The ceremony was held in the Frank Sinatra dining room, and pictures of many old-timey stars (also Friars) lined the wall: George M. Cohan, Milton Berle, Johnny Carson, Jerry Lewis, and of course Frank Sinatra.

I’ve been told that Max Malini was a member of the Friars Club and that he used to relax at the clubhouse because he didn’t constantly feel the need to prove he was a magician to everyone by performing.

At the induction ceremony, I was coerced into doing a brief performance which was warmly received.

Here is the certificate new Friars receive. Note the signatures by Jerry Lewis (abbott) and Freddie Roman (dean).

The club president Michael Gyure handed over a welcome packet, and snapped a nice photo with me.

The Friar who invited me into the club is Paul Ginsberg, a magician himself. Here’s a nice photo of the two of us, ironically standing in front of the “Friar of the Year” sign. Somehow I don’t think I’ll get that award my first year…

My other sponsor was none other than the dean, Freddie Roman.

The ceremony was a delightful experience, and I felt surrounded by warm, genuine people. I look forward to getting involved in the Friars Club and meeting even more of the members.

(Photography by Friars staff photographer Richard Lewin)

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Here’s the trailer:

And the movie poster:

I got a chance to meet a few of the teenage magicians who star in the film. One performer from Japan, Hiroki Hara chatted with me in Japanese.

Some other New York magicians I spotted (and chatted with) include: Bill Kalush, Joe Devlin, Peter Samelson, Jeff Moche, Michael Chaut, Dennis Kyriakos, Prakash Puru, and Ben Nemzer.

The Friars Club is a grand old club for entertainers and people in the entertainment industry. Past members include all the show business legends, including Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Ed Sullivan and Milton Berle.  The street entrance looks like this:

And it’s located on East 55th Street, also known as Friars Way.

One of the members of the Friars Club is sponsoring me to become a member. Sounds like a good match – the Waldorf is only five blocks away, and the members are in show biz. Have you ever been to the Friars Club?

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