This was a gift from Le Grand David company to John Davenport when he visited the show with the American magician Frank Lane (Frank Caldwell) in 1983.
Frank Caldwell
This was a gift from Le Grand David company to John Davenport when he visited the show with the American magician Frank Lane (Frank Caldwell) in 1983.
This was a gift from Le Grand David company to John Davenport when he visited the show with the American magician Frank Lane (Frank Caldwell) in 1983.
This was a gift from Le Grand David company to John Davenport when he visited the show with the American magician Frank Lane (Frank Caldwell) in 1983.
This was a gift from Le Grand David company to John Davenport when he visited the show with the American magician Frank Lane (Frank Caldwell) in 1983.
In 1982 John and Anne had seven glasses engraved with a demon’s head, based on one of the Davenport demon trademarks. They were to give to people who had been particularly helpful with our researches into the story of the Davenport family. We kept one glass and the others went to Harry Carson, Frank Lane, Peter Lane, Billy McComb, Richard Stupple and Peter Warlock. On the bottom of each glass is engraved ‘CJF Gould 82 Cambs’. CJF Gould was a glass engraver who lived in Fen Ditton near Cambridge.
The American magician Frank Lane (real name Caldwell) and his wife Frances were very good friends of the Davenport family. For some reason, the family was always rude, in a jokey way, to Frank. This cardboard badge was home made for Gus Davenport to wear when he collected Frank Lane who was visiting the Davenport family in Kent. Frank was amused.
This was a gift from Frank Lane (magician & family friend) to John Davenport in 1968. John thinks that Frank said that the bowl came from Formosa. This is an example of ‘pipitis’, the condition which leads to the collection of items covered in emblems, such as cards, beloved of many magicians.
This was a gift from Frank Lane (Frank Caldwell, magician and family friend) to John Davenport, probably in the late 1960s or 1970s. Frank used to wear it and John recalls that Frank told him he used it as a sign for gaining entry at a speak easy. He would show it at a grill in the door. John recalls that Frank said someone else had a similar ring – could it have been Ted Annemann? This recollection is at least partly right because Gabe Fajuri has pointed out a photograph of Annemann wearing a similar ring. This photograph be found on the copyright page of Max Abrams’ book The Life and Times of a Legend published by L & L Publishing.