by his daughter, Janie Smith

Leslie Smith was born at home on August 9, 1915 in the town of Vanceboro, Maine. He was the third of four children born to Genevieve Gatcomb Smith and Ivan Smith.

Vanceboro at that time was a thriving border town. Not only was the customs house between the United States and Canada located there, but Vanceboro was the junction of two major railroads, The Canadian Pacific and The Maine Central. The railroad was the major employer in town. Vanceboro was also a lumbering town with its location at the foot of Spednic Lake and the headwaters of the St. Croix River. All this made Vanceboro an exciting place for a boy.

While Leslie did all the things a normal boy does in an environment offering such adventure, his lifelong passion for magic was kindled early. His mother’s brother, Uncle Frank Gatcomb, owned The Armstrong Picture House, where silent movies were shown. All of Genevieve’s children worked in the theater. Leslie and his brother Ralph sold popcorn and cleaned up the theater after the show was over.

It came to pass that one of the performers coerced to perform at the theater was a magician. Leslie was mesmerized and soon made his acquaintance. No doubt seeing this young boy’s enthusiasm, the magician showed Les how to escape from handcuffs. This led to Leslie’s first performance where he escaped from a canvas bag while handcuffed. The spectators were charged five cents. Leslie was ten years old.

With a lively imagination and building skills, Leslie soon expanded his magic to a Haunted House. At the age of twelve he constructed a series of devices in the barn behind their home which were guaranteed to scare witless the paying customers. Even young Les could not imagine how far the seeds sown that day would carry him.

Leslie graduated as valedictorian of Vanceboro High School in 1932. He went on to attend an electrical school in Boston and in 1935 was certified as a radio technician. In 1935, he fell in love with Charlotte Robinson from McAdam and convinced her to marry him. Charlotte was the mother to his two children: Janie in 1941 and Charlene in 1947.

When World War II broke out, Leslie became a test foreman for Pratt and Whitney engines in East Hartford, Connecticut. His crew turned out the engines that would power the US aircraft in battle. None of them ever failed. While this was a responsible and lucrative occupation, Leslie quit in 1950 after his wife Charlotte died. He was devastated by the loss and in his grief, returned to his childhood passion.

Leslie’s dream had always been to perform magic. Not one to avoid risks, he took a magic show on the road. Leslie received a contract with a chain of theaters in New Brunswick, Canada. With a base in McAdam, he assembled a crew of five. They loaded the equipment, all of which he made himself, into an old green 1941 Ford car with the back seat removed and hit the road. His daughter, Janie, was part of the crew and was billed as The World’s Youngest Mentalist. His younger daughter, Charlene, was cared for by her grandmothers.

Leslie and Jane, “The World’s Youngest Mentalist”

Life on the road with a magic show, however, proved to be less than profitable. Leslie finally faced reality and returned to Connecticut. There, he and a partner started a construction business. They built commercial buildings, mainly gas stations. At this time, Leslie met Gertrude Wayland at a dance hall and she became his second wife. While the construction business was profitable, Gertrude convinced Leslie to finance her brother for a Lincoln-Mercury dealership. This proved disastrous. Gertrude’s brother fell into financial difficulties and Leslie had to take over the dealership. Leslie purchased a tract of land in Columbia, near Willimantic, Connecticut and constructed a new facility for the dealership. Though the dealership paid the bills, it wasn’t a business Leslie enjoyed. He was restless and once again turned to his childhood love, magic.

In 1963, Owen Magic Supreme in Alhambra, California, just outside of Los Angeles, became available for purchase. It was a well-known and respected company, so Leslie put the Lincoln-Mercury dealership in his rear-view mirror and headed for California with Gertrude, her younger son Alan, and Leslie’s younger daughter, Charlene.

Ten more years passed. Owen Magic Supreme was paying the bills, but barely. Leslie relocated the company to a larger building in Azusa, California, near Los Angeles. One day a young man walked into the office and asked Leslie for help with a magic show on Broadway. Leslie jumped at the opportunity. The show opened to rave reviews. The young man’s name was Doug Henning, a Canadian magician and illusionist, and The Magic Show performed to sold out audiences for four and a half years. The show rekindled public interest in magic and after its success major shows in Las Vegas became magic themed. Leslie’s company provided the illusions for these shows. A childhood dream of a magic life had evolved into reality. Leslie owned the premier magic illusion company in the world.

Leslie never retired from Owen Magic Supreme. He spent the last year of his life in a facility for Alzheimer’s patients. He left this earth on February 15, 2008. The company did not survive without him. His passion and creative genius was instrumental to Owen Magic. Today throughout the world on cruise ships, in casinos and on stages the magic that Leslie created is performed.  His legacy lives on.