Doug James Henning (born May 3, 1947 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, died February 7, 2000 of liver disease) was a Canadian magician, illusionist, and escape artist. He is credited with reviving the magic show as a form of mass entertainment in North America, beginning in the 1970s. Henning changed the image of the stage magician when he rejected such stereotypical costume accessories as the tuxedo, top hat, thin moustache, goatee, jazz hands and short hair. He opted instead for long hair, a bushy moustache, and bright multicoloured casual clothes, which gave him a distinctively flamboyant image. May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Motto: Template:Unhide = Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) Location City Information Established: 1738 (Fort Rouge), 1873 (City of Winnipeg) Area: 465. ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... The liver is an organ in vertebrates including humans. ... A magician is a person skilled in the mysterious and hidden art of magic, which can be described as either the act of entertaining with tricks that are in apparent violation of natural law, such as those performed by stage magicians or illusionists, or the ability of those who claim... Magician redirects here. ... This article is about the study of escapology. ... For the movie, see The Illusionist. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Recreation. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Black tie, known in the United Kingdom (and also in the north-eastern United States, and Canada) as a dinner jacket and in the United States generally as a tuxedo, is a dress code for formal evening events that are not formal enough to require white tie. ... Duke Ellington wearing a top hat. ... Edgar Allan Poe had a simple moustache. ... A Van Dyck beard: a goatee with moustache A goatee is a beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin. ... Jazz hands is a common gesture made in vaudeville routines. ...

Early career

Henning performed his first show at the age of 14 at the birthday party of a friend. He was inspired by his audience's spellbound reaction. Within a few months of placing an ad in a local newspaper, he launched a series of performances on local television in Toronto, and as an entertainer at parties. He graduated from McMaster University with studies in psychology and perception. McMaster University is a medium-sized research-intensive university located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with an enrollment of 18,238 full-time and 3,836 part-time students (as of 2006). ... Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the study of the human mind, brain, and behavior. ...

Career as Magician

Shortly after college, Henning was awarded a Canada Council for the Arts Grant. The terms of the grant required Henning to study magic. He did so, travelling to view firsthand the talents of magic greats like Slydini and Dai Vernon. The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, was introduced by Parliament in 1957. ... Magician. ... Dai Vernon (born David Frederick Wingfield Verner June 11, 1894 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - died 1992 in Hollywood, California) was a Canadian magician. ...

With the intention of returning magic to its “glory days”, Henning worked to perfect his craft. Garnering financial support, he developed a live theatrical show: Spellbound, directed by Ivan Reitman, with music by Howard Shore and co-starring actress Jennifer Dale, a musical that combined an intense storyline and Henning's magic tricks. The show opened in Toronto and broke box office ticket records in that city. Henning reworked his show after catching the attention of New York producers, and took it to Broadway as The Magic Show, with songs composed by Stephen Schwartz. Debuting in 1974, the show ran for four and a half years earning Henning a Tony Award nomination. Ivan Reitman (born October 27, 1946 in Komárno in Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) is a Slovakian-born, Canadian-raised Jewish film actor, producer, and director. ... Howard Shore Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian film composer, best known for composing the score to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. ... Jennifer Dale (born January 16, 1956 as Jennifer Ciurluini) is a Canadian television, dancer, and actress. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... The Magic Show is a musical in one act composed and with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Bob Randall. ... Stephen Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theater lyricist and composer. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ...

Following his Broadway success, Henning was approached by NBC to produce a television special. He spent the next eight months reworking his act for television. Debuting in December 1975, Doug Henning's World of Magic captured the attention of more than 50 million viewers. For the following seven years, Doug Henning continued his once-a-year broadcasts, ultimately receiving seven Emmy nominations. NBC, (Formerly an acronym for the National Broadcasting Company until 2004), is an American television and radio network based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... An Emmy Award. ...

Henning relocated to Los Angeles in 1976, and created his own production company. He would later create stage effects for music videos and concerts performed by musicians such as Earth, Wind and Fire and Michael Jackson. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Earth, Wind & Fire was a legendary American funk band, formed in Chicago in 1969. ... For other people named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation). ...

One of Henning's greatest strengths was presentation; his natural exubererance and his colorful costumes and props could make very old illusions seem new, and make simple self-working tricks a child could do seem like miracles.

Henning divorced Barbara DeAngelis in 1981.[1] In December of that year, Henning married Debby Douillard in Fairfield, Iowa. A talented artist herself, Douillard would spend much of her married life accompanying her husband on tour, co-starring on stage, and helping to design sets and costumes. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Debby Douillard is an artist and the widow of magician Doug Henning. ... Fairfield is a city located in Jefferson County, Iowa. ...

In 1983, Henning was the producer and star of a short-lived Broadway musical called Merlin based on the character of King Arthur legend. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Merlin Ambrosius (Welsh: Myrddin Emrys (Merlin the Wise); also known as Myrddin Wyllt (Merlin the Wild), Merlin Caledonensis (Scottish Merlin), Merlinus, and Merlyn) is the personage best known as the mighty wizard featured in Arthurian legends, starting with Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniae. ...

Later, he abandoned his performance art in favour of studying transcendental meditation which, he claimed, enabled him to levitate. He also ran in the 1993 federal election in Canada as a candidate for the Natural Law Party, which proposed yogic flying as a solution to the problems of the nation. (As the party's most famous candidate, he was so prominently featured in their television ads that many voters mistakenly thought he was the party's leader. The party was in fact led by Dr. Neil Paterson.) Transcendental Meditation or TM is a trademarked form of meditation developed in 1955 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a disciple of Brahmananda Saraswati. ... A cubical magnet levitating over a superconducting material (this is known as the Meissner effect). ... Popular vote map with bar graphs showing seat totals in the provinces and territories. ... The Natural Law Party of Canada was the Canadian branch of the international Natural Law Party, the political arm of Maharishi Mahesh Yogis Transcendental Meditation movement. ... Yogic flying is the purported ability to levitate which is a capability one gains through advanced practice of transcendental meditation (TM). ... Dr. Neil Paterson was the leader of the Natural Law Party of Canada, a now-defunct political party that was the political arm of Maharishi Mahesh Yogis Transcendental Meditation movement. ...

One of Henning's greatest ambitions was never realized in his lifetime. In the 1990s Henning joined forces with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to draft plans for a fantastical billion-dollar project called Maharishi Veda Land that was to “combine astonishing, unique visual and sensory effects, state-of-the-art 3D imagery, and ultra high-tech entertainment technology with his best and most original magic illusion secrets”.^[1] Maharishi Veda Land was conceived as a magical Himalayan setting where visitors would be wowed with theatrical presentations of ancient Vedic stories and “the deepest secrets of the universe", while ingesting organic vegetarian burgers and snacks. See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma in 1911) is the creator of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and leader of the Transcendental Meditation Movement. ...

Henning's eccentricity and forays into mysticism were greeted with ridicule by many. Yet his legacy to the craft of magic is undeniable. His signature parting words from The World of Magic still resonate with his admirers: “Anything the mind can conceive is possible. Nothing is impossible. All you have to do is look within and you can realize your fondest dreams. I would like to wish each one of you all of life's wonders and a joyful age of enlightenment.”

References

1. ^ “Maharishi Veda Land” — Description of the still-planned Vedaland project from Maharishi Vedic City website (Iowa, USA)

External links

• Doug Henning's "Official Website"
• Doug Henning's Obituary in the National Post, U.K.
• Doug Henning's bio from his alma mater McMaster University
• Notes of a Fringe-Watcher:Doug Henning and the Giggling Guru by Martin Gardner
• Canadian Walk of Fame