Howard Thurston, one of the most successful of stage magicians to tour the country throughout the 1920s and 1930s, succeeded in filling the houses during the Great Depression. Overshadowed today by such luminaries as Dante, Blackstone and Houdini, Thurston was known nationwide, well-known for performing a floating lady illusion known as the "Levitation of Princess Karnac." Historian Jim Steinmeyer wrote a fantastic biography about Thurston, highly recommended if you are a fan of stage magicians. Prior to Jim's book, however, the majority of any preservation of Thurston's career was relegated to marquee posters and three minutes of surviving footage when Thurston played the role of a spiritualist in a 1920 short film, Twisted Souls.
Beginning November 3, 1932, a radio program premiered over NBC, Thurston, the Magician, and all 58 radio scripts were found and digitally preserved in PDF format. While the stories are pure fiction, there was some elements of Thurston's biography and stage career were incorporated into these evening audio adventures. The first script in the series is now available and can be found below. Enjoy!
