Tony Slydini (September 1, 1900, Foggia, Italy – January 15, 1991),Bill Wisch, "Slydini Protege Visits Slydini's Final Resting Place / Grave" Genii Forum, Post entitled "Slydini Protege Bill Wisch Visits Slydini's Final Resting Place" known as Slydini, was a magician known for close-up artistry magic.Ganson, Lewis. The Magic of Slydini. Harry Stanley Publishing, London, 1969, pp. 10–18.Eldin, Peter. Presenting the World’s Greatest Magicians. Kingfisher – a Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 1997, p. 32. His public performances and lectures to other magicians inspired Doug Henning, Dick Cavett, Bill Bixby, Ricky Jay, and David Copperfield.Jay, Ricky. Magician Mentors and Inspirations, American Masters, PBS Television, January 9, 2015.Henning, Doug. Totally History He also produced books, films and publications on magic.Fulves, Karl. The Best of Slydini … And More, Lou Tannen, Inc. New York, 1976, pp. 5–17. He received the Masters Fellowship Award and Performing Fellowship Award from the Academy of Magical Arts.Larsen, William W., Genii Magazine, Volume 37, Number 12, December, 1973. During his lifetime Slydini was inducted into the Society of American Magicians Hall of Fame as a Living Legend.Society of American Magicians Hall of Fame
Early life Tony Slydini was born as Quintino Marucci in Foggia, Italy. He was the son of an amateur magician, who encouraged him to pursue sleight of hand at an early age. While still young, Slydini and his uncle left Italy to live in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Frank, Gary R. Slydini, The Linking Ring Vol. 92, No. 8, St. Charles, Mo., August 2012, p. 112 It was there that he began to experiment more seriously with magic. He had no access to books on magic, nor personal instruction or magical performing apparatus of any kind. Without help or guidance, he reinvented much of the popular magic of the time, along with developing many new effects and illusions.White, Ted. Biographies, Slydini Biography, Cometa Magico, 2010, pp. 1–2.
Early on, Slydini was attracted to the psychological aspects of his art, which would continually show itself in his magic in the form of precise and expert use of timing and misdirection.Lewin, Rick. An Education in Magicwatching Tony Slydini for the first time, Remarkable Magic, March 4, 2013, p. 1. He was inspired by the relationship between a magician and his audience, which fueled his desire to be a close-up artist who would work intimately with the spectators. He became so good at it that he continually fooled the magicians for whom he performed, so much so that the famous dean of magicians, Dai Vernon, once remarked, "Slydini is the only magician who could ever fool me."Jay, Ricky, "Magician Mentors and Inspirations", American Masters, PBS Television, January 9, 2015
As a young man, Slydini had worked in South America's version of vaudeville for a time. But soon, the Great Depression struck that continent and work became scarce. In 1930, he moved to New York City, finding a job in at Hubert's Dime museum on 42nd Street.Bauman, Howard. Slydini Obituary, The Linking Ring, Vol. 71, No. 3, Kenton, Ohio, March 1991, p. 121. The Dime museum was designed as a center for entertainment for the working class, and in New York City, where many immigrants settled, they provided popular and inexpensive entertainment.Dennett, Andrea. Weird and Wonderful: The Dime Museum in America, New York University Press, New York and London, 1997, pp. 1–14 Hubert's provided the young magician with a grand platform, on which he could experiment and continue to enhance and develop his already sharpened skills. From there, Slydini found work in carnivals and sideshows throughout the country. He was entertaining everyday workers and their families, but gaining valuable experience, knowledge and psychological expertise, while traveling and meeting people from coast to coast.Haskell, Kari, Slydini, a legendary magician, performs for Cavett, March 27, 2009.
Name change and move to New York In 1935, while Slydini was playing a museum in Paterson, New Jersey, the manager billed him as "Tony Foolem", in the absence of any better suggestion by Marucci (as Slydini was still known).Read, Ralph W. Slydini – The Master of Misdirection, The Linking Ring Vol. 30, No. 12, Kenton, Ohio, February 1950, p. 16. The other acts on the bill became friendly with the magician and told him that they thought the name Tony Foolem was a poor choice and between them, they worked out the "Tony Slydini" stage namethe "sly" for being slick, and the "Dini" to follow the vogue for having something akin to the well known name of the successful Houdini. Tony was a shortened name for his given name Quintino and so, thus was "Tony Slydini" born.Wisch, Bill. "Bill Wisch Talks About Slydini and More," The Magic Word, Scott Wells, Producer, New Jersey, April 19, 2012
Career On a visit to his sister in Boston during the 1930s, Slydini attracted the attention of an agent, landing a job for $15 a day for a three-day-a-week show. The agent recognized his skills and flawless sleight of hand which he performed with playing cards, coins and two ordinary white silks.Frank, Gary R. Slydini, The Linking Ring Vol. 92, No. 8, St. Charles, Mo., August 2012, p. 112 Slydini was an expert in timing and misdirection and it showed. Unlike the performing magicians of the time, it was audience reactions that guided his performances.The Magical World of Slydini (text), Fulves, Karl; Lou Tannen, Inc., New York, 1979 pp. 1–17Frank, Gary R. Slydini, The Linking Ring Vol. 92, No. 8, St. Charles, Mo., August 2012, p. 112 He remained in Boston for nearly seven years before moving back to New York.Paget, Jacques H., Les grands secrets du monde de l'illusionnisme, Editions d'Organisation; France, 2006, p. 32. It was there, in 1947, that Slydini opened his magic studio located at 341 West 45th Street.Read, Ralph W. Slydini – The Master of Misdirection, The Linking Ring Vol. 30, No. 12, Kenton, Ohio, February 1950, p. 16. Magicians from around the world came to that location for more than fifty years seeking instruction and guidance.Ganson, Lewis. The Magic of Slydini, Harry Stanley; First edition, 1960, pp. 2–5.
Traveling years Slydini continued to gain popularity through his public performances, including many private club and party dates, and would travel the United States from New York to California, playing scattered engagements in museums, carnivals, side shows, etc., while remaining practically unknown to the world of magicians.Nathanson, Leon, M.D., Slydini Encores, Slydini Studio of Magic, New York, 1966, pp. 11–13. It was finally through magician Herman Hanson, a close associate of Howard Thurston, that Slydini was brought before the local magic fans, eventually going on their public shows and more, in New York, Boston and Hartford. From there, he was quickly grabbed to appear on the well known Barbizon Plaza show in New York City where he made an instant hit with his different style of magic. His fame spread and soon other well-known magicians from around the world sought out his company and expertise including the legendary Cardini, Dai Vernon, Okito, The Great Virgil, Bert Allerton, Al Flosso and Jack Gwynne. Eventually, he appeared in Atlantic City before a national conclave of magicians and from there, his reputation as a "Magician’s Magician" was cemented.Nathanson, Leon, M.D., Slydini Encores, Slydini Studio of Magic, New York, 1966, pp. 11–13.
Throughout the war, Slydini entertained thousands of soldiers in camps, hospitals and recreation centers. Between 1949 and 1950, he toured the United States under the direction of Ralph W. Read, who booked him to give his famous "Lecture Demonstrations" before over 30 magical organizations. Private lessons were also given on this tour, and many club dates as well, in the large cities on the route. Along the way, the performances and demonstrations at magic gatherings captured even more attention from his fellow magicians. Eventually, Europe and Asia requested his presence and he complied. While there he performed publicly, made televised appearances and gave numerous lectures and private instruction to inquiring magicians wanting to learn his new form of close-up magic and misdirection.Arthur Leroy, Out of My Profonde, Sly, Sly, Slydini, Hugard’s Magic Monthly, Vol. XVI, No. 1, June 1958, p. 42. In 1958, he headlined the International Brotherhood of Magicians British Ring's magic convention. Frank Joglar, reporting for Jean Hugard’s Magic Monthly, wrote, "There is no doubt who was the star of the Convention. It was Slydini, whose close-up work, lecture and Gala Show act were in every detail flawless. Reports from up, down and around the British Isles praised the lecture Tony gave on the tour."Joglar, Frank, Slydini, Hugard’s Magic Monthly, Vol. XVI, No. 1, June 1958, p. 62 Thereafter, Slydini would focus almost exclusively on teaching and lecturing, illustrating to others his original performing techniques and unique methods of misdirection.
Magic's teacher and the media Slydini was largely unknown to the public but became a legend to those in the magic profession. He was constantly featured in the magic magazines and publications. The Linking Ring, a publication of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, highlighted him in their 1951 February issue.Matsuura, Gene, Tony Slydini, Actor, The Linking Ring Vol. 95, No. 3, March 1991, p. 43 Talk show host Dick Cavett wrote about his first meeting with Slydini in a New York Times column, "Doug Henning said to me, 'Tony's doing a special demonstration for some magicians tomorrow night at Vesuvio restaurant. Come.' Tomorrow night finally came. For the magicians, sitting for nearly two hours at that table, sudden gasps and intakes of breath abounded. It was like seeing a man walk up a wall. Nothing prepared you for it. Right at the start, a solid, heavy silver dollar, held before my eyes, vanished into thinnest air. And by no method I knew of. Certainly no sleeves. The two hours flew too quickly."Cavett, Dick. "Conjuring Slydini", New York Times, March 27, 2009.
Cavett and Slydini became friends and soon afterwards the talk show host featured the magician in a televised special, which was so well received that a second broadcast followed.Slydini on Dick Cavett Show, PBS Television 1977Slydini, Master of Closeup, Magic Magazine, Los Angeles, CA, December, 1975 p. 36.The Great Slydini Makes Magic for Dick Cavett, Epublishers Weekly, April 14, 2009. p. 4.
Slydini would go on to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and other popular broadcast venues of his time, but this was not his forte. It had become teaching, training and an increased research and development of the art of misdirection. He was willing to teach and the magicians he served were willing to learn.Goodman, Rowland, The Slydini Lecture, Linking Ring Vol.30, No. 11, Kenton, Ohio, January 1951, pp 2830.
Seminars, publications, and the closing years