Tony Slydini facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tony Slydini
Born	Quintino Marucci ( 1900-09-01)September 1, 1900 Foggia, Italy
Died	January 15, 1991(1991-01-15) (aged 90) Orange, New Jersey, United States
Nationality	Italian Argentinian
Occupation	Magician
Known for	Originality, Skill, and Misdirection

Tony Slydini (born Quintino Marucci; September 1, 1900 – January 15, 1991) was a famous magician. He was known for his amazing skill and new ideas in close-up magic. This is magic performed right in front of people.

Slydini traveled the world. He performed for audiences and taught other magicians. Many famous magicians and entertainers learned from him. These included Doug Henning, David Copperfield, and Ricky Jay.

Even though he was best known for close-up magic, he was great at all kinds of performances. He created many books, films, and articles about his magic. He received top awards in magic. These included the Masters Fellowship Award and Performing Fellowship Award from the Academy of Magical Arts. He was also named a Living Legend in the Society of American Magicians Hall of Fame.

Biography

Early life and magic beginnings

Tony Slydini was born Quintino Marucci in Foggia, Italy. His father was a hobby magician. He encouraged young Quintino to learn sleight of hand (clever hand movements) early on.

When he was young, Slydini moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his uncle. There, he started to seriously explore magic. He didn't have magic books or teachers. He also didn't have special magic tools. So, he had to figure out many popular tricks on his own. He also invented many new ones.

Slydini was very interested in the psychology of magic. This means how the mind works. He used perfect timing and misdirection in his tricks. Misdirection is when a magician makes you look somewhere else. This helps them do something secretly. He loved performing close-up magic right in front of people. This made him even better at it.

The famous magician Dai Vernon once said, "Slydini is the only magician who could ever fool me." This shows how good Slydini was.

Early career and move to New York City

As a young man, Slydini worked in vaudeville shows in South America. Vaudeville was a type of entertainment with many different acts. But then the Great Depression hit, and jobs became hard to find.

In 1930, he moved to New York City. He found a job at Hubert's Dime museum on 42nd Street. Dime museums were places where working people could find cheap entertainment. They were very popular in New York City, especially for immigrants. Hubert's was a great place for Slydini to practice his skills.

From there, Slydini worked in carnivals and sideshows across the country. He entertained everyday people. He gained a lot of experience and learned more about human behavior.

Becoming "Tony Slydini"

In 1935, Slydini was performing in Paterson, New Jersey. The manager called him "Tony Foolem." Other performers thought this name was not good. So, they helped him come up with "Tony Slydini." "Sly" meant he was clever, and "Dini" sounded like the famous magician Harry Houdini. "Tony" was a shorter version of his real name, Quintino. That's how Tony Slydini got his famous stage name.

Boston and his magic studio

In the 1930s, Slydini visited his sister in Boston. There, a talent agent noticed him. The agent saw his amazing skill with cards, coins, and silk scarves. Slydini was a master of timing and misdirection. He let the audience's reactions guide his shows. This was different from other magicians at the time.

He stayed in Boston for about seven years. Then, in 1947, he moved back to New York. He opened his own magic studio at 341 West 45th Street. For over 50 years, magicians from all over the world came to his studio. They wanted to learn from him.

Traveling and teaching years

Slydini became more and more popular. He performed at private clubs and parties. He traveled across the United States. He performed in museums, carnivals, and sideshows. At first, most magicians didn't know about him.

Then, a magician named Herman Hanson introduced Slydini to local magic fans. Soon, Slydini was performing on big shows in New York, Boston, and Hartford. He became a huge hit at the Barbizon Plaza show in New York City. His unique style of magic made him famous.

Other well-known magicians wanted to meet him. These included Cardini, Dai Vernon, and Al Flosso. He performed in Atlantic City for a big meeting of magicians. After that, he was known as a "Magician's Magician."

During the war, Slydini entertained thousands of soldiers. He performed in camps, hospitals, and recreation centers. From 1949 to 1950, he toured the United States. He gave his famous "Lecture Demonstrations" to over 30 magic groups. He also gave private lessons and performed in big cities.

His performances at magic gatherings caught the attention of even more magicians. Soon, Europe and Asia asked him to visit. He performed publicly, appeared on TV, and taught many magicians. In 1958, he was the main performer at the International Brotherhood of Magicians convention in Britain. People praised his close-up work and lectures.

After this, Slydini mostly focused on teaching. He showed others his original tricks and his special ways of using misdirection.

Magic's teacher and the media

Most people didn't know Slydini, but he was a legend among magicians. Magic magazines often wrote about him. The Linking Ring magazine featured him in 1951.

Talk show host Dick Cavett wrote about meeting Slydini in New York Times. Cavett said that seeing Slydini perform was like "seeing a man walk up a wall." He saw a silver dollar vanish into thin air. Cavett and Slydini became friends. Cavett then featured Slydini on his TV special. It was so popular that they did a second show.

Slydini also appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. But teaching and developing new magic ideas became his main focus. He loved to teach, and magicians loved to learn from him.

Seminars, publications, and later years

Slydini's influence grew so much that in 1975, a big magic event was created. Joe Stevens organized a meeting of magicians in Las Vegas. This event was called The Slydini Seminar. It was mostly for professional magicians. This yearly event became very popular. It was later known as the Desert Magic Seminar and then the World Magic Summit.

Tony Slydini gave three hours of shows and lectures. He also offered private lessons to the 90 magicians who attended. This started a tradition of teaching magicians. Slydini attended and lectured at the event named after him until he was too sick to travel.

Many books were written about Slydini's techniques and the psychology behind his magic. In 1976, Slydini chose his student, Bill Wisch, to represent him. Bill Wisch introduced and sold Slydini's two-volume book sets: The Best of Slydini and More and The Magical World of Slydini. Both were written by Karl Fulves. These books are considered very important for magicians to read. Bill Wisch taught thousands of magicians about Slydini's methods in 74 cities across the United States and Canada.

There were also films, videos, and many articles about his methods. Even scientists became interested. More than ten articles were written about his psychological methods for distraction. Scientific American published a research article in 2015. It was called "The Neuroscience of Slydini's Paper Balls-to-Hat Magic Trick."

The magician who taught himself kept teaching others well into his eighties.

Death

Tony Slydini passed away from heart failure on January 15, 1991. He had been sick for a long time. Howard Bauman, editor of The Linking Ring magazine, wrote that "A magical light went out" when Slydini died. He said Slydini had brightened magic for over 40 years. Slydini was buried in Union, New Jersey. Even after his death, new books, videos, and films about him continue to be made.

Style

When Slydini performed, he never said magic words like "abracadabra" or "hocus pocus". His subtle hand movements made it clear he knew something special. Audiences saw a magical quality in him. It was like he truly had magic powers.

As a close-up performer, other magicians thought he was the best. His relaxed way of performing made his tricks seem like real magic. His style of close-up magic was completely new. He was one of the first to show that close-up magic was an art form on its own. It wasn't just a warm-up for bigger illusions. Slydini's magic was often unplanned. He let his audience and the situation guide his show. He didn't just follow a set list of tricks.

Awards and honors

Slydini received many awards and honors from around the world.

• In 1974, he received the Masters Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts.
• The Society of American Magicians made him a Hall of Fame – Living Legend.
• He also won the Academy of Magical Arts’ Performing Fellowship.
• In 1952, he received the first Star of Magic award from New York's Magic Ring.
• He was also a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians’ Order of Merlin.

Publications, video and film

• The Stars of Magic by Lou Tannen
• As I Recall by Tony Slydini (DVD Set)
• The Magic of Slydini by Lewis Ganson
• Annotated Magic of Slydini by Lewis Ganson and Tony Slydini
• The Best of Slydini (books 1 and 2) by Karl Fulves
• The Magical World of Slydini (books 1 and 2) by Karl Fulves
• The Annotated Magic of Slydini by Gene Matsuura, 2011
• The Best of Slydini and More by Lou Tannen
• Magician Mentors and Inspirations by Ricky Jay (American Masters PBS series)
• Bill Wisch Talks About Slydini and More (podcast)

Legacy

Magician and author Karl Fulves said that Slydini was the most important person in Close-Up Magic in the 20th Century. He said Slydini's ideas and use of psychology made his magic seem truly real. Former TV host Dick Cavett agreed. He said this feeling was common for anyone who saw Slydini perform.

Slydini was known as a master of showmanship, misdirection, and close-up magic. He inspired many thousands of magicians, both famous and not-so-famous. Many magicians believe Slydini was one of the two best performers, teachers, and creators of sleight-of-hand magic in the 20th century. The other was Dai Vernon.

See also

In Spanish: Tony Slydini para niños