Doug Henning

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doug Henning

Henning in 1976.

Born Douglas James Henning

May 3, 1947

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Died February 7, 2000 (aged 52)

Los Angeles, U.S.

Cause of death Liver cancer

Occupation Magician, illusionist, escape artist, politician

Spouse(s) Barbara De Angelis

Debby Douillard

Douglas James Henning (May 3, 1947 February 7, 2000) was a

Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.
 Contents
[hide]

1Early life
2Career
o 2.1The World of Magic specials
o 2.2Other television appearances
3Transcendental Meditation
4Political career
5Death and legacy
6See also
7Notes
8References
9External links

Early life[edit]
Henning was born in the Fort Garry district of Winnipeg, Manitoba and began practicing magic
at Oakenwald School in Fort Garry, later moving to Oakville, Ontario.
He performed his first show at the age of 14 at the birthday party of a friend and was inspired
by his audience's spellbound reaction. Within a few months of placing an ad in a local
newspaper, Henning launched a series of performances on local television in Toronto, and as
an entertainer at parties.[citation needed]
He was a student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and
studied psychology.[1] Henning met Ivan Reitman there when he appeared in the 1968
Reitman-directed production of Li'l Abner in the role of Lonesome Polecat.[citation needed]

Career[edit]
Shortly after university, Henning was awarded a Canada Council for the Arts grant.[2] The terms
of the grant required Henning to study magic. He did so, traveling to view first hand the talents
of such magic greats as Slydini and Dai Vernon. Doug studied under Tony Slydini and
considered him his primary teacher of magic.[3]
With the intention of returning magic to its glory days, Henning worked to perfect his craft.
Garnering financial support, he developed a live theatrical show, Spellbound, directed by Ivan
Reitman, with music by Howard Shore and co-starring actress Jennifer Dale, a musical that
combined a dramatic story and Henning's magic tricks. The show opened in Toronto, where it
broke box-office records. Henning reworked the show after catching the attention of New York
producers, and took it to Broadway as The Magic Show, with songs composed by Stephen
Schwartz. Debuting in 1974, the show ran for four and a half years, and earned Henning
a Tony Award nomination.[4]
Following his Broadway success, Henning approached NBC with the idea of producing a
television special. It was not until Henning suggested that he would reproduce live Harry
Houdini's famous and dangerous water-torture escape for the first time since Houdini
performed it himself that the NBC executives signed him.
Henning spent the next eight months reworking his stage act for TV and practicing the water-
torture escape act. More than 50 million viewers tuned in for the December 1975 broadcast
of Doug Henning's World of Magic, hosted by Bill Cosby.
In 1977, Henning co-wrote a biography of Houdini, Houdini: His Legend and His Magic.[5] He
created illusions for an Earth, Wind and Fire tour in 1979,[6] and for two of singer Michael
Jackson's concerts, including his 1984 Victory Tour.[7][8]
After a brief marriage, Henning divorced Barbara De Angelis in 1981 and married Debby
Douillard in the Ladies' Dome in Fairfield, Iowa, in December of that year.[9][10]
In 1983, Henning was the producer and star of the Broadway musical Merlin.[1] In 1984, he
began a solo show on Broadway called Doug Henning and His World of Magic.[1]
In 1985, a set of plush toys called "Doug & Debby Henning's: WONDER WHIMS" were made
by Panosh Place and copyrighted by Marvin Glass and Associates.[citation needed] There were a total
of six Wonder Whim characters. Each came with an animal friend, a personalized story, and a
magic kaleidoscope wand of colors and patterns.[11]
In 1986 Henning sold his illusions to David Copperfield and other magicians to devote his time
to Transcendental Meditation.[citation needed]
The World of Magic specials[edit]
Doug Henning's first World of Magic special aired on NBC on December 26, 1975. Henning
successfully performed the water torture illusion, although he did not break Houdini's time
record. Produced by famed talk show host David Susskind and sponsored by Mobil, the show
ran live in the eastern United States without commercials. The event was the first of seven
annual broadcasts,[12] which would eventually bring Henning seven[13] Emmy
Award nominations, including two back-to-back in 1976 and 1977 for World Of Magic.
In December 1976, Doug Henning's World of Magic II aired, again live and with only two
commercial breaks, on NBC. The theme for this show was "Fire, Water and Air" and it was
hosted by actor Michael Landon, with guest star Joey Heatherton. The show included Henning
vanishing an elephant and also included a segment with special guest magician Ricky Jay.
On December 15, 1977, Doug Henning's World of Magic III aired live with guests Glen
Campbell and Sandy Duncan; the hyped illusion was "Walking Through a Brick Wall".
On December 14, 1978, Doug Henning's World of Magic IV aired with the theme "A Magical
Journey Through Time"; however, due to numerous problems that occurred during the telecast,
this was the last special broadcast live.
On February 15, 1979, there was a broadcast of the fifth World of Magic special, which was
taped at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Doug Henning's World of Magic VI, taped at Osmond Studios in Orem, Utah, is broadcast
February 22, 1980 on NBC. Bill Cosby made his second appearance as special guest. Marie
Osmond also appeared on the program. Several revamped versions of illusions from earlier
specials appeared. The finale was an escape and reappearance featuring a huge Rube
Goldberg machine.
Henning's last TV special was World of Magic VII in 1982, which featured guest Bruce
Jenner[note 1] and several revamped versions of illusions from earlier specials. The theme was
Henning's magical house with rooms featuring magic from the past, present and future. In the
show's finale, Henning creates the illusion of turning a black horse and a white horse into
a zebra.[citation needed]
At the end of each World of Magic performance, Henning addressed the audience with the
same monologue: "Anything the mind can conceive is possible. Nothing is impossible. All you
have to do is look within, and you can realize your fondest dreams. I would like to wish each
one of you all of life's wonders and a joyful age of enlightenment."[14]
Other television appearances[edit]
On December 13, 1977, Henning appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show starring Johnny
Carson. While Henning performed illusions and chatted with host Johnny Carson and his other
guests, he also plugged his new book on Houdini and announced that he was to marry Barbara
De Angelis in a week.
In 1979 Henning appeared on The Crystal Gayle Special, a variety program starring
singer Crystal Gayle and featuring, along with Henning, B.B. King and The Statler Brothers.
In 1980, Henning appeared on The Muppet Show where he performed several acts. He
demonstrated chink-a-chink for Kermit the Frog's nephew Robin, segmented a Muppet
monster into four pieces (and put him together wrong), and performed what he called
"metamorphosis": a bit where he swapped places with an assistant who was locked inside a
trunk.
In December, Henning appeared in The Osmond Family Christmas Special. Starring the
popular brother/sister act Donny and Marie Osmond and guesting with such entertainers
as Peggy Flemming and Greg Evigan, at the time star of NBC's B.J. and the Bear.
On February 13, 1981, Henning made his seventh appearance on The Tonight Show starring
Johnny Carson. This show marked the first time Henning is Carson's first guest.
A version of The Magic Show was mounted in Toronto at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The
purpose of this show was to film in front of a live audience of several thousand people for
broadcast on CBC Television. Henning came back to the show that had made him a star, and
many changes were made for this new production. Notably, most of the cast was changed,
specifically the role of Cal, now performed by Didi Conn. Some script changes were made (the
night club was now known as "Chez Manny" and the older, drunk magician was now named
"Van Zyskin"). Some of the songs in the Broadway version were also changed (notably the
risqu lyrics of Charmin's lament), or replaced totally, such as the song "Solid Silver Platform
Shoes" (the once popular shoe style, by then out of fashion) which was replaced with It's
Gonna Take a Magician. The film version of the production was only aired once on Canadian
television, but released on DVD decades later.
Henning was featured in television commercials during 1984 to promote the Plymouth
Voyager minivan.
In 1993 he released a video for the Canada Natural Law Party made up of excerpts from his
World of Magic specials along with newly recorded linking dialogue detailing Doug's philosophy
of how the world's problems could be solved by meditation and yogic flying.

Transcendental Meditation[edit]
In the mid 1980s, Henning retired from the stage and had an increasing interest
in Transcendental Meditation.[1] He received a Ph.D in the Science of Creative Intelligence from
the Maharishi University in Switzerland.[15]
In 1992, Henning and Transcendental Meditation founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi drafted
plans for a $1.5 billion-dollar project called "Maharishi Veda Land" near Niagara Falls,
Ontario[1] that would "combine astonishing, unique visual and sensory effects, state-of-the-art
3D imagery, and ultra high-tech entertainment technology with his best and most original magic
illusion secrets".[16] Attractions were to include a building suspended above water and a journey
into the heart of a rose but as of 2000 the project's status was uncertain.[1]

Political career[edit]
In 1992, Henning was a Natural Law Party candidate in the United Kingdom's general election,
contesting the Parliamentary constituency of Blackpool South in Lancashire.[17] As a Canadian
citizen, Henning qualified as a candidate under British electoral law, which allows candidates
from Commonwealth nations. He finished fourth of four candidates, polling 173 votes. He was
senior vice president of the Natural Law Party of Canada ("NLPC"), and ran as the party's
candidate for the former Toronto riding of Rosedale in the 1993 federal election, finishing sixth
out of ten candidates.[18][19][20]

General Election 1992: Blackpool South[21]

Party Candidate Votes %

Conservative Nick Hawkins 19,880 45.2 2.8

Labour Gordon Marsden 18,213 41.5 +9.4

Liberal Democrat Robert E. Wynne 5,673 12.9 7.0

Natural Law Douglas Henning 173 0.4 N/A

Majority 1,667 3.8 12.2

Turnout 43,939 77.3 +3.9

Conservative hold