Magic Museum
Lee Grabel
America's No. 1 Magician
Lee Grabel was born in Portland, Oregon on March 12, 1919. The spark of magic was kindled in his heart when he was a boy — he witnessed a performance of a remarkable conjuror, Professor Turtle.
Magic Was the Road to Riches
These early years in the life of a budding magician were the Great Depression years, and the need for money was keen in the mind of everyone. Young Grabel was no exception, and he honestly states that making money motivated him towards making magic.
During those years, Lee worked five shows a week for $5.00 a show. It was good money for those times — his father worked ten hours a day, six days a week for only $18.00. For a fifteen-year-old to make $25.00 a week in the 1930s was mighty good. The money he earned made a deep impression on a young man that magic was the road to riches.
In 1931 Lee presented his first one-hour program, which The Boy Scouts of America sponsored. In 1936 Lee won the coveted award for sleight-of-hand presented by the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians at the convention in Seattle. His reputation quickly grew as an accomplished magician.
From Berkeley to Treasure Island
In 1940 Grabel was engaged as a performer-lecturer by the University of California, demonstrating the psychology of deception to students. His appearances on the Berkeley campus led to touring with his show to other Western colleges.
He was also engaged as a featured attraction at the San Francisco World's Fair on Treasure Island during this period.
War, Love & the Big Show
World War II came, and Grabel was inducted into the army in 1942. His talents as a magician proved a boon to Military Special Services, and he was sent to many bases to entertain.
While playing at an army base in Southern California, he met a beautiful librarian. A swift courtship followed, and in 1944 Lee married the lovely lady. She became an indispensable part of Lee's show and became known as Helene.
Following the war years, in 1946, Grabel started in earnest building his show into the theatrical institution it eventually became.
America's No. 1 Magician
In the 1950s, after Blackstone Sr.'s retirement, Grabel became recognized as America's No. 1 Magician. He toured coast to coast across America with both artistic and financial success. Variety Magazine described him as one of the theater's outstanding personalities and a master illusionist.
In 1954, Grabel was chosen by the Great Dante as his successor. In 1958, his magician peers presented Grabel with a gold medallion commemorating his recognition as America's #1 magician.
The legendary floating piano illusion
Retirement & Return
In 1959, at the height of his popularity, Grabel suddenly announced his retirement from professional magic and left the stage for a quiet life on his ranch in California. He wanted to unwind from the grinding life on the road and give Helene, along with their young daughter Cindy, an opportunity to live an everyday life.
Lee's "quiet life" soon expanded to include a variety of business endeavors centered on the east side of San Francisco Bay. But the magic never truly stopped.
In 1977, the illusions that had made the name of Lee Grabel synonymous with the best in show business were dusted off, and what Lee called "Selections From the Big Show" took a twenty-week tour of the cities of the Far West.
"But, as for a 'Farewell Tour,' that will never be, for the Master of Magicians, like magic itself, never quit."Experience the Magic