Harry August Jansen Explained

Harry August Jansen
Birth Name:Harry August Jensen
Birth Date:3 October 1883
Birth Place:Copenhagen, Denmark
Death Place:Northridge, California, U.S.

Harry August Jansen (born Jensen; October 3, 1883 – June 15, 1955)[1] was a Danish-born American entertainer who traveled the world as a professional magician under the name Dante the Magician.

Biography

Harry August Jensen was born on October 3, 1883, in Copenhagen, Denmark. At the age of 6, Jansen came to St. Paul, Minnesota, in the United States, with his family.[2]

At the age of 16, Jansen made his stage debut under Charles Wagner.[3] He then set off on a world tour for five years as The Great Jansen. In 1922, magician Howard Thurston, realizing Jansen's talent and possible competition to him, engaged Jansen to star in the #2 Thurston show. Thurston gave Jansen the stage name of Dante.[4] [5] The name came from the original Dante, Oscar Eliason (1869–1899),[6] who had been killed in a tragic hunting accident in Australia years earlier.[7] In 1925, Dante the Magician Inc. came into being with Thurston as co-owner.[8] The 2nd unit Thurston show was built and co-produced by Jansen.

Dante was known throughout the world under the name Dante the Magician, working in vaudeville, burlesque, legitimate theatre, films, and in later years, television.[9] Dante and his troupe, consisting of between 25 and 40 performers, made several global trips and appeared in many U.S. theaters. His stage trademark was to utter three nonsense words, "Sim Sala Bim"[10] (taken from the lyrics of a Danish children's song),[11] [12] [13] [14] during his performances to acknowledge applause.[15] He can be seen using these words in the Swedish 1931 feature Dantes mysterier[16] (Dante's Mysteries)[17] and in the 1942 Laurel and Hardy comedy A-Haunting We Will Go.[18] Dante[19] Though other magicians like Kalanag have claimed to have invented the phrase.

Dante also appeared as himself in Racket Busters (1938), A-Haunting We Will Go (1942), and Bunco Squad (1950),[20] and played a character role in Jean Renoir's The Golden Coach (1952).

In 1940 he produced and starred the Broadway[21] revue Sim Sala Bim[22] on the Morosco Theatre.[23] [24] [25] With television, the public stayed home more often, and the world of variety theatre suffered drastically.[26] As a result, Dante retired to Southern California in the late 1940s.

He died at his ranch in Northridge, California, of a heart attack, at the age of 71.[27] [28] He was alone at the time of his death.

Legacy

With Dante's death, what historically has been known as the "Golden Age of Magic" came to an end. Gone were the variety theaters of the world, and with it were the large traveling magic productions that had thrilled and mystified millions for generations. In prior decades, the magical lineage created by the American public had elevated magicians Alexander Herrmann, Harry Kellar, Thurston and Dante to the position of the #1 magician in the country.

Shortly before Dante's death, he approached a young magician, Lee Grabel, to be his successor in the lineage of great magicians.[29] Plans were underway at the time of Dante's death. However, because Dante died before making a public announcement, some magical historians believe the lineage ended with Dante. This magician has since chosen a Las Vegas headliner magician, Lance Burton to be his successor, therefore carrying on the tradition of the magical lineage to another generation. Despite this, its authenticity is still questioned by some.

In 1991, magic historian Phil Temple published the definitive biography of Dante the Magician, Dante - The Devil Himself, based largely on Dante's personal records, and Temple's friendship with surviving family members who had toured with the show decades earlier.

Years later, a memoir about life on the road with the Dante show was written by Marion Trikosko, who spent two years with Dante as an assistant. His book, Trouping with Dante, was published in 2006.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Evelyn Mack Truitt. Who was who on screen. 1 October 2010. July 1977. Bowker. 978-0-8352-0914-4. 110.
  2. Book: Milbourne Christopher. Magic: A Picture History. 1 October 2010. 23 September 1991. Courier Dover Publications. 978-0-486-26373-1. 197.
  3. Book: David Price. Magic: a pictorial history of conjurers in the theater. 1 October 2010. 1985. Cornwall Books. 978-0-8453-4738-6. 279.
  4. Book: Adrian Room. Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins. 1 October 2010. 2010. McFarland. 978-0-7864-4373-4. 132.
  5. Book: M. Thomas Inge. Handbook of American popular culture. registration. 1 October 2010. 1989. Greenwood Press. 978-0-313-25406-2. 680.
  6. Web site: OSCAR ELIASON - After Dante . 2010-10-02 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724090332/http://www.sydneymagic.net/eliason/oe-afterdante.html . 2011-07-24 .
  7. Book: David Price. Magic: a pictorial history of conjurers in the theater. 1 October 2010. May 1985. Cornwall Books. 978-0-8453-4738-6. 159.
  8. News: Briton Hadden. Henry Robinson Luce. Time. 1 October 2010. July 1, 1940. Time Inc.. 41.
  9. Book: Evelyn Mack Truitt. Who was who on screen. 2 October 2010. 1974. R. R. Bowker Co.. 978-0-8352-0719-5. 79.
  10. Book: Craig Conley. Magic Words: A Dictionary. 1 October 2010. 1 October 2008. Weiser. 978-1-57863-434-7. 305.
  11. Book: Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. Billboard. 1 October 2010. 28 August 1943. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 18. 0006-2510.
  12. Web site: YouTube - Højt På En Gren En Krage - Danish Children's song . . 2010-10-02.
  13. Web site: YouTube - KRAUKA - Højt på en gren en krage (2010) . . 28 June 2010 . 2010-10-01.
  14. Web site: YouTube - Hoejt paa en gren en Krage . . 21 April 2008 . 2010-10-01.
  15. Book: New York theatre critics' reviews. 1 October 2010. 1940. Critics' Theatre Reviews, inc.. 249.
  16. Web site: Dantes mysterier (1931) - IMDb . . 2010-10-02.
  17. Web site: YouTube - Dante's Mysteries . . 2010-10-02.
  18. Book: American Film Institute. The American Film Institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the United States. 1 October 2010. 1971. University of California Press. 978-0-520-21521-4. 4.
  19. Book: Conley, Craig . Magic Words: A Dictionary . 2008-10-01 . Weiser Books . 978-1-60925-050-8 . en.
  20. Book: Randi, James . Conjuring . 1992 . St. Martin's Press . 0-312-08634-2 . New York . 26162991. James Randi.
  21. Web site: Sim Sala Bim / IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information . 2010-10-02.
  22. Web site: YouTube - Dante - Sim Sala Bim . . 2010-10-02 . 1940-09-09.
  23. Book: Burns Mantle. John Arthur Chapman. Garrison P. Sherwood. Louis Kronenberger. Burns Mantle Yearbook. 2 October 2010. 1941. Dodd, Mead. 378.
  24. Book: New York theatre critics' reviews. 1 October 2010. 1940. Critics' Theatre Reviews, inc.. 284.
  25. Book: Time Inc. LIFE. 1 October 2010. 14 October 1940. Time Inc. 116. 0024-3019.
  26. Book: Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. Billboard. 2 October 2010. 21 August 1943. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 22. 0006-2510.
  27. News: Dante, 'King of Magicians,' Dies at Home . https://archive.today/20130201111413/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/524500662.html?dids=524500662:524500662&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Jun+17,+1955&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Dante,+'King+of+Magicians,'+Dies+at+Home&pqatl=google . dead . February 1, 2013 . . June 17, 1955 . 2009-02-10 .
  28. News: Harry Jansen, Protege of Thurston Dies. Veteran Entertainer Used Stage Name of Dante. . . June 18, 1955 . 2009-02-10 .
  29. Book: Psy D Ph D James Charles Bouffard. The Magician's Fight!. 1 October 2010. 6 March 2008. Lulu.com. 978-0-615-19358-8. 127.