Rhadolph Marcelliee

Rhadolph Marcelliee
Born	Marcellus R. Clark April 14, 1895 Cambridge, Massachusetts
Died	June 21, 1971 (age 76) Philadelphia, Pennsylviania

Rhadolph Marcelliee (1895-1971), born Marcellus R. Clark, was a successful stage magician, lecturer, and faith healer. As an African American, he was able to succeed during the era of legalized segregation by wearing a turban and passing himself off as an Indian or Hindu magician.

Biography

Clark became interested in magic after meeting Henry S. Percival in 1907 and took up the idea of performing as a career after seeing Alonzo Moore performing with Harvey's Minstrels in Boston.

It was after catching a performance by Professor Maharajah (Wilmont Barclay), who masqueraded as a Hindu hypnotist and escape artist, that Clark decided to pass himself off as an Indian magician.

Billing himself as "The Magician That Is Somewhat Different", he created a fictitious biography for press releases for his performances as a Hindu mentalist and escape artist.

He married Alma in New York in the 1920s, who. She assisted him onstage and was billed as Princess Almasjid Marcelliee.

In the 1930s, he and his wife developed a faith-healing program, as Doctor and Madame Marcelliee, doing mind-reading and Bible lectures.

At some point, Alma retired from the entertainment business, and Marcellus Clark continued as a solo act.

Clark was possibly the first black magician to perform at an International Brotherhood of Magicians convention, when he was invited to demonstrate in Philadelphia in 1952. He later joined the IBM in 1953 as member No. 14190.

Clark was still performing in the late 1960s and promoting himself in brochures which embellished his career.

He married again in 1966 to Forestyne Armstrong.