Gosh, somewhere on the 5th floor of an old downtown Pittsburgh highrise, Frank Tomasello had his Shop,... and "Class room".
Paul Kozak, Paul Gertner, Doc Daugherty,... I was only 15 years old. That was back in the `70s.
I walked into his Shop, because of an add, in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette,.. showing a stout, full haired man, playing with "Chinesse Linking Rings". ,... "classes will be given. Starting this coming Saturday."
Arriving in his Shop, the following weekend; I found a big guy, with a big heart,... and a bald head(!),... my first lesson in magic.,.. a Toupet.,.. hmmmm. (Paul Kozak, fresh out of the Navy,.. the first man I met with an ear-ring,.. same Shop!)

Does anyone know what became of the Gentle Man?,... he truely was.

thanks for the moment,
gallagher.

I have fond memories of Frank's magic shop downtown Pittsburgh. It was in the Fulton Bldg when I went, possibly it was somewhere else prior. Parking was always rough down there, I usually caught a bus.

Frank Tomasello had a cool shop, well stocked. I remember his two sons - twins I believe and his first wife which I believe was a nurse, they all helped out in the shop. When I graduated h.s. I hopped a bus to his place the next day and blew all of it on magic - man, that's dedication!

Anyway, Frank passed away a good fifteen or more years ago, I believe it was cancer.

I was in his shop a few month's before closing they said the rent was killing them, that was even a problem back then - now with the economy it is unbearable.

I had a brochure Frank gave me years ago highlighting his shows - I cannot find this now. He had a picture with Don Riggs and the duck puppet ( can't remember his name ) on the Sat. morning cartoon show on formerly WIIC TV here in Pittsburgh.

Remember WTAE's Adventure Time with Paul Shannon? My old buddy Harry Albacker was a regular on there in the early years - another Pittsburgh great.

Chuck Caputo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gekB9B1epjw

Once again, I'm late to the party with this post but am glad I found the thread.

Frank's shop was at 618 Fulton Building on Sixth Ave. My dad brought me there a few times, and I have some fond memories, to be sure.

One fun memory: Frank gave me an old, beat-up Mak Magic catalog he had strung to a counter after I probably begged for it (I was obsessed with magic catalogs in those days, and Frank was sweet enough to feed the addiction).

So I think I know of the Post-Gazette article of which gallagher speaks. Frank doesn't look like he had hair in the photo, but still, gallagher, your memory is pretty good! He was, indeed, performing the linking rings, and the article talks about his magic classes.

Here's the link if you want to read the article:

http://www.intervalmagic.com/images/Toma......p_13.jpg

Ahhhh! HaaaaaaAAAA!
THAT´S IT!
....can´t believe it.

wÖw.

Intervalmagic,...thanks.
I never even dreamed of seeing THAT again.

Thank you, very much.

A funny `side note´:
I was was getting up at 5 o´clock every morning to deliver the Post Gazette.
After running around for two hours every morning,
I was so awake, I couldn´t go back to sleep.
With nothing,...`better´ to do,...
I sat over three bowls of Cheerios,....and read the thing(!).
`It´ really got me reading,...and interested in `life beyond the garden fence´.

Thanks again.

Chuck Caputo,....man, I thank you, as well, for the information!

A story I have, from Frank´s Shop is: Looking thru ALL these `tickles and tricks´,..
wanting it ALL!
...Paul Kozak called me outside and said: "Only buy books."

I took his advise,...
after I bought my first `Hopping Half´, from Johnsons(!).

Thanks for the memories.
Gallagher

p.s.: Chuck, you´re no relation to Joe, and Frankie, and Loraine Caputo are you?
They were my neighbors, in Pittsburgh.
Their father was a Barber,...we lived in the Northside.
....just curious.