James "Mark" Wilson (b. 1929) is an American magician
and author. He aspired to be a magician after seeing Tommy
Bearden perform. His family moved to Dallas, Texas where, as
a teenager, he improved his magic knowledge by working for Douglas
Magic Land as a clerk. As a student at SMU, Wilson performed
shows with the Mortons Potato Chip Company as his sponsor.
When television began to grow he arranged a local show in
Dallas in 1955 which grew to other shows in Houston and San Antonio.
When videotape was developed he created the first show to be
videotaped and nationally syndicated. That show was the original
black and white Magic Land of Allakazam and was sponsored
by Scotch Brand Tape. His wife, Nani Darnell, assisted him and
they were joined by Bev Bergeron who helped write the shows and
played the character, Rebo the Clown. The Kellogg Company bought
the series and moved it to CBS Television in 1960. The show moved
from CBS to ABC in 1962. In 1965, the series left ABC and was
internationally syndicated.
Mark Wilson created the Hall of Magic for the General
Cigar Company at the 1964-1965 New York Worlds Fair. He
later created The Funny Face Magic Show and the Pillsbury
sponsored Magic Circus in 1971. He and his crew assisted
in the technical production of the magic in many network shows
including The Magician, Circus of the Stars, Hollywood Palace,
The Roy Rogers Show, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Incredible
Hulk, Columbo and more. His last regular TV production was
The Magic Of Mark Wilson. The series was seen in national
syndication in 1981. Wilson was aided on this final series by
second son Greg as well as by longtime assistant Nani Darnell.
In 1971, he published his Mark Wilson's Complete Course
In Magic which is still in print in various forms around
the world.
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