Alan Alan (born Alan Rabinowitz, 30 November 1926[1][2] – 4 July 2014) was a British escapologist and magician.[3] He originated tricks that have subsequently become familiar features of the repertoire of other performers and he was honoured by The Magic Circle.[4]
Alan Alan | |
|---|---|
 Alan Alan at The Magic Spot | |
| Born | Alan Rabinowitz 30 November 1926 London, England |
| Died | 4 July 2014 (aged 87) London, England |
| Occupation(s) | escapologist and magician |
Alan achieved fame through a series of stunts staged for the media. He made headline news in 1949 when a "buried alive" stunt, performed for Pathe News, nearly went wrong.[4] He is credited with devising the burning-rope straitjacket escape,[5] in which he is suspended upside-down from a crane with a length of thick rope doused with petrol; once ignited there is a short time to escape before the rope burns through.
He appeared in a number of television magic shows, including The Magic of David Copperfield.[6] He also "taught" the inmates of Wormwood Scrubs prison how to escape from handcuffs in his performance with a number of other magicians.[7] In more recent years he was seen on the Channel 4 TV show The Secret Cabaret with Simon Drake.
He was proprietor of Alan Alan's Magic Spot, a magic shop based on Southampton Row, London until its lease expired in the mid-1990s.
Alan's standing and influence in the world of magic was formally recognised in 2006 when The Magic Circle chose him to receive the coveted Maskelyne Award for services to British magic.[4] He died on 4 July 2014, aged 87.[8]
References
edit- ^ Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2014. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. 30 April 2015. ISBN 9780786476664.
- ^ "Alan Alan". www.telegraph.co.uk. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Magicians' Biographies". magictricks.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2007.
- ^ a b c "The Magic Circle Awards Banquet". The Magic Circle. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
- ^ "BURNING ROPE ESCAPOLOGIST". British Pathe Ltd. 26 October 1959.
- ^ "The Magic of David Copperfield". BFI Film ad TV Database. Archived from the original on 4 March 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2007.
- ^ "This Billing is a Smash Hit". Calgary Herald. 6 April 1959. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ Milazzo, Franco (6 July 2014). "Obituary: Alan Alan, "The British Houdini"". This Is Cabaret. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
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