Dick Brooks, considered a magician of renown has been a professional performer since leaving school, was born in New York City, USA. As a teenager he joined a Department of Parks magic club headed up by the official magician of New York City, Abe Hurwitz (Peter Pan the Magic Man), who was also the father of the soon to be famous Shari Lewis. When Hurwitz left the Peter Pan Magic Club, the members wanted a more mature name after famous magician Carl Ballantine joked to the members, "I love your peanut butter!" Brooks, came up with the name F.A.M.E., which stood for Future American Magical Entertainers, and the club lasted for many years thereafter. Then six magicians from the Society of American Magicians, who at first did not allow youngsters to join, formed the Society of Young Magicians (S.Y.M.) for youngsters in 1984.
The Magic Towne House
Brooks was founder along with Dorothy Dietrich, of the Magic Towne House on the Upper East Side that presented magic in New York City for over 15 years.
According to William Dorflinger's book on magic history, The Magic Catalogue, "The Towne House is a discovery for magic lovers"... and Ray Carter (aka Dick Brooks (entertainer)) performs a wide range of magic effects also, and is well known for his demonstrations of ESP and mind reading."
Wanting a larger facility and a place to house his collection of Houdini memorabilia he opened The Houdini Museum with Dorothy Dietrich in the Scranton- Wilkes-Barre-Pocono Mountain region of northeast Pennsylvania.
Imam would, after several years, break away and form his own competing club downtown in Greenwich Village. Dick Brooks along with partner Dorothy Dietrich resurrected Brother Theodore's career in the 1970s. Dick Brooks searched out Brother Theodore who he had seen perform in Greenwich Village years before, whose career had waned, to do several seasons of midnight shows at The Magic Towne House, and helped to bring him back to prominence that led to Theodore appearing on The Tom Snyder Tomorrow Show and a long series of TV and movie appearances. A picture of the Magic Towne House ad that appeared in local New YorkNewspapers such as the Village Voice and The New York post can be found at Shock Cinema Magazine at http://www.shockcinemamagazine.com/brother.html
Upon the closing of the Magic Towne House, Michael Chaut and Peter Samelson along with others would later develop "Monday Night Magic" which still runs successfully in New York City.
