Kellar: The Witch, the Sailor and the Enchanted Monkey

Harry Kellar (1849-1922) ran away from home to work a series of odd jobs, eventually becoming an assistant to the magician “Fakir of Ava” after witnessing one of his performances. Kellar eventually struck out on his own but found the trials of a traveling performer difficult. At age eighteen, he was forced to halt his travels while in Michigan in order to raise funds for his tour while working on a Detroit road crew. Undaunted, Kellar went on to become one of the greatest names in magic. At his retirement in 1908, he turned his show over to his successor Howard Thurston.