Larry Jennings

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Larry Jennings

Born Detroit, Michigan, USA Flag of Michigan Born February 17, 1933
Died October 17, 1997
Los Angeles, Ca
Cause of death Natural Causes
Nationality American
Occupation Magician, Sleight of Hand Artist, and magical pioneer
Known for innovative techniques with coins and cards
Spouse B.J. Jennings
Website
Larry Jennings

Larry Jennings, (born February 17, 1933; died October 17, 1997), was a famous magician. He is known for his innovative card techniques, being a magical pioneer, and having eight books published by him or written about him. He is also known for being close friends with fellow magician, Dai Vernon.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Jennings was born in Detroit, Michigan on February 17, 1933. He was born to parents John Alfred Jennings and Eva Jennings (nee Jones). Three years later in 1936, his brother Jerry was born. His parents eventually divorced, leading to his mother moving back to Georgia to live with her parents. Her father, meanwhile, owned a grocery store as well as a large home in Detroit. Larry divided his time between staying with his father in Detroit, and his mother in Georgia. His mother could only have one boy stay with her at a time, so Larry and his brother switch between parents.

At age 16, while in Detroit, Jennings joined the United States Navy. He started his service on June 29, 1949 and was honorably discharged on April 22, 1953. He proudly served aboard Naval Boat #US 839. While in the Navy, a fellow sailor showed Larry a trick. Larry kept pestering the sailor to teach him the trick, and the sailor eventually relents. After his discharge, Larry moved back to Detroit and met a French-Canadian woman named Nina Chauvin. She lived across the border in Windsor, Ontario with her eleven-year-old daughter, Sheila. Larry moved to Windsor, and the two married.

In 1956, while in Windsor, Ron Wilson moved in across the hall from Larry. Jennings had a unique way of meeting his neighbors. First, he placed his trashcan in front of someone’s door; then he knocked on the door to ask if the neighbor had taken his trashcan. It is in this manner that Larry met Ron. Jennings came over one day and asked Ron if he had a deck of cards. He then proceeded to show Ron the trick he had learned in the Navy. Afterwards, not knowing Ron was a magician, Jennings asked him if he knew any magic. Ron then showed Larry “Out of This World,” which completely fooled him. Jennings asked Ron to teach him the effect, but Ron resists. Instead, he told him to think about it. Jennings eventually figured it out, and Ron continued to teach him magic, introducing him to the world of magic, including the magic of Edward Marlo and Dai Vernon.

Jennings’s job as a combustion engineer had him watching a boiler to make sure that the pressure didn't get too high. So, he had nothing to do but practice. He practiced the coins through table so much that he eventually made a groove in the table.

In the early 1960s, Jennings and Ron Wilson met Dai Vernon for the first time at a convention in Cleveland. Besides seeing the Professor perform, they also got to spend a little time with him, sharing a walk back to the hotel. They also went to many other conventions. Jennings walked around the conventions he attended with a deck of cards in his hands asking, “Are there any cardmen here?” During the stage shows, Jennings practiced faro shuffles. In 1961, at the Columbus MagiFest, Larry met a cardman who shared his interests — Bruce Cervon. They became instant friends, sharing their knowledge and discussing the works of Marlo and Vernon. They subsequently met at the MagiFest for the next two years and corresponded with one another between conventions. At one of these conventions, Larry saw the card to wallet for the first time. Performed by Walt Rollins, it completely fooled him. After everybody left the convention, Jennings picked up the envelope used in the trick and checked it for rubber cement. During this same time period, Jennings' mother died.

In 1964, Karrell Fox told Jennings about the Magic Castle. Knowing that Dai Vernon now lived in Hollywood, Jennings quit his job as a combustion engineer. He and Nina moved to California and lived at 2005 Ivar Street, Apt. 7. In Hollywood, Larry got a job working for Leo Behnke’s father in the plumbing repair business. Jennings quickly became friends with Dai Vernon and studied under him. During this same year, Larry’s first published ideas, “A Snappy Lift” and “Lift No. 2,” appeared in a letter from Dai Vernon to The Gen magazine.

During this time, Larry Jennings, Dai Vernon, Charlie Miller, Ron Wilson, and Tony Giorgio would regularly play poker with the provision that you could cheat. However, if caught, the player would have to forfeit their pot and leave the table. At one game, Jennings grabbed Giorgio’s hand to reveal a palmed card.

In July 1967, Larry published his first set of lecture notes, Lecture Notes On Card And Coin Handling. These notes were written by his wife, Nina. Jennings gave this lecture at the Kansas City Jubilee, traveling there with Dai Vernon and Ron Wilson. In this same year, a collection of Jennings’s magic appeared in Dai Vernon’s Ultimate Secrets Of Card Magic.

In 1969, Jennings traveled with Dai Vernon on his lecture tour of Japan. Here he met Hideo Kato, who acted as their interpreter. In 1970, a second set of notes were published for a special lecture Larry gives at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Again, they are written by his wife, Nina. Larry’s one-man issue of Genii was also published in May 1970. The effects were written by Jules Lenier. In this same year, Hideo Kato came to America and studied card magic with Larry. He wrote a book on Larry’s card technique, entitled Larry Jennings-No Card Magic Nyuumon. Written in Japanese, the book has yet to be translated into English.

Jennings and Nina would get divorced in the early 1970s. In the mid-1970s, Larry met his second wife, Geri, in Los Angeles. They married and moved to Lake Tahoe, where Jennings opened up his own plumbing company, Jenco. They later divorced. Also in the mid-1970s, Karl Fulves published a special two-part issue of Epilogue featuring Larry’s magic.

Jennings met B.J. in Lake Tahoe in 1977, where she worked as a blackjack dealer at a casino Larry frequents. Jennings also met Jeff Busby, who would release the effects Stabbed Coincidence and The Coin And Beer Canl as well as the book Jennings On Card And Coin Handling (1977).

While in Tahoe, Jennings performed after hours in the Baccarat pits for the pit bosses. He was so popular that he was hired to do private shows by the high rollers who come into town.

In 1979, Jennings was the guest of honor at the annual Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolic. [1] He presents a new lecture for the event. Following his appearance at Fechter’s, Larry was invited to lecture in Japan. The Japan Lecture Notes were produced for the occasion. These are put together by B.J. and Louis Falanga.

In the early 1980s Jennings sold his business in Lake Tahoe and moved to Newport Beach, CA to work at the Magic Island. Jennings was the resident magician, and was placed in charge of booking. He tried to get higher pay for the magicians, and when the management refused, he quit. Jennings then moved in with James Patton. The two frequently had sessions. Jim convinced Jennings to do another lecture and in 1982, Jennings lectured at the Magic Castle, presenting the material from A Visit With Larry Jennings. Jennings later went to work for the Los Angeles Unified School District and moved to North Hollywood. Also in the early 1980s, Jennings went to France, and shot his first magic videos for Pierre Mayer.

In 1986, Jennings and Louis Falanga started L&L Publishing. In April of 1986, Larry Jennings and Dai Vernon were invited to perform at the Circulo De Magios Maxicanos IV Convencion De Magia in Mexico. Also in 1986, The Classic Magic Of Larry Jennings was released. It would be the largest collection of Larry’s magic to date, containing over eighty effects. This was quickly followed by the publication of Neoclassics (1987) and The Cardwright (1988).

Jennings and B.J. were wed on December 28th, 1990. Michael Skinner would be the best man. During the 1990s, Larry continued to share his magic with two new sets of lecture notes and five videotapes. In 1995, Larry was awarded the Creative Fellowship by the Academy of Magical Arts. Larry continued to frequent the Magic Castle through this time, performing both formally and informally.

Jennings and B.J. continued to live in North Hollywood, until his death on October 17, 1997, at age sixty-four.

[edit] After death

Since his death, Jennings’s magic continues to inspire with the publication of his effects in various magazines and most notably in Richard Kaufman’s book, Jennings ’67. It is the largest collection of Larry’s magic since The Classic Magic Of Larry Jennings.

Two legendary names are associated with making the chop cup popular as it were their "signature" pieces - Don Alan and Jennings. History records that Wheatley saw Jennings perform his chop cup routine at The Magic Castle shortly after it opened in 1963. He was so impressed that he asked Jennings to please not reveal his method or routine in print until after his death. Jennings kept his promise, and did not publish his routine until a year after Wheatley's death. It was published in Genii Magazine, Volume 29, Number 7, in March of 1965.[2]

In 1998, Larry Jennings was one of the topics studied at the Escorial in Spain.

Jennings was one of those magicians who would constantly invent new things. Every week he had a new batch of stuff and if you didn't see the tricks then, there was a good chance you'd never see them, because next week he was working on new stuff. I think the tricks were selected because that's what he was working on at the time.[3]

[edit] Larry Jennings in film

The character of Jennings (played by Jamie Foxx) from the movie Shade was based on Larry Jennings.

[edit] Awards and Honors

  • Creative Fellowship from the Academy of the Magical Arts (1995)

[edit] Published Works

  • Stabbed Coincidence (1977)
  • The Coin And Beer Can (1977)
  • Larry Jennings On Card And Coin Handling (1977)
  • The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings (1986).[4]
  • NeoClassics (1987)
  • The Cardwright (1988)
  • Jennings '67 (1997)
  • Up in Smoke (2005)

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ F.F.F.F Website.
  2. ^ Alvin H. Wheatley 1901-1965 (AKA "Tung Pin Soo", "Chop Chop").
  3. ^ Up in Smoke : Book Review.
  4. ^ Maxwell, Mike: The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings. www.magicref.tripod.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.

[edit] External Links

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