Magic at War

The story of a German illusionist who performed for both the Germans and the British during World War Two. And whose magic helped him avoid combat and earn freedom from captivity. Born in Germany in 1911, Friedrich Mahlo became interested in card tricks at twelve years old. His hobby helped him overcome shyness in front of his classmates.  When he was 15, his father took Friedrich to receive magic lessons from Berlin-based Friedrich Conradi, a magician and magic dealer. Conradi sped up the teenager’s learning. As he turned to adulthood, Mahlo also turned to magic full-time, becoming a professional magician in 1930. He performed as Maldino, a stage name he kept throughout his career.  Germany’s Weimar Republic suffered a deep depression following the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Mahlo took what bookings he could to make ends meet. He favoured those in other European countries where the economic crisis was not as severe as that in his home nation.  Mahlo started his career with ...

"I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any." This blog article, published on 19th March 2021, celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of British comedy magic legend, Tommy Cooper.   As you might expect, I'm going to focus on Tommy's wartime experiences, including the story of how he picked up his trademark fez. Early years Thomas Frederick Cooper (1921-1984)  was born in Caerphilly, Wales. His family moved to Exeter,  Devon  when he was three. A t the age of eight, an aunt bought Tommy a magic set and he would spend hours perfecting all the tricks.  After finishing school, Cooper left the family home to become an apprentice shipwright at Southampton. "This country is at war with Germany" On 3 September 1939, two days after German forces invaded Poland, Britain declared war on Germany. World War Two had begun. Despite being in a reserved occupation, Cooper managed to enlist into the military to serve his country. I...