Jac Olten: A magical escape and a chance encounter
An incredible true story of how the brotherhood of magic saved a life in the midst of world war... Magician Jac Olten (1913-c.1995) was born as Alfred Mihiel in Marseilles, France. Performing as a faux 'Count,' he developed a silent cabaret act which featured manipulation and other magic. Wearing white gloves, he worked with billiard balls, cards, silks and cigarettes in an act styled on those performed by Cardini and Jose Frakson. By his twenties, Olten had turned professional. He toured throughout Europe, achieving success, particularly in Germany. Alongside magic, he was a professional gambler. Jac Olten ( Alfred Mihiel) (Source: Author's collection) Near the start of the war, Olten was performing in Weimar in central Germany. Unlike other foreign performers who had left Germany as war-clouds loomed, Olten chose to stay - gambling that war would be averted - or else he didn't leave fast enough after the war started. It was the wrong bet. One evening, during the mi...