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[[File: GeorgeSands1.png|right|thumb|200px|[[George Sands]]]]
[[File: JNHilliard.png|right|thumb|200px|[[ John Northern Hilliard]]]]


'''George Sands''' (b.1920-d.2006) began practicing magic at the age of 17 and was an active member of New York City magic scene with the guidance of [[Dr. Abe Hurwitz]], the father of [[Shari Lewis]].  
'''John Northern Hilliard''' (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man  and clever amateur magician.


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met [[Howard Thurston]] while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.


Sands joined the [[Legerdemainiacs]], with notable peers such as [[George Schindler]], [[Frank Garcia]], [[Howard Schwarzman]], and [[Ken Krenzel]].
With the urging of [[Floyd G. Thayer]], John starting writing for [[Thayer's Magical Bulletin]] magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.
 
He worked for [[Tannen]] 's Magic with Lou and Mike Tannen and at Royal Magic for Morris Fox.  
 
Just before World War II, George developed his highly successful "Sandsational Rope" routine; then, during WW2, he developed Sands' Ropesational. This variation used no scissors and didn't cut up the rope, among other great magical mysteries, to entertain his buddies in the trenches.
Sands' publication of his routine "Super Optical Illusion" in [[Hugard's Magic Monthly]] in June 1946 was an inspiration for many packet tricks that followed where faces and backs change numerous times.
 
[[Jean Hugard]] published his card masterpiece "A Poker Nightmare" in 1949, and George first published his now classic rope routines "SandSational Rope" (first published in 1949) and "RopeSational" (published 1961) have been performed by thousands of magicians including Jeff McBride, Mac King, David Copperfield and Dick Cavett, who performed it on the Johnny Carson Show. Daryl & Michael Finney used it as the base of his rope routine, as did many others.
He was republished in 2009 by his son, Alan Sands, under the title "George Sands Ropes" as a book and accompanying DVD.
 
Sands, with over 800 pages of original magic routines, moves, and tricks in a total of 17 booklets, was the first person to publish a substantial book on balloon sculpture, "The Encyclopedic Balloon Modeling Courses, Volumes 1 and 2" (in 1972 and 1973). His culmination of material can be found in his seven booklets, "50 Years Of Magic."


[[George Sands|Read more about George Sands...]]
[[John Northern Hilliard|Read more about John Northern Hilliard…]]

Latest revision as of 10:23, 20 February 2026

Previous featured articles are located in Category:Featured Article

Proposed candidates are listed in Category:Featured Article Candidate

John Northern Hilliard (1872 - 1935) was a Rochester newspaper man and clever amateur magician.

Biography

Hilliard was dramatic critic with The Chicago Herald and later on the staff of The Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express. After moving to New York, he met Howard Thurston while a reporter on The New York World and became interested in magic. John was credited with securing the master magician with his first engagement on the stage. Several years later Thurston induced Hilliard to give up his newspaper work and become his personal representative.

With the urging of Floyd G. Thayer, John starting writing for Thayer's Magical Bulletin magazine. In 1925, Hilliard became an advance man for The Thurston show. During this time he accumulated notes on what he was learning about magic. In 1932, Carl Waring Jones urged him to turn his notes into a book, offering to publish it. But Hilliard suddenly died of a heart attack in 1935 while in a hotel room in Indianapolis.

Read more about John Northern Hilliard…