Mum, 01 2014 PDF

JANUARY 2014
HOFZINSER
Page 36
JANUARY 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 3
MAGIC - UNITY - MIGHT
Editor
Michael Close
Editor Emeritus
David Goodsell
Associate Editor
W.S. Duncan
Proofreader & Copy Editor
Lindsay Smith
Art Director
Lisa Close
Publisher
Society of American Magicians,
6838 N. Alpine Dr.
Parker, CO 80134
Copyright 2012
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4 M-U-M Magazine - JANUARY 2014
JANUARY 2014
M-U-M (ISSN 00475300 USPS 323580) is published monthly for $40 per year by The Society of American Magicians,
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Volume 103 Number 8
THIS MONTHS FEATURES
24 Nielsen Gallery by Tom Ewing
26 Hit the Road by Scott Alexander
28 Building a Show by Larry Hass
30 For Your Consideration by George Parker
32 Mental Breakdown by Christian Painter
34 Not Just Kid Stuff Jim Kleefeld
36 COVER STORY by Magic Christian
44 The High Road by Mick Ayres
46 El Roberto Enigmatico by R.D. Michaels
50 Ebook Nook: The Charlatan's Handbook
54 The Dotted Line by Don Theo III
56 Cheats and Deceptions Antonio M. Cabral
58 Informed Opinion New Product Reviews
66 Paranormal Happenings by Charles Siebert, MD
67 Tech Tricks Bruce Kalver
68 Salon de Magie by Ken Klosterman
70 The Deans Diary by George Schindler
MAGAZINE
M-U-M
COVER STORY
PAGE 36
24
S.A.M. NEWS
6 From the Editors Desk
8 From the Presidents Desk
11 M-U-M Assembly News
20 Good Cheer List
21 New Members & Reinstatements
22 Broken Wands
23 S.A.M. Spotlight
27 Newsworthy
69 Our Advertisers
34
70
27
68
Editors Desk
In 1998, Magic Christian released the frst of two volumes
chronicling the life and magic of the nineteenth-century conjurer
Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser. (The second volume was published
in 2004.) Written in German and titled Non Plus Ultra, these
books, in the words of Hermetic Press publisher Stephen Minch,
flled in huge amounts of information about Hofzinser and his
card magic, exploding myths, correcting misinformation, and
presenting everything currently known about his life, sleights,
tricks, and presentations. It has taken nine years for these books
to be translated and released in English, and they are magnifcent.
The design of the books emulates the German editions, and new
material uncovered by Magic Christian has been incorporated.
Reviews of the individual volumes by Payne and Tony Cabral
can be found in this months Informed Opinion column. Both are
enthusiastically positive, and they will give you an overview of
the contents of Non Plus Ultra. In addition, our cover story this
month consists of four excerpts from the two volumes: Magic
Christians introduction for magicians, an article on Hofzinsers
youth, one on the third of his magic salons, and an explanation of
one of his most famous card sleights, the Hofzinser Top Change.
These books were published in a limited edition, so dont wait to
get yours. At the time of this writing, a fve-payment installment
plan was available from the publishers.
This month marks the end of Larry Hasss Building a Show
column, which offered an analysis of the shows of some of
todays top performers. Larry has been a long-time supporter of
the S.A.M., and on behalf of the entire organization, I thank him
for his contributions to the magazine.
As is usually the case, January marks the debut of some new
columns in M-U-M, and there are fve of them to kick off your
new year. Youll be familiar with at least three of the people
joining our monthly contributors, because they have previously
written for the magazine: product reviewers Jim Kleefeld and
Antonio M. Cabral, and Scott Alexander, author of the On the
Shoulders of Giants column.
Jim Kleefeld majored in theater in college, earning a B.A. in
Theatrical Arts; he performed at the Eldred Theater and the Lake
Erie Opera Theater. He immediately added a Masters Degree in
Early Childhood Education and became an elementary teacher.
His expertise in education led him quickly into a supervisory
role with the Cleveland Public Schools, where he spent many
years presenting workshops and guiding other teachers. He is
currently a highly respected school assembly performer and he
continues to perform educational programs regularly at schools
and libraries. He travels in and around Ohio, presenting hundreds
of shows a year.
Besides performing, Jim has contributed hundreds of articles
to almost all of the major trade magazines in the magic feld;
he has also authored twenty-four books on magic and perform-
ing. His new column, Not Just Kids Stuff, will be of interest to
anyone who wants to entertain an audience with magic, whether
or not its an audience of young people.
Antonio M. Cabral is a card expert, performer, writer, and
lecturer from Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Brown Uni-
versity, where he was able to devour the books in the H. Adrian
Smith Collection of Conjuring and Magicana. Hes subsequently
been a student and practitioner of the art of close-up card magic
for the past ffteen years. His DVD set, The Usual Suspect, is
available from The Magic Warehouse. Tonys column, Cheats &
Deceptions, will give the intermediate card handler some fresh
material to explore. Tonys column this month offers a blackjack-
themed presentation for one of Eddie Fechters classic effects. In
addition, Tonys handling eliminates a very touchy moment in
many versions of this trick: the need to perform a multiple top
palm a move that Ive seen performed badly, even by advanced
practitioners.
Scott Alexander is back with a new column that will be of
interest if you ever plan on taking your act on the road. The
advice from Scott and his collaborators will save you time,
money, headaches, and heartbreaks.
As a magician and actor, Don Theo III has been entertaining
audiences on stage, flm, television, and radio for the past twenty
years. In addition to performing, Don also trains salespeople in
the hospitality industry. He has written two ebooks and his con-
tributions have been included in a number of other publications
both electronic and physical. Don makes his home in Orlando,
Florida. His column, The Dotted Line, discusses ways in which
the techniques of sales can be applied to magic performance.
George Parker is an internationally successful corporate
speaker, storyteller/comedian, and stand-up illusionist who
makes his home in The Netherlands. Georges performing and
teaching is grounded in his lifelong studies of theories of change
in such felds as biology, psychology, physics, hermetic philos-
ophy, and organizational management. His performances have
taken him around the world. George is the creator of INDEX-
terity, a revolutionary and critically acclaimed approach to the
venerable billet index. He is also on the faculty of Jeff McBrides
Magic & Mystery School. In his column, For Your Consider-
ation, George will offer thought-provoking magic theory ideas
and practical real-world effects to add to your repertoires.
Welcome to all our new columnists, and my thanks for joining
the M-U-M team. I look forward to your contributions.
I am sad to report that Margy Riser, wife of long-time M-U-M
columnist Harry Riser, died December 4, 2013; the news of her
passing left a big hole in my heart. From the frst day I showed up
on the Risers front porch, way back in the early 1970s, Margy
always was a gracious hostess, a charming conversationalist,
and a willing subject for both magic tricks and jokes. This warm
affection was her trademark, as Johnny Thompson, John Railing,
and the many other magicians who visited the Riser home will
attest. You can read more about her in the cover story I wrote
about Harry in the March 2006 issue of M-U-M. Aloha, Margy.
You will be greatly missed.
Michael Close
Harry doing Quarters Through Hand with Margy
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Dal Sanders
Presidents Desk
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Its the time of year when everyone makes resolutions and
plans to improve their lives. I think its also a great time to make
plans to improve our local assemblies. We need to start by doing
an honest assessment of where we are. Is your assembly in a rut
or is it thriving? Is it growing or is it losing members? Are you at-
tracting new members? Are you retaining and engaging existing
members? If not, I have a few ideas that can make your monthly
assembly meetings vital and most of all, fun.
We need to begin by remembering why we are there in the
frst place. The objective of The Society of American Magicians
is to elevate and advance the art of magic. Obviously, that
should also be the objective of your local assembly. In other
words, we are there to become better magicians. Thanks to the
Internet, video, and other media there are more magicians now
than there ever have been before. More people are developing an
interest in our art and are developing serious skills. Unlike past
decades, they are not developing those skills in our assemblies. I
believe this is because these new magicians are not getting what
they need to improve from the local magic clubs, and when they
do visit, theyre not having fun. Unfortunately, they arent getting
everything they need from the Internet, either. Magic is an inter-
active art and it is very diffcult to interact with a video screen.
We need to make a positive change in our magic clubs. First,
make an honest effort to welcome new magicians who visit the
assembly. I have visited magic clubs where everyone was so busy
chatting with each other that no one took the time to introduce
themselves to me. I did not feel welcome and I did not return,
so please pay close attention to the new magicians who come
to visit. They feel like they are not a part of the group and they
are there in hopes that they might ft in. Do whatever it takes
to make them feel welcome. Of course, it is also important to
support established members and make them feel appreciated, so
we should also make sure that our older members are included in
the conversations.
Make a plan to be successful. The frst part of that plan
requires us to have passion for our art. We need to be enthusi-
astic about our assembly, the national organization, and about
magic in general. Enthusiasm is contagious; it will make a good
impression on visitors and potential new members. Enthusiasm
and passion for our art will engage and retain our established
members. One of the best ways to encourage enthusiasm is by
sharing our knowledge with each other. I realize that this concept
is going to upset some of our readers. The sheer audacity of
older, established magicians having to share their hard earned
knowledge with younger magicians is outrageous. I can almost
hear the grumbling already: Why should I teach these kids
what I know? They havent earned the right or paid their dues
(virtual dues, not actual club dues). I learned the hard way, and
they should too.
If the truth were known, those established club members were
taught by their predecessors. Someone in a magic club before
them or in a magic shop somewhere took them under their wings
and trained them. I believe that it now falls to us; we should
teach those new people. In fact, we should take those people
and mentor them, too. That will make them better magicians,
more enthusiastic, and more respectful of our art. The payoff for
us will be that we will also become more enthusiastic and our
local assembly meetings will become more interesting. Watching
novices develop new skills and learn to create interesting plots
and routines will invigorate the local club and bring the members
together. As you are mentoring those new members, please do
your best to keep the criticism and drama to a minimum. Most
people dont want to be part of a group that is flled with nega-
tivity. Remember, there are ways to disagree without being dis-
agreeable. There are ways to criticize without being demeaning.
Dont be afraid that you are creating your own competition.
More qualifed magicians with better skills will grow the audience
for magic. Good magicians in a market will keep magic top of
mind with potential buyers. However, inept magicians who have
not been mentored can very easily kill a laymans interest in the
art. Remember, magic does not need be competitive. Instead, it
should be collaborative.
As people develop and grow as magicians, fnd ways to
recognize them within the club. This could be with certifcates of
appreciation, special plaques and awards, and even special gifts to
outgoing offcers or those who have achieved special status in the
world of magic. Another way to recognize members is to award
them a spot on a local assembly community show. Of course,
they wouldnt automatically get a spot on the program; they could
work up to it. The frst year they might usher the show and the
next work back stage until they fnally progress to a performer
status. Try to avoid using the same people over and over. Give all
assembly members a chance to participate. The more established
acts will understand the need to develop younger talent and may
relish a different role, like director or producer.
As we recognize the achievements of our members, it is
important to remember that everyone will be at different skill
levels. The mastering of a Professors Nightmare routine by a
novice may be as much of a milestone for him as Chicago Opener
by one who has been performing magic for years. The recogni-
tion of this is important or else the club can become divided and
drive assembly members away.
Finally, it is imperative that internal magic club politics be
avoided. Most magicians have strong egos; anytime we start rec-
ognizing or even awarding some of the members of our orga-
nization, politics are likely to become involved. The strife that
occurs when strong personalities collide can tear an assembly
apart. If you have well planned objectives with well defned
awards (that everyone understands), you can avoid divisiveness.
A board of directors or executive committee that is voted on by
the members of the club can be instrumental in making those
plans. The committee works better the more democratic it is. If
the club members dont like the job the committee is doing, they
can vote for new people when the term is completed.
So in summary, maintaining enthusiasm and pride in the
local magic club, creating a group identity by working together
towards a goal, encouraging participation and mentoring all
members regardless of their skill level, and showing proper ap-
preciation for their efforts can revitalize your club. The various
members of the organization will have more fun and most likely,
your magic club will grow. Your assembly will be elevating and
advancing the art of magic.
As always, this is just my opinionI could be wrong.
S.A.M. National Offcers
Dean: George Schindler, 1735 East 26th St.,
Brooklyn, NY 11229, (718) 336-0605, Fax (718)
627-1397, showbiz10@aol.com
President: Dal Sanders, 3316 Northaven Rd,
Dallas, TX 75229 (214) 902-9200,
Dal@MagicSam.com
President Elect: Kenrick ICE McDonald, P.O.
Box 341034, Los Angeles, CA 90034,
(310) 559-8968, ICE@MagicSam.com
First Vice President: David Bowers,
(717) 414-7574, David@MagicSam.com
Second Vice President: Jeffrey Sikora, (402)
339-6726 Jeff@MagicSam.com
Secretary: Marlene Clark, 274 Church Street,
#6B, Guilford, CT 06437, (203) 689-5730,
Skype: marlene.clark, Marlene@MagicSam.com
Treasurer: Eric Lampert, (215) 939-5555,
Eric@MagicSam.com
Regional Vice Presidents
New England: CT MA RI NH ME VT
Joseph Caulfeld (603) 654-6022,
rvpnewengland@MagicSam.com
North Atlantic: NY NJ
Eric DeCamps, (718) 896-5861,
rvpnorthatlantic@MagicSam.com
Mid Atlantic: PA DE MD VAWV DC
Phil Milstead, (703) 481-5271,
rvpmidatlantic@MagicSam.com
South Atlantic: FL AL GA MS NC SC
Debbie Leifer (404) 630-1120
rvpsouthatlantic@MagicSam.com
Central Plains: KY TN OH IN MI
Steven A. Spence, (317) 722-0429
rvpcentralplains@MagicSam.com
Midwest: IL MN WI MO ND NE KS SD IA
Shaun Rivera, (618) 781-8621
rvpmidwest@MagicSam.com
South Central States: TX AR OK NM LA
Michael Tallon, (210) 341-6959
rvpsouthcentral@MagicSam.com
Southwest: CA AZ NV HI
Ron Ishimaru, (808) 428-6019,
rvpsouthwest@MagicSam.com
Northwest: WA OR UT ID CO AK WY MT
James Russell, (360) 682-6648
rvpnorthwest@MagicSam.com
Canada: Rod Chow (604) 669-7777
rvpcanada@MagicSam.com
Society of Young Magicians Director:
Jann Wherry Goodsell, 329 West 1750 North,
Orem, Utah 84057 (801) 376-0353.
bravesjann@comcast.net
Living Past
National Presidents
Bradley M. Jacobs, Richard L. Gustafson, Roy A.
Snyder, Bruce W. Fletcher, James E.
Zachary, David R. Goodsell, Fr. Cyprian Murray,
Michael D. Douglass, George Schindler, Dan
Rodriguez, Dan Garrett, Donald F. Oltz Jr., Craig
Dickson, Loren C. Lind, Gary D. Hughes, Harry
Monti, Jann Wherry Goodsell, Warren J. Kaps,
Ed Thomas, Jay Gorham, John Apperson, Richard
M. Dooley, Andy Dallas, Maria Ibez, Bruce
Kalver, Mike Miller, Mark Weidhaas, Vinny
Grosso, J. Christopher Bontjes
ASSEMBLY NEWS
JANUARY 2014 Volume 103, Number 8
Society of American Magicians Monthly News
GO TO:
WWW.MUM-MAGAZINE.COM
and use the easy submission form to fle your report
1
MAYOR BLOOMBERG
PRAISES PA 1
NEW YORK, NY In November,
magician Andrew Gressett again
visited The Magic Table from the
Big Easy. We all talked magic and
about his journey to bury his friend
David Bendix. Saving Bendix from
a paupers grave in New Orleans,
Gressett, with the help of his wife
and others, honored him and laid
him to rest with his fellow magicians
in the Lakeside Cemetery in Colon,
MI. A great story of one mans
action to honor a fellow compeer.
Max Droge was there as well,
sharing magic, as well as Richard
Bossong and Rene Clement. Jerry
Oppenheimer and Lee were also at
the Table this month, which meets
at the Edison Caf on 47th Street
in Times Square. We start around
12:30 sharing magic.
Our monthly meeting occurred
on November 1. The business
meeting was called at 7:15 by PA 1
President Throwdini. The meeting
went well and went right to the af-
ter-meeting event at 8 p.m. We had
a great lecturer, Chris Capehart.
He lectured about how a Master
Magician works to the delight of
the crowd. He stayed for an extra
hour after his lecture answering
questions and teaching some of his
effects in greater detail.
Later in the month Kozmo
lectured. It was great to see pros
like Silly Billy and Mark Mitton at
the lecture. Kozmo explained the
real conditions performing on the
streets with added funny anecdotes
and told how to build and hold a
crowd. With over 30 PA 1 members
at the lecture he held a good crowd
that night.
On Friday evening November
15 Doug Edwards presented a
wonderful Workshop at the Gemini
Dinner. The topic of the workshop
was Gimmicks, Gadgets, and
Gaffs. He performed several
effects with the apparatus and then
taught. His workshops are terrifc.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised
the Parent Assembly in a procla-
mation for Magic Week, October
25 to 31. It was up on the S.A.M.
website to be read. Many members
of the Parent Assembly gathered
at the Houdini gravesite to do the
annual Broken Wand Ceremony in
Queens. Rabbi Noach Valley read
a prayer, Dean George Schindler
read the words of the Broken Wand
Ceremony, and PA 1 President
Throwdini broke the wand. It was
well attended. There were several
shows, but the one in Chinatown
in Manhattan with Paul Hsiao and
Rene Clement was the biggest. It
was a great month. Tom Klem
The Parent Assembly meetings are
on the frst Friday of the month at
Mount Sinai on Madison Avenue
in Manhattan Contact tom Klem
sampa1nyc@gmail.com (212)
725-5258 www.sampa1.com for
more details.
2
MUSE OF MIRTH
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Mages and their guests gathered
for the November meeting paying
homage to the Muse of Mirth. The
nights theme centered on routines
that were much less than serious
masterpieces of magic but rather
were droll displays of wit ftting for
the autumn season. Corky LaVallee
opened the evenings performances
with two penetrations effects and
fnished with the Gypsy Curse, a
four-card Monte routine. For the
frst effect, Corky pushed a feather
through a quarter, piercing the
eagles breast. Then he caused a
ring to go through a selected card,
vanish, and be discovered in the
card box. With the Gypsy Curse,
Corky humorously explained his
aversion to gambling.
Rob Shapiro presented balloon
mentalism. Channeling his psychic
power, he predicted the balloon
which was not chosen from four
different colored balloons displayed
in a wood stand. Tamaka playfully
demonstrated Karrell Foxs rope
through body, an amusing effect
that has numerous variations.
Inspired by Tamakas spectacle,
Rob grabbed one of his balloons and
pulled it through different sections
of his body.
John Caris, with the able assis-
tance of Rob and Corky, revealed a
mystery hidden within an ESP deck
by staging Howard Adams Celeb-
rithree. Mary Caris and Hippo Lau
enjoyed the nights magical delights
and did their part in the cookie-
vanishing routine. The lesson we
learned at tonights meeting is that
the mages presentation is the most
important ingredient of the magical
arts. John Caris
Golden Gate Assembly 2 will
meet the second Wednesday of
January 2014, the 8th, at 7:30 p.m.
at Community Room of Taraval
Police Station, 2345 24th Avenue,
San Francisco, CA. Contact Tamaka
Tamaka3715@aol.com (415)
531-9332 https://www.facebook.
com/groups/249018441875771/ for
more details.
4
NATIONAL MAGIC WEEK
& STAGE CONTEST
PHILADELPHIA, PA Our
November meeting began with
a brief business meeting during
which we publicly thanked Michael
Bonacci for once again success-
fully spearheading Assembly 4s
community outreach efforts during
National Magic Week. We then rec-
ognized the unprecedented number
of members who gave of their time
and talent to enchant audiences
at Shriners Hospital, Ronald
McDonald House, Sacred Heart
Home, Jefferson Hospital, Silver
Springs Martin Luther School,
and Veterans Hospital of Philadel-
phia during National Magic Week:
Al Angelo, Anthony Antonelly,
Steve Black, Michael Bonacci, Ed
Cohen, Martin Dembitzer, Morton
Feldman, Bobbie Festa, Joe Festa,
Jim Fiorentino, Donna Horn, Larry
Horn, Eric Johnson, Bill McElven-
ney, Sue McElvenney, Rob Malissa,
James MacElroy, Rich Pressel,
Stuart Rudnick, Ed Schmitt, David
Sharlin, Andrew Stillwell, and
Reba Strong. Many thanks to these
wonderful performers, some of
whom performed at more than one
venue, for a job well done.
After the business meeting, we
were treated to a mini-lecture by
Jeff Carson on How to Enhance
Your Performance as well as a
mini-lecture by Eric Johnson on
Card Effects Utilizing Sleights.
Both presentations were excep-
tional. Following the mini-lectures,
we held our annual stage contest,
which featured four very strong
performances. Tom Ewing started
things off with a very funny routine
comprised of comical Irish toasts
while repeatedly flling his own
whiskey glass and that of a spectator
from the same small fask that
appeared to have a never-ending
supply of spirits. After Tom, Bill
and Sue McElvenney executed a
miraculous double cut and restored
tie effect to the astonishment of
everyone. Next, contest winner
Ralph Armstrong performed a
beautiful silk act set to music during
which plain white silks passed
through an empty tube, changed
color, and then transformed into a
lovely multi-color silk. Finally, Joe
Festa enlisted the aid of audience
member Charles Murter to execute
an unbelievable card prediction
effect. All in all, it was a great
contest. As has become our custom,
a fairly large group went to our
favorite local diner following the
meeting where the fun continued.
Peter Cuddihy
James Wobensmith
Assembly 4 meets third
Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the
Bustleton Memorial Post,
810 (American Legion) 9151
Old Newtown Road Contact
Information: www.sam4.org/ for
more details.
NYC Magic Week
Proclamation
Assembly News
6
CARDS, COINS, AND
RINGS...OH, MY!
BALTIMORE, MD Despite
cold weather and early sundown
we had a large turnout for our
November meeting. Even before
the meeting began, Dean Joe
Bruno demonstrated his improved
Oil-and-Water and Follow-the-
Leader card effects, and then gen-
erously tipped them.
Howard Katz, whose Magic
Warehouse provides our meeting
place, kicked things off with
a sealed card prediction, the
cards lined up in wood stands.
The selected/predicted card
was the Four of Clubs, which
prompted Howie Schwarzman
to regale us with how the Four
of Clubs became (at age sixteen)
his card. Joe Bruno was next
onstage, performing some effects
he hasnt done since the early
80s. First was a card assembly
inspired by (and improving on)
Al Goshmans Meeting at the
Summit. He followed with his
improved version of Collins Aces,
which looked simply miraculous.
He tipped both. Oneil Banks was
next with some amazing ring and
shoelace magic using, allegedly,
Denny Haneys famous checkered
shoelaces. Does Denny know they
are missing? Mike Schirmer had a
card selected by a spectator who
was holding a facedown photo-
graph of the magi skydiving. Upon
turning the photo over it showed
the magi in mid-descent actually
holding the chosen card. Well,
almost! Gotta get those glasses
checked, Mike; you were off by
one Heart.
Eric Hoffman, still celebrating
Halloween in November, had a
card selected, shuffed back into
the deck, and the deck wrapped
in a silk. Mysteriously, the chosen
card rose up from within the silk
(Daryls version of J. C. Wagners
Spectral Silk). Craig Feinstein
performed a whole routine of
sponge ball magic and then dem-
onstrated David Roths Retention
Vanish and took a shot at Roths
famous Hanging Coins. Joe
Harsanyi continued the coin magic
with some mighty impressive
sleights followed by predicting
the contents of an entire handful
of selected cards. Jay Silverman
had a spectator divide a deck into
four packets; he then shuffed
them together. He then quickly
memorized the entire face-up
spread and had the spectator move
the chosen card to a new position
while Jays back was turned. A
quick glance at the spread and he
instantly found the selected card.
Jeff Eline wrapped things up by
using the Queen of Hearts (the
Queen is my helper), merely
peeping her eyes out of the deck,
to fnd selected cards under three
ever more diffcult conditions.
Another fne evening jam-packed
with magic! Eric Hoffman
The Kellar/Thurston Assembly
6 meets every frst Thursday at
8:00 pm at the Magic Warehouse,
11419 Cronridge Drive suite #10
in Owings Mills, Maryland. 410-
561-0777. Contact Andy London
alondon@comcast.net www.
baltimoresam.com for more
details.
7
MEMORIES OF WARREN
MATTES
OMAHA, NE On November
18 the Omaha Magical Society
attended a brief presentation
by Carmen Mattes, widow of
Warren Mattes, a magician known
throughout the community for
performing for his family and
perhaps infrequent stage shows.
Warren had left a legacy of magic
paraphernalia collected over the
many years while he was perform-
ing, and Carmen saw an opportu-
nity to enrich the community by
leaving his tools of the trade
with a group of people who could
continue in Warrens footsteps
by entertaining those who would
allow his magic to enter their
lives. Under the direction of Past
President Larry Brodahl, a special
sale was arranged for this night:
over 1,500 individual items com-
prising effects, books, and col-
lectibles. There were card tricks,
coins, and many items that defed
categorizing. The organization
was impeccable; the attendees
were rather well-behaved; and the
sale called a success. There are
items left over for future plans. If
one was missing a link he might
fnd it here, or pick up an item for
which he had no current use, but
looked like something that could
be part of something bigger.
This was a magical evening and
infated our treasury nicely. Im
looking forward to expanding my
capabilities. Larry identifed the
items where possible, checked to
see if the package was complete,
and then scavenged the Internet to
see what might be considered a fair
price and lead to a purchase. Last
but not least, he arranged the sales
room for easy shopping. Thanks
to Larry and all of the folks sup-
porting this endeavor. Thanks
(obrigado!) to Carmen Mattes for
thinking of us as the benefciaries
of these treasures! (The shopping
lasted about three hours.)
Several members from our
recently organized S.Y.M. group
also had the privilege of picking up
early Christmas gifts and could be
seen smiling as they carried their
new-found projects. Maybe well
see some of them in action at our
next event: our annual Christmas
party. Jerry Golmanavich
The Omaha Magical Society
meets generally on the third
Monday of each month at the
Southwest Church of Christ near
124th Street and West Center
Road, right across from where
Hooters used to be. Contact Jerry
Golmanavich (402) 390-9834
www.omahamagicalsociety.com
for more details.
8
WAY TO GO, HARRY MONTI!
ST. LOUIS, MO Randy Kalin
taught a classic 16-cell Magic
Square force for one of a long
list of prizes. Robert Campbell
performed a comical mentalism
effect that was truly amazing.
Paul Rygelski performed a classic
mental effect that he got from
Bob Starks. PNP John Apperson
showed Sandy Weis how to pass
one solid object through another.
John also treated us to one of his
many color-changing knives. Dan
Todd performed Cue the Magic by
Angelo Carbone, assisted by Ron
Jackson and Rodger Linden.
We are all very proud of PNP
Harry Monti for being invited to
perform at the Magic Castle for
his fftieth consecutive year! Way
to go Harry! Dan Todd
Assembly 8 meets at Mount
Tabor United Church of Christ
at 6520 Arsenal in Saint Louis,
MO 63139 Contact Dick Blowers
rmblowers@aol.com (213)
846-8468 http://Assembly8.com
for more details.
13
MAGIC FLEA MARKET
DALLAS, TX The November
meeting of the Dallas Magic Clubs
featured a magic fea market that
took over Theater 166 in Carroll-
ton, Texas. The market featured
new and gently used magical
wares from the members of the
club, and was a perfect opportuni-
ty to both clean house and acquire
some new stocking-stuffers before
the holidays. After browsing and
shopping for a while, the members
eventually settled down for the
meeting.
President Derrel Allen welcomed
everyone to the meeting; visitors
for the night included Mark
Wade. Vice-president Frank
Seltzer discussed a beneft for
Muscular Dystrophy occurring
in December. He then announced
the newest member of the club,
and newest local member of The
Society of American Magicians,
Caleb Walsteed. Caleb was
presented his certifcate and pin
by none other than the President of
the S.A.M., Dal Sanders.
Mica Calfee performed an effect
with a Chinese paper balloon.
After blowing up the balloon he
showed that, if treated just right,
the balloon would appear to foat
in mid air.
Ian Richards was assisted
by Diamond Jim Tyler with a
trick involving three handker-
chiefs (two white and one red)
that Ian had received in the mail
through the subscription service
NetTrix. Jim was asked to place
the two white handkerchiefs in
the NetTrix envelope, and Ian was
supposed to load the red one into
a magical tube. Unfortunately,
the tube was not supplied. Ian
improvised by folding the instruc-
tion sheet into a tube, placing the
red handkerchief inside. When
he unfolded the instructions to
continue reading, he discov-
ered that the handkerchief had
vanished! Jim then reached into
the NetTrix envelope, showing
that somehow the red handker-
chief was now frmly tied between
President Bob Gehringer with
Carmen Mattes and Secretary
Jerry Golmanavich
Harry Monti
New S.A.M. member Caleb
Walsteed with Dal Sanders
Assembly News
the two white ones! Following the
performance, Ian and the club de-
constructed the trick and looked
for areas of strength and improve-
ment. Overall, everyone agreed it
was a great piece.
The month of November also
included a lecture by Eugene
Burger, focusing on failure in
magic why it happens, and what
to do when it does. Finally, the
December meeting will be the
annual holiday party, hosted by
Dal and Cinde Sanders.
The Dallas Magic Clubs meet at
Crosspointe Community Center
(Theater 166) in Carrollton, Texas
the third Tuesday of the month.
Go to www.dallasmagic.org for
directions. Contact Reade Quinton
reade.quinton@gmail.com (972)
4000195 www.dallasmagic.org for
more details.
17
LAID BACK NOVEMBER
SPRINGFIELD, MA Our
November meeting was a quiet
one in terms of performers. We
had a brief business meeting, ate
some pizza, and enjoyed two per-
formances before simply breaking
off and chatting.
We discussed the recent trip
to Fantasma Magic in NYC that
some of our members took, which
sounds like it was amazing! A big
thank you to the folks at Fantasma
for welcoming us to their shop!
Also, we talked about the comedy
magic show put on by our very
own Bob Carroll, Pj Pinsonnault,
and Rich Gilbert. Most of our
members went to the show to show
their support, which is always ap-
preciated. A very fun night both
from the stage and from the seats!
We had two guests in the magic
shop, Verne and Pat Towle, who
were offering some of their magic
for sale as they scale back their
performing schedule. Thank you
both for coming and for letting us
all stab Bob Carroll in the head!
Our frst performer, Tom Gentile,
created some shock and awe by
forgoing any and all silks and
doing a card trick! This was a
big moment, one of those where
were you when? moments. A
moment the members couldnt
wait to run home and tell their
wives, children, grandchildren,
and pets about! Tom Gentile.
Performing a card trick. Mind.
Blown.
Tom performed Jerry Somer-
dins Perfect Monte, a Three Card
Monte routine in which the money
card (a red Queen) also had an
odd-colored back, making it very
easy to follow. However, when
the odd-backed card was chosen,
the Queen was shown to now be
a Joker. The Queen was found
tucked away in an envelope Tom
had set on the table earlier. Nicely
done, Tom!
Rich Pinsonnault was next with
a four-Ace production by Herb
Zarrow that is a card-mans fooler.
Four helpers told Rich where
to cut the deck, and the cards
above the cut were turned over
to mark the cut. Rich would then
place the cut-to card down, and
all four were shown to be Aces.
Very clean, concise card magic.
PJ Pinsonnault
Assembly 17 meets the frst Friday
of the month at Pinsonnaults
Moto - X and Magic Shop, 69
East Street, Ludlow, MA. 01056.
Meetings start at 7:00 pm. Contact
Rich Gilbert rgilbertmagic@
yahoo.com (413) 2105725 www.
assembly17.org for more details.
19
HOUSTON PREPARES FOR
THE HOLIDAYS WITH
MAGIC
HOUSTON, TX Its
November, and the magic of the
holidays is right around the corner.
Scott Hollingsworth continued
with his fnal installment in his
series of lectures on restaurant
magic. Scott has many years of
great experience as a restaurant
performer and his expertise in
this area was shared with all of us.
Thanks, Scott, for sharing a part
of your magic!
Scott Wells had several cards
freely chosen by members of the
club. Five of the six cards were
then revealed in a variety of ways
after being returned to the deck,
with the sixth card plucked from
Scotts mouth.
Johan McElroy shared a nice box
penetration effect whereby a solid
die is caused to pass through a
metal plate placed in the center of
a wooden tube. Marti Stein folded
a newspaper and then proceeded
to cut out sections with a pair of
scissors. When the newspaper was
unfolded we were greeted with a
Happy Hanukkah fgure cut into
the paper.
Gene Protas used three large
coins to do some handy manipu-
lations. A half dollar, a rickshaw
token, and a Pakistani coin moved
about from hand to hand to pocket
in a most intriguing manner. Kyle
Ryan shared some effects with a
shoelace and some knots. He then
added a ring and performed some
very nice ring and rope moves in a
most entertaining manner.
David Rangel had a chosen cards
back change from blue to red, and
then proceeded to change the
entire deck to red-backed cards.
A thumbprint placed onto one of
the cards was carefully examined
with a hilarious pair of glasses,
and fnally located. The backs
of the cards then changed colors
again with a nice rainbow effect
ending.
Chris Alonzo had any four of a
kind chosen, which happened to
be Eights. Jerry Paul then chose
a card that was used in the effect.
Jerrys Queen of Diamonds was
shown to jump around from packet
to pocket time and again, even
when the effect was explained to
us. For a nice fnale the four Eights
ended up in Chris pocket, leaving
him holding Jerrys card.
Shane Wilson had a quarter signed
and then proceeded to tear open a
previously examined sugar packet.
Inside was seen the signed quarter.
Everyone at the meeting had a
great time in both sharing and
watching the magic presented.
Thanks to all who participated
during our November meeting.
Miles Root
Assembly 19 meets the frst
Monday of every month at the
IATSE Local 51 Meeting Hall,
3030 North Freeway, Houston,
TX. A teaching lecture begins
at 7:30 pm with the meeting
beginning at 8:00 pm. Contact
Miles Root milesroot@aol.com
(281) 334-7508 houstonmagic.com
for more details.
21
TEACH-A-TRICK
HARTFORD, CT Our
theme captain for the night, Henry
Andrzejczyk, asked us to teach
everybody a trick. Dan Sclare
distributed rubber bands and
did a variation of Crazy Mans
Handcuffs to release a fnger ring
from the band. Steve Wronker
showed us the silks used in his
new marketed effect Reindeer
Roundup.
Bob Killian told a tale of
shopping and the perils of buyers
remorse. He had Dana Ring up to
select a card and let him know that
even if he suffered from remorse,
and could and did change his mind
often, his choice was ordained.
His fnal choice did, in fact, match
Bobs prediction.
Dave Garrity showed us a col-
lection of cue-cards, each with a
different word. Walt Umberfeld
chose one and Dave proved he had
predicted that choice. A nice math-
ematical fake-out. Brian Scully
had Steve choose a card suit, and
then Brian showed that his packet
of four cards was blank except for
Steves choice. Brian could have
shown that the choice was the only
card face up, the only card with a
blue back, or the only card with a
face at all.
Soll Levine shuffed a deck and
offered Henry a choice. It matched
a bookmark in a book in a bag. He
then explained several simple card
forces. Dana T. Ring
Assembly 21 meets at Angelos
on Main, 289 South Main Street
West Hartford Connecticut on the
second Monday except December
Contact Dana T. Ring dana@
danarign.com (860) 523-9888
www.ctmagic.org for more details.
22
WOODY PITTMAN LECTURE
LOS ANGELES, CA The
November meeting of the Southern
California Assembly 22 featured a
most enjoyable lecture by Woody
Pittman. A frequent Magic Castle
performer, Woody Pittman has
had a long career as a cruise ship
magician and as a headliner at
major comedy clubs. Mention-
ing some of his current physical
limitations due to a serious health
situation, Woody spent the next
two-and-a-half hours giving a
very entertaining and informa-
tive lecture to an especially large
gathering of members and guests.
All of the material presented
and then fully explained came
from his performing repertoire
and, as Woody told us, all of it is
available at a well-stocked magic
shop. Most of his magic would be
classifed as standard apparatus,
some of it classic. The Anderson
Torn & Restored Newspaper, the
Mutilated Parasol, the Mis-made
Flag, Peanut Butter & Jelly,
Twentieth Century Silks, and the
Chinese Sticks are but a few of the
items presented. The unique per-
formance style and personality of
Woody Pittman and his particu-
lar twist on each trick, however,
made for a very entertaining
show. Woody told us that despite
the fact that magicians recognize
these tricks as standard stuff,
lay audiences likely have never
seen these tricks before. To dem-
onstrate his skill with a deck of
cards, Woody did a manipulative
routine producing a steady stream
of card fans.
His lecture demonstrated the fact
that the standards and classics of
magic can be extremely enter-
taining for an audience. Its all in
the presentation. More than a few
of our group of magicians were
fooled by some of the old magic
Steves fnale
Assembly News
they had never witnessed before.
A great lecture by a profes-
sional performer and a very nice
person. The Southern California
Assembly has Woody Pittman
in our thoughts and wishes
for his return to good health.
Steven L. Jennings
Southern California Assembly
22 meets the third Monday each
month at 8:00 pm, St. Thomas
More Parish Hall, 2510 South
Fremont Avenue, Alhambra,
California Contact Ed Thomas
magicmred@earthlink.net (213)
382 8504 for more details.
24
A FALL OF
LECTURES
LATHAM, NY This fall has
brought a cavalcade of lectures to
educate and inspire our members.
First up, in August, was Dan
Garrett, who brought a full
evening of professional, commer-
cial routines. October brought the
elegant, visual magic of Jay Scott
Berry, presenting a greatest hits
lecture of his beautiful material.
November was all about street
magic with Michael Bradshaw.
December will be our annual
Holiday party! Cory Haines
Assembly 24 meet at the S.W.
Pitts Hose Company, 226 Old
Loudon Road, Latham, New
York, 12110. Meetings are at 7:30
p.m. on the second Tuesday of
the month. Contact Joseph Goode
joe@magicmelvin.com for more
details.
31
THE GIFT
OF MAGIC
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Assembly 31 has enjoyed another
fun-flled month. On October 26,
in celebration of National Magic
week, a group from Assembly
31 entertained approximately
one hundred veterans and their
families at the Soldiers Home in
West Lafayette. David Kirby and
Joe (Irish) Fuller organized and
co-headlined the show with our Il-
lustrious President, Taylor Martin,
acting as emcee. Phil Dubbs and
RVP Steve Spence warmed up
the crowd with some walk-around
magic. To see the looks of appre-
ciation on the faces of these brave
warriors was worth its weight in
gold.
Novembers meeting theme was
Gift Magic. Don Miller started
things off by presenting a mini-
lecture based upon an article he
wrote on just this very subject.
Don related how he watched Harry
Blackstone Jr. take the time after
his show to sign each and every
spectators program. Harry told
Don that he considered that his
responsibility to the audience for
the gift of their time that they had
given him by coming to the show.
Don explained that the goal of
giving a gift is to be memorable
and that the most memorable
magic is tied to emotion.
Following Dons inspiring talk
numerous of our compeers shared
their gift of magic with us. Jim
Croop shared his version of Scotty
Yorks Candy Machine. Jack
Weigel described an effect from
his early days when he had a debit
route and how he let the spectator
perform the magic and let them
keep a magic coin, a penny. Mike
Root performed with Silly Billys
jumbo magic wands. He cautioned
us, never give the wand directly to
the child during the performance
or else you can expect mayhem to
reign. Always give the gift to the
parent or give it to the child after
the show.
Robert Sode performed/
previewed his vanishing thumb
tip lecture utilizing many cutting
edge techniques such as the
nesting thumb tip. Robert had
us rolling in the aisles with this
lecture spoof.
Your humble scribe shared his
Chex magic kit that he received
through the mail for only six box
tops. He then really heated things
up (literally) when he performed
Joshua Jays newly released
Inferno. Daniel Lee performed
a card-to-wallet routine with a
borrowed wallet.
Next was visiting compeer
Chris Wagers who found a freely
selected card that was seared by a
fame. Jim Croop, our emcee for
the evening, concluded with a coin
trick with the spectator keeping
the coin. Steven A. Spence
Assembly 31 meets the frst
Monday of each month at
7:00 p.m. at Irvington United
Methodist Church, 30 Audubon
Rd., on the east side of the City
unless otherwise announced. If
the frst Monday conficts with a
holiday weekend, we postpone the
meeting one week. Contact Taylor
Martin kazoo23@aol.com (317)
432-1320 sam31.com for more
details.
35
POINTS TO
PONDER
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY
Though a fall chill was in the air,
the news that next months meeting
will be a holiday party at the presi-
dents house, made glad mens
hearts. After a bit of business was
mentioned, the evenings enter-
tainment and learning began with
a lecture by Peter Samelson.
He began with telling us a little
about his background; from
working on cruise ships, to a
solo show, to working on com-
mercials, and being a producer of
Monday Night Magic in New York
City. Throughout the evening, he
gave us quotes to ponder, the frst
being small changes can make a
big difference. He demonstrat-
ed this point by making fowers
suddenly appear. By utilizing a
small technical change,
the fowers now seemed to
pop out of thin air, rather
than just appearing a
small change that made for
a big visceral difference.
He performed a disappear-
ing/appearing coin effect,
explaining that for conti-
nuity, there is a purpose of
motion, rather than simply
superfuous gestures. He
showed us a card change
effect called Invasion of
the Body Snatchers. What
added to the trick was the
story that went with it. He once
showed this to the gentleman that
actually wrote the movie of the
same name as the trick! For those
too young to know the movie,
Google it.
He posited that humans share
common experiences and ideas,
and as such, that to make magic
for your audience, you should fnd
real substance for your stories, and
not use clichs. This was demon-
strated by a Gypsy Thread routine,
in which the destruction and res-
toration was a metaphor for the
way that relationships sometimes
work.
It was an evening of good
magic, which was not only
visual, but which also made you
think. Thank you Mr. Samelson!
Darryl Bielski
Assembly 35 meetings are held
at the Milanese Restaurant in
Poughkeepsie, NY. Typically,
meetings are held every
2nd Tuesday of each month.
Meetings begin at 7:30 pm and
include a short business meeting
followed by the evenings
main topic or guest lecturer.
Contact Joel Zaritsky jizdds@
optonline.net (845) 546-1559
www.sam35.com for more details.
51
OCTOBER
MAGIC!
PEORIA, IL Vice President
Rodney Nordstrom opened our
October meeting with a brief bit
of business before going right to
the magic for the night. Our theme
was Animal Magic.
Grant Golden was our lead-off
magician and showed various
examples of both rubber and
sponge doves. This included some
anecdotes to keep us smiling. He
then discussed spring animals,
multiplying bananas for a talkative
pig, a moo cow device, and a large
artifcial fshor would that be
arti-FISH-al??
Mike Tate was next with his
amazing ventriloquism. Through
the magic of sound, he made a
dove appear in a box. Then he
made a cat appear in the box. Well,
a fght ensued and all that was left
of the poor bird were a few white
feathers. The cat then changed into
a large banner that said CAT (for
Caterpillar, our local industry).
Jay Zentko brought his darker
side as he frst killed one poor little
wiener dog and impaled another.
Thank goodness these were
balloon doggies! Still, the frst
doggie didnt fair so well. POP!
Michael Baker followed with the
biggest epic fail of the night. He
elected to go with Halloween as a
theme by producing eyeballs and
dropping them in a box. Then the
eyes were released and should have
gone hopping across the table. One
or two did, but the rest just stood
there looking at the audience.
Stage fright, I suppose
Kyle Basset showed his version
of Hot Shot. A dollar bill visibly
changed to a selected card. Very
visual, and Kyle had added
some of his own bits to make the
bill reappear within the deck.
Michael Baker
Assembly 51 meets the third
Monday of the month, beginning
at 7:00pm at Schnucks Grocery
in the Metro Center, University
and Glen. Contact Michael
Baker themagiccompany@
aol.com (205)612-3696 http://
peoriamagicians.com for more
details.
52
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
AND VETERANS DAY
SAN ANTONIO, TX
November 7, 2013, Brother John
Hamman Assembly 52 held its
monthly meeting at LaMad-
eleine Restaurant. President Don
Moravits welcomed members,
wives, and guest Ted Derringer, Jr.
Tonights theme was Daylight
David Kirby lights up the
lives of veterans
Assembly News
Savings Time and/or Veterans
Day. Starting off the performances
was Joe Libby, who performed the
Post Toasties promotional magic
trick from the 1940s. President
Don Moravits did the effect Now
is the Hour with assistance from
Barbara Adams, and John Murphy
entertained us with a rope routine.
Ray Adams did a gospel effect
with a color-changing fower and
Ed Solomon performed a card
trick about Angels and Devils.
Michael Tallon entertained with a
clock trick with a triple prediction
and Doug Gorman memorized
half a deck of cards, then told who
had what cards.
Sal Manfredo was at the teaching
table this month. He treated us to
a very informative and practical
presentation on the Linking
Ropes. He also tricked us with a
little sword swallowing. Thanks,
Sal, for an entertaining and inter-
esting teaching table.
Door prize winners were Joe
Libby, Doug Gorman, and John
Murphy. Joe won Size Surprise
by Toyohisa Saikawa, Doug won
the DVD Midnight Show by Scott
Alexander, and John won the book
Mysterios Encyclopedia of Magic
and Conjuring.
Brother John Hamman Assembly
52 meets at 7:30 p.m. on the frst
Thursday of the month at La
Madeleine Restaurant, located at
722 N.W. Loop 410. The restaurant
is inside Loop 410 on the access
road between Blanco Rd. and
San Pedro. For more information,
contact douggorman@att.net.
59
CLOSE-UP
PORTLAND, OR October
is the month our annual Desmond
Close-up Contest is held. This
year we had fve contestants stand
before the judges.
The frst act was Glen Bledsoe
aka Satie, Your Guide to the
Mysteries of the Human Mind.
Yes, you can have close-up
mentalism. Satie performed
an effect in which he identi-
fed thirteen randomly selected
cards. Next came one of our
newest members, Jay Fredericks,
who performed a Monte effect.
Following Jay came the perennial
Tom Waldrop performing a short
series of his trademark effects.
This was followed by our vice
president Mel Anderson in his
crisp tux performing sponge balls
and a routine with an Okito box.
Last to perform was John Edsall,
who did a series of ring and string
effects. The judges selected John
as the winner.
Satie took his thirteen-card effect
to a rather different audience. On
the Saturday following Halloween
he attended Portlands Body Mind
Spirit Expo and openly chal-
lenged a room full of psychics to
match his miracle of identifying
thirteen cards randomly drawn
from an unseen deck. He had no
takers, but his crowd of onlookers
was amazed. The event was
recorded by a number of middle-
aged women with cell phones.
It is hoped that these videos will
appear at some point in the future.
Our November meeting will
see our S.Y.M. clubs providing
entertainment for the adults in
their annual Thanksgiving show.
Glen L. Bledsoe
Assembly 59 meets on the fourth
Wednesday of each month
except Jul/Aug/Dec at The
Beaverton Elks, 3500 SW 104th,
Beaverton, OR 97005. Contact
Glen L. Bledsoe glenbledsoe@
mac.com (503) 967-9151 www.
sam59portland.org/ for more
details.
77
ALL ABOARD THE
MAGIC RAILROAD!
MASSAPEQUA, NY Our
meeting was a short one, with one
highlight. Long Island Mystics
Vice President Dr. Mitch Goodkin
showed his wifes amazing work at
designing a beautiful ring shaped
in a question mark with a jewel of
our choice as the period below it.
She has them in silver and gold. It
was defnitely something for my
wish list. After the gavel hit and
the raffe was complete, Phil Levy
announced that our November
meeting was titled The Magic
Railroad. (Insert puns revolving
around trains, Phil Levy sure did.)
If you didnt know, its a great
way for members to experience
hands-on training at fve different
stations. After the brief meeting,
the members got on board and met
their conductors at each of the
twenty-minute stations.
Bob Weinowitz taught Paleface
Pasteboards: after the card
selection is found, the entire
deck becomes blank. John Lepre
taught Jim Steinmeyers Nine
Card Problem. Dr. Mitch taught
some Brainwave variations and
even gave out some cards for the
members to keep. Speaking of
keep, he also kept us all on time
throughout the journey. PP Steve
Rodman tipped one of his own
working routines: The Chinese
Matrix, which included the pro-
duction of not one but two jumbo
coins. A real stunner! And yours
truly taught the basic steps of the
Benson Bowl routine. I brought
enough bowls to cover everyone.
See the picture.
Next month is our annual
Holiday Show where many of us
perform for families who come
and bring food to stock the local
food pantries on Long Island.
Until then, see you at the diner
and have a great Thanksgiving
Lou Johnson
Long Island Mystics Assembly
77 meets at 7:30PM on the second
Monday of the month at The
Community United Methodist
Church. For more information,
check www.limystics.org. Contact
Lou Johnson loujohnson@
loujuggler.com (516) 978-7735
www.limystics.org for more
details.
88
ANNUAL FLEA MARKET
AND MORE
ANN ARBOR/YPSILANTI,
MI Our annual Flea Market on
October 27 had the most vendors
Ive seen in a long time. If any
magician needed something new
for their act Im sure they could
fnd it here. Marvin Mathena and
Jim Placido did a great job of
auctioning some of the selected
magic! On the 31st of October a
lot of magicians do the Halloween
magic shows. I was invited to
do something different this year
called the Harvest Celebration.
Some friends I know run a Bible
camp in Cedar Springs, MI. They
asked if Id like to do some gospel
magic for the kids in the area. They
had games,a petting farm, and me,
doing magic, set up in some of the
buildings on the property. We gave
out candy to over one hundred
kids, even in the wet drizzle we
had for the night. Id like to thank
the Lafin Magic Store for all of
the ideas I used from the many
videos on their website! Ill be
volunteering for this event again
next year; it was that much fun!
Randy A. Smith
The Hank Moorehouse Assembly
88 meets on the second Wednesday
7pm at the Faith Lutheran Church,
1255 East Forest Ave, Ypsilanti,
Michigan. Contact Randy A.
Smith randy.remarkable@
gmail.com (313) 562-3875
www.aamagic.org/ for more
details.
94
ALL TIED UP
SILICON VALLEY, CA
This night was all about rope
routines. For the Learners
Workshop, Kim Silverman taught
a simple but entertaining Cut and
Restored Rope routine.
To begin the formal meeting,
John Signa gave a review of the
Los Angeles Conference on Magic
History. He also reviewed the play
Play Dead by Todd Robbins and
Teller. John also demonstrated
some new Tenyo effects that he
purchased on a recent to Japan and
that will be available in the U.S.
next year.
Continuing the nights theme of
Rope Magic, Roy Porfdo started
with Professors Nightmare
with comedy/kids patter. Roys
routine continued with him taking
away one piece, tying the others
together, but then taking away
one, leaving one long piece, which
seemed to get longer and longer.
John Signas routine started
with one long rope and included
ends tied together, pulled off and
pocketed, returned, more tied
ends, then back to just one rope,
two ends and one middle. Ends
traveled from one side of the loop
to the other. Anyway lots of stuff
and comedy as he went along.
Also a Hunter Bow Knot and the
Professors Nightmare done and
undone.
Kim Silvermans routine
included the Hunter Bow Knot,
the Jumping Knot of Oolaroo
(based on Daryls Jumping Knot),
and a version of the Professors
Nightmare combined with the
Cut and Restored Rope inspired
by Whit Haydns Mongolian
Pop-Knot. Then we watched a per-
formance Michael Finneys very
funny rope routine.
Non-rope performances included
John Edsall (left) performs
magic for Jay Fredericks
Marvin & Jim at Auction
Mystics Secretary Lou Johnson
and The Benson Bowl Table
Assembly News
Guillermo Perez presenting a
Finger Ring Routine, and Kim
Silverman doing a card matching
effect while talking about his
memory of magic with his father.
Joe Caffall performed Cinema
Verite with a basic presentation
idea that generated some mean-
ingful discussion of scripting and
being concise but not bare-bones.
Joe Caffall
We do not currently have a
regular meeting location. Please
email jocaff@pacbell.net for
information about an upcoming
meeting. Contact Joe Caffall
jocaff@pacbell.net (408) 578-8387
for more details.
95
PEN MAGIC
VANCOUVER, CANADA
The November 2013 meeting was
held at the home of Jens Henriksen
in Crescent Beach, BC. After
the snacks courtesy of Jens, the
evening of Pen magic began. Rod
Chow said that as an insurance
broker, if he is given the pen
by an insurance company, this
means that he is free to write up
his own terms and conditions of
an insurance policy. Therefore,
Rod did an insurance policy effect
with his own custom Magicians
Insurance Policy, incorporat-
ing a prediction effect with Dave
Watters & Jens. Lon Mandrake
had Henry Tom point to one of
three colored cards with a pen, and
the result was that the card that
Henry chose was the only one with
a prediction on back of the card.
Lon then had Henry select a card,
and Ray Roch read the rotating
barrel of Lons pen after each click
to determine Henrys card.
Jens balanced two pens on a box
and stepped away to cause the
pen to move. Jens then went into
a dissertation of the stretching
and shortening of thermal plastic,
which he magically demonstrated
with two curved rulers. Dennis
Hewson showed a pen with a snow
globe type foating card in hat
inside that matched Jens chosen
card. Ray Roch demonstrated his
Finger Chopper by frst using a
pen, then Glen LaBarres fnger.
Glen LaBarre used his sleight of
hand to cause a pen to vanish, and
then went into a pen and cap ma-
nipulation routine.
Henry Tom made a ring on a pen
magically come off a pen and then
back onto his fnger. Dave Watters
used mini apparatus to contact the
spirits. After Lon picked a card,
Dave burned a piece of paper
and revealed a prediction which
matched in an effect by Eugene
Burger. Anthony Young showed
a pen through a yellow board, and
then caused the hole to move along
board. Anthony then penetrated
a $20 bill with a pen. Anthony
ended by gifting everyone with
souvenirs of magnets and dice
from his recent trip to Shanghai.
Rod Chow
The Carl Hemeon Assembly No.
95 meets the frst Tuesday of
each month at members homes.
Contact Rod Chow rod@rodchow.
com (604) 669-7777 www.sam95.
com for more details.
104
SAMCON RETURNS TO
PEABODY AND FILLS THE
HOUSE
WITCH CITY, SALEM, MA
The Wednesday November 6
meeting of Assembly 104 was
preceded, as usual, by the Bill
Towne School of Magic, for which
Len Lazar plans Part Two of Coin
Magic for next month. Then the
traditional whirlwind of November
104 activities began. Plans for our
November convention, SAMCON,
only days away, were fnalized
including last minute, emergency
replacement for Stage Manager
Derek Raposo being announced.
President Bill Jensens daughter,
Amanda, a former SAMCON
producer herself, generously
stepped up to save the show. At
the close of business, our guest
lecturer Peter Vuono, an experi-
enced, local escape artist (who
never sketched a Ford), began a
very informative and enjoyable
teaching of techniques ranging
from straitjackets to thumb ties.
On Friday night, November 8, our
frst ever, pre-convention close-up
show featuring Eugene Burger and
Andrew Goldenhersh was out-
standing. Andrews production of
a live hare from his hair served as
a telling preview of the Saturday
magic to come. Eugenes perfor-
mance was compelling and pure
velvet.
On Saturday, Andrews lecture
on creativity began by taking the
teaching in a musical direction
towards new thinking. Bill Abbott
shared highlights of an act that can
ft in a pouch. All of which played
large and very funny. Finally,
it was time for a crowd hungry
for a Burger and their appetites
couldnt have been more satisfed.
Eugene was a total joy, offering
a banquet of ideas and subtleties
from envelope switches to Monte
and more.
After a dinner break, it was
time for the gala show with all
three pros. A full house was
treated to Abbotts irrepressible
humor and Goldenhershs unfor-
gettable style, as he topped his
Friday performance by producing
two full grown chickens from
the straightjacket from which he
had just escaped. Wow! Eugene
Burger brought the evening to
a sublime end as only he could,
defning the difference between
stunts and magic by example
at the master level. Emcee Bryan
Dwyer tied it all together with
great humor and original magic.
It was a perfect night of wonders,
highlighted by Compeer Kayla
Dreschers richly deserved 104
award as Magician of the Year
and surprised Secretary Bob
Forrests award as Unsung
Magician of the Year. (Its true,
he cant carry a note.) Eugene
provided next days dessert: his
Master Class at Diamonds Magic
on Sunday afternoon. It was a
privilege to attend and receive the
warm wisdom of a legend over hot
coffee. Bob Forrest
Assembly 104 meets on the
frst Wednesday of each month,
September to June, 7 p.m., at the
First Baptist Church of Salem,
292 Lafayette Street, Salem
Massachusetts. Contact Bob
Forrest captainalbrightsq1@
comcast.net (339) 227-0797 www.
sam104.com for more details.
108
FUN MAGICAL TIMES
SOMERSET, PA The
October meeting was a dress
rehearsal for the S.Y.M. show
in November for the Somerset
Womens Welfare League at the
Somerset Country Club. The re-
hearsals went fairly smoothly as
we worked out the bugs with some
routines and sound. The show
was later in the month and was a
rousing success. It was a free show
but the Womans group gave a
check to the assembly as a token
of their appreciation. They were
amazed at the dedication and per-
formances of our youth. Our SAM
assembly is in good hands for the
future.
Brandon Benford started the
show with his Dlite routine and
ended with the Mother of All
Diamonds. Aaron Trulick showed
an empty box and then removed
appearing carrots from the box
and went into his Hippity-Hop
Rabbits, and ended with his magic
wallet routine, divining a thought
of number from an audience
member.
Addie Best closed out the show
showing a McDonalds menu,
folding it then reached in and
removed a burger and fries. She
then took her napkin and did a torn
and restored routine.
In November several of the adults
and two from the youth went to the
Kutztown Magic Convention and
had a wonderful time. It was a new
experience for the youth and they
learned a lot. Dan Miller
The James Swoger Assembly
108 meets the third Monday at
Wheeler Bros. Inc. The SYM
meets at 6:00pm and the SAM
meet at 7:00pm Contact Dan
Miller millermagic@centurylink.
net (814) 733-4978 for more
details.
110
EDDIE CLEVER CONTEST
NEW CUMBERLAND, PA
After the November meeting there
were three members competing
in the Eddie Clever Contest. This
contest is named after a former
club member who was the Hocus
Pocus Parade editor for the
Linking Ring magazine for many
years in the 1950s and 60s. Per-
formers must use and identify an
effect published in a Hocus Pocus
Parade of any month and year.
The frst to perform was our Civil
War re-enactor, Marlin Troutman.
Marlin was using an October 2013
effect concerning a ghost story.
Marlins story was about staying
in a house used as a hospital at
the battle of Antietam. Marlin
passed out slips of paper upon
which a number of members were
to write a four-digit number. The
collected slips were added up and
the total written on a chalk board.
When the board was inverted the
numbers spelled ghost.
The next to perform was Frank
Bianco doing an effect called No
Glen LaBarre manipulates a
pen and its cap
Eugene revives Halloween
spookiness at SAMCON 2013
Assembly News
Hands Doc from the January 2011
Parade. From a shuffed deck the
deck is cut and cards turned over
revealing the card that is the card
to be remembered. Again the
cards are cut and turned a few
more times, and when the cards
are spread the chosen card is the
only face-up card in the deck.
The third, and fnal performer
was Al Bienstock who has a
collection of old Linking Ring
magazines. Al was doing the
same effect that Eddie Clever
himself did at the frst Eddie
Clever contest. The effect is from
the September 1950 Parade and is
called You Do It, I Do It. In this
two-deck effect the helper shuffes
his deck and the magician another.
The decks are exchanged and each
puts his deck beneath the table and
selects one card from anywhere in
the deck he is holding. The chosen
cards are turned face-up (beneath
the table) and inserted into the
face down decks. When the decks
are spread upon the table it is seen
that the chosen cards are the same.
A small glitch prevented Als
card matching so he did not win;
however, Eddie Cleaver did not
win the frst Eddie Cleaver contest
either.
The winner this year was Frank
Bianco with Marlin Troutman
second and Al Bienstock third.
Thanks for some entertaining
routines fellas!
Joe Homecheck, Assembly 110
meets on the second Thursday
at 7:00pm at Johns Diner, 146
Sheraton Dr., New Cumberland,
PA 17070. Contact Secretary@
SAM110.com for more
information.
112
INFLATED LECTURE
PLEASANT HILL, CA Our
October meeting was a departure
from our regular format, the
greater part of the meeting being
devoted to a lecture on ballooning
by our own magician and master
balloon artist, Sir Lantz.
Sir Lantz (AKA Lance Snead)
began his talk with a description of
the tools of the trade and provided
advice based on his many years of
experience as a balloon twister.
One of the most important items
is an air pump, either manually
operated or electric, designed for
infating balloons. Not only will a
pump spare the performers lungs
from exhaustion, but it is also
important for health reasons as
well. Also, no good balloonist will
perform without an apron with
several pockets, a pair of blunt
scissors, and several marking pens
such as Sharpies.
Lance recommends balloons
made by Qualatex, available
in bags of 100 and 250 and in
different color assortments.
Balloons are also available in
various shapes such as the heart
and doughnut varieties. Some are
printed with simple designs like
a smiley face or alien face. The
standard balloons are identifed by
a three-digit number such as 120
or 260. Typically, a 260 balloon
will infate to a diameter of two
inches and be sixty inches long
if fully infated, thus the designa-
tion.
The real treat was watching
Sir Lantz produce several of the
more than ten thousand creations
in his repertoire. Audience
members called out anything from
a butterfy to a giraffe, and Sir
Lantz obliged them in short order
with the creature of their choice.
As further demonstration of his
expertise, he produced a balloon
teddy bear while blindfolded.
Animal fgures are not the only
things that can be made from
balloons. Sir Lantz also demon-
strated how to create a ball inside a
balloon and very realistic looking
apple, complete with stem.
Of course, it was soon time for
audience participation, and all the
members grabbed a few balloons
to start their own creations, either
duplicating Lances animals or
attempting something new. This
was not our usual sort of meeting,
but it was great fun for everyone
who participated. Thank you, Sir
Lantz. Bill Marquardt
Diablo Assembly 112 meets on the
third Wednesday of every month at
the VFW building in Pleasant Hill,
California Contact Doug Kovacich
at: douglassthemagicman@
hotmail.com (925) 435-4824 http://
sam112.com/ for more details.
115
NATIONAL MAGIC WEEK
CELEBRATION
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
George Buckley, David and
Nathan Clauss, Dan and Bethany
Hall, and Dan Rowan attended
our November meeting. After a
relaxing bite to eat at Panera, we
accepted nominations of offcers
for the coming year. A few names
were put forth with elections to
be conducted via email. Installa-
tion of offcers will take place at
our December 6th meeting and
holiday potluck. The meeting was
informal due to the small atten-
dance and restaurant venue.
Dan Rowan shared some offbeat
presentations for his Magic Square
work, which was entertaining and
deceptive. He also showed a ring
penetration through silk streamer
reminiscent of a thumb tie. George
shared some revelation ideas that
can be achieved by substance
known as Optic Guard. This
magical substance can be used
on a glass or mirrored surface
to reveal predictions or a chosen
card.
We talked about some of the
recent movies that had a magic
theme as well as cable shows
featuring magic. Our frst celebra-
tion of National Magic Week took
place at the Richmond Veterans
Hospital just a week before
Halloween. George Buckley,
David Clauss, David Feng, and
Wes Islei all participated in this
event. The veterans group enjoyed
our performances immensely and
our club looks forward to future
events for them. Assembly 115
always welcome magic enthusi-
asts who are traveling through the
area, so should you fnd yourself
in Virginia we would love to have
you join us for a meeting.
Assembly 115 meets at Forest
Lakes North Pavilion Building
in the Forest Lakes Subdivision
on the frst Friday of the month
starting at 7PM.
131
NOVEMBER MEETING AND
2014 PLANS
DANBURY, CT Our Monday
meeting started off with an
update on President Magic Mo,
who is healing up from 4 hours
of Surgery on his ankle. Mo is
looking at a lot of bed rest in the
months to come; we all wish him
well.
The business meeting got
underway. We fnally set our
Christmas party date of January
20 at Chucks Steak House, here
in Danbury. We talked about a
date to be set for our Chinese
Buffet/Third Annual Magicians
Gathering and lectures for our
2014 year.
A brief review of products was
presented by V.P Magic Marty,
member Joe Lantiere, and Magic
Des. This led us into our monthly
magic by members. Magic Marty
presented his work in progress on
a four coin production followed up
with a four coin routine. Next up
was Joe Lantiere with a Sterling
Rope & Ring Routine, followed
by a card effect. Magic Russ
presented his personal version of
his Okito boxes made in wood and
all hand turned by Russ himself
our master wood turner. Russs
boxes were inspired by the Joe
Lantiere Okito box lecture of
October.
Then Gail Alexander did an in-
teresting mind selection of a card,
selected by a member and then
matched up on a pad that was
turned over with the name of the
card on it. Our newest member
Mark Mitchell performed a time
prediction on a closed pocket
watch in a closed box. Our fnal
presentation was a four card
effect by Magic Tony Spiro.
Magic Marty Steinberg
Contact Magic Marty Steinberg
Magic Marty@aol.com (845)
797-8363 for meeting details.
157
UPDATED INFO AND GREAT
LECTURE
BEAVER, PA The Mystic
Magicians of Beaver Valleys
meeting had a brief informational
meeting and then turned over to
lecturer Chuck Caputo. It was
announced that the December
meeting would be the annual
Christmas dinner at the Towne
Square Restaurant in Beaver,
which would include a Chinese
auction for the members gift
exchange. This year there will
be a gift exchange for the guests
as well. The Daryl lecture has
been fnalized for April. Jack
Greenberg is getting the Kranzo
lecture together for a Thursday in
June.
The meeting was then turned over
to Chuck Caputo. He presented
many magical effects, some old
and some new. He gave how they
were presented, made, and how
they worked. His wife was there
to help with sales of his books
and items. It was a very pleasing
and informative production.
Judy Steed
The Mystic Magicians of Beaver
Valley (157) meet the second
Thursday of every month at the
Sir Lantz with balloon version
of dove on perch
George Buckley
Entertains
Assembly News
Towne Square Restuarant in
Beaver, PA. Contact Judy Ssteed
heyjude1943@msn.com (330)
525-5389 for more details.
170
MAGICAL
PRODUCTIONS
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
Dwayne Faux was the emcee as
we each demonstrated the type of
magical productions that we loved
best. The frst and most spectacu-
lar opening production was Frank
Kleins silk production from a
fery box. The production culmi-
nated with a fountain of colorful
silks.
Tom Paine, with his usual
soft spoken eloquence, had a
volunteer sign a card; he replaced
it in the deck. The signed card was
produced from Toms pocket to
utter amazement of us all.
Dick Bowman, our leader for
the Society of Young Magicians
group, demonstrated and taught
our club the Three Way Out effect.
Dave Wintermute walked up,
hands empty, and immediately
produce two bouquets of fowers
from nothing. He then showed
how his homemade Buddha
Papers could change a one-dollar
bill into a twenty-dollar bill. Then
he advised everyone to buy the
commercial version. It is low cost
and better than homemade. Dave
used a Gypsy Switch to produce a
ruby from nothing, change it into
an emerald, and then vanished the
emerald.
Larry Marsh Scott showed his
Crystal Box production of fowers.
He twirled the box at frst to show
it clear on all sides, covered with
a cloth, and then poured out the
spring fowers. He thought the gaff
was too loud and solicited ideas on
how to improve the production.
Several ideas were discussed,
including having someone tap the
box with a wand to coincide with
gaff release.
Dwayne Faux brought out the
cage of the horrifying long yellow
Amazon Leech (balloon), which
immediately attacked his lips and
was gorged until it expanded. It
then transformed into the hor-
rifying yellow Amazon snake,
with teeth. It then transformed
itself into the horrifying yellow
Amazon rabbit, with teeth. With
a fearless volunteers help, that
horrifying yellow Amazon rabbit
(with teeth) produced another
(real) fuzzy rabbit in the empty
cage that the leech had originally
come from.
All this produced more ex-
citement than I can handle,
so the meeting was a success.
Dr. Dave Wintermute
SAM Magical Assembly #170
(Pikes Peak Prestidigitators)
meets on the 4th Tuesday every
month in the Community Room
of the Sand Creek Police Station
at 4125 Center Park Dr. Colorado
Springs, CO 80916 Come and
visit when you can. Contact Dr
Dave Wintermute, bWintermute@
juno.com, (719) 494-0171, for
more details.
181
EXPERT
COIN LECTURE
HIGHTSTOWN, NJ For
our November meeting, Assembly
181 had the pleasure of a lecture
from one of worlds most knowl-
edgeable coin experts, Dr. Michael
Rubinstein. Since Hightstown, an
exit on the New Jersey Turnpike,
is a reasonable drive from Dr. Ru-
binsteins Manhattan Veterinarian
offce, our meeting started at the
normal 7:30 time.
Michael opened the lecture with
Wishing Well, using the nowhere
palm. It is a four-coin production
with a romantic story. That was
followed by Tallahassee Jumping
Coins, a non-gaffed Coins
Across, with the last coin impos-
sibly traveling to the spectators
closed fst. Michaels methods
are more based on timing than
knuckle busting moves. Many of
Michaels routines can be found
on the seminal coin series, New
York Coin Magic Seminar that he
appeared in.
Other items in the lecture were
Michaels take on the Nest of
Boxes and Silver Extraction. He
also taught his rendition on the
classic Coins through the Table
theme. In summing up his philos-
ophy on magic, Michael says As
long as you dont tip your method,
there is never a right way or wrong
way to do your magic. But there
is always a better way. It is the
journey you take to fnd that better
way that will make you a better
magician.
Januarys meeting will include a
workshop on silk magic by Coco.
So if you are nearby, bring along
your silks and your best routine.
Theres always time to perform at
Assembly 181. David Zboray
Assembly 181 of Hightstown
meets the frst Thursday of every
month, September thru June at the
First United Methodist Church,
187 Stockton Street, Hightstown,
NJ 08520. Doors open at 7:00PM.
Contact Stephan Sloan lands10@
optonline.net (732) 757-5337
http://www.magicsam181.com/ for
more details.
200
NOVEMBER
MAGIC
SEATTLE, WA Ben Eskenazi
started off the evening of magic
with a great card prediction effect.
He was not only able to show that
the card dealt to by the spectator
was the same as he predicted, but
that in fact the rest of the deck was
blank. Ben is really coming along
with his magic.
Chuck Kleiner continued the
magical evening with a funny
routine involving holding a carton
of broken eggs over the spectators
head; the eggs magically turned
into Hersheys Kisses. This group
thought this was a great trick, es-
pecially since we all got to eat the
chocolate!
Jeff Dial presented a very nice
ring on rope routine using a
normal rope with many magical
links and unlinks. He continued
the ring/rope theme by vanishing
a spectators ring and having it
appear on the chain around his
neck. Mark Paulson performed
his baffing mind reading magic
under test conditions; he was able
to divine a card that was simply
thought of. This is a strong effect
that Mark has perfected.
J.R. Russell performed Joshua
Jays Inferno and got a very
good reaction from the club. It is
certainly good magic packed into
a small space. Michael Jacobs
presented the worlds fairest card
trick! He had the spectator cut a
deck into three piles and he was
able to match all three cards using
a different deck he cut and dealt.
Roger Sylwester performed a
nice card through handkerchief/
card transformation using a lovely
new Burberry handkerchief that
he had just received as a gift.
Roger has such a great gift for
story telling the magic is always
an extra gift!
Danny Dragon told the story of
Bruno, his scam artist of a cousin.
Lucky for Danny he knows a bit of
magic and was able to not only get
back his money from his cousin,
but to outwit him in a game of
chance that couldnt be won. Larry
Dimmitt continues to amaze with
his mental ability. He was able to
divine who would get the most
correct guesses of heads or tails in
a group of three spectators, with
each one spinning a coin on the
table.
Bill Murray presented a very
nice color changing deck routine
that looked quite magical. Bill
is always working on present-
ing unique stories to go with his
magic. Jim Earnshaw
The Emerald City Wizards
meets the frst Thursday of each
month, at 7:00 p.m., at a Branch
of the King County Library,
WA. Please check website for
meeting locations Contact
Jim Earnshaw jimearnshaw@
live.com (206) 2256715 www.
emeraldcitywizards.org for more
details.
215
AUTUMN MORNING STAR
RISES IN KENTUCKY
LOUISVILLE, KY On
November 5 the Louisville magic
club met at 7 p.m. in the St.
Matthews Baptist Church for a
special night of magic. Between
ffty and sixty members came to
watch and learn from one of the
most entertaining, educated, and
inspiring lecturers on the circuit.
Autumn Morning Star came in all
her radiance to help us learn how
to develop a character, an act, and
to learn to do our magic in coop-
eration with our passion.
The frst half of the presenta-
tion was given on how to improve
our magic, our presentations,
and ourselves and develop the
kind of show we would love
to do. Not since Fitzke and
Henning have we been given
such tools to stir our imagination.
In the second half of the presenta-
tion we were given a glimpse into
her show that has been presented
around the world and recently
in Las Vegas. Using items we all
have in our closet and never used,
it has been given new life and new
meaning. Storytelling is more than
just that, it is truly magic and when
teamed with props becomes an in-
spiration for all who watch. In the
closing of her show, Autumn gave
a presentation of the Blackfeet
winter of 1884 that was outstand-
ing, historical, spell binding, and
true. Autumn received a standing
ovation because....well, she
deserved it. Thank you Autumn
Morning Star for bringing us the
light. Tom Crecelius
The Louisville magic club meets
the second Tuesday of the month
at the Kosair Headquarters
on Eastern Parkway at 7PM.
Other nights and meeting places
are scheduled as they become
available to us. Contact Tom
Dr. Michael Rubinstein
Assembly News
Crecelius medimagic@cs.com
(812) 633-7684 www.lmcmagic.
com for more details.
215
NOVEMBER MEETING OF
ASSEMBLY 215
LOUISVILLE, KY The Lou-
isville Magic Club held its annual
close-up contest on November 19.
Forty-four members were present
to watch eight senior performers
and two junior performers. Judges
were Brent Braun, Jeff Russ, and
David Garrard, all well-known
local magicians. Ken Abbott was
emcee and time keeper, ensuring
that no performer went beyond the
allotted ten minutes. The junior
winners were Edward Steeter
(1st place) and Jesus Moreno (2nd
place), winning $35 and $25 re-
spectively. Senior winners were
Jake Wisdom (1st place), John
Hromada (2nd place), and Cody
Clark and Steve Haffner (tied for
3rd place). Senior winners won
$50, $35, and $25 respectively.
The peoples choice award went
to Graham Maupin. Other per-
formers were Mike Raymer, Ray
Tillman, and Carl Loud.
Other LMC activities in
December included our annual
holiday banquet and show on
December 7th, a fund-raising
opportunity for members to
perform close-up magic at the
Kosair Charities Holiday Party
on December 8th, and an annual
visit from Harry Allen of Daytona
Magic on December 9th. Roger
L. Omanson
Assembly 215 meets at the Kosair
Community Center on Eastern
Parkway. Contact Roger Omanson
rlomanson@gmail.com (502)
296-6577 for more details.
226
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
WILLIAMSBURG, VA
About ffty guests attended
this years Friends and Family
Magic Show. Long-time member
Harold Wood served as emcee.
Harold warmed up the audience
by juggling four infated plastic
grocery bags. A volunteer from the
audience chose a card from a deck.
Harold then balanced an open
attach case over her head. Out
came a long string of beads at the
end of which was the chosen card.
Next up was Alexander Goldberg,
who had a variety of effects. They
included sponge ball routines,
a change bag effect, a cut and
restored rope routine, and a magic
pitcher in which he poured dry
sand and water. He then poured
out the sand, which was still dry.
Watt Hyer performed Cocktail
by Gustavo Reilley. Watt placed
on the table a pail and three bottles
of water: one red, one yellow, and
one blue. One by one he added the
contents of each bottle into the
pail. Then he swirled the fuids
in the pail to mix them up. Then
one by one he took three empty
cups and retrieved the fuids: one
red, one yellow, one blue. The last
color was poured directly from the
pail.
Ron Grossman, The Poor Pres-
tidigitator, followed with a very
funny act. He began by taking off
his jacket with one hand while he
recited the alphabet in reverse.
With the last struggle from his
jacket he pulled out a glass! He
asked for a volunteer and a coin.
The volunteer examined the
quarter and marked it on both
sides. Ron poured water in the
magic glass and handed it her.
She grasped the quarter through
a scarf and held it over the glass.
She released the quarter and heard
the clink in the glass. When Ron
removed the scarf, the glass was
empty. Michael Heckenberger
performed the Malini Egg Bag and
the Magicians Insurance Policy
card trick.
Harold stepped up to the stage
with a stool and a strange device
with knobs and dials. He placed
the device on the stool and then
blew up a balloon. He asked
members of the audience to
suggest an animal that he could
form with the balloon. Unable
to shape a rabbit, he inserted
the balloon into the front of the
device. The balloon exploded and
there was Buster Bunny! Buster
Bunny took the stage for his
classic Hop of Death leaping
from the stool to his cage. Harold
called out all the performers for
one more round of applause. The
last act was munching on delicious
deserts by our own Amy Goldberg.
Phil Thorp
Baker-Temple Assembly 226 meets
at 7:00 p.m. on the 4th Wednesday
(except December and January)
room B at the Williamsburg
Regional Library, 515 Scotland
Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185.
(757) Contact Phil Thorp pthorp@
widomaker.com (757) 229-2329
ht t p/ s i t e s . googl e. c om/ s i t e /
samassembly226gmail.com for
more details.
266
A VIP LECTURE
LAKELAND, FL President
Jerry Kardos ran us thru our
November business meeting in
record time. We welcomed new
member Steve Hoye to the fold in
addition to our honored guest.
Tom Craven is one of our clubs
founding fathers and its always
a great reunion when he comes
back to visit. As part of Toms
Columbarium Labyrinth Tour he
presented a very special lecture for
the group. As always, Tom showed
us a selection of practical miracles
that are doable for all skill levels.
We learned a use for a Bob
Hummer principle, a coin trans-
position effect, a mini study of the
keeper card principle, a great party
mind-reading stunt, a very enter-
taining whodunit that involved a
murder and a hangmans noose,
and more. There was literally
something for everyone in the
very responsive group.
Tom gave the Lakeland magicians
an early Christmas gift this month.
It just goes to show that you never
know what kind of magic gifts
youll get when you visit with the
Lakeland magi. If your plans bring
you to Central Florida be sure to
join us. Al DAlfonso
Jim Zachary Assembly 266 meets
the second Wednesday of teh
month at 7PM at the Lakeland
I-HOP, I-4 & US 98. Contact
Al DAlfonso keeper0499@
embarqmail.com (321) 437-3814
for more details.
274
MEMBERS PERFORM
BOCA RATON, FL At our
October meeting our members
showed their skills in magic. Herb
Arno did a fne job as emcee.
Ronnie Reckseit showed his pro-
fessional experience as emcee.
He did several effects including
a mental effect, locating a chosen
card among a large number of bags.
PNP Warren Kaps performed a
color changing shoe lace effect.
A self-closing knife followed, and
then Cutting the Aces. Warren
showed his versatility! Gabe
Auerback came up with an out-
standing rendition of Wild Card.
Peter Fox showed us a nice card
effect. Simon Carmel, a true pro-
fessional, demonstrated matching
cards and prediction effects.
Next came Al Callas, who always
does a nice job. He did an outstand-
ing effect in which cards were
mixed and then all faced the same
direction! Rachelle Klien offered a
penetration through a glass bottle.
Marshall Johnson presented
Pro Control, cutting four Aces.
Mel Baskin caused a necklace to
disappear and reappear followed
by a giant card effect. He had nice
patter. Herb Arno closed the show.
Herb demonstrated several effects.
He performed the Five-card Trick,
Face-Up and Face-Down Cards,
Rubber Band around a Chosen
Card, and Cutting the Aces.
Marshall Johnson
The Sam Schwartz Assembly
274 meets on the 1st Monday at
the JCC in Boca Raton, FL. For
information call Marshall Johnson
(561) 638-0043 marshj4magic @
aol.com
291
COMEDY MAGIC WITH
TOM OGDEN
VENICE, CA This month we
enjoyed a wonderful lecture by
Tom Ogden. He is a twice-voted
Parlor Magician of the Year by
the world-famous Magic Castle
in Hollywood. Tom Ogden brings
more than thirty years of comedy
and magic experience to the stage.
His experience includes opening
for such headliners as Robin
Williams, Billy Crystal, and The
Osmonds.
On November 12 the Westside
Wizards had the privilege of
enjoying Toms magic and
comedy. During the lecture he
broadened our horizons on how to
improve our performances, how to
market and present yourself, and
how to get spectators involved in
your act. After our meeting we
enjoyed furthering our knowledge
by going to our hidden gem,
lovingly known as Dennys
with the last of the evening hours
spent by Tom entertaining us with
his anecdotes. I would highly
recommend hiring Tom Ogden for
your next guest lecture because it
would be an event to remember.
William Dow Jr.
Assembly 291 meets the second
Tuesday of every month at the
Boys and Girls Club, 2232 Lincoln
Blvd., Venice., CA Contact Les
Cooper Cooper@ucla.edu (310)
473-1820 www.westsidewizards.
org for more details.
The Main Attraction!
Tom Ogden
Assembly News
292
TERRIFIC
TRICKS
GREELEY, CO Our brief
November business meeting over
lunch was the last business meeting
of the year. President Lloyd Worley
installed next years offcers.
They are: President, Jim Pope
(who gave a hilarious acceptance
speech); Vice President, James
Lopez; Secretary, Ron Dutton;
and Treasurer, Paul Noffsinger.
During Shows Seen, James
Lopez and Ron Dutton praised
the Magic in the Rockies con-
vention. Show Reports opened
with Rich Nakata listing a number
of bookings. Lloyd Worley the
Wizard reported fve Halloween
library shows back-to-back for
ffty children each. The Amazing
James Lopez mentioned his part
in those library shows. Then he
recounted a challenging walk-
around booking for a political
party that turned out to want a
stage show. James was able to
create a stage show on the spot,
with a bill-in-pumpkin climax.
Alex Acosta described his suc-
cessful Halloween night show for
one hundred people.
The performance theme was
Magic with Food. Worley the
Wizard opened by displaying
some classic Morrissey Magic Ltd.
Rice Bowls and a very nice set of
black cherry soda Topsy-turvy
Bottles by U.F. Grant. Marilyn
Dutton made up and performed an
unusual mental prediction effect.
She gave a choice of large colored
spots of pastry-decoration food
colors (for which she had multiple
outs).
Alex Acosta showed a very
realistic full-cola-bottle by George
Iglesias from Twister Magic. Alex
demonstrated how the terrifc
Super Coke prop lets you both
pour liquid and produce a dry silk
load. Rich Nakata humorously
taught an oldie but goodie knot
effect. From the same starting
hands position, he made a strip of
silk come out as called for: either
straight or knotted.
The Amazing James performed a
terrifc zipper Egg Bag routine. He
added to the underarm sucker bit
by having an orange loaded there
to produce. Rich Nakata closed,
showing his ease with the stack
by Si Stebbins (AKA William
Henry Coffrin). He entertained
us with two terrifc card effects
by Cameron Francis. Rich made
up the deck for Convergence from
Big Blind Medias DVD Ultimate
Self Working Card Tricks, Volume
Two. For his second effect, he
made up another deck from a DVD
of The Annihilation Deck. Rich
took a failed prediction (made by
two cards) and revealed the correct
prediction drawn on the backs of
the same two cards. Ron Dutton
The Dr. Ronald P. Dutton
Assembly 292 usually meets at
Kennys Steak House, 3502 West
10th Street (corner of 35th Avenue)
at 11:00 A.M. (lunch optional), on
the second Saturday of the month.
Contact Dr. Lloyd Worley lloyd@
worleythewizard.com (970)
356-3002 www.SAM292.com for
more details.
293
NOVEMBER
TURKEY TRICKS
LINCOLN, NE What
magician doesnt own a trick
that simply wont work for them,
doesnt ft their personality, or
they just plain dont like? Lincoln
Magic Club members were asked
to bring their Turkey tricks to the
November meeting and perform
them for the club. Club members
were encouraged to swap turkey
tricks with other magicians after
the meeting if they liked. It was
fun to watch talented magicians
totally bomb while performing
their unwanted tricks, as well as
listen to stories of failures and em-
barrassing moments of past per-
formances. Its good to be humble
and laugh at ourselves every once
in a while. Vizma Shaeffer
The Lincoln Magic Club Assembly
293 meets the frst Saturday of
every month from 1:00 2:00 at
the MagicKits.com Magic shop at
10th & Charleston. The club youth
gather an hour prior to the meeting
to hang out, learn and perform
tricks. For more information go to
www.lincolnmagic.com.
Good Cheer List
Please take a minute to spread a few words of cheer with a card or note to one of our less fortunate members. Send additions, changes,
or deletions to: Anthony Antonelly, Chairman, Sick and Convalescent Committee, (215) 820-3192 ext. 1512. magicforfun60@aol.com
Roger Barr
883 B Leverpool Circle,
Manchester, NJ 08759
Daniel Cudennec
Dany Trick
225, Stang-ar-Veil-
dan-Traon, Mellac-29300,
Quimperle, France
Dan A. Dorsey
98 Woodvalley Dr.
Fayetteville, GA 30215
Joseph H. (Ben) Grant
400 Commonwealth Ave, Unit 9
Warwick, RI 02886
Charlie Gross
16745 Gertrude Street,
Omaha, NE 60136-3023
Roy Horn
c/o Siegfried & Roy
1639 N Valley Drive,
Las Vegas, NV 89108
Bob King
304 Suburban Court,
Rochester, NY 14620

Robert D. Knigge
PO Box 5,
Jones Borough, TN 3765
Stanley R. Kramien
11205 SW Summerfeld Dr.
Apt 161
Tigard, OR 97224-3391
Richard Laneau
4020 55th St. N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33709
George Gilbert Lott
1725 Great Hill Rd.
Guilford, CT 06437
Frank J. McNaughton, Sr
1926 Apple Street,
Williamsport, PA 17701
James J. Morrisey
24 Grove St.
Wayland, MA 01788
Anthony Murphy
11 Angel Rd.,
North Reading, MA 01864
Nahmen Nissen
PO Box 1856
Colfax, CA 95713-1856
Allen Okawa
2101 Nuuanu Ave., Tower 1,
#2203
Honolulu, HI 96817
David Oliver
141 Audaubon Rd. #201
Weymouth, MA 02188
Larry Poague
34221 West 90 Circle
Desota, KS 66108
Jim Relyea
241 W. Lakeshore
Rockaway, NJ 07866
Harry Riser
11755 N. Michigan Rd #313
Zionsville, IN 46077
Pat Ryan
43 Fairbanks Rd.
Churchville, NY 14428
Matt Savin
P.O. Box 7693
Alhambra, CA 91802-7533
Sybill Simons
65 West 95 St. Apt 3A
New York, NY 10025
Mario Susi
6 Bristol Rd.
W. Peabody, MA 01960
Jack White
4288 Arguello St.
San Diego, CA 92103
Jim Zachary
2801 South Creek Drive
Mulberry, FL 33860
President-elect Jim Pope (left)
getting installed by Lloyd
Worley
No Turkey trick for youth
member, Jarod Cernousek.
Jarod stole the show with his
mastery of the quick-draw,
fve-fnger, rubber band twist
New Members and Reinstatements
NEW MEMBERS
Adams, Samuel
Macon, GA
Auclair, Renee-Claude
Quebec, QC Canada
Bischoff, Lisa
Colorado Springs, CO
Carter, Christopher
Sleepy Hollow, IL
Chase, Stephanie
Marina Del Rey, CA
Chayes, Lea
Windsor, CT
Checansky, Rick
Simi Valley, CA
Decarolis, David
Las Vegas, NV
Dreyfuss, Daniel
Boca Raton, FL
Dyer, Sofa
Austin, TX
Ferguson, Harry
Seminole, FL
Flint, Charles
East Bridgewater, MA
Gallagher, Seth
Cold Spring, NY
Goodwin, Tommy
Camarillo, CA
Greenleaf, Dan
Manchester, NH
Hoff, Harold
Reading, PA
Isham, Eve
Davis, CA
Keyl, Steven
Herndon, VA
Kroener, James
New York, NY
Leopold, Cheryl
Gardiner, NY
Lin, Bin
Guilin, Guangxi Prov.
China
Livingston, Patrick
Chicago, IL
Lopez, Brandon
Portland, OR
Mahaney Jr, Ralph E
Kensington, MD
Mains, Steven
Williamsburg, VA
Massanova, John
Runnemede, NJ
Mc Crum, Brian
Clifton, VA
Mcelroy, Lindy A
La Porte, TX
Mixell, Max L
Chambersburg, PA
Nichols, Philip
Houston, TX
Nieves, Hector
New York, NY
Pacheco, Nelson
Sebring, FL
Palmer, Christopher
Berkeley, CA
Pinti, Stephen
Mechanicsburg, PA
Ponce, Jacob
Plano, TX
Reid, John
East Meadow, NY
Reynolds, Steve
Gretna, LA
Rivera, Israel
Raymore, MO
Rossbach, Mark
Weston, FL
Rubino, John
Maple Shade, NJ
Schmill, Robert B
Omaha, NE
Sinfeld, George
Brooklyn, NY
Spaeth, Michael
Pucking, Upper Austria
Springer, Ashley
Brooklyn, NY
Starzyk, Kenneth
Poplar Grove, IL
Steele, David
Guilford, CT
Stuller, Steven
Littleton, CO
Sweet, Harold M
Sherman Oaks, CA
Tan, Kim Seng
Singapore, Singapore
Tsao, Chih Hsien
Lewisville, TX
Tyner, Roy
Tulsa, OK
Wang, Shiqi
Guilin, Guangxi Prov-
ince China
Wenzel, Kevin
Irving, TX
Westeen, Caleb
Bedford, TX
Xu, Raymond
Saratoga, CA
Yermish, Norman
Holland, PA
Yuspeh, Michael
Metairie, LA
REINSTATEMENTS
Alday, Geoff
Franklin, TN
Chang, Nelson
Vancouver, BC Canada
Dreyer, Roger
New York, NY
Fortune, Timothy
Rockaway, NJ
Frenkel, David
Austin, TX
Frye, Keith M
Linenwood, NJ
Gunn, Kent
Wesley Chapel, FL
Hershey, Erick
Landisville, PA
Hoff, Seymour
San Jose, CA
Kenney, Don
Pacoima, CA
Kentner, Robert W
Ponca, NE
Leferovich Jr, John
Eastchester, NY
Loud, Carl Thomas
Louisville, KY
Mauro, David J
West Palm Beach, FL
Melillo, Peter James
New Hartford, CT
Miskelly, Wayne
Haines City, FL
Moore, Jason
Kansas City, MO
Newman, Ira Jay
Placentia, CA
Parsons, Ryan
Reading, PA
Porter Md, Henry
Pensacola, FL
Saul, Howard
Cherry Hill, NJ
Spencer, Edward K
Happy Valley, OR
Stone, Philip L
Toms River, NJ
Teraila, Robert
Newington, CT
Wojewoda, Tim 'Carlson'
Bay City, MI
FRED STORY
(OCTOBER 17, 1931 NOVEMBER 11, 2013)
Lifelong illusionist and
magical entertainer Fred
Arthur Story passed
away at the age of eighty-
two on Veterans Day,
November 11, 2013.
Born in Plainview, Texas,
on October 17, 1931, to
Robert E. and Nadine
Story, Fred became in-
terested in magic tricks
at the age of fve when
his barber in Plainview,
Texas, performed sleight-
of-hand to get him to sit
still in the barber chair.
Fred graduated from
Kemper Military School
in Booneville, Missouri, in 1951. He married his lifelong
sweetheart on August 9, 1952, and the two celebrat-
ed their honeymoon at that summers Abbotts Magic
Get-Together. Fred earned a BS degree in history and
education from Texas Tech University in 1954, was dis-
charged from the US Air Force in 1956, and later was
discharged as a Captain in the Air Force reserves.
Fred and his wife Ann performed professionally for
over twenty years throughout the United States with
one of the last great touring illusion shows. Freds career
included working with his father in the auto parts supply
business and owning The Magic Shop in Lubbock, Texas,
and a photography studio in Tulia, Texas. Fred is perhaps
most known in magic circles for his fnely crafted and
highly collectible Camelot Creations magic props. Fred
and Ann were honored with the lifetime achievement
award at the 2003 Texas Association of Magicians con-
vention in Lubbock.
An avid magic collector and historian, Fred was a
member of the West Texas Wizards, the Magic Col-
lectors Association, the Society of American Magicians,
and an Order of Merlin Excelsior of the International
Brotherhood of Magicians. He was preceded in death
by his parents and twin brother Robert C. Story. Fred
is survived by his wife Ann, his daughter Carol Allen of
Tulia, son Larry in Lubbock, four grandsons, and four
great grandchildren. Bruce Chadwick
PARKER SWAN
(APRIL 18, 1928 NOVEMBER 15, 2013)
Longtime friend, supporter, and mentor to me and
so many others, Charles Parker Swan III passed away
peacefully in his sleep at his home in Northborough,
Massachusetts on November 15, 2013. Parker was a life
member of The Society of American Magicians and had
been a member for ffty-three years. He was the Dean
of Assembly 16 and was its 1992 Magician of the Year.
Parker was born April 18, 1928, in Somerville, Mas-
sachusetts, grew up in Everett, Massachusetts, and
graduated from Everett High School in 1946. After
serving in the Army, he attended college in California
and graduated from Boston University in 1952. He
retired from the Burroughs Corporation in 1980 after
thirty-seven years of service.
Parker married Claire Miles Swan in 1955 and settled
in Northborough, Massachusetts, where they proudly
raised a beautiful family. Parker and Claire celebrated
their love and marriage by traveling the world, devoting
time to their church, St. Rose of Lima, and by giving back
to the community that they loved so much. Parkers
humor breathed life and joy into each experience they
shared, and their
memories spanned
from the deserts
of Egypt to the
wonders of China.
His interest in
magic began with
a Mysto Magic
Set. From 1942 to
1946 he worked
at Holdens Magic
Shop in Boston
for Herman
Hanson. While
there, he learned
his performing
skills, met many
famous magicians,
and made many
lasting friendships. For many years he performed in
New England and developed his comedy talent. We all
remember his hilarious convention routines. For several
decades, Parker performed with Claire as the comedy
team of Parker Swan and Claire. A fabulous emcee
and comic genius, two of his most memorable effects
were the Card in Watermelon and the Parker Swan
Dollhouse Production, which was assembled in front
of his audience, and from which he would produced
endless silks, streamers, fowers, and even a live rabbit.
Parker performed at every major magicians convention
around the country, and always brought the house down
with his comedy antics. I always knew I was in safe hands
when I was booked on a show that Parker emceed.
In addition to his sidesplitting magic performances,
he spent time as a valuable player in The Society of
American Magicians, serving as RVP, on the Conven-
tion Site Committees, and as chairman of the Com-
memorative Stamp Committee. Outside of magic, he
was adored by his local friends and neighbors. Parker
Broken Wands
enjoyed serving the Northborough community; in 1970,
he was elected town moderator and dutifully served
the town for thirty-three years. In his position as town
moderator, he often used magic, humor, his unbeliev-
able charm, and his expert knowledge of parliamentary
law to save many a stressful situation and to lighten the
mood when things became heated or uncomfortable at
town hall meetings. He and Claire had also been active
in many other community activities, including advocacy
at the state and local levels for the developmentally
disabled population. He often donated his time helping
several other local charities, both onstage and off.
He was the former president of both the Massachu-
setts Moderators Association and Assembly 16 of The
Society of American Magicians. Parker was an active
member of the Northborough Historical Society, the
Greendale Mens Club, the International Brotherhood of
Magicians, New England Magic Collectors Association,
Northborough Helping Hands, and the Harmonica Club
at the Senior Center. He was also a trustee of the Seven
Hills Foundation, a communicant of St. Rose of Lima and
also served as former chairman of the Parish Council.
In 2004, John Bach, president of the Magic Collec-
tors Association, presented a special certifcate to
Honorary Lifetime Member Parker Swan. Parker had
been a regular member for a long time and emceed the
shows at the Yankee Gatherings from the beginning up
through its eighth edition in 2000, as well as entertaining
and enlightening those in attendance with his personal
reminiscences.
Parker had been battling major health issues over the
past few years, and while his physical body was losing
ground, his mind was as sharp as ever. Parker leaves his
wife of 58 years, Claire, a son David, and daughters Karen
(John) and Ellen (Timothy). He was a loving grandfather
of four granddaughters: Jacqueline, Diana, Ashley, and
Tyra. He is also survived by his sister Barbara. A Broken
Wand Ceremony was presented by longtime friend and
magician, Robert Olsen.
Farewell, my friend. Thank you for everything. I am a
better performer and better person for having known
you. David Oliver
Broken Wands
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S.A.M. SPOTLIGHT
ARTHUR MARTELLO AND
THE MAGIC SHED

Forty-year S.A.M. associate member Arthur
Martello lives in the Catskill Mountains of New York
State and is at least ninety minutes from the nearest
S.A.M. assembly. His interest in magic is therefore
solely relegated to reading, attending conventions
when possible, and watching magic videos. Over the
years, he has amassed an impressive magic library
and apparatus collection.
His magic collection has grown exponentially. He
recently read an article in the online magic magazine
Mandala about how magicians collect things and
eventually fll an entire room with stuff. When he
began to run out of room in his house, he built a
10 x 16 shed, complete with electricity and heat to
store a portion of his collec-
tion.
Arthur plans to
continue to perform
for local organi-
zations and to
donate his time
and talents to
the community
that he loves; he
will continue to
do so until he is no
longer able to lift a
Sherwood cup.
The Nielsen Gallery
Dimensions: Half Sheet - 24" x 32" Lithographer: Ateliers Lalande
Date: 1963 Nielsen Rating: Available
The Red Sheik
LE CHEIK ROUGE (THE RED SHEIK)
We start this new year of Nielsen Gallery columns with a look
at Channing Pollock, the most beautiful man in the world, an ap-
pellation most likely provided by his admiring female fans. Much
like Cardini and his legendary billiard ball and cigarette produc-
tion act, this strikingly handsome magician inspired legions of
imitators of his dove and card productions before he left magic
entirely to become a flm actor.
Pollock was born on August 16, 1926, in Sacramento, Califor-
nia. He frst became interested in magic in 1947 after watching
a pitchman demonstrate the Svengali Deck. At the time, he
thought magic had some real possibilities and decided to inves-
tigate further the world of conjuring. At some point he also saw
the act of Mexican magician A.J. Cantu, who became famous for
working with doves.
On November 19, 2000, the Magic Circle honored Pollock by
presenting him with their David Devant Award. At that event he
told a delighted audience that after deciding he wanted to work
with doves, he noticed an advertisement for rabbits and pigeons;
he ultimately purchased a pigeon that was about four times the
size of a dove and totally unsuitable. The big pigeon was quickly
replaced with two doves.
Eventually he also saw an advertisement in Genii magazine
for the Chavez School of Magic and applied for admission. There,
under the tutelage of Neil Foster, Pollock learned the principles of
manipulation, showmanship, routining, and stagecraft. Certainly
Pollocks good looks added to his success, but it was his mastery
of misdirection, timing, stage deportment, and routining learned
at the Chavez School that made the difference.
He struggled at frst and performed wherever he could fnd
bookings. While staying in Philadelphia, he traveled to New York
and convinced Mark Leddy, the agent who booked the talent for
the Ed Sullivan show, to come and see his act. Again, from that
Magic Circle interview with noted magician John Fisher, Pollock
recalled that after the show Leddy told him, I like what I saw
kid you got the Sullivan show. His frst Sullivan performance
in 1954 resulted in two additional appearances in 1959 and 1960.
Leddy also became Pollocks manager.
Pollock went on to perform at the London Palladium in 1955
and appeared in special shows all over the world, performing for
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth II, and at the
wedding of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly in Monaco. At the
height of his career he was one of Americas highest-paid per-
formers.
The beginning of the end of his magic career came in 1959,
when his act was featured in the flm Europe by Night. He so
enjoyed the experience that the following year he gave up magic
and took up acting. Again, owing to his good looks and stage
deportment, he appeared in a number of thrillers and dramas
including Rocambole (1962); Musketeers of the Sea (1962), with
Aldo Ray and Pier Angeli; Georges Franjus Judex (1963), where
he wore a hooded face mask of a gigantic dove and presented
part of his regular act in the setting of a masquerade party; and
Le Cheik Rouge, the subject of this months column. The ninety-
minute flm premiered in New York on December 11, 1963.
The flm takes place in nineteenth century Morocco and
features an evil sultan who revels in making his subjects
miserable. That is, until the mysterious Red Sheik appears on
the scene. Similar to Zorro, the audience knows that the Sheik is
actually Ruiz (Channing Pollock), an outwardly meek carpenter.
According to the plot, they also know that Ruiz has donned his
disguise to avenge his fathers murder. Movie reviewers found The
Red Sheik short on plot but long on action, a trait not uncommon
in Hollywood today.
Pollock did not confne himself only to flm, but also went on
to appear on popular television shows such as Bonanza (1971);
Daniel Boone (1966); The Rogues (1965); The Great Adventure
(1964), in which he appeared as Kit Carson; and The Beverly
Hillbillies (1963). Then, in 1969, Pollock again changed course
dramatically and left show business. He and his wife started an
organic farm at Moss Beach, California, overlooking the Pacifc
Ocean.
On stage Pollock was the epitome of confdence and so-
phistication. Once asked how he developed his stage image he
replied, Fear made me look sophisticated. If such was the case,
it certainly didnt show; audiences loved him. Even after leaving
magic, Pollock continued to act as a friend and mentor to aspiring
magicians. He died in Las Vegas on March 18, 2006, from com-
plications due to cancer. He was seventy-nine years old.
Tom Ewing
HITTING THE ROAD
Welcome to the road! Jenny, Puck,
Adam, and I have done many shows
together as a group, and separately as indi-
vidual artists. We all have miles of road
time under our belts, and have lots of great
insights on schlepping your stuff either
around the corner or around the globe. If
you are looking for ways to save a buck
or two on traveling with your props, tips
and tricks on how to move your show from
the basement to the ballroom, or if you are
just looking for a few wild and wacky tales
from the road, youve come to the right
place. This column will feature all these
things and more with a few insightful con-
tributions from a few other road weary
friends of mine. So lets hit the road this
month with my good buddy Puck with
some insights on protecting your invest-
ments. That magic equipment you spend
your hard earned money on has to get from
point A to point B and end up arriving
intact. Your best bet is investing in some
good quality road cases; Puck is the master
at packing fat and playing big.
ON THE CASE
The traveling performer must always
consider cases. There is always a debate of
whether to go with a wood-packing style,
ATA, or fber cases. Puck prefers a wood
style case that turns into a table. These are
great because they allow you to pack a lot of
show in a little bit of space. They also have
the beneft of becoming your performing
table when you get to the gig. Although we
both used tables made by Joe Lefer (now
available from Showtime Magic Products),
I noticed that Pucks always looked brand
new, while mine looked like it had been
run over by a semi truck, set on fre, and
tossed off a cliff. How could this be?
I used to ship mine worldwide, unpro-
tected and it worked for a while. But
cases like these are made of wood, and
over time these cases do get beat to hell.
They work really well from the backseat
of your car to the stage. If you do local
shows, you can stop here, but if you travel
long distances with your gear, read on.
Puck really liked the utility and look of the
Lefer table as an onstage unit, but not the
condition it would arrive in when it few to
the gig unprotected. So, he chose to put his
Lefer case inside another case to protect
it. This way he could pop the table out of
the case and it always looked pristine and
new when wheeled out in front of his audi-
ences. He protected his wooden case for
fight and managed to keep the piece right
at the maximum over-the-counter airline
weight limit of ffty pounds.
I was an assistant in the Denny &
Lee Illusion Show for many years, Puck
recalls. Denny traveled with a full illu-
sion show that packed over the counter
at the airport. He always used fber cases
for their lightweight construction. These
cases, although weighing very little,
are very durable. In fact, he rarely had
to replace cases in the show; they lasted
through his more than thirty year career.
Walter Blaney also used fber cases to cut
down on shipping fees. He traveled quite a
bit in his career and said the props always
arrived in good shape.
Puck followed the advice of these two
seasoned pros and opted for the fber cases.
This turned out to be very good advice
because as Puck says, I have traveled
extensively and never had a prop damaged
in shipping. I have had my cases beat to hell
but the props always remained protected.
Shipping companies and airports have
knocked off latches, rivets, and wheels
throughout the years. When this happened
I just bought new wheels to attach and
some protective straps with plastic connec-
tors to keep the fber case closed. The pros
of low shipping costs always outweighed
the cons of minor damage to the cases.
GET YOUR FIBER
What were originally called fbre
cases were (up until the early 90s) actually
made of cotton rag fber, glue, and wood
pulp. They then were coated with a varnish
so that they would become waterproof.
Nowadays, the fber cases are made from
a tough high-density polyethylene plastic.
We have found a great source for these
cases online at www.fbrecase.com.
This is the company once known as
Fibre Case and Novelty that Denny used
for years, and we continue to use them
because of their reputation for quality,
speed, and customer service.
Puck uses their telescoping, one-inch
foam-lined fber cases with metal castors.
The castors are screwed into the case using
plywood as a base (Photo 1). He has the
cases telescope to give a double wall of
protection. In other words, the lid nests
over the bottom of the case. Instead of
latches, he now has them made with heavy
duty straps that lock shut with thick plastic
connectors. If you browse the website they
have all kinds of confgurations for cases
to ft your needs. These cases are custom
made to the dimensions of his props. He
even has a fve-inch deep utility tray made
to ft into the top of the case for the smaller
props and accessories.
Puck says, My show has dramatically
shrunk through the years; I now travel pri-
marily with one case that weighs in at ffty
pounds when fully packed. This case can
be shipped over the counter at the airport
with no excess weight or dimensional
fees. This case is custom made to accom-
modate my small size Joe Lefer suitcase
table. These tables are great, because I can
perform with it on stage in a very orga-
nized and self contained manner. The case
With Scott Alexander, Puck,
Jenny Alexander, and Adam Ace
Hit The Road
Photo 1
also can act like a trolley for another suit-
case placed on top of it when wheeling
through the airport or up the gangplanks
of cruise ships. There are two wheels on
the case, one placed on each side at the
bottom, which resembles a roller board
suitcase. I simply grab the handle and roll
along. I travel with a small garment bag
as well, and I place it in front of the case
with the wheels in like position. I have an
additional strap that connects the case to
the telescoping extension handle on my
garment bag. I roll the garment bag and
the case piggybacks and rolls along easily
(Photo 2).
Remember, your props are your liveli-
hood, so make sure you invest in the proper
protection for them. They will last longer
and remain looking good as the cases take
the beatings.
The Conjuring Arts Houdini
Sance 2013 By Eric DeCamps
October 31, 1936, on the tenth anniversary of Houdinis
death, his widow Beatrice conducted what would be her last
attempt to contact her late husband. Harry, Harry! Are you
there? she cried. Speak to us, Harry. Give us some sign. We
have waited so long. No answer came. He has not come,
sobbed Mrs. Houdini. I turn out the light.
Through the decades, countless others have tried to
contact the spirit of the most famous magician of all times.
None have been successful. This year Houdini scholar and
the executive director of the Conjuring Arts Research Center,
William Kalush, hosted a sance to attempt to contact Mr.
Houdini.
On October 31, 2013, more than ffty guests met at
the Axis Theater in New York City with the objective of
communicating with the legendary escape artist. The
invitation-only event included many of our communitys
most notable magicians and magic historians. Also attending
were flm director/flm writer Darren Aronofsky, actor Susan
Sarandon, and several other luminaries and socialites.
Stepping into the lobby of the theater, you were welcomed
by Houdini apparatus and paraphernalia in beautifully lit
display cases. These remarkable items were on loan from the
Roger Dreyer Collection and the Houdini Museum of New
York.
Passing through the lobby and entering the theater
itself, felt as if walking through a time portal. The stage was
transformed into a Victorian themed setting with a large
round table covered with a pristine white linen tablecloth;
ten chairs surrounding the table. On the table were a single
white candle and an empty, corked wine bottle. In the
bottle, suspended on a string, was a handcuf key owned
by Houdini. The last item on the table was a pair of prized
handcufs from the Houdini collection. As Mr. Kalush
explained, These handcufs are the ones used to restrain
U.S. President James Garfelds assassin, Charles Guiteau.
The actual sance began just before 1:26 p.m., the time of
Houdinis death. The medium called for Houdini to join us
and to show us a sign of his presence. The medium repeated
her request multiple times. At one point the suspended key
in the bottle began to oscillate. Was this a coincidence or a
signal from Houdini? Ill let you decide.
For some, after eighty-seven years and countless attempts
to contact Houdini, the oscillating handcuf key may have
been an indication of contact. Others may conclude that of
all the restraints that Houdini successfully escaped in life,
death is the only restraint from which he could not escape.
Photos by Herb Scher
Newsworthy
UPDATES FROM OUR
S.A.M. MEMBERS
Photo 2
One of my favorite magic books of
all time is Max Holdens Programmes
of Famous Magicians. In case you are
unfamiliar with it, this slender paperback
lists the running orders for shows and acts
from over eighty magicians of the 1930s,
including great performers such as Al
Baker, Annemann, Dunninger, Gwynne,
Goldin, Jarrow, Keating, Leipzig, and on
and on. (It also includes many delightful
illustrations of these performers by the
great Nelson Hahne.)
For me, Programmes has always been a
book of dreams. How exactly did Thurston
open his show? How did Blackstone
proceed after his bold opening? How did
Tommy Martin close after performing his
signature Egg on the Fan? The answers
to these and countless other questions
are in its pages, waiting to be uncovered.
Further, Max Holdens write-ups are often
so detailed you can visualize the shows
unfolding as you read about them. For
anyone who loves magic, Programmes
is an extraordinary treasure. Its only
downside is that Holdens record stops in
1937.
Since then, there have been only a
few other books in this genre. Notable
among them are Arnold Fursts Famous
Magicians of the World (1957) and Great
Magic Shows (1968) and Ian Keables
recent Magic Shows. Also, one can
sometimes glean or fnd running orders in
magic histories or biographies. Even so,
to a fairly shocking extent, after 1937 we
are left to wonder about what exactly most
magicians are doing on most nights. It is
shocking to me because show building is
the site of so many creative decisions the
place where a great deal of our artistry is
exercised. It is the domain where we lift
ourselves from a dull sequence of tricks
to a full-fedged show that creates deep
impact and lasting memories.
And so, one motivation for writing
this column was to stem the tide of
forgetfulness about a foundational
dimension of our feld. For while objects
of the fne and literary arts paintings,
sculptures, buildings, poems, and novels
all continue to exist in space, theatrical
and musical performances are constituted
by time. And when that time is over, those
performances are gone forever. Unless
we write about them and, in doing so,
remember.
My other motivation the one that
brought this column to a head happened
in April of 2010 when I read that Lance
Burton was going to close his show at the
Monte Carlo. I sat there thinking, Thats
it? Lances great show just closes and goes
away? I knew that no one had published
the shows running order, and there was no
publicly available video record of it. So
this is it? My answer: I think not. And
so my research project was launched.
Over this past year, I have provided
running orders from ten of todays
greatest magic shows. Please note that I
do not consider this an exhaustive list of
the great shows of today. There are many
other performers and shows that clearly
belong in these pages, which may well
give rise to further installments. Even
so, I have attempted to make a good start
on capturing leading shows in this our
Second Golden Age of live magic. Again,
I have done this so tomorrows magicians
can dream about today as I have dreamed
about yesterday. But I have also done it, as
a magic teacher and director, to identify
lessons we can put to work to improve our
own magic shows.
About the lessons I have drawn, some
of them have been idiosyncratic to a
particular performer. A few examples:
David Copperfelds dynamic movement
between large and intimate illusions,
Eugene Burgers use of monologues, Jeff
McBrides way of energizing an entire
audience, Max Mavens slow-build to
an explosive close, and Juan Tamarizs
overfowing, wacky fun.
But alongside the idiosyncratic lessons,
in this concluding installment I also want
to stress some superior qualities that are
present in all the shows we studied. If these
qualities are good enough for the masters,
then we probably want to get more of them
in our own shows. Here, then, is a partial
list of these excellent qualities for better
show building:
1. These shows all had a clear dynamic
structure; they had a distinctive beginning,
an engaging middle, and a powerful end.
2. The magic in these shows was strong
and exceptionally deceptive. These
magicians never forget that if it doesnt
fool the audience, it isnt really magic.
3. All of these performers manifest clear,
specifc, fascinating characters. (That is,
they are decidedly not generic.) They are
performers you want to spend time with
and learn about. You want to see them
again.
4. All of them used carefully crafted
words, delivered in a fresh, authentic way
(no extemporaneous, pointless blather).
5. All of these shows were highly
innovative in at least one way. That is,
there were one or more things going on in
the show that you simply could not see at
any other magic show.
6. All of these shows were theatrically
sound. That is, careful attention was paid
to lights, sound, music, prop management,
and blocking.
7. All of these shows had a clear vision or
intention of what they wanted the audience
to experience, and they delivered on it.
Between the idiosyncratic lessons
from each performer and these universal
qualities, I sincerely hope that this column
has inspired you. Thank you for taking the
time to read it and to visualize these great
shows of today. Thanks, too, for the many
letters of support and appreciation I have
received during the past year.
Finally, I want to express my deep thanks
to editor Michael Close and to the artists
themselves who granted permission for me
to write about their shows, discussed their
shows with me, and in some cases read
drafts to help me get some of the details
right. Without fail, they were helpful and
generous with their time.
As I sign off, please allow me to remind
you of the essential insight that I learned
through this project and that I used to
launch this column in the frst installment:
The fundamental unit of magic is the show,
not the trick. Everything about what we do
as magicians shifts when we make this
radical change in perspective.
By Larry Hass
Building A Show
COMMUNICATION IS
PART OF THE METHOD
Paul Watzlawick (1921-2007), a psy-
chologist, therapist, and philosopher,
helped develop the way we look at commu-
nication. His Pragmatics of Human Com-
munication (1967) is a classic. In order to
help families communicate in a healthy
way, he formulated fve axioms derived
from the work of Gregory Bateson. The
frst axiom is: One cannot not communi-
cate.
Thats a very intriguing statement. He
formulated a related insight: One cannot
not infuence. As magicians, we need to
start paying close attention to these words!
This frst axiom tells us that were always
infuencing the minds, thoughts, emotions,
and the decision-making process of our
audience even without a magical prop in
our hands.
We used to think that words are the
most important part of our communication.
Over the course of the twentieth century,
we started to see that words only make
up fve to ten percent of what is perceived
as communication. We started to become
aware of the fact that non-verbal com-
munication was a much bigger part of the
way we communicate. The two major parts
of non-verbal communication are body
language (gestures, facial expressions)
and vocal communication (tone, volume,
rhythm, pitch).
But thats not all. Lets take a look at
information from the audiences perspec-
tive. The audience listens to what you
say (or to the music, if you have a silent
act) and how you say it. They look at
how youre dressed, how you move, and
what your face looks like. But theres
much more information they take in,
and that affects the way they perceive
your act. The room and the way it feels
will infuence their mood. Temperature,
sounds, other audience members, the way
theyre treated by the waitstaff, how many
drinks theyve had (yes, alcohol is infor-
mation, too, and it changes your state of
mind just like any other kind of informa-
tion), and what they did before your show
are part of the information people take
in. We can even consider something like
pheromones (chemicals that are released
in open air when we perspire; they trigger
a social response in members of the same
species) information because they evoke
responses.
Most of the time were not aware of the
enormous amount of information we take
in, let alone how were infuenced by it. Its
far too complex (and boring) to analyze
every little detail. But if were aware of
the fact that: 1) information creates our
perception of reality and 2) were always
sending out information, it will help us, as
magicians, to expand our toolbox in a big
way.
Watzlawicks second axiom is even
more intriguing: Every communication
has a content and relationship aspect
such that the latter classifes the former
and is therefore a meta-communication.
This axiom teaches us that we affect our
audience on two levels. The frst one is
obvious: what we communicate and how
we communicate it will be understood on a
cognitive level. We try to choose the right
words, images, and structure to help our
audience understand the content. But we
may be slightly less aware of the fact that
were also sending out powerful messages
about how we want to be perceived. In
other words, our communication tells other
people how we want to be treated.
The bottom line can be very shocking.
When people respond to you in the wrong
way, you are a huge part of what caused
that behavior. Think about hecklers for
example. By positioning yourself as
someone who is better and smarter than the
audience, you may very well communicate
the message: challenge me! And someone
may pick up on that.
Communication is not math, so I will
never claim that something is a universal
law thats always true for everyone, ev-
erywhere. I mean, there are some crazy
people out there who will respond to you
in a way that you cant control. But the two
axioms provide us with useful insights to
help us to design our communication in a
way that makes it an integral part of our
method, even when we completely rely on
gimmicks or other techniques that do the
dirty work for us.
Its probably clear to everyone but Id
like to stress it anyway before we apply all
of this to a magic performance: were not
aware of most of the information we take
in. Were even less aware of how it affects
us. The information we take in contains
hidden instructions that tell us how to
think and feel. Im aware that, sometimes,
we need to explicitly remind the audience
of what happened: So you shuffed the
cards, selected one, and signed it. Usually,
Im not in favor of describing what can be
seen. But it can be useful at times.
Having said that, I think that most of
the time, implicit information is much
more powerful than explicit information.
The reason for that is that implicit informa-
tion is accepted completely without even
thinking about it.
I think that the way Ricky Jay plays
a poker game in the BBC documentary
Hustlers, Hoaxsters, Pranksters, Jokesters,
and Ricky Jay is masterful and a great
example of the above. You can fnd a clip
on YouTube. If you type in A correctly
structured drama in the search feld you
can fnd it and watch it. The title probably
refers to something Ricky Jays friend,
director and writer David Mamet, once
said: Magic is highly structured drama.
The act is thought through on every level.
The words, the structure, and his acting
skills help him to defne the relationship
and evoke emotions that support hiding the
method.
David Blaine took close-up effects and
performed those on the street. He changed
the context and designed a persona that
ft that context (the silent stranger). By
doing that he defned a different type of re-
lationship between him and the audience.
That affected the way the content (the
script and the trick) was interpreted. He
was able to produce different reactions
By George Parker
For Your Consideration
than the reactions he would get when he
would do the same tricks at a party or in a
formal close-up setting. All of that is part
of communication design.
Of course, I had to try this out, too. I
asked my youngest son to flm me while
I took my regular repertoire out on the
streets. After three hours of flming I had
ffteen minutes of very usable material and
very loud reactions. This is interesting;
it was the same content, just a different
way of communicating it. But make no
mistake; redesigning the way you commu-
nicate can be as diffcult as learning to do
a new sleight perfectly.
Suppose youre doing an Invisible Deck
routine. One of the important parts of the
method is making the audience believe
youre using a regular deck of cards.
The weakest way to communicate this is
by telling them, explicitly, that this is a
normal deck. That type of information is
fed into the conscious, cognitive part of
their brain, which invites them to think
about what you just said. We dont want
that.
A better approach would be to not talk
about it and just introduce the deck. If you
want to add words, its better to redirect
their attention and not refer to the deck
as being normal explicitly. You can,
for example, tell them about an experi-
ence you had yesterday while taking the
box out of your pocket: I was invited to
a family party as a guest yesterday. At
the end of the evening I wanted to thank
the hosts. Because I didnt have a deck of
cards on me, I borrowed theirs to do one
of my all time favorite pieces of magic for
them. Implicitly youve told them to look
at the deck as a normal deck. And youve
also told them youre a polite and generous
person.
We can now think a little bit deeper
about how to design our communication.
How about adding non-verbal messages?
Using the approach given in the previous
paragraph, and while delivering the lines,
we can take the deck out of the box and
shuffe it. (You can easily shuffe a rough-
and-smooth deck.) I took that idea a step
further. I now add a Joker to the deck. I
take the deck out of the box and fash the
face and the back of the deck (the back of
the Joker) while talking. After shuffing
the cards, I reach for the box and start to
put the deck back into it. I stop, spread
the cards, and take out the Joker, deliver-
ing a line: Lets take out the Joker. Its
not specifc enough. This communicates
the message its a normal deck in a way
that makes them accept that fact without
thinking about it.
The Mystery Box by John Kennedy is
a wonderful prop that youre all familiar
with. You can make any card appear in the
box. Usually, you set the box beforehand
and put it on the table. You fnish your
routine by opening the box, dropping the
folded card on your hand, and showing
the box empty. I thought it would be more
powerful to show the box empty before-
hand, thereby increasing the impact of the
card appearing in the box. But using the
above insights I asked this question: How
could I convey the message the box is
empty between the lines?
I came up with the idea of putting a
small gemstone in the box. When I start the
routine, I rattle the box raising attention.
Do you know whats inside the box? I
take off the rubber band, open the lid, and
tilt the box to slowly show the gemstone
to everyone. Then I ask someone to hold
up her hand and I drop the gemstone on
it, asking, Does anyone know what type
of gemstone this is? I relax my arms, set
the box, put the lid on the box, and place
it on the table. I ask this person to put the
gemstone on the lid and to keep an eye on
it at all times.
This structure sends out the same
message in a different way than verbally
stressing the fact that the box is empty.
Saying the box is empty will make the
spectators consciously register that in-
formation. As a result, their attention is
focused on that fact, and chances are they
will ask themselves questions about it. But
if they hear and see something inside the
box, something that is then dropped on
someones hand, they will subconscious-
ly create the idea that the box is empty.
And we tend to believe ideas we create
ourselves much more than ideas that are
presented by others. So the fact that
the box is empty is accepted without even
thinking about it.
You can take any routine thats part
of your repertoire and start working on
making it more powerful by rethinking
the way you communicate (in the Wat-
zlawick sense of the word). I worked on
Paul Currys A Swindle of Sorts recently
(in Paul Currys Worlds Beyond, page
245). You fan out the Ace through King of
Clubs so the spectator sees they are in se-
quential order. Then you move your hands
under the table and claim you will switch
two pairs. Then you give the stack to the
spectator and ask him to put the cards on
the table one by one. He can stop twice to
switch two cards, putting the two cards
on the tabled pile after they have been
switched. If his intuition works perfectly,
he will have switched back the two cards
you switched. The end result is that the
cards will be in Ace through King order
again, which, remarkably, they are.
The method is very simple. You can
try it out right now. Take the Ace through
King of any suit. Put them face down in
sequential order. Start putting cards on the
table. When you arrive at the fourth card,
take the fourth and ffth cards and switch
them by putting the fourth card under
the ffth and then dropping both onto the
tabled pile. Do the same with the ninth
and tenth cards. Turn over the stack. The
cards are still in Ace through King order!
Nothing happened.
You want to communicate that making
the switch actually makes a difference.
And thats just what Curry does by secretly
swapping the fourth and ffth cards. Then
he counts down seven cards, explicitly
switching the fourth and ffth cards. When
he turns around the seven cards, indeed the
fourth and ffth cards are switched. From
the audiences perspective the result of
the procedure is clear; switching the cards
actually works (while it really doesnt).
I redesigned the routine to remove the
fumbling and also to involve the spectator
more. In my version the spectator selects
the cards and puts them in the right order.
When I double check it by fanning the
cards, I swap the fourth and ffth cards by
using a cull. This all happens on an offbeat
moment. I think that communicates an
even more innocent picture.
Take any routine you do and try to look
at it more deeply. Focus on the method and
ask yourself: What do I want my audience
to believe? How can I communicate that
idea implicitly?
Try to think of what you say, how you
say it, and how you structure what youre
saying. Think of the types of circum-
stantial evidence that I described in the
examples above. Im sure you will surprise
yourself and come up with some simple
but highly effective ways to increase the
impact of your magic.
In my last column, I talked about the
show advice I would give young people
who would like to pursue a career in enter-
tainment. In this column I will fnish my
thoughts with the advice I would give those
same young people about the business side
of entertainment.
ONE: WHAT YOU CANNOT
EXPECT FROM A CAREER IN
ENTERTAINMENT
You will not get a paid medical plan.
You will not get a paid dental plan.
You will not get an employer-funded
401k or retirement plan.
You will not get any paid vacation days.
You will not get any sick days.
You will not get a boss or supervisor.
It is easy to forget that a trip to the
emergency room for a couple of stitches
can mean a couple of thousand dollars. Its
the same with dental. A tooth cavity that
gets bad could mean a root canal. That
will run you another two thousand dollars.
What happens when you get a bad winter
bug that keeps you in bed for a week? If
you have a show booked, you had better
suck it up and do the show or you dont get
paid.
Are you putting money away for re-
tirement? You dont think about this when
youre young. However, there will be a
day when you look in the mirror and you
notice youre ffty and realize you have put
nothing away for those golden years. Do a
little research and see how many famous
magicians survived their old age through
the generosity of others because they had
no retirement plan.
I know you are thinking that the last
item on the list above about no boss is
awesome. This is a good thing. Well, not
necessarily. There will be days that you
dont feel like working. I know of many
talented performers who are starving
because they dont have the intestinal
fortitude it takes to perform the mundane
business tasks that make one successful.
Sometimes, you need a boss who will kick
you in the bottom to push you to the top.
Not having a boss is a double-edged sword.
TWO: WHAT YOU CAN
EXPECT FROM A CAREER IN
ENTERTAINMENT
Apathy. Thats right; most people
dont care about your little magic show.
The hidden truth is that magic is great at
a party, at the bar, or in a restaurant. The
public enjoys the momentary diversion of
a clever trick. However, when you want
someone to pay for your show, attitudes
change.
Like any business, you must learn how
to market your product. I have seen so
many magicians who believe if they put out
a sign that says Magic Show or Mind-
reading Show, people will be clamoring
to spend their money. It is always a cold
day when one comes to the realization that
the public is not as excited about magic as
the magician.
Fierce competition is another factor
you can expect in a career in entertain-
ment. Everyone wants to be the next David
Copperfeld. After musicians and singers,
magicians are the biggest pool of potential
entertainers. One talent agent told me
he gets at least three submissions from
magicians every week. Thats a lot of com-
petition.
Also, keep in mind that other magicians
are not your only competition. Potential
buyers will compare you to jugglers,
comedians, ventriloquists, and all other
kinds of variety entertainment. Here are
some questions for you. Are you really that
different from other magicians? Does your
promotional material really say you are a
professional entertainer?
THREE: FIND A BUSINESS
MENTOR
Find someone who understands
business. More specifcally, fnd someone
who is successful at business and is
willing to give you some help and advice.
It is always benefcial to have someone you
can consult with to help you make sound
business decisions. A while back Katalina
and I were offered a very lucrative business
opportunity. We pondered on this possibil-
ity for a couple of weeks. We just couldnt
decide if it was right for us or not. I ended
up calling a trusted friend who has a very
sharp business mind. He knew exactly the
right questions to ask ourselves; within ten
minutes we made our decision to pass on
the business opportunity.
When youre young and inexperienced,
you simply dont have the familiarity to
know which opportunities are good and
which things are simply going to waste
your time and resources. Having someone
with knowledge who can help guide you
to make more informed and intelligent
decisions is invaluable.
Remember, entertainment for proft is
business. You will not become success-
ful as an entertainer without some funda-
mental knowledge of business. In the last
twenty years, the business of entertain-
ment has drastically changed.
I have witnessed the change from
simple print media kits, to the inclusion
of a VHS tape, to having a slick DVD, to
now having an impressive website with
streaming video.
In the last ffteen years, there have been
more changes in the way entertainers have
to market themselves than there were in
the one hundred years prior. Things are
changing fast; keeping up can become a
fulltime job.
FOUR: CHOOSE A MARKET
There are many markets that can use a
good magic/mentalism act. You cant own
them all. In fact, you cant even own most
of them. Choose one and concentrate on
breaking into that one.
Some markets can take a couple of years
of effort before you start getting booked.
It took one entertainer I know two years
before he was able to get his frst booking
at a performing arts center; fve years later,
and he now works almost exclusively at
performing arts theaters.
How many markets are there? As many
as you can think of: cruise ships, corporate,
By Christian Painter
Mental Breakdown
colleges, casinos, performing arts centers,
street performing, fringe theaters, night
clubs, comedy clubs, military, school as-
semblies, birthday parties, retirement
villages, libraries, and on and on. It really
is only limited to your imagination.
A major problem I see with young
people trying to break into this profession
is that they try to attack every market and
get nowhere by doing so. Your promo-
tional material, your show, and even your
character will not be a good ft for every
market. It is better to focus your time and
resources on one market and attack it with
everything you have.
When Katalina and I started working
in the college market, our frst year we did
about ten shows. We made adjustments to
our show and our promotional material to
more closely ft the market needs. In our
second year we did about ffty shows. By
the time we retired from the college market
we were doing about 130 college shows a
year. It just takes time and directed effort.
FIVE: HAVE AN EXIT
STRATEGY
Obviously, not every person who
attempts to be a professional performer
will make it. So it is good to have some
other ability to fall back on. It is best to
have a marketable skill or college degree.
Seven years ago, I knew fve magicians
who all decided that they wanted to
become professional entertainers. All fve
failed. Three of them had an exit strategy.
They had either a skill or college degree
and went on to become successful in other
felds. The other two have not done so well.
They got minimum wage jobs, moved into
their parents basement, or rented a room
from a friend. They are still waiting for
their big break. Sadly, its not going to
happen.
You might also fnd you dont like this
lifestyle. Traveling all the time, staying in
a different hotel every night, and playing
in some less than desirable venues can
take some shine off the show business
star. Can you handle not knowing where
your next paycheck might come from or
when? Running your own business can be
mentally draining, because you can end up
thinking about your business 24/7.
Im not going to tell you its all roses
and sunshine. Its very hard work. There
might be months without any gigs coming
in. You have to know how to ration your
money. You might fnd out this is not the
gig for you. So have a plan B, just in case
magic turns out to be a better mistress than
a wife.
By Jim Kleefeld
Not Just Kid Stuff
EVERY AUDIENCE
COUNTS
Most magicians who perform do so
for children. Yes, there are plenty of res-
taurants, illusion theaters, festivals, and
corporate gigs around. But by far, most
paid magic performances are at birthday
parties, schools, and libraries with an
audience of mainly children. Some chil-
drens show workers do so reluctantly.
Many feel that their corporate close-up or
stage mentalism act is their real passion
and performing for children is beneath
them just a quick and easy way to fund
their Book Test habit. Well, this column is
aimed at those people who take pride in
performing kid shows. It is for those who
love performing at children and family
events, and who work hard to make their
show fun, entertaining, and signifcant.
If you are among the many magicians
who love the art as a hobby, but do not do
paid shows, you may want to follow along
with me for the next year or two. You
may not have to put together a forty-fve-
minute act of magical entertainment to
satisfy a paying client. You may even be
hesitant to create an entire show. Ill try to
persuade you how rewarding magic can be
for paid performers. Each month I will try
to cover an important kid show topic and
give a trick or routine as an example. We
will explore some of the basic principles of
performing childrens shows and examine
routines that can help you succeed. There
will even be some lessons in structure that
will beneft the street performers and the
hard-core card mechanics out there. Lets
get to it, shall we?
The frst tenet of kid show perform-
ing is simple: Every Audience Counts.
This is a profound principle, and one on
which all performance should be based.
Say it out loud. Every Audience Counts.
Memorize it. Put down this magazine
and seriously think about the implica-
tions. Every. Audience. Counts. There are
no practice shows. No tryout audiences.
No take-backs or do-overs. You cannot
bring unrehearsed material, new tricks,
or half-baked routines. You can never go
into a venue thinking, Ill toss this one
off quickly. After all, its only kids. You
should never leave a show thinking, Well,
that was sloppy, but it looked like they had
fun anyway.
There are two main reasons why you
should always have a polished professional
show. One is that clients the adults who
hired you and the ones in the audience
who may hire you later are watching.
They may act distracted or talk to each
other, but their minds are absorbing some
degree of your act. At every show there
will be adults who will see and remember
how you treat children, how you engage
and entertain them, and what appeal your
magic has. Children do not hire magicians;
adults do. And adults at every show will
notice whether you are worth hiring again.
By making your audience count, you are
demonstrating a degree of professionalism
that will carry over to all your other pro-
spective shows. Many times I have been
asked at a childrens show if I perform
adult shows as well. Numerous times I
have been hired to do corporate or adult
gigs based on having been seen presenting
a childrens show. There are people who
see the value of a good entertainer and
presume it translates across age, cultural,
and socio-economic lines. Presenting well
to children translates into being able to
present well to adults.
The second reason for always doing
your best is that children are much smarter
and more observant than most adults give
them credit for. Sure, they are cute and
naive and full of imagination and wonder.
But they are neither idiots nor small adults.
They may not be able to verbalize as well
as adults, but they can recognize incompe-
tence when they see it. Mom will ask how
they liked the magic show, and they will
answer honestly. Do you want them to tell
her, It was stupid.?
So, how do you go about making sure
that Every Audience Counts? Start by
making sure that you have a polished,
competent show. Even a beginner with
no audience experience can put together
a show in which all the tricks are thought
out and rehearsed. Before you book a gig,
make sure that you have practiced all of
your tricks, decided on the mechanics of
what goes where, and put them in order.
Make sure you have run through the entire
show from beginning to end many times so
you know what happens next. Have your
case or table in order. Know where the
props are coming from and where they go
when you are done with them. Your show
may not go perfectly for you the frst few
times out, and you may even have to drop
or change some effects. But the audience
will give you a lot of credit for trying hard.
One of the worst shows I ever witnessed
was done by a friend who invited me to
watch a church banquet show. We had
talked magic dozens of times. We had
shared tricks and routines time and again.
He knew a lot about magic, owned a lot of
kid show tricks, and booked a lot of shows.
But when I went to see him perform, I was
appalled. He arrived an hour early and
had the performance area to himself. He
brought a fold-fat roll-on table and a small
trunk. He set up the table and then opened
the trunk. For the next twenty minutes he
rummaged through it like he was trying to
fnd a marble at the bottom of a toy box.
Scattered tricks, props, gimmicks, and
paraphernalia few everywhere. Every few
minutes he would bring out a prop, look it
all over and say, I guess Ill do that one.
I havent done it in a long time. When
he fnally had chosen about ten props, he
shut the trunk and randomly stuck all the
props in his table. The show was equally
scattered and disjointed. He pulled out one
prop after the other, used each with dealer-
demo, show-and-tell patter, and tossed it
aside to search for a different one. He did
perform magic. He had not messed up
any tricks. But his attitude was so cavalier
that the show felt like he had thrown it
away. He had discarded the importance
of the magic, the props, and the audience.
After the show, he was beaming about how
well it had gone. He told me he usually
blows a couple of the effects, but this time
all of the tricks worked. He never even
realized how much he had disrespected the
audience.
I never spoke to him again.
The better part of Every Audience
Counts is your attitude. Every show is
important, and every audience deserves
to have a wonderful time. No matter if
you have done this Cub Scout Pack two
dozen times, or there are only four kids
at the birthday party, or the gig is in a
poor section of town, or they talked you
into doing it for half-price. Always head
in the door thinking about doing a great
show, having a fantastic time, and leaving
a pleased audience. Treat every client with
respect, whether they are angry, poor,
drunk, old, or sullen. Think to yourself,
I love performing here, and I hope they
love the show. Promise yourself that this
audience, like every audience, deserves
the best show you can give. Because Every
Audience Counts.
Here is a routine that helps embrace
this principle. Lets call it The Coloring
Contest.
Buy two identical commercial coloring
books (Figure 1). I suggest you get some
from Dover Publications because these are
printed on heavy white paper. The cheap
newsprint kind will not hold up well and
the colors will show through
the thin pages.
On both
books, trim
every other
page by
cutting out
a slight curve
or indent
near the top
edge. Next,
cut the pages
that you did not
already trim using a slight
curve about two inches down from the top
(Figure 2). As you can guess, this will make
the books work like a Svengali deck or a
regular commercial Magic Coloring Book.
Flipping through the book at the very top
will show one set of pages; fipping with
your thumb about two inches lower will
show the other set of pages. This method
of trimming works better than the large
slanted cuts used on commercial Magic
Coloring Books. With small notches close
together, you need only move your fngers
a tiny bit to change pages, not all the way
from the top to the bottom.
On both books, you will leave every
other two-page spread uncolored (Figure
3). This is so you can show the books
plain at the start of the routine. You will
need to color the alternate pages in both
books with real crayons. On one book,
make every page neat (Figure 4). On the
other book, scribble wildly over the pages
(Figure 5). Make sure it looks messy, but
dont use so much color that you obscure
the pictures.
Now you have two coloring books that
are nearly identical. Both can be shown
as plain uncolored books; both can then
be shown as fully colored, but one will
look neat and the other will look sloppy.
You do not need a third set of blank pages
like the Magic Coloring Book prop has.
Dont worry that the pictures on the plain
pages are different than the pictures on the
colored pages. The fact that the book has
magically changed from plain to colored is
so dramatic that no one will recall whether
the line drawings were the same. Get a
couple of card stands to display the books
upright. Here is my routine.
How many of you would like to try
making some magic like you just saw?
Stop and count hands. That looks like just
about everybody. Ill tell you what I have
a couple of coloring books here. We can
have a magic coloring contest.
Display the two books. Set one down
and fip through the other, showing all
plain pages. These two coloring books
are the same. Ill color one by magic and
you can color the other one. Okay?
Pick up and fip through the second
book. Ill show you how to do the magic
and you try to make a nice colored picture.
Mine will probably come out better since
Im a professional, but lets see how well
you do. Here is how you color by magic.
Hold up the book with the scribbled
pictures. Wiggle your fngers at it, and
then wave your hand up and down, while
making a dramatic facial expression.
Okay. My book is all colored. Do you
think you can do that as well? Stand the
book up against the card stand in plain
view. Now just point to your picture
and wiggle your fngers like I did. Hold
the nicely-colored book up as they wiggle
fngers. Well, some of you didnt do this
face Show the dramatic facial expres-
sion again. but you did okay. Lets see
your pictures.
Flip through their book showing the
nicely colored pictures. You did it! You
colored in the whole book by magic.
Pause for applause. Set their book on a
display stand and pick up the scribbled
one. Of course, Ive been doing magic a
long time, so mine probably looks better.
Flip through the book showing scribbled
pages. Smile broadly, but do not look at
the book. Let the kids laugh and point at
the scribbles, then turn and look at it and
do your best take. Recover quickly and
smile broadly.
I meant to do that. It looks better with
more colors on each page. I think I won,
but lets just have an applause check. Clap
really loudly if you think my coloring is the
best. Hold the book up while they applaud.
Youll get a smattering of applause from
the very young and the smart alecks.
I guess I did pretty well. Set your
book down and show their book. Now
clap if you think yours is the best. The
kids will always clap louder and harder for
their own book to win. Act a bit dismayed
because of the louder applause, but then
give a look of polite resignation. Well, I
guess you won. Maybe I need a little more
practice.
Return the books to your table. Give
yourselves a big round of applause.
What this routine does is involve the
children in the audience by letting them
participate with several interactions. But
more important, it lets them win. It shows
them that you are willing to play, but are
not out to trick them. The routine winks
at the adults since they know full well that
it came out exactly as you planned: you
made the children the heroes. It shows that
in your mind, you respect the audience.
And that Every Audience Counts.
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 1
INTRODUCTION FOR THE
PROFESSION
After ninety years of entrenched
knowledge, it is no easy task to shake and
overturn facts that have been spread
as seeming gospel in countless articles,
periodicals, books, and other publications.
Given this state of afairs, I hope the reader
will forgive me the many citations in the
following chapters and the notes necessary
to support my revision of this history.
Hofzinser was a man who, in his time,
did not have any great card conjurers to follow as role models, like his
successors did around the turn of the twentieth century; such fgures as
the mysterious S.W. Erdnase, The Professor Dai Vernon, Nate Leipzig, Max
Malini, or Chicagoan Edward Marlo (of whom it was said, with tongue in
cheek, that he happily acted as if he had invented practically everything in
card magic except the cards themselves).
Hofzinser was a man who did not have an abundance of relevant literature
to draw upon, but he was a visionary, far ahead of his time, who became
and remains to this day a model for all parlor magicians who came after
him, including todays close-up performers. His signifcance to card magic
in general, as well as to parlor magic in particular, is indisputable.
While today there are discussions at FISM conventions on whether a
category of parlor magic should be introduced in addition to the tabletop
magic categories of close-up magic and card magic, this man knew over
one hundred and ffty years ago where, with what, and within what limits it
was possible to impress an audience as a magician.
HOFZINSER NON PLUS ULTRA
BY MAGIC CHRISTIAN
Translated by Lori Pieper
All this has been known for a long
time to those who are familiar with the
relevant literature in the feld. What is
not known, however, is that much of
this information is either inaccurate
or only partly accurate. Through
arbitrarily enhanced or even shortened
accounts, a lack of in-depth research,
inaccurate transcription of documents,
and the desire of some authors to
distinguish themselves, many articles
appeared about this gifted magic
philosopher that simply incorporated
the mistakes of earlier ones. Everything
written about Hofzinser by the
admirable Ottokar Fischer was taken as
the non plus ultra; an expression that,
incidentally, Hofzinser took delight in
using.
Yet there is far more in the way of
interesting facts, stories, anecdotes,
pieces of magical artistry (as Hofzinser
called them), and original manuscripts.
...
In the present book, only authentic
sources from Hofzinsers time will be
used. Along with the forty-two personal
letters that have been preserved and
the rediscovered descriptions of tricks
that were enclosed in or added to
these letters, there is a huge number
of fascinating and informative notes
in the literature of the time, replete
with references to Hofzinser. I likewise
discovered, as previously mentioned,
several hundred hitherto unknown
newspaper accounts from the Austrian
and foreign press, as well as numerous
advertisements for Hofzinsers
performances, that show this genius of
the art of magic in a new light.
I want to make it perfectly clear,
though, that I highly value Ottokar
Fischers work, for without Fischer,
neither my investigation nor this book
would have been undertaken.
JOHANN NEPOMUK
FIDELIS HOFZINSER HIS
YOUTH
Johann-Nepomuk Fidelis Hofzinser,
the youngest of the four sons of the
silk and notions merchant Leopold
Hofzinser, was born in Vienna on June
19, 1806, at Landstrasse 39, in what was
then a suburb, but today is the Third
Precinct of the city.
Given that summer was approaching
and several relatives lived in the
neighboring suburbs of Weissgrber
and Erdberg which are also part of
the Third Precinct of Vienna today
it is reasonable to conclude that his
mother, who was then in the fnal
stage of her pregnancy, went into
labor unexpectedly while visiting these
relatives on a summer vacation, and
that, as was customary, she also had
her newborn son baptized the very
next day in the parish of St. Rochus.
The family actually lived at
Seilergasse 1154 in the city, not far
from their business on Graben Square.
As the youngest of a band of four boys,
Johann Nepomuk, like the youngest
child in many families, had the
advantage of being the favorite.
Next to nothing is known of the frst
eight years of his life. The years from
1809 on were dominated by the war
between France and Austria. Napoleon
sufered his frst defeat at Aspern and
Essling, but six weeks later vanquished
Austria at Wagram. In 1813, Napoleons
power came to an end with his retreat
from Russia and his defeat at Leipzig.
The Congress of Vienna decided the
new political alignment of Europe.
Then began the Biedermeier period, a
time of new and innovative industrial
developments on one hand, and a
concentration on family and home,
necessitated by the strict censorship
imposed, on the other. These historical
events in the background certainly had
a very strong infuence on Hofzinsers
development.
According to the entries in the spa
registers, in 1814 the young Johann
Nepomuk and his parents visited the
nearby summer resort of Baden, about
twenty kilometers (twelve miles) from
downtown Vienna. Baden, a world-
famous spa, is still a favorite residence
for the well-to-do people of Vienna
today, because of its pleasant location
on the slopes of the Viennese woods,
its thermal springs and, last but not
least, its gambling casino, currently the
largest in Europe.
In all probability, that is where he
met the engraver Dblers son, Ludwig
Dbler, who later, as a superb conjurer,
inspired enthusiasm throughout
Europe with his production of
bouquets of fowers. After several
stays in England, he made a great
contribution to the advancement of the
art of cinematography, by introducing
moving pictures to Europe and further
enhancing their development.
Up until now, this friendship has
always been assumed. That it began
so early, however, was not known.
Evidence recently uncovered suggests
they were most likely cousins, as
Hofzinsers grandmother was born
Theresia Sigmund, while Dblers
mothers name was also Sigmund. But
from the spa records still available in
Baden, and the residential addresses,
this relationship can easily be verifed.
Ludwig, who was fve years older,
probably sparked young Johann
Ottokar Fischer
Dbler
Nepomuks love of magic.
Equally decisive, no doubt, in
awakening young Hofzinsers interest
was the German translation of the
French magic book Testament de Jrme
Sharp, by Henri Decremps (17461826).
Titled Lesebuch zur gesellschaftlichen
Unterhaltung mit Karten- und anderen
Kunststcken (Primer on Social
Entertainment with Cards and other
Artful Feats) and published in 1812, it
contains the fundamental principles,
with a great many illustrations, of
manipulative magic with cards, as well
as detailed instructions on thirteen
points that a magician needs to
follow or avoid. These points, still valid
today, were repeatedly emphasized
by Hofzinser in his letters, and he
encouraged his friends to take note of
them. Decrempss text was one of the
most popular magic books of the time.
After their fathers untimely death
in 1817, his brothers Leopold and
Karl entered his business, which their
widowed mother was entitled to carry
on. Since his brother Franz-Xaver had
joined the military, the possibility
existed for Johann either to do the
same or to make his way into the civil
service.
It can be verifed that in 1819 he
attended a class in the academic
gymnasium (equivalent to a high
school in the U.S.) and gained an
acquaintance with the humanities.
The existing records indicate that he
entered with a one forin deposit.
According to a communication from
the Vienna university archive, records
of further payments have so far not
been found.
The entry says: 1. gr. cl. in acad. In
acad. can easily be misunderstood
as meaning in the academic degree.
The full and true meaning, however, is
First grammar class in the academic
gymnasium, as the university has
confrmed. (At the time of the
Napoleonic wars, between 1809 and
1815, there were no regular school days
in Vienna, and many students were
taught privately.)
It was no easy matter at that time
to enter the civil service, since parents
often had to pay a sort of premium for
apprenticeship, as well as to provide
a letter of recommendation, for their
son to obtain a position. Thus, J. N.
Hofzinser was still listed in the 1823
conscription records for Stadt 1017
as a shop apprentice in the family
business. A year later, he was listed as a
trainee in the Tabak-Sigel und Gefllen
Administration (Administration of
Tobacco, Seals and Custom Duties), for
which, according to the conscription
form and his frst civil-service work
record, he took his oath of ofce on July
4, 1825. For acceptance into the civil
service, a birth certifcate (or baptismal
record) and residency record were
required.
The entry in this work record also
states that, according to the Lower
Austrian General Command, he was
able to display knowledge of, and
had been tested and approved in
military economy, and in single- and
double-entry bookkeeping, as well
as in knowledge of all kinds of script
styles. These scripts included Latin,
Kurrentschrift, and others, which he
was also able to write.
Under languages, the entry lists
standard German and Italian; he had
learned the latter through contacts he
made in the family business.
The written oath of ofce, which
came from the Fischer collection and
is today in the Library of Congress in
Washington, D.C., dates from 1839.
It was only renewed by Hofzinser
after his transfer to the Allgemeine
Hofkammer (General Court Chamber),
later the Finanzministerium (Ministry of
Finance).
In the entry made by the military
authorities on the 1828 conscription
form, the young Hofzinser was
described as being of thin, delicate
build, and as sufering from weak chest
and slight goiter in his youth.
THE NEW SALON
HOFZINSER,
HIMMELPFORTGASSE 953
(January 1861April 1862)
After much searching, Hofzinser
found a new place for his salon. The
house at Himmelpfortgasse 953 (today
15) still exists, and is very close to what
at that time was the Hofkammer, today
the Finanzministerium (Ministry of
Finance). The contours of the salon
are still recognizable, despite many
alterations. Until recently, an antique
dealer lived there and maintained his
shop on the ground foor. A diplomat is
now renting the space.
Ads in all the daily newspapers drew
attention to the salon. Taking the place
of the Allgemeine Theaterzeitung, whose
longtime editor, Adolf Buerle, died in
1859, was the Zwischenakt [Entracte],
which tried to establish itself as the
new theater paper. In January 1861,
this paper carried several large ads for
the salon.
The respective critics continued
seamlessly from where they had left
of in the spring of 1859. Hofzinsers
satirical commentary was given
particular mention. The performances
were so good that the scribblers of
the newspapers were now becoming
annoyed.
The evening edition of the Wiener
Zeitung of January 10, 1861, says:
Frau Wilhelmine Hofzinser did well
to open her Hours of Deception on the
very frst days of January. This is like
a preparatory school for the coming
year, which may bring more unpleasant
deceptions than the ones we experience
here. Indeed, chance is perhaps the only
conjurer greater than Herr Hofzinser, but
as an artist the former is so inconsiderate
while the latter is so discreet. In these
two, chance and Herr Hofzinser, there is
only one thing we can criticize: namely,
that we are always made into fools,
and on top of that, at our own expense.
How can one trust such characters and
feel comfortable around them! Every
disappointment is a humiliation. Herr
Hofzinser assures us that everything has
a rational explanation, but in vain, for
the more we believe his words, the more
severely we feel that, however closely we
watch his fngers, we are kept in the palm
of his hand. What? These things happen
by completely natural means and yet I
dont understand them? Every spectator
asks himself and becomes annoyed at his
own limitations, and solemnly resolves
not to applaud the next Kunststck, but
to follow it with stern, critically armed
eyes and to strip it of all its magic. But this
next Kunststck again tricks our learned
observer and he applauds again. That
the attentiveness of the spectator, always
making a fool of itself, allows itself to be
fooled for more than two hours, indeed
even fnds great pleasure in it, that is
Herr Hofzinsers greatest Kunststck. We
must avow the delight he provides us;
however, today we want to get revenge
upon him for his supremacy, in which we
have not managed to fnd a weak spot,
by not trying to spell out even one of
these unbelievable proofs of his fortunate
dexterity. Go there, you wise men and you
super-wise ones, and see if you feel any
smarter than us.
The new salon was splendid and left
nothing to be desired in its dcor. The
performances took place four times a
week, and even though out-of- town
papers found some experiments
short of being of astonishing novelty,
they nevertheless granted that they
provided a pleasant two-and-a-
half hours of entertainment for the
audience.
Hofzinser demonstrated his social
conscience and his patriotic ardor
in the new salon as he had in the old.
This time, though, he put on his beneft
performances not for the poor, but for
the soldiers wounded in Schleswig.
As before, the program was changed
in the new salon every few weeks, and
the perpetually new feats delighted the
audience. Along with the numerous
advertisements in the various daily
papers, short articles frequently
pointed out the high quality of this
series of performances. Thanks to
his connections and his own literary
activity, short articles that today would
be printed as paid self-promotion often
appeared in the Letters section under
the title Sent In. Typical and one of the
best-known of these stories, written in
March 1857 by Hofzinser himself, reads:
(Wandering teeth) At a very elegant
soire, the beautiful teeth of an attractive
lady were being admired. Oh, theyre
all false! exclaimed their owner, with
extreme navet. It was taken as a joke,
yet the lady requested a saucer, and in
an instant thirty-two pearly teeth clinked
onto it. The lady held the napkin in front
of her mouth, and when the saucer,
which was making the rounds through
the startled group, arrived at a slender
man, the latter took the teeth into his
hand and spoke to the toothless lady:
I will take the liberty of returning your
property to its place; the lady graciously
nodded a movement of the mans hand,
and immediately the pearly teeth shone
again in the small mouth of his wife,
Madam Hofzinser.
On March 29, 1857, the Allgemeine
Theaterzeitung quickly responded to
this story:
Conjuring in the Newspapers.
Hofzinser, the multitalented artist,
seems to have let loose his magic in the
papers, too, as the numerous Hofzinser
anecdotes in notices and advertisements,
which appear daily in the papers, seem
to be nothing but bouquets ofered
by the genial conjurer. Perhaps the
clairvoyant Frau Hofzinser could give
some information about this.
On March 22, 1861, the Zwischenakt
announced a guest performance
by Hofzinser in the Wallner Theater
in Berlin. Here the title Magician-
house at Himmelpfortgasse 953
Professor appeared for the frst time.
Whether the Viennese ofcials really
allowed their magician civil servant
to make this guest appearance is
something neither my friends in
Berlin (who kindly gave me the most
enthusiastic help in my research) nor I,
during my own visits to that city, have
thus far been able to establish.
However, during thorough research
in the Viennese archives, I found in the
manuscripts department a letter from
Hofzinser to Franz Wallner, the director
of this highly successful theater, much
beloved by the people of Berlin. This
letter must have been written as early
as 1860, because Hofzinser had long in
advance made plans reaching into May
1861, and hence would have proposed
other opening dates than those he
mentioned.
The last performances in the salon, in
fact, did not take place until May. The
Zwischenakt wrote on May 5, 1861:
Herr von Hofzinser, in order to fulfll the
wish of many visitors currently in Vienna,
is giving a few more performances under
the title Hours of Deception. The last one
takes place on Sunday the 12th.
Despite the above, no proof has so
far been discovered of the realization
of this intended engagement in the
Prussian capital of Berlin.
It was only in the autumn, on
November 12, 1861, that the salon
opened again; the performances were
set for Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays,
and tickets were purchased as was
generally the case in previous years as
well in the k.k. Haslinger Music Shop.
New creations delighted the spectators.
These included, among others, La
pense force quand mme (Thought
Forced All the Same), Les monnaies
obissantes (The Obedient Coins),
The Art of Dealing with Women, and
A Million So What! Also in place was
The Somnambulist, a perennial piece in
the repertoire.
Two weeks later, the same paper
published a report saying that Hofzinser
has obtained the newest, spiciest
sensations from Paris and London.
Indeed, so far he has been able to make
his productions more interesting every
year.
In Paris, the magic shop of Andr
Voisin was established before 1850; in
London, a bit later, there were the shops
of W. H. Cremer and Joseph Bland; and in
Hamburg, two shops belonging to Oscar
Lischke (18261894) and Wilhelm Wille.
Note: This report is of the highest
interest to historians, because this
close contact of Hofzinser with other
professionals and stores outside the
country had always been assumed, but
it could never be proven. In contrast to
todays frequently vague newspaper
accounts, reports in the papers of
that time had substance. One could
almost always rely on their accuracy.
Erroneous reports were frowned on and
became the focus of harsh criticism by
the competition. This also lends great
credence to the newspaper reviews of
Hofzinsers performances, which were
always remarkably fattering. As an
example, on November 12, the piece
The Rose caused a sensation. This
probably refers to the trick with the
rose mirror, known under the title of
Apotheosis of the Rose.
Hofzinser was so beloved and so
famous that even the postponements
of some of his performances due
to illness (some minor colds) were
reported in minute detail by the media.
Shortly thereafter, one could read in
the Zwischenakt about a successful
evening at a private soire on the
occasion of a ladies night at Concordia
(an entertainment society), and about
setting up beneft performances, as well as a note saying that
Hofzinser has returned from a highly successful trip to Graz.
This report is all the more interesting because Ottokar Fischer
always mistakenly assumed that our highly praised master
(as the newspapers heralded him) had made only limited
tours around Austria, and these only after his retirement.
The performances scheduled in Graz for the second week
of April 1862 naturally interrupted the cycle at the Salon
Hofzinser. On April 1, the Hofzinsers were still appearing in
Vienna; on April 5 and 6 they were in Graz on a small stage
in the Ressource, an assembly hall for select audiences. After
the third evening in Graz where they stayed at the hotel
Erzherzog Johann, which is still standing they returned to
Vienna, arriving on April 11; and by April 13, they were again
performing in their salon, an incredible accomplishment for
one who was working at that time primarily as a civil servant,
even considering the regular train service over the Semmering
mountains to Graz.
The performances in Graz again met with high praise,
except for the somnambulistic performance by Frau
Wilhelmine Hofzinser, for the deception is fairly obvious and
has already been performed several times in this fashion. In
the Grazer Morgenblatt, there appeared a three-part retelling
of The Dying Rose, which had been published in Alexander
Patuzzis 1857 booklet. In contrast to the booklet, the story
was rewritten in the third person by one C. P., according to
an oral communication by Hofzinser.
On April 10, the Grazer Telegraf wrote:
...it is impossible for us to say anything new about the
extraordinary accomplishments of Herr Hofzinser, because
these have already been discussed comprehensively in the
most honorable terms by the Viennese papers. Here it will only
be mentioned that the crme of local society attended the
performances, and that carriage after carriage was lined up in
the courtyard of the Ressource, waiting for the end of the Hour
of Deception...
One can assume that Hofzinser traveled rather frequently
during his civil service, as did the Austrian poet and director of
the archive of the Finanzministerium, Grillparzer. Aside from
the cities of Prague, Berlin, and Graz, there had surely been
other destinations. As early as May 20, 1844, Der Wanderer
reported that Hofzinser created astonishment in the most
distinguished circles of the city of Gratz.
There is a very interesting announcement in the Wiener
Vorstadtzeitung of April 12, 1862, reporting that a Herr
Fr.[anz] Ruprecht would hold a cycle of twelve lectures about
the mysteries of nature in the Salon Hofzinser, which was
scheduled to be repeated beginning April 30. Apparently,
Hofzinser often rented out the salon to others for guest
performances.
HOFZINSERS TOP CHANGE
(TRANSLATED BY DAVE SHEPHERD)
Short description: A card is shown to the spectators.
Although the performer hardly moves and apparently never
comes close to the deck with the card, the card is shown a
short time later to be a diferent one. It has transformed in
a wonderful fashion. (The original card is now on top of the
deck.)
Historical notes: The secret exchange of one card for
another was described early in magics literature. The classic
Top Change (known in Hofzinsers time by the French loan-
word flieren) had entered French magic literature by 1853, but
was known to Hofzinser and was in his repertoire by 1847, and
quite probably earlier.
In the best-known handling of the Top Change, the card to
be switched out is held between the thumb and index fnger.
The new card to be switched in is pushed from the top of the
deck and taken between the frst phalanges of the index and
middle fngers. (See Figures 1a and 1b.)
Hofzinser used a refned fngering that had no discrepancy
in the right hands grip before and after the switch. While his
knowledge and use of this fngering is not hard evidence
that it was his invention, the possibility is certainly open to
conjecture. In any event, we do know for certain that the
particular sophisticated style of Top Change described here is
his.
In the literature of magic that has developed since
Hofzinsers time, this sleight has been frequently described,
with a number of variations. (See Figures 2a and 2b.) The
renowned Dai Vernon, The Professor, with his usual careful
detail, worked toward the improvement of this wonderful
sleight and contributed a great deal toward repopularizing
it among magicians during the latter half of the twentieth
century. Some essential things, however, remained unnoticed.
These will be mentioned here for the sake of completeness.
Preparation: Needed is a deck of cards that is not too worn.
Performance: In contrast to Cy Endfelds description of The
Hofzinser Top Change, Hofzinser placed great value on the
audiences paying the least amount of attention possible to
the actions of the sleight. He repeatedly emphasizes in his
manuscripts how important it is to remain still and to hold
Figure 1a - From the Book of Social
Entertainments, 1812
Figure 1b - Old method of positioning
the right-hand fngers
the gaze of the audience during its
execution. He kept his movements to
the minimum permissible to manage
the sleight deceptively.
As with all his magical eforts, he paid
great attention to detail in the handling
of his Top Change. The basic concepts are
easy to learn, but the correct handling
requires a certain level of experience
and natural address that can only be
achieved through constant practice and
experimentation. It is important that the
spectators have the impression that the
exchanged card has never left their sight
or been near the deck.
1. Hold the deck face down in left-
hand dealing position. Place the left
thumb in a casual position diagonally
across the left front corner of the top
card. The second, third and fourth fngers
hold the deck at the right side. The
forefnger rests at the front edge. (See
Figure 3.) In todays magical parlance
this position is called mechanics grip.
The middle of the fngertips touches the
right side and front end of the deck. Any
clenching should be avoided. One
should apply only enough pressure on
the deck to stop it from drifting in the
hand.
2. Hold the card to be exchanged (the
Six of Diamonds, for example) face down
and approximately half a fngers width
forward of its right inner corner, with
your right thumb on top, and the right
index and middle fngertips beneath.
This position of the fngers is natural and
looks relaxed. It is not contrived, and the
fngers are not at the extreme inner right
corner, as in Cy Endfelds handling. The
exact position depends on the size of
your hand and the width of your fngers.
Several movements now occur
simultaneously. The right hand raises
the card a bit to bring it upright and
show its face to the audience. With a
small audience, you need turn it only
slightly to display its face. Return the
card to its original position and press
your right elbow lightly against your
side. From now on, you keep the hand
and card still. As the right hand returns
its card to its original horizontal position,
your left hand moves slightly forward
and upward with the deck, apparently to
point to a spectator sitting in front of you
and somewhat to your left. Half extend
the left index fnger, slightly separating it
from the deck. This gesture and those to
follow are not broad. They are executed
in inches, not feet.
Now move the left hand back again
and downward. At the same time, direct
your gaze toward the spectator to whom
youve just pointed, and then in a
semicircle, until you can fx your eyes on
a spectator at your right. During this
movement of your gaze and body, your
left hand travels diagonally from your
left and forward to your right and back,
bringing the deck under the card to be
exchanged. The inner right corner of the
top card should slide diagonally along
the face of the Six of Diamonds, until
these cards are nearly aligned with each
other. (See Figures 4 and 5.)
3. During this backward movement
the left thumb pushes the top card of the
deck (for example, the Queen of Hearts)
to the right, over the tips of the left
middle, ring, and little fngers. A small
break forms, into which the right index
fnger moves to receive the Queen. At
the same time the right thumb pushes
its card, which it is holding to the right
of the deck, diagonally forward and
leftward onto the deck, where your
left thumb receives it and pulls it into
alignment with the pack. Now the right
inner corner of the Queen of Hearts is
exposed and can be grasped by the
right thumb and index fnger, which
pull it back diagonally to the right.
(See Figure 6.)
The left hand moves away from the
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 2b - From the magazine Die
Zauberwelt, 1896
Figure 2a - From Carlo Bosco's Magic,
or The Complete Art of Conjuring,
1867
exchanged card, traveling a short distance diagonally forward and to the left, while
your gaze travels over the right hand to the deck in the left hand and once again
fxes on the frst spectator.
The right hand lays its card on the table or simply continues to hold it. A short
time later you reveal the transformation.
The entire sequence happens on the ofbeat, and must be carried out without
clenching or tension, and without exaggerated movement. The left hand does the
majority of the work, while the right hand remains almost frozen.
Commentary: Rudolf Marian,
in his Das Buch der
Kartenknste (The
Book of Card Magic),
1890, particularly emphasizes that one should practice the
Top Change slowly:
To achieve the dexterity that will make the use of this
sleight inconspicuous to the audience, it is necessary to
practice it very slowly in the beginning, and then fnally get
to the point of being able to perform it not only briskly, but
also without needing to look at the deck at all.
He also makes explicit the importance of doing the
exchange on the ofbeat and not under the
intense gaze of the audience.
There is no original manuscript
by Hofzinser that describes the
Top Change, but the sleight is
mentioned in passing in various
places in the extant records of
his tricks. There are numerous
instructions about the classic
Top Change in the literature.
Figure 6
An expert is one who knows the worst
mistakes and how to avoid them.
Werner Heisenberg
A NEW BEGINNING
For the past year, this column has
provided information for conjurers who
want to add theatrical punch to their acts
through effective scripting and character
development. Each essay has included
relevant effects specifcally chosen to
support the proposed concepts.
The topics of plot creation, character
selection, the development of intimacy,
and how to build suspense have all been
explored. The gospel of hard work and
attention to the details has been preached.
In the year ahead, there is more to come,
for the work never ends in this business.
Every twelve months, when January
kicks off the new calendar, people make
resolutions, a promise that seems to go in
one year and out the other. No one loses
weight, saves money, joins a gym, or
changes careers by merely thinking about
it. Rather, it is desire, then vision, then
action, then discipline and determination
that make these goals a reality.
To bring these thoughts around to
conjuring, the same attributes are required
in this business if any magician hopes to
improve his or her conduct on stage and in
turn elevate the audiences experience.
Sometimes you will hear an entertainer
speak of an evenings performance as the
best one ever; the conjurer could do no
wrong and the audience responded in all
the right places with laughter and gasps
of wonder. At the end of the show, they
jumped to their feet and crowded the stage
to share their enthusiasm and compliments.
We all know that reactions like that are
rare, but do they have to be?
It is true that an audiences mood can
kill a good act. However, it is just as true
that emotions are pliable and feeting. If
so, perhaps a conjurer might use a few
theatrical ploys to convert a stalwart
audience into willing participants. It may
not work every time, but anything that
elevates the audiences experience is worth
study.
First, consider why an audience is
testy. In resort towns, it isnt uncommon
to perform in front of exhausted guests
who have spent the entire day on a hot pool
deck or who have just arrived after driving
through several states. At birthday parties,
performers often deal with children hyped
up on sweets or distracted by the balloons
and presents. In nightclubs or festivals,
spectators with a drink or three in their
systems are bold and opinionated. The list
goes on.
Veteran performers assess the venue,
become proactive, and take control. If
your guests are weary from travel or too
much time in the sun, theres not much
you can do for them as individuals, but
you can do small things that will keep
them more alert. Obviously, switching in
material that is more interactive is a start.
You can also try rearranging the seating
to bring the guests even closer to create a
feeling of intimacy and involvement. This
is especially important in venues where
the seating has been placed by hotel staff
who are more accustomed to arranging
conference rooms for sales meetings. It
isnt uncommon for event coordinators to
leave ffteen to twenty feet of empty space
between the stage and the front row. This
not only isolates the performer, it also
gives the audience a feeling of detachment
from the entertainment, thereby making
it acceptable for a guest to check out.
Arranging the chairs tighter helps
eliminate those psychological elements.
Similarly, it is possible to proactively
improve any birthday shows you perform.
If there is any place you need to be
in control, it is while performing for
hyperactive children. But how does one
accomplish this without coming across like
a drill instructor? Often, parents attend
these parties with their children, but when
the show begins they confne themselves
to the kitchen to drink coffee and gossip.
This innocent behavior puts you in the role
of a well-paid babysitter. To counteract this
scenario, have the hostess ask each parent
to sit with their child during the show.
This simple request means the children
will naturally improve their behavior and
keep themselves in check. You are now
free to do what you do best. But here is the
real reason you should employ this tactic:
when parents laugh and enjoy the wonders,
their kids will happily join in. Let's face it,
sometimes it takes psychological warfare
to turn a mundane event into a memorable
family experience.
Even magicians need a little
manipulating now and then. Some years
ago, I was booked for the close-up show
at a magic convention and was the frst
in the line-up to take the stage. As the
emcee made a few announcements, the
performers stood in the wings and studied
the audience. We noted the entire frst row
consisted of older magicians sitting with
their arms crossed and a challenging show
me what you got expression. After being
introduced, I walked out and immediately
said, Thank you. Before we get started
I would like to know, are there any non-
magicians in the audience? Im looking for
wives, girlfriends, people who showed up
out of curiosity, friends that were dragged
in. Just hold up your hand. Thank you.
Would you please come down here and
join me around the table? Ill get some
chairs. The stagehands and I scattered
about ten guests around the table, leaving
a gap in the center so the audience could
still observe easily.
This rearrangement did two things.
First, it put the performers squarely back
into their comfort zones. In a perfect
world, dont we all want an audience that
is relaxed and along for the ride rather than
psychoanalyzing every move? At a magic
convention, this arrangement is the next
best thing.
Second, the laypeople were naturally
uncomfortable since they were suddenly
at the front of the room rather than
hiding among the numbers. However,
since the bulk of the audience was out
The High Road
script writing, character
development, and act construction
for the modern conjuror
By Mick Ayres
of sight behind this smaller group, they
were quickly forgotten. The laypeople
soon relaxed, opened up, and began to
relish what now felt like a private, more
intimate show. Their enjoyment became
contagious and spread to the rest of the
audience. Remember the birthday party
psychologies employed earlier? The same
principle was at work here. Each performer
focused on our new best friends. Their
responses were enthusiastic and honest;
their astonishment was palpable. Every
person in that auditorium had a blast. The
show was a rousing success on all levels
because the performers took steps to
elevate the audiences experience and
also our own.
To provide an example of how a
conjurer can elevate the guests experience
to a new level, here is a baffing display
of controlled serendipity with an
unexpected one-two punch.
SIRENS
Back in the early 90s, David Harkey
and I collaborated to create this semi-
automatic card effect. I was compiling
a dozen simple but strong effects for a
booklet on card magic and I needed just
one more. David suggested we try to create
one long distance; he lived in Eugene,
Oregon, and I resided on the other side of
the country among the sea-islands of South
Carolina. The result was this intimate
drama that is one of my favorite you-do-
as-I-do mysteries.
Place a deck of cards on the table and
say, Have you ever been excitedly talking
with a friend about a shared enthusiasm
and suddenly fnd yourself saying the
same words at the same time? Youre not
just sharing a thought; youre sharing the
same words! Or you are on a frst date
with someone you really like and, as you
nervously reach out in the hopes of holding
their hand, you discover them reaching for
yours? Those moments of serendipity go
far beyond mere coincidence. I have been
conducting a rather off-beat experiment
with people to see if those unusual moments
can be achieved repeatedly. If you are
willing, you will be the thirteenth person
Ive tested. Four of those times have had
startling results. Want to have a go?
As you deliver this monologue, pick up
the deck and begin cherry-picking cards.
Specifcally, you will remove the red spot
cards and the two black Queens. Do not
remove any red court cards. Keep the
identity of the cards secret as you casually
toss them face down on the table in a
scattered pile. Keep track of the location
of the two Queens. Place the balance of the
deck to one side. You no longer need it.
Say, I have purposely not shown you
these cards. The reason why will be obvious
at the end of the experiment. Basically,
you and I will imitate each others actions
at every step; however, at each step our
respective choices will be made freely but
blindly, meaning, we will never look at the
cards until the very end. At the conclusion,
we will examine the results and see if we
have created any serendipity at all.
As you say this, collect the tabled
cards and in the process arrange for the
pair of Queens to occupy the bottom of
the packet. Shuffe this packet of cards in
a way that leaves the two Queens on the
bottom. I just do a simple overhand shuffe
twice. At the end of the frst shuffe, run
the last few cards singly so the Queens
are brought to the top of the packet. When
doing the second shuffe, run the frst few
cards singly so the Queens go back to the
bottom. Hold the packet face down on
your outstretched palm and say, Please
remove about half the cards. Let us both
agree to not look at the faces of these cards
at any time, okay?
After the guest cuts off about half the
cards say, From this point on we will
both do the same thing. First, lets mix our
cards. She will imitate you as you give
your packet another overhand shuffe.
Again, make sure those two Queens
remain on the bottom.
Fan out your cards face down. Say,
Please spread out your cards and slide
out any three cards that feel special to
you. I wish I could explain what the word
special means, but that would defeat the
purpose of the experiment. Just trust your
gut and take out any three cards. From
your packet remove the second card from
the bottom, any card from the middle and
fnally the bottom card. Put the balance of
your packet off to the side, but not on top
of the deck. Wait until the guest does the
same thing with the balance of her packet.
Pick up your three-card packet and
shift the middle card to the top so the two
Queens are on the bottom again. Say, Mix
your cards again.
Say, Now, out of the three cards we
each think are special, we have to single
out one card we feel is the most special.
Just fan out your three cards, choose one
and move it to the center so it is sticking
out from the others, like this. Suit action
to words by openly moving the bottom
card of your fan to the middle and leaving
it jogged forward.
Once your guest has made her choice
say, Now, we will trade our selections.
Reach over and take her card from the
middle of her spread. She takes your middle
card as well. Replace the exchanged cards
into your own fans and again leave the
cards jogged forward.
At this point, you have a fan of face
down cards spread from left to right with
a Queen on the bottom and a red card
protruding from the center. Look up at the
guest and say, Lets see what card you
gave me. You will now employ Trevor
Lewiss clever Monte Move to turn your
cards over. To do this, hold your fan in
the right hand for a moment. Turn your
left hand palm down and take hold of the
bottom two cards so your thumb is on the
face of the bottom card and your fngers are
on the back of the center card. Your right
hand remains palm up and is holding the
top card in place. Simultaneously revolve
both hands over and give a short push with
your left thumb to nudge the Queen to the
right a little. All the cards are now face up.
The right-hand card is placed on the face of
the packet so the middle card is still jogged
forward. To the guest, you merely turned
the cards over; the Queen was in the center
all along.
Look back at your cards now and
comment, You gave me a Queen; it is
the only black card and it is the only court
card, too. Turn your cards over and lets
see what you have. When she turns her
packet over, she will be startled by punch
number one a resulting mirror-image that
seems to defy mere coincidence. Exclaim,
Another success! Five times, now! This is
more amazing than you think, though.
Conclude by saying, Especially when
you consider our choices were severely
limited. Deliver punch number two by
spreading the two discarded packets face
up across the table to display the black
Queens in a sea of red.
Sirens was previously published in Self-
Working Card Miracles (c. 1991) and in
Carpe Chartas (c. 1999).
This month we feature a guest contribu-
tion from Michael Close. Michaels routine
was inspired by Bob Farmers Automatic
Gambler About Face (which will appear
in Bobs magnum opus on the Ten-card
Poker Deal). Bobs routine was inspired
by Nick Trosts Automatic Gambler (Nick
Trosts Subtle Card Creations, Volume
3 pages 680-681), which was in turn
inspired by Karl Fulvess Auto Draw
(Charlatan, No. 2).
The Trost routine uses two sets of cards.
Set A consists of the four Aces and the four
Kings. Set B consists of three Tens, three
Jacks, and three Queens. Set A is handed
to one spectator to shuffe; set B is handed
to a second spectator to shuffe. After the
shuffing, set B (Tens, Jacks, Queens) is
placed on top of set A (Kings and Aces); the
magician false shuffes this group. Three
hands of cards are dealt out. The cards that
go to the spectators are dealt normally. The
cards that go to the magician are dealt from
the bottom of the packet. (This bottom deal
may be done openly, or it can be done de-
ceptively.) Each hand gets fve cards.
Spectator two will get the frst card
of set A as his fnal card. Because of the
Ten-card Poker Deal Jonah principle,
this will cause his hand to be inferior to
spectator ones hand. Because the magi-
cians hand comes only from set A, his
hand will always beat the other two.
Bob Farmer wanted to avoid the bottom
deal and to provide the spectators with the
impression that they had greater freedom
in assembling their poker hands, so he
designed a different hand-choosing
procedure. However, in both the Trost and
the Farmer routines, it may be apparent
to the observant spectator that the specta-
tors cards come from one group of cards
and the magicians come from another.
Michael Closes method for dispelling that
suspicion involves an interesting dealing
procedure that would seem to eliminate
any possibility for control by the magician.
In addition, the cards seem to be genuinely
shuffed by everyone before the dealing
starts. Here is the routine.
TOPSY-TURVY
AUTOMATIC GAMBLER
BY MICHAEL CLOSE
The deck is not gimmicked, but you
need to preset any Ten, any Queen, and any
Jack at the top. This can be accomplished
while chatting between tricks. Youll need
two spectators; they should be seated
across from you, one to your left and one
to your right. If possible, there should be a
little distance between them.
Give the deck an overhand shuffe,
maintaining the three preset cards on top.
(I use an overhand lift shuffe.) Turn the
deck face up and cut it in half in prepara-
tion for a riffe shuffe. Shuffe normally,
but keep the preset cards on the bottom.
Before squaring, ribbon spread the deck
so the spectators can see that the deck is
being genuinely shuffed (Photo 1). Then
push the cards together and square up the
deck. (You can invite the spectators to help
with this action. This will help to sell a lie
later in the routine.)
As these shuffes are being done, say,
People who gamble for a living are
always on the lookout for games that are
cheater-proof. Theres a new one that has
shown up recently in private games. Its
called Topsy-turvy Poker, and its devil-
ishly hard to cheat at. First of all, the cards
really get shuffed.
You will now quickly run through the
deck and toss out (into a face-down pile)
all the Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, and
Tens, with the exception of the three cards
you preset at the back of deck. This can be
done casually and without counting how
many cards you have removed. (Presetting
a Ten, a Jack, and a Queen at the top of
the deck is Bob Farmers clever idea. This
makes the removal of the necessary cards
a quick, nonchalant action.)
As you toss the required seventeen
cards on the table, say, Topsy-turvy poker
can be played with a lot of people using
the full deck, but that takes a little time.
For the sake of brevity, well just use a
few cards and play a three-handed game.
Discard the remainder of the deck; pick up
the seventeen-card pile and give it a quick
shuffe. Say, I think I have enough cards
here. Let me check.
Hold the pile face up in dealing position
in the left hand. Count the cards into the
right hand, but as you count, perform
Lennart Greens Angle Separation
(Photo 2 shows the count/separation in
action), separating set A (the Aces and the
Kings) from set B (the Tens, Jacks, and
Queens). Lennarts procedure is not at all
diffcult and can be learned with just a few
hours of practice. Using only seventeen
cards, the separation can be accomplished
quite quickly. At the end of it, the cards are
in an in-jogged/out-jogged condition. [The
Angle Separation was sold by Lennart as
an individual booklet. It can also be found
on the DVD Green Magic Volume 1 and
in the EMC four-DVD collection Lennart
Green Masterfle.]
As you perform the Angle Separation,
mumble as if counting the cards. As you
fnish, nod your head and say, Yeah, this
should be fne.
Strip out the in-jogged cards as if
beginning a Hindu shuffe. Shuffe this
group onto the left-hand cards, but catch
a little fnger break between the piles
(Photo 3). (Set A and set B have now been
separated, and one is on top of the other it
translated from the spanish
By R.D. Michaels
El Roberto Enigmatico
The Magic of Bob Farmer
Photo 1
Photo 2
makes no difference what the order is.)
[Note: Dont stop reading just because
you dont know the Green Angle Sepa-
ration. A non-sleight alternative will be
offered at the end of this write-up.]
To make sure no one cheats in Topsy-
turvy Poker, everybody shuffes. With
the right hand, lift off the cards above the
little fnger break and drop them in front of
spectator two, who is to your right. Drop
the remainder in front of spectator one.
Help me out here; give those cards a
good mixing.
When they have fnished shuffing, take
back the cards from spectator one and fip
them face up into dealing position in the
left hand. Make note of whether you see an
Ace or a King. If you do, then set A is now
face up. If not, set B is face up. Take the
cards from spectator two and drop them
face down onto the face-up cards.
In a moment, as you patter, youll be
turning over the packet end for end. Youll
do this several times. The thing to keep in
mind is that at the end of these turnovers,
set A (with the Kings and Aces) must be
on top. Heres the way to do that: If, after
youve taken the piles back from the spec-
tators, set A is the lower (face-up) group,
turn the pile over an odd number of times.
If set A is face-down on top, turn the pile
over an even number of times.
The turnover is done in a specifc way
so that a later false turnover will look
copacetic. The right hand comes in front
of the left hand, obscuring the pile from
the spectators view (Photo 4). The right
hand grasps the far end of the pile, with the
thumb on top and the fngers underneath
(Photo 5). Lift the pile and swing the back
end to the front, revolving the packet 180
degrees (Photo 6). Replace the pile into the
left hand. Well refer to this as the Genuine
Turnover.
As you do the turnovers, you say,
Heres another thing that makes it so
hard to cheat at this game: the cards are in
an upside-down, face-to-face condition.
(Set A should now be face-down on top.)
Not only that, every time a card is dealt,
the packet is turned over topsy-turvy.
Deal a card to spectator one (who
should be seated to your left). Openly turn
the pile over (which brings set B to the
top), return the pile to the left hand, and
deal the top card to spectator two. Openly
turn the pile over (which brings set A to the
top) and deal the top card to yourself.
As I deal, you are more than welcome
to take a look at your cards. With those
words, you will continue to deal out cards.
Turn over the pile (which brings set B to
the top) and deal the top card to spectator
one.
Now the cheating begins. For the
remainder of the dealing process, every
time you move from spectator one to
spectator two, you perform a fake turnover
of the pile. This is done in a manner similar
to the paddle move done with business
cards. Here are the details.
The right hand comes in front of left
hand, obscuring the pile from view. The
instant the right hand is in place, the left
little fnger pulls down on the right edge
of the pile, which levers it to a vertical
position (Photo 7). The right thumb grasps
the left side of outer end of the vertical pile;
the right fngers grasp the right side (Photo
8). The right wrist now moves in a slight
counter-clockwise direction as the right
fngers swing the back end of the pile out
and forward (Photo 9). The pile is immedi-
ately placed back into the left hand. Well
refer to this as the Fake Turnover.
There is a slight knack to this action.
Two things are important. Dont lever
up the pile until the right hand obscures
the left hand. Dont over-exaggerate the
swinging out of the back end of the packet.
Try to simulate the real action.
The Fake Turnover looks very good,
but there is one more important factor that
greatly adds to the deceptiveness. Dont
start the turnover until both hands begin to
move to the right. The turnover happens as
you move from spectator one to spectator
two. This is a fne example of a larger
move hiding a smaller move. In addition,
youve suggested to the spectators that
they can check out the cards theyve been
dealt. This takes their attention away from
the dealing action.
At this point in time, you have moved
your hands toward spectator two, perform-
ing a Fake Turnover. Because of the Fake
Turnover, set B is still on top. Deal the top
card in front of spectator two.
Perform a Genuine Turnover (set A is
on top) and deal the top card to yourself.
Photo 3 Photo 4
Photo 5
Photo 6
Photo 7
Photo 8
Photo 9
Everyone now has two cards in their hand.
To complete the deal, you will perform
the following sequence three times:
Genuine Turnover (set B on top), deal to
spectator one; Fake Turnover (set B on top),
deal to spectator two; Genuine Turnover
(set A on top), deal to yourself. The dealing
can be done with alacrity, and without
paying attention to the cards. Important:
Dont omit any Genuine Turnovers or
forget to do any Fake Turnovers. The trick
wont work if you do.
As it turns out, after you deal the ffth
card to spectator two, you will have only
face-up cards in your left hand. As soon
as this happens, grab the face-up cards
and fan them with the right hand with the
backs of the cards to the spectators. Say,
I guess I grabbed too many cards to
begin with. Ill tell you what; let me give
you a chance to improve your hands. Ill
mix up these last three cards. Each of you
pick one; Ill take the one nobody wants.
If the card you pick improves your hand,
keep it and discard a card you dont need.
If the card doesnt help, just discard it.
Whichever card I get is entirely up to you.
Drop the three cards face down on the
table and mix them around. Each spectator
picks one; you add the remaining card to
your hand. Since spectator one has the
Jonah card (either a King or an Ace), it is
possible that the card he picks will improve
his hand. Spectator two has a pat hand; the
card he picks wont help him.
Is everybody happy? Fine. Let me
remind you how diffcult it is to cheat at
this game. The cards were shuffed thor-
oughly not just by me, by all of us. (As
you say this, make a gesture that simulates
pushing a ribbon-spread deck of cards
together. This will distort the spectators
memory of how the cards were actually
shuffed.) The cards were dealt topsy-tur-
vy, which meant it was impossible for me
to gain control over any particular card.
Finally, you decided what my fnal card
would be, and I gave each of you a chance
to improve your hand.
And yet, I did cheat. Not only did
I cheat, I tried to make sure youd be
willing to bet big. How did you do? Turn
over spectator ones hand. His hand can
range from a single pair to a full house
(if he managed to pair up his Jonah card).
Spectator two will also have a strong hand.
Pause for dramatic effect and then reveal
your winning hand. (You will have either a
full house or four of a kind.)
And thats why you should never play
topsy-turvy poker.
Notes: I think this little trick has a lot
going for it. I am aware of nothing similar
in the literature. Several factors make it
very diffcult for anyone to reconstruct its
method. For very little work you get a very
strong poker deal.
IN LIEU OF THE ANGLE
SEPARATION
If youd prefer not to learn the Angle
Separation, you can accomplish the same
result by using a stripper deck. Just turn
the Kings and Aces the opposite direction
from the Tens, Jacks, and Queens. After
you remove the seventeen cards (making
sure you dont accidentally reverse any of
them in the process), give them an overhand
shuffe. Then, simulating a Hindu shuffe,
strip out the Kings and Aces. Remember
to catch a break between the two packets.
[Topsy-turvy Automatic Gambler will
appear in Michael Closes new ebook, The
Paradigm Shift (And Other Moves and the
Routines that Use Them), which will be
available at www.michaelclose.com.]
EL ROBERTO ENIGMATICO
Photo 2
Sid Fleischman was an award-winning author of childrens
books, adult novels, and screenplays. In 2003, the Society of
Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators inaugurated the Sid
Fleischman Award in his honor, and made him the frst recipient.
The award annually recognizes a writer of humorous fction for
children or young adults. Sid was also an avid magic enthusiast.
He hosted monthly magic meetings at his home in Los Angeles and
contributed effects to many journals. The Charlatans Handbook
is a large compilation of his published and previously unpublished
material.
In the Introduction to this book, David Avadon writes: Sid is
a writer with formidable powers of invention. It is eye-opening
to see how he creates compelling magic, often using butter-churn
technology, by focusing his theatrical imagination only on the
effect. Sid says that clothes make the trick, and so much can be
learned watching him tailor each of these new feats with comic
premise, the language of showmanship, and conceptual artistry.
By choice or by chance, you have discovered a magical gold mine.
Mining is always hard work, but I know youll delight in the
treasure.
In all of the routines in The Charlatans Handbook, youll fnd
presentations that are intriguing and entertaining. In the Preface,
Sid writes, The arts cross-pollinate. While I began professional
life as a magician, I presto-changoed into a novelist and screen-
writer. What I had learned as a magician I found to be invaluable
in creating fction. What I had learned as a screenwriter I found to
be invaluable in bringing a sense of theater, drama, and whimsy
to my magic. As one friend put it, You Neil Simonize your tricks.
So this also is a book of trick scenarios theatrical and whimsical.
And more.
The Charlatans Handbook seems to have slipped under the
radar when it was published in 1993, and thats a shame. There
is some very clever and practical material here. As an example,
the excerpt below shows how Sid takes a slum-magic item and
turns it into a baffing, seemingly-impromptu miracle that can be
performed in a bar or at a party with friends.
My thanks to L&L Publishing for allowing this excerpt to
appear in M-U-M. Michael Close
THE BOTTLE DIABOLIQUE
This is old. This is new. This is diabolique.
You uncap a bottle of Perrier water (if you work elegant) or
a bottle of beer (if you work humble). Immediately, you poke
the end of a piece of rope into the neck and lift. As if suddenly
magnetized, the full bottle clings to the rope. You swing it like a
pendulum. You give the bottle a 360-degree orbit. Withdraw the
rope, and the props can be examined to a fare-thee-well.
Clearly, this is an off-spring of the old Chinese Prayer Vase.
But the differences in handling are so fresh that magicians who
know the old dodge are left bewildered and astounded.
Consider: Unlike the painted Chinese vase, this is done with
a clear bottle. Clear! Unlike the painted vase, the bottle is not
inverted to set the hidden cork ball in place. The bottle is freshly
uncapped, so there cannot be any sly works inside. And the bottle
is full of liquid, which is part of the diabolical secret.
Yes, a small cork ball, as in the original version, is effortlessly
brought into play. I carve mine out of a common bottle cork, ap-
proximately 5/8 in diameter, and sand off the rough edges with
emery paper. You want the ball large enough, when wedged
against the rope, to support a full bottle of liquid. Ill detail my
handling, in a moment.
While most magicians, at one time or another, have fooled
around with the Chinese vase, let me review its working and
evolution.
It took the magic world by storm when it appeared out of
nowhere during the depression. Neither Floyd Thayer (The
Chinese Jug and Rope) nor Percy Abbott (The Oriental Vase
Mystery) cites a creator in their catalog listings of the period.
Abbott claimed to have brought the trick to this country from the
Orient.
A small cork ball was secretly introduced into the vase or
jug. The rope was inserted and the whole thing inverted. The
cork rolled into the neck. When you tugged slightly on the rope,
the cork became wedged and held the rope and bottle together
(Figure 1). Naturally, the vase had to be painted, or one would see
the workings.
Originally, the cork was small enough to easily roll in and
out of the neck. Suddenly there appeared a new twist, credited
to Lloyd Enochs, originator of the multiplying candles. You
inverted the vase and inserted the rope from below. This con-
founded magicians, who knew that the cork should have rolled
out. Enochs secret was that he made the cork too large to roll out.
But when you pulled out the rope, the cork (having enough give)
rolled with it. That enabled you to palm it, and pass everything for
examination.
EBOOK NOOK
Excerpt From:
The Charlatan's Handbook
Written By:
Sid Fleischman
Description:
Ebook, 230 pages
Available From:
www.llepub.com
Figure 1
The trick was virtually destroyed by its own success. Then it
became a novelty store item, as it still is, and for magicians that
was the kiss of death.
Until now, no one seems to have given it another thought.
Heres another thought. A thunderbolt!
BEER BOTTLE
Many beer bottles, particularly among the foreign brews, have
foil around the neck. How thoughtful! A great gift to us in the sly
arts. Drop in a cork ball and it will foat, concealed, and exactly in
position for the rope lift.
You no longer have to be concerned about the cork ball rattling
around the bottom of the vase or bottle and having to be concealed
behind a paint job. Except for the foil collar, the bottle can be clear
as window glass.
I thumb palm the cork ball before I begin (Figure 2). Your
hand will have complete mobility; the ball will not get in your
way.
Toss out the rope. Take off the bottle cap. Ask the spectator
with the rope to carefully choose either end of it. Load in the cork.
Poke the end of the rope into the bottle and slowly lift to set the
cork. But hold back for a moments patter before revealing that the
bottle dangles from the rope.
Magicians do some very strange things in the pursuit of their
uncanny art. They bend keys. Why? They saw women in two. How
awful. They poke ropes into bottles. How absurd what would
Freud think? Rope with a sex life? No merely a pleasant little
magic trick. Watch!
Its a quick patter line for a quick
trick. When youve got what you can
from the suspension, pull out the
rope so that the cork ball rolls out
into your fngers (Figure 3) and palm
it. Exaggerate the pull as if the spirit
inside the spirits were hanging on.
Strong suds!
Tip 1. 1 A bottle of beer will
usually foam up and overfow when
uncapped, particularly when the
rope is poked into the suds. Another
of the brewers gifts to the magi! A
head on the bottle will conceal the
cork. Thus, with careful handling,
you can use a perfectly clear bottle
without complete coverage at the
neck. Millers High Life is my choice.
In this case, I wait to drop in the cork, frst raising a head by
poking in the rope for a moment; I wipe up the overfow with a
napkin before proceeding. If the cork is dropped in too soon it
will rise out of the bottle with the eruption of foam (you can, of
course, hold the ball down with a thumb until the overfow quits).
You want a foamy head with good lasting power, such as
Millers, to keep the cork hidden. Check for foaming characteris-
tics. You will fnd that not all beers are created equal.
Tip 2. I insert the rope several inches into the bottle before
engaging the cork. When using a clear bottle there is an added
effectiveness in seeing so much of the submerged end of the
rope. But your true purpose has cunning. As before, you fnish
by appearing to struggle against the pull of the suds, but once the
ball is out and into your palm, appear to give up the struggle.
With the rope still submerged, hand the bottle to a spectator to
withdraw the rope. This subtly shifts the timing of the ending so
that you have the ball palmed before the trick is over. Appear ab-
solutely astonished when the spectator removes the rope so easily.
[If your choice is to use the magnetic theme set up in Perrier
Bottle, below, erase the word magnet (you write it on the label)
before handing the bottle and rope to the spectator. That offers a
rationale for the ease with which the spectator removes the rope.]
PERRIER BOTTLE
Because a Perrier bottle is clear at the neck and does not have a
collar, you must provide cover and a completely different patter
line. You can wrap the bottle in a napkin or newspaper, as I have
done in years past, but a dollar bill is better.
With the cork ball thumb palmed, write the word magnet
on the bill. Then fold the bill lengthwise and slip one end through
the other to make a collar (Figures 4 and 5). Make the collar tight
enough that it will be on a level with the end of the bottle, or a
little above (Figure 6). This is necessary for full concealment if
you are working close.
Open Sesame! Hocus Pocus! Abracadabra! Are they mere
words? Or are they incantations with well documented powers?
Now scientists are experimenting with words as surrogates for
the real thing. If you write the word motor, will it generate
horsepower? If I write the word magnet across this bill, will the
bill itself become magnetized? Of course not. But, on the other
hand, do you suppose...is it possible...can it be?
Uncap the bottle, slip the bill over the neck and deposit the
cork ball. Or, if you feel the need of shade, say, Now, will you
choose the positive end of the rope. I realize that its hard to tell
the positive end from the negative end, but I dont think anyone
will get electrocuted if a mistake is made. Trust your instinct.
With the cork now in place, poke the selected end of the rope
into the neck of the bottle. Milk the magnetic moment for all its
worth. With the rope taut, slowly earthquake-jiggle the bottle on
the table. Its spooky. If not at a table, you can balance the bottle
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figures 4, 5, and 6
on a fngertip of the left hand. Finally, lift.
The small 6-ounce bottle makes a comfortable, easy-to-han-
dle prop, as does the 7-ounce beer bottle. This is a great bar trick.
THE BOTTLE FANTASTIQUE
(ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)
While quite similar in effect, this is a different ball game. The
pun is apt, for the cork is slyly attached to a monoflament thread.
This enables you to work up more than a quickie presentation
and makes a magic-meeting baffer out of the handling.
I use some fourteen inches of invisible thread (available at
fabric shops they, too, call it invisible thread), but you will need
to experiment for your own best length. One end is run through
the cork with a needle and frmly knotted. The other can be
attached to a pen clipped to your pocket. I prefer Frank Hermans
ploy of anchoring the thread around a small piece of cardboard
slipped under my belt.
Here, an empty bottle is used. Some beers come in brown
bottles that are almost opaque. I have tried decorating the glass
with a scattering of colored stickers stars and half-moons to
divert the eye but its more natural to use a bottle with its own
collar. Seek and you shall fnd.
I begin with the cork in the right thumb palm position. The
right hand shows the bottle, and then cradles it in both hands to
read off the label.
Cradling locates the neck of the bottle in the right hand just
below the palmed cork. Drop the ball in. The positioning is
natural, and the cover is clean (Figure 7).
A Danish beer. Carlsbad. Twelve ounces of spirits. Empty.
The spirits have fed. Or have they? With all fngers shielding
the bottle (in the event the glass is not opaque enough), place the
bottle on the table. The right hand takes the rope and pokes it
inside.
By slight body movement, the thread is gently stretched out,
lifting the cork completely out of sight into the neck. A small
upward tug on the rope binds the cork in place.
Hang on, spirits! Lift the rope and the bottle will rise with
it. How can that be? To a magician, thats not how the trick is
supposed to work!
When you fnish the suspension, return the bottle to the table.
A slight, downward poke of the rope releases the cork. Lift out the
rope, tossing it to the suspicious. Here again you fool the knowl-
edgeable. Catch a thumb (your choice) under the thread, lift the
cork into the thumb palm position, and shove the bottle forward
for examination. What? No tugging of the rope to get out the
gimmick? Howd you do that!
It hardly needs saying that the ball-and-thread gimmick can be
used with a full bottle of beer, as explained above, making for an
effortless removal of the cork at the end.
Tip. As long as you have some coverage at the neck, you can
use a virtually clear bottle, particularly with the 7-ounce size.
Since you are at risk only if the cork fashes around the bottom of
the bottle, you can avoid this entirely by controlling the cork to
remain in the neck. And with the bottle ftting so naturally in the
palm of the hand, you may cut the risk further by your concealing
grip.
DO AS I DO
Many years ago, I began doing the old version of the Chinese
Prayer Vase built around a You-Do as I Do theme. With two
bottles and two ropes you have a comedy plot to work with.
Ill let you in on a secret. Some tricks that look diffcult are
easy as pie, and some that look easy as pie are tough as can be.
Take vanishing an elephant. Nothing to it. All you need is an
elephant. But a simple trick like sticking a rope into a bottle takes
years of practice.
You do so. Voila! How simple that looks. But you try it.
Let the spectator choose either of the ropes and either of the
bottles and try it. Of course, he can do it. You are struck with
amazement, but attempt to shrug it off.
Beginners luck! Lets magnetize the rope with some static
electricity. Rub the end of the rope on your arm and jam it into the
bottle. Like this. Just do as I do.
Finally, you lift the rope and the bottle clings; his doesnt.
Maybe my rope is better for magnetizing. Here, you take it and
Ill take yours. Rub it on your sleeve and jam it into the bottle.
Again, he fails. So you trade bottles. Once more, it will only
work for you. You suggest a fnal try, allowing the spectator a
choice of bottle and rope. Meanwhile, ditch the gimmick.
The trick doesnt work for him, but it doesnt work for you
either. As I said before, sometimes the easiest looking tricks are
the toughest. I seem to have lost the knack. Would you like to see
me vanish an elephant? Who has an elephant?
I published the You-Do-as-I-Do presentation in one of Lloyd
Joness mailings, where Frank Herman picked up on it. Frank,
who originated the Cut and Restored Necktie, among other tricks,
immediately made a classy change. Instead of using a piece of
rope, he rang in two Atomic Light Bulbs. This, youll recall, is a
bulb on a short electrical cord; pull the chain and the light lights.
So, rub the cord for static electricity and pull the chain. The lit
bulb suggests that the cord is suffciently charged; poke the end
into the bottle and the bottle hangs from the cord.
This treatise on the old Chinese vase wouldnt be complete
without mentioning that not only can a pencil or bar swizzle
stick be substituted for the rope, but in the empty bottle version
a dollar bill may be used. Roll it lengthwise like a straw.
Very effective.
EBOOK NOOK
Figure 7
THE THIRTY-ONE-DAY COIN
TRICK
Suitable only for the magic club venue, this is part
gag and part elegant sleight-of-hand presentation.
You fing a coin toward the ceiling. It vanishes.
And it stays vanished. You announce that you will
have to continue the coin trick at the next meeting. A
month later, holding a goblet, you coax the coin down.
It clinks into the goblet.
The sleight involved is basic and classic the
common coin palm, regarded by Professor Hoffman
as the frst faculty of coin magic. But the handling
of both the vanish and the reappearance of the coin are
uncommon.
THE FIRST MAGIC MEETING: THE
VANISH
Squarely facing the crowd, toss the coin to be
vanished from the right to the left hand, horizontally
at about waist level (Figure 1).
To establish a triangular pattern, the left hand
(which had closed around the coin) tosses it about
eighteen inches into the air. It is caught by the right
hand (Figure 2). To establish this juggling pattern, for
therein lies the misdirection, repeat the toss a couple
of times. The hands always close around the coin as it
is caught.
The textbooks warn us, you say, not to tell what
we are going to do before we do it. But since we are
magicians gathered here, it will do no harm to tell you
in advance that I am going to vanish this coin. Not
only that, I am going to tell you the very instant it will
decamp. I will even alert you to the very mid-air spot
where the coin will beat it into the unknown.
Toss the coin around the triangle. As it makes this
second trip, say, When the coin reaches the apex,
the top here (point with left index fnger) it will
depart. Quickly. Here we go.
Run through the triangle again. The next time, however, the
right hand palms the coin in the toss to the left hand, which closes
as if it received the coin, as before.
Take a beat of time. Then give the left hand an upward toss,
springing open the fngers; the coin appears to have vanished in
mid-air. Your right hand conceals the coin; ignore it and let the
hand drop naturally to the side.
But, wait! What is this passion magicians have for vanishing
coins? It goes against human nature. If they chose to be useful
members of society, wizards would vanish crabgrass and anyone
caught doing Zombie without a license. And isnt the audience
always ahead of us? They know well bring the coin back. But
back from where? Where does a coin fee to when it vanishes?
Never-Never Land. Outer space? Cucamonga?
The coin you just saw is, to be truthful, hovering invisibly
near the ceiling. (Address the imaginary coin.) Stay! I will attempt
a world record here the longest disappearance of a coin in
magical history. (Address the imaginary coin.) Stay! Move not!
This coin trick will be continued at the next meeting. Stay! I
shall return!
And sit down.
SECOND MAGIC MEETING: THE RETURN
Bring a goblet with you. Classic palm the coin even before
you step up to do your stuff.
Bring everyone up to speed by saying, At the last meeting I
threw a coin toward the ceiling and it obediently vanished. The
question is, can I now coax it down thirty-one days later for a
world record?
With the coin palmed, the fngers lift the glass by its rim
(Figure 3).
All looks perfectly normal. Nevertheless, the palmed coin is
concealed directly over the mouth of the glass.
As you look up to spy out the vanished coin, move the glass,
foating it around as if to position it under the about-to-be-re-
produced silver piece. Heigh-ho silver! Banger! Clinker! Pocket
jingler! Almighty half-dollar. Where are you? Still up there, arent
you? I trust none of the magic crowd light-fngered you away. Sil-
verware! Doubloon! Mint drop! Lets have a look at you.
When you feel the moment is ripe, relax the hand to release the palmed
coin. It will clink and ring in the glass, as if it had fallen from aloft,
through the hand, and into view. Its a very pretty magical moment.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
SILENCE IS GOLDEN
Have you ever stopped to think how
certain sales techniques can crossover to
be useful to us as mystery performers and
vice versa?
If you think about it, as magicians we
are essentially salespeople. Not only do
we need to sell our services as entertain-
ers to our clients, but we also must sell the
illusion or the moment of a miracle to our
audiences.
Having split my career between perfor-
mances as a magician and an actor along
with various sales positions over the years,
I think about this quite often. Over the
next few paragraphs, I will give you an
example of a crossover sales and perfor-
mance technique.
There is an unspoken rule in sales that
he who speaks frst loses. To explain that
further, the salesperson has presented his
or her offer. The contract with the dotted
line is slid across the table. A pen is
uncapped and laid across the contract. If
the salesperson is any good, he or she has
noticed which hand the client writes with
and has placed down the pen accordingly.
A closing question is asked. (For example,
Which credit card would you like to
use for the deposit?) Then the salesper-
son remains silent until the client either
answers the question and signs, or presents
the salesperson with an objection that
perhaps can be overcome with a closing
technique in the arsenal.
From the salespersons point of view,
these moments of silence can be excruciat-
ing. Sales professionals with little experi-
ence will often fnd the need to cover the
awkward silence by jumping in and reiter-
ating the features and benefts of his or her
offer, or even worse, by making small talk
that takes the focus away from the offer on
the table.
Why do inexperienced salespeople do
this? Its called talking over the close
and many a sale has been lost because of
it. Its human nature to try to defate awk-
wardness in an exchange with someone
we barely know, yet if the salesman would
remain silent after extending the offer, he
would exude much more confdence in
what he has presented.
We see the same thing happening with
magic and mystery performances. Much
like the moment when the pen and paper
are slid across the table for the clients
offering, as performers we also have that
magic moment when nothing should be
said, allowing the guest to swim in the
moment of astonishment in an effort to
piece back her reality. This is a moment
that shouldnt be stepped on, but rather
should be allowed to breathe. Often we
see a nervous or inexperienced performer
muddy up this very special moment
by throwing in a silly joke or some
throwaway line like Pretty neat, right?
When we do this, are we not robbing our
spectator of a little slice of amazement that
she may never get to experience again?
Its not easy to embrace that moment
of silence, but if we can get over the awk-
wardness, is it possible that we could
actually be enhancing the moment? I cant
help but think that when your participant
plays back the effect in her mind, she will
remember that moment or two of silence
and how she stood there quite paralyzed
with the question of how to compartmen-
talize what she had experienced.
Ill tell you an interesting story about
the silence rule from the trenches of
the sales foor. About ten years ago, I
was selling timeshares in Gatlinburg,
Tennessee, at the gateway to the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park. A rather
new and young salesperson was sitting
across the table from a hulk of a man in bib
overalls. The salesperson had spent over
two hours walking the older gentleman
around the grounds of the resort and going
over all the benefts of being an owner of
the product. The time then came for the
salesperson to put some numbers on the
offer and slide the contract over to the
client for signing.
The salesperson had just come out
of two weeks of intensive sales training
where it had been ingrained in his head
not to speak frst, according to the golden
sales rule. After sliding the offer over to
the big farmer guy, they both sat there in
silence for about fve minutes; neither of
them had spoken a word. The green sales-
person started getting uncomfortable, but
instead of talking, he got up from the table
and went over to his manager.
I did what I was taught, he told the
manager, but that guy hasnt budged or
said a word in over fve minutes.
The sales manager looked at the kid,
beaming with pride at his students per-
severance and told him to sit back down
at the table and keep his mouth shut. So
he did. After another fve minutes of
silence, he got up again and went back to
his manager. He still hasnt said a thing
or moved a muscle, said the young sales-
person. The manager decided it might be
time to wander over and try to engage
the silent farmer. Well, long story short,
it turns out the man had suffered a mini-
stroke. He wasnt playing hardball, he was
just incapacitated. We got an ambulance
in there and had him taken to the hospital.
Fortunately, it was not serious and the
gentleman made a full recovery. He also
came back a few days later and bought that
timeshare.
Now this is an extreme case, and if you
ever do fnd yourself in a similar situation,
asking a simple, Are you okay, sir? will
probably not lose the sale for you and would
probably be a good idea. By the way, that
gentleman came back once a year to stay at
his timeshare, and he would always swing
by the sales offce to say hi. The managers
would always ask him to tell his story to
any of the new salespeople. He would ham
it up and have a blast with the story; by the
time he was done, he would have everyone
present eating out of his hand.
A couple of years ago, Farmer Mac
passed away. And on the wall, above the
table where the story happened is a plaque
thanking Mac for all the fun he brought
to that sales foor over the years.
WRITERS BLOCK
The magician reaches into his pocket
and pulls out a small envelope that is given
to a guest for safekeeping.
Im sure we are all familiar with the
concept of writers block. A friend of
mine is a very accomplished author; once
I asked him how he dealt with being at a
By Don Theo III
The Dotted Line
dead end, creatively speaking.
He reached into his pocket and pulled
out a stack of his business cards. He
started turning them over to show that he
had written different words on the back of
each of them nouns, verbs, adjectives, a
little bit of everything all mixed up.
My writer friend called these prompt
words. After mixing them blindly, he
would try to construct a story out of the
new order.
The performer suits action to words,
taking out a stack of business cards and
dealing them one at a time face up on the
table, showing words like helicopter,
transparent, and kicked, etc. He then
gathers them up and hands half of the cards
to the spectator and instructs him or her to
mix them up while the performer does the
same with his half of the cards.
The two piles are put back together,
cut, and further mixed. A pile of cards are
then dealt from the top of the pile onto the
table, writing side down, into a singular,
tabled pile.
The tabled pile is then picked up by the
magician and rested in his left hand.
The guest is told that she has complete
control over the pile in the magicians
hand. The guest instructs the magician
to either deal each card or switch it with
the next, and in this manner the cards are
dealt onto the table. Once this process is
done and no cards are left in the magicians
hands, the envelope from before is asked
for. The person holding it opens it up and
pulls a folded paper out of the envelope.
This same participant is asked to open the
paper and read it out loud.
At the same time, the guest that decided
the order of the cards is instructed to turn
over a card from the pile she created each
time the magician snaps his fngers.
The guest with the envelope starts
reading the paper aloud. The passage reads,
There once was a mermaid. (Snap.) The
guest with the cards turns over the one on
top to show the word mermaid and places
the card aside. This mermaid was named
Stan, continues the guest reading the pre-
diction. (Snap.) The next card turned over
bears the word Stan.
The guest with the prediction continues:
Stan was popular for riding around town
on a Vespa. (Snap.) You guessed it; the
word on the next card is Vespa.
This continues until the fnal card is
turned over. On the reverse of the fnal
card are the words The End.
The story cards will match up with the
prediction from the envelope because you
use Paul Currys Swindle of Sorts. Briefy
put for this effect, choose eleven words
in order to ft your story. Its best to have
your prediction printed on what looks like
a torn out and folded page of a paperback
novel. To save some time and to add au-
thenticity, you could just take a page from
a book lying around the house and fll out
the cards accordingly.
Use about twenty cards and stack the
ones with your story words in order on
the top. Keeping them in order, turn them
word-side up and spread through to show
a few of the words on the cards. Its best
to make sure you show a handful from the
bottom half for the fnish.
Turn them word-side down and hand
the bottom half of the cards to your guest.
Have her mix them up as you do the same
with your half. (As far as the shuffing,
you give your guest the half you dont
need, which is the bottom half. If you trim
a little off of the edge of the twelfth card
making it a short card you can easily
riffe to it.) False shuffe the cards in your
hand, put the two halves back together by
placing the spectators cards under yours,
and throw in another false shuffe if you
like. Deal the top eleven cards in a pile
to the table (reversing the order) with the
words face down while remarking, That
seems like a fair enough mix; but we dont
need all of them, so lets just use these.
Now for Currys Swindle: you need to
have the guest tell you either to deal or to
switch the cards. Pick up the dealt pile. If
she says deal, you do just that, dealing
the top card down to the table. If she says
switch, then you place the top card under
the card beneath it and drop both cards
onto the frst dealt card. Continue doing
this until you get to the end, either dealing
the top card or switching the top two based
on what your guest says.
You dont need to know how this
works, just know that it does. You will end
up with your eleven-card stack in the order
in which it began. All that remains is to
have the story read and the cards deal out.
This is a good effect to practice your
silence skills, because after your guest has
dealt the cards there is a moment when she
is comparing the fact that what has just
been read has matched. Dont step on it; let
everyone swim around with it for a minute.
Gently lay the prediction paper down by
the dealt cards. Let it breathe.
A great thing about this routine is that
you can tailor the cards to ft whatever
story you want to tell; you can design
the predicted passage around a theme if
needed. And if you want to know what
story I use for this, Ill give you a hint.
You just read it. My story cards contain
the words Bib Overalls, Farmer Mac,
Gatlinburg, and Plaque.
(Paul Currys A Swindle of Sorts can be
found in the book Paul Currys Worlds
Beyond, Hermetic Press, 2001, page 245.)
CARD CHEATING
FOR ENTERTAINMENT
PURPOSES ONLY
The title of this particular column
is whats written on my business cards.
I sell myself to the lay public as less of
a magician and more of a card shark
who has been known to do the occasional
impossible thing. Among magicians
Ive developed a reputation for my
gambling material and for using gambling
techniques false deals, riffe stacking,
and shuffe work. However, Im far from a
gambling expert. Sure, I know more about
gambling-related things than the average
magician, and certainly more than the
average Joe or Jane on the street. But Im
really just a performer who uses gambling
techniques and gambling-related themes to
entertain normal folk.
Its really easy to assume that presenting
gambling material is all about exhibiting
technique. Diffcult moves executed
beautifully are the reason many of us
have spent many hours watching videos
like Steve Fortes Gambling Protection
Series or Richard Turners The Cheat. As
magicians, we know how hard these moves
actually are. If youre going to present
this material in front of normal humans,
you face a dilemma. You want people to
appreciate the moves, but unless the moves
are invisible youre not doing them right.
I was recently involved in an online
discussion about a gambling demonstration
(not mine) of switching cards in blackjack.
Someone commented that the required
move looked like a move, but if the intent
was to demonstrate this kind of skill,
why would you want it to look like you
did something? Theyll know it is skill,
because you tell them thats what it is. You
want it to look like you did nothing, same
as anything else. Gambling techniques are
meant to blend in with the regular outward
actions of shuffing, dealing, and picking
up your cards in the context of a card game.
Thats all theyre supposed to look like.
On the other hand, lets say that you
can execute these techniques on the same
level as a Steve Forte or even close to that.
You wouldnt futz about trying to make
things look like moves, because people
would be struggling to see the ones youre
already doing. If on the other hand youre
in the category of selling a really loud
sizzle coming from a really small steak,
telling people youre dealing bottoms
when the cards are clearly coming off the
top wont fy. In that case, maybe you do
want to dirty up your deals and moves to
make the bull-puckey youre slinging a
little more believable. Its worth it to know
the difference between something thats
going to come off as an obvious lie and
something that will appear plausible to
laymen.
There are a handful of routines in
the literature that are easily adaptable
to gambling presentations and that will
provide strong results using techniques
you already know. The following is the
combination of a couple of standard
routines that Ive put a blackjack spin on.
Separately they play very strongly with
laymen, and as it turns out they go well
together.
BE HONEST IS IT
BLACKJACK?
Your setup on top of the deck is going
to be from the top down: the Ace of Spades
followed by a red Six and a red Ten of
mixed suits, the other red Six, the Jack of
Spades, and the remaining red Ten
(Photo 1).
Shuffe, keeping your stock on
top, as you introduce the subject of
cheating at blackjack and the concept of
hand-mucking switching cards in play. I
usually start in by saying, Lets talk about
blackjack. I wasnt going to talk about
blackjack, but since you brought it up...
(This is my standard line whenever I want
to make a hard segue into a topic.)
Spread over the top fve cards and
re-square them, getting a left little-fnger
break underneath them. If you dont know
anything about blackjack, dont worry,
Ill explain the basics. For example, its
always a good idea to know where to
fnd an Ace Turn over the top single
card to show the Ace of Spades. After
the preceding shuffes this should appear
mildly impressive.
And if I can fnd a Jack to go with it,
even better! Take the Ace face up in your
right hand and, still holding it, fip over the
quadruple card above your break. The
single card will help disguise the thickness
of the block (Photo 2). Retain a break
under the face-up block of four cards.
Youre now displaying a natural blackjack.
This is the best hand you can receive in
blackjack, because it pays off 3 to 2. And if
it doesnt, fnd another casino. I dont put
up with any 6 to 5 nonsense! This line
might sound technical, but I fnd it typically
gets a chuckle from people regardless of
their experience. Of course, in the casino
I dont get to deal myself a hand like this,
which is why I like to keep one on me for
emergencies. Wouldnt you? Place the
Ace on the face of the Jack (Photo 3) and
fip all fve cards above the break face
down. Immediately spread off the top two
cards face down and place them somewhere
isolated, but still in view. I usually perform
Photo 3
By Antonio M. Cabral
Cheats & Deceptions
(For Entertainment Purposes Only)
Photo 1
Photo 2
while wearing a jacket and tie, so I place
the cards sticking out of my breast pocket
or, if Im feeling jaunty, in my tie clip. The
audience believes this is still the blackjack;
the cards are actually the red Six and Ten.
Turn over the top single card to show
a red Six. This conveniently cools out
the two-card switch you just did. Youre
now going to perform the moves of Eddie
Fechters classic trick, Be Honest, What Is
It? If I cant get the cards I want, I just
have to switch them in. Ill show you what
I mean. Say I get dealt a Six. Thats a weak
card for a blackjack hand. Would you
hold your hand out for me? Youre going
to be the table in this demonstration...no
offense! Place the Six face up onto the
spectators palm. Once she has the Six,
do a very brief overhand shuffe control to
maintain the three-card stock on top. (I use
an overhand lift shuffe.)
You must now do a triple turnover,
revealing a red Ten. An easy way to
prepare for this is to drop the left hand to
the side of your body as the right hand turns
the red Six the spectator is holding face
down. This gives you time to pinky count
three cards with the left hand. The left hand
moves back to the center of the body. The
right hand meets it and immediately turns
over the triple. The fuidity of this action
helps disguise the thickness of the turned-
over packet. Catch a break under the three
cards as they are turned over. (A reminder:
the Ten and the Six in play happen to be
the pseudo-mates of the cards sticking out
of your pocket, which is convenient.)
The patter continues as you turn over
the triple: Ah, a Ten! Thats a much better
card. If I were going to switch your Six for
this Ten, Id have to be very fast. Ill show
you the basic technique, but its going to
seem obvious and youre going to feel it.
Turn the triple down, take the top single
card face down, and openly switch it with
one hand for the Six. Take the Six in a grip
ready for a top change. In an actual
casino setting you wouldnt feel that
happen, but you did feel it. Do you know
why? Because youre not a table! Under
cover of that dopey joke, top change the
Six in your hand for the card on top of the
deck (Photo 4). And in a game, Id have a
two-card hand to deal with, which
camoufages the move. Place the card in
your hand underneath the face-down card
in your participants hand, and mix the two
around a bit. Have your participant place
her other hand on top, trapping the two
cards. She thinks she has the red cards
adding to sixteen; she actually already has
the blackjack.
Take the supposed blackjack from your
pocket (or wherever you squirreled it). Im
going to try to steal out that Six for either
the Jack or the Ace. Pause for a beat.
Or I could just get them both. Time is
money, after all! Reveal that you have the
Six and the Ten. (The fact that they have
changed suits will not be noticed.) Have
the participant show the cards in her hands
to reveal that she now has the blackjack.
You can stop right here, or if you like
you can barrel ahead with another classic
effect dressed up in a gambling chicken
costume.
DR. DALEYS LAST
BLACKJACK
Place the deck away and call attention
to the Ten and the Six you are holding.
Let me try that again. These two cards
are actually the worst hand you could get
in blackjack. Not good enough to stick
with, terrible to hit to. Flip the two cards
face down into dealing position in your
left hand. Take the blackjack from your
participant. This hand, you remember, is
an automatic payoff. Flip the blackjack
face down onto the other two cards. Youre
now in position to go into a slight handling
variation of The Last Trick of Dr. Jacob
Daley (The Dai Vernon Book of Magic,
page 210.
So lets say Ive been dealt this terrible
hand... Perform the frst two moves of
Bro. John Hammans Gemini Count (The
Secrets of Brother John Hamman, page
93) to show the two red cards, dealing each
of them into your participants hand.
and Ive got a really good hand hidden on
my person. Tuck the remaining two cards
halfway into your sleeve. Reach over and
peek briefy at the cards in the participants
hand, then remove the cards from your
sleeve and show that you now have the Ten
and the Six. Again have her show the cards
in her hand to reveal the blackjack.
Its very hard to overcome the shame,
guilt, and general flthiness that come
from saying Im going to show you how
gamblers switch cards and then doing a
double lift. Ive been performing Daleys
Last Trick as a blackjack demo for years
(and I know others whove done the same);
the reactions it has received have only
exacerbated the guilt. If youre in front of a
police department or similar group talking
about the realities of card cheating, you
owe it to your audience to be as genuine
as possible. In regular performance, the
truth lies somewhere in the middle. In
regular performance youre going to
get much better results thinking like a
magician. The real techniques are meant
to be performed when attention is relaxed.
Magicians design their routines to happen
under direct, albeit guided, attention. This
means that as a magician youre always
going to get better results if the method
happens any time other than when you say
it does or the audience expects it to.
Thats not an invitation to throw
technique out the window. Darwin Ortiz
has said that in order to convince an
audience you possess great skill, its
best to actually start out with great skill.
Martin Nash said that if you make any
kind of claim along these lines, youd best
be able to back it up. So keep working on
your hole-card switches and blackjack
mucks. If youre going to present this kind
of material, you need to know what youre
talking about. But the best way to deal
with the throbbing ball of guilt that settles
at the base of your skull as you double lift
your way through a hand-mucking demo
is to quietly take it out into an alley and
beat it to death with a shovel. Technique
is one thing; your audiences perception is
another.
Photo 4
cheating at blackjack and the concept of
hand-mucking switching cards in play. I
usually start in by saying, Lets talk about
blackjack. I wasnt going to talk about
blackjack, but since you brought it up...
(This is my standard line whenever I want
to make a hard segue into a topic.)
Spread over the top fve cards and
re-square them, getting a left little-fnger
break underneath them. If you dont know
anything about blackjack, dont worry,
Ill explain the basics. For example, its
always a good idea to know where to
fnd an Ace Turn over the top single
card to show the Ace of Spades. After
the preceding shuffes this should appear
mildly impressive.
And if I can fnd a Jack to go with it,
even better! Take the Ace face up in your
right hand and, still holding it, fip over the
quadruple card above your break. The
single card will help disguise the thickness
of the block (Photo 2). Retain a break
under the face-up block of four cards.
Youre now displaying a natural blackjack.
This is the best hand you can receive in
blackjack, because it pays off 3 to 2. And if
it doesnt, fnd another casino. I dont put
up with any 6 to 5 nonsense! This line
might sound technical, but I fnd it typically
gets a chuckle from people regardless of
their experience. Of course, in the casino
I dont get to deal myself a hand like this,
which is why I like to keep one on me for
emergencies. Wouldnt you? Place the
Ace on the face of the Jack (Photo 3) and
fip all fve cards above the break face
down. Immediately spread off the top two
cards face down and place them somewhere
isolated, but still in view. I usually perform
Photo 3
LATEST PRODUCT REVIEWS
Compiled and Edited by W. S. Duncan
INFORMED OPINION
NON PLUS ULTRA VOLUMES 1 AND 2 BOOKS
BY MAGIC CHRISTIAN, TRANSLATED BY LORI PIEPER
Available from: www.hermeticpress.com and
www.conjuringarts.org
Price $249.00 (two-volume set)
REVIEW BY PAYNE (VOLUME 1) AND
ANTONIO M. CABRAL (VOLUME 2)
I was given the task to read and
review volume 1 (Magic of the 19th
Century) of this impressive two-vol-
ume set. Being that this tome is devoted
to the life and times of the nineteenth-
century magician Johann Hofzinser, it
was an assignment that I was pleased
to receive. I am a fan and self-taught
student of magic history and am par-
ticularly interested in the performance
and practice of conjuring before its
so-called Golden Age. I was eager
to delve into what I had heard was
the seminal work on this infuential
performer.
Hofzinser is something of an enigma. Before the release of
these books, little was known about his life or his magic. Thus,
he was relegated to being little more than a footnote in the history
of magic. When discussing the infuential magicians of the mid-
nineteenth century (a topic that rarely comes up in casual con-
versation these days), Hofzinsers name is often overshadowed
by those of his contemporaries. Both Christophers The Illus-
trated History of Magic and Clarkes Annals of Conjuring boast
multiple entries in their indexes for the likes of Robert-Houdin,
Bosco, and Herrmann, yet each contains but a single listing
for Hofzinser. There are many reasons for this omission. Chief
among them is that Hofzinser himself penned no books on the
subject of magic, nor ever wrote a fanciful biography that would
eventually capture the imagination of a young Eric Weiss. Were
lucky to know anything about him at all. Were it not for a chance
meeting between Georg Heubeck, a former student of Hofzin-
sers, and the then amateur magician Ottokar Fischer, Hofzinser
might be an even more obscure footnote in the magic literature
remaining virtually unknown outside of his homeland of Austria.
It is because of this meeting, and the tutelage and friendship that
followed, that we know anything at all about him.
For decades Fischers J.N. Hofzinser Kartenknste and J.N.
Hofzinser Zauberknste were the two defnitive works on the
life and magic of Hofzinser; most everything that was written
elsewhere about him was taken from these volumes. Unfortunate-
ly, it now looks as if much of that information was incomplete,
misinterpreted, or just outright wrong. Even the date of his birth
given in Mr. Fischers books is in error.
But fortunately for us, and the memory of Hofzinser, Magic
Christians exhaustive and comprehensive biography sets about
the task of correcting these mistakes and omissions. What
emerges from his painstaking research is a portrait of a man
whose name should be on par with (if not above) his contempo-
raries. Robert-Houdin might have secured the title of The Father
of Modern Magic, but it becomes clear after reading this volume
that magic, as it is practiced today, especially when it concerns
tricks involving playing cards, would have been a completely
different entity without Hofzinsers innovative and groundbreak-
ing contributions to the craft. In fact, it could be argued that far
more magic effects being performed today owe their lineage to
the work of Hofzinser than his better known Parisian counterpart.
This is why this book is an important scholarly work and
should be in the library of any serious student of magic history.
But be forewarned: this book is more academic in nature than
your average magic book or biography. Non Plus Ultra is not so
much a biography as it is a compendium of biographical data; a
dossier on the life and times of Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser. There
is an intriguing story to be found within these pages. But it is
up to the reader to create it for themselves from the multitude
of facts and fgures provided. After reading the book, one is left
with the feeling that they know every detail there is to know about
Herr Hofzinser, but with no understanding of who he really was.
Having been dead for a century and a half, there are very few
anecdotal or personal recollections to be found in the book. It is
like trying to piece together an accurate representation of the life
of Doug Henning through press releases and reviews alone.
So at times, it can be a challenge to read your way through the
(what can sometimes feel to be seemingly endless) chapters. But
however diffcult it might be at times to get through it, it is well
worth the effort. Magic Christian has scoured untold numbers
of archives and has extracted from them every bit of informa-
tion on Hofzinser that he could fnd. He even managed to secure,
thanks to that famed Austrian effciency, Hofzinsers employment
records.
Within the covers of this book you will fnd reviews of many
of his famous salon performances, which he dubbed An Hour of
Deception. There are clippings from newspapers detailing ap-
pearances he made at soirees and other social functions through-
out his career. For the frst time we are able to capture the essence
of his salon shows and how they were received by the general
public at the time.
Perhaps of greater interest are Hofzinsers own writings and
critiques. These cover a wide variety of subjects. As well as being
a skilled prestidigitator, Hofzinser was also a skilled musician
and well regarded music critic. Of particular note was his review
of Johann Strauss, who he found to be a competent composer of
dance-music, but in no way should be regarded as a serious
composer. Fortunately for us, Hofzinser also turned his critical
eye to the performances of Bosco, Herrmann, and Dobler (to name
just a few), giving us tremendous insight to the state of affairs in
the world of magic in nineteenth-century Austria.
This book is a veritable treasure trove of information.
Anything one would care to know about the life and times of
Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser can be found somewhere in the pages
of this volume, even his poetry, which might be more than anyone
would have ever wanted to know. There are letters, diaries, and bi-
ographies of his students, friends, and compatriots. There is even
a tantalizing theory of his rather sudden demise, which the author
attributes to the mishandling of one of his magic effects.
The volume is beautifully produced, well laid out, and profusely
illustrated with numerous portraits, playbills, photographs, maps,
letters, and diagrams. Non Plus Ultra is a stellar work that will
hold a place of honor in anyones magic library. Payne
NON PLUS ULTRA VOLUME 2 HOFZINSERS CARD
ARTISTRY TRANSLATED BY DAVE SHEPHERD
Hofzinser hasnt quite attained the
same foothold in the minds of modern
card magicians as, say, the mysterious
S.W. Erdnase. While scads of young and
old card workers pontifcate and quote
chapter and verse from the lessons of
a person who exists as little more than
a pseudonym, J.N. Hofzinser a real
person, with a real reputation, in the
real public record seems to be more
of a vague inspiration for card workers
in this country. The main difference
is, Erdnase (whoever he was) wrote a
book, a solid primary source document
detailing a number of powerful and
still relevant ideas in the realm of card magic. What weve known
of Hofzinsers tricks and methods, on the other hand, has come
second-, third- and fourth-hand via hearsay and Sharpe's rough
translation. The primary English language source on Hofzinser,
S.H. Sharpes translation of Ottokar Fischers Hofzinser Karten-
knste, is not only notoriously clumsy with errors but also long
out of print and hard to fnd. With the long-awaited English-lan-
guage release of Magic Christians Non Plus Ultra, that may start
to change.
Magic Christian has done and continues to do a stagger-
ing amount of research in an attempt at a proper forensic recon-
struction of Hofzinsers effects and techniques. Hes scoured the
original letters, Hofzinsers own surviving documents, theatrical
programs and reviews, anything that might provide an insight
into how this man managed to captivate Victorian Vienna with
card tricks. It turns out that many of the techniques uncovered
by Magic Christian are amazingly modern in much the same way
that Erdnase was ahead of his time. As Hofzinser himself said in
his letters, It is just as impossible to play a concert piece without
the necessary technical skills as to perform such a card piece
without the required techniques and method of deception.
Magic Christian has done his best to extract those required
techniques and methods of deception out of Hofzinsers personal
correspondence and contemporary theatrical reviews. He covers
everything from the moves, to the philosophies, to the nature
of the playing cards of the time and just how Hofzinser took
advantage of it.
Thankfully, given the enormous effort that has gone into this
research, the results are tremendously satisfying. The portrait that
emerges of Hofzinsers work is one thats almost astoundingly
ahead of its time. Much of Hofzinsers effect construction and
psychology will appear familiar to fans of Ascanio, Tamariz, and
the Escorial school of thought. Many of Hofzinsers feature items
werent individual tricks, but full multi-phase routines whose con-
structions are as worth study as the individual effects. Many card
students will be surprised at how charming and thorough Hofz-
insers scripts are in proper translation. Hofzinser made a point
to relate his experiments to well known topics or news items of
the day, and at the very least made his experiments about people
in his audience as opposed to just the cards. Its an eye-opening
lesson in the performance of modern card magic from over one
hundred years ago.
Also eye-opening are the descriptions of the specifc sleight-of-
hand techniques that Hofzinser preferred. Card workers familiar
with the Hofzinser Bottom Palm and the Hofzinser Top Change
will be surprised to learn that everything they know is wrong.
His top change featured more modern and refned technique than
that of his contemporaries, but in the end is more of a standard
top change than the deliberate slappy-snappy move popularized
by Cy Enfeld. His bottom palm is a lot closer to the description
in Erdnase that Dai Vernon preferred than the move described
in Vernons own Travelers from Stars of Magic. Where these
erroneous variant handlings actually came from is left as an
exercise to the reader. Also of interest are Hofzinsers approaches
to forcing, both psychological and mechanical. The Hofzinser
Cull, of course, has enjoyed an incredible renaissance over the
past couple of decades, producing effects the Doctor himself
could only have dreamt of.
This volume also contains some very fascinating insight into
the legendary gaffs Hofzinser employed. Many of them are com-
monplace now, but in Hofzinsers time requesting double-faced
cards that were indistinguishable from ordinary playing cards
was a prime example of Tellers maxim of making the secret
seem more trouble than the trick is worth. Picture a time when
only three magicians in the world possessed a good quality set
of what we now call MacDonalds Aces and youll start to feel
spoiled by that Ellusionist gaffed card deck you bought, but never
used. The proper construction and handling of his double-ended
cards will likely spark some long-overdue creativity, as will his
combination of both principles into some ingenious trick decks.
As for his legendary transparent cards, wellthe illustration on
page 72 is by my reckoning worth the price of the book.
This is an amazing achievement regarding an amazing
magician, and if youre a serious card student youre already
excited about this project. However, despite the phenomenal job
that Magic Christian has done in his reconstructions, the original
problem still nags at the text, as thorough as it is. The best sources
on these routines and techniques are Hofzinsers letters to his
friends and students, but as Magic Christian admits, His written
records and the various transcriptions of his tricks were at best
frameworks of thought meant to keep them from being forgotten.
Most of the time, he waited for personal meetings to convey the
fne points of his presentation to his friends. Those primary
sources, while valuable, are still looser than if Hofzinser had
actually recorded his methods for the beneft of the many instead
of the few. So were left with an extraordinary undertaking thats
still second- and third-hand (through no fault of the author, of
course). In that sense, Hofzinser is very much like an Erdnase:
the more we learn and attempt to understand, the more tantalizing
and frustrating that remaining unknown information becomes.
To that end, Id make a case for this information being too
valuable to the education of every English-speaking magician to
limit its audience to those who can afford a $249 two-volume set.
I understand that this information, given the Herculean amount of
research and analysis involved, isnt the kind of thing you just give
away on the street corner, and the physical product from Hermetic
Press and the Conjuring Arts Research Center is worth every
penny. But another signifcant difference between Hofzinser and
Erdnase is that The Expert at the Card Table has, by compari-
son, been readily available and extremely affordable. You can
tell some up-and-coming young card punk to Read Erdnase!
and if they cant lay hands on any of the many under $10 editions
available, the fault is completely theirs and their work will suffer
for it. It would be nice if there were a similar way to point the
same card punks at a proper examination of Hofzinsers work.
Until that happens, the serious card student with the means (or a
generous family member) will absolutely want this on their shelf.
Very highly recommended. Antonio M. Cabral
CORPORATE ILLUSIONS MADE EASY BOOK
BY J.C. SUM
Distributed by Murphys Magic Supplies
Price $60.00
REVIEW BY JIM KLEEFELD
Most magicians would like this book.
It is a quick and easy read with clear il-
lustrations and directions that describe
ten illusion designs. Sum, most of
whose illusion projects I have reviewed
here before, does his usual decent job
of creating clever ideas for illusions
within stipulated parameters. In this
eighty-page volume he discusses the
concept of creating specialty illusions
for (mostly) one-time corporate work. If
you have a high-paying event where a
company wants you to produce the CEO, roll out a new product,
or showcase a new design, this book might be just what you need.
The frst ten pages give you an overview of corporate illusion
work, explaining how it differs from regular stage shows or tele-
vision work. Sum briefy discusses different types of corporate
events and the different venues you will encounter. Making an
illusion act work on a hotel ballroom foor with no proscenium,
backdrop, or wings is a lot different than making it work on your
own stage. He also gives helpful tips for building these mostly
one-off illusions. While the information has not much depth, it
does cover the basics. You might want to consider it an outline
from which you and your illusion builder can begin work.
The bulk of the book shares ten illusion plans. The Arrival
is frst and purports to produce a CEO from thin air in a small
cabinet. While the design certainly seems like it would produce
the desired outcome, I found it fawed in concept, since you must
assure that the CEO will curl up in a small hidden space. Fine
for your own limber assistant and several rehearsals, but I doubt
many executives would want to put a $6,000 suit through those
contortions, let alone their aging paunches. Maybe Im wrong in
stereotyping executives as mature men. Maybe the under-thirty
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook would contort for you.
Other of the illusions seem much more viable, such as
Showcase, which uses a clear acrylic box to produce a smaller
product like the latest smart phone, or Rising Identity, which
magically displays a new company graphic or logo. Global
Crossing and Corporate Restraint are different illusions, but both
appear to have your corporate assistant escape from restraints.
They do not require any undignifed contortions, but you should
consider the personality of your helper before you even ask if they
would participate in such an exercise. Jeweled Revelation is a very
nice idea, but it seems a little out of place here, because it is clearly
a small parlor trick and not an illusion. The Conference and The
Big Reveal are both major illusions that will magically produce
very large items such as a motorcycle or the companys board of
trustees. These are nice ideas, but would take a major investment
to create.
Sums experience in both the illusion world and corporate en-
tertainment are evident in this work. His ideas and tips are sound.
The book is a well produced soft cover with fne illustrations (not
blueprints) on heavy glossy paper. Like most illusion books, it
carries a rather weighty price tag. If you want to build an illusion
for a corporate event, you will need a lot more time, money, and
advice than this includes, but it is a good place to start. If you just
want to add to your own knowledge base in magic, this has plenty
of decent information that is diffcult to fnd anywhere else.
THE COLLECTION VOLUME ONE BOOK
BY KENTON KNEPPER AND LUCA VOLPE
Price $60.00
REVIEW BY DAVID GOODSELL
Hmm...frst the facts: six by nine inches,
soft cover, perfect bound, seventy-six
pages. The Collection Volume 1 is divided
into four sections. The frst two, written
by Volpe with notations by Knepper, are
Headline Prediction and Psychic Vision.
They are the purpose of the book, and taken
together cover the frst sixty-four pages.
They are followed by Kneppers Divinato-
ry Message, his explanation of how he uses
divination cards to advise the spectator
about a general or specifc issue (a com-
bination of cold reading and forcing card)
and Symbol Cubes, another method of cold reading based on the
use of Rorys Story Cubes. In Story Cubes, nine dice that have
symbols on them, such as a lightning bolt, a dollar sign, the earth,
etc., are rolled and the skilled performer weaves a plausible story,
divination, or suggested action. Both of these effects hold good
promise for an entertaining session in the hands of the skillful
performer great for storytelling or bizarre magick. As is always
the case with Kenton Knepper, extreme care is given to scripting.
The master of Wonder Words, Knepper understand the sugges-
tive power of a carefully crafted script.
Italian mentalist Luca Volpe acknowledges Knepper as his
teacher and mentor. There is clearly a bond between them, and
Volpes writing, with its emphasis on scripting, shows his skill
with his masters methods. The headline prediction is bold, but
careful reading will convince most readers that this will work and
be quite effective. Assuming this is to be done for a banquet, a
week before the event the performer asks the toastmaster to write
his signatures over the front and back of a sealed envelope. At
the event, the performer has the toastmaster randomly select four
or fve words from that days newspaper. Then the envelope is
opened, inside of which is a DVD or CD. When this is played,
the performer is seen and/or heard making a prediction of the
words that were just selected, as well as the headline of that days
newspaper. The psychology behind the use of two predictions, one
anticipated (the headline prediction) and one not (the fve words) is
really quite clever, so much so that, as Volpe asserts, no one will
remember the correct order of events. This is probably true, and
magicians and mentalists would do well to consider this predic-
tion effect.
As we consider Psychic Vision we wander into murky waters.
Volpe and Knepper acknowledge that this will not be for everyone,
for it suggests that the performer really does have supernatural
powers, despite disclaimers, and that the cold reader can use
readings to make predictions. We can see that such a prediction
once fulflled could have a great impression on a client, bringing
the client back again and again. Knepper considers this very
realistic mentalism. Indeed it would be for the right recipient.
There are two parts to this concept. The performer sends a Psychic
Vision, which is essentially a reading in the form of a letter, to the
client and requests a meeting a week later so that he performer can
give something special to the client. The hook set, the performer
does meet with the client and intrigues the client with a gift of an
eclectic collection of materials: a mojo bag, that just might have
supernatural powers. This leads, of course, to further sessions.
And so it goes.
Fraud? The skeptic might think so. But there are many who
believe, as did Carl Jung, that I will not commit the fashionable
stupidity of regarding everything I cannot explain as fraud. Volpe
and Knepper are not alone in believing that a psychic performer
can help people change their futures for the better. This is not for
everyone, as the author and his mentor make clear. But, it does
make for very interesting reading and the headline prediction is
very, very good.
SIX STEPS TO AN ORGANIC PRESENTATION &
PIGEON HOLES BOOKLETS
By Ron Guttman
Available from: www.BlackDerbyEntertainment.com
Price Six Steps $9.00 Pigeon Holes $18.00
REVIEW BY MICHAEL CLOSE
Canadian profes-
sional magician Ron
Guttman offers two
booklets on two very
diverse subjects. Six
Steps to an Organic Pre-
sentation will be of use
to any performer who,
as Mr. Guttman states,
gets paid for what comes
out of your mouth. Mr.
Guttman discusses: how
to analyze your script and how to make appropriate and meaning-
ful personal choices; understanding the structure of your character
and the subtext of your presentation; memory techniques; going
off book; breathing exercises; improvising around your script;
becoming involved in the moment and listening to your audience;
and putting it all together in front of an audience.
This sounds like a lot of material to cover in nineteen pages,
and it is. This booklet is meant to be an introduction to the subject,
and to that extent it does a good job. Of particular usefulness are
the four books suggested in the Resources section. For the
newcomer looking to improve his presentational skills, Six Steps
to an Organic Presentation will get you on the right path.
Pigeon Holes is geared toward the do-it-yourself magic
handyman. In its twenty pages, Mr. Guttman explains (in general
steps rather than in a specifc blueprint) how to build a cubbyhole
organizer for your nightclub table, suitcase table, or suitcase. Mr.
Guttman lists the tools you will need, the materials involved, the
design steps, and the construction techniques. Concerning the
skill level involved, he states, If youve ever built a model car or
airplane from one of those plastic kits, you probably have most of
the tools and all the skills you need to complete this project.
Obviously, only you know what props you need to store in your
case for your particular show, so only a general schematic layout
is offered. But if you fnd yourself rummaging through your case
during a show trying to fnd that set of ropes that has gotten buried
at the bottom, you may want to invest in this useful booklet.
HUNGRY DVD
BY MATHIEU BICH
Available from: www.MathieuBich.com
Price $29.00
REVIEW BY MARC DESOUZA
Mathieu Bich has been acknowl-
edged as one of the top magical
inventors around today. He won
the Invention Award from FISM
for his remarkable Spreadwave,
which also fooled Penn & Teller
on their TV Show. He has released
many other great close-up effects.
On this new DVD, called Hungry,
he attempts to teach you some of his
ways of thinking creatively by exploring
new methods for a neo-classic card effect. Along
the way, you will learn twelve methods and/or handlings for
the Sandwich effect. This is a wonderful way to take a glimpse
inside a great creative mind and explore with him his process for
inventing new magic.
Some of the methods are superb, and some just average.
Some of them are groundbreaking, others merely variations on
his earlier methods. The real value of Hungry is in the examina-
tion of the process: looking at the plusses and minuses of specifc
methods and ruminating over them. It is a journey of discovery.
One of the real key points is that there is no right or wrong
no perfect method. The best method depends on the conditions
you, as the performer, set. Mathieu gives you a number of tips on
how to achieve this type of creativity, but there are no hard and
fast rules. I wish he had spent more time discussing the actual
creative process; there is no magic method. It takes work, but by
applying Mathieus suggestions, you can only improve your own
creative process and your magic.
If you are just looking for some new card tricks, this DVD will
satisfy you. If you want to get maximum beneft from this DVD,
you want to listen to Mathieu discuss what he went through to get
to each one of these handlings. It is worth watching several times
to digest what is really going on in his head. It is a great trip and I
heartily suggest that all of you spend some time with this unique
individual, even if, for most of us, it can only be on products like
this. Recommended.
VARIANCE DVD
BY KEVIN SCHALLER
Available from: www.BalconyProductions.com
Price $29.99
REVIEW BY DANNY ARCHER
This DVD by Kevin Schaller teaches six effects. It begins with
a trick called Break. Here you show a card with a crease running
along the bottom. Move your hand
over the card and the crease now
runs through the middle of the
card. Then the crease returns
to its original position. The
gimmick is easy to make, and
Kevin shows some alternate
uses of the gimmick for effects
like a moving hole and a torn and
restored card.
Bust a Cap is a routine with
a soda bottle and a coin. A cap is
removed from a bottle and placed into your
fst along with a coin. The hand is opened; the cap
is gone and reappears screwed onto the bottle. The second phase
seems the same, but this time the coin vanishes and reappears on
top of the bottle. Audience management skills are critical here.
Cards make their appearance in Drunken Sandwich. A card is
selected and lost in the deck; two mates are removed and held in
the right hand. The selection appears face down behind the two
cards. The idea for this was interesting (and similar to a Lee Asher
move), but I think the handling is too cozy and there are better,
and easier, sandwich effects.
In Edgy, a blue card folded in quarters is paper clipped to the
box. A card is selected from a red deck and lost in the pack. The
selected card is named and the corner of the prediction card is
folded back; it does not match the selection. The performer shakes
the card and it visibly changes to a red-backed card; the face
now matches the selection. The gimmick is easy to make and the
change looks good. If desired, the changed card can be handed out
for inspection (after you palm off the gimmick).
PWP is a triple prediction of three cards. After the cards
have been selected, the frst cards name is found written on the
bottom of the box, the second card is found inside the box, and
the written name of the frst card is seen to have changed into the
name of the third selection. Again some easy prep allows you to
make the necessary gimmick, and with a little work the box can
be examined. A neat idea, but again I think the handling is bit too
cozy, in this case when the box comes in contact with the deck.
Tabbed has the performer tear off one of the tabs on a card
box, which vanishes and is found in the deck on top of the selected
card. The tab is returned to the box, but not where it usually is
found but fused onto the back of the box. Again this is an interest-
ing visual idea, but why was the tab fused onto the box and why
should I care?
This is a homemade project; the sound and video were good
but I thought the DVD navigation could have been better. Each
trick has an introduction, then a performance, then an explana-
tion, sometime more ideas, followed by the credits...all accompa-
nied by the same driving music and murky graphics.
I believe that Kevin is a young man who thinks a lot about
his magic. I reviewed another of his DVDs (called Sticky) that
had effects that all dealt with chewing gum and the packaging the
gum came in. Some of his ideas are very clever, but some of the
handlings were either a little too cozy, too angle-ly, or too much
work to get into or to clean up. If you are looking for some inter-
esting visual effects to play around with and possibly spark your
imagination, I think you will fnd them in Variance. If you are
looking for material for paid performing situations, I think you
should keep looking. There is a big difference between something
neat to show to your friends and material for working, paid situa-
tions. That being said, I look forward to seeing more magic from
Mr. Schaller.
ANIMA PROPS AND DVD
BY MICHEL AND GRECO
Available from: www.VernetMagic.com
Price $80.00
REVIEW BY CURTIS KAM
Anima is an attempt to
make two of the best tricks
that rely on thread Al Bakers
The Pack That Cuts Itself (aka
The Haunted Pack) and the
Acrobatic matchbox easier
to perform. Whether it does
that or not is a matter of some
debate on the Magic Cafe and
elsewhere, and well get into
that. But frst, heres what you
get when you plunk down your
$80: a plastic device that looks
like a rather large car remote (its as thick and as long as a deck
of cards, and about half as wide) on a keychain, a subtly gaffed
drawer matchbox, and a DVD explaining the workings of the
device, the history of its development, and how it is applied to
the two effects named above. As an added bonus, when you open
the box, do take the time to read the title of the DVD, which is
supposed to be A Breath of Life, but is slightly and hilariously
mistranslated.
The Anima device itself conceals a reel that dispenses clear
monoflament essentially light fshing line thats much thicker
than invisible thread, and even thicker than the clear thread
sold for sewing. At the end of the thread is a simple device that
allows you to temporarily anchor the line in a deck of cards, or the
matchbox, without the use of adhesives or wax. This temporary
anchor, being the independent conception of both Ed Marlo
and Tommy Wonder, is above reproach and performs its part
admirably.
The device is large, the inventor explains, on purpose. Since
the device remains in your pocket during the effects, the thickness
prevents tighter pants pockets from dragging on the line. And,
since the device serves to anchor the thread, the larger size helps
keep it in your pocket.
The reason for disguising the device as a keychain remote is
largely not stated. If you are often asked to empty your pockets
before performing, I suppose its a beneft. But thats a level of
scrutiny I seldom invite. However, there is a satisfying feeling of
sneakiness that it engenders, and it has to look like something,
so why not? Apparently, Vernet previously marketed this same
method, only with the reel hidden in a small purse, which to my
mind would be equally inconspicuous, but whatever.
My two concerns when using thread (and Im not alone here)
are: 1) Will the thread be seen, and 2) Will the thread get tangled
or break? The reel nicely answers that second concern, and for
that reason alone, I like this solution. The thread comes out of
your pocket when you need it, and returns there when its work is
done. That beats having a loose thread hanging off your belt loop,
which, although it never did present any problems, always made
me nervous.
The frst concern is mostly addressed in the design of the
effects. In other words, what these two effects have in common is
that although thread is used, it is almost entirely hidden from the
spectators view. Unlike recent methods for the self-cutting deck
(e.g. Spooked, etc.) the thread is not out in the open, but rather
under your arm and your hand. This means that the thread does
not need to be invisible. It can be thicker, stronger thread, and
lighting conditions are less important. Further, the thread is less
likely to break in the hands of an intoxicated magician, which is
also a nagging concern.
All that said, I have to say that the thread provided is thicker
than it needs to be, and being smooth, synthetic line, it shines like
crazy. While the line is almost entirely hidden during the effect,
the part thats not hidden is right where the spectators are likely
to be looking. So, a thinner, less refective thread would be an im-
provement to my mind. Finn Johns Esoteric thread, for instance.
This prompts the question, can you replace the thread? I think
so, but I dont know. With any thread reel, the owner needs to
know how to replace the thread if it breaks and how to repair
the other parts of the reel. While there is section of the DVD ad-
dressing the working of the device, I was surprised to see that the
instructions only cover how to open the device, exposing the reel
inside. That was it. No suggestions as to proper maintenance, no
hints on how you can replace the thread, and in fact, no indication
that you even can do that. Repair is a real consideration, since
what you fnd inside is not a mechanical spring-driven or motor-
driven reel, but rather something that appears to be a standard
invisible thread reel (driven by elastic string) loaded with visible
(rather than invisible) thread. I have no idea whether this use has
been authorized by the manufacturer of the ITR, but the fact that
the very existence of the device in Anima is completely glossed
over is suspicious.
The lack of information on this point is worrisome for another
reason. If youve performed this effect with the traditional
method, you know that the thread must be extended to its full
length before it can be used to move the deck. The presence of a
reel (which is non-locking) does not change this. Vernet supplies
enough thread to perform the routine with two selections. This
requires the performer to extend his hand pretty far from his
body in order to get the second selection to reveal itself. Since its
arguable whether the second selection adds anything to the effect,
you might ask whether you could shorten the thread and just use
one selection. But, as I mentioned, the DVD offers no answers.
Also, the use of the Marlo/Wonder anchor means you lose one
subtlety that some feel is important with Anima: at the end of the
effect, you have to set the deck down, or place it in a spectators
hand. With other methods, the spectator can take the deck from
your hand, arguably adding additional fairness to the proceed-
ings.
As to the matchbox effect, which Im equally fond of, the
DVD teaches you how to construct a matchbox of your own. This
is useful, since matchboxes wear quickly, and the one supplied
features text entirely in Spanish, which might be suspicious here
in the US. The matchbox should sustain examination, and is
gaffed only so that it will work with Anima without any change to
the anchoring device. When its set up, Anima and the matchbox
sit together in your pocket and theyre ready to go.
The DVD shows several performances of both effects by
Michel, the developer of Anima. Hes an animated, casual
performer, and in that context, the necessary moves are well
covered. More sedate or deliberate performers will have to fnd
their own way, but I suspect theyre used to that. The thread does
fash a couple of times during one performance, but I suppose
thats more instructive than a perfect performance.
In spite of these considerations, Im still planning on trying
this out, assuming I can replace and shorten the thread. While Im
at it, I might just install the reel in a smaller remote, too. Thats a
fair bit of craft work, but both effects are very strong, and Anima
does make it more likely that Ill perform them. Whether Anima
is worth the rather hefty price to you is up to you.
VANISHING PEN TRICK
BY SANSMINDS
Available from: www.SansMinds.com
Price $30.00
Will Tsai is the host and performer
on this DVD from SansMinds. A
ballpoint pen is suspended from a
paper napkin folded in half so that
the point and end are in view.
The performer shows his hands
empty and suddenly claps them
together crushing the napkin
into a ball. The pen is gone; it
can be reproduced from your
pocket or other location that you
determine. The effect is a quickie
and may be best used when added to a
routine that already uses a pen.
The DVD is very well produced and everything is crystal
clear. Included with the DVD are a regular pen and the matching
gimmicked pen. The nicely made gimmicked pen will actually
write and the cap on the end is real, but the body of the pen is
gimmicked. Will shows another handling in which the pen can be
examined by the spectator and then vanishes as before. This will
require a little more work on your part.
Its a short effect and so Ill keep the review short as well. If I
needed to make a pen vanish I would be happy using this method.
The effect is a bit pricey, and I dont need to make a pen vanish as
described above, so I think I will pass.
SHOW BIZ CARD PROMOTIONAL ITEM
BY GUY BAVLI
Available from: www.pro-magic.com
Price $20.00
REVIEW BY CURTIS KAM
Famed mentalist Guy Bavli
made a brief stop in Hawaii on
his way to a cruise ship engage-
ment and surprised us with a
selection from the extensive line
of magical products he produces
and sells through his company,
Pro-Magic. He allowed me to
review one of those products for
our readers, so let me tell you
about Show Biz Card.
Simply put, Guy has fgured
out how to use the fip book
animation seen in Dan Harlans
Card-Toon (and in childrens textbooks everywhere) to give away
your business card. Its also a good way to give away sales litera-
ture or your clients business card. So if you have a business card
or if you work trade shows, you could use this. If, on the other
hand, you have no desire to be noticed or remembered, dont get
this, because noticed and remembered is what this item is all
about.
Lets say you want to get your business card into a likely pros-
pects hands. You ask Ms. Prospect to pick a card, assuming you
have already been introduced as a magician. (Otherwise, this is
a sorry way to approach people.) The chosen card is placed aside
and a stack of your business cards is introduced. These cards are
held together at one short end by a binder clip. There is full color
artwork on the backs of the cards that shows a pair of gloved ma-
gicians hands. The clip allows the cards to be fipped through,
as in the trick Card-Toon, and the hands appear to animate. They
produce a deck of cards, fan it, and remove one card, which they
turn around, revealing it to be the freely chosen card. This last
card, being the only one with the selection showing, is given to
your prospect with your contact information on the back.
You are supplied with the stack of business-card-sized cards
that does the animation. Assuming your business card is of normal
size, all you need do is affx a specially printed label (showing
the last frame of the animation) to the back of your business card
and add that card to the bottom of the stack. Guy supplies a large
number of these labels (which show three different cards) with the
set, and reflls are available.
Of course, you will have to force a card, and Guys instructions
along these lines are quite good. The artwork is attractive and pro-
fessionally done. It does show a traditional top-hat-and tails sort
of magician, so this product would be better suited to your con-
ventional family entertainers than, say, your Criss Angels.
Bottom line: its fun, practical, and audiences are likely to fnd
the fip book animation much more interesting than magicians
do. More important, the effect is quick. Too many of the effects
usually suggested for giving away your card take too long, and
end up not being used. You can see the artwork in action at www.
pro-magic.com. If this fts your style, its well worth checking out.
UNWRITTEN TRICK
BY LYNDON JUGALBOT
Available from: www.sansminds.com
Price $30.00
This effect is over in a second or
two. A deck of cards is dropped
into the hands of a spectator
and a written message appears
written on one of the long
sides of the pack (as in Paul
Gertners Unshuffed). The
appearance of the writing is
instantaneous and looks great.
The message could be the name
of a card, a personal message to
the spectator (Happy Birthday), or
anything that fts your style and your venue. The
effect is the creation of Lyndon Jugalbot and the host
and presenter on the DVD is Will Tsai.
This DVD plus gimmick (available in red or blue Bicycle
stock), allows you to perform the effect with almost no moves or
sleights. Will shows several methods to clean up after the perfor-
mance for different skill levels.
The camera work, audio, and disc navigation are very well
done. Even if you are a beginner, they show you everything that
you will need to know to perform the effect. More experienced
performers will have their own ideas and methods to do what
needs to be done. If the gimmick breaks, they show you how to
make another one (reflls are also available). Once the writing
has appeared, the deck can be handed out and even left with the
spectator if desired.
This would look great if performed on TV, and the next time I
am on, I may just present this. The deck can be used to do a simple
trick before you go into Unwritten, but since the deck ends up
with writing all over it, you will need to carry another deck if you
plan to do more card magic. There was no discussion on switching
decks or audience management to prevent the writing from being
seem prematurely (though the angles are actually pretty good)
and that is something I would have liked to have seen addressed.
I always have to consider the effect-to-hassle ratio when
choosing new material. The effect here is very strong, but carrying
an extra deck in a strolling situation for a two-second effect is
more than I can bear. I can see this being used in a parlor show
(or on TV), with great results and I will recommend Unwritten for
those occasions.
HOUDINI CARDS TRICK
BY ASTOR
Available from: www.astormagic.com
Price $24.99
REVIEW BY PAYNE

Astors Houdini Cards is a packet
trick well within the technical
grasp of even novice magicians; the
only sleights required to perform
this effect are a double lift and the
Flushtration count. This is good,
because those new to the world of
magic will most likely be the only
ones who will be interested in this
trick.
My mother always told me that
if you havent anything nice to say,
dont say anything at all. However
since I am required to say something about this trick I am going
to have to disregard my dear mums advice. But I suppose I could
acquiesce to her bidding for a moment by beginning this review
by saying something positive.
The cards are nice. There are fve of them. Three of them
show Houdini in various types of attire as well as restraint. One
features him in tuxedo and handcuffs. The second shows him in
a bathing costume and chains. The third shows him in trunks and
even more chains. Two cards featuring identical policemen round
off the set of fve cards. All of the cards are done in sepia tones
and feature a tasteful diamond pattern back design made up of
chains. I found the cards to be a little sticky, which helped with the
double lifts but was something of a hindrance for the all important
Flushtration count.
Unfortunately, the quality of the cards is about the only thing
going for this effect. It has often been said that there is no such
thing as a bad trick. Perhaps this is true, but Houdini Cards will
certainly go far in making you reassess the validity of this saying.
To me it seems to be a trick that one might expect to fnd in a
beginners magic kit than the type of routine one would see in a
workers repertoire. The routine that is provided and explained on
the well-produced instructional DVD is deeply fawed. The basic
effect is this. The three Houdini cards are placed in a row face-up
on your close-up mat. One at a time these cards are placed between
the two policeman cards. Each time, however, the Houdini card
manages to escape. When I say escape, it doesnt mean that the
card has vanished from between the two policeman cards only
to appear triumphant in an unlikely and impossible location. No,
in this case escape means that the Houdini card rises to the
top of the three-card packet. So basically what you have here is
an Ambitious Card routine done with only three cards, which in
and of itself is possibly not a bad effect. The problem with this
routine is that each segment of the three phases is done three
times. Even though a three-phase routine is perhaps the strongest
sort of routine theatrically, in this case doing each segment of the
routine three times works against it.
There is an old adage, a superstition really, that it is bad luck to
light three cigarettes with the same match. This belief is thought
to have arisen in the trenches of World War I. The light from the
match used to light the frst cigarette would garner the attention
of a sniper. Lighting the second cigarette would allow him to zero
in on his target. The third cigarette would allow him to achieve
his ultimate task. With Houdini Cards, the frst escape takes the
spectator by surprise. The second time you perform the exact
same sequence the spectator is allowed to form a theory as to how
the previous escape was accomplished. The third repeat of the
same sequence of moves verifes the spectators theory.
The effect would have been much stronger and possibly
more entertaining if a single Houdini card managed to escape
the clutches of the two policeman cards three times, something
a clever and skilled card worker no doubt could fgure out how
to accomplish with the provided cards. There is possibly a good
routine in here somewhere. Its just not the one provided with the
trick.
Here are the details. What you receive for your $24.99 are the
fve cards, a traditional plastic packet card wallet, and the well-
produced and clearly laid out instructional DVD. The instructions
only lead one through the moves and sequences. No script or pre-
sentational tips are provided. So youre on your own to come up
with a reason as to why there are three different Houdinis used in
the routine. Reset is instantaneous and can be done in full view of
the audience. The cards are also completely examinable. Not that
I think anyone will ask to examine them, because they most likely
have already fgured out how the trick is accomplished through
the repetitive phases.
MOONSHINE POKER PLAYING CARDS
NY LLOYD THOMAS BARNES
Available from: http://enigmaltd.com
Price $7.50
REVIEW BY W.S. DUNCAN
I usually hate it when we receive decks of playing cards
for review, but this new pack, designed by UK-based Lloyd
Thomas Barnes, got
my attention in a good
way. There is a sub-
stantial desire for new/
cool/different playing
cards in the extreme
card manipulation and
street magic markets,
but there is little to
review about a pack
of cards. Most are
manufactured by U.
S. Playing Card Co.,
so the quality is well
known. Custom packs
tend to be on good
stock and the small runs seem to receive better than average (if
average is Costco Rider Backs) attention to quality control. So it
usually comes down to Do you like the looks of them? Then you
should buy them.
Not so much with this pack. There are actual reasons why you
might shell out the $7.50 a deck asking price for these cards. First,
theyre the usual small batch quality USPC has been cranking
out for several years, so youre not getting crappy cards with a
clever back design. These are good cards and will slip right into
a standard Rider Back red or blue Bicycle deck. And that to me is
the real test that a pack must pass to pique my interest. If the cards
cant stand in for the normal cards I handle, they are of limited
use to me. With the exception of the Jokers and Ace of Spades, the
faces of these cards match a regular pack well enough that when I
mixed a few into a red Bicycle pack I couldnt easily locate them
with the cards spread face up. There are a couple of extra cards
in the pack and two Jokers, which could be used to make double
backers if you have card splitting skills. And they have crisp white
borders which make reversed cards less noticeable in the pack.
From the backs, its another story. These cards stand out like
a sore thumb. They are a golden, sepia tone, with a simple design
that is attractive and not overly complex. Thats an extra bonus if
youre putting together a packet trick or Rainbow Deck, because
mixing different patterns in standard red and blue doesnt provide
the visual contrast such effects really need. Finding a pack that
offers a third color and a different back pattern is a win/win for
folks who perform those sorts of effects. Time to break out the
Derek Dingle book and learn Triple Color Changing All Backs
Aces
The name Moonshine has connotations of cheap backwoods
whiskey here in the States, but these cards are elegant; more
moonlight and candles than stills and sour mash. If you collect
playing cards, add these to your collection. The price is reason-
able and they are nice looking, and different enough to be eye
catching. If youre looking for something to provide contrast in an
effect that you love, you might want to stock up on a few packs.
These are a good value and I recommend them.
If you wish to have your product reviewed, please send it to:

Bill Duncan P.O. Box 50562 Bellevue, WA 98015-0562
Since this is the January issue of 2014,
I thought I would take the opportunity
to recap some of my favorite paranormal
headlines of 2013. So here we go.
Ohio man sees Jesus in bird poop: A
man and his son were leaving a McDon-
alds drive-through in Brooklyn, Ohio, in
February when a bird did a fyby of their
windshield and made a deposit. The two
noticed something about the dropping it
looked like Jesus. Its like a perfect por-
trait. Its like Jesus staring right at me.
The car was stored in a neighbors garage
and the owner, believing it was a sign, was
going to donate the windshield to raise
money for charity.
Chinese woman stuck in an alleyway
for seven hours. No one helps because
they thought she was a ghost: In July, a
Chinese woman from the Anhui Province
took a shortcut while out for a walk and
found a passage between two buildings.
As she made her way through, the gap
between the walls became narrower and
narrower to the point where she couldnt
continue forward or turn around. Resi-
dents on the other side of the wall heard her
screams, but assumed they were coming
from a ghost, so they did nothing. A pass-
erby on the street also heard the screams
and realized they were not coming from
the beyond and called the fre depart-
ment. The fre department broke through
the wall, releasing the greatly embarrassed
woman.
Psychic didnt see $11,000 fraud
lawsuit coming: In July, a North Holly-
wood psychic was hit with a lawsuit for
failing to lift a curse from her client. A
female client paid $11,000 to the psychic to
mend her relationship with her boyfriend.
Some of the outrageous costs included
$1,400 in gift cards and $5,020 for the
commissioning of a painting of the boy-
friend that would help lift the curse.
Ghost hunters really running
meth lab: In August, three North Carolina
men were found suspiciously wandering in
the woods. When questioned by sheriffs
deputies, they claimed they were ghost
hunting because they had heard there was
paranormal activity and that the woods
were haunted. When brought in to the
sheriffs department and further ques-
tioned, they admitted that they were in
the woods cooking meth; they didnt want
to do it indoors because they thought it
might explode. When the cook failed, they
argued, split up in the woods, and got lost.
The three men were arrested and charged
with manufacturing methamphetamine
and possession of methamphetamine pre-
cursor chemicals.
Ghost hunters haunted by new terror
competition: Once the realm of the
strange guy on the block who believed in
ghosts, armed with his fashlight covered
in red cellophane and his Polaroid camera,
now ghost hunters are becoming TV stars,
corporate speakers, and even sex symbols.
Yes, you read that right. One Discovery
Channel paranormal investigator was con-
tacted by women who thought there was
something hot about a man tangling with
the supernatural. Ghost-hunting teams are
chasing television gigs more than ghosts.
The stars of some paranormal shows feud
over whose show is real or fake. Local
ghost-hunting teams refuse to work togeth-
er because they see each other as business
rivals. Some teams refuse to share spooky
evidence captured on flm because they
plan to use it as a demo tape for a potential
television pilot or a Hollywood movie. A
national online database of paranormal in-
vestigation teams lists 4,413 ghost-hunting
teams with two hundred more waiting to
be added. Thanks to the glut of TV shows
and movies like The Conjuring, paranor-
mal investigators say they have never been
busier. Unfortunately, due to the rules
of supply and demand, there just arent
enough ghosts to go around.
Actor Gary Busey claims a ghost
once few out of his soup: Oh, yeah, Ive
seen ghosts. Ive seen them. There are mis-
chievous ghosts; there are good ghosts; and
there are ghosts who play tricks on you,
he told TMZ in October. But it didnt end
there. I had a ghost one time come out of
a big plate of soup I had big bowl of soup.
It was called a soup ghost, he continued.
And it was a good-looking ghost because
it was covered in vegetables. Thats my
kind of ghost one that looks like one
you could eat it. When you can eat a ghost
youre doin good; youll be able to fy and
sometimes you go invisible when you dont
even know it is coming.
NYC psychic gets prison in six-fg-
ure scam case: A New York City psychic
was convicted and sentenced in Novem-
ber to fve-to-ffteen years in prison for
defrauding tens of thousands of dollars
from clients. One client testifed to paying
over $120,000 to help rout negative energy.
Another was told that in a prior life she
was an Egyptian princess and her troubles
stemmed from being too tied to money
back then. She was convinced to write a
$27,000 check to the psychic.
Psychic under fre for wrongly pre-
dicting Ohio abductees death: What I
would consider as the top epic fail of 2013
has to be the story of worlds most recog-
nizable self-proclaimed psychic Sylvia
Browne (who died November 20, 2013)
and her miscall on a 2004 episode of the
Montel Williams television show. When
asked by Louwanna Miller, Amanda
Berrys mother, about the kidnapping of
her daughter, Sylvia Browne unequivocal-
ly stated that: Shes not alive, honey; your
daughters not the kind who wouldnt call.
Ms. Miller died a little over a year later
from heart failure. Amanda Berry was
found alive on May 6, 2013, along with two
other women. Sylvia Browne, after a pro-
longed period of silence, fnally stated, If
ever there was a time to be grateful and re-
lieved for being mistaken, this is that time.
Only God is right all the time. This latest
publicly revealed mistake has caused many
of her huge fan base to doubt her self-pro-
claimed powers.
Well, these are some of my favorites for
the year; believe me, there were plenty to
choose from! We can only hope that 2014
brings more rational thinking, but the
spirits may say otherwise. Have a great
and prosperous New Year!
By Charles Siebert, MD
Paranormal happenings
Plaster the Walls with Posters
There is something about a magic poster that gets you all
excited. Is it the colors, the wording, or simply the design?
Whatever it is, magicians love to decorate their houses with
them (much to the dismay of their spouses). Magic posters can
also get a bit expensive. Fear not, the tech world has a solution.
The website www.freevintageposters has a multitude of
copyright-free posters for you to download; do whatever you
wish with them. Just click on the CIRCUS button to drool
over posters from Houdini, Thurston, Newmann, Kellar, Neff,
Alexander, and Herrmann, to name a few.
These high quality fles can be downloaded and printed
out on your home printer, or take them to the nearest offce
supply superstore for large sheet printouts. Use them not only to
decorate your house, but also your tables, stage, etc. Along with
the magic posters, this website has a variety of poster subjects
including flms, circus, western, and travel.
Our Next Speaker
This column has
spent a lot of space
telling you about the
perfect speaker for your
performances. As tech-
nology improves, we
have more choices and
features. Recently I
witnessed a demonstra-
tion of a speaker that
would probably ft the bill for most performing magicians.
The Beats Pill is about the size of a mini-salami but packs
a lot of power. It is small enough to use for a birthday party or
close-up session. It is Bluetooth capable, which means that you
can wirelessly send your music from your smart phone or tablet
to the speaker.
The Beats Pill has an auxiliary input to attach non-Blue-
tooth or wired devices. Heres the best part: it also has an output
jack that allows you to plug the Pill into any speaker or sound
system, turning that sound system into a Bluetooth-capable
system. Now you can stand on stage and control your music
wirelessly using the theaters soundboard and speakers. Beats
Pills come in a few colors, but I like the black one; you can paint
the ends with white tips creating a cool magic wand. Beats Pills
are available online at Amazon, or in person at the Apple Store,
Walmart, and Target. They sell for $199.
Mary Poppins Would Be Proud
The late Bob Read had a wonderful routine using a wallet
that expanded into a bag. These wallets have not been made in
years, but now they are back. Google Mini Magic Bag Expand-
able Wallet Tote Bag and you will fnd many places that carry
it, including www.onlythebestgifts.com.
Based on Bob
Reads prop, I
used to perform
the following
routine when I
worked on cruise
ships:
A card was
selected and I failed to fnd the card. Explaining that it jumped
to my pocket, I pulled out another wrong card. Remembering
where my prediction is, I opened my jacket and showed that I
had lots of cards pinned to the lining of my jacket. Nine cards on
each side. All wrong. I took off the jacket and removed my shirt.
My undershirt had a giant card painted on it. Also wrong. I then
remembered that the card travelled to my wallet. I took out the
wallet and pulled cards out of the pockets. All wrong. I turned
the wallet into a bag while saying, I have lots more in here!
After pulling handfuls of cards out of the bag, I fnally pulled
out a bunched up giant card silk to wipe my brow in frustration.
I apologized for not fnding the card and showed the giant card,
which was correct. Not noticing, I folded up the giant card and
walked off the stage.
I got six minutes out of this wallet, which packed small and
played big. I noticed some of these on eBay and all over the net.
They are priced at $5-$8.
M-U-Ms High Tech Bonuses
All members of the
S.A.M. are entitled to the
online version of M-U-M.
Many have noticed that
we are evolving some new
tech features. Film clips
and demos of magic are
now available whenever
you see the special movie
symbol. Advertisers will
start showing flm clips and audio in their advertising. There
are some hidden eggs throughout so you may be surprised if you
click around. An example would be to click on MI Dal Sanderss
photo in his Presidents Column and see what happens.
Understand that all these bonuses only happen when you
read the online edition. They will not work with the down-
loaded one. At least not yet. We are working on that for the
near future. In the meantime, go to www.magicsam.com and
sign in as a member on the top right. Once you are signed in to
the Members Home area, look on the left and click on M-U-M
Magazine. Pick the year you wish to view and click on the cover
you wish to have open up. Enjoy!
Found a cool gadget, app, or website for magic applications?
Share your discovery with Bruce to include in a future column.
Email him (SAMtalkBruce@cox.net).
WILLIAM WOOD
A new year of
Treasures from the Salon
de Magie begins with
a heads-up that we will
feature not only rare and
unusual equipment and
effects, but also selected
posters and other images
to delight readers. Such is
the case with this months
offering, a poster: Woods
Great Sensation, Edna.
Edna was one of
several levitations
invented and patented by
William B. Wood, who
was a performer noted
both for his magic and
his abilities as a multi-
lingual ventriloquist. The
illusion was named for Woods wife. Wearing only light-colored
tights and a dancers short overdress, sometimes with butterfy
wings between her arms and torso, she became the Original
and Only Human Being Who Walks in the Air. She ascends
imaginary stairs, runs forward and backwards, walks with feet
up and head down, foats, sails, and turns somersaults in the air
with the greatest of ease. All of this without having to lie on a
couch at the beginning, or being covered with a cloth. And a hoop
could be passed over her at any time to show that no wires were
holding her aloft.
Wood introduced the Edna illusion in 1888, and patented it
early the next year. Kellar added a copy of it called Astarte to
his show, which he presented at his second Egyptian Hall theater
in Philadelphia. Dot Robinson who became Suee Seen when
her husband William Robinson took the persona of Chung Ling
Soo was the girl in the air. The Robinsons left Kellar; the Woods
replaced them the next season, and with the real-life Edna literally
in harness, they became a major feature.
Wood and Edna, playing sometimes as Edna and Company,
had a great deal of success in South America in the late 1890s
and early 1900s. But in 1907, in a storm in the Gulf of Mexico,
their show was lost and Wood and his adult daughter drowned,
although Edna survived. The circumstances certainly involved
negligence and perhaps even murder, for $14,000 in cash also dis-
appeared.
David Price outlines Wood's career and death in Magic, A
Pictorial History. Additional revealing information about this
unusual man is in an article by Richard Hatch that accompanies a
Wood ventriloquist lithograph in the July 2006 issue of M-U-M.
After more than a hundred years, the illusion was recreated
for attendees at the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History
last November. Craftsman, collector, and magic historian John
Gaughan built the levitation; it was just as startling then as it was
to audiences in previous centuries. A young lady, clad in much
the same style as the original Edna, stood on stage and then began
a conversation with a crescent-shaped man-in-the-moon on the
back stage wall. Expressing her desire to foat like the moon, she
rose in the air and sat on the crescent shaped moon.
Now, obviously enjoying the sensation, she foated away from
the moon, foated up and down, walked up an invisible wall,
across an invisible ceiling with her feet up and her head down. She
continued down the other side until she stood once again on stage.
During the performance she not only foated up and down,
but turned in complete 360-degree circles horizontally. Gaughan
passed a silver hoop over her foating form, and then she herself
passed the hoop over her body twice from top to bottom and
bottom to top. Finally, she turned upright, foated down to the
stage once more and stepped forward. It was startling and
produced a standing ovation.
The Wood's Great Sensation Edna shown here came from
the collection of John Henry Grossman, whose column Ask
the Doctor ran for decades in M-U-M. It was printed by the
Donaldson Litho Co. of Newport, Kentucky. The accompanying
photo shows Dot Robinson performing it on the Kellar show.
By Ken Klosterman
Treasures from
the Salon de Magie
OUR ADVERTISERS
A House of Fire 4
B. Happie Entertainment 3
Bob Kohler Magic 2
Burgoon Magic 9
Denny & Lee Magic Studio 33
George Parker 49
Hermetic Press 71
I.B.M./S.A.M. Convention 2014 10
Jim Kleefeld 3
Joe Mogar - Magic Stars 55
LaRock's Fun & Magic Outlet 72
L&L Publishing 48
Michael Close 9
Nemcon 33 69
Oceanside Magic Invitational 3
S.A.M. Life Membership 29
S.A.M Twitter 70
Sawing in Half Illusion for sale 9
Show-Biz Services 9
The Magic Bakery 7
T. Myers 69
Tony Cabral 49
By George Schindler
How many magicians ever gave thought to producing an
Armadillo? I know of only one: Parker Swan. He said, You
might be able to produce two, because it already has a shell.
One the funniest men in magic, and an old, old friend, Parker
died in November 2013, leaving us a long legacy of laughter
with which to remember him.
Along with his wife (who was also funny), the Parker
Swan and Claire act provided us with out-of-the-box insight
on magic at conventions, such as Prunes of all Nations
and the memorable Fruits We Have Worked With. All
were performed with great costuming, comical lines, and
good almost magic. None of his audiences will ever forget
the Signed Card in Watermelon. The spectator was given
a small pocket knife with which to cut into the melon. Parker
privately confded to me, It was supposed to be the card in
the peanut, but someone accidently ate the prop.
His satire on the Misers Dream was a classic, with coins
falling from droppers and elsewhere, culminating in, fnally,
the production of a single coin. His satire dove act used only
rubber doves. He loved working in the theater and at one
show stopped the act to take a picture of his audience and
this beautiful theater. Parkers hilarious lecture before the
2005 convention gave the whole country valuable tips on
How to Speak Boston.
Parker Swan performed throughout New England, at Boy
Scout shows and church bean suppers, with standard but
funny magic. He closed his family shows with his invention,
the Parker Swan Doll House. He would build this in front of
the audience; after showing it empty, he produced all sorts
of silks and other larger items. He sold the manufacturing
rights to a dealer who has never paid the royalties promised.
I frst saw his lecture in New York. Everyone got free
notes nothing written, just a few sheets of musical notes,
including the sharps and fats! His memorable book
test allowed the spectator to choose and remove any one
of the fve possible books from his table, which was easy
since four of them were frmly nailed down. He wanted us
to see his vacations, but not having a projector he handed
out a dozen single slides to be passed around the room. He
taught us his most famous secret: all the details on How to
Force a Watermelon. Claire actually grew the watermelons
and was the lady who glued the seeds to the playing cards.
Parker and I shared the privilege of having the experi-
ence of working behind the counter as magic demonstrators
at Max Holdens Magic Shops. Parker worked for Herman
Hansen from 1942 to 1946 and I worked in New York from
1949 to 1950. We did not meet until many years later at a
midyear meeting of the S.A.M. Parker was the frst to lobby
for a Houdini stamp, he coordinated travel to conventions,
and he was a Regional Vice President in New England.
Parker was Assembly 16 Magician of the Year in 1952 and
was their Dean. He was a collector and lectured for the New
England Magic Collectors.
The most fun we had together was at lunch in Las Vegas;
Parker set off to the mens room at the Palace Station and came
back to the table with a handful of silver dollars he had just
won at a slot machine. Nina and Claire were looking for
ideas of what to do with the winnings. At dinner at the
Riviera, it was decided to start our campaign to run Father
Cyprian for Pope.
The Dean's Diary
Two Deans

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