E. RAYMOND CARLYLE
First Resident Medium of the Magic Castle
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Who is E. Raymond Carlyle?
by Richard Webster
E. RAYMOND CARLYLE'S
interest in Houdini began at an early age. His father was a tool
and die maker for Harry Houdini during the early 1920s, and Carlyle
recalls his father telling strange tales about Houdini's interest
in spiritualism towards the end of his career. But Carlyle was born
five years after the death of Harry Houdini, and his fateful
association with the famous magician's spirit was destine for the
future.
Born in 1931, E. Raymond Carlyle was brought up in Detroit, where his father’s involvement in magic brought the young Carlyle in contact with many of the professional magicians of the day, including Dunninger, and Harry Blackstone, Sr., who became a close family friend.
Over the next several years, Carlyle became an accomplished magician with a special interest in mental magic and mentalism. Moving to California during the mid- 1950s, he soon became a popular magician at Hollywood parties, performing for movie stars and studio executives. Then in 1963, Milt Larsen opened the Magic Castle. Carlyle joined a year later, and soon became friends with Larsen. Of special interest to Carlyle, was Larsen's idea of one day creating a séance room at the Castle dedicated to the memory of Harry Houdini. When the séance room was finally completed nearly ten years later, Larsen approached E. Raymond Carlyle to be the first Resident Medium. "I'd known Ed for sometime," says Larsen, "and he was doing good mental magic, and just seemed like a very good casting choice at the time. He had been doing some magic around the Castle, and we asked him if he'd like to take a whack at it, and he became our first, and for quite a long time, our only Medium." Larsen and Carlyle based the Castle séance on the "Final Houdini Séance” conducted on October 31st, 1936 on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywoodan event that Milt’s father, William Larsen, Sr. was instrumental in arranging with Dr. Edward Saint and Houdini's wife, Beatrice. The Magic Castle séance was designed to be a complete show, beginning with dinner and ending with the return of Houdini's spirit.
The final ten minutes, conducted in the dark, is intended, says Larsen, "to be a baldfaced, Disneyland ride." Conceived in large part by Dr. Thomas Heric, the manifestations are achieved through electronic and mechanical means. But the fifty-five minutes building up to the dark séance was the responsibility of the Medium. And this job fell to E. Raymond Carlyle.
Larsen recalls. "Because of his white beard, and white hair, and just his general demeanor he just seemed like a very good casting choice at the time. He had kind of a sinister medium quality to him, and yet there was always a twinkle in his eye and the feeling that you really knew that he was kind of Santa Claus doing a séance." Carlyle's performing style was also impressive. Leo Kostka, the current Resident Medium of the Castle, describes Carlyle in action: "When he walks into a room, you know he's there. He just takes total control and resonant. He is very articulate, and has a sharp sense of knowing what people want to hear."
For ten years, E. Raymond Carlyle performed as the Resident Medium of the Magic Castle. He has taught the séance to all resident mediums who have come after him. He's got a great, very deep, voice and he’s my dear friend.
Richard Webster
Born in 1931, E. Raymond Carlyle was brought up in Detroit, where his father’s involvement in magic brought the young Carlyle in contact with many of the professional magicians of the day, including Dunninger, and Harry Blackstone, Sr., who became a close family friend.
Over the next several years, Carlyle became an accomplished magician with a special interest in mental magic and mentalism. Moving to California during the mid- 1950s, he soon became a popular magician at Hollywood parties, performing for movie stars and studio executives. Then in 1963, Milt Larsen opened the Magic Castle. Carlyle joined a year later, and soon became friends with Larsen. Of special interest to Carlyle, was Larsen's idea of one day creating a séance room at the Castle dedicated to the memory of Harry Houdini. When the séance room was finally completed nearly ten years later, Larsen approached E. Raymond Carlyle to be the first Resident Medium. "I'd known Ed for sometime," says Larsen, "and he was doing good mental magic, and just seemed like a very good casting choice at the time. He had been doing some magic around the Castle, and we asked him if he'd like to take a whack at it, and he became our first, and for quite a long time, our only Medium." Larsen and Carlyle based the Castle séance on the "Final Houdini Séance” conducted on October 31st, 1936 on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywoodan event that Milt’s father, William Larsen, Sr. was instrumental in arranging with Dr. Edward Saint and Houdini's wife, Beatrice. The Magic Castle séance was designed to be a complete show, beginning with dinner and ending with the return of Houdini's spirit.
The final ten minutes, conducted in the dark, is intended, says Larsen, "to be a baldfaced, Disneyland ride." Conceived in large part by Dr. Thomas Heric, the manifestations are achieved through electronic and mechanical means. But the fifty-five minutes building up to the dark séance was the responsibility of the Medium. And this job fell to E. Raymond Carlyle.
Larsen recalls. "Because of his white beard, and white hair, and just his general demeanor he just seemed like a very good casting choice at the time. He had kind of a sinister medium quality to him, and yet there was always a twinkle in his eye and the feeling that you really knew that he was kind of Santa Claus doing a séance." Carlyle's performing style was also impressive. Leo Kostka, the current Resident Medium of the Castle, describes Carlyle in action: "When he walks into a room, you know he's there. He just takes total control and resonant. He is very articulate, and has a sharp sense of knowing what people want to hear."
For ten years, E. Raymond Carlyle performed as the Resident Medium of the Magic Castle. He has taught the séance to all resident mediums who have come after him. He's got a great, very deep, voice and he’s my dear friend.
Richard Webster