I found a youtube clip today from a Jack Benny TV show originally broadcast around 22 October 1963 that shows Johnny doing some card flourishes and the vanish and reproduction of some cards. You can see his skill with a deck of cards at approximately 7:20 into this youtube clip from the Jack Benny Program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQu49C10zs4

Johnny loved magic and enjoyed talking about it with some of his guests like Orson Welles, who also loved magic of course.

I wish someone would put together a DVD called "Johnny Carson Presents Amazing Magicians from the Tonight Show" similar to the one that Andrew Solt produced of magicians from the Ed Sullivan show. I have a few magician appearances from the Tonight Show scattered on various VHS tapes. A complete list of magicians who appeared on the show can be found at:
http://www.magictricks.com/magicians-on-......how.html

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez

I have wished for the same compilation, and I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Mark

I miss Johnny. It looks like Chavez work. I wondered if he went there.

Stan Kramien also appeared on the Tonight Show in October, 1979 to promote the "It's Magic" show. He performed the Buzz Saw illusion with David Letterman, who was guest-host that night.

I missed Johnny by one night the first night I ever went to the Magic Castle............they told me that he was there the night before......go figure....

I doubt that Johnny Carson went to the Chavez School. I don't recall any mention of the Chavez School in any of the biographies in the memorial tributes that came out about him. The moves he did in the video I referenced are pretty standard moves from sources like _The Amateur Magician's Handbook_ and _Exhibition Card Fans_. Hi

Although I'm sure the material in the Chavez course is great, there are any number of card manipulators one could name who did not take the Chavez course, such as Jeff McBride (who IIRC learned card manipulation from Lou Lancaster among others), Lewis Ganson (who learned from Charles Kettle), Johnny Hart, Lance Burton, Joseph, Shimada, Silvan, Mahka Tendo, Juliana Chen, Jade, Angela Funovits and no doubt many others.

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez

There was one move he did that looks like something from Chavez. Producing a fan from arm. I suppose you are correct though. He started off doing a standard Chavez move when he look like he was going to shuffle the deck, then instead fan the cards and brought them together. Channing Pollack does the standard Chavez moves.

Still was nice to see him do it. As he got older he did not perform magic on TV. Especially hand manipulation.

I saw Channing Pollack when he was breaking in, at an MAES convention in Lancaster PA.(1953) It was an absolute delight. Sometime the following year, he did the Sullivan show. Again, great. I think that was the night that the dove "missed" the profonde when Channing did the dove to silk bit. No one in the audience seemed to "catch" it. He had "matinee idol" good looks and that sure helped! --When I say that, I don't mean to downgrade his skill and presentation. (frosting on the cake makes good cake even "gooder"!

One of these days, I'll tell the story of Jay Marshall and CARDINI, and the "second rate vaude house.

Carson's nephew has the rights to all the shows and has donated props to a few of the local magicians. You might Google Carson productions and see what can be done.

Wow:

That's pretty cool....to have "Johnny Carson, Magician" memorabilia, including props,.....what a collection...

I met Pete Petrasek once at a Midwest Magic Jubilee,,,,,he was a lifelong friend of Johnny's from Lincoln, Nebraska...Pete told me that Johnny was "just like a little kid when he was around Magic and Magicians"....

Pete said it was Johnny's lifelong love....the art of performing Magic...

Yes, Rick! About 40 years ago I played a Jr High School in Nebraska. After the program , the principal told me that Johnny Carson was an alumnus of that school. It was a kick to learn that "CARSONI" stood on that stage!

Pete never told me that he knew Johnny Carson. We sure lost a great talent when he left us.

Dean Dill met Carson at Hollywood Magic, they became friends and Dean often went to Carson's home to teach him coin magic.

Pete:

I can see why....

Dean Dill is special and I heard that Johnny thought that Dean was one of, if not THE BEST, close-up magician he had ever met.

If I get together with Dick Oslund Tuesday, I'll show him some of Dean's stuff.....if I know Dick, he will LOVE Dean's Revelation.