I am disgusted.

I went to http://www.doughenning.com/ to read about Doug and hopefully hear some great anecdotes, and see some photos, but I found the site to be pitiful.

There is hardly any meat on the bone, just a half baked, pitiful excuse for a site dedicated to Doug.

C'mon! Surely, for the place Doug played in magical history, there surely should be something more than the exiguous offering they call a web site!

Doesn't anybody care about preserving Doug's memory? This is sad. really sad. And I'll add inexcusable!

And I don't understand it.

I agree completely! I actually posted in another thread asking for people's thoughts on doughenning.com - I was very disappointed.

After waiting many months for the site's launch on May 3, I couldn't believe that the site was basically an empty shell.

I have some cool Doug info in my files, as I'm sure many people do. We should create our own site and get people to post photos, anecdotes, reviews, articles, etc. All this stuff exists out there - its just a matter of giving people a great site to believe in and a reason to contribute.

You have well spoken.

WHY it hasen't happened yet to one of the most famous magicians of our time is still a mystery to which I can't find any logical answer.

I mean, c'mon people...DOUG HENNING!

I think that the Henning site is a shame as well.

I am not trying to take anything away from his achievements - he was a big inspiration to me when I was starting out in magic, but unfortunately most non-magicians memories of Henning have been warped by several caricatures and skits on TV that tend to poke fun of him. Whenever I bring up his name around non-magicians it tends to produce an unwanted humorous response due to those skits ("I believe in the power of MAGIC!" etc.).

Without a doubt, Henning's contributions to the art of magic were enormous.

And, Marvello, I agree that with what you wrote - I've also had some experiences where I bring up Henning, and the tone of the response I get is not what I feel to be appropriate. And sometimes these comments are made by other magicians, who should know better.

At the very least, we should create a recource center where people would have access to the info that we know - so that the true Henning legacy will live on.

I think those sarcastic comments about Doug would cut pretty deep.

If it wasn't for Doug coming along when he did, magic might not be nearly as popular as it is today...he revived the art when everyone thought a magician wore a tux, had a pencil thin black moustache, and threw hankies around.

He changed all that.

The world of magic and magicians owes his memory a debt of gratitude...he was there when we needed him.

He taught us the meaning of wonder.

And much more.

It's kinda sad that this thread onl has a handful of responses. Maybe we could somehow collect info, videos of old TV specials etc, pull them all together and develop a tribute DVD to Doug.

I'd be very interested in swapping stories of those who met and/or worked with Doug, photos, show reviews, videos, etc.

We should create a resource site - the ultimate resource of the material that exists in people's collections.

A legitimate Henning website is much needed, I agree.

I also believe a book is in order -- a major biography. As a publisher, it's a project I've been interested in doing for a while, but I've had trouble contacting the Henning estate. Out of respect for Doug and his family, I'm interested in an authorized biography only. Such a project is long overdue.

If anyone is in contact with the Henning estate or their representatives, please send me a PM.

Did anyone pick-up any of the Henning items that were being dumped on Ebay a few years back? That would have been a good start for a collection.

I could start it off with a video of his last special with Anne Jilian and Bruce Jenner.

Actually, that was his 2nd to last special - the last one was called "Magic on Broadway" in 1982 taped at the Ed Sullivan theater. It was kind of a "best of" show with the Water Lev, Things that Go Bump, Elevator - plus a few new things.

But - the Anne Jillian/Bruce Jenner show is also very interesting!! Thanks for the offer to share!

It is sad when the site of someone that did so much for magic like Doug did has what there is. I guess if you are named Copperfield or Houdini the intrest just fades away. This is not right and I would love to see something done to help boost his site.

Steven

As I said, it's up to us. What are we going to do?

You can find a few routines by going to youtube.com and searching for Doug Henning. Lots of other great stuff on that site.

I like Houdini. So, over 30 years I collected material on/by him. You may want to do the same with Henning. The prices are still very reasonable with his material, as is Blackstone SR. + JR. material. I'm sure within a year you could put a very nice collection together. Then when you have it, you can make your own website. Just a thought.

I was inspired by Doug Henning... His ability to make his audience feel he was seeing the magic for the first time right along with them taught me that it wasn't the magic we as magicians sell an audience. What we sell is the wonder of magic, that little spark in a child's eye that says they believe that the world is filled with miracles if we just take the time to look. His unusual style made his audience feel that if this little guy in the jeans could work miracles, then maybe so could they. He showed me that magic could be fun and still mystify. When I first got into magic it was very stuffy, tuxedos and top hats were the expected dress for birthday shows, and only boring nerd types learned magic. DOUG MADE MAGIC COOL!

I firmly believe that every working magician today owes a debt to Doug Henning, for without him none of us would be enjoying the popularity we now have. The world will deeply miss Doug Henning and I know that when the books are written, history will show that if Robert Houdin was the father of modern magic, Doug Henning WAS modern magic. He breathed life into a dying art and taught us all the true meaning of magic.

I just got around to checking out that site and I couldn't even get past the first page because it kept crashing. It really saddens me because Doug was one of the first people I saw doing big magic on TV and therefore one of the main reasons I got interested in this subject. What's more, everything I've read about him suggests he was a genuninely nice guy.

I guess the people who set up that website had good intentions in terms of wanting to commemorate Doug, but unfortunately it seems they just haven't been able to follow through on those intentions. Having a barely-functional site with no content is almost worse that having no site at all because it suggests neglect - and that's the last thing any of us would want to happen to Doug's legacy.

The domain name is registered to Presto Productions of Naperville, IL. Does anyone know anything about them?

Doug Henning was terrific. He took the stuffiness out of the magic, giving it a hip make over which attracted and inspired several to follow.

At last I managed to get into the main part of the site.

http://www.doughenning.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

As a wiki-based site it's going to depend on visitors posting information and media. I guess one problem surrounds the questions of who has masters or good quality copies of Doug's performances and if such things do exist are there copyright problems with posting them on this site?