Entertainment trends come and go, but magic never seems to lose its luster with audiences of all ages in all eras.

"They say magic is the second-oldest profession," said Milt Larsen, creator of the "It's Magic" show coming to Chandler on Sunday. "You can trace magic and magicians back as far as time."

Larsen and co-producer Terry Hill are kicking off the 51st season of the show in Tucson tonight, and the six tricksters will take the stage starting at 4 p.m. Sunday at Chandler Center for the Arts.

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All are award-winning, full-time professional magicians who will entertain with a variety of acts, from comedic magic to laser illusions. It's family-friendly; nothing will be raw or raunchy.

Although none of the magicians may be household names yet, "It's Magic" has launched careers of some of the most famous names in magic. Harry Anderson and Lance Burton got their starts with the show.

"We caught Lance at a magic convention in New York," Larsen said. "He was from Kentucky. We brought him out to California to do 'It's Magic' on his 21st birthday. Johnny Carson saw him and put him on The Tonight Show."

Larsen is qualified to find such talent because he grew up in a magic family, touring with his mother, father and brother. He asked if the San Marcos Hotel was still in Chandler - the family performed there in the 1940s, when he was a child.

"It was out in the middle of nowhere at that point," he said.

He started producing "It's Magic" in 1956 because there used to be an annual magic showcase in Los Angeles, but it had ended. At a meeting with other magicians, he said, "Somebody should do a big stage show with a revue of big stars of magicians like we used to do."

They nominated him to organize it, and it has been going ever since. It began as a one-night show in Hollywood and has grown to a tour.

That same year, Larsen began an 18-year stint writing for the game show Truth or Consequences, hosted by Bob Barker, and has written for television and film throughout his career. He also founded the Magic Castle in Hollywood, a private club in a Victorian mansion dating from 1908 with nightly magic shows.

It is also the home of the Academy of Magical Arts and has about 5,000 members. Johnny Carson and Orson Welles were members and good magicians, Larsen said, as are actors Nicolas Cage and Jason Alexander.

"Magic is merely a prop for an entertainer," Larsen said