Fred Van Buren
Encyclopedia
Fred Van Buren toured the world as a performer with his magic and illusion shows, performing with his wife Connie Greta as the magic illusion act Van Buren and Greta. A British born magician, illusionist and showman who is also well known as a builder and magical inventor. Van Buren's magic inventions include the unique Vanishing Motorbike and Rider which is performed completely surrounded by the audience, the Fluorescent Light Tubes Penetration which is an advancement of Robert Harbin's Experiment 13 illusion, and the Substitution Trunk to Fountain Finale. Recreations and advancements have included the Crinoline Lady and Disembodied Princess illusions.
in Cheshire was a large picture of an elephant. The poster was not offering pachyderm delights but was actually advertising a circus
! The circus was coming to town.
It turned out to be Chapman’s Circus and that visit to the butchers changed young Van Buren’s life. He went to see the circus and was so enthralled by the magic of it all that he was immediately bitten by the show business bug.
From that day on, whenever there was a circus in the area young Van Buren would be in the audience. One open air circus was Bob Gandey's circus, which Van Buren began regularly visiting, as well as Gandey’s Circus in its winter quarters in nearby Brereton. During these visits he gained a great deal of knowledge about circus life and show business in general, listening to the old performers and showmen’s anecdotes which strengthened his resolve to be a part of this magical area of entertainment.
Towards the end of the Second World War the family began holidaying in Blackpool
and it was here that the magic flame really ignited, thanks to a visit to Paul Clive’s Magic Shop on the North Pier. Every year, Van Buren would visit the beautifully opulent Blackpool Tower Circus, which from that young age he always wanted to appear in.
Another great influence on Van Buren’s career occurred when he saw a performance by Ali Bey in Blackpool in 1948. Ali Bey did much of this performance on ice but for some illusions he retired to a theatrical backdrop because the particular items could not be performed surrounded. It was then that Fred decided that the future lay in illusions that could be performed anywhere, with the audience on all sides and with no possibility of effects being accomplished by the aid of trapdoors.
(compulsory military service required of all young men in the United Kingdom between 1939 and 1960) magic did not take a back burner for his natural ability as a performer was spotted immediately and he was enlisted to perform in the pantomime Aladdin at the Garrison theatre in Aldershot
. Throughout his service career, he maintained his interest and connections with show business as well as producing and presenting his own shows.
to star in cabaret. Two days later they were in Llandudno
at the start of a 17 week season.
With the introduction of Connie into the act and the fact that they were now in demand for theatre and variety as the Yoxanis, Fred began concentrating more on magic and illusions and worked under the name of Van Buren. Here his cabinet making skills came into play as he built all his own apparatus including a fabulous vanishing radio, described by Bayard Grimshaw in The World’s Fair as “the best ever” and his version of the substitution trunk with a surprise finish when the trunk transforms into a garden scene with flowers and real fountains.
A major change occurred in 1962 when they received a contract for a tour starting at Brighton Hippodrome
with Dorothy Squires
.
's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on ice at the Empire Pool, Wembley
, then a tour of the show. Walt Disney asked Van Buren to perform a trick with fire and for this he devised a superb illusion which he called The Creation. In this a bowl of fire is transformed into a bouquet of flowers. The flowers are placed on a pedestal and after pulling a curtain around them they transform into his lovely assistant Greta!
Thanks to his career in the circus ring and his apprenticeship as a cabinet maker, Van Buren soon began developing illusions that could be performed completely surrounded often in the London cabaret banquet scene and even in an open arena if need be.
's Experiment 13 illusion. This involved 13 wooden rods passing through an assistant. Van Buren took it a step further, replacing the wooden rods with a bank of fluorescent light tubes. This Van Buren performed on one of his many appearances on the David Nixon TV shows.
and Don Estelle
at the Pavilion Theatre in Felixstowe
.
The Magic Circle
heard about the illusion and even before it was finished booked Van Buren to perform in their 1976 Christmas Show at the Collegiate Theatre in London.
The first televised performance of this new unique illusion was in a Magic Circle show at Caesar’s Palace, Luton
, in January 1977, a performance that created newspaper headlines. To lay people and magicians alike the illusion is a baffling impossibility.
, as part of the 1979 FISM Congress of Magic, another occasion that received worldwide television coverage. Returning to Britain, Van Buren and Greta were mobbed by customs officers at Ostend
. “We thought we were in big trouble,” said Van Buren, “But it turned out that they had seen us on television and wanted our autographs!”
Following many years captivating audiences in variety and circuses (including performances for Bob Gandey’s grandson Phillip), on cruises and cabarets worldwide, and performing before royalty, the Van Buren’s toured with their own full illusion show with a 3,000 seater circus tent until 1992.
For Christmas 1992, Van Buren took the illusion show into Wembley arena
in conjunction with fellow showman Gerry Cottle’s Circus and indoor fun fair. The circus was ring mastered by television celebrity Jeremy Beadle
and featured circus artistes from all over the world. A giant fun fair filled the surrounding halls and the Van Buren illusion show prominently featured as a stand-alone show alternating with the circus.
Circus. In this Van Buren and Greta acted as old magicians who were constantly interrupted by a young whizz kid illusionist, their son Andrew, on roller skates, unicycle and finally a motorbike—but the old performers finally got the upper hand by making rider and motorcycle vanish completely!
Pavilion. They have not completely retired from the business, for they still take an active part in the ever growing Van Buren organisation, constantly making and repairing props and devising new and ingenious illusions. Many of the effects are themed for various magical scenes.
, a multi-talented performer who keeps the Van Buren flag flying high over entertainment venues all over the world with his illusion spectaculars.
A more recent closing of the circle was when Andrew devised and presented the show Abracadabra Magic Around the World in Blackpool Tower Circus. The illusion show featured many of his father's magic effects and illusions. A number of the new effects were created by Fred purely for this production. The show ran from April until November 2007 and proved to be a great success with a cast of 24 international circus performers presenting a show that took in the themes of Great Britain, Germany, Arabia, America, Vienna, China, Hungary—with a tribute to escapologist Harry Houdini
—and finally from the Blackpool Tower to the Eiffel Tower
for a rousing French finale. This brought back the memories of Van Buren's childhood visiting the Tower Circus and proved to be a great showcase for the Van Buren illusions.
Andrew Van Buren
More recently concentrates much of his time working on cruise liners & in the Middle East, 2009 was spent during the summer performing in the House of Illusions Spiegeltent show in Dubai.
Early years and elephants
Van Buren's original interest in show business started when he was a young child. He got the shock of his life when he walked into the local butcher’s shop one day in the 1930s; meat was scarce and it seemed that the butcher had decided that desperate times called for desperate measures and the butcher was selling elephant meat! Clearly displayed on the shop wall on Middlewich Road in the historic market town of SandbachSandbach
Sandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
in Cheshire was a large picture of an elephant. The poster was not offering pachyderm delights but was actually advertising a circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
! The circus was coming to town.
It turned out to be Chapman’s Circus and that visit to the butchers changed young Van Buren’s life. He went to see the circus and was so enthralled by the magic of it all that he was immediately bitten by the show business bug.
From that day on, whenever there was a circus in the area young Van Buren would be in the audience. One open air circus was Bob Gandey's circus, which Van Buren began regularly visiting, as well as Gandey’s Circus in its winter quarters in nearby Brereton. During these visits he gained a great deal of knowledge about circus life and show business in general, listening to the old performers and showmen’s anecdotes which strengthened his resolve to be a part of this magical area of entertainment.
Coffins and boxes
Van Buren went on to present his own shows but in the early days he also had a "proper job", he become an apprentice cabinet maker and French polisher as well as doing his own shows and pantomimes. He was often employed in making vehicle bodies for ERF and Foden, coffins for local undertakers, and boxes for local businesses. It turned out to be a useful grounding for the making of magical apparatus in later years.Towards the end of the Second World War the family began holidaying in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
and it was here that the magic flame really ignited, thanks to a visit to Paul Clive’s Magic Shop on the North Pier. Every year, Van Buren would visit the beautifully opulent Blackpool Tower Circus, which from that young age he always wanted to appear in.
Another great influence on Van Buren’s career occurred when he saw a performance by Ali Bey in Blackpool in 1948. Ali Bey did much of this performance on ice but for some illusions he retired to a theatrical backdrop because the particular items could not be performed surrounded. It was then that Fred decided that the future lay in illusions that could be performed anywhere, with the audience on all sides and with no possibility of effects being accomplished by the aid of trapdoors.
Army days
It was not long before he was putting on his own concert party shows and even when called up for National ServiceNational service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
(compulsory military service required of all young men in the United Kingdom between 1939 and 1960) magic did not take a back burner for his natural ability as a performer was spotted immediately and he was enlisted to perform in the pantomime Aladdin at the Garrison theatre in Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
. Throughout his service career, he maintained his interest and connections with show business as well as producing and presenting his own shows.
1950s
Following his demobilisation in 1953, Van Buren took the plunge and devoted himself to full time professional entertainment, working in Gandey’s circus as the Amazing Yoxani, for Joe Gandey (the son of his mentor Bob Gandey) as a clown, doing magic, trapeze and he even trained and presented a dog and monkey act!Marriage
Fred met Constance Greta; it was not long before she was part of the act! They were married at Smallwood Methodist Church on 13 May 1961 and before the reception was over they dashed off to LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
to star in cabaret. Two days later they were in Llandudno
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
at the start of a 17 week season.
With the introduction of Connie into the act and the fact that they were now in demand for theatre and variety as the Yoxanis, Fred began concentrating more on magic and illusions and worked under the name of Van Buren. Here his cabinet making skills came into play as he built all his own apparatus including a fabulous vanishing radio, described by Bayard Grimshaw in The World’s Fair as “the best ever” and his version of the substitution trunk with a surprise finish when the trunk transforms into a garden scene with flowers and real fountains.
A major change occurred in 1962 when they received a contract for a tour starting at Brighton Hippodrome
Brighton Hippodrome
The former Brighton Hippodrome is an entertainment venue in the ancient centre of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has been empty and out of use since 2007, when its use as a bingo hall ceased, but since its construction in 1897 it has hosted an ice rink, circus acts,...
with Dorothy Squires
Dorothy Squires
Dorothy Squires was a Welsh vocalist. Among her recordings were versions of "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening", "I'm in the Mood for Love", "Anytime", "If You Love Me " and "And So to Sleep Again".-Biography:...
.
Walt Disney
This was followed by a season in Walt DisneyWalt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on ice at the Empire Pool, Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
, then a tour of the show. Walt Disney asked Van Buren to perform a trick with fire and for this he devised a superb illusion which he called The Creation. In this a bowl of fire is transformed into a bouquet of flowers. The flowers are placed on a pedestal and after pulling a curtain around them they transform into his lovely assistant Greta!
Thanks to his career in the circus ring and his apprenticeship as a cabinet maker, Van Buren soon began developing illusions that could be performed completely surrounded often in the London cabaret banquet scene and even in an open arena if need be.
Inventions
In 1974, Van Buren invented and built an advancement on his friend Robert HarbinRobert Harbin
Robert Harbin was a British magician and writer. He is noted as the inventor of a number of classic illusions, including the Zig Zag Girl...
's Experiment 13 illusion. This involved 13 wooden rods passing through an assistant. Van Buren took it a step further, replacing the wooden rods with a bank of fluorescent light tubes. This Van Buren performed on one of his many appearances on the David Nixon TV shows.
Vanishing motorbikes
Possibly his most famous illusion in this genre is his fantastic vanish of a motorcycle and rider which has since been presented for the amazements of audiences all over the world. This idea came to Van Buren in 1976 during a summer season with Windsor DaviesWindsor Davies
Windsor Davies is a British actor, well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s/1980s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.-Early life and career:...
and Don Estelle
Don Estelle
Don Estelle was a British actor and singer.Born Donald Edwards in Crumpsall, Manchester, he was brought up in a house on Russell Street, Crumpsall. During World War II, at the age of eight, he was evacuated to Darwen, Lancashire, twenty miles away from his home town, to escape the German bombing...
at the Pavilion Theatre in Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
.
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...
heard about the illusion and even before it was finished booked Van Buren to perform in their 1976 Christmas Show at the Collegiate Theatre in London.
The first televised performance of this new unique illusion was in a Magic Circle show at Caesar’s Palace, Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, in January 1977, a performance that created newspaper headlines. To lay people and magicians alike the illusion is a baffling impossibility.
Autographs
After extensively touring ice arenas in Sweden with Circus Svennson, Van Buren was invited to perform his vanishing motorbike illusion at the Grand Palace, BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, as part of the 1979 FISM Congress of Magic, another occasion that received worldwide television coverage. Returning to Britain, Van Buren and Greta were mobbed by customs officers at Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
. “We thought we were in big trouble,” said Van Buren, “But it turned out that they had seen us on television and wanted our autographs!”
Disaster
In the 1984 tour of Fossett’s Circus, in which the Van Buren’s were starring, the big top was totally destroyed in a violent storm that raged through Dublin in the early hours of 18 October. Several members of the company were injured as they tried to rescue props and equipment. Van Buren received a bad arm injury and had to have three stitches in a bloody cut above his eye. A few days later, however, all was repaired and replaced so that the show could go on.Following many years captivating audiences in variety and circuses (including performances for Bob Gandey’s grandson Phillip), on cruises and cabarets worldwide, and performing before royalty, the Van Buren’s toured with their own full illusion show with a 3,000 seater circus tent until 1992.
For Christmas 1992, Van Buren took the illusion show into Wembley arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
in conjunction with fellow showman Gerry Cottle’s Circus and indoor fun fair. The circus was ring mastered by television celebrity Jeremy Beadle
Jeremy Beadle
Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE was an English television presenter, writer and producer. During the 1980s, he was a regular face on British television and in two years appeared 50 weeks of the year. His shows regularly topped the charts beating Coronation Street and EastEnders on one...
and featured circus artistes from all over the world. A giant fun fair filled the surrounding halls and the Van Buren illusion show prominently featured as a stand-alone show alternating with the circus.
Ancient and modern
Then came an unusual act entitled Ancient and Modern, at Blackpool TowerBlackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. . Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches . The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers...
Circus. In this Van Buren and Greta acted as old magicians who were constantly interrupted by a young whizz kid illusionist, their son Andrew, on roller skates, unicycle and finally a motorbike—but the old performers finally got the upper hand by making rider and motorcycle vanish completely!
Retirement .....
Five years later Van Buren and Greta retired from performing. Their last full performance was for their friend George Kovari at RhylRhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
Pavilion. They have not completely retired from the business, for they still take an active part in the ever growing Van Buren organisation, constantly making and repairing props and devising new and ingenious illusions. Many of the effects are themed for various magical scenes.
Following in father's footsteps
The performance mantle has, however been passed on to their son Andrew Van BurenAndrew Van Buren
Andrew Van Buren is a British performer who specialises in magic, large scale illusions, juggling and plate spinning.-Biography:Master Illusionist Andrew Van Buren spent his childhood touring the world with his parents' Van Buren and Greta’s magic and illusion show. He learned his trade in...
, a multi-talented performer who keeps the Van Buren flag flying high over entertainment venues all over the world with his illusion spectaculars.
A more recent closing of the circle was when Andrew devised and presented the show Abracadabra Magic Around the World in Blackpool Tower Circus. The illusion show featured many of his father's magic effects and illusions. A number of the new effects were created by Fred purely for this production. The show ran from April until November 2007 and proved to be a great success with a cast of 24 international circus performers presenting a show that took in the themes of Great Britain, Germany, Arabia, America, Vienna, China, Hungary—with a tribute to escapologist Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
—and finally from the Blackpool Tower to the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
for a rousing French finale. This brought back the memories of Van Buren's childhood visiting the Tower Circus and proved to be a great showcase for the Van Buren illusions.
Andrew Van Buren
Andrew Van Buren
Andrew Van Buren is a British performer who specialises in magic, large scale illusions, juggling and plate spinning.-Biography:Master Illusionist Andrew Van Buren spent his childhood touring the world with his parents' Van Buren and Greta’s magic and illusion show. He learned his trade in...
More recently concentrates much of his time working on cruise liners & in the Middle East, 2009 was spent during the summer performing in the House of Illusions Spiegeltent show in Dubai.