Mark Wilson (magician)
Encyclopedia
James "Mark" Wilson is an American magician
and author. He is widely credited as becoming the first major "television magician" and in the process establishing the viability of illusion shows as a television format.
He went to the Southern Methodist University Business School, where he majored in marketing, thus learning skills that were to help him greatly in his future career.
When videotape was developed, Wilson created the first show to be videotaped and nationally syndicated. That was the original black and white Magic Land of Allakazam. It debuted on 1 October 1960 on CBS
-TV and aired every Saturday morning on that network for two years. His wife, Nani Darnell
, assisted him and they were joined by Bev Bergeron, who helped write the shows and played the character Rebo the Clown. The show was sponsored by Kelloggs. Wilson, Darnell and Bergeron toured state fairs during the summer and made appearances on other network shows. The writing team grew at CBS to include Bobby "Torchy" Towner, Bobby Fenton, Leo Behnke, Lin Searles with Johnny Daniel and Carl Owen building the illusions for the first year of 39 shows. For the second year the existing creative team remained, but Frances Martineau was added along with a young John Gaughan. This group was the nucleus that brought a new look to magic illusions that are still being used today.Magic Land of Allakazam moved from CBS-TV to ABC
-TV in 1962 without missing one week on air. That same year, Wilson appeared on the short-lived ABC western
comedy and variety series The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show
. In 1965, Magic Land of Allakazam left ABC and was internationally syndicated. During its peak it was one of the top shows in the Nielson ratings for Saturday morning.
Wilson later created The Funny Face Magic Show and the Pillsbury sponsored Magic Circus in 1971. He also provided the Hall of Magic at the 1964/5 World’s Fair in New York. He and his crew assisted in the technical production of the magic in many network shows, including The Magician
, Circus of the Stars
, Hollywood Palace, The Six Million Dollar Man
, The Incredible Hulk, Columbo and more. Wilson's last regular television stint was "The Magic Of Mark Wilson". The series was seen in national syndication in 1981 and Wilson was aided on this final series by second son Greg as well as by longtime assistant Nani.
, which is still in production in various forms around the world.
), where he served as president for several years, has honored Wilson with several awards.
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 author. He is widely credited as becoming the first major "television magician" and in the process establishing the viability of illusion shows as a television format.
Early years
Mark Wilson was the son of a salesman and he spent much of his youth traveling with his parents as his father moved about on business. He has said his love affair with magic began when he was aged eight and he saw a magician named Tommy Martin perform at a hotel in Indianapolis, where the Wilson family were staying at the time. The family later moved to Dallas, Texas, where, as a teenager, Mark Wilson improved his magic knowledge by working for the Douglas Magicland shop as a clerk. As his skills blossomed he began performing magic shows at small functions.He went to the Southern Methodist University Business School, where he majored in marketing, thus learning skills that were to help him greatly in his future career.
Television
When television began to grow, Wilson launched a show titled Time for Magic on a local station in Dallas in 1955. Calling on his marketing training he made this show possible by attracting sponsorship from the Dr. Pepper Bottling Company. He then expanded to other shows in Houston and San Antonio.When videotape was developed, Wilson created the first show to be videotaped and nationally syndicated. That was the original black and white Magic Land of Allakazam. It debuted on 1 October 1960 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-TV and aired every Saturday morning on that network for two years. His wife, Nani Darnell
Nani Darnell
Nani Darnell is the wife and assistant of American magician Mark Wilson. As Wilson's co-star throughout his television magic career, Darnell heavily influenced public perceptions of magicians' assistants....
, assisted him and they were joined by Bev Bergeron, who helped write the shows and played the character Rebo the Clown. The show was sponsored by Kelloggs. Wilson, Darnell and Bergeron toured state fairs during the summer and made appearances on other network shows. The writing team grew at CBS to include Bobby "Torchy" Towner, Bobby Fenton, Leo Behnke, Lin Searles with Johnny Daniel and Carl Owen building the illusions for the first year of 39 shows. For the second year the existing creative team remained, but Frances Martineau was added along with a young John Gaughan. This group was the nucleus that brought a new look to magic illusions that are still being used today.Magic Land of Allakazam moved from CBS-TV to ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
-TV in 1962 without missing one week on air. That same year, Wilson appeared on the short-lived ABC western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
comedy and variety series The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show
The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show
The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show was a Western comedy and variety program that ran on ABC television for 13 episodes from September 29 to December 29, 1962...
. In 1965, Magic Land of Allakazam left ABC and was internationally syndicated. During its peak it was one of the top shows in the Nielson ratings for Saturday morning.
Wilson later created The Funny Face Magic Show and the Pillsbury sponsored Magic Circus in 1971. He also provided the Hall of Magic at the 1964/5 World’s Fair in New York. He and his crew assisted in the technical production of the magic in many network shows, including The Magician
The Magician (TV series)
The Magician was an American television series that ran during the 1973–1974 season. It starred Bill Bixby as stage illusionist Anthony "Tony" Blake, a playboy philanthropist who used his skills to solve difficult crimes as needed. In the series pilot, the character was instead named Anthony...
, Circus of the Stars
Circus of the Stars
Circus of the Stars was an annual television special, broadcast by the CBS network in the United States, in which celebrities performed circus-type acts. There were 19 shows in total, the first being broadcast in 1977 and the last in 1994. Over the years the series featured many leading movie and...
, Hollywood Palace, The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
, The Incredible Hulk, Columbo and more. Wilson's last regular television stint was "The Magic Of Mark Wilson". The series was seen in national syndication in 1981 and Wilson was aided on this final series by second son Greg as well as by longtime assistant Nani.
Publication
In 1971, he published his Mark Wilson's Complete Course In MagicMark Wilson's Complete Course In Magic
Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic is the title of a book on magic written by Mark Wilson, the stage magician.The book is a popular reference for magicians and has been in print since its first issue in 1975....
, which is still in production in various forms around the world.
Awards
The Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic CastleThe Magic Castle
The Magic Castle, located at 7001 Franklin Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, is a nightclub for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It bills itself as "the most unusual private club in the world."-Nightclub:The Magic...
), where he served as president for several years, has honored Wilson with several awards.