 He was a good friend to many notables in the magic community including Harry Houdini, Francis Martinka and Tony Slydini.He maintained a lifelong friendship with author of "The Shadow", Walter B. Gibson, who guest wrote or cowrote a number of books for Dunninger on magic, psychic phenomena and spiritualism.In 1937, Max Holden considered "Dunninger the foremost magician and showman of the present day".