The Man Who Knows
Between 1915 and 1924, stage mentalist Claude Alexander (“The Man Who Knows”) Conlin, astounded theatre audiences throughout North America with feats of mind-reading and psychic prediction that defied explanation. This guy knew everything!
A charismatic showman, Alexander managed to reinvent the psychic act and enjoyed a popularity matched by few of his vaudevillian contemporaries. At the height of his career, he sold out theatres across the United States and Canada for weeks at a time, making millions from box office receipts, and from the sale of books, crystal balls, and related merchandise.
But, as with all magic, there was an explanation. He used his turban to hide earpieces, and planted hidden listening devices in the toilets of theatres to gain vital information to be used later in his shows. As a result he would suffer from bad nerves before every show in case the electronics failed. Some things never change!
The Man Who Knows had a dark side as well. He was reportedly a perfectionist, obsessed with controlling every aspect of his life and career. Married eleven times (and to one woman twice), he was a notorious womaniser. He was also a con-man, arrested numerous times for fraud and blackmail; who even dabbled in bootlegging, opium trafficking, and the white slave trade. Bad magician!
Too much turban? Went to his head.
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Alexander Knows exists in printed form as chapter 4 of RR#1 … available to order HERE
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_(magician)
forzonimagic.com/mindreaders-history-forzoni-magic-london-mindreader-london-magician/alexander-man-knows/
Images
Claude Alexander, 1880 - 1954. Library of Congress. Catalog: http://lccn.loc.gov/2014636876.
Alexander Merchandise HERE
