Rivalry!
The Amazing Beatrice (left) levitates a hollow metal sphere with seemingly little effort while Magico the Magic Man of Magic looks for wires.
The lives and careers of magicians Beatrice Evans (the Amazing Beatrice) and Thad Crunkle (Magico, the Magic Man of Magic) intersected many times over the course of nearly 20 years. From 1909 through 1928, they toured the same vaudeville circuit with nearly the same act. Crunkle claimed this was mere coincidence. Facts say that Crunkle stole Evans’ act wholesale. Evans seemed not to care, however, and her career prospered. The U.S. Institute of Magicology named her “Commander of All Magic” three years in a row, from 1925 through 1927. This of course fueled Crunkle’s envy, as he fancied Evans his rival and the “Commander of All Magic” title to be rightfully his.
At their roots, Evans was an accomplished purveyor of illusion, while Crunkle was a fellow with a stolen act. He couldn’t complete a trick to save his life. Which is unfortunate, considering he was trampled to death in 1928 when he tried (and failed) to make a stampeding elephant disappear.