stˈɑːɹɾɪŋ æz ɐ kˈɑːɹd mɐdʒˈɪʃən hˌuː tˈʊk hɪz sˈɜːneɪm fɹʌmðə pˈɑːpjʊlɚ kˈɑːɹd ɡˈeɪm ʌv kˈænæstə, hiː bɪkˌeɪm ɐ wˈɛlnˈoʊn stˈeɪdʒ mɐdʒˈɪʃən pɚfˈɔːɹmɪŋ fˈiːts ʌv mˈɛmɚɹi ænd bˈʊk tˈɛsts dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə lˈeɪt nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi z.
Starting as a card magician who took his surname from the popular card game of canasta, he became a well-known stage magician performing feats of memory and book tests during the late 1940s.