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268:. His techniques were not revealed during his lifetime. Alexander is credited as the inventor and/or popular developer of a number of electrical stage effects which were the forerunners of modern electronic stage effects. For example, his assistants would covertly obtain information about audience members and then transmit that information to an earpiece that was hidden under Alexander's turban.
257:, the son of Berthold Michael James Conlin and Martha Michaels. Within the family Claude Alexander was known as "C. A." and his brother Clarence Berthold Conlin was known as "C. B." Clarence B. had a successful career as an attorney and he also worked as a stage mentalist, although his fame never equalled that of Claude Alexander.
447:
Charvet recounts in his biography that
Alexander spent time in local jails (including a jail break in Oklahoma in 1906) and federal prison in Washington state, went on trial for attempting to extort $ 50,000 from oilman millionaire G. Allan Hancock, made a failed attempt to outrun the authorities in
443:
The biographer David
Charvet, who interviewed surviving members of Alexander's family, wrote that Alexander had "seven marriages (sometimes to more than one woman at once)." The biographer Darryl Beckmann wrote that Alexander was "married eleven times." In a later interview with Charvet in 2006,
314:
Alexander's career and personal life have long been shrouded in mystery. However, interviews with his son and the scrapbooks of the Nartel twins have uncovered many details. In the late 20th century, Clarence's granddaughter Cathy
Stevenson inherited scrapbook material on the careers of both her
271:
All of
Alexander's biographers, Darryl Beckmann, David Charvet, and Alexander's biographer of the 1940s, Robert A. Nelson, have said that Alexander was the highest-paid mentalist in the world at the height of his career, during the 1920s. Both sources state that he earned multiple millions of
493:, who toured in the Pacific Northwest during the 1950s under Alexander's name in order to make use of the large supply of full-color posters. Thus, those who saw a show by "Alexander" in the 1950s actually were witnessing a recreation performance by Mandrake.
463:
According to
Beckmann, Alexander was a "con-man" as well as a stage performer. A newspaper account in which it was stated that Alexander shot and killed a street mugger who attacked him, and was let off on the grounds of self-defense, was cited by Charvet.
419:. The back cover displays Alexander's connection to the New Thought movement, for it lists an extensive array of titles that Alexander offered for sale at his book shop, including works written and published by the New Thought author
484:
posters for his stage show. When he retired from the stage, he kept these in storage and eventually sold the unused posters and all of his stage equipment and props to a magic dealer, Robert Nelson, in
275:
Alexander retired from the stage in 1927, at the age of 47. He remained part of the social circles of entertainment personalities in
Southern California, counting among his friends stars like
260:
Between 1915 and 1924, Conlin, under the stage name "Alexander, The Man Who Knows," was a popular and highly paid stage mentalist. Alexander promoted his psychic act as a form of mental
852:
728:
365:
to dupe their clients, provided blueprints for the manufacture of psychic act stage props, and even revealed the famous "Zancig Code" pioneered by the mentalists
460:. No evidence of his involvement exists, nor is he mentioned in the context of Smith's death in the thorough historical biography on Smith's life and death.
558:
Crystal Gazing: Lessons and
Instructions in Silent Influence With the Crystal, Written Especially for and Dedicated to Members of The Crystal Silence League
323:
315:
grandfather "C. B." and great-uncle "C. A.," which allowed
Charvet to take a closer look at the life of Alexander the Crystal Seer and his family.
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704:
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46:
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books, as well as texts for stage performers. His stage name was "Alexander," and as an author he wrote under the name "C. Alexander."
237:
as a prop. In addition to performing, he also worked privately for clients, giving readings. He was the author of several pitch books,
272:
dollars during his career on stage and that during his lifetime he may have been the highest paid entertainer in the field of magic.
809:
670:
68:
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might contain elements of truth, and from 1919 onward he also operated a publishing house, the C. Alexander
Publishing Company in
452:
between Canada and the U.S., and admitted to killing four men. Alexander himself claimed that he was involved in the shooting of
686:
457:
525:"Alexander - The Man Who Knows," (Revised, second edition) David Charvet. Mike Caveney's Magic Words, Pasadena, CA. 2007.
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585:, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, 1921 . (Reprinted by Robert Nelson Enterprises, Columbus, Ohio,
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The
Projective Branch of Crystal Gazing, Written Especially for and Dedicated to Members of The Crystal Silence League
39:
33:
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or mind reading. Audience members gave him sealed questions, which he answered from the stage after staring into a
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Alexander's Book of Mystery: Astrological Forecasts, Crystal Gazing, Practical and Advanced Psychology, Etc.
420:
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170:
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in 1944. Nelson in turn sold portions of the stage show and many of the posters to another magician,
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358:, for the stage magic trade. In this book, Alexander exposed the techniques used by fraudulent
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666:
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Secrets of the Crystal Silence League: Crystal Ball Gazing, The Master Key to Silent Influence
432:
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528:"Alexander The Man Who Knows," A Personal Scrapbook, Rolling Bay Press, Rollingbay WA 1994.
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Conlin's then-89-year-old son, John, claimed that Alexander was actually married 14 times.
690:
431:, and Swami Panchadasi; as well as a book by Atkinson's sometime co-author, the occultist
222:
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On the other hand, like the Zancigs, he never completely discounted the possibility that
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Alexander invested a great deal of money into the production and printing of beautiful
355:
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He died on August 5, 1954, at the age of 74 due to complications from an operation for
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509:
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304:
284:
276:
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Personal Lessons, Codes, and Instructions for Members of the Crystal Silence League.
545:
Personal Lessons, Codes, and Instructions for Members of the Crystal Silence League
501:
413:
343:, Alexander led a sort of double life, especially after he retired from the stage.
288:
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The Life And Times of Alexander, The Man Who Knows, A Personal Scrapbook,
617:
Volumes 1 - 5, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California,1924.
416:
362:
340:
327:"Alexander, crystal seer sees your life from the cradle to the grave"
230:
174:
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322:
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307:. He was survived by two sons and a daughter. He was buried in
604:, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California. n.d. (
567:). Reprinted by Missionary Independent Spiritual Church, 2012.
554:). Reprinted by Missionary Independent Spiritual Church, 2011.
547:, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, n.d. (
534:, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, n.d. (
497:
448:
a high-powered speedboat loaded with bootlegged liquor in the
18:
579:, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, 1919.
573:, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, 1919.
404:, and presents methods for the development of Spiritualistic
637:
Crystal Gazing: Lessons and Instructions in Silent Influence
512:
as a pair of stage magicians who resembled his old friends
560:, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California. (
496:
Alexander was mentioned by name in a 1950s episode of the
354:), which was later re-published by Nelson Enterprises of
532:
Alexander Wednesday, May 15 at 5 p.m.: The Man Who Knows
400:
The latter is a manual that explains the technique of
802:
Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel
765:
Nelson Enterprises 25th Anniversary Catalogue No. 21
754:. 2nd revised and enlarged edition, September 2006.
571:
Alexander's Book of Extensive Astrological Readings
331:With respect to the question of psychic phenomena,
181:
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127:
102:
83:
681:
679:
185:Claude Alexander Conlin, Jr. (born 5 October 1916)
791:Rolling Bay, Washington, Rolling Bay Press, 1994.
623:, Missionary Independent Spiritual Church, 2019.
423:under his own name and also under the pseudonyms
346:On the one hand, in 1921 he wrote and published
194:(June 30, 1880 – August 5, 1954), also known as
631:(An edited posthumous collection consisting of
583:The Life And Mysteries Of The Celebrated Dr. Q
348:The Life And Mysteries Of The Celebrated Dr. Q
476:Poster for Alexander's show with crystal ball
392:material, including a 5-volume series called
8:
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779:
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773:
727:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
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80:
746:
744:
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738:
633:Personal Lessons, Codes, and Instructions
69:Learn how and when to remove this message
504:called "The Great Sebastians," starring
253:Alexander was born on June 30, 1880, in
32:This article includes a list of general
853:People from Hanson County, South Dakota
649:
720:
396:and a booklet for his students titled
16:American spiritual author and magician
210:, was an American spiritual author,
7:
696:David Copperfield's history of magic
319:New Thought and Spiritualism beliefs
598:, C. Alexander Publishing Co. 1923.
804:, Klondike Research. Pages 9, 80.
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
14:
23:
615:The Inner Secrets of Psychology
394:The Inner Secrets of Psychology
843:American vaudeville performers
1:
752:Alexander - The Man Who Knows
605:
586:
561:
548:
535:
665:.(St. Martin's Press, 1992)
229:style robes and a feathered
577:Alexander's Book of Mystery
208:Alexander the Man Who Knows
874:
693:; Britland, David (2021).
639:compiled into one volume.)
204:Alexander the Crystal Seer
384:, which released his own
90:
388:, pro-Spiritualist, and
255:Alexandria, South Dakota
121:Alexandria, South Dakota
458:Jefferson "Soapy" Smith
421:William Walker Atkinson
367:Julius and Agnes Zancig
192:Claude Alexander Conlin
107:Claude Alexander Conlin
53:more precise citations.
767:. Columbus, Ohio. 1946
500:television production
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450:Queen Charlotte Strait
328:
475:
326:
249:Life and stage career
800:Smith, Jeff (2009).
848:New Thought writers
309:Seattle, Washington
233:, and often used a
217:who specialized in
139:Seattle, Washington
838:American magicians
787:Beckmann, Darryl,
763:Nelson, Robert A.
687:Copperfield, David
478:
402:affirmative prayer
329:
706:978-1-9821-1291-2
629:978-0-9960523-5-1
433:L. W. de Laurence
281:Margaret Sullavan
225:acts, dressed in
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161:; writer on
133:(1954-08-05)
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833:1954 deaths
828:1880 births
609: 1923
590: 1948
565: 1919
552: 1913
539: 1913
514:The Zancigs
506:Alfred Lunt
439:Controversy
390:New Thought
378:Los Angeles
239:New Thought
167:New Thought
151:stage magic
51:introducing
858:Mentalists
822:Categories
715:1236259508
644:References
410:divination
406:mediumship
382:California
339:, and the
243:psychology
212:vaudeville
113:1880-06-30
34:references
723:cite book
662:Conjuring
293:Clara Bow
262:telepathy
219:mentalism
196:Alexander
175:occultism
155:mentalism
85:Alexander
59:July 2024
673:page 230
541:– 1920).
456:con-man
412:through
227:Oriental
215:magician
182:Children
417:scrying
363:mediums
47:improve
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468:Legacy
408:, and
341:occult
291:, and
231:turban
206:, and
173:, and
157:, and
36:, but
333:magic
299:Death
806:ISBN
729:link
711:OCLC
701:ISBN
667:ISBN
635:and
625:ISBN
508:and
487:Ohio
221:and
128:Died
103:Born
498:NBC
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