7. Harry Blackstone Sr.
This magician ranks 7th in our list of most successful magicians ever. He served the country as an entertainer for more than sixty years until his death in 1965 but what’s admirable are his performances during The Second World War on behalf of the United Service Organization, a set up dedicated to the entertainment and comfort of the US service members. Blackstone usually performed with animated music in the background as he was in the habit of being quiet through most of the show. He was one of those sophisticated magicians of the past who garbed tailcoats and bow ties for their shows, and probably the last of the category.
Blackstone’s trick of sawing a woman in half was also quite distinctive from his peers. His assistant would not be placed in a box with her head and feet sticking out at either end. Rather, she would be lying down on a saw table with merely a metal clamp holding her down from the stomach. This resulted in the trick being more horrific for the audience, which meant greater astonishment when the assistant stood up unscathed.
