litefire56
Bronze Member
I had posted this on the Illinois site yesterday, but thought that some here may enjoy this unusual token.
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,209065.0.html
Howard Thurston, “The Great Thurston”
The following is a condensed excerpt from The Best Team Ever, a Novel of America, Chicago and the 1907 Cubs.
Howard Thurston earned a reputation as the greatest magician touring the United States. Stage magic reached its zenith with The Great Thurston. Seven years of touring abroad, from the Orient to Europe, earned Thurston large sums of money, much of which he poured back into elaborate apparatus for his theatrical productions. Howard Thurston mastered every phase of the business, from card tricks and stage hypnotism to his popular large-scale illusions. He injected humor and beautiful “assistants” into a vocation that had previously consisted of semiformal, didactic presentations. But The Great Thurston soared to stardom on his ability to gain the confidence and affection of the audience and his meticulously-crafted showmanship.
“The key to my success on any night,” he told his friends, “is whether I can radiate good will to the audience. There is only one way to do it and that is to feel it. You can fool the eyes and minds of the audience but you cannot fool their hearts.”
Howard Thurston peered through the red stage curtain to gauge the audience, a sizeable matinee crowd. He would tailor the show to fit the audience. He anticipated no problems for the afternoon.
But something did go wrong in the hypnotism segment of the show…
Find out more about enigmatic stage magician Howard Thurston – “The Great Thurston” and his mysterious association with the 1907 Chicago Cubs in The Best Team Ever, a Novel of America, Chicago and the 1907 Cubs.
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,209065.0.html
Howard Thurston, “The Great Thurston”
The following is a condensed excerpt from The Best Team Ever, a Novel of America, Chicago and the 1907 Cubs.
Howard Thurston earned a reputation as the greatest magician touring the United States. Stage magic reached its zenith with The Great Thurston. Seven years of touring abroad, from the Orient to Europe, earned Thurston large sums of money, much of which he poured back into elaborate apparatus for his theatrical productions. Howard Thurston mastered every phase of the business, from card tricks and stage hypnotism to his popular large-scale illusions. He injected humor and beautiful “assistants” into a vocation that had previously consisted of semiformal, didactic presentations. But The Great Thurston soared to stardom on his ability to gain the confidence and affection of the audience and his meticulously-crafted showmanship.
“The key to my success on any night,” he told his friends, “is whether I can radiate good will to the audience. There is only one way to do it and that is to feel it. You can fool the eyes and minds of the audience but you cannot fool their hearts.”
Howard Thurston peered through the red stage curtain to gauge the audience, a sizeable matinee crowd. He would tailor the show to fit the audience. He anticipated no problems for the afternoon.
But something did go wrong in the hypnotism segment of the show…
Find out more about enigmatic stage magician Howard Thurston – “The Great Thurston” and his mysterious association with the 1907 Chicago Cubs in The Best Team Ever, a Novel of America, Chicago and the 1907 Cubs.
