TOM MULLICA
A TRUE ENTERTAINER
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Most magic fans today will be familiar with the name Tom Mullica. As both a magician and comedian, Mullica made his magic fun and approachable, inspiring awe and laughter from his audiences.
His signature trick, which involved him smoking a massive amount of cigarettes before making them disappear in his mouth, earned him a spot on many television shows. Arguably his most famous appearance was on Late Night with David Letterman, where Letterman and the audience reacted to his signature cigarette trick with a mixture of amusement and horror.
Mullica also ran his own nightclub – the famous“ Tom-foolery Magic Bar Theater” in
Atlanta, Georgia. During his eleven year run at the club, he performed at over 3,000 soldout shows. Renowned comedian and artist Red Skelton visited the club in 1980, and the two performers became good friends – a friendship which would hold huge influence over the rest of Mullica’ s career.
In fact, Mullica is also well known for his tribute to Red Skelton, entitled RED( A Performance Tribute), which he wrote and performed himself. RED was a hit across the US and Canada for many years, and occupied most of Mullica’ s later life.
It’ s clear to everyone who followed his career that Tom Mullica had a great love for the art of magic, and he found great success because of this passion. But how did Mullica