"Uncle" Harry & "Little" Stevie (1960)	Steve, Dad, & Grandson (2000)

My first  public appearance was in 1967 in Queens, New York at P.S. 162. My fourth grade class was producing an old-fashioned variety show and I was cast as Houdini, Jr. Using a collection of cheap-store bought tricks and some giant playing cards my father fashioned from the cardboard that came inside his pressed shirts, my first act was born. Closing with an old Red Skelton joke about bigamy, I left the audience rolling in the aisles. There wasn't a dry seat left in the house. Lo, a star with born.

"I Was Very Popular In The Movies ..."

As I grew older I learned to take advantage of opportunities to perform under difficult situations and for any large crowd I could find. Long movie lines were the perfect training ground.  I remember when "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" opened at the Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan, and we waited on line for hours in the rain, huddled under a canopy of different colored umbrellas -- a virtual circus big top.

I started performing for the hundreds of people around me, and soon the manager of the theater invited us to enter the theater early to get out of the rain. I offered to perform, and the crowd formed a huge circle around me. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, I kept them entertained until it was time for the movie to start, and the theater kept me in popcorn and Coke for the night. I was cheap entertainment.

In addition to performing, I also taught magic. One of my students became a successful mime/magician outside Manhattan's Central Park Zoo. He'd pull in a couple of hundred dollars each weekend, so I figured I would try my hand at it and make a little coin. Heck, if my student could make that much, I ought to pull in even more, right? Wrong. Instead I got chased by police, crazy old ladies with umbrellas, and hotdog vendors.

"Secret Steve!"

Shortly after starting college, I was invited to appear at a small wine and cheese joint called "The Rainy Nighthouse" in Long Island, and  I invited everyone I knew to come to the performance. I filled the club on the first night and realized then that I loved to perform and make people laugh. My act featured card tricks and ended with the classic "Linking Rings" and some fire-eating. The club manager dubbed me "Secret Steve" and I performed a few more weeks until I realized I was working for only wine and cheese.

"From Broadway to Hollywood!"

In 1976 I appeared in a magic review off-Broadway. OK, it was at the Westfield YMCA on 92nd Street and Columbus Avenue ... but it was around the corner from Broadway. Then in 2004, I entertained at the annual TV Guide Affiliate Sales meeting in Hollywood. Maybe,  it was  L.A. but that's close enough to Hollywood for me. 

"Escape From New York"

In 1993, I left New York City to seek my fame and fortune in "T-Town" -- no, not Tinsel Town -- Tulsa, Oklahoma. There I met the woman of my dreams, settled down, had two wonderful children, became a multi-millionaire at age of 41, and then my fortune vanished! Now that's a trick.

"Time To Live My Dream!"

In the corporate world, I frequently find myself performing magic when I go on sales calls, lead training classes, or assist in trade shows or seminars. Now at age 50,  I've decided to moonlight as a "society magician".

I don't do kid shows or balloon animals. Hire the clown. But if your restaurant, club, association or company is looking for a fun evening, then please give me a call at 918-8105233 or drop me an email at info@schneiderman.net. I'm also available for private lessons. 

Click the play button below to watch me escape from a straitjacket. It's not the best quality video, but you'll get the idea. It was a fun show.