Biography

Wayne Alan first became interested in magic at age 10. When he was 12 he met and became a protégé of professional magician Dick Gray, who performed at his school.  In the same year he performed his first professional show, receiving ten dollars as his fee.  At age 14 he became one of the youngest members in the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

WORLD CHAMPION ILLUSIONIST

Every three years magicians from around the world meet at the Congress de la FISM (Federation International Society of Magic) for the world's largest magician's convention. It is here that they hold the Olympics of Magic. Five days of intense competition decide the world champions. 

Wayne first entered the Olympics of Magic at the Congress de la FISM in 1973 in Paris, France. He did not place but was chosen to be on the TV special, The Wonderful World of Magic, that was hosted by Bill Bixby. 

In 1976 he again competed, this time in Vienna, Austria. He came much closer to winning this time by coming in 4th.  In 1982 he decided to reenter the competition in Lausanne, Switzerland, winning the coveted Gold Medal for Grande Illusion. He did this with an original illusion that even fooled his fellow magicians.  Not only is he the only American to ever win this, the most prestigious award in magic, but he held the title for an unprecedented 15 years.

HOUDINI EXPERT

Wayne Alan has researched Houdini's life for over 30 years, and is presently writing a book about the great magician/escape artist. It is tentatively titled, "Houdini, a Behind the Scenes Look at the Man, Magician, and Legend".

Mr. Alan has traveled around the world researching Houdini in libraries, theatres, and private collections. He has collected thousands of pages of documents, letters, stories and memorabilia relating to Houdini. His collection is so extensive that he even owns architectural artifacts from the hospital room where Houdini died in 1926.

Some of these have been at the same location and /or theatre where Houdini had performed earlier in the century. Sometimes Wayne has added a new twist. He was the first to successfully perform the suspended strait jacket escape while hanging from the bottom of a hot air balloon. This new element of danger was found to be real when a big gust of wind came up and he almost crashed into the side of the theatre while dangling from the bottom of the balloon.

PSYCHIC INVESTIGATOR

In the mid 1970's, Time Magazine did a feature article on Uri Geller, the supposed psychic. Shortly after the article appeared, NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center invited Mr. Geller to give a demonstration of his powers. Time recommended to NASA that they have a professional magician, trained in the art of deception, attend the demonstration to make sure the scientists were not duped. NASA contacted Wayne Alan. At that demonstration, under the watchful eye of Mr. Alan, Mr. Geller seemed to lose his "special powers" and no keys or spoons were found to bend. Some time later on The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson, a former magician, was also prepared for Mr. Geller. Again Mr. Geller was unsuccessful in exhibiting his powers.

Wayne Alan is especially opposed to those fakes who prey on the bereaving public and claim they can contact the dead. Numerous seances are held around the world on the anniversary of his Houdini's death because the legendary escape artist supposedly said that if it were possible to return from the dead he would try. Wayne disagrees with the seances. Mr. Alan said, "Houdini's father was a Rabbi and he remained in the Jewish faith all of his life. He is buried in a Jewish cemetery in New York. His wife, Bess, was a Roman Catholic. Houdini followed the teachings of both faiths that believe seances are wrong and a falsehood. At the time of the mishap that reportedly caused his death, he was discussing miracles of the Bible with students of McGill University. The last six years of his life were devoted to exposing fake spiritualists, haunted houses, fortune tellers, and other psychic frauds. He never set up a plan for seances to be held on the anniversary of his death. 

Since he was such a great publicist, he could have devised the idea of the public looking for a sign from the other side to perpetuate his name and legend after his death. Was Houdini behind it? Nobody Knows. Houdini is still fooling the public, even from the grave."