The I.B.M. Blog & Articles

The International Brotherhood of Magicians

21 Jan

Tom Mullica Giving up Red; Returning to Magic

Category:   Posted by: C. DENNIS SCHICK

 As a journalist, it is my responsibility to seek out news, and to confirm information which is going around. So when a magician colleague recently asked me whether I heard that Tom Mullica was returning to magic, I went to the source. I contacted him at his home in Las Vegas and here is what he told me:

After completing contracts for four more of his Red Skelton Tribute Shows this Spring, he will hang up that part of his career and return to magic full-time. He has been performing his Skelton show since 1998, in dinner theaters, concert halls, ballrooms, and in Branson, Missouri (since 2002). (You can still see a ten-minute video of highlights from his show on his Website: www.tommullica.com). Go watch it now since I don't know how much longer it will be there.

 

Tom moved from Branson to Las Vegas last year and is in the planning process for opening a new Tom-Foolery there whenever he can work out the details. You remember that he owned and ran the successful Tom-Foolery Magic Bar Theater in Atlanta, Georgia from 1976 to 1987, so this will be a return to familiar territory. People have asked him over the years when he will open a Tom-Foolery again; the answer appears to be now. Since Las Vegas is not only the magic center of the universe -- with more magicians and magic shows than anywhere else in the world -- but also a top tourist and business convention destination, it’s the ideal place for his Tom-Foolery.

Having survived a battle with leukemia in 2010, including a stem-cell transplant, he is not ready to retire yet. When I asked him about his health, he said, "I am doing great, health-wise. Thanks for asking."

 

He says he would like to get back to his magic roots for his next career adventure. "But," he points out quickly, "I have given up my old cigarette routine, so don't look for it." (But you can still see it on YouTube.) He is already booked for the 87th Annual I.B.M. Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, July 15-18. He also is scheduled for The Conjurors' Convention by Genii magazine, October 1-3, in Orlando." (See ads for both conventions in The Linking Ring.)

 

Tom also said that he and Jon Racherbaumer are finishing his memoir about his long and fascinating relationship with Red Skelton, including Red’s family, the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center, and the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy in Red’s hometown of Vincennes, Indiana.

 

And that’s the latest update on Tom Mullica. Remember you read it here first.  

 


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