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Milt Larsen, Magic Castle Co-Founder and TV Game Show Writer, Dies at 92
William Earl Milt Larsen, the magician and TV writer who co-founded Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle night spot, died May 28 in Los Angeles. He was 92. Larsen had deep roots in the world of magic and in Los Angeles. His father, William Larsen Sr., was a prominent local defense attorney and a performing magician. His mother, Geraldine, made early appearances on TV as “The Magic Lady.” Milt Larsen worked as a writer for TV game shows including “Truth or Consequences” during 18 years of Bob Barker’s tenure as host in the 1950s, ’60s and early ’70s. Larsen teamed with his brother, William Larsen Jr., and William’s wife, Irene, in the early 1960s to transform a Gothic renaissance mansion on Franklin Avenue in the heart of Hollywood into a clubhouse designed to cater to working magicians. The trio created the Academy of Magical Arts, but the venue became known as the Magic Castle. The club opened its doors in 1963 and has become a world-renowed destination, despite its ups and downs over 60 years. The Larsen family leased the property from owned Thomas Glover until last year, when the site was acquired by videogame magnate Randy Pitchfork, founder of Gearbox Entertainment.