"The Great Humberto" was: Questions

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 119005


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "hermionekitten9" 
<kreneeb at h...> wrote:
> 
> Snow:
> > (2)If the Dursley's are so against anything having to do with
> magic, why was Dudley allowed to watch a magician on television? SS 
> The Letters From No One: Dudley whining to his mother
 "It's 
> Monday... The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere 
> with a television." I may be wrong to think that the Great Humberto 
> is a magician but it sounds awfully similar to the Great Houdini. 
> Also it sounds as though this were a regiment of Dudley's weekly 
> routine. I realize that the Dursley's are more than permissive when 
> it comes to Dudley but when it comes to the dirty "M" word and the 
> possibility that Harry might be influenced if he were to see the 
> magician program, why was Dudley allowed to watch it? (It is the 
> small somewhat insignificant details I tend to question)

kitten: 
I remember not too long ago on this list, this was 
> discussed... it was mentioned by someone that "The Great Humberto" 
> might have been a nickname for a wrestler (or maybe even a 
> boxer)... "The Rock" "Stone Cold Steve Austin" "Andre the 
> Giant" "Hulk Hogan" ect. ect. ect. And not a magician
 I really 
> liked this idea, because it fits with Dudley's aggressive 
> cough*bullying*cough temperament, Dudley would be upset if he 
> couldn't watch people fight on television.-g-


Geoff:
I have always been of the opinion that this guy is a stage magician.

I do not think that he would be a wrestler or something akin to that 
because Dudley was expecting to see him on a Monday night and I don't 
recall TV schedules including things like wrestling during the week. 
That would be fare for the wall-to-wall sports coverage on a 
Saturday...

I think Vernon would be able to differentiate between someone such as 
a stage magician whom he would consider to be a fake, using 
legerdemain and deception to produce their results as opposed to 
genuine members of the Wizarding World. After all, the neighbours 
would probably watch the Great Humbrto with the same measure of 
suspended disbelief as the Dursleys, wouldn't they?

Geoff
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