Magic Stories

The World’s Greatest Magician Came From Ohio

Striking Pose

Grover G. George, from Zainesville, Ohio, had all that it took to be a great, touring magician. He was poised, polished, and professional and loved to perform. In fact, he was known as the “The Greatest Magician on Earth” in virtually all venues but in the United States.

George told reporters thathe became interested in magic at a very young age when he saw the twin towers of magic: “Keller the Great” and “Howard Thurston” at the old Schultz Opera House.

He was inspired and filled with the desire to practice magic to one day be an associate of the two current leaders in the world of magic.

Three years before Houdini’s death, George escaped from the US to South and Central America to start a new life. He performed in Cuba as ?The Great George’s traveling troupe.”The show wassmall in staff but big on props. He had five members in the troupe and over a 1000 trunks of magic.

His popularity spread to the other island nations in the Caribbean.

The president of Costa Rica invited him to visit his country after his run in Cuba. He accepted the invitation and climbed aboard the train sent for his troupe. The President of the island nation sent the train just for him. He wanted this famous…

Striking Pose

Grover G. George, from Zainesville, Ohio, had all that it took to be a great, touring magician. He was poised, polished, and professional and loved to perform. In fact, he was known as the “The Greatest Magician on Earth” in virtually all venues but in the United States.

George told reporters thathe became interested in magic at a very young age when he saw the twin towers of magic: “Keller the Great” and “Howard Thurston” at the old Schultz Opera House.

He was inspired and filled with the desire to practice magic to one day be an associate of the two current leaders in the world of magic.

Three years before Houdini’s death, George escaped from the US to South and Central America to start a new life. He performed in Cuba as ?The Great George’s traveling troupe.”The show wassmall in staff but big on props. He had five members in the troupe and over a 1000 trunks of magic.

His popularity spread to the other island nations in the Caribbean.

The president of Costa Rica invited him to visit his country after his run in Cuba. He accepted the invitation and climbed aboard the train sent for his troupe. The President of the island nation sent the train just for him. He wanted this famous magician in the nation’s capital.

As he returned to the United States, he learned that Keller was about to retire from the business and had put up seven illusions for sale. George outbid the cash-strapped Thurston and won all seven illusions. No problems yet.

Thurston then had enjoining orders entered against George from performing the effects. Despite losing the stifling order twice, Thurston was not about to give up so easily.

The court in Richmond, Virginia (widely respected among lawyers as the location of the best judges in the nation), found:

I dismiss this injunction instituted by Howard Thurston against Grover George and I further order that Howard Thurston shall institute no other proceedings against Grover George in any other court in the land.

In legal terms, this was big.

Thurston, living up to the “gentleman image” as set byKellar said,
“George was the greatest magician in the world and that no other had such a large and varied show.”

He returned to the success he found in South America and was loved by the audiences he encountered. While the United States was deprivedof his genius, South America had a chance to witness the master at work.

In 1958, George passed and was buried in Sao Palo, Brazil.

He was perhaps, the greatest Magician about which we’ve never heard.

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