The magician-comedian George Johnstone, who appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and opened for Elvis, has died of complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 85.
Johnstone started his career assisting vaudeville magician Harry Blackstone Senior but eventually took his combination of jokes and hocus-pocus solo. In 1950, a talent scout booked Johnstone for "The Ed Sullivan Show" in New York. Right afterward, he played the Palace Theatre in Times Square, another high-prestige venue. By 1956, he was invited to open for Elvis Presley on a southeast tour.