Last Known Lecture by J.B Bobo

Finally, a well-known speech JB Bobo - Last Known Lecture

If you were a kid in the 60's & 70's in E-Texas, NW Louisiana, & SW Arkansas as I was, chances are you saw "Bobo The Magician" in your school. JB Bobo, author of the bible of coin magic "Modern Coin Magic "entertained thousands of kids like me in the 60's & 70's.

Bobo toured all the area schools here for years and advance tickets could be purchased from your grade school teacher. Bobo would put on a big show in which the entire elementary school would be present. Classes were actually postponed during the show. A ticket to the "Bobo Magic Show" was about 25-35 cents back then. If a kid did not have the money to attend, I later found in talking with Bobo as an adult that NO KID WAS LEFT BEHIND in attending the Bobo show ... Bobo picked up the tab for those that did not have the money.

After I grew up and joined TAOM & IBM, I had the pleasure of talking and writing to Bobo as he lived only 90 miles from me. His wife was his faithful assistant all those years.

The last time I saw Bobo perform in school was in the 8th grade, 1970. After that year, we "were too old for kid's magic shows" or so the school admin thought.

My next chance to see Bobo perform was when I was on the committee for my 10 year class reunion. It was a MUST HAVE thing to have Bobo entertain us once again as we all had kids & we wanted them to experience the magic of the Bobo show ... we booked him for the class reunion and he & his wife put on a show that young & old alike enjoyed once again.

I had the pleasure of talking with Bobo at the 1991 Texas Assoc. Of Magicians convention in Tyler, TX ... having him autograph memorabilia for me, as well as listening to him give my brother & I pointers on magic.On January 26, 1992, this homemade video was shot in a Shoney's Restaurant on the corner of Youree Drive and Kings Highway in Shreveport, LA. The Shreveport Chapter of IBM requested he put on a lecture.

By this time, Bobo's health had slowed down considerably, he no longer drove a car and had to have someone drive him around. He was still living in his hometown of Texarkana, just north of Shreveport. The restaurant has now been changed to a Chinese buffet and Bobo passed away in 1996.

As far as I know, this is the last known video of Bobo performing an impromptu lecture. After this video was shot, Bobo's health continued to drop and I know of no other lectures that he gave after this point.

I do NOT know if this is the last lecture he gave, but living in this area so close to Bobo, anytime a lecture was given by ANYONE in the immediate area of ??the East Texas IBM chapters, NW Louisiana IBM chapters, & SW Ark. IBM chapters, we were all aware of it. The next time I saw Bobo was at his funeral.