Forgotten Magic by Celtic

Official history has a funny way of neglecting to tell large chapters of our collective human story. If we only take enough time to read the text we are issued in whichever schools we fall into, and only enough interest to be able to leap through whatever hoop gets us a piece of paper that says ‘graduate’, we inevitably miss out on most of the best parts – and the most illuminating tracts. Finding real history requires more. Real history is akin to the gems buried deep in the dirt and rock of passing time, and we must dig for them. And dig with passion!

One of these nearly lost treasures is the story of Long Tack Sam, an internationally celebrated vaudeville star that you’ve probably never heard of. His story, fortunately for us, is collected by his great-granddaughter – Ann Marie Fleming. She has taken the time to dig through her family history and create a documentary called “The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam” which allows us to travel with him as he leaves China, marries an Austrian woman (Leopoldine) and eventually brings his art to North America. His contemporaries and colleagues included Laurel and Hardy, Houdini and the Marx Brothers among others.

You can purchase copies of the DVD at National Film Board of Canada website. A direct link to the page is here.

The official website for this story is located here.

An illustrated companion book is located here.

And finally, a small sample of the DVD located on YouTube: