From the Magic Castle Lunch Menu NEWS OF THE DAY.

Thanks to life members John Daniel and Jim Naples we now have an exact replica of the original Charlie McCarthy Figure. (The original is at the Smithsonian).

After Edgar Bergen died his wife Frances and family gave us his magic props and a fabulous collection of Charlie's Costume Hats. These have been on display in the Inner Circle. Charlie's Top Hat and the Turban were safely locked in the case when we checked them three weeks ago.

THEY HAVE NOW VANISHED.

If someone took them as a joke, we don't think it's funny. If you have any information about this please call me immediately. If they are returned--no questions asked. We will be postingi photos on the Castle website and with the National Art Alert.

Call Milt Larsen at 323-851-3443

You shouldn't be , Pete. That is terrible. Hard to believe a member of the castle would do that. I certainly hope it wasn't a member. Had to be someone with inside access. Hard to imagine with security devices there and number of people there most of the time that an outsider could have made off with it.

What I would want to know is why it took 3 weeks to notice the loss. Also, how far back do they keep surveillance tapes?

I would start looking at the person with the keys to the display case.

Probably the same person who as access to the surveillance tapes.

Wait a minute! This is the Magic Castle. Home to magicians, mentalists, escape artists, and stage pickpockets!

A magician could have made them vanish.

A mentalist could have "spirited" them away.

An escape artist could have "liberated" them.

A stage pickpocket could have picked the lock and put the stuff in his pocket.

As for the surveillance tapes, it could be that after a day or week, the old tapes get recycled and used again.

If it was a camera trick, I would be questioning Chris Angel and David Blaine!



Lyndel

I remember that before the library in the Castle installed security measures that some books had a tendency to grow feet and walk out. Even with an anti-theft gate in place, I'm sure that books still accompany patrons out the door. So...it's not hard to conceive that collectibles would vanish. A pox on theives - they won't be able to display the pilfered treasures anyway.

The things we take for granted... I have often thought about how easy it would be to steal the Picasso in front of the the city hall in Chicago... Just get a few cop uniforms, a few fake permit papers, a FAST dump truck.....

You may want to check with Howie Schwarzman. They wear the same size clothes so he may have borrowed the doll to upgrade his own wardrobe.

HOLY SHAZPASTA!!!!

I'm gonna swallow me some scooby snacks and track down these disappearin' props!!!

WATCH YOUR BACK lightfingers, Kip is after his bounty. Sniff sniff!!!

Be back when I have unmasked the perpetrator!!

Over an' out

Kip

Any new news?

From the Magic Castle's web site:


"Update from Milt:

Just as mysteriously as the Charlie McCarthy hats disappeared
they have now reappeared. We don't know where they went or how they
came back. I said no questions asked and I asked no question. Anyway,
they are back and now we can finish the Bergen display."

So glad to hear they are back! Spirit activity at the Castle perhaps

-Jerome.

Boy am I glad they are back... it would have been a terrible loss of these valuable items to have some thief keeping them at home when at the Castle they can be seen and enjoyed by many.

Not necessarily true. While some thieves may steal the items for their own personal collection, the possibility could have existed that they were stolen to be put into another person's collection or to be put on sale on the black market. This sort of thing is done with regards to antiques or archeaological treasures all the time, sadly!