Dan Cirucci: Italian American Heritage Month: Leon Giglio

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Italian American Heritage Month: Leon Giglio

Leon Giglio, aka Mandrake

Leon Giglio (1911 – 1993), better known by his stage name Leon Mandrake was an Italian-American magician, mentalist, illusionist, escapologist, ventriloquist and stunt performer billed worldwide as Mandrake the Magician.

Giglio/Mandrake was often referred to as the Dean of Magicians, the last of the great masters to be classed with Houdini, Thurston, Dante, Alexander, Blackstone and the greats of the past century. Mandrake encountered and entertained every strata of society, including the Royals, politicians, philosophers, artists, scientists, inventors, writers, hippies and hobos, carnival people, racketeers and confidence men. His opinions and views of life were taken from the entire spectrum.

In American and British societies for psychic research, Mandrake had been a consultant and field expert in detecting fraud, collusion, chicanery and subterfuge in all forms of occultism and in evaluating deceptive practices, delusions, superstitious belief or unsubstantiated claims in the field of extra-sensory perception. He sought out and studied the work of every well-known mystic, practitioner of the occult or pseudo-science and leaders of occult cults.

They've included Oriental mystics, psychic readers, national and foreign fortune tellers, mind readers, palmists, phrenologists, sand diviners, crystal ball readers, faith healers, fertility cultists and spiritual mediums, as well as those who practice voodoo or black magic. Mandrake's prime interest was in the activity of the subconscious mind, including mnemonic controls, habit patterns and emotional behavior. He shared in bringing hypnosis out of the entertainment stage and into practical usage as an aid in dentistry and certain nervous disorders. He debunked a great many popular theories and suppositions regarding the little-understood presentation of what it is, how it works, and its practical value.

Many of today's top illusionists site Mandrake as their inspiration and he remains a touchstone among masters of the art of magic.

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About Dan Cirucci

He's been cited by the late Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed across all media.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, a Save Jersey blog columnist, frequent guest on the Matt Rooney radio show and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.

Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.

Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post, Broad and Liberty and other print and online platforms.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Cirucci's passions include all things Italian, politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel.

He and his wife Carole have two grown children and seven grandchildren.

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