Albert Goshman
(New York City, NY: 6th December 1920 - 12th February 1991)
Born Albert Goshwinsky. He started out as baker with three bakeries in Brooklyn but competition and foot traffic changes forced him to shut down all three bakeries. For a while he worked as photographer going from door to door to shoot photos of children for their parents. That worked for a while until his photo equipment was stolen. This forced him to turn to magic. A lecture tour across the country and in particular his success in California in the Magic Castle made him move his family to California in the 1960s and work as magician doing close-up magic.
Learned c1942 from book. Pro close-up and dealer (specializing in spongeballs). AMA Best Close-up Magician 1968, 1975. 1971 AMA Magician of the Year. Invented Ding Dong in 1972. 1982 AMA Best Lecturer. 1983 Desert Magic Seminar 4th prize.
Autobio and tricks are in Patrick Page and Albert Goshman, Magic by Gosh: The Life and Times of Albert Goshman (1985, 149pp). Audio (1970s). Video segment (1986) and video (1987). See Mad Magic #10 for all Goshman issue. Tricks in Hugard's Magic Monthly and Genii.
