44 Milt Larsen, co-founder, The Magic Castle

Published: Nov. 27, 2012, 2:01 p.m.

Who doesn’t love magic? Whether it is simple sleight-of-hand that your uncle used to demonstrate with cards or coins when you were a kid, or big dramatic stuff like making the Statute of Liberty disappear, what adult isn’t stopped in their tracks by magic? We can all name the best-known magicians, of course, starting with Harry Houdini and on through David Copperfield. There have also been some great TV shows such as “The Magician” with Bill Bixby and even “Bullshit” with Penn & Teller. And who could forget the star turns by Tony Curtis and, 30 years later, Paul Michael Glaser, both as the Great Houdini? MILT LARSEN audio excerpt: "All the magicians knew my dad in the 1930s. I got to meet all the greatest magicians in the world. But as a kid, I didn't appreciate it then!"  But the most enduring name in magic is probably the one that few of us has ever actually accessed in person: The Magic Castle in Hollywood. Milt Larsen founded the private club for magicians some 50 years ago and it is still thriving today as a place you might run into magicians or magic fans, such as Steve Martin and Neil Patrick Harris. Just this week, word leaked out that a major motion picture about the Magic Castle will be directed by McG. And now, coming to us lie from The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, welcome Milt Larsen to Mr. Media. Milt Larsen  • •  • •    Interested in magic? You might also enjoy these exclusive Mr. Media interviews: (2009) (2012)