John Calvert

The Society of Young Magicians (S.Y.M.) Assembly #29 of the Boston area is named after John Calvert.

• Name — John Calvert • Born — 5 August 1911 • Birthplace — New Trenton, Indiana, U.S. • Died — 27 September 2013 • Place of death — Lancaster, California, U.S. • Occupation — Magician, actor

Calvert was born in New Trenton, Indiana and became fascinated with magic at age eight when his father took him to see the magician Howard Thurston perform in Cincinnati, Ohio. Shortly afterward, he performed his first trick for his Sunday school class - he made an egg appear from under another boy's coat. He made his initial magic tour when he was eighteen, performing in town halls in Kentucky backroad towns. His small troupe consisted of one assistant and "Gyp the Wonder Dog". He returned home with a $2.65 profit.

During the Great Depression and into the 1940s, he continually increased the size of his magic show, adding illusions and personnel. He gained notoriety by performing daredevil stunts for publicity.

From the mid-1940s through the late 1950s, he performed in approximately forty films, including starring roles in three Film Classic releases, in which he portrayed a debonair detective known as "The Falcon". He also played as himself in a Singaporean Malay movie in 1971, Mat Magic.

Calvert continued performing magic during his Hollywood days. In the mid-1940s, he transported his show's equipment and personnel worldwide in a Douglas DC-3 airliner, and in later years on yachts especially his own designed 120-foot yacht Sea Fox.

In July 1959, the Royal Australian Navy tugboat HMAS Emu rescued the badly-damaged Sea Fox off of Australia's Northern Territory. On board were Calvert, a chimpanzee named Jimmy the Chimp, and Filipina singer Pilita Corrales. Sea Fox was further damaged during repairs and abandoned on Elcho Island.

Calvert married his wife Tammy in 1982. He died on September 27, 2013, aged 102, in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1943 — Bombardier — Calvert the Magician — Uncredited • 1944 — Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves — Thief — Uncredited • 1944 — Are These Our Parents? — The Great Gaspar - Magician • 1944 — The Mark of the Whistler — Eddie Donnelly • 1945 — Youth on Trial — Jud Lowry • 1945 — The Return of the Durango Kid — Lee Kirby • 1945 — Ten Cents a Dance — Breezy Walker • 1945 — Lawless Empire — Blaze Howard — Uncredited • 1948 — Devil's Cargo — Michael Watley / The Falcon • 1948 — Appointment with Murder • 1949 — Search for Danger • 1952 — Gold Fever — John Bonar • 1956 — Dark Venture — John Kenyon — (final film role) • 1971 — Mat Magic — Mr. John Calvert — Produced by Cathay-Keris studio, this film marked an early creative collaboration between Singapore and Hollywood.