Cherishing memories
of Arthur H. Gross
By Dale Lorzo

The Lota Bowl has run dry, and the magic wand is now broken. Arthur Gross, who performed as Victor St. Leon, has left this earthly stage to join the Supreme Master Magician of the Universe for a bigger show, starring all the greats in magic! And Art definitely deserves the role, as he was a great magician.

Lee Grabel said, “Art is one of the true unsung heroes of magic. Victor St. Leon was a great performer and teacher of magic.”

Life-long friend, Sid Fleischman summed it up by saying, “The word wasn’t in use yet, but I think Art had us all beat in stage charm and charisma.”
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The great Victor St. Leon was in all our hearts during 2008’s holiday party, even though he could not attend due to health issues. So, everyone gathered for a photo to present to him at the end of the party. He must have known that friends were thinking about him that Saturday, because he responded better that evening than he had for some time. His family gathered around as they shared magical moments together. The next morning, on December 14, 2008, he died.

The magic bug bit him at an early age. Entertainment had always been a part of Art’s life since his childhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was born Arthur Hartley Gross in 1920. His two older half-brothers were theater managers there, which gave him a chance to visit many shows and see magicians perform. They were the ones who gave him his first magic set at age seven.

A couple of years later, he, and his recently-divorced mother, moved to Pomona, California, where Art discovered the wonderful world of magic books in the library. His love of magic swelled as he read every magic book he could find.

In 1932, at the age twelve, he and his mother moved to Oakland, California. There he met some of the fellows who would become his life-long buddies in magic: Lloyd Jones, Harold Agnew, Murray Rosenthal, Arthur "Francisco" Bull, Sid Fleischman, Pete Biro, and even Mrs. Harry Houdini.

Art studied magic as hard as he did his school studies, and endeared himself to other Bay Area magicians, like “Poogie Poogie” Alstrand, Clarence Slyter, Jimmy Muir, Senor Maldo, Prof. El Tab, Carl-Lyle, Ormond McGill, and many others.

In 1938, Art graduated from Technical High School in Oakland and began developing an act that was both technically sound and entertaining. Part of this was due to Murray Rosenthal, who worked for the WPA giving magic classes and taught magic at the YMCA. He had been head assistant to the Great Leon and assisted Arthur “Francisco” Bull. Murray took an interest in young Arthur and encouraged his magic. This may have been due to the fact that Art introduced Murray to his mother at one of the magic events. They dated and finally married, resulting in Murray becoming Art’s stepfather.

Art joined the Oakland Magic Circle when he was sixteen. He learned to do a mental code act with Murray, and they worked several dates together. Art worked as a professional magician, doing close-up, mental, and platform magic from 1938-1942. He performed his platform act three times a night and worked mostly at Monaco’s and The Riviera in San Francisco, both theater-restaurants.

When the 1939 World’s Fair came to Treasure Island, he performed in Greenwich Village; and, when it went bust, in Sally Rand's "Gay Paris." This lasted about six months.

Art worked the midway along with Charlie Miller, Lee Grabel, Sally Rand, and others. The World’s Fair is where Art was given his stage name. He was responsible for gathering the next group of “marks” to pay to see the next sideshow. Art performed while the “talker” gave the actual spiel to grab the fair patron’s attention. He had never worked as a carny, so the guy said, “What name do you use?” Art said, “I don’t care what you call me as long as you pay me!” So they kicked around names: Edward St. Victor, Victor St. Edward, Edward St. John, and finally just settled on Victor St. Leon.

After the World’s Fair, he toured with Arthur “Francisco” Bull up and down the West Coast and across the Midwest assisting in Francisco’s Midnight Spook Frolic. It was during their trip back home in 1941, for Christmas shows in the Oakland Bay Area, that Art found out about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Art tried to join the Marines, but they would not take him because of his eyes. Neither the Navy nor the Army would take him.

Art had always wanted to be a theater manager, so he got into that business, as well as playing nightclubs. He met a woman who saw him performing, who managed the Alameda Theater, and she gave him a job as the assistant manager of the theater. Art then met a lovely young lady by the name of Ruth Schreiber, who was the head usherette. They hit it off and were eventually married on October 29, 1942.

Just three days after he was married, he received his induction notice. Fourteen days later he was inducted in the Army. Art ended up in the Signal Corps, and he was transferred to Fort Flagler near Port Townsend, Washington. He was involved in monitoring primarily electronic code, while the “Cherokee Talkers” monitored all audio code. He was later transferred to the Philippines to serve out the rest of his tour of duty.

After three years,  Art returned to the Bay Area as a civilian. He went back to managing theaters in Alameda. They had to give him his job back because he served in the military. The Nasser Brothers ran four theaters in Alameda and five in San Francisco. Art managed four theaters in the area.

His time in Oakland and Alameda was fun for him with all the movie theaters and the many magicians in the area. But, he didn't see much future in it, so he quit and got a job selling insurance and later, weather stripping. This resulted in Art doing sales for a building materials company, which led to a move to Sacramento around 1947 to work a branch office. He continued in the trade working for Atlas Shower Door until his retirement.

During all of his Sacramento years, Art performed magic shows for lodges, banquets, and other venues, while raising his family.

Art became an active member in Sacramento’s magic club, The Mystics of Sacramento, and was one of its top performers and a mentor to others. Many a Saturday morning, young magicians would gather at his home, eager to learn the magical arts, as they took lessons from the master. He was always willing to help out other performers.

He was a charter member when the magic club became an I.B.M. Ring. He also was a charter member when Assembly No. 72 of the Society of American Magicians was re-organized. He was its first president. For a number of years, throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, he was the territorial vice president for the I.B.M. In appreciation for all that he had done to elevate the art of magic in Sacramento over the years, members renamed I.B.M. Ring No. 192 the Victor St. Leon Ring in his honor. Art officially became its Dean of Magic in 1990, and was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield, for thirty-nine continuous years an I.B.M. Member.

Art started sharing his magic early on. In a 1941 issue of Tops Magazine, Art shared his patter for the Sucker Napkins. Shortly thereafter, he had an article in The BAT, which was put out by his friend Lloyd Jones, in which he explained his Razor Blade Switch, Nest of Boxes, and Wandering Card presentations.

Sacramento’s Secret Seven also got its start with Art’s influence. This was a select group of local magicians who gathered on Saturdays. Attendance was by invitation only. He would call the fellows up and ask, “Do you want to Magish?” In this group were Gary Beutler, Don Banks, Jim Lambert, Lehman Forrester, John Heinen, George Westwood, and Steve Ehlers. The number seven was a magical number, but it would change from time to time.

Sharing the magic was just Art’s way. Whether he was performing, teaching, or cutting up jackpots, he had a twinkle in his eye and an infectious laugh. He always had a deck of cards nearby. His favorite routines included card fan manipulations, Sympathetic Silks, Linking Rings, and the Hindu Burnt and Restored Turban.

Art Gross had magic in his veins for more than eighty years; he was just shy of his eighty-ninth birthday when he died.

Survivors include his children, Ronald, Susan, and Kenneth. His wife of nearly sixty years, Ruth, preceded him in death in 2006.

A Celebration of Life with a Broken Wand Ceremony was held January 19, 2009, in Sacramento. There was a full house as many friends gathered to share fond memories and anecdotes about our friend and mentor. Art had so many bits of witticism, but at the end of every show his farewell was, “Thanks for the use of the hall!”