[3][4] Although Aldo did not initially want to become a professional magician, he felt pressured to continue the family tradition; thus, in the 1940s, he adopted the name Richiardi Jr., and began a career in magic.
[2] He made his name with a series of stage shows featuring versions of established illusions such as sawing through a woman.
What made his shows distinctive was that he used fake blood and other techniques to give the impression that he really was cutting or maiming his assistants.
In 1949, Time magazine noted that these shock tactics had made his act one of the top earning stage shows in New York.
[2] Jamy Ian Swiss wrote that, "[w]ithout doubt, the greatest illusionist I’ve ever seen was Richiardi, Jr".