David Nixon
Encyclopedia
David Nixon was an English
magician
and television
personality. At the height of his career, Nixon was the best-known magician in the UK.
and David Devant
. One magician who made an early impression on the young boy was Stanley Collins, who had a gentlemanly image which influenced Nixon's later performing style. Nixon started performing magic himself after an aunt bought him an Ernest Sewell Magic Box for Christmas. On leaving school he gained a job with the Henley Telegraph, the in-house magazine of the W. T. Henley Telegraph company, a publication which had been founded by Alfred Hitchcock
. In 1938 he joined the Magic Circle
. He also became an accomplished double bass player and performed with a local band.
, the organisation that was set up to provide entertainment for British troops. He had been prevented from serving in a front line role as a result of suffering from pneumonia when he was a teenager. In summer 1947, after leaving ENSA, he joined the Fol de Rols, a variety troupe based in Scarborough. He was joined on stage by the actor and comedian Norman Wisdom
, who wreaked havoc with his act. The partnership was a roaring success and the two subsequently appeared at the London Casino.
In addition to his magic act, Nixon sang, danced and worked front of house. In 1949 he married a singer named Margaret Burton. The same year he got his first opportunity on television in a show called Café Continental. Nixon's big break came in 1954 when he was invited to be a panelist on the British version of the highly successful television quiz show What's My Line?
. He presented various series including the British version of Candid Camera
, Comedy Bandbox (1962) (later David Nixon's Comedy Bandbox (1966), and was Basil Brush
's first partner. His magic shows included Tonight with David Nixon (1969), David Nixon's Magic Box (1970), and The David Nixon Show (1972). He also appeared as a panelist on TV and radio game shows, most notably on the UK TV version of What's My Line?. He famously presented an episode of This is Your Life
in which the subject was none other than the series' regular British host, Eamonn Andrews
. A keen chess
player, Nixon also presented Checkmate, a Thames Television
series teaching the basics of the game.
Alongside his skills as a stage magician, Nixon liked to use television technology for humour and entertainment. In the 70s, when the technology of chromakey became available, he developed a way to interact with a recording of himself apparently on the other side of a mirror. Not only was the conversation perfectly coordinated, he also used sleight-of-hand to appear to pass objects back and forth to himself. These segments became high points of his shows of that period.
David Nixon has been recognised as an influence on future UK magicians as diverse as Wayne Dobson and Jerry Sadowitz
.
With a rich and mellow speaking voice, Nixon was also in demand as a compere and narrator. Alongside this he was a popular choice for pantomimes, which he enjoyed performing in and a favourite part was playing 'Buttons' in Cinderella
. One of his most memorable performances was as a narrator in the show Emil and the Detectives
, at The Mermaid Theatre
, London.
Half Man Half Biscuit
refer to David in their song Reflections In A Flat, from the album Back in the DHSS
.
and the company Mellotronics. He even appeared in a Pathé news reel feature to demonstrate the instrument.
. He was a heavy smoker and was first found to have cancer in 1976. He underwent treatment, which appeared to have been successful, but the disease returned a couple of years later and he died just short of his 59th birthday.
. They had a daughter, Mandy, in 1961.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
magician
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality. At the height of his career, Nixon was the best-known magician in the UK.
Early life
Nixon attended the Westcliff High School in Essex. His father was a lawyer whose hobby was magic and who took Nixon to watch performers such as Nevil MaskelyneNevil Maskelyne (magician)
Nevil Maskelyne was a British magician and inventor. The son of magician John Nevil Maskelyne, he continued his father's work at the Egyptian Hall in London...
and David Devant
David Devant
David Devant was an English magician, shadowgraphist and film exhibitor. He was born David Wighton in Holloway, London...
. One magician who made an early impression on the young boy was Stanley Collins, who had a gentlemanly image which influenced Nixon's later performing style. Nixon started performing magic himself after an aunt bought him an Ernest Sewell Magic Box for Christmas. On leaving school he gained a job with the Henley Telegraph, the in-house magazine of the W. T. Henley Telegraph company, a publication which had been founded by Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
. In 1938 he joined the Magic Circle
The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle is a British organisation, founded in London in 1905, dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic.- History :The Magic Circle was founded in 1905 after a meeting of 23 amateur and professional magicians at London's Pinoli's Restaurant...
. He also became an accomplished double bass player and performed with a local band.
Entertainment career
With the advent of the Second World War, Nixon joined ENSAEntertainments National Service Association
The Entertainments National Service Association or ENSA was an organisation set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes...
, the organisation that was set up to provide entertainment for British troops. He had been prevented from serving in a front line role as a result of suffering from pneumonia when he was a teenager. In summer 1947, after leaving ENSA, he joined the Fol de Rols, a variety troupe based in Scarborough. He was joined on stage by the actor and comedian Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
, who wreaked havoc with his act. The partnership was a roaring success and the two subsequently appeared at the London Casino.
In addition to his magic act, Nixon sang, danced and worked front of house. In 1949 he married a singer named Margaret Burton. The same year he got his first opportunity on television in a show called Café Continental. Nixon's big break came in 1954 when he was invited to be a panelist on the British version of the highly successful television quiz show What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
. He presented various series including the British version of Candid Camera
Candid Camera
Candid Camera is a hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947...
, Comedy Bandbox (1962) (later David Nixon's Comedy Bandbox (1966), and was Basil Brush
Basil Brush
Basil Brush is a fictional anthropomorphic fox raconteur, best known for his appearances on daytime British children's television. He is primarily portrayed by a glove puppet, but has also been depicted in animated cartoon shorts and comic strips...
's first partner. His magic shows included Tonight with David Nixon (1969), David Nixon's Magic Box (1970), and The David Nixon Show (1972). He also appeared as a panelist on TV and radio game shows, most notably on the UK TV version of What's My Line?. He famously presented an episode of This is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
in which the subject was none other than the series' regular British host, Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, CBE , was an Irish television presenter based in the United Kingdom.-Life and career:...
. A keen chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player, Nixon also presented Checkmate, a Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
series teaching the basics of the game.
Alongside his skills as a stage magician, Nixon liked to use television technology for humour and entertainment. In the 70s, when the technology of chromakey became available, he developed a way to interact with a recording of himself apparently on the other side of a mirror. Not only was the conversation perfectly coordinated, he also used sleight-of-hand to appear to pass objects back and forth to himself. These segments became high points of his shows of that period.
David Nixon has been recognised as an influence on future UK magicians as diverse as Wayne Dobson and Jerry Sadowitz
Jerry Sadowitz
Jerry Sadowitz is an American-born Scottish stand-up comic and card magician, known for his frequently controversial "sick humour". An accomplished practitioner of sleight of hand, he has written several books on magic and invented many conjuring innovations. He is widely acclaimed as one of the...
.
With a rich and mellow speaking voice, Nixon was also in demand as a compere and narrator. Alongside this he was a popular choice for pantomimes, which he enjoyed performing in and a favourite part was playing 'Buttons' in Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
. One of his most memorable performances was as a narrator in the show Emil and the Detectives
Emil and the Detectives
Emil and the Detectives is a 1929 novel for children set mainly in Berlin, by the German writer Erich Kästner. It was Kästner's first major success, the only one of his pre-1945 works to escape Nazi censorship, and remains his best-known work, and has been translated into at least 59 languages...
, at The Mermaid Theatre
Mermaid Theatre
The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre at Puddle Dock, in Blackfriars, in the City of London and the first built there since the time of Shakespeare...
, London.
Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
refer to David in their song Reflections In A Flat, from the album Back in the DHSS
Back in the DHSS
-2003 Rerelease:# "Busy Little Market Town"# "God Gave Us Life"# "Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus"# "Sealclubbing"# "99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd"# "Time Flies By "# "I Hate Nerys Hughes "...
.
Mellotron
Among Nixon's lesser known activities was his involvement in backing the development and manufacture of the MellotronMellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
and the company Mellotronics. He even appeared in a Pathé news reel feature to demonstrate the instrument.
Death
Nixon died of lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. He was a heavy smoker and was first found to have cancer in 1976. He underwent treatment, which appeared to have been successful, but the disease returned a couple of years later and he died just short of his 59th birthday.
Family
Nixon lost two wives to tragically early deaths. His first wife, Margaret, died in 1952. Later the same year Nixon married his second wife, Paula Marshall, who had worked with him in his act. Paula died aged 28 in a car crash in 1956, the year after the birth of the couple's son Nicholas. Nixon remarried in 1961 to Vivienne Robinson, the daughter of the well known bandleader Eric RobinsonEric Robinson (conductor)
Eric Robinson was a conductor and presenter of music for the BBC. He was also instrumental in bringing forth the Mellotron sampling keyboard...
. They had a daughter, Mandy, in 1961.