Al Flosso (Albert Levinson) was born on October 10, 1895 in Brooklyn, New York. The name Flosso came from a showbiz term for cotton candy, "Floss". Flosso began his magic career working in vaudeville, circuses and Coney Island sideshows. He became known as "The Coney Island Fakir", a name given him by his friend Milton Berle. Al's signature trick was "Miser's Dream", in which he would produce a seemingly endless amount of coin from the air and drop them into a metal bucket with a loud clang. There are several videos of this act on YouTube.
In 1939 Al had the opportunity to purchase the "Martinka & Company" magic shop from owner magician Frank Ducrot. Martinka & Company, founded in 1877 was the oldest magic store in the United States. The store had many previous owners including Harry Houdini. There was no one more qualified to take over the operation than Al. He was there each day demonstrating his wares to potential customers.
A visit to Al's magic shop was like wandering into a magicians fantasy-land. The shelves of the crowded showroom were full of dusty magic paraphernalia The store became a hangout for magicians, both famous and amateur, and the stories that were told there were priceless (a few of the stories may even have been true). The little shop was visited by David Copperfield, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Penn & Teller, David Blaine, Danny Kaye, Jackie Gleason and Johnny Carson.
Al continued to operate the store until his death in 1976, the store was then passed his son Jackie (Feb. 11, 1926 - Sept. 28, 2003). In December 2000 Jackie sold the store to a Mr. Bogusta who close the shop, loaded all the treasures on three trucks with plans of turning it into a "on-line" business.
Al Flosso was the first magician to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show", he also made appearances on "Toast of the Town", "The Steve Allen Show" and many more.
Al Flosso (Albert Levinson) died on May 13, 1976, in New York City. |
