Ta-Da!

Fans of the magical arts got quite a treat when Milt and Arlene Larsen‘s Montecito outpost of their legendary Magic Castle in Hollywood opened its doors.

The new club, on the former site of the popular eatery Café Del Sol opposite the Andree Clark bird refuge, starred Lance Burton, 58, who did more than 15,000 shows in front of five million fans in his own eponymous $27 million 1,274-seat theater at the Monte Carlo Casino in Las Vegas and retired nine years ago, ending a stellar 31-year career.

He credits Milt with landing him his first appearance on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show in 1981, which rocketed him to fame and fortune. He appeared on the NBC show in Burbank ten times with Carson and another ten times with new host Jay Leno.

Burton appeared with an equally adept magician, Scottish-American Steve Valentine, who also starred in the NBC crime drama, Crossing Jordan.

Among the 100 guests were former mayor Helene Schneider, Nina Terzian, Ginni Dreier, Hiroko Benko, Craig Case, Mary Poppins composer Richard Sherman, Baron Ron Herron, Lynn Kirst, and Mo McFadden.