Friday, April 30, 2010

My grandpa and invisible zombies

 
My grandfather was a professional magician who traveled the United States in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s and this is one of the posters for a show of his. His name was Elmer Pelkin, and his wife and children participated in the shows. Each child played instruments, and he and my grandmother sometimes dressed in colorful Chinese robes to add glamor and mystery to their act. One magic trick that was a show highlight was that he would cut my grandmother in half.
Can you tell that I am quite proud of this part of my family tree?

25 comments:

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

WOW! That is so cool!
I love how the use of Chinese dress was common in acts of this era---a bit of mystique due to us not being globalized then.
The poster is great; you are lucky to still have the promo sheets!

XXOO!!
Anne

Cindy said...

Now that is an awesome family history!!
I am adopted..I would love to know things about my birth family. You are very lucky!!

Cindy from Rick-Rack and Gingham

myletterstoemily said...

what a colorful past you have!
were you ever frightened to stay
at their house?

must have been loads of fun.

have a lovely weekend,
lea

Vicki said...

Terra, I don't blame you one bit for being proud of your family history!! How exciting to have a grandfather that was a magician and the whole family participated in his show. I have always been fascinated by magicians and can remember as a young girl watching them on tv and wondering how in the world they performed their magic tricks. Thank you for sharing, sweet friend! Enjoy your weekend~ Love and blessings, Vicki

E. Charlotte said...

That is awesome! What a cool bit of family history you shared! Sounds like your grandparents were pretty cool. :)

Emerald Window said...

How fabulous to have a magician in the family. Don't you wish you could travel back in time and watch his acts?
You should have the poster professionally framed so it doesn't dteriorate with time.
Great post. (I'm quaking and shivering!)
Cenya

Jemi Fraser said...

That's so cool!! Magicians are really amazing! :)

Unknown said...

Super cool! I hadn't heard of this act. I love that you have this piece of history to enjoy.

Have a great weekend.
TTFN ~ Hugs of love, Marydon

Heart2Heart said...

How cool is that? Not everyone can saw that about someone in their family. I love this and the poster is so timeless and classic.

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Kimberly said...

That is too cool! I love that! You ought to join in on Family Friday. I usually write about my genealogy research and members of my family tree I have found. This week is Grandma, and next week is my mom.

Liane said...

Oh my goodness! What an interesting family history you have! I think it's wonderful that you have one of his posters from his show, still.
Thanks for sharing Terra!

Mari said...

Hi Terra,
Thanks for stopping at my blog.
This is really neat - what a fun history! You're lucky to have this poster.
My Dad's name is Elmer too. You don't hear that too often.

Wandering Writer said...

Your family history continues to amaze me. What a rich background you have.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

What an interesting trade for your Grandpa...I bet you have some stories.

God bless ya and have a great weekend!!!

Lorilee said...

What fun to have such an exciting family history to share with children and grandchildren!
Blessings,
Lorilee

Coralie Cederna Johnson said...

That is an amazing part of your family history! I'll be looking forward to reading more about his/your life stories! SO interesting!!!

Rosaria Williams said...

Wow! A hard act to follow. Have you inherited any of his traits?

BumbleVee said...

what a fun history to have and know about... I'm sure most of my relatives were/are involved in activities that I don't need to know about... oh, well...with the exception of a doctor in England that did some wonderful things.... and my sister and I are sure we have siblings that we don't even know we have. Dad WAS French...and he WAS overseas for all of the war years.... we know they're out there.... probably too late to try to track them down now...they would be several years older than I am.

Anonymous said...

Hi, you left a comment on my blog about the chicks, and yes I did make them. Sorry I've been so long replying, I've not blogged for a while.

Jane Kennedy Sutton said...

Great poster. They sound like an interesting family - I hope we get to hear more about this branch on your family tree.

gayle said...

Wow I would love to know more! How exciting!!

Serline said...

You must have had a fun filled childhood, with a magician for grandpa. A new trick every Sunday?

Maryjane-The Beehive Cottage said...

Love hearing about your family history Terra! Nothing like family! Happy Mother's Day!

Hugs,
Maryjane

TAILS of TANKENE said...

Sunshine I should have guessed there were some incredibly creative folks in your family. What a great keepsake and treasure the poster is for now and later. Sparkles

Faded Plains said...

That is too cool! I'm so lovin' that old poster...and to think that's your grandfather.