Magic Castle Cabaret

As the invitation stated, “From the moment you step through the door you’ll know you’re not in Kansas any more.” There’s a private club with nightclub atmosphere on Los Patos Way across from the Bird Refuge. Milt and Arlene Larsen recently had their grand opening reception for Angel members, media, and special guests.

The Magic Castle Cabaret is a mini version of their Magic Castle in Hollywood, which has some 5,000 members, many who are magicians. The new club will be serving up variety arts, comedy, singing, ventriloquism, and maybe even mime. This event had two magicians for our entertainment: Steve Valentine and out of retirement Lance Burton. I ended up on stage helping out Steve and well, magic is magical. I have no idea how he got the coin from my hand covered glass into a box. That’s why we all love magicians.

One of the guests was songwriter Richard Sherman. You may know one of the most played songs of all time; “It’s a Small Small World” or “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” He sat down at the grand piano and played for us, impromptu. What a treat.

Milt Larsen was born in 1931 in Pasadena and is a few things: writer, actor, performer, lyricist, magician, entrepreneur, speaker, and creator of Magic Castle in Hollywood. He and his brother Bill Jr. were both in television and grew up in a family of magicians. Their father was both a Los Angeles defense attorney and a performing magician. Mom was a TV pioneer of children’s entertainment known as The Magic Lady. In 1936 the parents published Genii, the Conjurors Magazine, which is still being published. Magic magazine chose the Larsen family as one of the 100 most influential magicians in the 20^th century.

Milt’s dad always wanted a clubhouse for magicians and Milt made his dad’s dream come true though he never got to see it because he died in 1953. Larsen leased a property with a French chateau mansion to house the club. After much restoration his brother Bill (who worked on the Danny Kaye Show) helped promote the club because of his connections in show business. The private membership club opened in 1963.

Larsen was a writer for the Ralph Edwards TV show Truth or Consequences starring Bob Barker. And the list goes on. Richard Sherman and Milt have been friends and collaborators for more than 60 years. Just one of their many ventures is a CD called Smash Flops with songs like “Bon Voyage Titanic,” “General Custer,” or “Congratulations Tom Dewey.” Larsen was a creative consultant for Bed Knobs and Broomsticks and acted on TV’s Hart To Hart.

Milt is a well-known theater historian and owns many important collections including extensive archives of Ed Wynn, Eddie cantor, and Earl Carroll. Besides the long biography he and his brother have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He and Arlene were married in 1989 and they have lived in Santa Barbara for many years.

The Magic Castle Cabaret in Montecito will be capped at 200 members and be a social club with an intimate setting. Larsen’s assembled antique and other rare furniture from all over the place. Some of it might have come from a castle in Spain or a local thrift store. Some things came from their place in Hollywood like a stained glass divider in the bar. The ladies room is to be noted for its rhinestone embedded pink and platinum ceiling tiles.

Some of the current members already are Steve Martin, Leonard Maltin, Siegfried and Roy, JoAnne Worley, and David Copperfield. The Cabaret is open from Wednesday through Sunday at 5 to 7 pm with casual attire and no reservations. From 7 pm to closing will be jacket and tie with reservations. For information, call Allison at 805.845.0555.