
The Great Leon
(New York City, NY: 5th August 1876 - 13th March 1951)
Stage name of Leon Harry Levy, aka "Chunda Hula" and "Kadan Sami". Top pro vaudeville illusionist. Played Rio de Janeiro in 1909 (as "Transformista Leon"), the London Palladium in 1915, the New York Palace in 1925, and the New York Hippodrome 1928 (at $1,000 per week).
Invented Fire and Water (1913), the Death Ray Gun (1921), and the Light Bulb Cabinet (1928).
Retired by illness around 1931 to live in Hollywood where he became a Mason and member of Los Magicos. In 1937 all his apparatus (3 tons) was sold for $950 to Les Levante. Thru the 1940's again became active by inventing, designing, building, and selling apparatus.
SAM Hall of Fame. Father of Leon M. Leon and grandfather of Les Arnold. See Eugene Gloye (ed), The Great Leon's Miniature Haunted House (1960, 34pp). Bio is Mike Caveney, The Great Leon: Vaudeville Headliner (1987, 133pp).