Vernon, Dai (David Frederck Wingfield Verner), 1894-1992, often called the Dean of American Magicians (actually he was Canadian). He was known as the Man Who Fooled Houdini. You can read about the incident on a number of sites. It's good to see many versions of the linking rings -- we all put our own "twist" on it, and after years of performance, it becomes uniquely our own.