2013-05-15 / Front Page

Magic, the gathering

Magicians, including David Copperfield, come together to pay homage to mentor
BY JACK MURTHA Staff Writer Above: Jack Greenberg, a past president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, delivers an honorary proclamation to Carl Bajor. Right: A younger Carl Bajor, with his wand in hand, stands near a set of novelty playing cards. PHOTO BY JACK MURTHAEDISON Imagine a discreet gathering of magic practitioners in your own backyard. This isnt a piece of Harry Potter fan fiction, oozing with adolescent wizards, supernatural powers and a flair for the dramatic.

This gathering brought together more than 20 of the states top magicians at the Heritage at Clara Barton assisted living facility in Edison on May 1 to celebrate the accomplishments of Carl Bajor. For most of his life, Bajor, 82, hosted trade festivals and coached a swarm of successful magicians, including celebrity magician David Copperfield.

If it wasnt for Carl, the magic community in New Jersey would never be anywhere near its height or as organized as it is, said Mitch Geier, who trained under Bajor and arranged the tribute luncheon. He has been the focal point one of the people who coordinated just about everything that went on in the state for magic over many, many years.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MITCH GEIER The most visible mark that Bajor imprinted on the field proved to be his devotion to young performers. Some of those individuals went on to skyrocket through the ranks of professional magic, Geier said. A 16-year-old Copperfield, who later found immense success on TV and the Las Vegas strip, accompanied Bajor to magic shows, Bajor said. He said the duo, though many years apart in age, ate hot dogs together as they discussed the craft on bus rides to nearby events.

When I was a little kid, in a world of people saying no, saying you cant do it, you were one of the very few who said yes, go for it, Copperfield said, via an online video connection, to Bajor.

Bajor played so much of an important part in the world-famous illusionists formative years, Copperfield said.

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If a would-be magician appeared to lack natural talent or skill, Bajor refused to exclude that individual from the community, said John Pizzi, a magician and ventriloquist who later ran through a skit with one of his dummies.

He was one of the kinds of people who would allow people even a little bit before they were ready to come and be part of the group, Pizzi said. It takes one person to make a difference in peoples lives, and Carl made one in mine.

Many local magicians also remembered Bajor, who now uses a wheelchair, as the man who launched a one-day magic convention in Red Bank in the mid-1900s, Geier said. He said the event, which continued for years, enabled easier access to the enchanting art form than the multiday productions of old.

This compressed the convention to the point where you didnt need a hotel room, Geier said. It was more for the local magic community than people who came in from all over the place. But Carl brought in top talent from everywhere to both lecture and teach, and also to perform for the public show.

Bajor played a pivotal role in the creation of the John McNicholas Magicians Roundtable, a local lecture group for magic buffs, in 1954, according to Sanford Sandy Kartzman, who co-founded the club.

The organization found life in a small reception room attached to a tavern, Kartzman said. With the help of others, Bajor steadily groomed the guild to become a well-respected club that drew big-name guest speakers, Geier added.

Every contribution by Bajor strengthened the bonds between those in the states magic community, Las Vegas-based magician Jeff McBride said in a prerecorded video.

The trust and camaraderie is something that you dont experience in any other industry, Geier said.

Age recently caught up with Bajor, a resident of the assisted living facility, and manifested itself in a range of health problems, Geier said.

Rather than wait until Bajor left his protgs and peers behind, like many of the entertainers who once belonged to the circle of friends, his friends opted to pay homage to Bajor while he could still hear how he affected the sect.

Its overwhelming. I never thought I deserved this, but I love it, said Bajor, who shed tears as old photographs of his glory days flashed across a TV screen. Its good to be recognized.

Next year, Bajor and Kartzman are slated to join the ranks of the Order of Merlin Excelsior, an honor reserved for those who have been members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians for 60 years.

A determined Kartzman said he and his longtime pal will trek to the award ceremony together.

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