Vintage Chicago Magic Round Table Pinback Pin
THE HISTORY OF THE CHICAGO MAGIC ROUND TABLE
The Chicago Magic Round Table was originally established in 1929 as an informal gathering of professional and amateur magicians, meeting daily for lunch at De Lazon’s restaurant. Luminaries like Jay and Frances Marshall, Dr. Harlan Tarbell, Harry Blackstone Sr., and Werner Dornfield, held court in the spirit of camaraderie and a shared love of the art of magic. Word quickly spread, and the Round Table came to be a headquarters for magicians.
The gatherings continued into the mid-1950s, and endured a few changes of location, eventually settling on a daily lunch at the Drake Restaurant. Eventually though, meetings tapered off, sometime in the 1960s, and the first iteration of the Round Table slowly vanished.
The Chicago Magic Round Table had a brief resurgence in the late 2000s when Dan Mindo, Tracy Atteberry, and David Parr revived the informal gatherings beginning at the Green Door Tavern under the name "Chicago Magic Round Table". However, that too, faded away as schedules and availability had their eternal clash, and schedules won...
In 2018, the Chicago Magic Round Table has been re-established with a new permanent home: the Chicago Magic Lounge. An association of practicing, amateur, and hobbyist magicians, our goal is to create a community for practitioners and lovers of magic. Be a part of the grand history of Chicago magic.
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| Read It |
No |
| Location |
Magic Library (Home) |
| Condition |
Good |
| Owner |
Bryan-Keith Taylor |
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Chicago Magic Round Table
A small home in Oak Lawn, Illinois was the unlikely meeting place of some of the world's most talented magicians once upon a time. They would eat, drink, smoke, and do magic tricks, trying to fool each other with the latest sleight they'd mastered. The hoots and howls always meant an appreciation of someone's fine work
This was the world I grew up in. The place was the home of ART and ROSE WEYGANDT, my parents. This web site was created as a tribute to my father, who spent most of his life studying magic and perfecting the illusions of the astounding Ed Marlo, a dear friend.
No, you probably never heard of ART WEYGANDT. My dad wasn't a well-known magician, and in later years he rarely performed except for his circle of friends which included some of the most respected magicians of our time. But my dad was among the thousands of magicians who still today can't pass up a deck of cards; those of you who still seek to be fooled. He was part of Chicago magic history as one of the "disciples" who gathered at the Drake Hotel as part of The Round Table. It was indeed a sort of Camelot, with Ed Marlo presiding as King.
Dressing up for the "big" magic shows was always special.. My father occasionally performed and sometimes, because of his boisterous personality, he served as Master of Ceremonies. My mother was a member of Magigals, although she didn't do magic. She did sing, though, and was part of the Rodeo Girls that performed on the Hoosier Jubilee, WJOB in Hammond and the WLS Barndance.
Our tiny kitchen was frequently filled with the likes of Wayne Shumway, John Gogolak, Casey Balt (who was "Baltrushaitis" back then), Chet Chylinski (later Chet Chyll), Marshall Ellenstein, Dai Vernon, Dick Sheehy, Okito, Sam Walkoff, Helen Wong Jean, Jay Marshall, Frances Ireland, Ed and Muriel Marlo, Jack and Anne Gwynne and later, Steve Draun . When Art and Rose retired in Las Vegas in 1988, the kitchen table again became the center of sleight of hand.
Did I mention that our kitchen table was round? Enjoy the memories.
