Richard Valentine Pitchford

Richard Valentine Pitchford (November 24, 1895 – November 13, 1973) was a master magician under the name Cardini, whose career spanned almost half a century. He is one of the most imitated magicians the world has ever known.

Biography

He was born on November 24, 1895 in a coal-mining town in Mumbles, Wales. U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942] He joined the British Army during World War I where he passed time in the trenches by practicing card manipulations. After being injured in battle, he continued to hone his magic skills in hospital.

After performing in Australia and then in Canada he entered the United States from British Columbia. While working his way across the U.S. he met Swan Walker in Chicago, who became his wife and lifelong assistant. In New York City, Cardini became an almost immediate success as audiences (and magicians) had never seen such an act. Cardini enhanced his performance by incorporating his magic tricks into a skit. Sleight of hand, gestures, and the appearance and disappearance of objects were all timed precisely and exactly coordinated to music.

He performed at The Palace, Radio City Music Hall, London Palladium, Copacabana and other prominent nightclubs and reviews, and also gave a command performance for the King of England in 1938. In 1957 at the age of 62 he appeared on one of the few magic television shows broadcast at that time, the Festival of Magic. This is the only known footage of Cardini at work.

He died on November 13, 1973. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Richard V. Pitchford Dies. Magician Known as Cardini. |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40B16FA3C55137B93C1A8178AD95F478785F9 |quote=Richard V. Pitchford, who as Cardini was a prominent sleight-of-hand artist and was president of the Magicians Guild in 1945, died today in Kingston Hospital. He was 79 years old and lived in Gardiner. |publisher=New York Times |date=November 13, 1973, Tuesday |accessdate=2007-07-21 ]

Awards

Among his many acclamations was the New England Magic Society's proclamation of Cardini as the "greatest exponent of pure sleight of hand the world has ever known" (1958). He was honored in 1970 with the title "Master Magician", which was awarded at the Magic Castle, LA, and presented by Tony Curtis. In 1999 he was named one of Magic Magazine's Top Magicians of the 20th Century. He was a three time President of the Society of American Magicians.

One of the unusual features of a Cardini performance was that he did sleight of hand wearing white gloves. In a famous routine, he appears to be tipsy and bemused as cigarettes and other items appear and disappear in his hands, acting as if he is the victim of a strange trick of nature rather than a master of magical mysteries.

External links

* [http://www.cardini.com Official Cardini Website, maintained by his decendants]
* [http://www.cardini.tv Richard Pitchford - Articles about Cardini]

References