Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Speaking of a magical day, we are off and running at 8:30 am to Los Angeles to join up with Ed & Betty, plus Vicky & Jim, to go to the Magic Castle for brunch and a couple of shows.
GPS said it would take an hour to get to Hollywood, but we left early anyway due to the potential for traffic. As hoped, there was no traffic, and we arrived quickly!
The freeways were clear.
We used Google Earth to view the facility, which helped us locate the castle. It is indeed a castle overlooking Hollywood.
It was indeed a castle!
We valet-parked the car, as we didn’t want to walk up the hill.
The facility was beautiful.
The facility has quite a history!
The Magic Castle is a châteauesque residence built in 1909 by Rollin B. Lane, a real estate investor, lawyer, banker, newspaper editor, and philanthropist. The house was designed by architects Lyman Farwell and Oliver Perry Dennis and constructed as a near mirror duplicate of the 1897 Kimberly Crest House and Gardens in Redlands, California, that the architects had designed over a decade earlier. The Lanes called their home “Holly Chateau”. Rollin’s wife, Katherine, was involved in various civic volunteer communities aimed at improving Hollywood. She was college-educated and an author. Initially, the house included “seventeen rooms, including a roof garden and sun parlor”.
The Academy of Magical Arts is a mutual-benefit nonprofit corporation organized and devoted to the promotion and development of the art of magic.
The Academy of Magical Arts was founded in 1952 by William Larsen, Sr., as a loose association of magicians. Although it was not officially incorporated and its organization formalized until 1962, when Larsen’s sons, Bill Jr. and Milt Larsen, expanded the Academy into an international organization. The Magic Castle has served as the headquarters for the Academy since 1963.
Since my last visit, a hotel has been added.
Sounds like a great idea if we come back for the evening show and dinner!
We arrived early and were the second group in line at the front door. There are NO PICTURES INSIDE for obvious reasons, and we honored their request. We met some lovely people who had a noon lunch scheduled.
Many famous people have walked through these doors.
We took pictures of ourselves just before going inside. The rest of the group arrived around 10:30 am, and Mary and I were already at the bar and doing some exploring around the house.
Meet the motley crew! Ed & Betty, Jim & Vicky, Dave & Hilda
Vicky’s new photographic talents were put to the test!
Quite a handsome couple!
In the lobby, we could take a photo, so Mary posed right in front of the secret door (located behind the bookcase).
Mary talked to the owl, and it let us in, right by the bar!
The bar was beautiful, and we tried a couple of drinks. The hostess helped us determine where to go. When I said, “Where is the bar?” she pointed it out and followed that by, “I’ll have a drink also!!”
The bar was at the bottom of the staircase, which led to the dining area.
We fooled her by ordering her a virgin Bloody Mary. I notified the local management that we bought the hostess a drink because she was so lovely, and I made sure that management knew it was non-alcoholic.
Everyone got here to see the first show and NOT miss lunch!
Jim and Vicky
Ed & Betty
Dave & Hilda
We saw a quick show before lunch. Lunch was great, and we filled up on all the goodies.
Lunch was buffet style, and we all had a plate full of delicious food. I opted for shrimp, and Mary went for the omelet. Food was disappearing left and right!
The dining area walls were adorned with pictures and framed articles about the history of the castle.
After lunch, we attended two additional shows, which were quite impressive. We were ten feet away and have NO idea how they did the magic tricks.
Magicians often perform a trick where they seemingly join two pieces of string together to form one continuous piece. This illusion, sometimes called “String Fusion” or “String Restoration”, is achieved through a specific technique that creates the visual effect of the strings melting or pulling back together. The true secret of the trick lies in the precise preparation and handling of the string, combined with skillful misdirection, to create the illusion of a seamless join. It’s a classic example of how magic relies on clever techniques to deceive the eye and build a sense of wonder.
On our way out, we stopped to see Irma, the Magic Piano. “Irma, the Magic Piano” refers to an invisible, ghost-like figure at The Magic Castle, a private club in Hollywood. Irma plays the piano and takes song requests from guests in the music room. She is invisible and communicates solely through the piano. Irma has become a popular attraction at the Magic Castle, with many visitors requesting her musical talents.
Irma (played by Kate) was a load of fun!
She did an excellent job playing our requests including the Hokey Pokey!
Mary and I couldn’t help ourselves. Mary requested “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” by the Andrews Sisters. Irma played, and we danced along with Vicky and Jim. The room was tiny, but we danced for two to three minutes without hitting the wall or the onlookers. After the dance, we got a standing ovation from the other visitors.
I requested the Hokey Pokey and had half the room dancing. I led the dance. The young kids had no idea their parents could dance. It was fun!
We took some outside shots while our cars were being fetched,
This is a haunting picture indeed!
None of us could figure out how the magic was accomplished.
Our carriage arrived, and we are an hour from home!
Thank you, Vicky, for arranging such a delightful day!!!!
We got home around 5:00 pm and began working on Mary’s storage boxes. At 8:00 pm, we were pooped out and went inside to watch “The Bricklayer”, an action movie. Plot: A former CIA agent who left to become a bricklayer is asked to step in and help stop a criminal operation that is demanding a series of ransom payments.
At 10:15 pm, we declared victory and headed to bed. I stopped by the office to perform the nightly breathing treatment. Mary read her book, and at 11:00 pm, we were sound asleep!
