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MagiClyde Special user Columbus, Ohio 871 Posts |
I was watching Mark Wilson's video course on magic, as I am presently archiving them from tape to DVD.
In some of the clips, his son performs for the studio audience. I know there's a Greg Wilson, who does stuff for Ellusionist and Penguin. Is it the same guy? If not, what happened to Mark's son? What is he doing today?
Magic! The quicker picker-upper!
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Stevethomas Inner circle Southern U.S.A. 3728 Posts |
GregORY Wilson isn't Mark's son, if that's what you're asking...
Steve |
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Spellbinder Inner circle The Holy City of East Orange, NJ 6438 Posts |
If you want to know what Mark Wilson's son, Greg, is doing, there's one way to find out:
http://www.markwilsonmagic.com/ Send Mark an e-mail and ask.
Professor Spellbinder
Professor Emeritus at the Turkey Buzzard Academy of Magik, Witchcraft and Wizardry http://www.magicnook.com Publisher of The Wizards' Journals |
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Moxahalla Special user Los Angeles 751 Posts |
Originally, there were/are two WELL-KNOWN magicians:
U.F. "Gen" Grant and Greg Wilson (Mark's son) ....why "the other" Gregory Wilson of today, and "the other" General Grant of today, haven't changed or tweaked their names to avoid confusion is a mystery to me. |
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hugmagic Inner circle 7655 Posts |
The other "General Grant" is a given birth name. I suspect the same is true in the Greg Wilson case.
Magic is not like the movies, where you cannot have the same name as another or previous star. Hence, the junior tag on so many names. I think it is part of the Screen Actor's Guild rules. Richard
Richard E. Hughes, Hughes Magic Inc., 352 N. Prospect St., Ravenna, OH 44266 (330)296-4023
www.hughesmagic.com email-hugmagic@raex.com Write direct as I will be turning off my PM's. |
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Steven True Special user Bonney Lake,WA 765 Posts |
Ok, I may be a little slow, but I don't see what Greg is doing right now. I am one of those out of the loop guys that thought it was Gregory Wilson, not Greg Wilson. Does Greg have his own website, or am I just not reading this right? That is a possibility.
I got into magic because of Mark Wilson. I am finding out that a lot of magicians don't really publicly recognize Mr. Wilson as being the Magic that he was. I know that may sound strange, but it is the way I read things. I met Mark Wilson in 1980 at the SAM convention in Pasadena, and he was up to then and way beyond a big influence in my magical life. I got out of magic for a lot of years and, when I got back into it, I heard the name Gregory Wilson and just thought it was Mr. Wilson's son. Ok, now I am really confused. If any of this post makes sense, please someone set me straight. What is Greg Wilson up to these days? Is he still involved with magic? I am really trying to find out. Please help out an old timer with a memory that is not that great. Thanks, Steven |
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Moxahalla Special user Los Angeles 751 Posts |
Greg Wilson (Mark's son) is very much involved with being a videographer (i.e. making videos & lectures on same). He attended USC Film School.
How actively he is now at PERFORMING magic, I don't know....but as stated above, why don't you ask Mark himself? ...or check the Internet for Greg's website (I'm sure he has one). |
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Rennie Inner circle I think I have about 1826 Posts |
Mark also had another son named Mike Wilson, not involved in front of the camera. Greg married a really beautiful girl (I believe of German descent). The two produced a video (which I have) titled "The Magic of the Wilson's". What he is doing at this moment, check with his father as stated above. I am sure it is magic related, though.
Rennie
The effect is the important thing, how you achieve it is not.......
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Steven True Special user Bonney Lake,WA 765 Posts |
I really never thought about going directly to the source. Thanks for the tip, and I will look to see if he has a website, and I will try and send an email to Mr. Wilson. I am 50yrs old and still call him Mr. Wilson. I have that much respect and admiration for him. Like I said, I got into magic because of seeing him perform. I always wanted to do his "Alakazam Railroad". Was always one of my favorites. Anyway, thanks for the tips.
Happy Magic, Steven |
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Steven True Special user Bonney Lake,WA 765 Posts |
I actually found Greg's web site. Looks good, and it looks like he is pretty active.
For those of you that might want to look: http://www.wilsonmagic.com/bio/index.html |
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Father Photius Grammar Host El Paso, TX (Formerly Amarillo) 17161 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-11-25 05:29, StevenMT wrote: A lot of people think Houdini and Blackstone were two-bit magicians too, and think David Blaine is one of the all time greats. It is a generational thing. You have to remember Mark's prime time on TV was between 1953 and 1965. Magicland of Alakazam, his main exposure to the public, went off the air over 40 years ago. After that he largely had a few Magic Circus specials, and a few syndicated shorts in local markets. He primarily did corporate magic after that time. Plus, he provided consultation to movies, TV, theme parks, and got a lot of folks into trade show magic. So people under 40 years old aren't even likely to remember Mark. Their influence would be Henning, Copperfield, Angel, Blaine, etc. Mark will be the first to tell you that he was no "great" magician. His illusions were mostly created by others, Nani did most of the work of the magic, and Mark ran around waving his arms and taking the bow. He had input into the Complete Course in Magic, but it was largely written by Walter Gibson who ghosted many a magic book for other magicians, including Uncle Harry. Mark's big influence in magic was his use of his knowledge of marketing from his marketing degree from SMU. The vaudeville venue, which had been magic's hey day through the '40s, was dying. TV didn't want magicians. TV executives were convinced magic wouldn't work on TV, that people would suspect camera tricks. Mark might not have been the first magician on TV, but he was the first magician to figure out how to get TV to buy magic and magicians. He learned to market with magic, getting sponsors such as Dr. Pepper, Neuhoff, Frito's, 3M, and Pillsbury to sponsor his TV efforts and, in exchange, used magic to market their products. In a lot of ways, you could say that Mark invented trade show magic and corporate magic. Now some would argue that he might not have been the first in those fields, but the reality is he turned those fields into big venues and big moneymakers for magicians. He brought modern marketing to magic and sold Magic to TV. As far as the three major U.S. networks go, Mark is the only magician to have a regular major network series that was magic, and not variety with an occasional magic. And to date, no one else has managed that feat. Mark getting elected one of the 10 most influential magicians of the 20th Century by the readers of Magic Magazine was no fluke. He did have a major influence on magic. How one defines "great magician" is in the eyes of the beholder. Some swear by Houdini; some swear Houdini was a great publicity-maker, but a hack magician. Some shout Thurston, Blackstone, Dante, Henning, or someone else. Why, these were the magicians they felt some link to, or who in some way influenced their getting involved in magic. Mark definitely has his place in magic, and he has been one of its major influences. He influenced me too, way back in 1953, when he was doing his twice per week, 15 min. Time for Magic on local Dallas, TX, television. Influenced me so much that, a couple of years later, I tried to convince Uncle Harry (Blackstone, SR.) that he needed to learn magic from Mark Wilson. And while a relative of Blackstone, and having met him, and even being instructed by him, I still consider Mark the greatest influence on my magic. You won't recognize any of Mark in my magic. I've had 50 years to work on it and make it my own. But the influence is there, and he is still one of my dearest friends. So don't feel so many are down on Mark. Most aren't old enough to know who he is or what he did. And don't put down their hero, either. Every magician makes his mark on magic and has his influence on those who get into it. You and I have our heroes, let them have theirs. And Mark's son, Greg, has always used the stage name of Greg Wilson. Gregory Wilson, a different magician, has used Gregory Wilson to differentiate himself from Mark's son when Mark's son was still performing as an illusionist.
"Now here's the man with the 25 cent hands, that two bit magician..."
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Steven True Special user Bonney Lake,WA 765 Posts |
You know, you seem to almost, always have it nailed. Well, here I feel you nailed it. Mr. Wilson was the major influence on me getting into magic. I met him one time, and he was more of a gentleman then I can even really describe. (Can you get the admiration in these words?) You know what really is a shame is that more of the new people don't know his name, or maybe just know that name but can not really put any face to it.
I so wish I could have known your uncle. A friend of mine did, named John Zeweers. He was my mentor and a major influence on my magic. You might not see the Mark Wilson in me, but you will see the old way of the show. The ladies dressed in nice clothes, the magician dressed very professional. A side note here, I, in no way, am saying that Mark Wilson or any of his shows where the only way to dress or perform. I just fell in love with that era and still live in it as bad, or good, as that may be. Mr. Wilson did so much for our art. He was the first performer to go to main land China and perform. He was the only one to have a nationally syndicated show for as long as he did.....Oh, how I miss those times. I guess one of my biggest problems is that I live in a time bubble. That is not always a bad thing. I am glad to see that Greg is making his own name in the magic world. I hope to see him live someday. My regret is that I never got to see his father, or so many of the greats for that fact, perform live. I did get to see Blackstone, Jr. perform. WOW!!!! What a showman. And it was with about half his act in the shop for repairs. It is sad to see that the old touring shows are almost gone. You are right about letting others have their due, Henning or any of the other bigs at the time. I guess I just get into a time of remembrance, of my time that is, and I just digress. Oh well, it started out a thread about Greg Wilson, and I am not trying to turn it into a thread about his dad. Just my 2 cents here, folks. Sometime I make sense, and others I reread and think, "What in the world was I drinking when I posted?" ...LOL Happy magic, Steven |
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Dave Lewis New user Anaheim, California 83 Posts |
I wouldn't be writing this if not for Mark Wilson. He is the sole reason I wanted to learn magic. When I was five, living in Houston, Texas, he had a local TV magic show that offered a trick of the week at 7-11. My dad caved in a let me get the trick one week, which was a ball and vase. That's what gave me the magic bug.
When I met Mark at the Magic Castle, I mentioned it to him and he was excited that I remembered what wound up being his first efforts in TV. He went on to the network with Alakazam after Houston, and I had no idea, at the time, his local show would mean so much to me and him. He became internationally famous and I sit here reading about it. |
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mdspark Special user 784 Posts |
Just came across this thread and after reflecting back during the holidays on my 46 yrs of life..I felt compelled to add my thoughts here. Mark Wilson was THE reason I got into magic around the age of 11. I came across one of his Magic Circus TV specials quite by accident and my heart jump-up in my throat. One of the charming routines I witnessed was the color changing knives among other miracles... "WOW! How could anyone NOT want to learn to do that stuff!" I thought. From then on I was constantly on the look out for any other TV appearances and sometimes got lucky or a friend or relative would say "Hey, there is going to be a magician on....."...Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas...or whatever..and It was usually Mark Wilson!
THEN, the Bill Bixby series The Magician...and Mark Wilson the consultant making apearances there...While there were other things not going so well in my life at that age...because of Magic and Mark Wilson they were still special times of watching, learning, joy, and discovery! THEN I discovered The Magic Magazine (a short-lived over the counter for public consumption mag) and Genii with ads for the Mark Wilson Course in Magic!!!! WOW gotta have it!!! Saved my pennies and GOT IT!!!! My first shows were filled with tricks from that tome... And so, Dave and Steve....I am right with you...Mark Wilson is another man I would like to meet and say "Thank you for introducing me to your wonderful world of magic and it has made all the difference in my Life." Mark |
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Father Photius Grammar Host El Paso, TX (Formerly Amarillo) 17161 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-01-24 20:12, mdspark wrote: Easy enough to do. Mark and Nani run the magic classes at the Magic Castle and are there frequently. An email to Nani on their website and she can give you times they are there. Mark is one very approachable man and would enjoy meeting you.
"Now here's the man with the 25 cent hands, that two bit magician..."
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bhappie Regular user B. Happie Entertainment, LLC 123 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-11-27 23:13, Rennie wrote: I worked with them once and if memory serves- She is russian and was in the Russian circus. That is how they met. She does a hulla hoop act that is pretty cool. She can spin so many hoops you can't see her. I can't come up with her name..... |
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bhappie Regular user B. Happie Entertainment, LLC 123 Posts |
I think it was Luna
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Spellbinder Inner circle The Holy City of East Orange, NJ 6438 Posts |
You could always ask him: greg@wilsonmagic.com
Professor Spellbinder
Professor Emeritus at the Turkey Buzzard Academy of Magik, Witchcraft and Wizardry http://www.magicnook.com Publisher of The Wizards' Journals |
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Magic Mike Japan New user Yokosuka, Japan (U.S. Mailing Address) 98 Posts |
About three years ago I saw Mark Wilson's son, Greg, do a magic show on the Navy Base where I live and work in Yokosuka, Japan. He did a very nice 45-min. stage show with two cabaret ladies. He wasn't as polished as his dad, but a nice job nonetheless. I never saw him again over here in Japan. He did the Gene Anderson T&R Newspaper routine where he used the two girls to help him rip the paper, which I thought was a great idea.
"There's no limit to what one man can accomplish, as long as he's willing to let someone else have the credit." (These words were inscribed on a small brass plaque which sat on President Ronald Reagan's desk in the White House during his second term.)
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Rennie Inner circle I think I have about 1826 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-03-28 13:58, bhappie wrote: Are you thinking of Luna Shimada maybe ? Rennie
The effect is the important thing, how you achieve it is not.......
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