Dick Williams (magician) facts for kids

Dick Williams (born July 17, 1927 – died July 10, 2020) was a famous television and radio host. He was also a talented magician. He holds a Guinness World Record for hosting the longest-running TV magic show in the world!

Dick was known as "Mr. Magic." He presented his show, Magicland, on WMC-TV in Memphis, Tennessee. The show ran from 1966 until he retired in 1989. Dick performed many tricks and illusions. He also juggled clubs and scarves. Many people remember him for his special magician's finger exercises.

A Magician's Journey

Dick Williams was born on July 17, 1927. He grew up in Kansas. His love for magic began when he was seven years old. He received a "Gilbert" magic set as a Christmas gift. He became very skilled at magic. A local magic club, the "Wizards of Wichita", usually only allowed members aged 18 or older. But they made an exception for Dick! They let him join when he was just 13. During World War II, he performed magic with the club at military bases. In 1945, he joined the US Navy. He served on the battleship USS West Virginia.

Starting in Broadcasting

Dick began his career in broadcasting when he was 17. He won a voice contest and got a job as an announcer. This was at a local radio station called KAKE. He worked there for several years. Then, in 1955, he moved to KEDD-TV. Before that, in 1950, Dick earned a degree from Wichita State University.

In the 1950s, Dick and his wife, Virginia, moved to Amarillo, Texas. Dick worked as a TV weatherman there. He also performed over 300 magic shows on KGNC-TV. This station is now KAMR-TV/NBC.

Magicland on TV

In 1965, Williams joined WMC-TV in Memphis. This was an NBC station. He worked as an announcer and weatherman. By 1989, he had done over 7,000 weather forecasts! The WMC-TV managers heard about his magic shows in Texas. They asked him to start a similar show in Memphis. Dick agreed, thinking it would only last about a year.

Magicland was a weekly, half-hour magic show. It was for children and had a live audience. The first episode aired on WMC-TV in 1966. Dick's guess was wrong! The show stayed popular for 23 years. It ran until he retired in 1989. In total, 1,200 episodes were made. Magicland is also mentioned on the Wikipedia page: List of local children's television series (United States).

Many other magicians appeared as guests on Magicland. Some famous names included Blackstone Jr., Ali Bongo, and Mark Wilson.

Guinness World Record

Dick Williams was featured in the 2005 Guinness World Records book. He was on page 182 in the "Magic & Illusions" section. He was also on page 154 in the 2006 book. This was for having the longest-running magic show in TV history. He had 1,200 broadcasts. If you include his Texas shows, he did 1,500 TV shows in total!

He was the first person to perform the "Zig-Zag illusion" on American TV. This happened on April 4, 1971. Dick was a member of the International Brotherhood of Magician's Order of Merlin - Excelsior. He received this honor in 2015 for 60 years of membership. He also received an award from the Society of American Magicians in 2018. This award recognized his many years of performing on TV. It also honored his dedication to magic and helping other magicians.

His Wife, Virginia

Dick Williams was helped a lot by his wife, Virginia. She was a talented singer and music teacher. Virginia was his onstage magician's assistant. She also sewed costumes and organized props. She even arranged music and directed other assistants.

Virginia passed away on January 1, 2007. They had been married for 57 years. Their only child, Sherry, had passed away before Virginia.

Dick "Mr. Magic" Williams turned 92 on July 17, 2019. He passed away on July 10, 2020, at the age of 92.