Yes, Salvano is still alive and doing shows regularly. Mr. Salvano now stays in Paris, France.

Salvano is truly the finest performer I have ever seen, his timing, presence and clean magic are all impeccable.
Ken Brook once wrote in ABRA about Salvano when he was due to perform at Blackpool, "If you have to walk to blackpool to see this man, WALK!"
A man we don't see enough of!

Worlds greatest magician? I feel that that depends on where you live and who you like.

It is also part of the old style promo that the old stage illusionists used to use to promote their full evening shows.

Because the public has a very different point of view than a magician as to who would be the worlds greatest magician.

Who is the worlds greatest magician?

I have no idea... My personal choice in magicnas that I think are great are... Past and present and forgive me if I skip a few...

Billy Bishop, Johnny Thompson, Marshall Brodien, Stan Kramien, Bill Malone, Don Alan, Jack Pyle, Buddy Farnan, Pete Biro, Jay Marshall, John Shirlly, Eddie Fields, Terry Vecky, Barkley Shaw, Tony Marks, Bev Bergeron, Mark Willson, Ron Willson, David Roth, Ricky Jay, Del Ray, Michael Ammar, Slydini and the legend Dai Vernon...

Picking the best out of this group or any other group is splitting hairs...

Best ahead,

Glenn Bishop

I Think its very difficult to find the world's greatest magician.All these magic men have certain elements of perfection in their art.

But I think the skill of Cardini in his day,
would take some beating.

All the best
Tom Rudan.

Hi I am friend of salvano from poland.i watched a lot of magicians I also have almost all dvd and vhs tapes....i can say one thing.......salvano is the best....he is doing magic not tricks.
story about salvano and dai is true. I asked salvano yestarday about it.thay were meet 3 times.last time in magic castle and after show dai was kissed salvano's hands still there are leaving some people who watched this incident (like wife of man who was founder of magic castle).
all the best.

Whatta Jon?
Never heared of Salvano?
Actually he is very well known.
His stageact consists of production of wineglasses amongst other things.
He's also a master re the handling of the TT and IIRC there even is a vid or 2 out from Stevens or L&L.
I captured his act many years back from Sat1.
He's great and many have compared his way of moving and doing manipulations with Fred Kaps, I though wouldn't agree to this at all..but he's outstandingly great ...

Who??

No problem..
I've neither ever heard of Harry Houdini nor Bert Allerton..

Is Salvano the one who produces lost of glasses of drink in his act? I saw this on a highlights DVD of FISM 2000. I think it was him. It didn't do much for me, but I guess it's just a question of taste.

That's the one...

If you didn't like it that much, I do understand...

It's a commercial act that played all over the world and it's not structured to please magicians...

Fred Kaps covered both, intentionally or not, I think it was intentionally, because he not only *could* do all the fancy manipulative and deceptive stuff magicians love, but he loved it too and he could sell it...

A lot of the real commercially aimed acts don't please magicians, Oh well, they do, but one has to have a certain insight to appreciate them..the average magician viewer often shrugs off an act - I did so too years back- if it didn't display a certain amount of sleight of hand..

I don't think in these tracks anymore...
I try to look at it, if it is entertaining and deceptive and if it is, it is a good, a very good act.
Salvano's actually is...

What one can't see when watching his act, is that this guy does much more then what he does on stage...he's a hell of a guy in fooling fellow magicians by clever means!

maylor was unlucky that he saw Salvano performed in very bad condition. The performer in that show performed out side and the day was very windy. The show was disaster. Please find another video to see Salvano in good condition. If you won't like him though, I think you have a very bad taste.

Hideo Kato

P.S.
Although I think Salvano is one of world bests, there are many bests. Most of you don't know Ken Littlewood from Australia who worked mainly in Australia and Japan. He is also one of the bests.

Ken Littlewood...
I recall the name and a story, but unfortunately I never have seen him perform

I think, it was Ken Littlewood who once said, he always was on the road, living from a suitcase, not having any friends due to all this, and his only pleasure, once in a while, was to pinch some showgirls in the butt....
I 'think' he was the one telling that little story, but I also think it was years back..
Actually his name never appears anywhere..

I suppose he's one of those being on the road constantly, earning a living..that -if ones mind is working well- usually makes a hell of a performer, the kind of commercial and entertaining performers like Cellini and Gazzo...

An overlooked Australian too, is a guy with the name of Leo Ward .
Nothing earthshattering, but a very pleasing and smooth act..
Once even appearing as a Street performer at Englands Covent Garden..

There are so many good magicians out there that don't frequent magic circles because of they are busy GTM and making a living.

Years ago when I was just rediscovering magic as an adult, the magic dealer who guided my interest loaned me a video of Salvano and indicated that he was one of the great modern masters. At a FISM 2000 seminar that I attended, Juan Tamariz referred to to Rene Lavand and Salvano as great artists. Salvano, as I understand it, stepped in for Fred Kaps in Monte Carlo upon Kaps' death.

I was fortunate enough to spend a whole day with Salvano. There was no particular reason for him to take time with me. I am twenty years his junior and certainly nothing special as a magician. But, I guess, we connected on a human level. He did have a profound influence on me even though I am a close-up guy and not a stage performer.

He is certainly one of my all-time favorites. A great performer and a gentleman.

Yes, I recall, that was Loews Hotel in Monte-Carlo, where FK was booked and unfortunately couldn't fullfill his engagement

Salvano IS one of the great´s..

Houdini, hmmmm does ring a bell. To me though he sounds like some Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin wannabe. I am sure this Houdini is a decent performer though.

See Salvano in a theatre, or a night club, it's a dream, timing, movement, presence, he has it all, one of the very finest magic acts of all time, perfection!
If you don't like him, you need another hobby!

This is probably in PAL format. If so, it won't work on US video equipment.


Posted: Mar 9, 2006 4:58pm
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Salvano is one of the great thinkers in magic. I have his video on IT work. Good stuff.

Someone should check with Irene Larsen to see if the story about the hand kissing is true. While it would be out of character for the Professor, it could have happened.

Here are a couple of things to think about.

One is that we Americans and displaced Europeans who live on this side of the pond tend to be somewhat conceited about our place in magic. Some of us would like to think that the world of magic revolves around us, that all the major discoveries are done here and the rest of the world doesn't count. This can lead to major problems.

I know of a situation right now, in which a European performer improved a coin gimmick. Despite warnings from another performer, he showed it to a fellow who lives in the States. This fellow showed it to a friend who is now marketing it.

However, the inventor gave permission to another fellow in Europe to make the gimmick. Now, the European, who has the real rights to the gimmick, is being called a knock-off artist. The American producer of the gimmick thinks he has the rights, because he doesn't know where his friend got the idea from.

We do the same thing about magicians. We know a handful of European magicians, such as Tommy Wonder and Dirk Losander. There are lots of other magicians who are just as good over there -- Topas, Jerome Murat -- I could name more.

We need to get out more!

While I would be very uncomfortable saying that Salvano is the world's best magician, I would not be uncomfortable saying that he is one of the world's best magicians.

Dear friends,
I am glad to see so many interesting comments.
After thoughtful discussion, I would agree with most of you.
There is no such things as the best or the greatest.

What's the most important aspect of Salvano's exceptional intellectuality and
creativity in magic is his charm and elegance.

He is amazing not only on the stage.
In the early 1960s Salvano performed grand illusions and toured all around
with his "Theater of Magic". In close-up magic, his handling of the well-known
gimmicks and the magic using an ordinary props look like a small miracles.
Finally, the very famous "Salvano" magic act with wine glasses,
bottles, silks, cigarettes and card manipulations. It is a dream-act!

Unfortunately, we don't have a privilege to know all of that.
By posting this topic at the Magic Café Forum, I would like to encourage
all of you to go further and "investigate" works of this great master.
Salvano is acknowledged and undoubted master of the art of illusion.

Bill Palmer: I like your thoughts very much. I study in U.S.
since August 2005 but I have lived all my life in Poland. The cultural
difference is a significant matter. The same think happens among magicians.
We have to be careful not to become isolated from the rest of the world
and being able to look what's on the another side of the ocean
The truth is that great artists are born anywhere.

The story about the hand kissing is true.
I hope someone would be able to check the story at Magic Castle.

Sincerly,
Igor Lipinski

The verification would have to come directly from Irene Larsen. She is the only one left alive who witnessed it, who is still at the castle.

Yeah, and sure there were some pretty amazing cave men too. Would you believe those famous cave paintings in France were left by one guy doing his act there one night? Rumor has it the figures in the paintings moved when he commanded. Disney and others have tried to duplicate the effect in their movies.

Taking a moment to open the doors to our awareness of folks outside of our own country... we have the internet today and great places like youtube to post performance clips. Seems a good idea to have video calling cards of that sort.