Donald Alan McWethy was born in 1926, and became famous as Don Alan. In the 1980s, Mike Rogers called Don “the most copied close-up magician in history,” and few would disagree. Sitting at a table with Ed Sullivan or Johnny Carson, he made close-up magic an act, not merely a hobby. His warm, slightly sarcastic style, perfect for comedy in the 1960s, and his choice of magic were always solid and inspired. His routines for the Chop Cup, Benson Bowl, Devano Rising Cards and many other tricks became standards with magicians for decades, a compliment that mortified him for many years. But few appreciate that Don Alan also performed a very successful stand-up comedy magic act, too, working off a table made from a small garbage can: “This will give you an idea of the quality of my act!” The can was a suggestion from his friend Vic Torsberg. Don had miracles ready inside that can, from a ringing telephone: “Yes, dear! You want me to pick up what on my way home?”—to his silk effect and the production of a bowling ball. He’d even rigged the can with a bicycle bell so, if performing on a nightclub floor, he could go out at intermission and ring the bell as he retrieved the can, wheeling it offstage by joking: “Ice cream! Get your ice cream here!”
Illustration courtesy of Jim Steinmeyer