Ade Duval (with his wife and performing partner, True Duval) was one of the most successful magicians in vaudeville, playing around the world with his stunning act "Rhapsody In Silk".
There is an excellent book about Duval , called 'Ade Duval - Silken Sorcerer' by David Charvet, available from the author: http://charvetmagic.com/catalog/c1_p1.html
This photo (which appeared on the cover of The Sphinx magazine, Dec.1934) shows Ade Duval at the height of his career, touring the world with his assistant True Duval (his wife) with the act "Rhapsody In Silk".
Duval's Rhapsody in Silk was one of the most beautiful sophisticated magic acts of the era, featuring an array of effects using silk scarves, culminating with a spectacular and stage-filling, rapid-fire production of an inexplicable number of silk scarves from a single tube.
Later after he had retired the elaborate silk act (which required one - to -two hours of reset time between shows), he performed an engaging magic act presented in a light comedic manner, performing his own versions of such classic magic as the multiplying golf balls, the die box, the vanishing milk, and his own Smoking The Thumb, the full secret of which Duval took to the grave, although other magicians have performed successful versions of the feat (such as Fred Kaps and Finn Jon). It's all covered in David Charvet's book 'Ade Duval - Silken Sorcerer'.
Later after he had retired the elaborate silk act (which required one - to -two hours of reset time between shows), he performed an engaging magic act presented in a light comedic manner, performing his own versions of such classic magic as the multiplying golf balls, the die box, the vanishing milk, and his own Smoking The Thumb, the full secret of which Duval took to the grave, although other magicians have performed successful versions of the feat (such as Fred Kaps and Finn Jon). It's all covered in David Charvet's book 'Ade Duval - Silken Sorcerer'.
Ade Duval presenting his signature effect , "Smoking The Thumb" -
Tragically, Ade Duval's career was cut short by Parkinson's Disease. After he was forced into retirement he had planned to write a series of books describing all the details of his magic, but only one part of this was completed enough before his death to publish, a portion of the silk act, published as "A Rhapsody In Silk" by Magic Inc. in 1962.
