> Fraternal magicians organization

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 to maintain and improve ethical standards in the field of magic." To promote these endeavors the S.A.M. presents awards and fellowships in recognition of outstanding achievement in the Art of Magic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Steinmeyer</span> Magical illusion designer

Jim Steinmeyer is an American author, inventor, and designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. He holds four US patents in the field of illusion apparatus, including a modern version of the Pepper's Ghost illusion. Steinmeyer has consulted for many famous magicians, including David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Siegfried and Roy, and Lance Burton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Dunninger</span> American mentalist and magician (1892–1975)

Joseph Dunninger, known as "The Amazing Dunninger", was one of the most famous and proficient mentalists of all time. He was one of the pioneer performers of magic on radio and television. A debunker of fraudulent mediums, Dunninger claimed to replicate through trickery all spiritualist phenomena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese Water Torture Cell</span> Predicament escape

The Chinese Water Torture Cell is a predicament escape made famous by Hungarian-American magician Harry Houdini. The illusion consists of three parts: first, the magician's feet are locked in stocks; next, he is suspended in mid-air from his ankles with a restraint brace; finally, he is lowered into a glass tank overflowing with water and the restraint is locked to the top of the cell.

<i>Houdini</i> (1953 film) 1953 film by George Marshall

Houdini is a 1953 American Technicolor biographical film from Paramount Pictures, produced by George Pal and Berman Swarttz, directed by George Marshall, that stars Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. The film's screenplay, based upon the life of magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, was written by Philip Yordan, based on the book Houdini by Harold Kellock. The film's music score was by Roy Webb and the cinematography by Ernest Laszlo. The art direction was by Albert Nozaki and Hal Pereira, and the costume design by Edith Head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gaughan</span>

John Gaughan is an American manufacturer of magic acts and equipment for magicians based in Los Angeles, California. His style of work is classic, not based heavily on machinery and technology.

Albert Levinson was an American magician and entertainer.

Dell O'Dell was the stage name of Odella Newton an American magician regarded in her profession as a pioneer who provided a role model for modern female performers. She was noted for being one of the first magicians to appear on television, on her own show, The Dell O'Dell Show, on ABC's local station in Los Angeles in 1951. She was also one of few American women to have her own circus, the Della O'Dell Society Circus, which toured the Midwest in 1925 and 1926. Before becoming one of the most popular female magicians on the night club circuit during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, Dell O'Dell also performed in vaudeville and burlesque. Her skills included juggling furniture and lecturing on physical culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic (illusion)</span> Performing art involving the use of illusion

Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close-up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It is to be distinguished from paranormal magic which are effects claimed to be created through supernatural means. It is one of the oldest performing arts in the world.

<i>Modern Magic</i>

Modern Magic by Professor Hoffmann is a treatise in book form, first published in 1876, detailing the apparatus, methods and tricks used by the magicians and conjurors of that era. Hoffmann was considered to be one of the greatest authorities on the theory and practice of magic, despite his own limited professional experience as a magician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mulholland (magician)</span> American stage magician (1898–1970)

John Mulholland was an American magician, author, publisher and intelligence agent.

John A. Daniel (c.1931-2011) was magician and a collector and dealer of magician memorabilia, Baranger Motion machines, vintage electric trains, toys, antique carousels and other collectibles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The House of Houdini</span> Historic site in Dísz Square, Budapest

The House of Houdini is a private exhibit and performance venue located at 11, Dísz Square, within the walls of the Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary. The building houses the only collection of original Houdini artifacts in Europe.

The Houdini Museum of New York is a museum exhibiting memorabilia related to the escape artist, Harry Houdini. It is located at Fantasma Magic, a retail magic manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wyman (magician)</span> American magician

John Wyman Jr., known professionally as Wyman the Wizard, was a magician and ventriloquist who was popular in the United States during the mid-19th century.

References

  1. Carnegie, Dean (January 27, 2012). "The Oldest Magic Shop in America" . Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  2. Photo of Dunninger at Martinka Shop, 493 Sixth Ave, NYC
  3. SpyScape
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Copperfield, David; Wiseman, Richard; Britland, David (2021). David Copperfield's history of magic. New York, NY. ISBN   978-1-9821-1291-2. OCLC   1236259508.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. "Martinka (former site of)".
  6. 1 2 Martin, Douglas (2003-10-01). "Jackie Flosso, 77, Magic Shop Maven, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  7. Martinka Official Site
  8. Silverman, Rachel Emma (December 15, 2000). "Houdini's Old Magic Shop Disappears, Reinvents Itself as an Online Retailer". The Wall Street Journal.