Mum, 07 2014 PDF

JULY 2014
MEET S.A.M. PRESIDENT

KENRICK "ICE" MCDONALD
AND I.B.M. PRESIDENT
SHAWN FARQUHAR
Page 36
July 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,

18915 East Briargate Lane, #1F
Parker, CO 80134
Copyright 2014
Subscription is through membership
in the Society and annual dues of $65, of
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Editorial contributions and correspondence
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4 M-U-M Magazine - July 2014
M-U-M
July 2014
MAGAZINE
cover story
page 36
Volume 104 Number 2
S.A.M. NEWS
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From the Editors Desk

From the Presidents Desk
Newsworthy
M-U-M Assembly News
Good Cheer List
New Members & Reinstatements
Broken Wands
Our Advertisers
49
Cover Photo by Robin Dawes
THIS MONTHS FEATURES

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Magic from a Member by Mitch Geier

Stage 101 Practium by Levent
Paranormal Happenings by Charles Siebert, MD
Nielsen Gallery by Tom Ewing
COVER STORY by R.D. Michaels
Looking Forward by David R. Goodsell
Hit the Road by Scott Alexander
Cheats and Deceptions by Antonio M. Cabral
Not Just Kid Stuff by Jim Kleefeld
Tech Tricks by Bruce Kalver
The High Road by Mick Ayres
For Your Consideration by George Parker
Ebook Nook: Master Notebook of Magic
Informed Opinion New Product Reviews
Salon de Magie by Ken Klosterman
Inside Straight by Norman Beck
The Deans Diary by George Schindler
Basil the Baffling by Alan Wassilak
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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to M-U-M, c/o Manon Rodriguez, P.O. Box 505, Parker, CO 80134.
Photo by fivebyphotography.com
Editors Desk
Michael Close
This is a unique and historic issue of M-U-M. It marks the
first time that the incoming president of The Society of American
Magicians and the incoming president of the International
Brotherhood of Magicians appear together on the cover of this
magazine. (They are also together on the cover of the Linking
Ring.) Kenrick ICE McDonald and Shawn Farquhar are great
friends of almost twenty-five years, so it was serendipitous that
they ascended to the presidency in the same year, and in the year
that the S.A.M. and I.B.M. decided to hold a joint national convention. ICE was on the cover of M-U-M in January 2010. You
can read about what hes been up to in this months cover story
by R.D. Michaels. Following that story is an interview with ICE
and Shawn conducted by Editor Emeritus David Goodsell. Ive
known ICE and Shawn for a long time, and I congratulate them
on their achievement.
If you are a longtime reader of M-U-M, you might want to
skip the rest of this column and plunge right into the rest of the
magazine; theres plenty of good stuff to read. (However, you
might want to keep reading just to be reminded of some of the
material that has appeared in M-U-M over the past six years.)
Because this issue of the magazine will be available to prospective new members of the S.A.M. at the combined convention, I
want to discuss my editorial approach and what you can find in
this issue (and the previous sixty-six issues Ive edited).
Before I began my editorship of M-U-M with the January
2009 issue, my wife Lisa (who does the graphic design for the
magazine) and I discussed the type of content we wanted to offer
in the magazine. Our discussion resulted in four main areas:
practical training in the major branches of magic (close-up,
stand-up, stage, mentalism, and kid shows); real-world advice
from professional performers; topics on magic theory that could
be used as springboards for discussion at assembly meetings; and
an emphasis on the importance of reading and an appreciation
of the classic texts of magic. In addition, wed include profiles
of contemporary performers, articles on magic history, commentary, and reviews of current products.
For the practical training, we led off with Ian Kendalls
wonderful column, Basic Training (January 2009 December
2011), which introduced readers to many of the core techniques
of close-up magic. After Ians column concluded, we focused on
stand-up magic with Levents Stage 101 column (January 2012
December 2013). While this column focused on basic principles and how to apply them, Levents current column, Stage 101
Practicum, offers complete routines from Levents professional
repertoire. A special treat for stage and stand-up performers was
Scott Alexanders column On the Shoulders of Giants (January
2013 December 2013), which detailed the classic routines in the
act of Denny Haney. (Scotts current column, Hit the Road, offers
practical advice for the traveling magician.) Currently, Tony
Cabral is offering techniques and training for the intermediate
card magician in his column Cheats & Deceptions. (Incidentally,
this month Tony tips a very useful method of card control, one for
which I immediately found many uses.)
And there was much more. For close-up workers we had Aldo
Colombini (On the Loose, Anytime Anywhere Any Deck),
Michael Perovich (Ellipsis, January 2012 December 2012);
Steve Marshall (Magic from 4F, January 2009 December 2010,
and I Left My Cards at Home, January 2011 present), Chris
Wasshuber (How to Make Your Own Playing Cards, February
2011 July 2011), and Bob Farmer (El Roberto Enigmatico,
January 2014 present). For illusionists we ran Shop to Stage
by Paul Osborne (February 2009 November 2011); Illusions of
Grandeur by David Seebach (January 2010 present). Mentalists
had Mental Breakdown by Christian Painter (July 2009 March
2014) and Messing with Your Mind by Christopher Carter (April
2014 to present). Larry Whites Specters & Secrets (January
2009 December 2009) featured bizarre magic in the style of
his great book A Devil of a Bar and Pub. Kid show magic has
been well represented by Power of Bending Air (March 2009
November 2011) by Tom Vorjohan and Daniel Herron, Unlimited
Possibilities (February 2010 January 2013) by Jolly Roger, and
Jim Kleefelds Not Just Kid Stuff (January 2014 present). (This
month Jim offers for free the plans and graphics for a prop that he
could easily have charged money for.)
Because most of the contributors to M-U-M are full-time or
part-time professional magicians, the articles they contribute (even
if they are training-based) are full of practical, real-world advice
the kind of advice that can save a lot of time and heartache. Of
particular note in this regard was A Magician Prepares (January
2009 January 2013) by the late Dennis Loomis. Dennis was a
general practitioner; he had done it all, from escapes to illusions
to school assembly shows to walk-around magic. His columns
provided a post-graduate course in what you need to know
if you want to make a living as a magician. They are an enormously valuable resource. Dennis was also a good friend of Doug
Henning, and he offered some great stories about his friend in the
column The Skinny Kid with the Overbite. If youre interested in
the history of magic, these columns are worth your time. Also
worth your time are our regular history columnists Tom Ewing
(Nielsen Gallery, January 2009 present) and Ken Klosterman
(Treasures from the Salon de Magie January 2012 present).
Most of our writers also understand that the practical and the
theoretical go hand in hand, and they incorporate magic theory
into their writings. Some columns address theoretical concepts
more directly. I was very pleased when Charles Reynolds allowed
me to serialize his lecture notes Observations in M-U-M. (This
appeared as On Topic, May 2009 March 2010). Charless assessment of what makes magic work is as clear and concise as
anything Ive read on the subject. Larry Hass, the associate dean
of the McBride Magic & Mystery School, has contributed two
valuable series of columns: Theory and Art of Magic (May 2010
April 2012) and Building a Show (January 2013 January 2014).
Currently, For Your Consideration (January 2013 present) by
George Parker, who is also associated with Mystery School, and
The High Road (January 2013 present) by Mick Ayres offer
insights into magic theory and the importance of character and
script writing.
There is much more to M-U-M, but Im out of space. If you
join the S.A.M. while attending the combined convention (and
I hope you will), youll find a wealth of information in the back
issues of the magazine (several years worth are available online).
If you have questions, dont hesitate to come up and talk to me.
And have a great time at the convention!
Presidents Desk
Kenrick "ICE" McDonald
Wow, it is finally here. Allow me to introduce myself; I am
Kenrick ICE McDonald, the national president of The Society
of American Magicians. I am honored to be the president; I dont
take this position lightly. Im sure there will be issues that I can
solve and some that I cant. During my term as president, one of
the major things that I would like to highlight is the good will
of the Society and its members. I want to showcase the wonderful
programs available to our members, such as the Houdini Fund and
the Magic Endowment Fund. These funds are available to help
magicians. Since I first became involved with the national council
of the Society, I have talked about including and connecting
with the younger magical artist. I have advocated infusing youth
into the Society and for those young people to take advantage of
all the wisdom the Society has to offer. I would like to engage,
encourage, and embrace the youngentertainers of our art. I also
want to make this year The Year of the Member, celebrating the
members of The Society of American Magicians.
Each month I plan to highlight two individuals on my presidents
page. The section will be called the President Spotlight. There
will be two categories. One category will highlight an individual
who performs for hospitals, charities, or similar organizations.
The other category will highlight a young person who is striving
for excellence in the art of magic and the business of magic. The
age range for the young artist will be sixteen to twenty-four;
exceptions will be made on a case by case basis. I will need your
help finding magicians to highlight. If you know of an outstanding
individual who will fit into the either of these categories, please
submit the following information to ice@magicsam.com: his or
her name, email address, and a brief explanation of why he or she
should be highlighted.
PRESIDENTS SPOTLIGHT
THE PRESIDENTS GOOD WILL PERFORMER

OF THE MONTH
Tevell Rose of Chicago,
Illinois, has been performing
magic for more than twenty
years. During those years,
he has entertained well over
100,000 audience members.
Tevell has truly enjoyed
performing for each and every
one. There is a group, however,
that is closer to his heart than all
the rest; he has performed four
hundred shows for more than
5,000 hospitalized children and
their families.
Tevell said, There are
times when magic is about
entertainment, and then there
are other times when its about
changing the world. When I
walk into a hospital room its
about changing the world!
Tevell tells of setting up to do
a show in one of the hospitals
playrooms and a father saying
to him that he wished his
son could see the show, but
he was going into surgery.
Tevell talked to the staff and
ended up going down to pre-op with the family. Tevell did the
Malini Egg Bag for the boy; when he finished, the boy smiled
and laughed. The parents started to cry andtold him it was the
first time their son had laughed or smiled in two weeks. Tevell
says, Your magic must be about more than getting a check or self
gratification or its not really magic.
THE PRESIDENTS YOUNG MAGICAL ARTIST

OF THE MONTH
Kayla Drescher, a professional magician from the
New England area, has been
performing magic for over a
decade. She has performed on
numerous television programs,
including Indianapoliss Fox 59
News, Connecticuts Talking
with Tom, and NBCs The Today
Show, where she won David
Copperfields Search for the
Next Great Magician. Kayla
continues to pursue her dream
of pushing realitys limits and sharing magic with the world.
After graduating college with a degree in environmental
science, Kayla made the decision to pursue magic professionally. Since then, she has won numerous awards, including the
Winter Carnival of Magic First Place in Close-up. She can often
be seen performing behind a bar, on a college campus, or during
a corporate event.
Through Kaylas career, she has used her magic for fundraisers, charity events, and much more. Kayla has helped raise
money for the Wheelock Colleges athletic department in Boston,
Massachusetts, the Jimmy Fund, Devon, CT Rotary Club, New
England Cancer Society, Hartford Childrens hospitals, and many
more! Kayla also loves organizing magic fundraisers, such as
her multiple magic shows at Sheehan High School in Wallingford, Connecticut, which raised over $9,000 for the music and art
departments.
S.A.M. National Officers

Dean: George Schindler, 1735 East 26th St.,
Brooklyn, NY 11229, (718) 336-0605, Fax (718)
627-1397, showbiz10@aol.com
President: Kenrick ICE McDonald, P.O. Box
341034, Los Angeles, CA 90034,
(310) 559-8968, ICE@MagicSam.com
President Elect: David Bowers,
(717) 414-7574, David@MagicSam.com
First Vice President: Jeffrey Sikora, (402) 3396726 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 Caulfield (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, Dal Sanders
Newsworthy
105TH SALUTE TO MAGIC SHOW
MAY 17, 2014
BY DEAN GEORGE SCHINDLER
The historic 472-seat Queens Theater was one of three

buildings comprising the New York State Pavilion at the 1964
Worlds Fair. On May 17, 2014, it was the venue for the 105th anniversary of the Parent Assembly 1 annual Salute to Magic. Fifty
years ago, magicians were represented at the fair opening with a
special Magic Day event produced by PA 1 and The Society of
American Magicians. Twenty-five years before that, the S.A.M.
was active at the 1939 fair as well. The timing was perfect for the
Salute to Magic show to help celebrate this golden anniversary.
Audience members who filed into the music-filled theater were
treated to a slide show of the old Fair as they awaited the Salute.
The show began with a welcome by producer Ken Ferst and PA
1 president David Adamovich. A congratulatory letter from New
Yorks mayor Bill deBlasio preceded the introduction of a short
film by Herb Sher, which highlighted some of the close-up magic
performed by our Magician of the Year, Sol Stone. Sol is one of
New Yorks hidden magic treasures. He has mentored dozens of
close-up magicians who met on hundreds of Saturdays at various
restaurant meeting places around the city. Although not a professional performer, Sol has created and developed magic for many
of todays well known artists, one of whom was Jeff McBride,
who accompanied him to the stage, where producers David and
Ken presented Sol Stone with his well-deserved award.
David Adamovich, Sol Stone, Jeff McBride, and Ken Ferst

After a few words of thanks by Stone, Ken Ferst introduced
emcee Jay Scott Berry, who indeed was a master of the ceremonies and set the tone for the electrifying show that followed.
The full-house audience was ready for the stimulating opening act
as Joe Devlin was introduced as the Matador of Magic. From
his very first Ole! the matador took command of the stage with
the production of the statuesque Bronwyn from the flames of a
burning trunk. She then climbed into the large basket mounted
on a stand in center stage; after being skewered by blades she
reemerged in a completely different costume. The act continued
with Devlins version of the classic Razor Blade trick followed
by one of his two signature effects the striking and poetic Las
Flores flower effect. The Devlins closed with another picturesque illusion in which senorita Bronwyn is magically suspended
atop the neck of a guitar. The audience gave them well-deserved
applause.
David Oliver was the perfect act to follow. This gentleman of
magic won over his audience with his comedy lines and enchanted
them with the masterful, sleight-of-hand vanish and reproduc10 M-U-M Magazine - July 2014
Updates From Our

S.A.M. Members
tion of a silk scarf. He then

went into the audience and
recruited two willing assistants for a most entertaining
musical and visual presentation of the walking knot. After
instructing the participants,
he changed into a bright,
glittery, purple jacket, donned
some sunglasses (as did his assistants), and performed a reDavid Oliver
markable lip-sync presentation
of Barry Whites Youre The First, The Last, My Everything
that brought many laughs and gasps for the amazing rope restorations. His masterful handling of the spectators is to be lauded.
David has not lost his touch; he closed with his well-known
Linking Ring routine, which was as crisp and stunning as ever.
Known as the Virtuoso of Magic, the handsome Jay Scott
Berry presented some smart manipulative moves with billiard
balls and segued into rope and silk effects that culminated with a
pretty and most artistic presentation of a silk knot through a rope.
Changing the pace, he found two spectators to assist in an original
destiny or chance prediction effect. Using a young audience
helper, Jay closed the first half of the show with a most amusing
and amazing presentation of the Floating Table. His patter and
suave, dignified, emcee style sets him apart from the rest.
Intermission time allowed four S.Y.M. youngsters the chance
to shine in public, as they also did during their pre-show performances in the theater lobby. Kayla Caputo, George Danyluk,
Adam Krevlin, and David Rosenstein made us proud.
The second half of the show opened with recognition of
Kamarr,
who
was one of the
magic acts in the
General
Cigar
Hall of Magic
show produced
by Mark Wilson
in 1964. Kamarr
charmed
the
audience
with
his still-comical
Greek accent and
Intermission performers Kayla Caputo
a Magic Square.
and Adam Krevlin
The final star
performer was Jeff McBride. It would take many pages to describe
the effects performed, but he did almost all of his well-established
McBride classics, which have rarely been seen by lay audiences
in New York. These include his mask and kabuki effects plus a
street magic sequence and knots-off-silk routines with audience
members. His dancing neon lights, now-famous Misers Dream
with a youngster from the audience (the most entertaining ever),
and an especially great performance of the water bowls all went
perfectly. Naturally, this King of Kards closed with his card manipulations. The standing ovation at the curtain call told the story.
If you were at the show, the spectacular program done by
David Adamovich is a collectible. Ask MI Dal Sanders and
his wife Cinde, who graced us with their attendance, how they
enjoyed the evening.
Photos by Bill Wang
ASSEMBLY NEWS
July 2014
Volume 104, Number 2
Society of American Magicians Monthly News

GO TO: WWW.MUM-MAGAZINE.COM
and use the easy submission form to file your report
2
A MAGICAL CIRCUS
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Corky LaVallee gave the teach-in,
a continuation of last months
thread magic. Tonight Corky
utilized visible thread, demonstrating two routines. The first
involved a selected card that, after
being replaced in the deck, slid out
from the deck. The other exhibited
a match box that could stand up;
when lying flat, the drawer would
open and close. Corky provided
thread and cards for members to
practice the sliding card effect.
Stu Bacon began the evenings
performances with an amusing
rendition of Jim Steinmeyers Cue
Cards. Terrie Cardoza assisted Stu
with a second effect consisting of
a calendar with numbers on each
day. Terrie chose her birthday and
Stu dealt that number of cards.
This was Terries selected card.
With a second deck Stu dealt
the same number and the card
matched the chosen one.
Walt Johnson followed with two
compelling mysteries. He first
presented the power of attraction
between objects: a metal ring on
a metal spring. Walt was able to
remove and replace the ring on
the spring but others who tried
were unable to. Next Walt showed
a bonded metal band. He amazed
us when he transformed the band
into a square figure and then
into a circular shape. Hippo Lau
presented Hippity-Hop Rabbits.
Corky returned and entertained
with a silk-in-the-tube routine.
After putting several colored
silks in the tube, he announced
he would transform them into a
large bouquet of flowers. Reaching
into the tube, he pulled out a long
string of silks tied together. Once
the silks were removed, he did
produce the flowers. After writing
a message on a large drawing pad,
Rich Seguine opened the pad and
a bowling ball suddenly fell to the
floor, astonishing the members.
Concluding his comedic act, Rich
displayed his magicians table: unexpectedly the two front legs fell
off and then amazingly a pair of
human legs appeared, holding up
the front of the table. With Walts
help John Caris staged a bizarre

version of Howard Adamss
Predicnic, an ESP card effect.
Mary Caris enjoyed the magic and
assisted in vanishing the cookies.
John Caris
Golden Gate Assembly 2 meets
first Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at
Community Room of Taraval
Police Station, 2345 24th Avenue,
San Francisco. Contact Tamaka
Tamaka3715@aol.com
(415)
531-9332 https://www.facebook.
com/groups/249018441875771/ for
more details.
MYSTICAL MAGIC IN MAY
BALTIMORE, MD Following
an under-a-minute discussion
of the upcoming flea market
and possible joint lecture with
I.B.M. Ring 179, we got right into
magic with Ira Kolman instantly
unlinking two big (and ungaffed)
safety pins that a spectator had
just linked. Mentalist Oneil Banks
took a shot at mental suggestion
with two volunteers (Banacheks
Psychic Touch). He then discussed
the effect. Howard Katz mystified
us with an ESP cards prediction
using a pair of dice; his card and
those of the two spectators all
matched. Peter Wood divined the
one thought-of card in an all-blank
deck, a possibly original effect.
Eric Hoffman finally located his
blank die and performed Die of
Destiny. Andy London wowed us
with a card prediction using his
Lucky 13 deck.
Joe Bruno wanted to show us
something new and therefore
picked something really old, an
Ace assembly he invented ten or
eleven years ago (similar to Peter
Kanes Jazz Aces, but a different
method). He followed with another
effect he invented in 1975 in which
a card selected from among ten
turns into a Joker. He tipped the
effect; meanwhile we were all
admiring his flawless Elmsley
counts. Craig Feinstein debuted
his first try at mentalism: locating
the one signed/sealed envelope (of
five) containing an X written on
one of the five business cards; it
took two tries but it worked.
New member Jarod Raitsky did
New member Jarod Raitsky

about to predict the one coin
Jeff Eline will leave
on the table
a classic coin prediction based
on heads/tails elimination. Jay
Silverman showed his Spectator
Cuts to the Aces (similar to
Nick Trosts Revolving Aces).
Apologizing that the method is
better than the trick, Jeff Eline
pulled numbered cards out of
six pay envelopes and successfully predicted the number a
spectator had mentally chosen.
We all thought the trick was as
good as the method is clever. He
followed by having five spectators
randomly select five envelopes,
all but one of which were then
shredded. The surviving envelope
contained a $5 bill (donated to
the assembly). And finally, guest
Mike Parkinson, after much
coercion, had a spectator mentally
name any card, which was then
found in Mikes wallet. Hmm...
Eric Hoffman
The Kellar/Thurston Assembly
6 meets every first 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.
BACK TO NORMAL?
OMAHA, NE Where has the

Omaha Magical Society been this
year? Due to the rapid-fire season
weve scheduled, one could be
afraid of magic overload. Fortunately, this didnt happen. For the
very first time that anyone can
remember, within a one-week time
frame we had two lectures and a

workshop.
This started with an in depth
study with Daryl in which he
carefully addressed all of the
steps in his version of Out of this
Hemisphere. This was followed
by many pointers on presentation
and variation as he went through
another complicated effect. The
evening brought more magic as
some of the students clamored for
additional knowledge. Before the
week ended Norman Beck came to
town again to show us some neat
stuff. Warren Buffett and Walter
Scott were not in attendance
although their hobbies included
magic.
Our regular May meeting
followed with the theme of Childrens Magic. President Tom
Zepf led some discussion about
the recent AbraCorndabra in Des
Moines, Iowa, that was attended
by many of our members. For
a Nebraskan, it was so convenient and such a great value for
something only two hours from
Omaha. Dean Walter Graham
distributed our new directory and
then Denny Rourke talked about
a recent Broken Wand Ceremony
for compeer Art Chapin, PastPresident.
The fez of Neil Bable

Next, the parade of performers
started with one of our S.Y.M.
members, Josh, followed by Neil
Bable, Pete Petrashek, Walter
Graham, Dick Sanders, Joyce
Chleboun, Bob Gehringer, and Jeff
Sikora . There was a wide variety
of effects and each performer was
offered an opportunity to select
two tricks from the Warren Mattes
estate.
Assembly News
Jeff asked that we all keep in our
thoughts some get-well wishes for
an S.Y.M. member named Alex
who is battling non-Hodgkins
lymphoma. We understand that he
is hoping his bone marrow transplant will keep him on the road to
recovery.
Our next meeting is our annual
garage sale. We call this back to
normal. Jerry Golmanavich
Omaha Magical Society meets
usually at 7 p.m. on the third
Monday of each month at the
Southwest Church of Christ,
near 124th St. and West Center
Road, right across from where
Hooters used to be. Contact
jerry golmanavich golubki@
cox.net (402) 390-9834 www.
omahamagicalsociety.com
for
more details.
TABLE HOPPERS
SAINT LOUIS, MO April 24,

2014: Congratulations to President
Randy Kalin, Vice Pres. Steve
Barcellona, Sec./Treasurer Dick
Blowers, Sergeant of Arms Greg
Lewis, Chaplin Harry Monti, and
elected board members Harry
Monti, Sandy Weis, and Columbus
Smith. Randy Kalin presided over
a brief meeting with elections.
There were interesting discussions about magic books and
more. Gregory Green taught coin
sleights. Randy taught a mental
effect that was very adaptable. For
this example, he used cards. Joey
Lortz performed feats of prestidigitation. Coins were circulating
throughout Larry Minths body.
George Van Dyke taught another
great effect from M-U-M. We
even had our visitors performing
amazing feats with a yo-yo.
April 25, 2014: Thanks to PNP
John Apperson, an opportunity
to raise funds for Assembly 8 by
table-hopping was taken up by
Randy Kalin, Joey Lortz, Steve
Barcellona, Columbus Smith,
Gregory Green, John Apperson,
and Greg Lewis!
May 8 was our annual magic
auction! We brought in outside
talent, Chris Rayman, to help
auction off all of these gems. We
had just about everything magical
Table hoppers
on the block that night! Yes,

even a Zig-Zag Girl illusion in
excellent condition! Meanwhile,
Steve Corbitt rummaged for more
patio blocks (outside joke). Steve
Barcellona organized the whole
auction and made sure it all went
smoothly. Hats off to Steve!
As always, we had no less than
the best financial minds, Dick
and Mary Ann Blowers, set to the
task of keeping track of all sales
transactions. PNP John Apperson
was exhausted from the bidding
frenzy, started it off by purchasing the very first item on the
block, a porcelain Card King!
Everyone said that it was a great
success and they laughed out loud
at the comments that the auctioneers made to entertain the large
group of buyers we had. This was
another great Assembly 8 event.
Dan Todd
Assembly 8 meets at Mount Tabor
United Church of Christ located
at 6520 Arsenal in Saint Louis,
Missouri 63139. Contact Dick
Blowers
rmblowers@aol.com
(213) 846-8468 http://Assembly8.
com for more details.
13
INSTALLATION AND
BANQUET
DALLAS, TX Assembly 13
held our annual officer installation
and banquet at the Brookhaven
Country Club on May 20, 2014.
After a wonderful dinner, our
meeting began by welcoming our
newest S.A.M. members. Joey
Byers received his Certificate of
Membership and his pin from
S.A.M. National President Dal
Sanders. His daughter Ava also
received her S.Y.M. credentials at
the same time. MI Sanders then
read and shared the Congressional Record that recognizes magic
as an art to the assembly and
presented Mayor Eric Hogue a
Presidential Citation for his work
getting this to the U.S. Congress.
After that our new officers were
installed by outgoing President
Derrel Allen. The 2014-2015
officers of the Dallas Magic Clubs
are President Frank Seltzer,
Vice President David Knight,
Sgt. at Arms Joey Byers,
Secretary Dal Sanders,
Treasurer Reade Quinton.
Outgoing DMC President
Derrel Allen presented
Mark Jensen with the Chuck
and Joannie Lehr award for
outstanding service to the
Dallas Magic Clubs. Of
course, this award is named
after our Dean, Chuck Lehr,
and our Secretary/Treasurer
Emeritus, Joannie Lehr,
who both went above and
beyond the call of duty for
many years. Then Derrel Allen

was joined by incoming president
Frank Seltzer and the two recognized S.A.M. President Dal
Sanders with a nice plaque. Then
Frank gave Derrel our thanks, a
certificate, and a wand to commemorate his service as president
this past year.
Mark Jensen recieves the

Chuck & Joannie Lehr Award
from Derrel Allen
It was now time to announce the
winner of the DMC stage contest.
The contest was held in April
and was judged on the T.A.O.M.
contest rules. The five finalists
were Daryl Howard, Derrel Allen,
Mike Squires, Joey Byers, and
Kendal Kane. The winner of the
Dallas Magic Clubs first Magician
of the Year Contest (at least the
first one for many years) was Mike
Squires.
With the business part of the
banquet finished it was time to
present the evenings entertainment. This year we brought in the
amazing Martin Lewis for our
show. He presented many of his
classic routines, including his Golf
Ball Bag (Egg Bag with a twist),
Cardiographic, Crystal Gazing,
Linking Rings, Tamasudare, and
his Snowstorm routine. After a
couple of standing ovations, the
evening concluded, but we were
in for more fun the next night
(Wednesday) as Martin performed
a special lecture at our regular
meeting place. The Scribe of the
Scroll
The Dallas Magic Clubs meet
on the third Tuesday of the
month at 7:00 PM at Crosspointe
Community Center, Theater 166
in Carrollton, TX (go to www.
dallasmagic.org for directions).
Contact Frank Seltzer fhs3@
mac.com (214) 676-6440 www.
dallasmagic.org for more details.
16
MARCH MAGIC
WORCESTER, MA The
weather has finally turned mild
here in New England; it was time
for another meeting. The barn
is still under repair, but thanks
to Peter L. we have a wonderful

meeting place at slot car raceway.
This month we had a do-what-youwant theme; what a great evening
it was.
Scott led off with wonderful
rendition of rope through neck
and the Professors Nightmare
beautiful execution and
wonderful history lesson. Our
future new member Paul A. did
some wonderful card work with
an effect he called A Million to
One. This amazed us all. Ken E.,
another future member, ended
up as the designated assistant for
the evening. Bob C. was up next.
Bob amazed us all by taking the
cap off a water bottle and having
it penetrate the bottom of the
bottle. Thanks Bob. Back to cards
again: Dennis P. performed a card
discovery using half the deck; it
blew my mind.
Jo G., known professionally as
Joe Joe, did a great prediction with
a twist; it had a totally unexpected
ending and a terrific presentation.
Welcome to the group Joe Joe.
Up next was one of our more
seasoned performers, Larry P.,
with a blank deck effect that was
extremely entertaining. Joe B.
was up next with some finger ring
magic and selected signed card
transposition.
Jessie K. followed with a
fantastic scarf vanish and transposition well done, and a great
change of pace. John S. Provided
the assembled with a wonderful
solid through solid card effect
with a twist. You just have to see
this.
Clean up was left for Peter (chef);
cant wait to be back at the barn
and dinner before the meeting.
Peter had three cards selected and
sealed in separate envelopes. Peter
divined each card correctly by
sense of touch and smell. Thanks
to all the performers and audience
participants. Joe Berman
Assembly 16 meets First Monday
of the month, at The Magic Barn,
175R Main Street, Ashland, MA
01721. Contact Dennis Pimenta
(508) 881-1818 for more details.
19
MAYS MAGIC BLOOMS IN

HOUSTON
HOUSTON,
TX
Mays
meeting was filled with magic.
This months contest was on
impromptu magic. Jamie Salinas
had Miles Root help with a great
mental effect that had everyone
talking afterward. Dick Olsons
borrowed and lit cigarette was
placed into his closed fist, yet he
remained unharmed. Scott Wells
had Kim Lampkin assist as a
one-dollar bill was folded and
then unfolded into a mis-made
Assembly News
dollar. Shane Wilsons cigarette
sleights were great! David Hinken
unlinked two folded dollar bills
with Scott Wells assisting. Bob
Smith caused the four Aces to turn
face up and down as they were
twisted around in his hands. David
Rangel had a number called out
and showed that his pocket change
totaled to that exact value.
Jeff Lanes caused a cigarette
lighter to change from red to
white as it was pushed into his fist.
Frank Prices story of how five
Kings were changed into five Aces
became reality in his hands. The
judging was close, but the winners
were Jamie Salinas first, Shane
Wilson second, and Bob Smith
third.
Frank Price led our regular performance and had Kim Lampkin
cut and shuffle cards that were
then dealt in two piles and then
mixed up in a variety of ways.
Regardless of the mixing, the
top cards always matched in
suits. Michael Thomas presented
a Cobra no-sleights mental
routine in which he discerned the
location of a paper ball that was
passed between spectators hands.
Scott Wellss six-hand poker deal
saw him come out the winner in a
most unique manner.
Randy Stulken quickly shuffled
a deck and cut it into four piles;
the four Aces were on top. Roger
Johnsons dollar bill penetration
left no hole to be seen. David
Rangel located the four Aces from
a shuffled deck one at a time in a
magical fashion.
Shane Wilson had Kim Lampkin
try to catch a chosen card between
her hands as they were dealt out
one at a time. Kim saw her card
dealt into her hand and thought she
had it securely in her palms, but
the card in her hands had changed,
and her actual card was found
folded up under her watch. Jamie
Salinass explanation of how a
red handkerchief was changed to
white left us wondering.
Chris Alonzos fine card handling
saw Kings changed to Aces and
then to a royal straight flush.
Miles Root
Assembly 19 meets the first
Monday of every month at
the Internationl Alliance of
Theatrical Stage Employees 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 www.
houstonmagic.com
for
more
details.
22
LOS ANGELES ELECTION

INITIATIONS AND SHOW
LOS ANGELES, CA The
enjoy the foods and

treats prepared by
Chef Bill Yamane.
With
members
reseated in our
theater, the show
presented by our
new
members
began.
Brian
Regalbuto opened
the show with a
short history and
science presentaFrom Left: E. Thomas, S. Jennings, T.
Messeroll, M. Savin, J. Engman, K. Hallinger, tion about forks,
and then performed
J. Richmond Seated from left: Jeremy
an
interesting
Williams, Brian Regalbuto, Hugo Avila
levitation with the
Southern California Assembly same. Jeremy Williams next gave
was honored to have S.A.M. a very polished presentation with
National President-Elect Kenrick a set of three card effects. Closing
ICE McDonald and S.A.M. the show was Hugo Avila who also
National Treasurer Eric Lampert, demonstrating his skill with cards;
visiting from Philadelphia, both he also performed a nice coins
attend our May 19, 2014, meeting. across effect.
Eric also toured the S.A.M. Hall
It was another very successful
of Fame and Magic Museum and very enjoyable evening of
on the previous day. The May magic for the Southern California
Assembly meeting always carries Assembly. Steven L.Jennings
a full agenda with the election of Southern California Assembly
assembly officers, the initiation of 22 meets the third Monday each
neophytes, and a show featuring month at 8:00 PM, St. Thomas
new members scheduled. The More Parish Hall, 2510 South
first item of business was a first Fremont Avenue, Alhambra,
reading for Jeremy Williams, a California Contact Ed Thomas
S.A.M. national member applying magicmred@earthlink.net (213)
for Assembly 22 membership. 382 8504 for more details.
Our secretary, PNP Ed Thomas,
and Nominations Chairman John
Engman then conducted elections
for the 2014-2015 assembly
ZOMBIES, NAZIS, AND THE
officers. Michael Perovich was
VULCAN MIND MELD
unanimously elected as our
incoming president. Congratula- ATLANTA,
GA Merritt
tions to Mike and all of the newly Ambrose gave the monthly TIP
elected assembly officers.
lecture on ring and rope magic.
The action then moved to the He taught his street routine and
area in our meeting hall that had how it could be presented for both
been set up for the S.A.M. initia- close-up and stage.
tion ceremony. The Southern CaliDebbie Leifer hosted the
fornia Assembly has for its entire members performances. Mal
eighty-three-year history used the Simpson used mentalism, with
full-form initiation ceremony. This a little NLP, to predict a famous
ceremony was developed by the person Merritt Ambrose would
S.A.M. national council in its early later name. He then used the
days and has changed very little Vulcan Mind Meld to help predict
since its inception. This ceremony a total of numbers written down
is intended to be the final step in by various audience members.
becoming a full member of the Rick Hinze magished with
Assembly 22. As one of the very West Evans signed quarter, and
few assemblies that still use the made the quarter vanish and
full-form initiation ceremony, we reappear under Wests hand. He
conduct the ceremony complete then vanished another quarter in a
with robed costumes and regalia Styrofoam cup.
as described in the ritual manual.
Using heat sensitive cards, West
This ceremony provides those Evans found a selection which was
initiated with a long-remembered almost the Three of Diamonds.
insight into the true significance of Striving for perfection, he then
the S.A.M. and the importance of knocked off the center diamond
their membership.
pip, making the card the correct
Three neophytes were initiated; Two of Diamonds selection. The
Jeremy Williams, Hugo Avila, and pip fell to the table as a ruby-colBrian Regalbuto. All three suc- ored jewel.
cessfully completed their initiaMurl Harmon memorized a
tion and have become Illustrious borrowed, shuffled deck. A card
Compeers. Congratulations to all. was randomly removed by an
Following the initiation ceremony, onlooker and Murl, with a couple
a short intermission was taken to of tries, looked at the spread deck
30
and named the missing card.

Joe Turner also borrowed a
shuffled deck of cards from
someone. He ended up with Murls
Zombie Apocalypse deck, but
still managed to do some excellent
magic with the four Aces, and
finished by magically finding the
mate of a selected card.
Dan Garrett also borrowed a
shuffled deck, in order to maintain
the theme. He used the four Jacks
as a search engine, showing
how they instantly went out and
captured two free selections
in different parts of the deck. He
also predicted a random card that
Mal Simpson merely thought of,
and finished with a performance
of Shawn Farquhars new Comedy
Magic Book Test.
Jim
Driscoll
challenged
himself with a card effect that
was attempted and failed by a
recent lecturer. Jim replicated
the effect perfectlyincluding
the failure. But he redeemed
himself by revealing the card at
the end. Perhaps we were set up.
Dan Garrett, Guest Scribe
Assembly 30 meets the second
Tuesday of the month at Piccadilly
Cafeteria, I-85/North Druid Hills
Road, Atlanta, Georgia
31
SPRING IS IN THE AIR
INDIANAPOLIS, IN Spring
has finally arrived, so what better
theme for our May meeting then
Spring and Flowers. After some
brief announcements concerning
the action-packed summer that
is planned for Assembly 31 and
Ring 10, President Taylor Martin
introduced us all to our newest
member, Nicholas Geigle. Talk
about dedication Nick drives all
of the way from Illinois (where he
lives) to Indianapolis in central
Indiana (close to a two-hundredmile round trip) to attend our
magic gatherings. A tip of the top
hat to you, Nick.
Mike Root kicked off the evening
by performing a flower production
using his wifes Botania. Although
Mike did a wonderful production,
he bemoaned what he considered
to a weakness of the Botania
gimmick. He believes that the
shape of the cone itself suggests
to the audience that the flowers
are concealed within the cone. He
asked for some suggestions from
his compeers on how to cover
this flaw. His request sparked an
outpouring of useful suggestions.
This discussion once again was
evidence of the strength of S.A.M.
We saw compeers always ready
to help their fellow magicians
in order to strengthen the art of
magic.
President Taylor next dem-
Assembly News
onstrated for us his method of
making napkin roses. Its all in
the little tears that make the petals
appear lifelike. Next up was our
newest member, Nike Geigle. He
shared one of his favorite card
tricks using a deck of cards, his
business card, some disappearing/appearing ink, and a flame.
His was a clever handling of this
effect guaranteed to astonish his
audience.
Finally, President Taylor and the
First V.P. each shared a story of
how magic can go terribly wrong
while performing live a fitting
conclusion to an enjoyable springtime evening. Steven A. Spence
Assembly 31 meets the first
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 first Monday conflicts with a
holiday weekend, we postpone the
meeting one week. Contact Taylor
Martin kazoo23@aol.com (317)
431-1320 for more details.
32
DEALER DEMO AND MORE

AT MAYS MEETING
LYNCHBURG, VA May
brings the warm end of spring
and blooming plants everywhere.
It also brought a lively turnout for
Lynchburgs assembly meeting.
After a few business items, V.P.
Mike Kinnaird updated members
regarding the Relay-for-Life event
coming up in less than two weeks.
More than a few members have
volunteered to perform and look
forward to adding magic to a
worthy cause.
The feature of Mays agenda
was a dealer demo by our local
magic dealer, Greg Coudoures.
Greg brought a variety of magical
goodies from his Smith Mountain
Lake Magic & Science shop. There
were an abundance of effects with
cards, coins, and mentalism.
The meeting continued picking
up the theme for the month
Packs Small, Plays Big; several
members provided demonstrations. Bob Staton showed his own
version of Cardiographic and
was generous to share innovative
details that he had worked in.
Glen Rae presented a nice
handling of a Jim Steinmeyer
effect: Number, Number, Number.
Cards always pack small; the trick
is to make it play big and Glen did
a nice presentation towards that
objective.
John Jennings continued the
theme-related magic by presenting
a rope effect written in Tarbell,
in which a rope that is wrapped
around his neck passes through
his neck.
And thus the gathering of

Lynchburg compeers welcomed in
the warm weather with a very nice
assortment of magic planned and
presented. John Jennings
The Hersy Basham Assembly 32
meets the third Tuesday at 7:00
p.m. at Tharp Funeral Home, 220
Breezewood Drive, Lynchburg,
VA. Contact John Jennings
investigatefire@aol.com
(434)
35
NEW ZOO REVUE
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY After
some bits of business which

included what Saturday would be
good to have the clubs picnic in
August, tonights theme was titled
New Zoo Revue. Some of you
will find that name familiar. For
those who dont, please Google
it and consider it a free media
history lesson. Youre welcome.
Basically, tonight was meant
to be a reminder of past lectures
that stood out for people for
various reasons, and why they did.
Marty Steinberg started off the
nights remembrances by saying
how the Silly Billy lecture stood
out for him. By empowering the
audience, they turn from being
merely spectators to participants
in the magic, where the magic
has more meaning for them, and
therefore a much more meaningful
experience.
Frank Monaco also brought up
Silly Billy by reminding us that
Silly Billy exemplifies what he
preaches. Frank also mentioned
Murray Hatfield for one of the
effects that Frank performs.
Joel Zaritsky referenced Jay
Scott Berrys lecture of how to
build a show by reminding us of
the mnemonic: SPIF- Spectacle,
Personality, Intimacy, and Finale.
Also sounds like a really good first
date, doesnt it?
Ryan Dutcher reminded us that
Silly Billy got some good ideas
from the club, so it was a good
night for all around.
Terry Morgan brought up Jay
Sankeys belief that magicians are
like chefs, and that they should
make their recipes actually
theirs. By simply changing the
effects props or presentation, a
performer can put their own spin
on a trick instead of just doing
what someone else has already
done. How boring is that?
Professor Platypus mentioned
Jay Scott Berry again, of how
there can be magic in everything.
You just have to look for it. Put
yourself into the trick instead of
just doing it. Also, how important
it is to teach the next generation
of performers in order to keep the
art alive. By teaching someone
Caption: Joshua Jay and club

secretary Connie Elstun
new, you can re-discover why you
became interested in magic in
the first place. Plus, by teaching
someone, you focus on what youre
doing yourself, and may confirm
that what youre doing is good, or
it may lead to introspection and
find out that there could be a better
way. We all need that glance in the
mirror from time to time to see if
the reflection is crystal clear, or if
its fuzzy and needs a cleaning.
Darryl Bielski
The Assembly 35 meetings are
held at Milanese Restaurant in
Poughkeepsie, NY. Typically,
meetings are held every 2nd
Tuesday of each month. Meetings
begin at 7:30 pm. Contact Joel
Zaritsky
jizdds@optonline.net
(845) 546-1559 www.sam35.com
for more details.
37
TRIPLE HEADER MAY WITH

JOSHUA JAY
DENVER, CO May 2014 was

a triple header for the Mile High
Magicians Society! We started the
month with a close-up teach-in
providing our membership with
exceptional magic lessons and
instruction. The format was the
same as in past years. The four
instructors were Gene Gordon
(who presented card magic),
Rodney Housely (who taught
a few stellar coin moves), Jeff
Jensen (who instructed a handy
ring and string routine), and
President Matt Brandt (who came
prepared with a thumb tip to teach
a few impromptu basics). Each had
their own table and area with the
members rotating from instructor
to instructor for approximately
twenty minutes. The event was
well attended.
And talk about well attended,
next on the May agenda was our
sold-out public close-up show
called Magic Monday Madness,
featuring six of Denvers strongest
close-up performers. Dave Elstun,
Matt Brandt, Rod Spade, Gregg
Tobo, Gene Gordon, and Tommy
Walker took to their mini stages,
each at a different and unique room
at the magnificent and historic
Lumber Baron Inn and Gardens.

This facility is an authentically refurnished 1890s Denver mansion.
The event was well advertised
to the public; just like our stage
show in the fall, we use the funds
collected to pay for great lecturers,
presenters, and special events.
Our final leg of this grand month
was an evening with Joshua Jay.
We had a privileged large group
who was fortunate to see Joshua
Jays brand new lecture, which
included fourteen effects. Some
of his materiel was inspired by
Joshuas third love, that of being
a film buff and enthusiast. His
second love is magic, while his
first is his assistant, high school
sweetheart, and future wife,
Anna. He used the magic and
movies theme with a film called
The Usual Suspects in mind. Then
from atop a chair he performed a
remarkable Chinese coins on a
ribbon trick and then taught it. He
presented his acclaimed Trick of
the Year called Inferno. Of course,
all he had to do was burn up a deck
of cards, magically, of course. The
second part of his lecture concentrated on magic theory and he used
triad coins to visualize his theory.
As a multiple year Secretary of the
club I, Connie Elstun, found this
particular lecture to be one of the
best that I have acquired in the last
fifteen years. His any card, any
page book trick was just fantastic.
Connie Elstun
Assembly
37
meets
the
second
Thursday
of
the
month
at
Riverpointe
Senior Center in Littleton
CO. Contact Connie Elstun
con n ie@comedy mag icbu n ny.
com
(303)933-4118
www.
milehighmagicians.com for more
details.
47
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
AND MAGIC!
ROCHESTER, NY The May

meeting brought the election of
new officers into our club. They
are: President Mike Ihrig, Vice
President Nick Young, Secretary
Joel Greenwich, and Treasurer
Jeff Blood. Congrats! We talked
about our upcoming June picnic,
the Broken Wand Ceremony
held for Dean Charlie Struck, a
Facebook presence, and then on to
the magic!
President JP Lacey used the Professors Nightmare to symbolize
the merging of members into one
cohesive club. Very well thought
out and received! Prof. Rem
displayed and attempted to teach
a bit of finger magic from a Jim
Steinmeyer book. What finger is
remaining? The index! Mark Toker
performed one of my favorites:
Triumph. There is just a mystery
Assembly News
to the audience when the selected
card in revealed as the only face-up
card in the face-down deck. He
also memorized the deck and put
it back into suit and numerical
order! Nick Young displayed five
ESP symbols, of which one was
sealed in an envelope. On another
envelope, he wrote a prediction
and they matched! Very thought
provoking.
Jeff Blood, through a series of
cool messages from different
locations on his person, revealed a
selected card, which finally ended
up in his pocket! Very funny and
it held much audience appeal.
Dan Grayson performed a very
quick coin appearance. The coin
was purchased at a gold exchange
store very inexpensively. The
shiny silver coin displayed a moon
landing and had a nice look and
feel. He also performed pocket
traffic light, in which a spot jumps
from one card to another. A great,
easy to carry trick! John Guerin
took a couple of decks of cards
lying on the table and performed
an impromptu card revelation. It
shows how a good magician can
think on his/her feet.
Mike Ihrig performed a spelling
bee trick from The Wild Deck by
Jim Kleefeld. From a mini poster of
animals, one is selected. One card
is dealt for each letter of its name
and the card after last reveals that
animal. Finally, longtime member
John Adams performed one of
his patented effects: Hopping
Halves. His patter and technique
are indeed flawless and brought
rousing applause. After a couple of
questions on talking coins, the
meeting was adjourned to be taken
up again at Dunkin Donuts. Next
month: the picnic! Mike Ihrig
Assembly 47 meets on the third
Tuesday September through May
at St. Josephs School, 39 Gebhardt
Rd, Penfield, NY 14526 7:00 PM
Contact Mike Ihrig ihrigmagic@
aol.com (585) 377-1566 www.
sam47.com for more details.
49
RAFFLE AND MAGIC
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL
The evenings festivities began
with a most successful raffle.
Members of the club donated old
and vintage magic tricks. Each
participating member then gave
$5 to enter the raffle. After our
names were put on our bills, they
are randomly selected with each
winner choosing a trick or effect
of their choice. I believe we raised
$75 that will go into our treasury
and help to pay for a future lecture
or event! We wereblessed to have
the usual suspects perform, the
likes of Gene Fein, Henry Epstein,
Manny Riskin, and Mel Boskin; a
few were really extraordinary.

First the great Al Callus
performed Silent Treatment. Incredibly, Al made aselected card
appear in his mouth! Well shut
my mouth! Next, President Billy
Byron did a red and yellow card
routine with predicted matching
numbers that was spellbinding.
The magic was running rampant,
just rampant, as Billy would say.
Next the young wizard Mark
Rossbach told a spectator to think
of an insect. The spectator did
so and unbeknownst to Mark or
anyone else I might add he chose
a butterfly. Master Mark then took
a dollar bill, folded it origami
style into a butterfly to astonishment of all in attendance. Next
Joe Freidman and Mike Easler
both did mentalism card tricks
that were magnificent. And finally
Mel Panzer did a great card effect
that at first gave the appearance of
going horribly wrong. Mel, being
the great actor that he is acted as
nervous as a long-tailed cat in a
room full of rocking chairs, when
at thelast second he revealed he
had indeed pulled it off under the
most difficult circumstances!
Assembly 49 meets at the
Tamarac Community Center,
Tamarac FL on the fourth
Thursday at 7:00pm. Visit www.
fortlauderdalemagicsociety.com
for more information or contact
Billy Byron@comcast.net
from Knoxville, Ed Ripley, who

was working with Shank Kothare
preparing for their FFFF show the
following week. I was at FFFF this
year and saw their performance.
I can tell you they did a great job
and were very well received there.
To top the evening off, Steve
Spence did some excellent magic
for our club. Fun was had by all.
Stephen Bargatze
Assembly 50 meets at Harvest
Hands which is at 424 Humphreys
Street, Nashville, TN 37203.
Contact Mike Pyle magic@
py-logic.com (615) 477-6639 for
more details.
51
MAY FLOWERS!
PEORIA, IL Our May meeting

began with President Rodney
Nordstrom
giving
business
updates regarding upcoming
events, including the Farmers
Market, the show at the Riverfront
Museum, a possible segment with
Mark & Gretchen from WHOI-TV,
the teaching session and Houdini
Tribute in October, and the
Bradley basketball halftime show.
Rodney and Michael Baker gave
a review of the Abracorndabra
convention this past weekend.
The magic theme for tonight was
Flower Magic. Michael Baker
began by demonstrating and describing a spring flower segment
he once used. This involved a small
folding screen that continued to
produce flowers and finishes with
VISIT FROM RVP
a shower of several dozen flowers.
Michael also demonstrated a trick
NASHVILLE, TN This month with matches.
we had a special visit from SAM
Paul Buob came very well
Regional Vice President Steve stocked with the many flower
Spence, all the way from India- devices he uses in his stage show.
napolis. Steve got to sit in on our This involved appearing roses,
clubs crazy ways of doing things. flowers to silks, color-changing
flowers,
light-up
roses, and a floating
rose, among other
ideas and props. Paul
also showed a few
ideas with silks.
Grant
Golden
brought
a
new
Botania, which he
recently purchased,
adding
to
his
growing
collection of Botanias. He
also demonstrated a
Garden of Flowers
A fun night with Steve Spence
shawl, and discussed
We started the meeting with great ideas for improved handling.
tricks from our two youngest
There
was
conversation,
members, David and Albert. You drinks,
dinner,
and
more
couldnt tell by the magic they did magic at a nearby restaurant.
that they are youth members. Both Michael Baker
of these young men performed Assembly 51 meets 3rd Mondays
some really good magic. We at Schnucks, 4800 N. University,
also had our resident kid guy Peoria, IL Contact Michael Baker
and kid at heart "Magic Wayne" themagiccompany@aol.com (205)
Clemons perform. We enjoyed 612-3696 http://peoriamagicians.
having another special guest com/ for more details.
50
52
MOTHERS DAY
SAN ANTONIO, TX May

1, 2014, Brother John Hamman
Assembly 52 held its monthly
meetingatLa Madeleine Restaurant. Vice-President Ray Adams
called the meeting to order.
We had a great turnout tonight
with the theme being Mothers
Day. Welcome to friend, fellow
magician, and guest Ted Derringer,
Jr. The Assemblysinstallation of
new officers banquet will be held
on June 7, 2014, at Pompeii Italian
Grill. Congratulations to the new
incoming officers for 2014-2015:
Ray Adams, President; Joe Libby,
Vice-President; Doug Gorman,
Secretary/Treasurer; and James
Dusek, Sergeant-at-Arms.
Starting off the open performances tonight was Vice-President Ray Adams who did a great
color changing silk and candle
routine. Paul Mims performed
Bob Swadlings Matchboxes. Ed
Solomon told a story about motherhood, and Doug Gorman entertained with Joshua Jays Inferno.
Michael Tallon was our close-up
performer for the evening. He
opened with Aldo Colombinis
Mini Maxi, in which three selected
cards of three different sizes
matched perfectly with predictions of three different sizes. After
a couple more astounding card
effects, he moved into beautiful
coin work, the highlight of which
was a routine that blended together
Coins Across, Coins Through the
Table, and Wild Coin. He closed
with David Roths Tuning Fork,
which had us not only watching
carefully, but listening intently
as well. We can always count
on Michael, with his polished
technical skills and wonderful
showmanship, to delight his
audiences. He certainly delighted
us. Thanks, MT for a great show.
Door Prize winners were Paul
Mims, Ray Adams, and Michael
Tallon. Paul won Feniks Mexican
Revolution, Ray won Mutanz from
Bob Farmer and Roy Walton, and
Michael won Miracle Monte from
Shigeo Takagi.
Brother John Hamman Assembly
52 meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first
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.
56
ANNUAL BANQUET
DAYTON, OH In place of our

May Meeting, we had our annual
Assembly News
assembly banquet. It was held at
the Cove Springs Grange Hall
in Troy, Ohio; we had seventeen
members and fourteen guests
in attendance. After a great
meal prepared by Christophers
Catering, we were entertained by
the vocal talents of Jaeleen Davis
from Bay City, Michigan. A big
thank you to Paul Burnham and
Jo Ann Kinder for planning this
event; a great time was had by all.
Matthew David Stanley
Assembly 56 meets at various
locations. Contact Paul Burnham
pburnham@woh.rr.com
(937)
77
MARK MASON AMAZES
MASSAPEQUA, NY Our
business meeting was quick to
give as much time as possible
for our guest from the UK, Mark
Mason. From the moment Mark
arrived and had his product table
set up, he attracted at least twenty
people over to him like a powerful
magnet. His demo of his coin
work was money in the bank and
he hadnt even started his lecture.
Once he took the floor, he tipped
almost everything as to how his
inventive mind works.
Reboxed was so visual and direct
it made for a perfect opening
effect. Stuck up Monte is Marks
go-to opener and had a great
theme; when the money card
became the signed selection, we
knew that that was money! Old
standards took on new life like
the origami illusion of tearing
and folding a $5 bill into two.
(Ive known that from one of Karl
Fulvess books) What amazed us
was when the two $5 bills transformed into a $10 bill.
2 with the hole restoration was

a standout, stand-up piece, his
classic force called the attitude
force, the put and take move and
finally a big finish with his method
for the Signed Card to sealed deck
with the card in correct place,
brought another drove of buyers to
his table at the conclusion. He was
informative and very funny!
Until next time, we will see you
at the diner.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
or
contact Lou Johnson at loucircus@
aol.com (516) 978-7735.
88
MAY REPORT
ANN ARBOR, MI Our May

meeting was packed with excitement on many levels! First and
foremost, Marvin Mathena was
inducted into the Michigan Magic
Hall of Fame on April 11 in Colon,
Michigan. The Michigan Magic
Hall of Fame currently encompasses twenty-two members,
representing talent such as Kevin
James, Hank Moorehouse, and
June Horowitz. The plaque
honoring recipients is permanently on display at the American
Museum of Magic in Marshall,
Michigan.
Five guests were introduced:
Gene Fogel, Jack and Shirley
Markley, Howard Goldfaden, and
Ron Hoole.
Our very popular swap meet/
flea market then commenced as
nine folks hawked their mysterious wares. Six members had
magical treasurers for sale, guaranteed to make you a star! The
vendors were Gary Segadi, Randy
Smith, Marvin Mathena, John
Russell, Jim Folkl, and Jim Ruth.
Additionally, guests Jack and
Shirley Markley, from Anderson,
Indiana, offered original magic
creations. The last participant was member Karl Rabe,
Mark Mason makes the

NEWS with magic!
Mentalists fell in love with the
practicality of Word in a Million:
an any word, any language, book
test that Mark spent a great deal
designing it to be simple for
anyone to use. Mike Kirbys incredible effect X-act card at any
number fooled David Copperfield
and rightfully so. No moves and
very direct. No Tear Newspaper
Marvin Mathena Michigan

Magic Hall of Fame Inductee
who displayed (under the title

Karls Museum) magic he had
as a child, including items that
were handmade. Needless to say,
none were for sale, holding so
many memories from childhood.
However, his table fit in nicely
with the evenings theme and
really brought all of us back to the
good old days. Jim Folkl
Assembly
88
meets
2nd
Wednesday. each month at 7pm,
Faith Lutheran Church 1255 E.
Forest, Ypsilanti MI Contact
Jim Folkl Folkinimagic@yahoo.
com (248) 8514839 http://www.
aamagic.org/. for more details.
95
STRING MAGIC
VANCOUVER,
CANADA
The May, 2014 meeting was held

at the home of Jens Henriksen
in Crescent Beach, BC. Dennis
Hewson opened with a one-handed slip knot taught to him by Eric
Lenz, and then put the rope into
Trevor Watters hands and pulled
out a string of knots. Ray Roch
performed a ring on a cord. Glen
Labarre had Dave Watters pick a
card, and then stunned everyone
by visibly causing that card to
securely loop onto a string on
Glens neck. Glen then handed
out for everything for inspection, including the deck of cards
with the selected card no longer
Rod Chow uses string to communicate between the minds

of Ray Roch, Jeff Christensen
and Dave Watters to
Trevor Watters
present. Jens Henriksen showed
a cord with a ring looped on, and
then magically pulled the ring off
the cord. Rod Chow adapted Tony
Binarellis Super Mentalism Deck
by Card Shark into a performance
using string by using the string to
amplify the thought of card from
three different minds to another
mind, such as in the old tie two
cans together by string to communicate. Lon Mandrake caused a
rope to penetrate through his hand.
Henry Tom closed the evening by
taking a used coupon and transforming it into dental floss, then
using that dental floss to perform
Gypsy Thread. Rod Chow
The Carl Hemeon Assembly No.
95 meets the first Tuesday of

each month at members homes.
Contact Rod Chow rod@rodchow.
com (604) 669-7777 www.sam95.
104
IN WITH THE NEW - AN

ELECTION AND A DIAMOND
SHINES ON
WITCH CITY, SALEM, MA

The May 7 meeting of Assembly
104 followed the Bill Towne School
of Magic Class, capably conducted
by Len Lazar. This class was noteworthy for the student sitting in:
tonights lecturer Steve Reynolds,
picking up a few of Lens nuances
with the pasteboards. The meeting
was productive on two fronts. On
one, we learned that our November
15 SAMCON hotel plans for the
Doubletree Hotel, in Danvers,
Massachusetts, are progressing
well. On the second front, our
new webmaster, Compeer Blake
Barr, announced several improvements in the works for the sam104.
com website. Perhaps the biggest
news of the night came from
Vice President Eddie Gardner,
who announced his sale of the
venerable Diamonds Magic to
Compeer Vince DeAngelis. This
is a win-win for the New England
magic community that evoked
hearty applause. With the future
of brick and mortar magic shops in
jeopardy across the country, local
magicians are now assured of an
old fashioned, full-service magic
experience (and free coffee) for
many years to come.
At this election meeting, the final
roster for the coming year was determined: Co-Presidents will be
Bill Jensen and Rob Snider; Vice
President, Ed Gardner; Second
Vice President, J Hubbard;
Treasurer, Debbie Loscutoff;
Secretary, Bob Forrest; Sergeantat-Arms, Bill Marotte. Installation
will follow, with ample dining, in
June.
Guest lecturer Steve Reynolds

sits in on a School of
Magic class
Our lecturer for the evening was
cardician Steve Reynolds. Steve is
a seriously dressed magician who
Assembly News
might be mistaken for a banker if
not for his ever present decks of
cards. His low-key manner and
three-piece suit conceal a vested
interest: subtle card switches and
ditches made possible by some
creative use of vest pockets. In
addition to Steves clever, Topitlike treatment of the garment,
he offered some highly visual
transformations and an unusual
variation on the Torn and Restored
Card. In the Reynolds handling of
the latter, a single card creates the
entire effect. And this tiny miracle,
which begins with a Paul Harris
influence, allows that single card
to be signed as well! Steve brought
us quite a few different ideas in a
Triumph-based effect and other
standards, but what stood out in
his overall approach to cards was
his use of blocking techniques,
psychological controls, and exploitation of the spectators Inattentional Amnesia during a
performance. This represented the
heart of his philosophy: affecting
what a spectator thinks he sees,
to create a more magical experience. It was well worth seeing.
Bob Forrest
Assembly 104 meets on the
first Wednesday of each month,
September-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
MAGICAL HAPPENINGS
SOMERSET, PA President
Gary
Weimer
opened
the
meeting with announcements and
upcoming events. After, it was on
to our theme of making magic.
Our S.Y.M. group made a magic
trick after Dan Miller performed
his version. The kids made theirs
in the first part of the meeting and
then several were brave enough
to perform when they had theirs
completed. Each tried out a
different patter which was an indication that they were thinking
creatively.
The adults talked of various
different venues we would like
Somerset SAM Officers before

benefit show
to perform at and are

is doing well and
working to accomplish
looking forward to
that. Also fellow club
coming to the June
member Louis Paul
lecture with Shoot
showed a redesigned,
Ogawa. Wes Iseli
improved version of
reported on his
the old wilting flower
upcoming benefit
comedy effect, The
show for a local
Crazy Lazy Daisy. It is a
young lady named
wonderful piece to put in
Jaeda at the Rucka kids show that plays to
ersville
Elemena lot of laughter.
tary School on the
Our latest meeting had
evening of May 9th.
John Gyllenhaal and Kara Ewing get Game Show
a former member who
President George
Night started at SAM 112
is retiring from magic,
Buckley taught our
bring his magic items for
S.Y.M. teach-in for
purchase because he wanted them David Facer performing the May on sponge balls with some
to stay in the hands who would Misers Dream, Roy Porfido wonderful insights and handling
use them to brighten peoples vanishing two half-dollar coins, taught by Dan Rowan and Wes
lives with the wonderful world of and Ric Ewing reversing his Iseli. George opened the business
magic. Dan Miller
hands while holding a magic wand portion of the meeting with reports
The James Swoger Assembly 108 and then vanishing the wand. on upcoming lectures by Daryl in
meets at Wheeler Bros. every Douglass Kovacich borrowed Richmond sponsored by the I.B.M.
third Monday at 6:00 pm for SYM two fleas to horizontally suspend Ring. He also asked for input on a
members and 7:00 pm for SAM a piece of rope. Jerry Barrilleaux possible lecture by Jason Ladanye.
members Contact Dan Miller performed a comic Torn-and-Re- It was decided that with the Shoot
miller magic@cent u r ylin k.net stored Newspaper, and finally Nate Ogawa lecture on the 6th of June
(814) 733-4978 for more details.
Wilson demonstrated his routine that we would have to pass on any
of cascading cards called Niagara other offerings for June. George
Falls with a comedy ending.
reported on the new (and very
The contest was all in fun, of welcome) subscription rates for
GAME SHOW NIGHT
course, but first and second place MAGIC magazine. George then
winners, David and Zappo, were reminded members of the conPLEASANT HILL, CA Roy awarded truly valuable prizes vention dates for the Kidabra, the
Porfido and Zappo kicked off this provided by our friend and bene- I.B.M./S.A.M. combined, the Felmonths instructional program factor, Paul Gross, owner of the lowship of Christian Magicians,
with a pair of card tricks using Hocus Pocus Magic Shop.
and the Magicians Alliance of
gaffed cards. Roy went first,
With the contest completed, ac- Eastern States conventions. The
demonstrating Reverso. In this tivities continued with further business meeting was closed at
packet trick, a card switch takes demonstrations of magic with 8:20 p.m.
place in the spectators pocket. David Facer performing a
The magic theme for the month
Zappo followed with a variation mentalism feat with cards, Zappo was Destruction and Restoration.
of the Ambitious Card routine. doing Anniversary Waltz, Bob Tom Olshefski started the evening
Instead of rising to the top of the Holdridge surprising us with with a signed and guarded card
deck, a signed card inexplicably a magical block on a rope, and traveling from one pack to another.
appears in various places around Nate Wilson invisibly switching He continued by causing a card to
the room, including the wallet selected cards between his hands penetrate a spectators hand and
or pocket of different audience and a spectators.
then performed a wonderful torn
members. Props were then handed
Guests are welcome at our and restored card. His patter and
out to each member, and practice meetings; so make a point routining were entertaining and
sessions were conducted under the of dropping in next time. flawless. Wes Iseli was up next
supervision of Roy and Zappo.
Bill Marquardt
with his routine of a Mike Bent
Then it was time for our annual Diablo Assembly 112 meets on the paper tear. Next Wes performed
Game Night contest with Kara third Wednesday of every month at The
Magical
Indestructible
Ewing acting as emcee. In this the VFW building in Pleasant Hill, Rope routine from his profession
game, members volunteer to California Contact Larry Wright stage show. He then performed
answer a randomly selected Zappo@zappothemagician.com a Karrell Fox/Tom Mullica torn
question about magic. With a (925) 685-5129 www.sam112. and restored card routine followed
correct answer, the member com/ for more details.
by a teach-in on the effect. Next
chooses a closed paper bag conup was Bethany Hall with her
taining an unknown but complete
version of John Fedkos Beads
prop for a magic trick to be
of Prussia. The string on an
performed in competition with the
MAY RESTORATION
other contestants. A wrong answer
provides the contestant with a CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
bag containing an incomplete After a one month hiatus, our
prop. Eight magicians were brave May meeting found Assembly
enough to enter the contest.
115 members gathered together
The competition began with at our new meeting location at the
Zappo vanishing several items Pepsi-Cola Plant in Charlottesfrom a large foulard. John Gyllen- ville, Virginia. Members in attenhaal came next with the Gozinta dance were George Buckley, Wes
Boxes, in which the laws of physics Iseli, Daniel and Bethany Hall, Ed
seem to change when a small box Schmitz and his son Edward, Dan
removed from a bigger box is then Rowen, Everette Anderson, Tom
used to contain the bigger box.
Olshefski, and Nathan Clauss.
The remaining acts included George reported that Mark Davis
Princess Beads of Prussia
112
115
Assembly News
enchanted necklace was broken,
the beads placed into a magic
wand, and with the utterance of
the magic word restored for a
young princess. George Buckley
performed his Clippo Bunny
effect and then showed the set of
four comedy cut-no cut scissors
he had produced for his birthday
party shows. Amazing magic and
joyful laughter was enjoyed by all.
Bethany Hall
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company
Building at, 1150 Pepsi Place,
Charlottesville, VA 22901. Contact
George Buckley gbbuckley@mac.
com (434) 409-2643 http://www.
facebook.com/SAMAssembly115
for more details.
118
GRANITE STATE
CONJURORS
NASHUA, NH The Granite

State Conjurors held our May
meeting at Diamonds Magic in
Peabody, Massachusetts, where
we met the new owner, Vince
DeAngelis. Congratulations to
Vince DeAngelis welcomes the

Granite State Conjurers to
Diamonds Magic
Eddie Gardner on his retirement
and a heartfelt thank you for his
years of friendly service. And congratulations to Vince. Heres to a
long magical relationship!
Assembly 118 meets on the
third Wednesday of each month
at 7:00 p.m. at Black Sword
Estate, 126 Perham Corner Rd.,
Lyndeborough, NH 03082 Our
venue rotates, so contact us first.
Contact Robert Granville sam.
nashua@gmail.com (603) 505
8749 http://sam118.com for more
details.
one-ahead method of predicting multiple objects. Jim Percy

followed up with Diction. Vic
Tarquini revealed a chosen card
had turned upside down in a deck.
Chris Bontjes performed My Word
and demonstrated his mini version
of Peppers Ghost, which he
displayed with other magic at the
S.A.M. exhibit at the US Science
and Technology Exp. Photos of the
event are posted on his Facebook
page. Andy Dallas closed out the
meeting by predicting one of three
chosen cards, The Kozar Prediction, and a book test. See ya at the
meeting. Ken Barham
Andy Dallas Assembly 120, meets
on the 3rd Wed. 7pm, (except Nov.
and Dec.) For location call Jim
Percy at (217) 494-2222 or Ken
Barham Sec, 2318 Winchester
Dr, Champaign, IL 61821. (217)
841-5616 email: Kebram@aol.com
131
CUPS AND BALLS
DANBURY, CT President
Magic
Mo,
whose
health
is improving, almost made
tonights meeting. Our official
photographer, Walter B., is
recovering from a fall and
should be at next meeting.
Methodist Churchs Fall Festival
will be held on October 4, 2014,
so be ready for two shows on that
date.
Our lecture tonight was presented
by a local magic historian,
published author, and member,
Joe Lantiere. Joe presented a brief
history of the classic Cups and
Balls, followed by a hands-on
demo. Techniques and patter were
discussed followed by a selection
of various cups from Joes personal
collection: brass, spun aluminum,
hand-engraved sterling silver, and
turned hard woods. Many of our
members came prepared with their
138
WOMEN IN MAGIC
FORT WORTH, TX Dal

Sanders reported on his visit to
Washington, D.C., representing the S.A.M, with Congressman Pete Sessions. Dal was very
excited that the House of Representatives now has a Congressional Record recognizing The Art
of Magic. This is a tremendous
honor for all magicians.
This evenings program was
Women in Magic, featuring Cinde
Sanders recalling the history of
women magicians, on being a magicians assistant, and her personal
journey as a clown, balloon artist,
and face painter. Tracie Stein
talked about her career as a dancer
and performer tying in to her
career as a magicians assistant.
Larry Heil contributed the life expectancy of women in magic, commenting that many live into their
90s and beyond; Pam Jenkins, and
Vanessa Ayala contributed stories
of their experience to the lively
discussion.
Bruce
Chadwick
presented
Tricks Old and Seldom Seen
from the Walter Blaney collection,
part of his Ladder Trick. Bruce
demonstrated the Miracle Levitation Hoop and told the history of
this amazing piece.
Geoff Grimes and Hal Hudgins
participated in the Teach a
Trick demonstration. Geoff
performed the Mentalism Lock
and Hal his Marked Cards trick.
Cindy Bighorse-Chadwick
The Fort Worth Magicians Club
met at The Bruce Chadwick
Illusion Warehouse Contact cindy
Bighorse-Chadwick cabighorse@
gmail.com (817) 846-4062 http://
www.for twor thmagiciansclub.
org/ for more details.
150
120
MENTALISM THEME
Joe Lantiere
CHAMPAIGN, IL At this
own sets. The hands-on demo was

a well-received addition to the
lecture. Great lecture in all.
Our summer BBQ date and place
will be set by next meeting. Our
Chinese buffet magic gathering
date is still to be set. Talks to share
another lecture with Standford
months meeting, we discussed

using the Fluid Event Center for
our Get-Together in 2016. Our
topic this month was mentalism.
Kiera Percy opened the magic
with Name That Card, Mental
Logs, and a demonstration of the
S.Y.M. are to be discussed.

Martin Steinberg
Methodist Church on Clapboard
Ridge Rd. in Danbury CT,
around back on the third Monday
of Month, 7:30 PM. Contact
magic marty magicmarty@aol.
com (845) 797-8363 Danbury
Top Hatters Facebook for more
details.
WHO NEEDS A
LECTURER?
FORT MYERS, FL After a

quintet of great lecturers served
up miracles and moves over the
five months of season here in
southwest Florida, members had
no trouble providing our own
content for the May meeting.
During a quick business session,
President Tom McVey and Veep
Steve Sander passed out a survey

asking for input on theme nights,
etc. From the Treasurer: Were
sound, period. And on to the
magic, with nearly half the assemblage having signed up to show
their talents.
First up, Jim Canaday, whose
Magic Portal website is a treasure
trove of references on everything
magic, carnival-related, juggling,
and more. He surprised a couple
of volunteers with a variation
on The Web, using a one-cent
postage stamp instead of the
dreaded spider. Next, Mike Yost
showed the complete rope-andring routine he does during his
street magic.
One of those folks who frequently show up at magic gatherings
was John Levy with the oft-heard
comment, I kind of got out of it,
but Im trying to get in again. He
showed hes well on his way with
an in-the-hands Triumph.
Nine-year-old Logan followed
with a quick display of The
Coloring Book. (Logan? Well,
one name was good enough for
Houdini and Blackstone.) Dan
Tong, whos a lot older than Logan,
revealed how a stacked deck can
let you spell any card and turn it
up. Wally Feather found a missing
dollar in a balloon expensive
darn trick means popping two
balloons each time.
Tin City Magic manager Tony
Chaudhuri and his wife showed
off a new mental effect in which
the familiar ESP symbols match
some placed randomly in a plastic
rack. Another new item at the
shop is a hot-rod bar resembling a
stretched-out Rubiks Cube.
V-P Sander took a while to
mentally choose which colored
marker would be right to match a
spectators drawing, but the costly
piece of electronic equipment did
the job. With much less expensive
props paper cups and a railroad
spike yours truly used an iPad
to show what trouble can happen
with when a cup conceals the
spike. Then he poured water from
the empty cups and jabbed the
spike into one to make the water
vanish.
Closing the show, Tony (the
other) Dunn did a clever ThreeCard Monte. The directions, with
his usual clarifying illustrations,
will appear in the June Linking
Ring. Don Dunn
Tuesday of each month at
Myerlee Manor, Fort Myers.
Contact
RichardHPayne@aol.
com for details, or check our
website at: www.FMMAONLINE.
ORG
157
GOOD LECTURES AND FUN

IN THE SPRING
Assembly News
Tim Conover, and, more recently,
Chris Kenner, Homer Liwag,
Magicians of Beaver Valley and our friend David Copper(Assembly 157) had their meeting field. When Dan was performing
with Vice President Don Moody Martin Lewiss Cardiographic
presiding in place of the President. at a convention eons ago, David
Tom Chidester reported that there asked him for a private session
are three prospective applications to see Dans presentation. Dans
for membership. Eleven members linking pin routine, which is on
of the Mystics were present for the his Close-Up Connivery video,
Daryl lecture on April 30, 2014. was published in Michael Webers
Daryl presented a very entertain- book Lifesavers with Michaels
ing as well as instructive program. handling. Dan shared some fun
He joined several members at the magic with us including cards
Outback Restaurant before the and coins. He also demonstrated
lecture. Bill Cornelius announced his marketed effect Heartz with
that he has received the Alliance heart shaped sponges - which
of Harry Houdini Award for his many of our members were eager
thirty-five years as a member of to add to their collections.
Jay Scott Berry, originally from
the S.A.M.
Dick Recktenwald entertained Reno, Nevada, visited in October.
as emcee for the performanc- He opened with some coin magic
es. Don Moody performed The and later a long colorful streamer
Kenard Mystery, which consists appeared from his seemingly
empty
hands.
One of his principles:
Start
clean,
end
clean.
Jays
upbeat energy
kept
many
in our group
engaged. Jay is
also a musician
and writes his
own music. A
number of his
effects
used
The Mystics and Daryl
his
marketed
of a wooden box, a ring , and a Cloaking Device, which has uses
wand. The ring goes into the box, such as vanishes, appearances,
the wand goes through the closed and even a bill switch. The gang
box, and the ring magically ends also purchased his diamond-cut
up on the wand. Bill Cornelius silks. The members were happy
showed that he had ten cards. He Jay visited.
Dan Hauss, from Philadelphia,
had a participant pick five cards.
It is patterned after a poker hand. is lively, energetic, and funny. He
The magic did not go well, so he lectured in November 2013. Dan
said, I did not show up. Eric told us that whenever he bought
Davis presented some cards, all a trick he wanted to change it;
Kings and Queens, four each. He then he began to create his own
shuffled them, then picked one and effects. Dan creates a lot of magic
had a participant pick one. They but doesnt perform all of his
matched. He did this four times. creations. His single rubber band
Cant keep perfect pairs apart. that penetrates his hand had us
baffled. He taught us the secret
Judy Steed
Assembly 157, The Mystic and its on his DVD Rubber
Magicians of Beaver Valley, Thruhand (a clever pun on Robert
meet the second Thursday of Houdin). His Sugar Block in which
every month at the Towne Square a quarter ends up in a sealed sugar
Restaurant in Beaver, PA. Contact packet was written up in M-U-M.
Judy Steed heyjude1943@msn. He also performed his Rattled
com (330) 525-5389 for more and Growing Ring. Oh, and we
have to mention that David Blaine
details.
performed one of Dans creations
on his TV special. Its called Lit.
A card vanishes from a deck and
SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER
later, a paper matchbook is opened
2013 UPDATE
and has transformed into the
selection. Shazam!
SCOTCH
PLAINS,
NJ
In December we held our annual
September 2013 brought Dan holiday party, which is always a
Garrett to our assembly. Dan, a sell-out. Great food and drinks
Past National President, is from were enjoyed while some members
Atlanta and is well-known in did some strolling magic. Special
magic convention circles, and thanks to the gentlemen who
has shared time with Duke Stern, performed onstage: Vice President
BEAVER, PA The Mystic
161
Nice job, Don! Al Chiaverini closed the evening with

a beautiful card penetration
and ended his performance
with Grand Slam, a great
baseball-themed
routine
with baseball cards and an
autographed baseball. What
fun!
So...till next time...Magic,
Unity, Might! Dean F.
Devitt
Assembly 172 meet on the
fourth Tuesday of every
Gene, Scott, Norman - Having some month (except December)
fun at the Holiday party
at 7:00pm at the St Lucie
Lanes on Route 1 in Port
Scott Leavitt, Greg Ferdinand, St. Lucie Contact Dean F. Devitt
Gene Soucek, Norman Rosen, and quindar46@yahoo.com (772) 332
our headliner, Jason Katsikis. Do 8412 for more details.
visit our assembly when you are in
town! Christopher J Smith
Assembly 161 meets at the Stage
House Restaurant, 366 Park
MAY DAY
Avenue, Scotch Plains, New
Jersey 07076 (908) 332-4224. On HIGHTSTOWN, NJ Our first
the second Monday of the Month meeting in May landed on the first
6 pm Dinner - 8 pm Lecture day of the month May Day. The
Contact Christopher J Smith theme of the night was Ring and
s a m -161@ c o m c a s t . n e t (9 0 8) String, which was the basis for a
850-8765 www.sam161.org for workshop present by Reba Strong.
more details.
Reba regularly performs magic
and clowning under the name Silly
Reba. Her magical career is quite
interesting because it started with
APRIL SHOWERS AND ALL
her as a spectator, while working
THAT STUFF
as a bartender. The place where
she worked had hired a magician
PORT ST LUCIE, FL April dressed as a leprechaun, to
started a little early this year for entertain the patrons. At first,
the compeers of the Donald E. Reba just watched, but she soon
Lea Assembly here in beautiful decided that she would like to
Port Saint Lucie with an afternoon learn some magic tricks so that she
show at the Saint Lucie Lanes could entertain her customers.
Annual Family Day and Car Thirty-three years later, Reba is
Show. We opened the show at high now the one teaching others how
noon on April 19 at the Lanes in to entertain.
our regular meeting room. With
Matt Musgrave, Harley Salas,
Nick Bradley, and Al Chiaverini providing nearly forty-five
minutes of flawless magic to what
all considered to be a really great
crowd, the afternoon flew by for
performers and spectators alike.
April 22 was our regular meeting
and once we dispensed with the
business for the night, the real
fun started off with Al Chiaverini and a short auction of several
items he wanted to ensure got
into good hands. James OffenReba Strong
hartz followed Al with a routine
on How to Cheat at Poker.
The workshop was her opportuHe dealt several winning hands nity to teach her ring and string
from a randomly shuffled deck, routine. To facilitate the learning,
assembled the four Aces, and left Reba brought along practice
everybody dazed and confused. rings and strings for each person
I dont think anybodys going to who wanted to work along. This
be playing cards with him soon. was not just show and tell; you
Longtime member Don Smith were going to have to work at
seemed a little confused when told this workshop. Ring and string
he had signed up to perform, but routines have always fascinated
he turned the tables on everybody me. Even after you have seen the
with a variation on The Chicago secret, the ring still seems to pass
Opener and a great silk routine impossibly through the confining
based on Slydinis Not a Knot. pieces of string. It just looks like
181
172
Assembly News
magic.
I asked Reba what were the keys
to her over thirty years of success,
to which she replied, always
have fun and never insult your
assistant or audience. That is
great advice to entertain by.
Coco kept with our theme and
followed with a ring and silk
routine. Our amazing Randy
performed what he calls the
Geometry Teachers Nightmare.
It is an effect based on a small
puzzle that he built in a stage size.
This puzzle of eight pieces has an
area that never increases, even
after a ninth and then tenth piece
are added. Mathematically impossible, but thats magic.
Rocco performed a trifecta of
effects. First he performed his
biting sensation, then a prediction
of a thought of card, and finished
up with a rock-paper-scissors
effect. Zak finished the nights
performances with a packet trick
called Poker Deal that ends with a
royal straight flush.
This was not the only Assembly
181 meeting this month, as we
have scheduled a second assembly
meeting on the fourth Thursday
of the month at Tommys Inn in
Millstone, New Jersey. At this
meeting, Robert Francis, the
Dork of Deception, lectured on
busking and street magic. One
club, two assembly meetings a
month I hope that you will visit
us one day. David Zboray
Assembly 181 of Hightstown
meets the first 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.
188
"ORIENTAL"
MAGIC
OREM, UT Our theme for

the month of May was Oriental
Magic, a reference to the type of
magic performed by the likes of
Okito and Chung Ling Soo. (No
offense is intended by the use of
the term.)
Theron Christensen started off
with Troy Hoosers Charming
Chinese Challenge, a very nice
routine in which three Chinesestyle coins penetrate through a
red ribbon. Kerry Summers then
came front and center with three
large flat black rings that each
changed to a rainbow pattern and
then back to black, with the help
of an exotic fan. He then tied four
ropes into loops, which he then
linked and unlinked in a mysterious way. He finished by performing his Chinese Whatsit
(Pom-Pom Pole) routine in which

pom-poms strung on a tube
behaved in a manner outside the
laws of physics.
Daniel Schaffer performed his
version of a single coin through
a silk handkerchief, followed by
Steve Dawsons presentation of
Deans Box.
Jason Carling vanished a small
silk handkerchief, which he caused
to reappear in a box being held by
a spectator (or what was left of the
box once it fell apart).
Ron Carrasco made a few almost-unforgivable puns related
to funerals as he showed a large
piece of paper illustrating various
caskets. As he folded the paper,
the caskets grew smaller until it
changed into a trash receptacle
(Dick Stoners A Grave Mistake).
Then, after failing to find a
selected card, he gave the shirt off
his back to find it.
Daniel next attempted to find
a card while blindfolded. Had it
have worked, it would have been
great! He made up for it later by
finding another chosen card among
three random selections. Theron
returned with a mind reading
effect using cards, finishing with
the selected card in his pocket.
Dave Magical Johnson showed
a packet of cards with objects on
them, then correctly predicted
the object selected by a spectator.
Steve Dawson
Thursday of each month at the
Courtyard
Jamestown,
3352
North 100 East in Provo, Utah.
Contact Brian South brian@
teachbymagic.com (801) 916-2442
www.utahmagicclub.org for more
details.
200
UNFINISHED MAGIC
SEATTLE, WA The Emerald

City Wizards met the evening
of April 3, 2014, to perform
effects wed been working on but
werent quite polished yet. Ben
Eskenazi and his dad, Marty,
told the Wizards about their plan
to perform magic to nursing and
retirement homes. Seeking input
from others, two rules emerged.
The first: keep it simple! Wizard
Leader, JR Russell, recounted
how, after he had performed
his best stuff, someone in the
audience said: JR, next time play
some Country-Western. Despite
the bittersweet humor, the second
rule is: these audiences are most
appreciative of magic.
With a special card deck
carried ninety miles expressly for
him, Ben Eskenazi had a Wizard
select a card and Ben immediately
predicted that very card! Ralph
Hunzinger shared a potpourri
of magical works in progress,
including Newtons Miracle, an

anti-gravity device that changes
the speed of objects passing
through it. Next were Numerology
blocks that always add up to the
same result. Lastly there was the
Vanishing Box prototype in which
roses transform into daisies.
Michael Jacobs performed a
sweet card trick in which a Queen
appeared where we least expected
it. Roger Sylwester then twisted
Michael Closes Erma la Fource
routine to spectacularly predict a
random card choice. Roger shared
how he tested this routine with
tricky student audiences in California.
Dan Kennedy displayed four
card avatars (red and black royals)
who performed a hanky-panky
soap opera based on Bro. John
Hammans Gemini Twins. Larry
Dimmit followed with a prediction card miracle, The Teacher
Knows. Jay Boiselle, a newcomer,
invited us all to shop at his Seattle
Juggling and Magic Shop.
Chris Carlyle had five Wizards
select cards and then, by five
different means, he named all the
chosen cards. Mike Battistoni,
another newcomer, introduced
himself and related his Magic
Castle experiences.
Bill Murray asked a Wizard to
cut any number of cards from a
deck and using Juan Tamarizs
Mnemonica, he predicted not only
the number of cards selected but
all their names. Mark Paulson
then told how, on the Tonight
Show, Ricky Jay had produced a
royal flush that was beyond any
rational explanation. But then,
in an instant, Mark produced the
identical royal flush; also beyond
explanation.
Terry Burlison performed the
Ninja card trick using the Elmsley
count. Following this, JR Russell
led a tutorial on this most useful
card maneuver. Rounding out the
evening, Reymarx Gereda baffled
us with a repeating, computer-like
knowledge of how many cards a
Wizard cut. Ric Ruidl
Assembly 200, The Emerald
City Wizards meet the first
Thursday of each month at 7PM
at a branch of the King County
Library, WA. Please check website
for meeting locations. Contact
Chuck Kleiner chuckkleiner@
yahoo.com (206) 236-0608 www.
emeraldcitywizards.org for more
details.
206
AUSTIN CELEBRATES
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL
MAGIC AUCTION
AUSTIN, TX The World

Famous Magic Auction its an
Austin tradition. Every year
generally around April conjurors
from throughout Texas gather

together to trade stories, perform
new tricks, and (most important)
to buy magic equipment.
The Austin magic community
organizes
the
event,
with
magicians and their spouses
meeting for weeks beforehand to
catalog and package the auction
items. Everything from the largest
stage illusions to the tiniest
gimmicks goes on sale. This years
event was held April 5, 2014.
Edward Boswell displays a

new acquisition from the
Austin magic auction
The Assemblys April meeting,
held a couple weeks later, was
also devoted to the auction but
as more of a post-operative review.
Assembly members discussed
what went well, what could be
improved, and showed off their
new acquisitions.
Auction chairwoman Trixie Bond
ran down the numbers, explaining that auction attendance was
down somewhat, with just over a
hundred buyers. But despite fewer
magicians, revenues held more
or less steady from the previous
year. Ms. Bond credited the charismatic auctioneers for much of
that success, including David Hira
and Grant Walsh from Dallas, and
Scott Wells from Houston. Several
local magicians, including Kent
Cummins and Brad Henderson,
also helped with the stage auction.
Ms. Bond also noted that a
flat-screen video monitor was a
popular addition this year. The
monitor displayed a live feed
from the stage auction, but was
set up in the separate room for the
silent auction. This allowed buyers
to watch for their favorite stage
items, while continuing to peruse
smaller close-up tricks and collectibles from the silent auction.
Ms. Bond said organizers are
considering an earlier auction date
for 2015. This is to avoid overstretching the resources of the
Austin magic community, which
will host the Texas Association of
Magicians convention in 2015.
Several members also displayed
new acquisitions during the
assembly
meeting.
Edward
Boswell performed a startling
Hot Rod effect, one in which the
Assembly News
colored stones on the bar change
multiple times. He acquired
the effect in the silent auction.
Assembly member Shelby Parsons
showed off a new card trick.
Veterans Kent Cummins and
Ron Cartlidge also displayed new
props. R.A. Dyer
Assembly 206 meets at the Omni
South Park Hotel, 4140 Governors
Row, Austin, Texas Contact Jake
Dyer jakedyer@yahoo.com (512)
658-0017 http://sam206.com/ for
more details.
215
MAY HAPPENINGS
LOUISVILLE, KY May was

an active month for the Louisville
Magic Club. The seventh annual
The Magic and the Wonder, a
show benefitting Kosair Charities
& Kids Center for Pediatric
Therapies, was held on May 18,
2014, at the Kentucky Center for
the Arts. Performing were Dan
Sperry, Aaron Radatz, Stephen
Knowles, Dinky Gowen, and
Patrick and Janice Miller.
The next evening was the
monthly meeting of the LMC.
About forty members were present
and welcomed new members
Carson Harral and Myron (Ron)
Fribush.
Then Dan Sperry taught and entertained for an hour and a half
with magic and stories from his
performances. Among the effects
that Dan taught were the production of a dove from a sketch
pad on which he had just drawn
a picture of a dove (and many
good handling tips); production of real worms from a bag of
Trolli gummy worms; a balls from
mouth routine; a borrowed bill
that shows the embedded words
made in China when held up to
a light source; a Russian- roulettewith-cookies routine in which a
razor blade has been inserted into
one of the cookies; Remember to
Floss, a routine with razor blades
and dental floss; various uses
of a can of citrus air freshener;
and tips on traveling with
live birds.
Dan has developed his own
unique style of magic and defines
himself as an anti-conjuror. He
has become well known in the
field of magic, having performed
at the Magic Castle, on the TV
hit series Masters of Illusion, on
season five of NBCs Americas
Got Talent in early 2010, in The
Worlds Greatest Magic Show for
three years in Las Vegas, and he
is the only illusionist to ever be
awarded the title of most original
magician on FOXs World Magic
Awards.
The annual LMC picnic is on
August 23; and the annual fundraiser show, Its Magic, is on Sept
12. Roger L. Omanson

Assembly 215 meets at 7:00 p.m.
on various dates, but usually the
first Tuesday of each month, at
the Kosair Community Center on
Eastern Parkway. Contact Roger
Omanson rlomanson@gmail.com
(502) 296-6577 website: www.
lmcmagic.com for more details.
263
NON-STOP
PERFORMING
BIG FLATS, NY Greetings

fellow magi; its been a while
since I posted our clubs activity.
Please accept my apologies. Our
April meeting was well attended.
We spend a half hour greeting and
filling each other in about recent
events, then, a business meeting,
hopefully brief, and then we do
what all magicians love to do.
We try to create wonder, no easy
feat when performing for other
magicians.
Club secretary, Tim Cleary
was hoping for some important
critiquing with a new effect he
acquired: The Nut Waltz, a form
of cups and balls, in which three
walnuts vanish from his hands
only to appear under an upsidedown glass covered with paper. A
few constructive criticisms were
offered and graciously accepted.
Sir James (Jim Turner) claimed to
have memorized a deck of cards;
he shuffled them and still named a
series of them rapidly. How did he
do it? A marked deck. He pattered
well and we almost swallowed it.
Grandpaw Willie was there and
showed his collection of his own
handmade horse-nail jewelry. Bob
Cobb was up next and pulled out
the four Queens had them replaced
randomly back in the deck face up
in a face-down deck, He pulled out
the Queens and the card next to it.
That card turned out to be a King
of the matching suit. Mike Stanley
performed the color changing
chips for a young visitor.
Our resident card man Ralpho
(Ralph Candelori) always delights
us with new and complex card
mysteries. If I were to describe
what happened, Id need a few
pages, but as always very entertaining. Mike Lavarnway, got us
thinking about not past recollections but the possibility of time
travel and future recall. A prediction was made or was it a note
from the future? A spectator cut
the deck and discarded half, then
repeated until one card remained
and that was written on the note.
Phil Messina was up next and masterfully executed the Three Card
Repeat. He followed that with a
packet trick called Amazing Ace.
Len Saukus pushed three colored
silks into a mesh tube only to pull
out a feather flower with those

colors on it. John Macelli entertained with the Baby Hummer
card trick just wonderful.
President Doug Welch dazzled us
with an effect made for earth day:
a trick with the message to Stop
Pollution. He then performed
one of his favorite pocket effects
called Dizzy Dominoes Outdone.
Some of the members continued
to perform even after the meeting
was officially closed. Some
magicians just cant stop performing. And thats the way we like it.
The Twin Tiers Magic Club
Assembly 263 meets the fourth
Monday of the month @ 7:00 pm
at the Hillview United Methodist
Church, Hillview Drive, Big
Flats NY. Contact Tim Cleary at
magictim04@gmail.com
266
MAGICAL MAY MISHAPS
LAKELAND, FL Jerry walked

in with his hand bandaged and
attention to detail Ed noticed
that Jerrys hand was bandaged
and his little finger seemed to be
missing. Jerry is a woodworker
and most us know of at least one
woodworker with a missing finger,
so all were in sympathy with Jerry
who didnt want to talk much
about it but just said he had lost it
working on a new magic project!
After a short business meeting
during which the meeting night
was discussed, the magic began.
Card tricks were done by all but
Jerry. Jim Zachary did one of his
famous marketed tricks and
even Beverly, (who hates card
tricks) did a card trick. We missed
Al and Elmo because Al had an
anniversary and Elmo was under
the weather.
Jerry got up to perform his latest
effect and explained that it had
gone wrong at home but he had
it working now! A volunteer was
selected to help; Jerry brought out
a guillotine finger chopper! Some
of us then started to suspect the
con Jerry had played on the group!
Jerry performed the effect flawlessly three times, on his magician
assistant, on a waitress, and on
a waiter at the IHOP. He then
removed the bandage and revealed
it was part of a macabre scam to
sell the finger guillotine. Fun was
had by all and the meeting broke
up around 9:00 p.m. If you are
close to Lakeland, FL, on meeting
night come and enjoy the macabre!
Ed McGowan
Jim Zachery Assembly 266 meets
the second Wednesday of the
month at 7pm at the Lakeland
I-Hop at Rt-98 and I-4 Contact
Al
DAlfonso
keeper0499@
embarqmail.com (321) 4373814 for
more details.
277
THE PMMC BLOWS UP!

STROUDSBURG, PA We hope
we got your attention with the
headline. The Pocono Mountains
Magic Club met again in May and
the theme of the night was Inflatable Magic. Anything that you can
blow up can be used.
First off, the Toman family introduced everyone to the newest
member of the magic club, Isaiah
James, born on May 12, 2014 to
Austin Miller and Tabby Mcarthy.
Ryne Gade played our emcee
this month; we have instituted a
new program each month we
elect a new emcee for the platform
performance part of our meeting.
This gets everyone involved, and
we get to practice our emcee skills
as well.
Ryne began the performances
with a version of Daniel Garcias
Archery in which an arrow (Ace
of Spades) is thrust into the deck
and magically changes into a previously chosen card.
Jay Kraft was up next with a
routine he put together that week.
A card was chosen, a corner torn,
and a balloon blown up. The card
was magically thrust into the
balloon. The balloon was popped,
freeing the card and the corners
matched perfectly.
Mark Mysterrio was up next and
did a version of the chosen card in
the balloon with a totally different
presentation and a totally different
method. I love the fact that our
guys have different magic backgrounds that allows for such
diversity in our performance
portion of the night.
S. Patrick and 14 day old

Isaiah James
Next was the Magic of Ricardo
who showed us his latest project.
It was an actual Zombie Balloon
complete with a place on the
balloon sculpture for the zombie
gimmick to be placed. He then
created an adult balloon sculpture
that has all of us rolling on the
floor laughing. You have to see it
to believe it!
S. Patrick was up last and
performed a routine he hasnt
performed regularly in over
Assembly News
twenty-one years. Even he was
surprised when he calculated
how old the trick actually was.
Jay Sankeys Airtight was even
performed by David Copperfield
on a TV special many years ago.
A card is chosen and signed, and
the deck shuffled. S. then showed
us some clear balloons, chose one,
and then slammed the entire deck
of cards inside the balloon. S. then
blew up the balloon and shuffled
the cards by shaking the balloon.
The balloon was squeezed and one
card was pulled through the wall
of the balloon. The card was the
original signed card.
Thanks to all our platform performers as well as our close-up
performers who kicked off our
meeting earlier. Everyone did a
great job! S. Patrick Toman
The PMMC Meets on the 3rd
Friday each month at the "Art
Space Gallery, 18 N. 7th St.
Stroudsburg PA. 18360. Contact S.
Patrick damagician@verizon.net
(570) 242-6821 www.pmmc.webs.
292
BREAKING IN A PRIVATE
MAGIC BAR
GREELEY, CO In May,
our assembly had the honor of
being the first group to enjoy a

handsome bar designed to accommodate bar magic. We met
at Danielle and Paul Noffsingers
home. The working bar stage
area had just been completed on
their lower level. The room had a
pool table and a lovely collection
of magic posters, both Hunter S.
Thompson and magic memorabilia, and shelves of magic books.
Jim Pope ran a brief business
meeting with updates on the postponement of the Magic in the
Rockies convention for 2014. We
an informative discussion of fair

rates to charge, and of justifications for donated shows.
The meeting theme was plastic,
but an option was added to perform
a five-minute bar magic routine.
Paul Noffsinger opened, explaining the finale to his Triumph cardrevelation effect. He then did a fast
card and color change (Poker Test
2.0 by Erik Casey).
We enjoyed a card-prediction routine devised by Lloyd
Worley the Wizard Worley. It
combined an Out to Lunch revelation followed
by
a
deckvanishing box.
Teagan Brown
did a great
pickpocket
routine
that
loaded a spectators
signed
coin into the
spectators own
shirt
pocket.
Rich
Nakata
presented
a
From left, Paul Noffsinger, James Lopez,
whole slew of
Bob Lopez, and Lew Wymisner
fantastic Tenyo
plastic tricks,
were sad to hear the news, but including a splendid Tenyo soft
hope this break can bring it back coin routine. He concluded with
bigger and better in the future. We some self-working mathematical
welcomed a guest, Bob Lopez. The card effects.
Show Reports section included
Taking advantage of the assem-
blys resources, Jim Pope asked

for help in developing false cuts
to be done both on the table and
in the hands. Lew The Great
Loudini Wymisner presented his
collection of many different variations on plastic and other Color
Vision boxes, including a blind
electronic version. He explained a
basic move by Ed Marlo that made
the peek seamless and fluid.
The Amazing James Lopez
performed a bar routine including
Paul Vigils Sympathy (for the
Devil) Cards, and Charlie Millers
Dunbury Delusion card effect, an
all-time favorite that has spawned
some twenty published variants
and alternatives. He closed with a
J. B. Bobo routine involving four
coins in a glass, two in the hand,
and one in the pocket. The helpful
take-away was to slow down and
really engage the audience.
It was a delightful meeting, with
lots of magic in a classy venue.
James Lopez
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 Jim Pope jlp1616@
comcast.net
(970)
339-3277
www.SAM292.com for more
details.
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
Daniel Cudennec
Dany Trick
225, Stang-ar-Veildan-Traon, Mellac-29300,
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New Members & Reinstatements

The following applications and reinstatements for Associate Memberships and Assembly Memberships have been received. For good cause shown, in
accordance with Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution of the Society of American Magicians, any member in good standing may object to the
acceptance of any new Associate Member (Assembly Memberships have already been approved by the Assembly to which they will be affiliated).
Any objection should be directed to the National Administrator.
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Broken Wands
MICHAEL E. ABSTON
(JULY 23, 1954 APRIL 24, 2014)
Michael Edward Abston

was born in the small town
of Rockwood, Tennessee.
He received a Bachelor of
Music degree from Middle
Tennessee State and began
work as a band director. He
was in that position when
he encountered the uglier
side of the job politics and
bureaucracy. Thankfully for
the rest of the world, he
left his trumpet and students behind and started work in
an unlikely place RipleysBelieve it or Not!
Mikes first and only wife, Marion, supported his
vocational change, so he started work at the Ripleys
attraction, which had a magic shop attached to it in
Gatlinburg, Tennessee. He worked there and was trained
by famed demonstrator Ron Conley. In no time, he
excelled as a magic demonstrator, even demonstrating and
selling tricks to a young boy named Lance Burton.
Mike owned his own magic shop in Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina, and continued to do shows on the side.
Soon enough, he and Marion had his only son Travis, who
Mike often said was his only true magic.
Marion travelled as her husbands assistant as they
did shows in malls, festivals, and flea markets. He was a
founding member of I.B.M. Ring 234, the Charles Towne
Mystics in Charleston.
Mike found a home for twenty-five years at Ken
Fletchers Magic Masters stores. He worked in nearly
every store in that chain, from Washington, D.C. and
Chicago, Illinois, to Underground Atlanta, Georgia, and
the Jax Brewery in New Orleans. He worked in the Virgin
Islands at St. Thomas and even briefly in Hawaii. He spent
his longest time in the Las Vegas location at the Caesars
Palace Forum Shoppes.
Magic Masters, like Mike, is no longer with us; when
the last shop closed, Mike briefly worked in the Caesars
Magical Empire shop until that attraction was closed as
well. He then worked for a while at the Las Vegas pro
shop The Magic Emporium until it was sold to Denny and
Lee. Mike went to work next for Perry Maynards Las
Vegas Magic shops, becoming a regular fixture in both the
Stratosphere and Riviera stores until his untimely passing.
To say he will be missed is an understatement; he will
never be forgotten by those he left behind. Mike Abston is
survived by his son Travis, his ex-wife Marion, his brother
Jeff, and his sister Susan. Kevin Martin
ROBERT BLUEMLE
Robert L. Bob Bluemle,80,

retired attorney and magician,
died Thursday, May 8, 2014,
surrounded by family in Williston,
Vermont. The son of Orville
Wesley Bluemle, newspaper
editor, and Marguerite Fadely,
court clerk, organist and pianist,
Bob spent his youth in Anderson,
Indiana, and Phoenix, Arizona. He
earned his bachelors degree and
MBA at Indiana University, where he served as Student
Body President and was voted outstanding graduating
senior in 1955. He received his Juris Doctor from the
University of Michigan Law School in 1959.
In 1960, Bob moved back to Phoenix with his wife,
actress Sarah Jane Miller, where he launched a long and
successful career in securities and tax law and raised
two daughters, Tiffany and Elizabeth. Known for his
lightning-fast wit, mischievous sense of humor, and dashing
sartorial style, Bobs greatest passions were magic, travel,
photography, writing, and family.
At the age of ten, Bob discovered Bert Easleys Magic
Shop, and a young magician was born. Known to fellow
performers as Dr. Juris and to children as Magic Uncle
Bob, Bob specialized in close-up magic and mentalism.
He was an active member and officer of the International
Brotherhood of Magicians, The Society of American
Magicians, and Ring 55 in Phoenix, and was a regular
contributor to magic periodicals, including the Linking Ring
and M-U-M. He also wrote film reviews and articles on
travel, as well as an unpublished biography of European
magician Dr. Stanley Jaks. Bobs college stint as emcee of a
USO show sparked his love of travel that included visits to
over a hundred countries.
In 2001, Bob moved from Phoenix to Burlington,
Vermont, to be closer to his family. He was predeceased
by his daughters mother, Sarah Jane Miller, and his second
wife, Carol Bidstrup. Bobs family is grateful to the amazing
Dr. Karen Sokol and to his many wonderful caregivers at
Shelburne Bay, particularly his trusted friend and caregiver
Elizabeth Wathugi, and the Vermont Respite House for
their caring support of Bob in his final years and days.
WILLIAM EDWARD RYDER ALEXANDER SR.
William Alexander of Louisville, Kentucky, died May

12, 2014, at age seventy-nine. He served four years in the
US Army before working as a US Air Force physicist and
aerospace engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in
Broken Wands
Ohio for over thirty years.
He was a Life Member
of the S.A.M., a member of
the I.B.M., and a member of
the Louisville Magic Club,
serving as its Sergeantof-Arms. Bill Alexander
began magic as a hobby in
junior high school; by the
eleventh grade his magic
performances had become
semi-professional. At age
nineteen, Bill privately performed for Louisvilles Don
Redmon, an internationally famed magician. As a result,
Don sponsored Bills membership into the I.B.M. During
his college years, he continued to perform at nightclubs
and in hotel bar rooms, as well as hospitals, schools,
colleges, churches, and in private homes.
When Bill retired in 1990, he was averaging over one
hundred magic shows per year. He performed in many
locations, including the states of Ohio and Kentucky, Belize,
South America, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Survivors include
his wife, Mary, and children Noreda Denise, William
Edward, Jr., Norman Douglas, and Ivanora Odessa.
RONALD RONNIE RECKSEIT
(NOVEMBER 17, 1931 MAY 22, 2014)
Ronnie Reckseit belonged to S.A.M. for more than fiftyseven years; during that time he was a valuable member of
both PA 1 in New York and Assembly 274 in Florida. He
always participated in after-meeting shows and was ready
to emcee when needed.

In school he was always the
class clown. Ron grew up in New
York and worked as a salesman
for his father before going into
the service during the Korean
War. While stationed in Japan for
two years as a staff sergeant, he
donned his red velvet jacket and
along with two other magicians
performed for our servicemen.
He was awarded several
commendations for his work.
Once back at home, Ron went into show business,
working cruise ships for the Royal Caribbean Line and
Carnival lines, where he met his wife Jackie. They had
three children. Reckseit did a funny comedy magic act with
the accent on laughs. He had a few signature effects such
as a Tissel-Tassle Chinese Sticks routine, and a comedy
rope escape. He also added humorous mental effects to
his repertoire.
Ronnie established a business in St. Thomas in the Virgin
Islands, renting mopeds and cars to cruise ship tourists
visiting the island. After several years, the Reckseits came
home and lived both in Florida and New York. Ron loved
to play golf and won tournaments both in Westchester
and in Boca Raton. Until illness took him in April, he was
still making people laugh at retirement homes on the East
Coast. Well miss his jokes and stories, but he can always
be seen on YouTube. A broken wand ceremony was
performed by Dean George Schindler at his funeral May
25, 2014.
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MAGIC FROM A MEMBER

A CUT ABOVE THE PROFESSORS
NIGHTMARE
BY MITCH GEIER - ASSEMBLY 81
Effect: Im sure most of you know Bob Carvers classic trick

The Professors Nightmare. Here is a routine that starts from
a single length of rope on a spool. The spectator assists you
in cutting three ropes of equal length. You then change them
in to three ropes of different lengths, which can be examined.
You then change the unequal ropes into three ropes of equal
lengths, then back to three of different lengths, and back again
to three ropes of equal length. You end with three equal ropes
that the spectator can examine and take home.
Method: During this explanation, I will add the patter that
is necessary to explain the effect and misdirect the audience.
You will need to add additional patter to make this effect your
own. I will also explain this effect as it is done by a right-handed person. I will assume that you already know the moves for
the standard Professors Nightmare routine.
Start with a rope that the spectators can examine and prove
to be solid. The rope may even be cut directly from a spool of
rope. The length of rope you start with should be equal to the
distance from fingertip to fingertip of your outstretched arms. I
do a rope escape before this routine and I use the rope for that
escape. This avoids the necessity of having the ropes examined
and gives credibility to the strength of the rope.
Do the standard cut and restored move (Photo 1), creating
a loop on the bottom and a loop on the top. Ask a spectator to
cut those loops and one final cut to get rid of any extra length
left (Photo 2), which creates three equal strands of rope (or so
they appear). You have created, by using the cut and restored
move, the Professors Nightmare gimmick right in front of the
audience and with the spectators help.
From this position,

take the medium rope
with your opposite
hand (probably your
right hand) and show it
to the audience as you
say, Ill take this rope
and roll it up in my
hand. This will give
you misdirection for
dropping (from the top
Photo 3
of your hand to the
bottom of your hand)
one end of the short
rope in your left hand
(Photo 4). No one will
notice this, if properly executed. With your right hand, start
folding up the medium-length rope into your left hand, with
both ends eventually coming out of the top of your left hand.
You are holding this bundle in a way that shows three ropes,
with three ends on top and three ends hanging down. The
reality is that you have coiled the medium rope into your hand
and both of its ends are on top. The short rope, because you
moved its end, now runs straight through the hand; the long
rope is looped, with both ends coming out of the bottom of
your hand. This looks correct to the spectator because he sees
the proper number of ends above and below your hand.
Photo 4
Photo 1
Photo 2
[Note: Slydini published the idea of starting with a long

piece of rope and apparently cutting it into three equal lengths
in his book Slydini Encores (Long and Short of It, pages 85-89).]
At this point, a small rope is looped around the long rope
(Photo 3); in their looped condition they equal the length of the
medium-length rope. You can now do the standard Professors
Nightmare count, first counting a single rope as one, then
taking the looped ropes and leaving the single one as you count
two. You then recount the single rope as three.
This creates the illusion of a short rope and two long ropes.
Now prove that you have a short rope by slightly pulling the
lower end of the short rope down by an inch or so. Do not
remove the short rope from your left hand just yet. As you pull
the short end, notice which top end moves downward. Now
pull up that short rope an inch or so by its top end; you can now
freely move the short rope up and down in your hand. This is
just an illusion, you say as you pretend to roll the short rope
down into your hand with your thumb while pulling it from the
bottom with your other hand. This is just acting, because the
short rope is the short rope (free and clear); you are not really
rolling it up with your thumb at all. You may now remove the
short rope from the top of your hand and give it to the spectator
as you say, This really is a short rope. The spectator will be
shocked to see that one of the three equal pieces is now a short
rope.
At this point, you have a coiled up medium rope with both
ends coming out the top of your hand and a long rope folded
in half with both ends coming out the bottom of your hand.
As you patter, your upcoming actions follow exactly what you

say. Ill take this end from the bottom (a long rope end) and
place it on the top. Ill take an end from the top (a medium rope
end) and place it to the bottom. This creates the illusion of a
long rope and a short rope. To prove this to the spectator, you
now pull one end of the long rope and move it back and forth
through your hand. Remove the long rope from your hand and
give it to the spectator while commenting about the length of
the rope. The spectators attention on the long rope provides
the perfect misdirection to release the medium rope (which was
coiled in your hand), allowing it to uncoil to its full length.
Turn your attention to this rope and say, And this one falls
somewhere in the middle, as you hand him the medium rope.
The ropes that are left in the spectators hands can be
examined (and they should be examined) because they are
ungimmicked and ready to be used in a standard Professors
Nightmare routine. Im not going to explain the details of the
Professors Nightmare routine here, because it is so well known
and documented.
From here, go into your standard Professors Nightmare
routine; when you get to the point of lining up the ends (just
before you stretch the three unequal ropes to become equal
lengths) you will want to introduce a ploy that sets the spectator
up for the conclusion of this routine. During the routine you
act very fastidious and concerned about the frayed ends of the
ropes (thanks to Ice McDonald for the frayed idea). Cut some
small pieces off the ends (whether they are frayed or not). This
concern and trimming of the ends will add to the illusion at the
conclusion of the effect.
Complete the Professors Nightmare routine by pulling the
ropes into equal lengths and immediately transforming them
back into a short rope, a medium rope, and a long rope. Again,
the spectator has three ungimmicked ropes in his hands to
examine.
Start the finale of this effect by asking for the short rope,
the long rope, and medium rope. You will now do the slow
stretching part of the standard routine. Create the Professors
Nightmare loop, wrapping the short rope around the long rope.
Stop yourself and reverse your steps by saying, Remember
how I took the ends of the rope and matched them up before?
Im not going to do that now, as you bring down the top end of
the long rope. This is a deceit, because you brought up the short
rope to create the Professors Nightmare loop but you reverse
yourself by dropping down the end of the long rope (Photo 5).
The hidden loop that was created still remains.
Now you are in a perfect position to do a visual stretch of
the ropes by pulling on the three bottom ends. However, before
doing the stretch, you must continue that fastidious ploy of
always cutting off the frayed ends. Gather up the three lower
rope ends into your right hand with the three upper rope ends
that are already in your left hand (Photo 6). Your hands are
very close together at this point and your hands are pointing
towards the spectator. Have the spectator snip off some of the
frayed ends before you stretch the ropes to equal length.
From here do the standard Professors Nightmare count
and keep up the ruse by trimming the ends again. This time,
because you have the standard loop of short rope holding a long
rope, you must cut that loop (Photo 7) while trimming the ends.
It is very easy to do and a standard move that is often used in
cut and restored rope effects. When the loops are cut (and there
are actually two loops to cut through) and the short pieces are
trimmed away and discarded, the spectator can be left with
Photo 5
Photo 6
Photo 7
three ropes, which are ungimmicked and of equal length. This

is a great way to end the Professors Nightmare routine.
Remember, when doing this routine, keep up the ploy of
concern over the frayed ends. Each time that you stop to trim
a little bit off the ends, it justifies the final clean up where the
evidence is destroyed. You should also practice the false count
that is used with every Professors Nightmare routine. It is the
believability of that count that makes the Professors Nightmare
such a strong effect.
The cutting of the frays and the final cut are all ideas that
I recently added to this routine. In the 1970s, at a bar during
break time at a magic convention, Jose De La Torre, Doug
Keller, and I were discussing some improvements to the Professors Nightmare routine. From this discussion, the idea of
doing the Professors Nightmare routine in reverse was created.
This effect is in reverse, because this routine starts with ropes
of the same length (and least from the spectator view), not from
the typical different three lengths that magicians usually start
from. Jose described some of his ideas in his book, Magic of
Havana.
Stage 101 Pr acticum

By Levent
CHARLIE MILLER AND
THE PENCIL
LEVENTS MAGIC
WALLET TRICK
This month I will explain a routine
that has been in my working stage magic
repertoire for long time. It was previously
explained a few years ago in the German
language periodical Magische Welt.
The text below has been greatly revised,
expanded, and is in English. Before I go
into the trick, I would first like to offer a
few thoughts.
THE PLAYS
THE THING
In Shakespeares Hamlet, a ghost
visits Prince Hamlet and tells him that his
uncle, King Claudius, in order to ascend
to the Danish throne, has secretly killed
his father (the former King) by pouring
poison in his ear. Hamlet then conceives
of a clever scheme to confirm if this act
of regicide is true. His plan is to present
a theatrical play with his uncle in attendance. In the play, the character of a king
will be killed by having poison poured into
his ear. By observing his uncles reaction
to that scene, Hamlet hopes to determine
if his father was indeed murdered by his
uncle. Thus in Act 2, Scene 2 of Hamlet,
the young prince utters: the plays the
thing/Wherein Ill catch the conscience of
the King. I bring this up, because the the
plays the thing is something that often
comes to my mind as I work on new magic
routines. However it would more appropriately be phrased as follows: the plays the
thing/Wherein Ill hold the attention of the
crowd.
Please note that when I use the above
word play, I am really talking about
the plot of a trick, or what is typically
referred to as the routine. To me, the
routine describes what happens in terms of
drama, comedy, and the things that directly
connect with the audience. The effect
of a trick describes what transpires in a
magical sense. So in my personal nomenclature, the effect is what mystifies and the
routine is what entertains.
Take for example the late, great Charlie

Miller, who used to do a delightful routine
on stage with a prop called the Royal
Rising Pencil. Manufactured by the long
defunct Petrie Lewis magic company, the
rising pencil prop consisted of two parts:
a wooden pencil with a small brass cap
permanently attached to one end and a
gimmick consisting of a duplicate brass
cap. This cap gimmick could be secretly
placed over the cap that is on the end of
the pencil. Soldered on the top of the
gimmicked cap was a pair of very short
needle points that ran parallel to the top of
the pencil.
In performance, the magician secretly
palmed the gimmick and passed out the
pencil for examination. The conjurer then
retrieved the pencil and secretly added the
gimmicked cap onto the end of the pencil.
The right hand was held palm upward in
a cupped position. The left hand placed
the cap side of the pencil against the
fleshy area of the palm, near the base of
the thumb. The needle points were then
slightly embedded into that fleshy area.
The pencil was then laid down against
the flattened palm, while the needles were
oriented with the points up towards the sky
and hooked into the loose skin. Then, as
the pencil rested flat against the upturned
palm, the right thumb moved outward and
downward, which caused the skin on the
palm to become taut, which in turn made
the end of the pencil (opposite the cap) rise
upward.
I dont know the exact origin of the
rising pencil trick, which was called The
Obedient Pencil in the nineteenth century.
But when I was a kid I used to see a cheap
version of it in magic shops; it was made
by sticking a bent pin into a pencil eraser
and gluing it into place. I dont see them
in magic shops anymore, but today they
sell a version of it with a voodoo doll
that is based on a trick called the Hindu
Talisman, which is from the 1921 book
Quality Magic by Okito. You occasionally
see other tricks that utilize the pin-on-thepalm principle. As far as I can tell, the P&L
Royal Rising Pencil was the best one ever
made for two reasons. First, the removable
cap gimmick allowed for the examination
of the pencil. Second, most of the P&L
pencils had two needle points instead of

one, which made the attachment to the
hand more stable and secure. Sadly, the
one that I have in my collection has only
one needle point, but overall the construction quality is first class. For the record,
the magician who invented the removable
cap gimmick for the pencil trick was the
vaudeville magician Nate Leipzig. He had
shown it to the New England magic dealer
Henry Hardin, who subsequently put it on
the market without Leipzigs consent.
Getting back to Charlie Miller and the
Rising Pencil, the basic effect is that he
placed a pencil on the palm of his hand and
made one end of it rise upward. That description alone makes it hard to believe
that this could be an appropriate trick for
the stage, let alone something that is entertaining. But as the saying goes the plays
the thing. In the hands of a master like
Charlie Miller, the Royal Rising Pencil
was quite a delightful routine.
Close-up of Rising Pencil gimmick
At the beginning of the trick, Miller

invited two ladies onto the stage, with one
standing on either side of him. He then let
them examine the pencil while he secretly
palmed the cap gimmick. He retrieved the
pencil, secretly attached the gimmick to
it, and placed the pencil above his ear, so
that it remained in view while keeping his
hands unencumbered. Miller reached into
his coat and retrieved an imaginary spool
of invisible thread. Using pantomime,
he pretended to unroll a lengthy piece
of thread and gave each woman an end
to hold. While getting the volunteers to
hold the ends of the imaginary thread, he
would give them comic directions such as,
Please stand with your feet together, back
leg straight, front knee slightly bent. Ultimately, Miller directed the two spectators
to hold the taut invisible thread in front
of him, parallel to the floor. The pencil was
removed from behind his ear and the needle
points were secretly engaged into the palm
of his left hand. Miller then pretended to

hook the invisible thread under the end of
the pencil and by making the pencil rise as
he lowered his hand, he created the illusion
that a thread was making the pencil stand
erect. There are more clever touches to this
four-minute-long routine; if you are interested in learning about it, you can see it on
The Greater Magic Video Library Volume
18 DVD.
The point in mentioning Charlie Miller
and the P&L Royal Rising Pencil is that
the engine that makes a trick entertaining is the routine, provided, of course,
that the performer has the talent to deliver
the goods. In the case of this trick, the
entertainment is derived from Charlie
making two spectators go through all
sorts of obviously silly procedures with an
imaginary thread. And the mystery comes
from the fact that a pencil is reacting to a
nonexistent thread, thus defying gravity.
Take, for instance, the routine known
as Slydinis Flight of the Paper Balls. The
basic trick is that a magician repeatedly
makes paper balls disappear by secretly
throwing them over a spectators head. At
its core, it is a small close-up trick, intended
to fool one person. But when Slydini did it
by seating a lone spectator on a stage and
having the rest of the audience see the ball
fly over the befuddled volunteer, it became
enormously entertaining and easily visible
to a large audience. In a subtle way,
the mystery comes from the audiences
amazement that the volunteer is actually
fooled by such a seemingly simple trick.
I have witnessed many such examples
of magicians taking simple tricks and
magnifying their entertainment value by
the application of a clever routine. Sadly,
I have also seen the opposite, whereby
a great trick is subsumed and weighed
down by an ill-considered routine that was
devoid of entertainment.
STUDYING PLOTS
Being a professional magician, I find
that I am constantly on the lookout for
new routines to develop and include in my
show. For me, the best source for research
is old magic books. The best tip that I can
offer when reading the old books is that
sometimes the method of the trick is not
as important as the plot. So I often search
for a new kind of plot that I dont currently
have in my working repertoire.
One classic magic plot that appears
in the literature is a routine in which a
magician borrows a valuable object from
a spectator (such as a finger ring, a pocket
watch, or money) and makes the item
disappear. After a bit of byplay, the object

reappears and is returned to the spectator.
I think that one of the appeals of such a
routine comes from a form of schadenfreude in which the audience enjoys the
volunteers (temporary) misfortune. I say
this because even today my eighty-sevenyear-old mother still laughingly recalls
the distress of a volunteer during a magic
show she saw as a young girl in Crimea
during the Soviet era. As she recalled,
the magician borrowed a watch from a
spectator and the audience roared with
laughter when the magician destroyed the
mans watch with a hammer. The volunteer
was extremely upset until the fully restored
watch reappeared in a loaf of bread. Incidentally the watch to loaf of bread trick
appears in the 1876 book Modern Magic by
Professor Hoffmann. Among comedians,
there is a saying that comedy is tragedy
plus time. In terms of comedy magic, I
would posit that tragedy is comedy, when
the tragedy is not happening to you. This
type of routine is a good example of this.
In the middle of the 1980s I began to
perform at comedy clubs and wanted to
do a routine in which I borrowed money
and made it disappear and reappear. At
that time many professional magicians
were performing the Burnt Bill into Wallet
routine that was made famous by the
British magician Terry Seabrooke (19322011); I did not want to do the same routine
as others. Also in 1987, I saw the David
Mamet film House of Games in which
they had an unusual definition of a con
man. In that film a con or confidence
man was called that because he first gave
his confidence to the victim, before he
gained her confidence and cheated her. In
other words, the con man gives his trust,
or gives something of value to the victim
as a ruse to show that he is trustworthy.
Then the victim trusts the con man, who
later swindles her. I dont know if this is
how it works in the real world, but I was
fascinated by the psychology of this ruse
from the Mamet film; it was the main inspiration for the following routine.
Unlike the other classic money routines,
this is not a transposition effect. Instead
it is a routine that makes the audience
think that I am a fast-talking con man
who is trying to swindle a spectator out
of his money. In the past ten years I often
followed my Magic Wallet Trick with the
Misers Dream routine, which had some
pickpocketing in it.
This routine is easy to do; it requires
a specially modified Himber wallet, which
I will explain in due course. You need to
force a card and you must also know how
to perform Mike Kozlowskis 100 Dollar

Bill Switch, a standard move that allows
you to switch one folded-up bank note
for another with a thumb tip. Finally, in
my lectures I often tell magicians that
laughter is the best misdirection. This
means that when you have to do a secret
move, you can often cover the move by
telling a joke, because the spectators are
distracted while they are laughing. As you
will see, I use this laughter misdirection
technique twice in this routine.
Effect: The magician holds a pack of
cards; he approaches a female spectator
in the front row and asks her to select a
card. He tells her to hold the card for a few
minutes and says that he will return to her
later to finish the magic trick.
The magician discards the rest of
the deck and picks up a leather wallet,
showing it to be empty. He finds a man
in the audience and asks to borrow a onedollar bill. The magician places the dollar
bill into the wallet and closes it. He asks
the woman who is holding the chosen
card to breathe on the wallet. The wallet
is opened and the dollar bill has magically
doubled into two dollar bills. The magician
goes to the man in the audience and gives
him both dollar bills, telling him to keep
the money. The magician then says that
he would like to repeat the trick, but
with a bill of a higher denomination. The
magician borrows a twenty-dollar bill from
the same man who had originally lent the
dollar bill and places the twenty-dollar bill
into the wallet. The magician then goes to
the woman (who is still holding the previously selected card) and asks her to again
breathe on the wallet. When the magician
opens the wallet, it is seen that the twentydollar bill has changed into a playing card.
The card is removed from the wallet and
shown to match the card the woman had
been holding. The magician takes a bow
and acts as if the trick is over. He humorously ignores the man in the audience
who has now lost his twenty-dollar bill.
Finally, the magician takes back one of the
dollar bills that the man in the audience
had received earlier in the routine. The
magician magically transforms the dollar
bill into a twenty-dollar bill and returns it
to the man, thus completing the trick.
Preparation: You need several thumb
tips, several bills of various denominations, a Himber wallet, a deck of cards,
and one duplicate card that matches the
card that will be forced.
A Himber wallet is a wallet that has
two compartments, allowing you to switch
one item for another. In my routine, I
need to make the wallet change one item
Stage 101 Pr acticum
Levent wallet modiification
to another, twice. To make a two-way

wallet into a three-way wallet, you need to
modify that wallet by cutting away some
of the leather so that the leather flap is only
big enough to cover a single playing card.
Before the show you put a duplicate of the
force card under the flap and push it down
so that the card is completely hidden by
the leather flap. Two one-dollar bills are
placed on top of the card.
In your prop case, out of view from the
audience, is a series of thumb tips. The
thumb tips are held against the wall of the
case with thick elastic. Folded up in each
thumb tip is a bank note of a different denomination, such as a five-, ten-, twenty-,
fifty-, and one-hundred-dollar bill. I also
suggest that you have an empty thumb tip
attached to the case as well. Written inside
the floor of the prop case are the numbers
5, 10, 20, etc. so that you can instantly
know which bank note is in each tip. Also
keep a toy cap gun inside your case.
Thumbtip arrangement inside case
Routine: Pick up a deck of cards,

approach a woman in the audience,
and say, Madam I would like you to
select a card. Using any method you
choose, force the card that matches the
one that you loaded into your Himber
wallet. Let us say that you have forced
the Four of Clubs. After she selects the
force card, say, Please look at your
card and memorize it. Dont show
your card to anyone else; just hold the
card until I return to you, three hours
from now.
Discard the pack of cards, pick up the
Himber wallet, and address the audience
saying, Ladies and gentlemen, I would
like to present to you my favorite magic
trick in the whole world the Magic Wallet
Trick. Open the wallet so the audience
sees the empty compartment. (Note: The
other compartment secretly holds the
playing card and two bank notes.)
Find a man in the audience who is at
least fifteen feet away from the woman
with the card and say to him, You sir,
please lend me a one-dollar bill for a
moment. Dont worry about a thing; I
guarantee that you might get your money
back.
Take his dollar bill, walk away from
him, and move near the woman holding
the card. When you are a little distance
from him, talk to the man who lent you the
money and say, Sir, it is very important to
notice that at no point during this trick do
I switch your dollar bill for a different bill.
So please take the time now to memorize
the serial number of the bill. (Of course,
from fifteen feet away, he will find it impossible to see the numbers on the bill.)
Visibly place his dollar bill part of the
way under the leather flap of the wallet,
so that exactly half of his bill is hidden
under the flap. Show the audience that his
dollar bill is still inside the wallet. Close
the wallet and go to the woman who is still
holding the force card and say, Madam,
please breathe on the magic wallet. After
she breathes on the wallet, open it up so
that the other compartment is revealed,

saying, Because of this ladys magic
breath, this mans dollar bill has doubled
to two one-dollar bills!
In full view of the audience, slip out
the two one-dollar bills from the wallet,
making sure that you do not disturb the
playing card hidden under the flap. As the
audience applauds because of the transformation, walk over to the man who lent you
the money and say, Here sir, this money is
for you; please keep it. Hand him the two
bills with your right hand while your left
hand holds the open Himber wallet close to
your chest. The wallet should be sideways,
with the open side of the wallet facing your
body and the leather flaps uppermost.
Now comes an important part of the
trick; you must adjust the card and note
in the wallet without the audience being
aware. This requires misdirection that is
created by laughter. Right after you gave
the man the two one-dollar bills, bring
your right hand up to the wallet. Using
the right thumb, secretly slip out the card
hidden under the leather flap by about
one and a half inches, so that the card is
sticking out a bit, but still held in place by
the leather flap. (This sequence is shown in
the photos below.)
Say to the man, Lets do this trick
again, but this time, lend me a hundreddollar bill. This line always gets a big
laugh. At the moment the audience laughs
at the fact that you are asking for a great
amount of money, close the Himber wallet
and reopen it against your chest so that
the other compartment is now open and
facing you. This is the compartment with
the mans original dollar bill sticking out
from under the leather flap.Use your right
thumb to push the note completely under
the leather flap so that it is hidden, after
which you can turn the wallet around and
handle it freely so that the audience thinks
the wallet is empty. The key is that the
big move happens when the people laugh;
you should never look at your hands or the
wallet when the move is executed.
Now you must get the higher denomination bill from the man. Say, Sir, it
doesnt have to be a hundred-dollar bill;
as long as it is bigger than a dollar bill, it
will be perfect. Get the money from the
man. Lets assume that the man gives you
a twenty-dollar bill, say, Thank you, sir.
Watch as I place your twenty-dollar bill
inside the magic wallet. Quickly fold the
mans twenty-dollar bill into quarters and
place it under the leather flap, making sure
not to expose the crumpled one-dollar bill
hidden under the flap.
Display the twenty-dollar bill in the
wallet to the entire audience and walk over
to the woman who has been holding the
force card this entire time. Show her the
twenty-dollar bill in the wallet and close
the wallet, saying to her, Madam, please
breathe on the wallet. After she does
so, open the wallet so the other compartment that contains the card is exposed and
say to the entire audience, Ladies and
gentleman, this a miracle; that mans twenty-dollar bill has magically transformed
into the Four of Clubs. Visibly remove
the Four of Clubs and say to the woman,
Madam what card did you select? She
says, The Four of Clubs! Take her card
and show the audience that both cards are
the same, saying, Ladies and gentleman,
the cards match!
Take a deep bow as if the entire trick has
been completed and have a happy smile on
your face, knowing that you have swindled
the man in the audience out of his twentydollar bill! Of course, since you previously
doubled his one-dollar bill, your actual
profit here is really nineteen dollars. But
make no mention of this, because it is not
important to the audience; they just know
that the poor victims twenty-dollar bill
has changed to the chosen card.
Calmly walk over to your prop case,
saying, Okay ladies and gentlemen, it
is time to move on to a different magic
trick. This will get a big laugh because
the full audience will believe the man will
never get his money back. As the audience
laughs, drop the cards and wallet into your

prop case and attach the thumb tip containing the folded-up twenty-dollar bill
onto your right thumb. (Obviously, if you
had borrowed a fifty-dollar bill, you would
have put the thumb tip containing the fiftydollar bill on your thumb.)
Once the thumb tip is securely on the
right thumb, pick up the toy gun in the left
hand, but dont let the audience see that
you have a gun. Say, There is only one
problem with this trick. Quickly aim the
gun at the man who lent you the money
and shoot at him once as you say, Now
the problem is solved.
Drop the toy gun into your case, walk
close to the man, and say, Ladies and
gentlemen, I would like to present to you
my favorite magic trick in the whole world,
the Dj Vu Mystery. For the Dj Vu
Mystery, I would like to borrow a twentydollar bill. Stand next to the man, look
at his face, and say, You sir, please lend
me a twenty-dollar bill! This line will
get a certain laugh because the rest of the
audience knows that the poor man will get
swindled again.
Say to the man, All I really need is one
of the dollar bills that I doubled earlier
tonight. Take from him one of the dollar
bills that you gave him a few minutes ago.
At this point you have two ways to
end the routine. If you are doing this trick
before a small audience, do the following:
Take the one-dollar bill and say, Dont
worry sir, all your problems will be solved
by magic, as you fold up the one-dollar
bill and switch it for the twenty-dollar bill
that is in your thumb tip. Once the audience
realizes that the dollar bill has transformed
into a twenty, they will begin to applaud,
at which time you turn to the woman and
say, Madam, I would like to return to you,
the twenty-dollar bill that you had lent
me. Once the audience laughs, give the
man back his twenty-dollar bill and say,
Ladies and Gentlemen could we please
have some applause for our volunteers.
Take a bow.
STAGE LOGIC
When I do shows in a large theater, I
end the routine a bit differently, the reason
being that a dollar bill is similar in appearance to the other US denominations. The
transformation of the bill cannot be seen
unless I do the trick close up or for video
cameras and projectors, and I dont like to
use video screens. The theaters that I work
usually hold between 1,000 and 1,300
seats, so I found a way to do the trick that
will seem very strange, but I swear it absolutely works.
I take the money from the man and I
tear the bill in half. As I do so I say, Sir,
dont worry. I did not tear your money in
half; this is only an optical illusion caused
by psychotropic drugs. This illusion is
caused by the fact that I make the tearing
sound with my mouth. I bring the money
near the microphone and tear it again
while moving my mouth as if I am making
a sound effect. As the audience laughs at
the ridiculousness of my lame attempt at
making them believe that the tearing is an
illusion, I quickly fold up the pieces and
switch the dollar bill for the twenty-dollar
bill. While I unfold the twenty, I say, This
mans torn one-dollar bill has restored
into a twenty-dollar bill. The audience
applauds the restoration of the bill while I
return it to the spectator.
As a thinking magician, I know that it is
illogical for a torn one-dollar bill to restore
into a twenty-dollar bill. But for the people
in the large theater, the visual image of
four pieces of a one-dollar bill transforming into a solid twenty-dollar bill is strong
enough to overcome the fact that it makes
no sense. In my many years of performing,
I have learned that in the theater the artist
creates the situation to such a great extent
that the audience is happy to relinquish all
control of reality or logic to the performer.
In fact, this is the real reason why people
believe in the ghost in Hamlet, and it is the
real reason why people love to attend the
theater.
2014 Levent Cimkentli
Par anormal happenings

By Charles Siebert, MD
ANIMAL PSYCHICS
We are going to go a little off topic this
month and discuss the realm of animal
psychics. No I am not talking about the
kind who claims to be able to communicate with your long lost pet, or connect
with an animals soul through reiki or therapeutic touch. This month we are going
to talk about the animals themselves who
have the psychic abilities. Right now (or
maybe it is over, depending on when you
are reading this) is the sporting event that
people all over the world go crazy for the
World Cup. For those mostly Americans
who dont know what I am talking about,
the World Cup is a month long soccer
tournament held every four years to
determine which country has the best
team in a thirty-two-team field whittled
down over the previous four years from
204 teams; over seven hundred million
people worldwide watch the final game.
Now back to the crazy part. Worldwide,
animals are being used to predict the
winner of sporting events and even the
weather on Groundhog Day. The most
famous of these psychic predictors has
to be Paul the Octopus, who predicted
Germanys seven out of eight wins as
well as Spains win in the final game of
the 2010 World Cup.
Paul was a common octopus hatched in
2008 at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth,
England; he was moved shortly thereafter
to a tank at the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany. He quickly became a
visitor favorite with his inquisitiveness
with the patrons. His method of divination was a two-box method; both boxes
contained a mussel or an oyster, a favorite
food. Each box was decorated, either with
the flag of Germany or whatever country
they were playing against in the match to
be predicted. Whichever box Paul opened
was his prediction.
While it is certainly possible that it
was just luck that he picked Germany
most of the time, there are other more
plausible theories. Other experts propose
that chance alone is not the only possible
explanation for Pauls choices. He could
be choosing boxes systematically if not

on the basis of football expertise, perhaps
on his evaluation of the countries flags.
Pauls species (Octopus vulgaris) is almost
certainly color blind, but they can distinguish brightness, size, shape, and orientation. They are drawn to horizontal shapes,
and indeed, there are horizontal stripes on
the flags he has chosen. The German flag
consists of three equal horizontal bands
of black, red, and gold; it was Pauls usual
favorite. Octopi have very good memories;
it is quite possible that guessing right the
first time got Paul his food, so the next
time he saw the pattern of Germanys flag,
he picked it again, knowing he got food the
first time. But the flag of Spain, with its
broad yellow stripe, and the flag of Serbia,
with its contrast of blue and white, are
more vivid still, possibly explaining why
Paul picked those countries over Germany.
Paul the octopus
Unfortunately, Paul the Octopuss reign

as king of the animal predictors was short
lived, since the life span of octopi are short,
only about two years. Paul died in October
2010 of natural causes at the age of two and
a half, when all three of his hearts stopped
beating. But he would not be forgotten.
Paul was cremated; his ashes were placed
in a gold urn inside of the statue seen in
the photo. Paul the Octopuss final record
of twelve out of fourteen matches will be a
hard act to follow.
Paul the Octopuss success has spawned
many imitators. There was Citta, the Indian
elephant from the Krakow zoo in Poland
who became the oracle for the European
Cup Championships in 2012, beating out
a donkey named Mary. Cittas method of
choice was picking melons placed above a
nations flag, and she backed her country
of Poland in most of her picks. However,
Poland is not as strong a soccer team as

Germany, and they ended the tournament
in the bottom of their group without a win.
Not to be outdone, China has declared their
heir to the psychic crown, a panda cub from
the Chengdu Research Center. According
to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese state
media reported that the giant panda conservation center in the south western
province of Sichuan has invited a panda
cub to predict the results of matches in the
2014 tournament. It is unclear if the panda
has responded to the invitation, but reports
suggest the cub will predict the outcome
of matches either by picking food marked
with a certain national flag or by climbing
a tree flying a flag.
Lest you think that it is only nonAmericans who would be involved in
such craziness, here is a headline from
this years football Super Bowl: Top Two
Psychic Animals Disagree on Super
Bowl Winner. Ape vs. Manatee! To
The Death! Eli the Ape lives at the
Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah, and
makes his predictions by running into
a papier-mch helmet decorated with
the insignia of one of the two teams.
Its not clear how Elis powers as a
sports oracle were first brought to the
attention of the zoo, but the primate has
been making the right calls since 2007.
It should be noted that after making his
prediction, Eli and family smashed and
ate both helmets. Buffett the Manatee
has predicted the correct Super Bowl
winner six years in a row. A resident of
the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota,
Florida, who has never been in the wild,
Buffett made his pick by swimming to one
of two cards placed in his tank.
While these incidences of psychic
animal powers are (I hope) not taken too
seriously by most people, there have been
cases involving animals and the paranormal that took on more serious notes.
These include the famous Gef the talking
mongoose from Britains Isle of Man in
the 1930s, to Jaytee, a terrier mixed breed
dog that could psychically tell when her
owners were coming home during the
1990s. Jaytee was also from Britain. Coincidence? We will delve deeper into these
in upcoming articles. Till then, stay well
and stay skeptical. (But you dont have to
be cynical!)
The Nielsen Gallery

Vonetta - Portrait
Dimensions: 3-Sheet 39.5" x 87.5" Lithographer: Allen and Sons, Belfast

Date: Circa 1910 Nielsen Rating: Rare
This months poster features The Incomparable
Vonetta, the worlds only lady illusionist, whose billing
modestly declared her act as, all that brains, beauty,
talent, and lavish expenditure of capital can accomplish!
While her star blazed brightly on the British music hall stage
for only eight years, during that time she was wildly popular
with a unique act of lightning quick changes, dancing, and
illusions.
She began life as Etty Thompson, the youngest of six
children three boys and three girls of Elizabeth and
George Ion Thompson. She was born in North Yorkshire,
England, on August 14, 1878. As a young girl she showed a
talent and love of interpretive dance. In 1904 she married a
theatrical impresario named Thomas Monaghan.
Etta started in show business as a member of a pantomime
company as a vocalist and specialty dancer during 1904-05.
In 1906, she made her appearance as Vonetta, Quick
Change Artiste and Illusionist, with the Moss Empires
with a starting salary of at 18 per week. She made such an
impression with her act that by 1907 she was appearing at
Londons Hippodrome Theater pulling down 60 a week.
The act was designed to occupy a half hour and eventually featured twenty-four quick costume changes, a series
of poses representing classical studies such as The Birth of
Venus, Cleopatra, and The Bath of Psyche, and Ettas
own creation, The Passion Dance. Several illusions were
also included; the entire troupe was composed of ten people.
It was also at the London Hippodrome back in 1907 that
she introduced a new floating box illusion in which she
was locked in the box that began to float and jump about
in mid-air. Shortly afterward, Vonetta entered either from
the wings or the auditorium, the box floated down and upon
being opened, disclosed a young girl dressed as a butterfly.
It utilized the black art principle.
An account of her act was provided by the late Will Dale
of Glasgow, Scotland, who recorded it for posterity in 1914.
Magic historian Eddie Dawes, who has researched Vonettas
career extensively, drew from Dales account in an early
research monograph published in 1982. Dawes wrote:
She came on in male evening dress, smoking a cigarette,
and performed the Smoke Vase. Then retiring behind a
screen for a second, she reappeared as a Spanish dancing girl
and went into her quick change act of twenty-four costume
changes. Her next item was the Twentieth Century Silks
spiced with comedy from one of her assistants. She then did
the Rice Bowls; after producing the water, she poured it into
a shown empty jar from which she then produced a large

display of silks. The Mutilated Parasol came next and then
the Rice Bowls were filled with sand from which she worked
the Kellar Growth of Flowers, producing real flowers that
were distributed to the audience.
Vonetta now introduced her famous Casket and Locked
Golden Trunk illusion. At the side of the stage, reposing on
a stand, and in full view of the audience from the rise of
the curtain, was a large golden trunk. A lady assistant went
down into the stalls and a gentleman was requested to tie
his handkerchief around the girls wrist for identification
purposes. The girl entered an oblong casket; after shutting
the door three swords were thrust through the top. They
were withdrawn, the door opened, and the girl seen to be
unharmed. The door was closed and immediately reopened
to reveal the casket empty. A rope was lowered from the
flies and the gold trunk lifted across. Within was a second
trunk containing yet a smaller trunk from which, before the
trunk had touched the stage, an arm bearing a handkerchief
was pushed through the lid, which when opened, disgorged
the girl. Vonetta concluded with Flags of All Nations that
ended with the production of two enormous sprays of flags
from which she produced three girls. The act ran thirty-five
minutes.
In 1910, she also began appearing under a different
name, Countess de Russe, with a troupe of ten people. It is
not known whether this was her Vonetta act under another
name or an entirely different act, because no record of
effects exists. She was still performing under this name in
January 1914.
The outbreak of World War I in 1914 ended her career
as an illusionist. While her husband continued in theatrical
management, her son Alfred and brother George enlisted
and other troupe members went off to war. In the 1920s and
30s she dabbled in other careers, including film, singing,
dancing, and selling furs and costumes.
In 1922 she resurfaced as Countess Wilet with a Revue
of Art and Magic featuring her trademark costume changes
playing theaters in Scotland. She settled in Glasgow and
over the years made occasional appearances at magic events
hosted by the Scottish Conjurers Association which, in
1924, made her an Honorary Member. Vonetta, Scotlands
Only Lady Magician, friend of Houdini, Lafayette, and
Chung Ling Soo, died on June 30, 1964, at the age of eightyfive.
Tom Ewing
KENRICK 'ICE' MCDONALD

Imagination - Compassion - Excellence
By R.D. Michaels
So you think you know ICE McDonald? Think again. Yes, he
has been featured on a half-dozen covers and in dozens of articles
in magic magazines, and has also starred on national and world
television. ICE has received numerous awards and has performed
in nearly a dozen countries. But there is much more to the man
than his accomplishments in the field of magic.
ICE made his magical appearance on Wednesday morning July
6, 1960, at 1:46 a.m. His father was a Baptist preacher, and the
family business was preaching and ministering. At the age of ten,
ICE received his first magic kit from a second-hand store; it was
missing several pieces. Young Kenrick had to use his creative skill
to figure out the missing parts of the kit. We know ICEs imagination was so wild that many times his parents found him on top
of a thirty-foot tree in his backyard performing to an imaginary
audience. ICE was reared in a strict Christian home, so activities such as singing, dancing, and other entertainment outside of
church activities were not tolerated. ICE speaks of a time when
his mother heard strange noises coming from his room. When she
opened his bedroom door, she saw her youngest child performing for an imaginary audience, and then becoming the audience
applauding for the performer! She would often just shake her head
and continue with her housework.
It would seem that ICE had a good idea of what he wanted to
be and where he wanted to go, but that would be an illusion. As
ICE recalls, I would love for people to think I had a firm direction
during my younger days, but I must be truthful. Prior to the tenth
grade, I was the class nerd a glasses-wearing, several-steps-behind-everybody-else nerd. Dont get me wrong. I was talented, but ognized by my spiritual family. But, under this appearance of
the coolness didnt come until my sophomore year of high school. coolness, I am still the biggest nerd.
How ironic that my stage name is ICE the embodiment of cool.
Due to the watchfulness of my parents, it took a long time for me
Here is a letter to ICE from Josephine Ruffin (a friend of
to shake the nerd-iness. I couldnt watch worldly television pro- twenty-six years):
gramming. Even with the magic, in spite of the fact that my father
bought my first magic kit, I had to be discreet when performing
Hi Kenrick: I cant believe its been over twenty-six
magic. There was a time when the church frowned on the practice
years since we first met. I remember that first meeting
of magic, and this is still the
one evening after choir rehearsal when you approached
case in some churches today.
me to introduce yourself. I was a new member of the
Being a born-again
choir and was happy to have such a pleasant welcome.
Christian, I face this issue
At that time you told me about your interest in magic
even today. Before I became
and talked about some projects you were pursuing. At
somewhat famous, I felt
first I thought this was just your hobby. Little did I know
like the churchs unwanted
that years later you would become known worldwide for
stepchild.
The
church
your skills in the magic world.
leaders wouldnt allow me
As our friendship grew, you began to tell me more
to perform when guests
about yourself. Remember one day when you asked
were present, but brought
me to be in your magic show? I thought, Ive never
me in to entertain children
considered doing anything like this before. Most of all,
during some family events.
can I do this? Well, you had confidence in me; through
The bishop at my current
your thorough teaching and patience, I did do it. In fact,
church made that a dim
I think I did a pretty good job! From that first experimemory when he invited me
ence of working with you professionally, you have added
to entertain 15,000 church
so much to your resume: magician, writer, producer,
members. My God-given
editor, and more.
Early high school photo
talent had been fully recKenrick, as a friend, you have always treated people
with respect; your word is truly your bond. You have

been such a motivating, supportive, and caring friend
through the years, and I want you to know how much I
appreciate it.
I just wanted you to know how much your friendship
means to me, how proud I am of your accomplishments,
and how blessed I am that you are in my life.
Love, your "sis,"
Josie
Hank Moorehouse was the first to invite ICE to perform
at a convention, an opportunity ICE will never forget. He has
presented countless performances and lectures for magicians
around the world. A recent memorable appearance was in Travamdrum, India, at the Global Festival of Magic. He and a thousand
other magicians released a thousand doves to mark an event called
Magic for Peace.
ICE has received many awards and accolades, including
citations for his performances for various organizations throughout the world. His national television credits include the closing
spot on an episode of Masters of Illusion. He is included in Magic
Heroes: The Lives and Legends of Great African-American
Magicians and he has produced a truly important historical work:
The African-American Masters of Magic. ICE has been married
for over twenty years to Paris Renea McDonald; they have three
daughters who, although not taking up magic, have done (and will
do) some remarkable things.
Its lonely at the top is a clich heard when one is flexing
his or her success muscles. He or she is numero uno, but
that achievement has come with a price. As the band Three Dog
Night tells us: One is the Loneliest Number. Different context
nice musical interlude! When an artist reaches a certain level
of success, do relationships with friends and family suffer? ICE
replied, When striving for success a person can lose the special
connections with those close to you. Sometimes it does get lonely,
but my connections with my closest friends have not suffered.
Here is a letter to ICE from Reginald Smallwood (a friend of
forty years):
Although I knew that you

dabbled in magic during your
youth, I was proud to witness the
rebirth (i.e. the second coming)
of your magical career as a
suave, dapper, young gentlemen
with sleight-of-hand skills that
wooed the crowds (a cool G if I
ever saw one). The interesting part
was that the rebirth wasnt a fad
or a phase for you. You became
drawn to it, captivated by it, and
before long, I recall you starting
Reggie Smallwood
to design and build your own
illusions, leaving the local magic
store tricks for your peers to purchase and perform. At
such time I thought to myself, This just might be what
you were born to do what God had so generously
blessed and gifted you to do.
Over the next few decades, your creativity and
mastery would continue to rise and evolve, taking
you places you never imagined. Through all the
sold-out performances, standing ovations, awards, and
accolades, what I appreciate most is that you stayed
grounded and always kept it real. To your adoring
fans, you were ICE. However, among your family
and friends, youre still the same friend, son, brother,
husband, and father weve always known you to be. For
me Kenrick, I couldnt have found a better best friend.
Flashing forward to the present, it will be an exciting
moment to witness your being sworn in and presented
among your peers and colleagues, who selected you as
the best person for the job. I feel honored to have been
witness to (and to have personally experienced) your
journey up to this point. I mean to this point because
I know youre not through doin your thang by a long
shot. Youre more engaged in your journey and aspirations today than Ive ever seen, and the skys the limit.
Dear Kenrick: I thought I might drop you a few lines

to express my thoughts in regards to your forthcoming appointment to lead one of the most prestigious
and respected societies in the world of magic arts, The
Society of American Magicians. It blows my mind that
its already been some forty-one years since we first
met up that fateful afternoon on the outdoor basketball
courts at the Golden Hills recreation center in San
Diego. With you as a sharp shooter and me as a scrappy
defender, we engaged in some pretty fierce battles at the
tender age of thirteen. Its funny how such rivalry, at
that time, transcended into such friendship and brotherhood throughout the years.
During our high school years, I really grew to appreciate your sense of showmanship and flair for entertaining. Whether it was in the band room, in the schools
foyer plaza, or performing on the fifty yard line during a
halftime show, I could always count on the fact that you
would bring it every time, and leave everything on the
field. You were a great soldier to march into battle with
back then, and that still holds true even today. Those
good ol days made for some of the most memorable
times of my life.
Hence, as my brother from another mother, I congratulate you in being elected to this most honorable
position.
I know youll treat this office with the utmost respect,
and humbly serve all S.A.M. members with integrity,
truth, and character, and always with their best
interests in mind. Thus I say to your peers, you elected
the right man for the post. Youve always been a firm
believer in teamwork, and I hope the fine members of
the S.A.M. will embrace this paradigm in 2014-2015. Im
confident youll collectively accomplish great things,
taking the S.A.M. to new heights never before thought
possible.
In closing, I can only imagine the responsibilities
and demands your newly appointed position will impose
upon you. Nonetheless, I look forward to celebrating
by way of our long-time tradition: a bucket of Buffalo
wings, a stack of celery and carrots drenched in ranch
dressing, and some ice-cold strawberry soda. Ah a
feast fit for two brothers (from other mothers).
Peace, Love, & Congrats 2 U Bro
Reggie Smallwood
ICEs reaction is interesting when it comes to the race issue.

Because he is high profile, he seems to have kept his thoughts
on race to himself, sharing them with a few others, but privately.
I am very observant. I hear and see a lot, but I just dont comment
much when it comes to racial issues at least not publicly. He
has often been asked about race and the struggles of being an
African-American magician. He is often the sounding board for
other African-American performers, not just magicians, who have
faced or who are experiencing racial tensions in the entertainment business. How does a talented performer deal with these
problems? ICEs pragmatism screams softly: Keep performing
and with excellence. His rationale is rooted in reality. You cant
control what people think or feel about you. You can only control
what they see when you perform. If thats the only control you
have, then its your job no, duty to be the best you possible.
For the record: I believe jokes that are racist are neither funny
nor tolerable. The racial issues people face daily are not going
away. I know that not everyone is colorblind. I just dont have time
for those individuals. People often ask me how it feels to be a black
magician. I will often smile and say that it feels the same as being
a tall magician or a magician with big eyes. This is who I am; and
now check out this new effect! I think the way each individual
handles the situation is what makes the difference. I have tons of
magician friends who are not African American. They see me, not
the individual aspects of my being. I do the same. We see the souls
of each other.
There is a different element to this years S.A.M. presidency:
Kenrick ICE McDonald is the first African American in the
Societys 112-year history to hold this position. ICE reflects on
this: I know that this is a milestone, but my presidency will not
be defined only by this. I have earned the privilege to be the S.A.M.
president, not because I am African American, but because of
what I, during my twenty-five years as a member, have done to
make the Society the best it could be. People can find out what
positions I held before becoming The Most Illustrious and that
is fine. What is not fine is to have members define me only as the
first African-American president. I want to be one of the national
presidents who helps make the Society better every day.
During the last three years, ICE has expanded his business
and creative interests by starting a film division within his entertainment company. He is still creating fantasy: film fantasy. The
past seven months have been busy for ICE feature films will
do that. Written and directed by ICE, Death of an Innocent Swan
is currently in the film festival circuit. ICE had produced some
short films and some lecture DVDs, but he wanted to have a go at
putting a piece of his fiction on the screen. He wrote the script, cast
the work, produced, and directed what was originally a twentyminute film. ICE, as most who know him will attest, is annoyingly
uncomfortable with anything that seems to be limited, so he and
his business partner, Bill Kress, decided to mature the film into a
full-length movie. I was blessed that everything fell into place,
commented the usually more loquacious ICE. When pressed about
his next film projects, ICE admits that there is a magic movie
on the list.
Here is a letter from Paris McDonald to the members of the
One of ICEs goals is to correct some areas the film industry S.A.M.:
has overlooked in general. Why is it that so many great magicians
have never had their stories told? he asked. True, I love the
Dear Members of the S.A.M.: I am writing to you to
creative side of making movies, but another main reason is that
make sure that you are aware of a valuable gem in your
I want to present what drives me: magic. How that is done? Well,
midst: Kenrick ICE McDonald. You know all about
works are in progress!
ICE magically, but I am writing this letter to let you
know about Kenrick McDonald the man, not ICE the
magician.
Kenrick is a man of great honor, character, and
integrity. He is a devoted Christian and family man.
Inside his intimidating exterior is a man who is compassionate and who genuinely cares about others and their
welfare. At the core of his being, his anchors are God,
family, and magic, in that order.
As a devoted Christian, Kenrick is dedicated to
pursue a moral life and responsibly embrace the
demands of such a life in every aspect and in everything he does. He is very careful about how he is
portrayed and will do anything to protect his reputation. He has turned down gigs and sponsorship due
to the unethical behavior of the organizer or agent.
He purposefully avoids dealing with people who
lack ethics, integrity, or a moral compass, since he
considers these traits key to a persons character.
Ice and his wife Paris
Kenrick poses these restrictions on himself because

he is concerned not only with taking the correct moral
position, but also with pursing his commitment to do
what is best.
Kenricks professional and artistic integrity to the
art of magic and his personal integrity to his life as
a Christian are not independent of each other. He is
committed to represent both to the best of his ability.
His personal relationships with his friends and colleagues are important to him. He will trust and respect
others until he is given a reason not to. Even then, they
are given the benefit of the doubt.
Kenrick has an innate desire to help others; he
seems to be compelled to do it. Whether it is counseling a friend with personal problems, filling in when a
babysitter falls through, or just lending an ear to help
a friend work through his frustrations, he is there for
those close to him. He has often lost sleep over other
peoples problems.
Kenrick is a man of commitment; once he commits
to something, he gives it his all and has the expectation
that others involved will do the same. He often finds
himself overwhelmed because of his pledge to do everything possible for everything that he has committed to.
As Kenricks wife, we are genuinely best friends. I
honor him for his work ethic, both in business and in
his personal life. He works diligently every day to be a
good husband and father. I have seen him make many
sacrifices to do what is morally right rather than to
simply get ahead. I am proud of the man that he is. I
am proud of his talent and his determination, which led
him to become the national president of The Society of
American Magicians. I must thank you, the members of
the S.A.M., for electing and recognizing the talent, the
abilities, and the man: Kenrick ICE McDonald.
ICE with Shawn and Lori Farquhar
guy. We met, and we became close friendscousins, really. There

are certain people who were just born to do magic, and there are
people who struggle to find their place in magic. ICE is of the first
type.
And ICE replies: Please extend my deepest, heartfelt congratulations to some of my dearest friends in magic and in real
life, International Brotherhood of Magicians President Shawn
Farquhar and his family. Shawn, Lori, and their daughter Hannah
are close friends of mine; Shawn and I have been friends for
almost two-and-a-half decades. It is something great that two
long-time friends (we see each other as cousins) become national
presidents of two of the greatest magic organizations in the world
at the same time. As national presidents we will also share the
covers of each organizations magazine during the same month.
This is yet another first! Can we say unity? Can I get an amen?
In his January 2010 M-U-M article about ICE, Paul Critelli
wrote: ICE continues to grow. His foresight of where the art must
aim permits nothing but optimism about the inclusivity for all
regardless of age and background who would join the family
of magic. His hope is to bring reality to the maxim youth is our
future. For Kenrick ICE McDonald, magic in all its forms and
expressions is as vital as air.
Paris McDonald
Shawn Farquhar, the 2009 FISM Grand Prize Champion and
the new president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians,
recalls his first contact with his close friend, ICE. It is easy to
remember the exact day I met ICE. It was the Fourth of July in
Las Vegas in 1991. We were both performing at the Rivera as
Perhaps his wife Paris expresses it best: It is not just in his
part of The Society of American Magicians Contest of Magic. I blood. It is in his DNA. Helping and teaching and magic they
remember how he stood out from the rest of the people. He had are all in his DNA.
a conviction about what he was doing. I knew I had to meet this
LOOKING
FORWARD
David R. G oodsell
I nterviews K enrick
ICE McDonald and
Shawn Farquhar
Introduction: If we were to believe in
astrology, as some might, we might think
that this July the stars and planets will
line up just right so that two professional
magicians, and good friends, can assume
leadership of the worlds two largest
magic organizations. ICE McDonald
will assume Harry Houdinis old job
as National President of The Society
of American Magicians, and his good
buddy, Shawn Farquhar, will become the
esteemed International President of the
International Brotherhood of Magicians.
Of course, it could have been the other
way around, because both have belonged
to both organizations for many years.
We thought you might like to get to
know them better. DRG

DRG: Shawn and ICE, it is quite rare
that good friends, who are also top professionals in magic, share their presidential year. Thats a real bonus for you and
for us. How did the two of you come to
be friends?
ICE: Shawn and I were competitors
in the stage competition at an S.A.M.
convention in 1991. He, Lori, Paris (my
wife), and I met while we were waiting
in a hallway together. We kept bumping
into each other throughout the convention and clicked immediately. It was an
instant bond, as though our spirits recognized eachother as brothers.
Shawn: We found that we loved the
same fields of magic; but more important,
we were completely comfortable sharing
ideas without fear of each other. Weve
been friends ever since.
DRG: Both of you are successful, not
just as performers, but also as businessmen. You could have been successful in
any number of other professions. Why
magic?
ICE: I started out as a magician, but
when I married and started a family, I

felt the need for more security. I went to
work as a technical illustrator/AutoCAD
(computer aided drawings) engineer. I
interpreted blueprints, and then drew the
items using the computer. But I loved
magic and would perform magic at night
and on weekends whenever I could. I
began making excuses at work so I could
take magic gigs, and I soon was earning
more with magic than at my profession.
I had to make a decision; I chose magic.
Shawn (smiling): What ICE didnt
tell you is that he was a very successful
male model. Yes, thats right. ICE was a
male model. In fact, he won awards for
his strutting on the runway!
DRG: That explains why ICE is
always impeccably dressed a regular
fashion statement. I doubt if he even
owns a pair of jeans! What about you,
Shawn; did you try other fields?
Shawn: In my case, I didnt choose
magic as a profession; magic chose me.
I cant imagine ever doing anything
besides being a magician. My success is
because I truly didnt want to do anything
else, and I had to find a way to do what I
love so much.
Being a full-time magician in Canada
is a difficult task, so I tried many small
jobs in an effort to survive: pizza cook,
broiler cook, bartender, electrician, construction framer, and even a stint for
North West Biological and Chemical
Laboratories. These were not career
choices; they simply enabled me to

continue to do magic. Then, in August
of 1984, on my way to work, I stopped
at the bus stop and put up a little plaque
I had engraved. I then went back to my
house and went back to sleep. The next
day I started my career as a professional
magician. The small plaque read: On
August 30, 1984, Shawn Farquhar said
to hell with it and never went to work
again. I was twenty-two years old and
have never held a typical job since.
DRG: Clearly, both of you have
achieved great success in a field where
many feel the call, but few are really
chosen. How did this come about? How
did you learn?
ICE: I loved magic as a child, which
my friends thought was cool, but probably
was just a phase. Most of the adults I
was around were from church, and some
wondered if I was playing on the dark
side! I was not involved with a club and
I did not have a mentor. Of course, that
was unfortunate in some ways, but also
good. A mentors guidance could have
helped me avoid some difficulties, but,
on the other hand, I developed skills I
otherwise might not have.
Shawn: My beginnings were inspired
by my father, who was a great amateur
magician. But it wasnt until I moved to
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, that
I began to grow fast in magic. It was here
that I met the members of the Victoria
Magic Circle, International Brotherhood
of Magicians Ring 183, amateur and

professional magicians alike who were
willing to share their ideas and help to
nurture young people like me. That led
me to attend magic conventions and to
compete in magic, which opened my
eyes to other magicians, great magic, and
new friends. Many of these friends, like
ICE, are todays stars of magic.
DRG: Both organizations are interested in bringing young magicians into
their ranks. It is not an easy task. How do
we get them to see that the Internet is not
the only place to learn magic?
ICE: My first affiliation with a group
of magicians was in San Diego. It wasnt
a Ring or an Assembly, but just a bunch
of magicians that hung out. I learned a
lot from my friends. Then I joined I.B.M
Ring 21 in Hollywood, California, and
Assembly 22, also in Hollywood. That
was about twenty-five years ago. So,
while I was not mentored in my early
years of magic, I came to realize the
value of having someone encourage me,
help me, and challenge me. That is what
an Assembly and a Ring can do.
I am very interested in mentoring,
helping young magicians (and older ones
as well) be the best they can be. Thats
one thing the S.A.M. is attempting to do
with The Society of Young Magicians
(S.Y.M.) for youngsters, and the magic
program for college students (S.A.M.C.)
for those eighteen to twenty-five years of
age. As these programs flourish, more
and more young magicians will become
aware of them. Of course, they will still
learn from the Internet. But its like they
say: there is nothing like live entertainment and there is nothing like live
mentoring.
Shawn: I certainly agree. It is true
that the youth appear to be getting their
information from YouTube and websites.
I think this is a great loss because theyre
not learning things correctly. Im not a
traditionalist. I believe in change; and
I believe in the digital revolution. But
I think that the contact with a mentor
is very important. I am proud that my
local Ring has a mentoring program, and
over the years Ive mentored many fine
magicians. I know that other Rings are
actively involved in this sort of thing, as
well.
Events like the W.O.W. for the S.A.M.
and the Lance Burton Youth Seminar for
the I.B.M. have proven that, given the
opportunity, young people will come
to magic events to learn as a group. As
we continue to offer them value, they
will be encouraged to return.

DRG: In addition to youth programs
and an emphasis on mentoring, what
other goals do the two of you have for
your year in office?
ICE: Like Shawn, I believe that the
digital revolution can be a good thing. It
tells us that the S.A.M. and other social
organizations need to change with the
times. We need to develop a more active
Internet presence. This is especially
important to a rapidly increasing percentage of society. We need to live where
they live, through interactive websites,
blogs, and Twitter. It is like performing.
You must know your audience. You must
be able to tell when an effect is no longer
working for your audiences and change
is needed.
I also believe that we must regain
personal contact with our members. We
must let them know that their membership is not taken for granted and that the
national officers care about them. This
is not unrelated to the concern over the
Internet. It can be a great tool in helping
us regain that personal contact.
And, of course, I am concerned about
ethics in magic. The S.A.M. will be
looking hard at the ethics standards for
our society and for magic as a whole.
I am just grateful that I have an opportunity to help out.
Shawn: As an international touring
performer, I have the unique opportunity
to spread the influence of the I.B.M. even
further. I would love to see the I.B.M.
have Rings in places like Argentina and
Norway; I plan to visit other Rings that
dont get visits very often, like Malta and
Holland. Rings play a very important
role in the I.B.M., and the growth of
these Rings is one of the paramount goals
of my term. I think this goes along with
what ICE said about letting our members
know we care.
I want to add more value for international members. So over the coming
year Ill be producing one-day free magic
festivals around the world courtesy
of the I.B.M., exclusively for I.B.M.
members. These one-day festivals are
called Magic JAMs: J just, A about,
M magic. Just About Magic will be
fun-filled one-day events with lectures
and shows by I.B.M. members for I.B.M.
members for free.
DRG: We are about out of time, my
friends. But I thought we would wrap up
with one last question. What was your
most rewarding moment?
ICE: There were two. The first was

performing to a standing ovation in an
arena before 15,000 people. That was
breathtaking. The second took place
several years ago. I performed a charity
show in a cancer ward. When I arrived,
the room was filled with the sound of
breathing machines and sick babies
crying. When I was done, those sounds
had been replaced by laughter and
smiles. I cant explain that feeling, but
there is nothing like it.
Shawn: Mine was also a healing
moment, I think. On a cruise ship to
Alaska, I went for a walk around the
deck after my show and met a passenger
standing by the rail. We talked about my
show and the meaning behind some of the
effects I presented. We talked late into
the night. A year later I received a letter
from him explaining that the night we
talked he had planned to jump overboard.
He felt his life had become unbearable,
and he wanted to give up. He had seen
my show, and after our talk he changed
his mind and changed his life. He wrote
to tell me that he had bought Royal Road
to Card Magic, as I had suggested. He
had learned a few card tricks and met his
future bride in a coffee shop because he
performed some magic to impress her.
He was writing to thank me.
DRG: Any final comments?
ICE: Just a last word about my friend,
Shawn. Beyond his professionalism, he
is sensitive to the needs of others, almost
to a fault, and completely loyal to his
friends. He doesnt use the words cant
or impossible. I am blessed to have him
as a friend.
Shawn: I have met only a few people
who are as passionate about magic as I
am. When ICE talks about magic, its not
just talking about magic its preaching
about it. His love of magic is evident in
everything he does. To paraphrase his
quote, if you were to cut him, hed bleed
magic.
DRG: Thank you both. It seems clear
to me that we are in for a good year.
David Goodsell is Editor Emeritus of
M-U-M magazine, and a Past National
President and Honorary Member of the
S.A.M. He has been a member of the
I.B.M. since 1966 and of the S.A.M. since
1967. His feature articles and reviews
appear frequently in the magic literature.
Hit The Road

With Scott Alex ander, Puck,
Jenny Alex ander, and Adam Ace
BREAKING THE SOUND

BARRIER
Music can play an important role in
the success of your shows. Music adds
automatic production value. It gives the
show a sense of excitement and fullness.
If you use musical routines in your show,
chase music for the end of tricks, and music
while the audience volunteers are walking
up to the stage, you can cover any lag times
and make the pace seem quicker and more
snappy. Watch any of the old David Copperfield specials. After almost every trick
he has a snappy piece of music that wraps
it up nicely and cleanses the palate, making
way for the next effect. If youre not using
music in your show, you are missing out
on a great opportunity. But a lot of people
feel that they dont want to bother traveling
with sound equipment and then have to
have someone run it for them. I was one of
those people. Well, technology has come
to the rescue, making traveling with sound
in your show a much simpler process.
Just a few years ago, traveling with
sound equipment was much more cumbersome than today, especially if you were
working in a venue that has no speakers
or amps. Lugging that stuff around could
be a real drag. But luckily there are a great
variety of portable music playing devices
and smart phones and tablets that have
apps that can run your music via a remote
control. Combine this technology with a
good portable speaker system and you are
your own traveling rock and roll concert!
I will go through some of the products I
have used successfully to give you an idea
of what is available to help you put together
your own traveling sound system.
DENNY PORTABLE SETUP

Back in the day when I was learning
the ropes of touring with the Denny and
Lee Show, I would not only help out Denny
as an onstage assistant, handing off swords
and helping him float his lovely assistant
Minh in the air, but I was also the sound
guy. I would run the sound backstage. In
the early 90s there was this new fangled

device called a Mini Disc player that took
over the position formerly held by cassette
tapes. Denny decided to use it as his music
playing medium. (Anyone under thirtyfive will be thinking, Cassette tapes...
what are those?) Regardless, this little
device was the precursor to the MP3
player. The genius of Dennys portable
setup was having a wonderfully small and
compact way to play sound cues. That is,
as long as the venue had an existing setup
with amplifiers and speakers. Since most
of the gigs Denny was playing were in
hotel ballrooms, this setup was perfect.
His setup consisted of a small fourchannel mixer purchased from Radio
Shack that had a quarter-inch input that
the Mini Disc player was plugged into. The
output from the mixer was an XLR cable
that simply patched into the corresponding male XLR cable that was running to
the house sound system. All he needed to
ask the venue to provide were two working
microphones on cords. Denny talked into
one microphone. We unplugged the other
microphone from its cable and used that
cable to connect the Mini Disc player to
our mixer. We played the tracks, which
went from the Mini Disc player into the
little mixer and then into the house system.
We could fade in and out using the mixer.
This type of setup still works today, but
now we have more sophisticated ways to
play music.
There are systems like the MP3 Tech,
which is a player that manages MP3 files
and plays them back in any order you
like. This type of system allows you to set
different playlists and manipulate them.
There is often a LED screen that shows
you your tracks and which ones are coming
next. You can operate the whole thing
using a remote control in your pocket. Or,
an even more stealthy set of ankle transmitters lets you advance tracks simply by
clicking your heels together like Dorothy
in The Wizard of Oz. Puck swears by the
MP3 Tech, which was created by magician
Kerry Pollock.
SHOW CUES
I have been using the iPhone and iPad
application put out by Carl Andrews called
Show Cues. This is an app that I have on

my iPad; it runs my music and I love it.
I have the ability to edit my music tracks
on the fly. I love this because I am always
adding new things to the show and flipping
stuff around due to varying venues and
audience types. The iPad itself becomes
the display, showing me what track is
playing and what track is up next. I bought
an additional pocket remote that allows me
to put the iPad offstage and run the music
completely from my pocket with a push of
a few buttons. I can advance and skip and
even control the volume of the tracks. It is
great! If you can tap into the house sound
systems using the appropriate cables,
either one of these systems work great.
SPEAK EASY
But lets say you are working a venue
that doesnt have any house sound system.
Then I would highly recommend that you
carry your own set of speakers. If you have
never done it before, I know this sounds
like a big hassle, but it really isnt as complicated as it sounds. For years I hesitated
carrying my own sound system because,
quite frankly, I felt it was just a pain in the
ass.
I wanted to just roll in with my little box
of tricks, get the money, and roll out. Then
Puck and I had a conversation about the
importance of production value and music
and how it really does enhance even the
most humble of gigs, turning it into a mini
production show. Music has an inherent
quality that instantly causes feelings and
emotions in the audience, even if you are
working in the multipurpose room of a
nursing home or on someones living room
rug. Music automatically creates the mood
and atmosphere of a real show.
I also hesitated in carrying my own microphone since it was just another technical
hassle I didnt want to deal with. But I
have found that it is not really that big of
a deal. Puck turned me on to a really cool,
super-tiny microphone system that I have
started using and I love it. Next month I
will go into detail about the easy-to-travelwith microphone and speaker setup that I
use and where to get all these wonderful
little apps and gadgets I have been talking
about. So, keep your ears open!
Cheats & Deceptions

(For Entertainment Purposes Only)
By Antonio M. Cabr al
Ted Annemanns A Card in Hand (The

Jinx, No. 80) is one of the great impromptu
card tricks of all time. If the name doesnt
ring a bell, it should. Someone chooses
a card and its lost in the deck. Then you
show the top card and hand it to your participant to ostensibly find her own card.
You instruct her to stab the card face
down into the deck but not to let go of the
card. You check the cards on either side of
where she stabbed no luck. The magician
makes a magical gesture and the card in
her hand changes into her selection. This
is one of the most basic applications of a
double lift you can find. Its also one of the
most powerful. Its also one of those tricks
you can make the mistake of forgetting
about as you progress along in your card
magic studies and get caught up in Ace assemblies, false shuffles, and other, more
complicated things.
A number of months back I realized Id
made that very mistake; I decided to revisit
the trick and put it into my bar repertoire.
In pondering the trick, it occurred to me
that I could actually have someone stab to
her selection out front (which, by itself, is
a very good trick) and get a one-two punch
out of both tricks in tandem. This combination has been getting very good responses,
so I thought Id share it here.
TWO IN THE HAND

Start by removing the Joker or the Ace
of Spades (I use the Ace of Spades) and
placing it in a convenient place; I usually
place it face outward in the breast pocket
of my jacket, or, if Im feeling particularly
jaunty, in my tie clip. Have two people each
select a card; control one of the selections
to the top and the other fifth from the top.
There are numerous ways to do this, but I
use a combination of an under-the-spread
cull and an overhand lift shuffle. As far as
I know, this handling is original with me.
Its not groundbreaking, but its practical
(and versatile). Here is the handling.
Begin by spreading the cards (as I like
to say, in the time-honored card trick
fashion) and have your first participant
point to a card. Break the spread with the

selection on top of the left-hand portion (if
youre right handed) and raise the left hand
to let him note and remember the card.
Bring the hands back together and cull the
selection under the spread as you turn to
your second participant. I say, Did you
get a good look at his card? Well, forget it.
Youre going to get your own!
Continue spreading for the second
selection and cull three more cards under
the spread. (For some reason, I find the
process flows more smoothly if, after
culling the first selection, I spread one or
two cards and then cull the next three.)
Ask the second participant to point to a
card. Once shes made her choice, show
her the selection as you did with your first
participant, and cull it under the spread.
You now have a five-card block riding
under the spread; when you square up the
cards this block will end up on the bottom.
As you square up, move your right hand
back toward your body slightly. This will
in-jog the block as it goes to the bottom.
As you talk to your participants, scooch
your left fingers under the deck and tilt it
up in the left hand in preparation for an
overhand shuffle. (A little trial and error
will show you can do this without disturbing the jog.) Take the deck by the ends with
your right hand; pull on the jog with your
right thumb to take a break over the block.
Begin an overhand shuffle by chopping off
ten or eleven cards. As you go to chop off
the next group of cards, pick up the first
bunch behind the right hands cards so
that it joins the cards below your break.
Now simply shuffle off to the break and
throw the remaining cards on top. (For a
complete description of the lift shuffle, see
Card College 2, p. 257.)
It sounds complicated when explained
step-by-step like that, but in practice this
is a very quick and efficient control. Each
card is touched, looked at, the cards are
squared up and given a short shuffle, and
everythings where it should be. The first
selection is on top of the deck and the
second selection is fifth from the top. This
cull/lift shuffle combination has become
one of my go-to control techniques when
working walk-around and behind the bar.
Okay, back to the trick. At this point,
youre probably wondering how Im going
to find your cardsIm not going to;
you are! Youre both going to find each

othersDont look so nervous! I do it all
the time; its a piece of cake! For the sake
of description, Ill assume you earlier set
aside the Ace of Spades. Retrieve it from
your pocket or wherever and place it face
up on top of the deck. Turn to your first
participant. Heres all you do: take this
card and stick it somewhere in the middle.
This doesnt have to be exact a little high
or a little low is fine. Just dont push it all
the way in or Ill have three of these things
to find! Take the Ace by the inner end and,
to illustrate, tilt the deck so that the faces
are towards your participants and poke the
ace into a couple of different places in the
deck. Leave it sticking out as you tilt the
deck back horizontal and have your first
participant remove the Ace. This entire
action should mimic the look of performing a Push-in Change, because later on,
youre going to perform a Push-in Change.
Hold the deck by pinching the inner end
between your right thumb and fingers and
have your first participant stick the Ace
face down into the outer end of the deck.
Holding the deck like this ensures that he
wont accidentally (or on purpose) push the
Ace all the way into the deck. Once hes
done that, place the deck back into dealing
grip and spread down to the protruding
card. As you do this, cull the fifth card
from the top (the second selection) under
the spread as you comment on where the
Ace ended up. Once you reach the protruding card, break the spread and use the righthand cards to flip the Ace face up, still outjogged, on the left-hand cards. Now briefly
square the right-hand cards back on top of
the now face-up Ace and feed the culled
card directly underneath the ace. Regrip to
take the upper packet in overhand grip and
lift off all the cards above the Ace. Push
the Ace off on top of the right-hand cards
and thumb off the next card into the first
participants hand. Reassemble the deck
with the Ace face up on top.
The preceding is admittedly illogical,
because if you just wanted to cut at the Ace,
you could have cut at the Ace. To justify the
procedure, I say, You couldve placed that
card above any of these cards, (referring to
the cards as you spread through them) but
you placed it right above this one (as you
lift off the upper half to indicate the card
below the Ace). In addition, the squaring
and re-gripping of the upper half should be

brief enough that it appears that the cards
never come to rest until the portions are
separated. It doesnt make ironclad sense,
but it makes enough sense that it wont be
questioned in context, and it wont be remembered later on.
Have the second participant name
her card, then gesture with the Ace at
the first participant to have him reveal it.
Use that moment of attention away from
you to reverse the top card of the deck
(the first persons selection) against your
leg. Replace the Ace face up back on top
of the deck directly on top of the face-up
first selection without flashing the reversed
card. By the time attention is back on
you, you should have a face-up double
with the Ace on top and the first selection
beneath it.
Just as theyre recovering from the first
effect (and its a strong one), look at the
second participant and say, Your turn!
Repeat the instructions and apparently the
demonstration from before, only this time
you lift off the face-up double and insert it
into to the outer end of the deck in a couple
of places. As you tilt the deck back to horizontal, perform a Push-in Change, secretly
plunging the Ace flush into the deck.
(See Card College 4, pages 820-822, for
a full description of the Push-in Change.)

This will leave the first persons selection
sticking out of the deck instead of the Ace.
Have your second participant remove
the card. You hold the deck as before,
and have her push the card into the outer
end of the deck. Shell naturally begin to
let go once she cant push the card in any
further, but quickly say, Actually, hold on
to that. Shell hold on to the card as now
you come away with the deck and cleanly
cut to where she inserted the card (which,
of course, you couldnt do before). Use the
right-hand cards to flip over the top card
of the left-hand half (which is where she
expects the selection to be from before).
Ask, Did we get it? Upon hearing
no, you look puzzled, and show the
bottom card of the right-hand portion.
Upon hearing another no, gently ask,
What was it? When he names his
selection, smile and say, Oh, we got it!
and point to the card in the second participants hand. She wont need any more
prompting to look at it.
The first half of this trick the card
stab using the cull is an old idea. My
handling here was inspired by Darwin
Ortizs routine Test Your Luck (which first
appeared in his Ephemeral Lecture Notes),
specifically the loading of the culled card
under the inserted card instead of over it.

For whatever reason, it seems to add to the
deception. The use of the Push-in Change
for A Card in Hand so that the audience apparently sees the card right up until the last
second is the brainchild of Jason Ladanye
(Its All in the Hands, Confident Deceptions).
Both halves of this trick (the card
stab and the transformation) are terrific
impromptu card effects in themselves,
but together they reinforce each other in
a very satisfying way. The key to A Card
in Hand is to get the audience invested in
the apparent card stab effect, so that the
transformation takes them by surprise.
By actually performing that effect and by
offering to repeat it, you get them fully
focused on that outcome, at which point
you hit them with a real miracle. Occasionally, Ill get someone who for whatever
reason doesnt trust me; when I hand
him the Ace the first time hell look at it
to see if its still the same card. If I were
just performing A Card in Hand by itself,
that would blow my ending. Here, they get
cooled out by the fact that everything is on
the up and up. By the time the card does
change, its back to being a surprise.
Give it a try; I hope you enjoy it.
Not Just Kid Stuff

By Jim Kleefeld
PERSONIFY THE PROP

Imagine for a moment that you are
reading this on a calm, cool, tropical
island, with a breeze blowing off the ocean
and the sound of the waves lapping at the
shore. Imagine that you are stretched out
in a chaise lounge with a tall, cool drink by
your side. Someone walks behind you and
the scent of coconut drifts your way. Did
you really picture all of that in your mind?
Did you see the sand, hear the waves, and
smell the pia colada? If so, you probably
had to work at it. Many adults would
probably not even try to imagine any of
what I described. You may have just read
through my imaginary scene wondering
where that stream of text was headed. Its
not your fault if you did not create any real
sensations a moment ago. Its because you
are an adult. You probably reacted the way
most adults do. You read, absorbed my
words into information, and processed it
logically.
As an adult, you may have lost much of
your imagination or creativity. You could
imagine that beach setting, but you would
have to go back, reread it, and concentrate. A child would not have to do that.
He would have been right there in the
moment with the words, imagining right
along. Children are inquisitive, creative,
and imaginative to a degree that we adults
sometimes forget. They never have to think
about being creative or try to imagine
something. It flows naturally through them
as a part of their existence. As we grow
older, we learn logical behavior, make
critical decisions, and process an extraordinary amount of mundane and repetitive
tasks. The many bits of mindless minutiae
that we encounter day after day help to
slowly erode our imagination. What is
that weird new sound the car is making
today? Should I get my brakes checked?
Will this be a vital repair? How much will
it cost? Practical considerations like these
are a constant reality of adult life. They
condition our brains to think logically,
not creatively. If you honestly heard an
unusual noise while you were driving your
car, would it benefit you in any way to
imagine that someone had replaced your

engine with a gaggle of geese?
If adults are creative and imaginative, they must often be so in a controlled
manner. Many magicians develop their
own tricks, routines, and shows because
they have learned how to channel their
creativity in a way that is productive. If
you sat and thought about inventing a
new trick, you might be able to come up
with something clever, imaginative, and
creative. You have learned how to combine
ideas and look for inspiration, how to
determine what is creative, and define
what is imaginative. Your memory bank of
creative images from art, books, film, television, and popular culture give you some
added assistance.
Children, however, do not need to
place themselves in a creative mode. It is
automatic, even uncontrolled. Their minds
soar with a plethora of images from their
own world. Many of those images are fake
creativity or forced imagination, deliberately placed there through advertising and
media programming. Ask a child to draw
a picture of a clown and she is much more
likely to draw Ronald McDonald than
Emmet Kelly or Pierrot. What do elves
do? They bake cookies inside a tree. How
do camels behave? Why, they smoke cigarettes, of course.
But children still enjoy the fanciful
images and impossible conditions that
come from cartoons, picture books, and
animated films. In their play, they easily
make up stories about characters, real
or imagined. Turtles fly, trees talk, and
fairies ride unicorns over the rainbow.
In a childs world, imagination is real. It
is a viable way of thinking. Ask a child
about his Halloween costume. He will say,
Im a pirate! He will never say, I look
like a pirate, or I am dressed in pirate
clothes. The linguistic difference is a
significant indicator of the childs state of
mind. A childs internal thinking is I am
a princess, not I am pretending to be a
princess. Their imagination is temporarily melded into belief in their mind. This
belief is fluid and changing, but real. They
may switch from a pirate captain to a first
mate or from a superhero to a villain in the
blink of an eye, but at each moment they
believe in the reality of their thinking.
Children have so much more imagination than adults that it is hard to even
consider presenting a childrens magic

show without capitalizing on it. Even
children who have moved past believing in
real magic will still take part in exercises
of imagination and creativity. Want proof?
Go watch a good magician who uses a vent
routine in his act. Kids may laugh and
applaud at the magic but still not believe it.
They may exhibit all the necessary polite
behaviors of an adult audience, but still roll
their eyes at the trick of it all. But when
he brings out the puppet, they will fall
instantly into the gotcha trap of watching
two performers. The puppet has life.
That bundle of cloth and vinyl becomes
a character. Kids will come up after the
show and ask to talk to the puppet.
I use a Wolfs Magic trick called Blow
Yur Stack in my Character Show. The prop
consists of a box made to look like a large
piece of Swiss cheese and a small plush
mouse figure that pops up and down. The
mouse is a simple toy, with no articulation
whatsoever. It rises out of the prop and
returns back into the prop. Thats all. But
that one prop gets more comments and admiration than anything else in that show.
Kids almost always file out of the school
auditorium saying Say hi to Morris, or
I hope Morris gets his X-Box back. I use
a different prop in my Mystery Show, a
wooden box with a fake fur weasel inside.
A simple lever on the back makes it appear
as if the weasel pops up and down, lifting
the lid of the box. It is a different effect,
a different prop, and a different character
than Blow Yur Stack, but the results are
the same. Kids comment on the weasel box
more than any other routine. At one show
I used an Axtell Bird Puppet with the Bird
Arm Illusion, in which you put on long
gloves and it looks like the puppet is sitting
on your arm. I once overheard an elevenyear-old telling his mother about the show.
He used these exact words: Then a bird
came out of the box, flew around the room,
landed on his shoulder, and talked to him.
The boy had mis-remembered reality in
favor of his imagination.
The key to these memorable magic
tricks is personification. When you
introduce such an object, give it a name,
add some patter about its behavior, and
speak to it as you would a person. Personify
the Prop.
Lets use the Fraidy Cat Rabbit as an
example. You call your black rabbit plaque
Freddie. You show the door frame, but call

it a house. Tell the kids that he sometimes
gets scared. Then you open the door of
your Fraidy Cat prop and show the black
rabbit has changed to white. You speak to
the painted wooden board as if it were a
person, and offer to help him. You open
the door and show that the rabbit picture
has turned to black. When you remove
it and turn it around, you dont just say,
There is his tail. You tell the kids, Look
hes hopping away. Wave goodbye.
Giving a prop the characteristics
of a person is what makes it engaging,
memorable, and fun for children to watch.
Because of childrens innate capacity for
imagination, they cannot help but believe
that the prop is truly a character. When you
personify a prop, you make it memorable.
Even a flat cardboard picture of an animal,
when given a name and moved around,
becomes a character. Farmyard Frolics has
a cat, Pet Store Pranks has a rattlesnake,
and SPSs Bookworm has a worm. Run,
Rabbit, Run has a rabbit, or maybe a bear
or wolf or dinosaur. If you use any prop like
this, give the animal figure a name. Talk to
it like you would a person. Write a script
that involves true dialogue between two
characters. When you personify cut-outs
like these, you grab the attention of a
young audience, engage them in the plot
and build an event they will remember. If
you treat these simple props the same way
that a great ventriloquist treats his figures,
then the kids in your audience will get
involved in the routine.
Here is an example of how to personify
a prop. You will need three drawings done
on plain cardboard or illustration board,
such as are shown in Figure 1. Comic book
backing boards or foam core would work as
well. The back piece shows the top half of
a penguin on the top half of the picture and
the same top half of a penguin rotated 180
degrees on the bottom half of the picture.
Figure 1
The second drawing shows the bottom

half of a penguin drawn on the bottom
half of the picture. Leave a half-inch frame
around the entire picture. Then cut out
the complete frame and the penguin piece
separately. Discard the blank top half of

the picture. The third picture is a one-inch
wide frame with the center removed.
Stack these three pieces of board
together and glue the thin frame onto the
whole picture. Insert the half-panel loosely
in place and then glue the wider frame on
top of the thin frame. Figure 2 shows the
layered assembly. Be sure not to get any
glue on or near the penguin bottom panel.
pocket on the back of the card. Next print

a comical fish picture on cardboard and
glue the same busy pattern to the back of
it. Flip it face down and slide the fish into
the pocket on the back of the penguin prop
as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 3
Figure 2
This piece should be able to slide freely

up and down within the thin frame. The
wider frame will keep it from falling out.
You may need to add a second thin frame
as a spacer, or trim the penguin section,
or otherwise adjust the pieces before you
glue them together to make sure the small
piece slides freely. When you are done,
you can slide the penguins bottom down
to show him standing upright, or slide it up
to show him upside down, as illustrated by
Figure 3. To make the magic effect work,
you show the prop, turn it towards yourself
and then deliberately turn it upside-down.
The panel will secretly slide to the bottom,
making the penguin
look right side up again.
When you turn it back
to face the audience
they expect the penguin
to be upside down, but
see that it is still right
side up.
For a finale, you will
add a hidden fish to
the back. Print a busy
pattern on plain paper
and glue it to the back of the prop. Print
a duplicate busy pattern on another sheet,
cut it in half diagonally, and glue that to the
back of the card, but just along the bottom
and left edges. This will make a secret
Figure 4
To present the magic, you could bring

out the prop, continually flip it over, and
have it always show a right-side-up picture.
But the magic and the routine will be infinitely better if you engage the childrens
imagination with personification. Here is
a script example of how to personify the
prop.
Would you boys and girls like to see
my pet penguin? Ill get her. Her name is
Penny. Lean over the back of your table.
Knock three times and call, Penny.
Repeat this action three times. This will
get a laugh because it is a reference to the
popular TV show The Big Bang Theory.
Bring out the penguin picture and address
the character as if it were a live character.
There you are. Were you getting
warm down there? Turn to address the
audience. Penny is used to the Antarctic
where the temperature is always below
freezing. She thinks it is harder to catch
fish in warm weather. She has been practicing her fishing. Do you want to see
her try out her fishing technique? The
audience will call out yes.
Turn the board to face you, with its back
towards the audience. The busy pattern
there should keep the audience from
seeing that there is a pocket and a cut-out
fish on the back. Penny, do you remember
Not Just Kid Stuff

that I told you how to get the biggest fish?
You do? (Pause.) Thats right. I said you
will have to dive upside down so you can go
deep. Well, lets see you do that. Carefully
turn the board end for end so it is upside
down. Let the panel slide to the bottom so
the penguin still appears right side up. A
little friction of your fingers on the panel
will slow it down and keep it from talking.
Look up and address the audience while
you turn the board around to face them.
There. See how well Penny listens. Shes
diving upside down so she can go deep and
get a really big fish. The audience will tell
you that the penguin is right side up.
Turn it back towards yourself and act
surprised. Penny! Are you afraid of the
deep water? I told you that you have to
swim upside down to get a big fish. Now,
dont be afraid. Just get back in the water
and swim upside down. Slowly and
carefully turn the board upside down,
again letting the panel secretly slide to the
bottom. Look up and then turn the board
toward the audience. Shes doing it. Shes
swimming upside down so she can get to the
really deep water and find the biggest
Stop as you hear the children yelling that
the penguin is not upside down. Turn the
board back toward yourself.
Again? You are not upside down,
Penny. You will never catch a big fish like

that. You have to listen to me and practice
if you want to catch a big fish. First, turn
upside down. Turn the board slowly and
carefully end for end, but this time pinch
the panel so it stays at the top. Turn the
board around to face the audience so they
can see that the penguin is upside down.
You see, boys and girls, Penny does
know how to listen. This time shes going
to go deep and get a really big fish. Turn
the board towards you, letting the panel
secretly slide down. You listened well.
Now you stay upside down. Thats one
way to swim deep and catch a big fish.
Turn the board back towards the audience
so they see that the penguin is right side
up, but look at them, not the picture. Now,
watch this, boys and girls, Penny will be
able to catch a Stop talking when the
kids tell you the penguin is right side up.
Then lean over and look at the picture.
Penny Penguin! You did not listen.
Secretly grip the fish cut-out from behind
with your right hand, while still holding the
board with your left hand. Why dont you
want to swim upside down? How do you
think you can catch any big fish if you are
not going to swim into the deep part of
As you are talking, move the board away to
the left, and turn your head, also to the left,
as if you are trying to see and talk to the

penguin. Keep your right hand perfectly
still as you pull the board away from it.
This will expose the fish held in your right
hand while you discuss obedience with
the penguin picture. The kids will see the
fish and begin yelling. Quickly look back
to your right hand and react, as if the fish
had suddenly and magically appeared. A
fish! No wonder Penny didnt want to swim
upside down! She already has a great big
fish! How about a round of applause for
Penny!
What a lot of fun from a simple
cardboard picture. This routine will get
strong reactions from kids because they
identify with the picture as a character.
Because of your words and behaviors, the
penguin becomes real, alive. Imagine how
dull this trick would be if you said, I have
a picture of a penguin and Im going to turn
it upside down and then make it magically
turn back right side up. The story and the
routine become so much more engaging
and entertaining if you Personify the Prop.
By the way, if you want to make your
own Penny Penguin trick, I have all of the
artwork in a folder of jpegs; Ill send you a
complimentary copy at your request. Just
email me (Jim@jimkleefeld.com).
Houdini on the Web

We are all aware
of www.magicSAM.
com, the place where
our members can
check in to see what
is new and beneficial
to the compeers of the
Society. I regularly
search the web for
magic sites that offer different and interesting takes on all
things magical. I found some great finds and would like to
share them with you.
You are probably aware of the Houdini Museum in
Scranton, Pennsylvania, run by Dorothy Deitrich and
Dick Brooks; they keep the Houdini name going as a labor
of love. The museum is a fun place to visit if you are ever
in the area.
There is also an online Houdini Museum (no relation
to the Scranton facilities) that has some extremely interesting articles about our longest presiding president.
Founded in 2004, San Diego magician Tom Interval has
created a blog of great topics and interesting finds about
Houdini. The website was originally started to discuss
articles in the New York Times relating to Houdini, but it
has grown to include such topics as the previous owner of
Houdinis home, the building where Houdini was born,
and the Houdini scrapbook collection. You never know
what will pop up on the site.
I encourage you to set your browsers to http://houdinimuseum.wordpress.com/ and get immersed in its content.
Houdinis Comic Escapes

Houdini is the subject of a new
comic book available on your
iDevice. Houdini Adventures #1
takes you to London as Houdini
aids Scotland Yard in solving
a crime. This audio enhanced
comic book is a fun read and
reveals one of Houdinis secrets.
You have to pay to learn the other
secret.
Forget the fact that Houdini
looked nothing like the Superman-looking guy on these
pages. Also forget the sexy outfits that this tall shapely
Bess is wearing. It is a cool comic to look through and
is enhanced with sounds, voice, fun facts about Harry,
and film clips. Houdini Adventures #1 is available in the

iTunes App Store for free.
Its a Numbers Game

Although not all magicians are good at math, they are
still fascinated by numbers. At the 4F convention this
year, at least five people, including math fan Obie OBrien,
mentioned the Grey Matters Blog. Although not all magic,
there are a lot of puzzles and math tricks to peruse.
Recently, the website posted some free math magic books
that have some very good, long forgotten effects. Set your
browser to www.headinside.blogspot.com.
Its in Your Pocket

If you have a smart phone, chances
are it never leaves your hand. Magicians
almost always have something else
with them all the time; I am talking
about their favorite packet trick. Want
a place to keep both together?
MiPocket Stick On Pocket is just
what it says. Stick it on the back of
your smart phone and youve created a
pocket to store business cards or your favorite packet trick.
The real magic is the way things stay inside the pocket.
The material is stretchy and holds everything inside but is
soft and flexible enough to take things out.
If you have my Professor Marvels Crystal Ball App,
its the perfect place to store the cards needed for the trick.
MiPocket Stick On Pocket is available for under $10 at
Michaels Crafts and Toys R Us. Or just Google it; its all
over the Internet.
Houdinis Altered Reality

Houdini AR is not really magic, but it is something
fun to play with. Download the free coasters; then point
your iDevice at the coasters and watch 3D objects appear.
You can walk all around these objects. Ill bet an out-ofthe-box thinker will come up with ways to turn these
cool objects in to magic tricks. Houdini AR is free in the
iTunes App Store for iDevices as well as in Google Play
for Android devices.
Bruce is always on the lookout for computer magic,
iPhone/iPod Touch apps, and tech toys that can be used in
magic applications. If you have any suggestions for future
columns, write to Bruce at SAMtalkBruce@cox.net.
The High Road

script writing, char acter
development, and act construction
for the modern conjuror
By Mick Ayres
I am a butterfly. I am not a butterfly

collector. I want the experience of the
butterfly. William Stafford, poet
As conjurers, we tend to begin our
education at a young age; there is usually
a magic kit involved. We study each trick
until we learn everything the kit has to
offer. However, that isnt enough; we
want to know more secrets. So, we read
all the books we can find and buy every
trick we can afford until our resources
and finances are nearly exhausted. Still,
our thirst for more magic knowledge is
not slaked in the least. Then we discover
there is a magic club that meets in town.
The members greet us with open arms and
welcome us into the fold. Still, the craving
for more secrets and tricks is relentless.
Then the guys in the club share about an
upcoming convention, and its like we hit
the mother lode. Dealer rooms are packed
with boxed-up miracles just waiting to be
opened. Performers lecture and expound
upon innovative ideas and tricks. Everywhere we look are wonders that appeal
specifically to the conjurer that hides deep
within us all. These events are so popular
there is no longer a weekend during any
calendar year that doesnt offer an enticing
magic seminar or convention somewhere.
Todays conjuring enthusiasts have no
excuse for a lack of tricks in the arsenal.
Sounds wonderful, doesnt it?
It can be; but for anyone interested in
raising his or her performances to another
level, it is wise to look at this from another
angle. First, consider the demographics of the average magic convention for
a moment. The majority of attendees are
amateurs who dream of being on stage,
commanding the attention of packed
theaters. Perhaps ten percent are part-time
performers who pick up the occasional gig
to supplement their income. Just a handful
of magicians from this latter group are the
professionals who perform for a living.

These are rough estimates, but it means
about ninety percent of the people at any
convention are hobbyists. Theres nothing
wrong with that; every professional
magician in our industry has worn those
shoes at one point or another.
Now consider the average magic dealer
at a convention. He is there to sell merchandise to as many people as possible.
This means his target market is the
hobbyist who will impulsively purchase
the newest cool trick or the latest video.
Magic dealers are not wrong for exploiting
this situation to make money; in fact, it is
a wise business decision. Havent we all,
at one point or another, fallen prey to the
siren call of the dealers room?
Next, consider the lecturers who
frequent convention after convention,
offering their newest creations. They
depend on merchandise, video, and book
sales to make their attendance worthwhile.
Since a lecturers market is understandably
targeted upon the hobbyist, their continued
popularity and appeal is dependent upon
fresh, clever material. Some lecturers offer
so many new effects one begins to ask:
Where does anyone find the time to create
these wonders and field-test them in front
of a real audience (meaning, an audience
that is not comprised of his peers within
the business)?
Finally, consider this: Professionals in
the conjuring business rarely search for
their shows next effect at a magic convention. If you are performing shows for a
living, then you already have an act. What
a professional seeks from the convention
experience is feedback from his peers. He
wants fellowship with people who know
that magic is not about naming someones
card; its about the lost being found and the
broken restored. Its about changing the
laws of physics, twisting reality, reversing
time, and getting something from nothing.
A professional magician loitering in a
dealers room is only there for the nostalgia
and to chat with some old friends. To the

merchants, he is not the droid theyre
looking for.
All of this brings us back to where we
started with a fellow hoping to take his
magic to another level. As a performer,
you must study your target audience with
the same intensity as a dealer at a convention and cherry-pick your effects with that
audience in mind. If you only perform
for the local magic club or at the annual
neighborhood block party, there is a world
of difference in the selection of appropriate tricks. For example, your friends
at the magic club want to be seriously
fooled because once someone learns
enough about the basics of conjuring, experiencing wonder is a rare delight. Your
neighbors are going to treat you like a
prophet without honor anyway, so the
diversion of a simple, entertaining mystery
will fill their cup. In the magicians world,
skilled technique with playing cards is to
be admired and praised. In your neighbors
world, a Svengali Deck is sleight of hand.
If your target audience is not made up of
magicians, then dont consider effects that
were designed with them in mind. Look
for mysteries that will appeal to the rest
of the world. To find those, many working
professionals believe you will have greater
success by searching the classic books of
magic such as those written by Harlan
Tarbell, Henry Hay, Henning Nelms, J.
G. Thompson, and John Hilliard or the
modern texts by John Carney, Tommy
Wonder, and Mark Wilson. The root ideas
and theatrical presentations offered by any
of these authors far outclass the one-hit
wonders that seem to flood the market
today.
Most professionals in our industry are
willing to share a bit of time and information with others, as long as the request
is made respectfully. Dai Vernon, Juan
Tamariz, Larry Jennings, and Johnny
Thompson were (or are) known for being
cooperative, as long as the request is made
politely. An amateur who obnoxiously

demands the attention of a professional
simply because were part of the same
brotherhood risks divorcing that professional from his or her approachability.
Make your questions brief and specific. A
generic question begets a generic answer.
Remember that most professionals attend
conventions to socialize with friends and
network with their peers. This means they
want to use their limited time wisely;
getting buttonholed by strangers can
rapidly make the minutes disappear.
In general, professionals understand
what it is like to be enthusiastic and hungry
for information that can improve a career,
so unless the pro is a total nibs he or she
will pause and answer politely, even if that
answer is no or later. Finally, if asked,
be ready to share specific information
about your work efforts so far. One way
a professional can tell if his time is well
spent is when he can tell you are serious
and willing to put in the necessary work.
No one wants to throw good seed on rocky
ground.
Raising the level of our conjuring presentations requires us to be smart about
our audiences demographics. It means
keeping our eyes wide open. It requires
specific ideas of what were looking for.
Surprisingly, the information and teaching
we need will often come from where we
least expect it.
Whether your conjuring passion is
focused on magic or mentalism, you
may find the mystery that follows to be a
welcome addition to your tool bag.
COLOR MY WORLD
A prediction is written down. A deck
of cards is shuffled. A guest takes the deck
and removes one card that she considers
special. The prediction is opened and read;
it matches her special card precisely. What
makes her card so special and predictable?
The rest of the cards in the deck are backed
with a different color. You are absolutely
clean at the finish.
This effect is odd, simple, and baffling.
It is odd because it begins with two decks
of cards but only one is used during the
presentation. It is simple because it is very
close to self-working. It is baffling because
much of it happens in the guests hands.
While there are no sleights involved in
this presentation, there is a bit of preparation. You will need two decks of cards, one
red backed and the other blue backed. Cut
the Five of Clubs to the top of each deck.
Next, place the Five of Spades ten cards
from the top. Now, switch the top cards of
each deck; that is, put the red Five of Clubs
on top of the blue deck and vice versa.
Finally, slide the blue deck with the red
card on top into the red card case. Put the
remaining pack in the other card case and
pocket them both. You are ready to begin.
To perform, address a guest and say,
Id like to show you something special
with a deck of cards. Reach into your
pocket and remove both decks. Look
surprised at the sight of two packs and say,
Well, I do try to come prepared. This will
work with any deck so which do you prefer,
red or blue? You will use whichever color
is chosen; drop the other deck back in your
pocket. For the sake of explanation, lets
say she chooses the blue pack (that is, the
deck that is in the blue card case).
Remove the cards from the case; put
the case off to one side and table the deck
face down. Pick up a piece of paper and
write down Five of Clubs. Fold the paper
and hand it to the guest as you say, I just
wrote something special. We will have a
look at it later. For now, please put it away
some place safe. Do not mention the color
of the pack; just trust that your guest has
eyes and is currently using them.
Turn the pack face up and give it a brief
tabled shuffle without disturbing the order
of the ten cards that are now on the bottom.
When finished, turn the deck over and
hold it face down casually while you say,
There are fifty-two cards in this deck.
I want you to find a card that is special
to you alone. To keep things fair, we will
keep the cards face up so everything stays
honest. No tricky stuff.
Turn the deck face up and spread
through the pack. Take roughly ten to
twelve cards into your right hand and drop
them face up on the table. Take another ten
to twelve cards off and drop them on top
of the tabled cards while saying, We gave
the deck a fair shuffle and now well give
it several random cuts casino rules, you
know. Take a third group and drop them
onto the tabled cards. As you spread the
deck to take the fourth group of cards,
you should be able to easily spot the Five
of Spades. Take all the cards to the right
of the Five of Spades and drop them to

the table. You now have exactly ten cards
remaining in your left hand. Drop them
onto the tabled pile and square everything
up.
Hand the face-up deck to your guest
and say, Weve done the fair shuffling and
legitimate cutting, but we really dont need
an entire deck to do this trick. Lets thin it
out. We need a random number; it is best
to use one that is special to you. If Im not
being too personal, tell me: how old were
you when you first drove a car? Lets
say she answers, Sixteen. Respond by
saying, Okay, please deal sixteen cards
to the table. When she is finished, pick up
the new pile, hand it to her and say, Were
going to use one of these sixteen cards as
your special card. Since were only looking
for a single card, lets use the number you
chose to create a single digit. The number
sixteen has two digits, a one and a six. Add
those together and you get a total of seven.
Please deal seven cards to the table. Place
the seventh card off to one side. What is
your card? The Five of Clubs. You just
performed a face-up variation of the
10/20 force; even better, you did so while
avoiding that dreadful request to choose a
number between ten and twenty.
Say, Your choices and actions have
isolated one card, special to you, from
the remainder of the deck. Remember the
paper you hid away earlier? Would you
open it and read it for us all to hear? The
Five of Clubs!? I was hoping things would
turn out this way.
Lay the prediction note on the table.
Pick up her Five of Clubs, turn it face down,
and toss it casually on top of the open note.
Say, Think back to the beginning of this
mystery. Do you remember when I said this
would work with either deck? Pick up the
deck, turn it face down, and dribble all the
red-backed cards directly onto the table in
a loose pile next to the Five of Clubs and
the prediction. Smile and say, I just want
to prove my point.
She is going to dive for the cards
anyway, so you may as well let her inspect
them.
Color My World copyright 1979.
Mick is a conjurer, tunesmith, and
tale-swapper. He can be reached at:
mick@mickayreswares.com.
For Your Consider ation

By George Parker
EXERCISES IN STYLE
Last month I had a wonderful dinner
and evening in Amsterdam with Doc
Eason. At some point I told him that I
typically create multiple scripts for one
routine in order to be able to present the
same routine for construction workers as
well as for a room full of college presidents. Hiseyebrows raised; he was interested in the why, what, and how of it. We
went to see a show and didnt have time to
elaborate. So I thought Id write about it in
thismonths issue.
The initial inspiration for creating
multiple scripts came from a theater show
I saw back in the early 80s. The title
was Exercises in Style. It blew me away
because it struck more than one chord with
me. The play was performed by one man
and very few props. But I had seen that
approach before. The special part was that
he told one short story about thirty-five
times in different ways. I mean, how Zen
can you get?!
After the play, I talked to the actor
and learned that the play was based on
Exercises in Style (1947) by Raymond
Queneau. Its a collection of ninety-nine
retellings of the same story, each in a
different style. Its still available on Kindle,
as well as a paperback.
Seeing this play and reading the book
helped me a lot, both professionally as well
as personally. I find it extremely useful to
be able to express myself in more than one
style. It helps me to perform for a wide
variety of audiences and engage them.
More so, its a very productive way to work
on original approaches to an effect.
I will first talk about Queneaus work.
Then I will describe my always-ready-togo card to box routine and challenge you to
experiment with different styles, premises,
and scripts.
RAYMOND QUENEAUS
STORY
The story Queneau tells is simple: The
narrator gets on the S bus, witnesses an
altercation between a man with a long neck
and a funny hat and another passenger. He

then sees the same person two hours later
at the Gare Saint-Lazare getting advice on
adding a button to his overcoat.
I will copy the Litotes (a figure
of speech in which understatement is
employed) version below in its entirety and
add the opening lines of other versions to
show you the basic idea.
Litotes: Some of us were traveling
together. A young man, who didnt look
very intelligent, spoke to the man next to
him for a few moments; then he went and
sat down. Two hours later I met him again;
he was with a friend and was talking about
clothes.
Dream: I had the impression that everything was misty and nacreous around
me, with multifarious and indistinct apparitions, amongst whom however was one
figure that stood out fairly clearly, which
was that of a young man whose too-long
neck in itself seemed to proclaim the
character at once cowardly and quarrelsome of the individual...
Precision: In a bus of the S-line,
ten meters long, three wide, six high, at
three kilometers and six hundred meters
from its starting point, loaded with fortyeight people, at 12:17 p.m., a person of the
masculine sex aged twenty-seven years,
three months, and eight days, one meter,
seventy-two centimeters tall and weighing
sixty-five kilograms...
The Subjective Side: I was not displeased with my attire that day. I was inaugurating a new, rather sprightly hat, and an
overcoat of which I thought most highly.
Met X in front of the Gare Saint-Lazare...
Official Letter: I beg to advise you
of the following facts of which I happened
to be the equally impartial and horrified
witness. Today, at roughly twelve noon, I
was present on the platform of a bus which
was proceeding up the rue de Courcelles
in the direction of the Place Champerret...
Exclamations: Goodness! Twelve
oclock! Time for the bus! What a lot of
people! What a lot of people! Arent we
squashed! Bloody funny! That chap!
Philosophic: Great cities alone can
provide phenomenological spirituality
with the essentialities of temporal and improbabilistic coincidences. The philosopher who occasionally ascends into the
futile and utilitarian inexistentiality of an
S bus...
Sonnet: Glabrous was his dial and
plaited was his bonnet, and he, a puny colt

(how sad the neck he bore, and long)
was now intent on his quotidian chore. The
bus arriving full, of somehow getting on
it.
Mathematical: In a rectangular parallepiped moving along a line representing
an integral solution of the second-order
differential equation...
Noble: At the hour when the rosy fingers
of the dawn start to crack, I climbed, rapid
as a tongue of flame, into a bus, of the
S-line of sinuous course. I noticed, with
the precision and acuity...
CARD TO CARD BOX

There are many wonderful versions
of this effect out there. I applied my
SurvivalVersion theory (see the April
and May 2014 issues) to this plot and came
up with an always-ready-to-go version. I
glue a twice-folded card to the non-lid side
of the box, so the lid covers up the opening
after I take the deck out. The action of
taking the deck out of the box is enough
to make people believe the box is empty
otherwise. And putting the deck back in
after performing this routine reinforces
that belief. Putting the cards back in may
take just a little bit of practice, but its easy
to do. You can perform this as a standalone effect or as the finale of any other
card trick.
Let someone select a card and have
it signed. Take off half of the deck as
if youre going to shuffle the cards and
stretch out your left hand (Figure 1). Ask
the spectator to put her selection on top of
the half in your left hand. Youre going to
control the card to the top while shuffling
the cards by means of the lift shuffle.
Figure 2 shows you how you put the half in
your right hand on top of the half in your
left hand. You start to overhand shuffle
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 5
Figure 3
like you would normally do, but you steal

away the top five to ten cards of the half in
your left hand (Figure 3). When you first
practice this, you may steal fifteen or more
cards. That number will slowly decrease
after practicing, until you get it down to
just a few. Keep shuffling the cards until
you reach the break. Then put the block of
stolen cards on top. The selection is now on
top. You can repeat this if you want. But I
usually let someone in the audience shuffle
the deck as well by saying, Ah, you dont
trust me? Please go ahead! I do a onehanded top palm with my right hand and
give the deck to a spectator. When I take
the deck back I add the palmed selection
on top.
What you say next depends on your
script, but it will allow you to do a Mercury
fold. You hold the deck as in Figure 4.
Figure 5 shows you the exposed view with
the left hand in the process of folding the
card once. The card hits your right thumb
and you immediately fold the card a second
time. Hide the card under the deck. The
whole procedure takes half a second. But
dont rush it or your movements will be
noticed. Put the deck away while keeping
the selection palmed in your left hand.
Take the box and put it on your hand; the
Figure 4
non-lid side down. This hides the folded

selection. Open the lid (Figure 6). The
audience sees a folded card. Reach in with
your right first finger. Your second finger
goes under the box (Figure 7). You pull out
the palmed, folded selection and show it.
When your fingers pull out, the lid will fall
back and cover the card thats glued in the
box. Put the deck back in the box while the
audience checks the signed card.
Figure 6
Figure 7
STYLES OF PERFORMING
My directors often required of me to
deliver lines in wildly different styles.
I may have to deliver a script in Italian
style, which means doing it extremely fast.
They would ask me to deliver it like I was
trying to seduce a girl or like I was in a
courtroom, in a schoolyard, or in a library
(shh!). In the course of doing this, we would
always discover gems that added texture to
the final delivery. So experimenting with a
wide variety of styles while youre rehearsing helps you to come up with fresh new
ideas for all aspects of your routine: script,
style of delivery, method, choice of props,
the way you dress, and so on.
For example, if you performed the cardto-box effect at a Renaissance fair, you
might use the ancient, worn, and cracked
Bicycle 1800 Vintage series cards. You can
create a story about a damsel in distress.
When I think of Jim Carrey in The Mask,
I can create a script about that tiny little
object Im obsessed with and cant find. I
can see myself performing the effect on
stage using all of the stage. I would put the
box at one side of the stage, and then go
to the other side of the stage, moving the
way the Mask moves. Then I would have a
card selected, Mercury fold it, and tiptoe,
in a big, Mask-like manner, to the box on
the other side of the stage. I would need to
create a holdout to hide the folded card, so
I could make big gestures with open hands
while picking up the box. I would then
show the card in the box, steal the selection
from the holdout, and reveal the card.
Obviously, theres no limit to the styles
in which you can perform the card-to-box
plot. Let me leave you with some short
lists to get you started. See what comes
up if you imagine performing the card to
box in that style. My only advice at this
point is: push it to an extreme level, just
like Queneau did. Dont hold back, or
you will miss the gems. Then apply those
styles, and more, to your own routines and
see what happens to your scripts, methods,
props, and delivery. Maybe youll end
up with two or three different styles and
scripts for your favorite effects.
What would the script and delivery
style be if you would perform it: on the
street, for the Queen of England, in a bar
early in the morning, for a group of dentists
at a convention, for a ladies night out, for
spoiled kids, on a boat during a Gay Pride
Parade in Amsterdam, in a home for the
elderly, in the locker room of the Green
Bay Packers before the conference championship game, at a wedding party for a
sobbing couple
style be if you would perform it: like Al
Pacino in Scarface, Keanu Reeves in The
Matrix, Julie Andrews in The Sound of
Music (for the children), Sandra Bullock
in Speed, Neil Patrick Harris in How I met
your Mother, David Duchovny in The X
Files, Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the
Lambs, Zoe Saldana in Avatar
style be if you would perform it: like a
poet, a carpenter, a lawyer, a preacher,
a hobo, a football player, a taxi driver, a
conductor, your neighbor, your grandfather, a whiz kid, a heckler, an accountant...
Have fun!
EBOOK NOOK
Excerpt From:
Bob Wagner's Master
Notebook of Magic
Written By:
Figure 3
R.D. Wagner
Description:
Ebook, 194 pages
Available From:
www.llepub.com
Bob Wagners Master Notebook of
Magic is an idiosyncratic book; it flew
under the radar of many magicians. Some
may have been put off by the way the
material was presented: the text is handwritten, and while it is perfectly legible,
its not what you expect to see in a magic
book. (Unfortunately, for space reasons
it just wasnt practical to reproduce this
handwritten text in the following excerpt.)
The magic, however, is uniformly
excellent, with material for close-up and
stand-up. When I purchased my copy
many years ago, one of the first things I
made note of was the excellent method for
making up a card index. Construct a pair
of these with non-tear Tyvek paper and
youll have something youll use for the
rest of your life.
The excerpt for this months Ebook
Nook consists of a long stand-up routine
made up of two hunks: a well-constructed
ring and rope routine (using two rings)
and a humorous sequence of knot-tying
effects. They can be used individually,
but they make a nice combination when
used together. Learn this, construct a presentation that makes sense for you, and
youll have a major hunk for your stand-up
routine. My thanks to L&L Publishing for
allowing this excerpt to appear in M-U-M.
Michael Close
RINGS OF THE
NIBELUNGS
BY BOB WAGNER
Effect: A complete routine in which a
length of rope and two solid steel rings are
handed for examination. The rings mysteriously penetrate on and off the piece
of rope. Then the performer gives his impression of different types of people tying
knots in a piece of rope. Still the rings
pass on and off the rope at will, and finally
become linked. The rings and rope are
again passed for examination.
Figure 1
Needed: Two single metal rings, six

inches in diameter, from a small set of
linking rings; two linked rings from the
same set; a piece of rope about four and
a half feet in length; a box constructed
of one-eighth-inch plywood. It is divided
into two sections by a shelf (shaded in
Figure 1). The lid has a cloth hinge on the
front edge and the box is lined with felt to
deaden sound. The box is used to switch
sets of rings on top of the table. Slide the
two single rings below the shelf, put the
linked set above the shelf, and close the lid.
The sleights (in order of appearance):
Because of the host of moves required, the
sleights are explained separately first. The
routine follows.
1. The Penetrating Ring (Wagner):
Take the piece of rope and hold it in the
left hand as in Figure 2 with the loop under
thumb (shown by dotted lines). Take ring
in the right hand and slide it under loop and
the thumb in left hand (Figure 3). As you
do this, pull the loop back (Figure 4) with
the thumb and fingers of the left hand. This
can be done in one motion of placing the
ring in the left hand. (Left hand is omitted
in Figure 4.) With the index finger of the
right hand, poke the rope down into crotch
of left thumb at the point indicated by the
arrow (Figure 5).
The right hand now grasps end of rope
at B and deliberately places it through
ring. Continue pulling end B slowly as the
last two fingers of left hand switch their
position to beneath the rope instead of
Figure 2
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
above the rope. (See Figure 6 and compare

it with Figure 5.) Continue pulling end B
slowly until the small loop pulls through
ring, apparently penetrating it (Figure 7).
As soon as this happens, again clamp
the last two fingers of left hand on top of
the rope as they were in Figure 5. Now turn
the left hand around so the spectators see
your view; grasp end B in the right hand
and place it through the ring from the front
(Figure 8) and let it hang. Now slowly
return the left hand to its original position.
Very, very slowly pull end B with right
hand. The ring will once again penetrate
the rope; this time for real (Figure 9).
2. Liko Pang Rings On Rope: Drape
Figure 10
center of the rope

3. Bob Wagners Reverse Liko Pang
Move: Release the rope with your left hand
and set your hand in the same fashion as
it was for the Liko move. Raise the rings
with the right hand so that the hanging
rope drapes over left hand index finger
and thumb (Figure 13). Lower the two
rings with your right hand, but let your
left thumb ride up between the two rings
(Figure 14). Continue pulling the rings
straight down. When the two ends of the
rope approach your left hand, grip the ends
of the rope and with your right hand yank
a couple of times on the rings. They will
appear to both be on the rope, when in
reality one of them is free.
Figure 13
Figure 8
Figure 11
Figure 9
the center of the rope over your left hand

with the ends hanging down (Figure
10). Explain that it would be impossible
to place the two rings on the rope at the
center. With this, take the rings together in
the right hand and hold them above your
left hand. Lower the rings between your
left index finger and thumb and continue
pulling them straight down.
This will automatically pull down a
loop of the rope (Figure 11). Continue
pulling until the ends of the rope are pulled
close to the left hand. At this point, stop,
remove the rings, and replace the rope
in its original position over the left hand
(Figure 10). But now you show how this

can be done. Be sure the end of the rope
closest to your body is slightly higher than
the other end. Raise the rings above your
left hand as before, but before you lower
them, remove your left thumb from under
the loop. Just pull it back as you lower the
rings in the same manner as before.
As the rings cross your left palm,
replace your thumb under the loop of rope
as it was before (Figure 12). Continue
pulling the rings slowly downward until
the ends of the rope are pulled close to the
left hand. At this point, grab the ends of
rope with your left hand; with your right
hand yank a couple of times on the rings to
show they have linked themselves onto the
Figure 12
Figure 14
Raise your right hand and lower your
left. Then let go of the rope with your left
hand and grasp the two rings. The right
hand releases its hold and grasps only the
ring that is closest to your body. Pull the
ring straight down along the rear of the
rope and, when it is about halfway down,
pull the ring to the right. It appears to come
off the rope.
4. Steinhauers Two On, Then One
Off Move: Let the free ring slip over the
right arm and rest there. The right hand
grasps the end of rope closest to your body
and lifts it up. The left hand raises the ring
along the rope to the position shown in
Figure 15. Lower the right hand outside the
EBOOK NOOK
Figure 15
Figure 16
Figure 17
Figure 18
ring and clip the rope below the ring

between the ring and little fingers (Figure
16). The left hand folds the ring back over
the right wrist (Figure 17). The left thumb
is inserted in the loop between the ring
and little fingers of right hand and pulls
the rope down and to the left. This action
pulls end A out of the ring and into the left
hand (Figure 18).
With both hands, tie the two ends of

the rope in a square knot, leaving about
two inches of each end protruding from
the knot. Pull the looped rope around until
the knot is at the side of the loop. With
your left hand, take hold of the ring that
is over your arm and pull it down to your
wrist, whereupon you take hold of both
rings together and pull them off your right
wrist. The right hand continues to hold on
to the rope. Display the two rings linked
on the rope, then let go of the rings and
twirl the rope around in a circle in front of
your body.
As the rings swing around in a
complete circle, grab them with your left
hand. Hold the rings parallel to the floor
and drop the loop of rope through from the
top. This action will free one of the rings.
Take the rings in the right hand perpendicular to the floor and with the left hand
grab the bottom of the loop of rope and lift
it up taut above the rings. With the right
hand let go of the linked ring and pull the
unlinked one free.
5. Knot Tying Demonstration: Slide
the ring into the bottom section of the box
on the table. Untie the knot in the rope,
remove the other ring, and hang it on
your left arm at the elbow. At this point
the performer will give his impression of
different people tying knots in a piece of
rope. Then the ring routine will continue
and conclude. (The knot tying interlude,
which can be used as a routine by itself,
is explained in great detail following the
presentation of the ring routine.)
At the end of the knot tying interlude
you will be left with a fake knot at the
center of the rope. The right hand removes
the ring from the left arm and deposits
it in the lower section of the box on the
table. At the same time, pick up the two
linked rings from the shelf of the box. The
audience will think you simply picked up
the other ring and will not be aware that
the rings are linked. Thread the rings on
the rope. Hold the rope horizontal with the
rings at the right end. Pull on the ends of
the rope as you let the rings slide across
the rope toward the left, and the knot will
disappear as the rings slide over it.
6. Ring and Rope Release: Let the
two rings slide down the rope into the left
hand, which releases its end of the rope
and lifts the two rings up to the position
in Figure 15. (The only difference is that
you are holding two rings instead of one.)
Lower the right hand outside the ring and
clip the rope below the ring between the
fourth and little fingers (Figure 16). The
left hand folds the two rings back over the
right wrist (Figure 17).
The left thumb is inserted in loop

between the ring and little fingers of right
hand and pulls the rope down and to the
left. This action pulls end A out of the
rings and into the left hand (Figure 18).
Thread end A through the rings from the
back towards the audience (Figure 19) and
tie the two ends of the rope together. The
rings are apparently linked on the rope
loop (Figure 20). Reach down with your
Figure 19
Figure 20
left hand and twist together several times

the two strands of rope that are hanging
down. Then with the left hand reach up
and grasp both rings above your right
wrist. Holding on to the rope with your
thumb and index finger of the right hand,
let go with your little finger and with your
left hand pull the two rings forward over
your right hand and off your arm. When
the rings are off of your arm, stop your
left hand and raise your right hand straight
up above the left until the rope becomes
taut. Dont pull hard. Let go of the rings
with your left hand. If the rope was twisted
properly, you can let the rings hang gently
from the loop as if they are knotted on.
Re-grasp the rings with the left hand
and pull them both downward. If you
jiggle the rope slightly, the rings will pull
free of the loop. Let the rings slide over the
left arm and hold the loop of rope in your
left hand with the knot at the bottom.
7. Instantaneous Rings Knotted on

Rope (Wagner): Hold the knotted rope
loop in your left hand with the knot at the
bottom and the two rings hanging on your
left wrist. Your right hand reaches through
the rope loop with the palm upward and
grabs the two rings. With the palm still up,
pull your right hand and the two rings back
through the loop of rope. Pull downward
to the right at an angle of about forty-five
degrees with the floor. If you pull with a
quick jerk, as the rings come off of your
left hand, the rings will be trapped in a tag
tie at the knot on the bottom of the rope
loop.
It will appear as if they were instantaneously knotted to the rope.
Presentation: I would like to have
you examine this length of rope and these
two rings. Make sure that they are quite
ordinary in every way. Hand out the rope
and the two rings to three different spectators in the audience. Take back the rope.
Move 1: I am going to demonstrate
to you the power of the imagination and
the magic of dreams. Please toss me one
ring. All I want you to do is to use your
imagination to make believe you see the
rope penetrating right through the ring; it
looks like it does. Again, just imagine you
see the ring pass right through the rope,
and in your mind it actually does!
Moves 2 and 3: May I have the other
ring please? Most people believe that in
order to place the two rings on the rope,
I would have to place them over an end. It
would be impossible to place them on the
rope at the center. But in dreams anything
can happen. The two rings penetrate onto
the rope. They can even be placed on at
the center and removed at will. One ring
comes off the rope.
Move 4: Watch as I place both rings
on my arm and tie a knot in the rope,
forming a closed loop. Only in the imagination can this happen! The two rings
penetrate onto the loop of rope; you then
twirl the rope. Make a wish... Drop the
rope through the rings. ...and it always
comes true. Remove the ring from the
rope and slide it into the bottom section of
the box on the table.
Move 5: There is another way to
remove the ring from the ropes, and that is
to untie the knot. Untie the knot, remove
the other ring, and slide it over the left
arm to your elbow. Speaking of knots...
Here the performer gives his impression of
different types of people tying knots in a
piece of rope. The instructions and patter
are below. After the knot segment, the ring
routine continues.
With the aid of these two rings (switch
rings) and your imagination, just like all

your troubles, the knot vanishes.
Move 6: And the power is great.
Watch! Just twist the rope and make a
wish. Pull the two rings off of the loop
of rope.
Move 7: But not many people know
that a knot once tied has within itself a
strange and wonderful power that can
bind two rings such as these. Pull the two
rings through the loop with a jerk, linking
them on the knot.
But alas, when you untie the knot the
dream fades. Untie the knot and drape the
rope over the left arm. But even in reality,
dreams come true. Spin the rings on your
right index finger. Grab one ring and let
the other drop, showing it to be linked to
the first. I hope yours do, too.
clockwise direction perpendicular to the

floor. When you are ready to tie the knot,
lift end A with your left hand; with your
right hand swing end B up under the length
AC, on the performers side. Grab end B
between the index and middle fingers of
your right hand. Let go with your left hand
and display the knot.
KNOT TYING
DEMONSTRATION
[Note: All page numbers given here
are references to Abbotts Encyclopedia
of Rope Tricks (ERT). Seven knots are
described therein. Variations of those
knots are described below.]
Preliminary Knot: The Lightning Knot
on page 20 of ERT.
1. Cowboy: Hold end A, hanging down,
in the left hand. The right hand throws a
circular loop parallel to the floor, below
end A (Figure 1), and lifts up, raising the
loop around end A (Figure 2). The left hand
holds still and drops end A, thus forming
the knot (Figure 3). The right hand retains
its hold on end B.
2. Swinger: This is a variation of the
One-Handed Knot (ERT, page 19). Hold
the rope as in Figure 4. Twirl end B like
an airplane propeller, but slowly, in a
3. Elevator Operator: Hold the rope

with the thumb and index finger of your
left hand at A and the thumb and index
finger of your right hand at end B (Figure
5). Cross end A behind end B and put the
last three fingers of each hand inside the
loop from the back (Figure 6). Stretch
your hands apart (Figure 7). With your
left hand, lift loop C up behind end A and
pinch end A between the middle and ring
fingers (Figure 8).
Lift your right hand, keeping the rope
stretched, so that the rope is in a vertical
position with the right hand above the left.
Turn your left side toward the audience.
Raise your right hand even higher as you
release your left middle and ring fingers.
Hold the left hand still and keep raising
your right hand. A loop (the elevator) will
climb up the rope. When it gets near the
top, drop the loop off the last two fingers
of your right hand.
Now repeat the entire operation again,
except when you raise your right hand for
the elevator to rise, instead of releasing
your left middle and ring fingers, keep
pinching the rope between those two
fingers and, instead, release end A with
your left thumb and index fingers. This
time a knot will climb up the rope.
4. William Tell: Hold end A in your left
hand; hold end B in your right hand. Bring
end B around behind end A (Figure 9).
Open your left index finger and put end B in
the crotch of the index and middle fingers.
Now pull end B down and under your left
thumb (Figure 10). Continue pulling end
B towards you, like pulling back an arrow
in a bow, as the loop gets smaller (Figure
11). Before the loop, or target, gets too
EBOOK NOOK
small, stop and apply pressure with your left thumb against your
middle fingers, pinching the rope and preventing it from sliding
any more. With your right hand, pull on end B, stretching the
rope in the direction of the arrow in Figure 11. Suddenly, let end
B slip out of your right fingers. End B will shoot through the loop.
As it does, the left hand opens its middle, ring, and little fingers
and holds the rope only with the thumb and index finger. A knot
should be hanging at the middle of the rope.
5. Royal Mounted Police Chief: This knot is similar to the

Cowboy Knot, except you keep end A short and instead of
throwing the circular loop parallel to the floor, you throw it perpendicular to the floor and thrust your left fist through the loop
toward the audience. A handcuff-like knot will form on your left
wrist. Let go with your right hand and grab end A with your thumb
and index finger. While holding end A with your right fingers,
reach down and with the same hand lift the knot off the left wrist.
When the left hand is pulled free, the right hand drops the knot
while still holding on to end A to display the knot on the rope.
6. Wishful Thinker: Hold the rope with end A in your left hand
and end B in your right hand. Lay end B across end A and, with
your left thumb and forefinger, pinch the two ends where they
cross at C (Figure 12). Let go with your right hand, reach down,
and grasp the loop at D with your fingers underneath and your
right thumb through the loop in the direction of the arrow.
Lift loop D and drop it over end A (Figures 13 and 14). The
right hand grasps end A while the left hand holds end B. Drop the
middle of the rope; no knot appears. Repeat the same movements
a second time; still no knot appears.
The third time, you apparently follow the same movements, but
this time you follow Figures 15, 16, and 17. Notice that your right
thumb goes through the loop the opposite way. This time, at the
end, when you drop the middle of the rope, a knot will appear.
7. Mr. Forgetful: Chefalos Vanishing Knot is explained on
page 30 of Abbotts Encyclopedia. Figures 18, 19, and 20 show a
variation. In the patter that follows, the knot is referred to as four
knots. The first knot is tied as in Figure 18. The second knot is
tied as in Figure 19. The right hand holds ends A and B while the
left hand grasps the bottom loop and turns the whole rope in a
clockwise direction 180 degrees. The rope is upside-down as in
Figure 20. The right hand lets go of the ends, and then takes end
B and threads it through knot C and knot D, as you call these the
third and fourth knots. Continue holding end B in your right hand
and let go with your left. Jiggle the rope up and down and the
knots will slowly unravel and disappear.
8. Mr. Exaggerator: Three knots are tied as in Any Number of
Knots (ERT, page 23). The knots are untied as described in Gone
Again (ERT, page 35).
9. Freeway Knot Tier: This is G.W. Hunters Puzzle Knot (ERT,
page 17). The knot is apparently tied without letting go of the ends
of the rope.
10. Mr. Efficiency: This knot is tied in the rope with one hand.
Hold the rope in your right hand as in Figure 21. The palm is
toward the left. Now lift your right hand and bring it smartly
down, turning your palm down, as you follow the motion shown
in the insert of Figure 22. When your hand reaches the position
shown, abruptly stop it. Your index finger can strike the rope but
it is not essential. A large loop will form above your hand and the
bottom end of the rope will kick up through the loop, forming a
knot.
11. Mr. Perfection: This is the Tenkai Rope through Neck (ERT,
page 58).
12. Mr. Accidental: This knot is The Magic Shoelaces (ERT,
page 31).
Patter: Did you ever notice that everyone has his own special
way of doing things? No two people do things alike...even little
things like tying an ordinary knot. With your imagination and
my ability to tie a simple overhand knot, I would like to give you
impression of different types of knot tiers. Tie the preliminary
Lightning Knot.
First we have the cowboy from Texas tying a knot with
his lariat. (Tie knot 1.) This is my impression of a swinger
having a swinging good time tying a knot in a piece of
rope. (Tie knot 2.) Heres an elevator operator going up.
Second floor, ladies ready-to-wear, jewelry, ears pierced
while you wait. (Begin knot 3. The loop ascends the rope,
but no knot forms.) Heres the same elevator operator tying
a knot in a piece of rope going up! (The loop ascends the
rope and the knot appears.)
Next, William Tell shooting an apple off of his sons
head while tying a knot in a rope. (Tie knot 4). The Royal
Canadian Mounted Police always get their man and a
knot in the rope at the same time. (Tie knot 5.) Heres a
wishful thinker tying a knot in a piece of rope. (Begin knot
6. The first time, no knot appears.) A wishful thinker tying a
knot in a... (Again, no knot appears.) Oh, I forgot. A wishful
thinker simply makes a wish. I wish I had a knot! (The
third time, the knot appears.)
Mr. Forgetful ties a knot in a piece of rope and then so
that he wont forget that he tied the knot, he ties a second
knot. Just so that he doesnt forget about the second knot,
he ties a third and a fourth knot. (Tie knot 7). But even
after tying four knots in the rope, sometimes he forgets
that he tied them, the rope forgets its tied in a knot, and
the knot forgets that it is a knot. Thats whats known as a
forget-me-knot! (The knot disintegrates.)
Next we have Mr. Exaggerator. He cant tie a single
knot in a piece of rope without exaggerating and telling
everyone he tied three knots at the same time. (Tie knot 8).
The freeway knot tier can only tie a knot while hes driving
on the freeway. Perhaps some you passed him on the way
here this evening. He gets on the on-ramp, goes over the
overpass, under the underpass, and off the off-ramp with
letting go of the steering wheel. (Tie knot 9, going in and
out of the openings in the rope in accordance with the
patter.)
Mr. Efficiency doesnt need two hands to tie a knot in a
piece of rope. In fact, he can tie a knot with one hand tied
behind his back. (Put your left hand behind your back.)
Watch...Mr. Efficiency tying a knot with one hand. (Tie
knot 10).
In order for Mr. Perfection to tie a knot, he needs a
perfect set of instructions. (Make believe you are recalling
the instructions as you tie knot 11). Lets see, A goes over
B; B goes around C; and C goes through D. At this point,
I either end the demonstration or I get a knot in the rope.
(Pull the knot through your neck.)
Finally, we have Mr. Accidental. He cannot tie a knot
in a piece of rope to save his life...except accidentally. He
ties his shoelaces in a bow, and during the day the ends
get tangled in the bow. At night, when he tries to untie
them, he gets a nasty knot accidentally. (Tie knot 12
and return to the ring routine.)
(Drawings by Lawrence Steinhauer)
INFORMED OPINION
LATEST PRODUCT REVIEWS
Compiled and Edited by W. S. Duncan
A Series of Unfortunate Effects DVD

By Ben Train and Chris Mayhew
Distributed by Murphys Magic Supplies
Price $39.95
REVIEW BY MARC DESOUZA
When I first heard about this new
DVD, I was very excited to watch it. And
happily it delivered on its promises. A
Series of Unfortunate Effects is a project
perpetrated by Ben Train and Chris
Mayhew, but they are aided and abetted
by a host of their friends both in front
of, and in back of, the camera. If there is
more to come from this team of collaborators, put in your order now.
As a reviewer of products for this
magazine, I am often sent DVD products
to view and report on. I can tell you that
there have been a number of times that I have dreaded that process.
Despite the fact that the effects might be well worth learning
and even when the on-screen talent is reasonably entertaining,
the explanations are generally rather dry, almost like reading a
textbook. In fact, I have threatened, half jokingly, to establish a
new rating system called the Z scale, with each Z representing
the number of evenings it took me to get through the disc, because
I fell asleep. I am happy to report that this project got no Zs and
there is a good reason why.
I had Train and Mayhew in to do a dual lecture at my house
last year. It was one of the best planned and delivered lectures Ive
seen. They established characters, interplay, and structure. They
performed and explained some very fine magic and along the way
talked about a number of theoretical and performance issues.
All of it was done in a playful and entertaining way. I expected
nothing less from this DVD project.
This is a movie. Not one that is going to win an Academy
Award, but head and shoulders above anything that youve seen
in magic. The featured players include Train and Mayhew, along
with some other talented Canadian magicians, including Chris
Westfall, Jeff Hinchliffe, and Glenn West, all of whom perform
and teach some great card magic. Wests color-changing deck
is certainly a stand-out and one I have already started working
on, and Hinchliffe shows some superlative thinking in both of
his routines. Lee Asher (a Canadian by marriage) and Bill Abbott
(playing a really creepy character) make special appearances. It is
a low budget film, but it doesnt really look low budget, and there
is a fun plot and everyone seems to be having a great time with it.
It moves along at a fast pace and they have integrated the magic
well. There is a second version of the movie included that leaves
out the explanations, so you can show it to your laymen friends. I
havent watched it yet, but I will likely share it with some Muggles
this summer.
Within this beautifully packaged set you will find two discs.
The first disc includes the film, an alternate version of the full
film with commentary by Train and Mayhew, and the obligatory

outtakes. The Special Features disc has the layman-safe version
of the film and a wonderful visit and interview with Judy and
Tom Dawson. Judy and Tom are playing-card collectors and the
backbone of 52 + Jokers, the premier playing-card collectors
association. They have a real passion for the subject and share
examples from their collection, as well as information about the
history of playing cards. Finally, there is a beautifully designed
and printed booklet that has biographies of the cast and crew,
credits for all of the effects taught, and written explanations for a
couple of the tricks. I really enjoyed everything about this project
and highly recommend it to you. I hope they are already planning
Another Series of Unfortunate Effects.
The Art of Presenting Magic to Teenagers

Three-DVD Set
By Danny Orleans
Available from: www.DannyOrleansMagic.com
Price $129.00
REVIEW BY JIM KLEEFELD
This three-disc set follows up on
Orleanss last effort, The Art of Presenting Magic to Children. It consists of
a neat and attractive set of three discs
filled with a wealth of material. There
are several videos and a great deal of
printed matter (well, PDFs, to be precise)
that show, clarify, and teach how to craft
a stand-up show for teens. First, you get
to see Orleans present a live, forty-fiveminute show to an audience of about
a hundred kids, roughly ages eleven
to seventeen. Following this is a video
with a thorough explanation of the tricks and routines. Next is a
lengthy video commentary on the show with Danny and professional educator and child psychology expert Michael Brandwine
discussing what behaviors and techniques are being used to create
the best possible show for this age group. Also included on the set
is a studio interview of Orleans by Mac King.
The show Orleans presents is excellent and should be viewed
carefully with an eye towards his approach to teens, and his
selection of material. He stresses the importance of selecting
carefully. As John Carney has said, the difference between a professional and an amateur is the number of choices he makes. You
may not want to replicate his routines, but you can learn a lot
about choosing the right tricks as well as presentation of those
choices by watching how he scripts them and by listening to his
rationale. He begins with some silent body magic, odd tricks
and quirks of mime that the audience focuses on intently. Then
he explains a little about what he will present, and moves into a
Spot Card/Whats Next routine. He uses some instructional patter
to move into Torn and Restored Napkins, and segues neatly into
Paper Balls over the Head. He follows with a Pseudo-psychome-
try routine wherein he divines which of his four helpers put what
object into which of four paper lunch bags. He closes with a fairly
standard Dove Bag production and Genii Tube silk transposition. Between each segment, he is constantly giving elucidating
patter about how magicians take advantage of natural psychology
through misdirection. These patter segments help the students to
feel like they are participating in an educational lecture rather
than a kiddie magic show.
The videos are professionally shot with multiple cameras,
expertly edited, and have slick transitions. In addition to the
videos, there is a folder full of written material. One of the files
is his complete show script word for word, accompanied by annotations of his actions and behaviors. The script is so thorough it
takes twenty-one pages to detail the forty-five-minute act. Six of
the written files are complete instructions on how to make some
of the props and equipment he uses. Eight others are information
files itemizing various performance techniques, alternate trick
suggestions, resources, and more. There are also five bonus
videos with additional tricks, routines, even a vintage Orleans act
from 1992.
The Art of Presenting Magic to Teens is aptly titled. Orleans
is intelligent, thoughtful, and knowledgeable about the age group.
He does not just perform magic, he presents it. And he treats his
performance like an art. Over and over he stresses the differences
between presenting a show for teens and one for children. His
advice is solid, practical, and vital to a successful performance.
He certainly does not approach this with the do-it-get-paid-andget-out attitude that many performers have towards young adult
groups. Anyone who works shows for the eleven-to-seventeenyear-old crowd should watch and study this important set for the
valuable advice it holds.
While I highly recommend this product as a whole, there were
a couple of points where Danny and I would disagree. I would not
have closed this modern and educationally oriented show with a
dated and old-fashioned dove production and magic shop prop.
After an adult-like routine of torn and restored paper napkins and
a cerebral mental routine using found objects and ordinary lunch
bags, he brings out a top hat, a zippered cloth bag with a red tassel,
and a chromed Genii Tube filled with colored silks. It feels like a
step backwards from where he has been heading throughout the
show. Even the volunteer helping him looks awkward and uncomfortable handling these traditional magic shop props.
My other point of contention is that while his show is quite
successful at his venue (and I have no doubt that he comes across
very well whenever he works this crowd), his style and approach
simply will not work for everyone. His routines work partly
because he is older and conservative in both dress and manner.
If you are younger, brash, active, have a cool or hip persona, or
dress wild and wacky, you may need a very different approach.
I speak from experience, because I have been marketing to teen
groups for many years and have a very different type of show. My
young adult shows, Tales From Beyond and Ohio Spirits, are dark
and mysterious with a ghostly, almost sinister air and I get lots of
repeat bookings.
Despite our different approaches, I did pick up several very
valuable tips from this set. Danny Orleans has assembled a terrific
package of information that is well worth the price and your investment of time. Anyone who works shows will want to buy,
view, review, and study this wonderful compilation of material on
working with teenagers. If you do most of your shows for children,
you will be surprised and pleased to find ways in which you can
expand your market and get more shows by offering to work for
this older group. If you perform mostly for adults, you will be
pleased to find that much of the material here is solid information

about presentation that can be applied to that age group as well.
There is a ton of material to absorb here, and I suggest you view it
in segments with some time in between to absorb the details and
process your thinking. The Art of Presenting Magic to Teenagers
is a significant work that could substantially increase your base of
practical information. If you do shows, get it, study it, and learn
from the lessons.
Liar: The Ultimate Comedy Lie Detector Routine

Trick
By Robert Baxt
Price: $49.95
REVIEW BY DAVID GOODSELL
As Robert Baxt explains on this instructional DVD, the idea of a lie detector
whose alarm is controlled by the
performer or his off-stage assistant
has been around a long time. The
performer asks a helper from the
audience a number of questions; supposedly, if the answers are true, nothing
happens. If the helper is lying, a bell
rings, a light flashes, a buzzer sounds,
or sometimes a combination happens. By
asking questions that are funny when the spectator
lies, laughs occur. That is, it should be obvious that it doesnt
matter if the helper is lying or not, the performer controls the
sound of the lie detector.
Examples: Are you good at your job? Answer, Yes. Buzz. To
a little kid: Are you married? Answer: No! Buzz. Are you a
good boy/girl? Buzz. Or, for example, the performer says, You
know, Im one of the greatest magicians in the world. Buzz. In
the country. Buzz. Alright! In this room! Maybe Buzz, maybe
not. You get the idea. With the DVD you receive a special device
that lets you control the sounding of the alarm without being
detected. On the included DVD Bob explains several ways this
can be used and shows you how to make a variety of props for the
device. One that might appeal to you is the DETECTOR, which
is a hand-held device with a long sign on the end of it that says
DETECTOR, made from a flashlight and some craft foam. It
looks like it might be the real thing. If you are into steam punk,
Bob has a nifty device for that, as well. In any case, there are
enough options to please most everyone.
Bob kicks off the demonstrations with a nice video of Mike
Bliss working with a kid on a cruise ship show. His Detector is
a hand-held lantern that buzzes and flashes when a lie is told.
This is really quite funny, and shows what can be accomplished if
you find a kid with the right personality. Bob also presents several
of his own video clips that show how it plays not only with youngsters, but also teenagers and adults.
Finally, if you open Bobs DVD folder on your computer you
will find a twenty-four-page PDF with many of the same ideas
and gag lines. These will help you plan your own routine. Be forewarned, some of the lines are pretty risqu, but Bob has warned
you of those, and so have I.
While none of the routines involved a magic trick per se, it
would be easy to adapt it to a chosen card, etc., and weave that
into the conclusion of the routine. It is a little pricey at $49.95,
but what you are paying for is an item right from Robert Baxts
professional show. It is tested. It is successful. It is good comedy.

If you put this into your own show, it is likely you will consider
the price a bargain.
Manoj Bottle DVD and Prop

By Manoj K aushal

Price $24.95
most miraculous of effects.

Over the years many devices have
been introduced to replace the card box.
Chief among these is the Himber wallet.
But again, this required introducing an
ancillary prop into the routine, which
drew unwanted attention and potentially
diminished the effect. After all, if one
needed to isolate a card for some reason,
why not just place it face down on the
table instead of sealing it away in a wallet
There have been a number of coin or cap in

bottle effects that have been released in
the last five or six years. Most of them
look fairly similar and have similar
methods. There are usually tradeoffs in conditions for each of
them. Here is a different approach
to the plot. A borrowed coin, ring,
pen, or similar sized object can be
made to instantly penetrate into a plastic
water bottle held in full view. Here are
some points to note. The actual object is in
the bottle, even an object larger than the mouth of
the bottle. The object can be signed. The bottle can be examined
before and after (okay, a cursory look before the penetration). You
can have water in the bottle and pour it out before the effect.
After looking at the package, before viewing the DVD, I was
ready to hate this. The props supplied are minimal: ordinary
things that you can easily get at an office supply store or hardware
store. They could have just released this as a DVD or a download.
Once I started watching the DVD, I quickly changed my mind.
These are startling visual effects. Objects just seem to pass
through the bottle. You need to cut it open to get the object out in
many cases. If not, you could use the bottle several times before
you need to prepare another. When you have to prepare a bottle,
depending on which handling you choose to use, it can be done
in thirty seconds or less. There are no moves to learn, just a little
knack that is easily acquired. You can get up to speed in less than
one hour (heck, maybe even less than ten minutes) to make this
effect look good.
Kaushal has done a marvelous job in teaching all of the
handlings. From setup to performance, everything is crystal clear
and easily understood. This is not something you would likely use
in your regular show repertoire, but what a great impromptu
effect for your friends and coworkers, especially with summer
upon us. I really like this product and think you will too. Highly
recommended.
or envelope?
These problems have now been solved; Antonio Romero has
managed to replace the card box with, well, a card box. That
is to say, hes replaced the old metal or wood card box with a
gimmicked box that appears for all intents and purposes to be a
standard Bicycle card box. You can even keep your cards in it.
It has a magnetic flap that allows you to freely handle the
empty box without fear of the hidden object making an untimely
appearance. This flap is dislodged ala the Chop Cup by dropping
the box onto the table. A couple of inches is all it needs; done
casually it should not raise the slightest bit of suspicion. Once the
flap falls it is magnetically locked in place. So you can have a
card selected, placed into the card box, then, after the appropriate amount of time misdirection, the card can freely be dumped
out on the table. No one will be any the wiser that it has just been
switched for the other card. Because it locks magnetically and still
allows the magician to move the flap from one side to the other at
your whim, you can pretty much do any routine with the Romero
Box that you could do with a traditional card box.
And because it is magnetic, it can also be used to pick up small
shimmed objects from the table or even the spectators hand,
making it a very versatile prop indeed. The box wont stand up
to anything more than visual perusal, so it cant be handed out
for examination. But its a common everyday object; if properly
handled it shouldnt raise the slightest bit of suspicion.
It resets in an instant; in most cases the reset even be done
right in front of the audience. My only complaint is that its made
of cardboard, so it will wear the same as a standard card box.
Because it is slightly thicker than a standard deck of cards it will
not fit in a card clip. So youll just have to be extra careful with
it. Otherwise, if youve been looking for a substitute for the traditional card box, the Romero Box will fit the bill nicely.
Romero Box Utility Item

By Antonio Romero
REVIEW BY W.S. DUNCAN
Available from: www.RomeroMagic.com

Price $60.00
REVIEW BY PAYNE
The card box is a utility prop that is probably as old as card

magic itself. As old and distinguished as its lineage is, it is a prop
that is rarely seen or used these days. Perhaps it is viewed as an
outdated and antiquated device that, due to its anomalous nature,
immediately draws undo attention. This is sad, because it is a
marvelous device that, when used properly, can accomplish the
MC Sandwich Trick
By Mickael Chatelain

Price $35.00
Advertisements for magic tricks

with playing cards like to proclaim
that the method doesnt use roughand-smooth prepared cards. That
proclamation has become so
common that its something of a joke
among smart workers. Recently, a
disclaimer has also begun to appear
saying the mechanism doesnt use
double-stick tape. MC Sandwich
doesnt use double-stick tape, or
rough-and-smooth. Sadly, it would be considerably improved if
it did.
MC Sandwich uses another old-as-the-hills mechanism,
updated with modern parts (which to be fair are amazingly light
and thin), to hide/vanish a playing card. This allows you to perform
Bill Goldmans Monkey in the Middle sandwich effect using a
different method. Note that I did not write a better method,
or a less expensive method. Those who know Goldmans effect
(Darwin Ortiz uses it to end his Ambitious Card) will appreciate
that this is a very strong effect. If youre not sure, a quick search
of the Internet will provide video clips to see MC Sandwich. Its
visually impressive.
The problem is that the new technology used here is in no
meaningful way better. The special something that makes the
trick work protrudes from the surface of the cards, and can be
felt as you run your fingers across their faces, so you probably
wouldnt put the cards into someones hands unless you feel like
you are really in control. And unlike rough-and-smooth, there is
a tiny (about a playing cards thickness) space between the cards
that would not be there with rough-and-smooth. Additionally,
while ambient room noise will almost certainly cover it (because
laymen probably wont associate the sound with playing cards),
you can hear an audible click as the mechanism works (even over
the sound of the TV across the room and the other person who is
also typing as you write your review).
The gaff is fun to play around with, but after doing so, I can
think of no effect that can be done with these cards that cant be
done with double-stick tape or rough-and-smooth cards. The only
advantage of this gaff, that I can see, is that when you handle the
cards people who know about rough-and-smooth and double-stick
tape wont see the tells associated with those methods. Since real
audiences dont see those things anyway, I cant imagine why I
would choose this method over those.
I do a sleight-of-hand version of this effect (a variant of David
Regals Primate). Its not a difficult trick to do without gaffs.
Adding the gaff used by Mr. Goldman makes the trick impossibly
clean and eliminates even the minor technical demands imposed
by Primate. I cant recommend taking this trick backwards in
method, especially when it costs $35.
Defiance DVD and Props

By Mariano Goni

Price $40
REVIEW BY JIM KLEEFELD
Mariano Goni is a clever and deep
thinker. He has released several
notable products that demonstrate
creativity and effort. Defiance
should add to his reputation and
might enhance your ability to float or
levitate any number of small objects.
You will have to work a bit for it, though.
Basically, you are getting a familiar but
improved gimmick and some seriously
helpful lessons in its application. This version of the
miniature floating gimmick is adjustable, repairable, and refillable. It has variable tension, can be used to float heavier objects
further distances and is mountable on objects, walls, tables,
clothing, and more. If you have a favorite floating effect that uses
a bill, a cigarette, or a playing card, you will want to examine this
prop and watch this DVD to discover how to give it a better (or
different) presentation. If you think you have seen all the tips and
know all the secrets to floating a bill, you are wrong. There are
both methods and effects here that are new, novel, and among the
most puzzling Ive ever seen. Can you toss a playing card or credit
card towards your spectators, have it spin towards them, stop in
mid-air, and continue spinning while you pass a hoop around it?
Goni demonstrates this.
On the video, Goni teaches his set-up for floating a bill and the
handling for many variations. I guarantee that a couple of them
will raise your eyebrows and make you go hmmm. Imagine
visibly floating a wad of tissue paper in the air, and slowly bringing
a lighter towards it. Now imagine that the paper explodes in a ball
of fire and immediately transforms into a crumpled bill that is still
floating in mid-air. This effect looks great.
Besides the basic instructions, there are plenty of tips and suggestions. Goni discusses audience management, backlighting,
clothing considerations, working outdoors, hook-ups, anchors,
and more. You are bound to discover some great suggestions you
can use in your performance, even if you do not switch over to the
floating gimmick included in this package. Oh, and about that.
It is a little larger and longer than many others of this ilk. You
can still secure it to your clothes, but you may have to wear a
jacket to cover the bulk. Some of Gonis methods involve having
the gimmick secured someplace other than on your person, which
brings me to the potential snag. The most puzzling and magical
effects here require secret preparation. That is, you have to pre-set
the gimmick in a room without your spectators seeing you do so.
In addition, many of those same methods and set-ups have serious
audience movement limitations.
The spinning and floating credit card looks fantastic on film,
but will work only if you, the spectators, and the set gimmick
are all in specific locations. The illusion of floating (and possibly
your gimmick) could be destroyed if one of your spectators moves
around. Goni sets this up and explains it well in his living room
with no one around but the camera operator. Can you demand
conditions like that for your performances? Like many of the new
wave of magic effects from the past couple of years, this effect
looks stunning from the particular camera shot. Getting it set up
and working for live people may be a whole different ball game.
The clear, clean video instructions are well-shot and professionally edited, but in this case the fine camera work only serves to
stress the fact that you are watching, well, camera work. That
is, the trick looks great from one specific angle and distance.
There may be times, places, and settings where you can make
your floating look as good as it does on this disc. But real-world
workers will find the physical requirements very limiting. Bottom
line: If you are into ITR work or want to seriously study close-up
floating techniques, this is well worth your consideration. If you
are looking for a true miracle you can take anywhere, this isnt it.
Cakes and Adders Trick

By Ricky McLead and Gary Dunn

Price $33.50 poker size/$41.70 jumbo cards
This clever and effective childrens routine had its origination
in a Fred Kaps card trick. Mr. Dunn witnessed the great Mr. Kaps
perform it at a lecture and saw the potential for the routine that he,
and his pal Tricky Ricky, have been performing for some time.
The full routine, with necessary gimmicked cards, is released
through World Magic Shop. It is ideal for

a childs birthday party show.
The performer says that for his fifth
birthday he had a big cake with five
candles on it, and he shows the faces of
five colorful (poker-size) cards, each
with a colorful birthday candle on it
except the last one. It has a picture of a
snake. With suitable fun, the snake card is
disposed of and the performer recalls his
fourth birthday, when he had a cake with
four candles. But one is that pesky snake
card again. This continues until only one
card is left, and it turns out to have, not a candle, and not a snake,
but a picture of a birthday cake.
In the DVD routine Tricky Ricky concludes by pointing out
that the birthday cake does not have any candles on it. He just
happens to have a package (a can) of candles. When he opens it,
out pops three spring snakes! Yes, there is all the standard fun
with the kids, for Ricky is a seasoned performer.
The trick is a good one, and with each reappearance of the
pesky snake card, unknown to the performer, of course, the kids
go nuts pointing at the snake. Please note that the snake can does
not come with the trick. What you do receive are the well-made
cards, and the instructional DVD. Cakes and Adders packs small,
plays big, as they say, and is a fun addition for a small-fry show.
Lubors Gift Trick

By Lubor Fiedler
Available from: PaulHarrisPresents.com

Price $99.95
REVIEW BY PAYNE
I am pretty sure that nearly everyone
who is reading this review has a set of
Gozinta Boxes somewhere in their collection of magic props. Im also pretty sure
that while some of you might use them
from time to time, most probably dont. I
know I toyed with them for a while before
relegating them to the bottom drawer of
my Cabinet of Disused Curiosities. We all
marveled at the topological cleverness of
these impossible little plastic boxes, but
try as we might, we could never come up
with a suitable presentation, let alone a logical justification for
introducing the prop into our performances. For most of us, it
simply remained a curious and out of place puzzle.
This became even more problematic when the boxes were
made into an oversized die and the box it came in. There simply
was no reason for such an object to exist in the real world. Thus
its introduction alone raised suspicion. Even the kicker ending of
having the die change into an even more incongruous box of tea
at the end couldnt provide this prop with the logical justification
that so many of us look for these days when contemplating adding
a routine to our programs.
But for those of you who loved the idea of this trick and who
searched in vain for all these years for a suitable version to put
into your act, seek no more. The presentational problem has at
long last been solved. Lubors Gift is a magical gift to us all. Its a
fantastic collaboration between Lubor Fiedler, Andrew Wong, and
Paul Harris. What could go wrong? Mr. Fiedlers classic concept

has been artistically re-rendered by the talented Mr. Wong and
produced by the ever prolific Mr. Harris. At long last the props
make sense.
The large die has been replaced by a parcel a plain white
box covered with labels and postage. This is opened to find a nice
red-and-yellow, striped gift box inside. The gift box is opened to
reveal a deck of cards, a length of rope, or whatever bit of magic
you wish to introduce next. In the classic Gozinta fashion, after
the trick is over, the prop is put into the parcel box, which is then
placed into the gift box, which is then put back into your case.
A day after receiving this for review I tried it out in a free show
we do here in Seattle every month. I used it to introduce David
Regals Mindball, which fits nicely inside the box with plenty of
room to spare. As I put the ball back into the box, I didnt say
anything to draw attention to the fact that the boxes were going
back together in the reverse order. When I ended up with the gift
box now on the outside of the parcel box it had arrived in, it got
a marvelous what the heck? reaction from the crowd, with one
kid actually crying out, Wait, that was on the outside!
I really like this trick. I dont know about you, but for me there
are far more patter and storyline possibilities with a parcel and a
gift box then there are with a large cardboard die. I was far more
attracted and excited by this configuration of the props than I had
ever been with the original version.
The boxes are well designed. The red-and-yellow striping
of the gift box perfectly camouflages the size discrepancy that
happens when it becomes the outside box. The parcel provides
you with the perfect justification for introducing the box in the
first place. You just received this new item in the mail. What could
be more perfect than that? Yes, the boxes are still made out of
cardboard. But its quality material that has been laminated, so
it should stand up for years of careful use. If youre one of those
performers who are rough on their props or haphazardly throw
things in your case during your show, buy a spare.
You get a DVD with the care and handling of the prop as well
as a couple of routine suggestions. But Im sure with this logical
adaptation of these boxes you wont have any difficulty coming up
with new and novel routines of your own.
iConic DVD and props
By Shin Lim

Price $80.00
Welcome back to arts and crafts time
with Shin Lim. In this not inexpensive
package, you receive a DVD, two very
realistic iPhone 5s (one plastic, one metal),
and a variety of bits and pieces you will
use to create the gimmicks for the six main
effects and the bonus effects described
within. There is extensive DIY work
required and you will need to purchase
additional materials, including more fake
iPhones, if you wish to perform all of the
effects.
Most of the effects are very visual and some of them are very
good. You can make the Apple logo move around on the surface
of the phone without touching it or cause the camera on the phone
to vanish from one end and reappear on the other. You can take a
bite out of the side of the phone and make it visibly reappear, in
the manner of the Quarter Bite trick popularized by David Blaine
many years ago.
Borrow an iPhone and accidently drop it on the ground. You
show the cracked screen; you then shake the phone and it visibly
restores. Cause a phone to vanish or change into another object.
All of this and more are possible with this product.
Again, it will take considerable time, effort, and more money to
construct these gimmicks. Shin Lim teaches you all of the details
of construction and some of the handlings in his usual rambling
style (which drives me nuts, if you hadnt already guessed that by
now hasnt this guy ever heard of a script?). The video is shot
on his now familiar set, but thankfully this time, Shin provides
more detailed close-ups of the construction.
There are some terrific ideas here, but it seems like some of
these effects are not quite finished. You will need to do additional
R&D, as well as tweaking the handlings and performances. If you
are willing to put in the time, effort, and thinking, you could have
some great magic that will baffle and entertain your audiences.
Shock Twist Trick

By Gary Jones
Price: $20.00
The performer shows four cards of the
same value, but of differing suits. Pointing
to the top one, he asks if the spectators
would like to see it turn over. A bit of
humorous byplay follows, then magically,
one by one, the cards do, indeed, turn face
down. The final card is placed face up on
the face-down packet. The other three
cards magically turn face up! Finally, the
performer shows that the cards, which
have been clearly seen to have blue backs,
now have four different colored backs!
This is a strong trick and very entertaining. The DVD shows a real-time presentation as well as full
instructions. Jones is also very thorough with his coverage of the
Elmsley count, explaining how it can have further applications,
as well. Credit is given to a Derek Dingle effect from the 1980s.
The DVD runs only ten minutes, but that is all you will need for
a great, walk-around packet effect. You receive the DVD instructions and necessary cards, a couple of which are special. This will
be twenty dollars well spent.
iClear DVD and
By Shin Lim
Props
Distributed by Shin Lim

Price $49.95
Shin Lim has worked our fingers to the bone with playing
cards and smoke. Now he tackles iPhones. In this simple, clear
effect (ouch), he borrows an iPhone, places it on the spectators
hand, and turns it into a clear iPhone. Variations to the basic effect
are also explained. This is good visual magic, but with a price
to pay. First, the clear iPhone looks beautiful and is a compelling prop that people will want to look at. It is available to match
the silver or gold iPhone 5. There are some

extra things provided that will required a
bit of DIY to get into working condition
so that you can actually accomplish the
effect. On the DVD, which has the same
rambling, freeform style of teaching that
we have come to know from Shin Lim, he
goes through the arts and crafts required
to create the gimmicks and then explains
how to use them.
From a technical standpoint, the DVD
is just okay. I really dislike the TV screen
he has to his side that we are supposed to look at for close-up
views of some of the work. The close-up shot is just not close-up
enough. Otherwise, the video and audio are just fine and serve the
purpose. I think that if he actually scripted the explanations, they
could be done in half the time.
My big beef is with the trailer. He does the effect in the trailer
with an iPhone that is actually working and he changes screens
before the transformation to a clear iPhone. This is simply not
possible, and is an out and out cheat. Lim has been called on this
before; if he continues to create trailers showing unworkable conditions, I will no longer purchase or review his products.
Concerning the performance teaching portions, the one thing
this hinges on is switching out the borrowed phone for the gaffed
set-up. Lims switches are not very good. I dont think any of
them would pass scrutiny in most performance situations. If you
can come up with a good switch and a good method of reproducing the borrowed phone or restoring it, you would have a killer
effect. If you are willing to commit to finding ways to overcome
those issues, I would recommend this to you, because it is a good
starting point with a cool prop. It is just not finished yet.
Deflect Trick
By Sulkor

Price $35.00
REVIEW BY NORMAN BECK
In Deflect we have another one-trick
DVD. This one comes with enough
parts to construct ten gaffs, plus a card
box that you must put together. I am
getting tired of tricks that you must put
together.I think that if you sell me a
trick, I should be able to take it out of the
box and start working on learning it. In
the case of Deflect, you cant do that. You
are not even given a deck of cards with the
DVD, only the card box.I would also point out that
in order to do this effect you must be careful and save the plastic
wrapper that Bicycle cards come in.
I dont understand the thinking behind this product. If you sell
me a trick that cant be done with the props you provide,and you
expect me to go out and buy a specific brand of cards to match
your gimmick, and I have to assemble the product, and I have to
be careful and keep the plastic covering of the deck, you might
charge me less than $35.
The instructional DVD has no instructional audio, only music
and subtitles. I also felt short-changed by the lack of instruction.
I am the sort that likes to see actual real-time, live performances
of tricks.
So what is the actual effect?You write something on the side

of the card box on the plastic wrapper, and it visibly changes
with a shake of the box. The actual change can be one of your
making.You could write Four of Spades on the side and after
a little shake, it will read something else.Speaking as a regular
worker, I would never put a trick in my pocket that requires that
I maintain the integrity of the plastic covering that is designed to
be thrown away when you open the deck. But then again, I would
never use Ring Flight or invisible thread. I dont like things that
break at inopportune times.
From viewing the short video on the DVD, the trick appears
to work. But I will never know, because they didnt send everything that is needed to perform it.I think for $35 they should.The
change of the writing looks fine, but I am not happy about the rest
of it. There are better ways to spend your money.
Gift of the Magi Trick

By David Acer
Available from: www.MarchanddeTrucs.com

Price $25.00 refills $9.00
REVIEW BY PAYNE
Christmas, it seems, comes a little

early this year, or perhaps a tad late.
Either way, if youre a restaurant worker
or do a lot of strolling gigs for the
holidays youll want to pick up this gem.
A stack of almost business card size
cards (2 by 3 inches) are brought out.
Each card bears the image of a Christmas
(or if youre working a corporate party,
holiday) tree. It is pointed out that said
tree is bereft of presents. The magician hands a helpful spectator
a pen (or she can use her own) and has her initial the star of the
uppermost tree card. This card is then pulled from the rubberbanded stack and placed face down on the spectators hand. The
helper is then told to close her eyes and imagine the morning of
the secular, nondenominational, winter-solstice holiday of his
choice and all the presents she wishes to receive on that special
day. The sound of sleigh bells ringing is heard. The spectator then
opens her eyes, turns over the card, and, to her surprise, finds the
once-barren tree now sports a vast array of gaily wrapped gifts,
or at least the boxes they came in. The magician then takes the
card from the spectator and magically plucks a box from it. This
is handed to the spectator to open. Inside she can find a trinket,
a piece of candy, or a small remuneration. The memento and the
initialed card are then presented to the spectator to retain as a
keepsake. The magician continues on his appointed rounds secure
in the knowledge that he has successfully spread another quotient
of holiday cheer.
Yes, it is yet another version of the classic Out to Lunch
principle; this routine was first released in David Acers most
recent book More Power to You. If you have that volume, you
have everything you need to do this trick, except for the cards.
If you have the book, Mr. Acer was kind enough to provide you
with a template to have the cards printed up. But who has the time
or inclination to do that? Besides, the artwork on these cards is a
lot nicer than the illustrations that came with the book. Plus these
cards are a lot nicer than anything you could print up on your
computer or have a local print shop produce, at this price point.
The cards are printed in full color on heavy, glossy cardstock,
which should leave the spectators with the feeling that you spare
no expense in your efforts to entertain them.

You receive twenty-two cards, one gimmick, a rubber band, a
template for the gift box, and a bilingual (English\French) set of
instructions. Refills for this effect are available for $9 and contain
forty replacement cards, making the trick pennies to do. This is a
small price to pay for the gift of holiday magic it bestows.
The Carbonaro Effect TV Show

By truTV
Available via app for Android and iOS devices

REVIEW BY W.S. DUNCAN
I recently watched the 2012 documentary Deceptive Practice:
The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay on Netflix. In it a reporter
describes the time Mr. Jay performed for her the classic Malini
effect of producing a large block of ice. They had been together
for many hours, with Mr. Jay never leaving her side, before the
block of ice appeared on the table where they were having lunch.
The profound impossibility of the effect made her weep. I mention
this, because I kept thinking back to that while watching the promotional video recently sent to us from truTV of their new show
The Carbonaro Effect.
The show (full episodes of which can be seen online at www.
truTV.com) is a hidden camera show like Punkd or Scare Tactics.
However, there is one major difference: it doesnt suck. Most
hidden camera shows trade on making people look foolish, and
seem pretty mean-spirited. If thats been your assessment of the
genre, Id encourage you to give The Carbonaro Effect a chance.
Thanks largely to the affable host/performer Michael Carbonaro,
instead of feeling embarrassed (Punkd) or frightened (Scare
Tactics), the folks who appear on this show are presented with
puzzling wonders that leave them smiling and reassessing their
world.
The methods are akin to those used by David Blaine or Criss
Angel, in which standard effects like Card to Wallet are extended
with the sort of mechanisms used when you control the stage. For
example, in one segment, Michael is working behind the counter
at a postal service and he produces a bowling ball from a small,
flat package, much to the astonishment of the person who handed
him the box. In another hes behind the register at a grocery store;
when he checks the carton of eggs a customer hands him to scan,
he finds one of the eggs cracked by the baby chick hatching
from it.
The doorman at a hotel is left wondering what sort of dimensional rift he sidestepped when Michael accidentally locks himself
in the trunk of his car, and then a few moments later walks out of
the hotel behind him, explaining that he had a spare key in his
room. But the most puzzling might be the one in which a woman
checking into her hotel find that the picture she handed to the nice
young man behind the counter belongs to a gentleman shes never
met, who turns out to be standing behind her in line with her ID
in his wallet.
In a world where folks frequently cite reality TV as
evidence of the downfall of Western Civilization, its nice to see
that someone is using the tools of our craft, and of the medium,
to create wonder, puzzlement, and delight. Visit the website, or
download the app for your phone or tablet, and see some moments
of amazement that will make you smile. Highly recommended.
If you wish to have your product reviewed, please
send it to: Bill Duncan, P.O. Box 50562,
Bellevue, WA 98015-0562
Treasures from
the Salon de M agie
By Ken Kloster m an
IMRO FOX PIGEON COFFERS
Imro Fox was credited with popularizing the role of a true

comedy magician. Whereas jokes had always been secondary to
magic before Foxs arrival on the scene, the style he originated is
said to have opened the door for a completely new form of magical
performance: the one-man comedy act.
A stocky, bald German with a thick, dark mustache, Fox was
born Isidor Fuchs in Bromberg, Germany, on May 21, 1862. He
came to the United States in 1874 and learned to be a chef or
at least a cook. His magical career began in 1880 in Washington, D.C. Stories differ on how he entered show business with his
comedy magic act, but the most often repeated one is that while
serving as the chef at the Hotel Lawrence, a traveling vaudeville
troupe discovered he performed magic and asked him to take the
place of a magician in the troupe who went off on an alcoholic
binge. Reluctantly, Fox agreed, although he had never been on
stage before.
With fear and trembling, Fox, wearing an ill-fitting suit, made
his first appearance on stage with a deep bow and broke the
ice by the following allusion to his very bald pate: Ladies and
gentlemen, why is my head like Heaven?...You give up? Good!
Because there is no parting there. Amid the shouts of laughter
occasioned by this conundrum, Fox began his card tricks and the
rest is history.
Tricks with animals suited Foxs performing style. The opportunities to carry on witty banter provided by unpredictable
menageries were countless. Thus the Pigeon Coffer trick was an
outstanding performance piece for him.
The effect of apparently cutting off a birds head and restoring

it was performed by priest-magicians in the time of the pharaohs.
Some historians have argued that the transposition of the heads
of two birds was in fact the first magic trick ever to be described
in a written record, even before the Cups and Balls. By medieval
times it was included in a number of descriptions of performers at
courts and fairs.
Instead of simply presenting it as a straightforward decapitation and restoration of two birds, Fox played the trick as a comedy
of errors. He is credited with originating the idea of mixing up the
removed heads of a black bird and white bird after their removal,
and then showing that the heads had been replaced on the wrong
bird. Fox, of course, righted the situation, and, to the delight and
guffaws of his audiences, ended the trick with each bird alive and
well and sporting the properly feathered skull.
The coffers Fox used to perform much of the tricks dirty work
were likely built by Martinka and Company of New York City
at the end of the nineteenth century. Resembling soup tureens
meant for use at a formal dinner, the eight-sided ovals measure
ten inches long, five inches across, and about seven and a half
inches high. Each cover has a small opening that contains a fake
birds head. Similar coffers were sold by several firms, including
Davenports of London, and were used by various performers.
In the Le Roy, Talma, and Bosco version of this trick, a rooster
and a duck had their heads exchanged in a sketch titled, Boscos
Ludicrous Mishap. Chefalo did the same. In modern times, David
Copperfield revived the Le Roy trick, exchanging the head of his
pet duck Webster with that of a rooster. The duck trick was one of
the features of Copperfields show for several years.
After Fox, the props shown here were owned successively by
Dick Richards and Charles The Great Dagmar, and then came
to the Salon de Magie by way of Alston Cockrell of Jacksonville,
Florida, who was known as Mars the Magician.
INSIDE STRAIGHT
OUR ADVERTISERS
A House of Fire
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Burgoon Magic
George Parker
Hermetic Press
Jim Kleefeld
Joe Mogar - Magic Stars
John C.Stanfield
Kardwell International, Inc.
LaRock's Fun & Magic Outlet
Magic Summit
MiX16 Apps by Gregor Krasevec
Nielsen Magic
S.A.M. Convention 2015
S.A.M. Life Membership
S.A.M Twitter
Show-Biz Services
The Magic Bakery
T. Myers
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4
3
9
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43
45
69
69
3
72
7
67
3
2
71
9
9
33
48
67
CLOSEOUT SALE
www.johncstanfield.com
BY NORMAN BECK
STEAK (HOUSE) VERY RARE

For years I have heard the adage that the key to a successful business is location, location, location. I dont believe it.
A couple of weeks ago, we went to Buffalo Gap, Texas. Buffalo
Gap is a little southwest of Abilene, and due east of You Cant
Get There From Here. It is, in fact, smack dab in the middle
of nowhere. The reason for going there was the wine and food
summit put on by the Perini Steak House of Buffalo Gap.
I want to put this in perspective: Buffalo Gap is a town of 467;
they draw over five hundred people to this event and every year it
sells out in less than thirty minutes. Why? You can buy food and
wine in lots of places. Why would you go to the end of the earth
and spend hundreds of dollars to eat? You would only ask that
question if you havent met Tom and Lisa Perini and their staff. If
you met them, you would understand.
The formula on paper is simple: provide a great product and
perfect service at a fair price in an atmosphere that you cant get
anywhere else. The fact that you are in the middle of no place is
okay. People will find you and pay you for whatever it is you have
for sale.
In 1995, The New York Times selected the Perini Steak House
mesquite smoked peppered beef tenderloin as the mail-order gift
of the year. Think about that for a minute. The best gift in the
entire United States came from a small town that, until now, you
had never heard of. On September 11, 2001, Mr. Perini was in
Washington, D.C., to cater the congressional picnic at the White
House. In 2009 Saveur listed the Perini Steak House as one of the
twenty-four reasons to love Texas.
I got a taste (pardon the pun) of how the Perinis do business
while attending the summit this year. I passed out from the heat,
and they took care of me and drove me back to my car. I wrote
a letter thanking them for their kindness, hospitality, and food.
I thought we were done. They had done something nice for me;
I sent a letter thanking them in return. So we are done, right?
Wrong. I got a return thank-you letter in the mail (thanking me
for my letter) along with a gift card entitling me to stay at the
ranch house some weekend. Will I use it? Yes. What did it cost
them? Nothing. What did they gain? A customer for life. You
cant do any better than that.
When you fall below a customers expectation, you lose them.
When you meet a customers expectation, you are among the
norm. When you exceed a customers expectation, you own them.
I was talking to Bill Malone the other day. He was booked to do
one forty-five-minute close-up show and the client asked him to
do two. Did Bill argue? Of course not. Bill did two shows. Lets
say you are booked for a walk-around magic gig from 6 to 9 p.m.
You work from 6-9, but another magician working with you starts
at 5:45 and stays until 9:30 so the people who got to the event late
can see some magic. Next year, if they need to book talent, they
will remember who put in the extra effort. I go one step past that
in what I call the by the way approach. I mention to the client
(in an offhanded manner) that some people came late and I stayed
and performed for them as well. I only make the comment if it
can be done in a graceful manner. The end result is that the extra
step goes a long way in helping you be remembered.
Google the Perini Steak House and youll see what I am
talking about. Should you ever go there, tell them the magician
sent you; they will know who youre talking about. (P.S. Order
the rib eye.)
The Dean's Diary

By George Schindler
CONVENTIONS IN JULY
For many years, I have had the fun of
providing PR for our convention when we
had show tickets to sell to the public. The
work part is setting up and getting press
releases out to the various newspaper and
magazine calendar listings, which is done
a month before we get to town. Two weeks
later we try to contact radio people to set
up interviews, and we always promise
to do magic on the radio. At the very
last minute, the day before the convention, faxes, emails, and phone calls to TV
assignment desks are in order. And then
we wait to see who, if anyone, shows up.
When the news people get there, the real
fun begins. Sometimes two or more show
up at the same time and we need to escort
them personally. Nina takes one crew and I
take the other. The best place to meet them
is in the dealers room, which is full of
color, magic, and camaraderie. When we
finally get some air time that evening or
the following morning, we hope they read
the handout about our shows during the
week. News photographers generally take
the same photos: Losander floating a table
or Harry Allen opening a flaming wallet.
The TV people have fun when we make
them assistants. We can always push
a sword through their necks or get them

involved with a Kovari Head Twister. And
then there is always the final vanish of the
TV reporter behind a six-foot silk.
We have gotten TV studio press on
early morning shows (usually at 6 or 7
a.m.) by promising them a priest who does
the Three Shell Game (Father Cyprian) or
an interview with the incoming president
telling them how great their city is for a
convention. I always adlib by pushing a
cigarette into the reporters ear and out of
his mouth - gross but funny. Most of the
dealers are more than accommodating. I
remember Fukai asking a confused Rita
Rudner (in his Japanese accent), Whats
the matter; dont you understand English?
Harry Allen and his wallet
In Las Vegas we had convinced a

Spanish-language station to do several
segments. We got Hope Anderson to do
her Pom-Pom Sticks routine in Spanish,
which aired around the world to people
not anywhere near our theater. I remember
a crew in Florida showing up early in the
morning before anything was open. We
allowed them to pan around the room
looking for tables that were not covered.
They wanted to see some magic. Luckily
Bev Bergeron was with me, and he offered
the reporter a chance to levitate him.
Bev lay down on his back on the floor and
I covered him with a tablecloth while he
secretly rolled over onto his stomach. I
directed the reporter to make some magical
gestures; the camera focused on his rise
off the floor. Under the cloth Bev did a
few push-ups. It is an old clown bit, but we
didnt expose it. He carefully descended
before we were caught.
I shouldnt tell you about the radio
show in Louisville when, instead of a
few minutes, WFPL gave us a full hour.
Bruce Kalver, David Garrard, and I were
doing great until I got an urgent message
from my prostate gland. There is a short
segment of that great interview during
which only two of the three magicians are
speaking. Our film library has a composite
film (#1367) of some of the fun clips weve
collected over the years. Perhaps you are in
one of them.

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JULY 2014

MEET S.A.M. PRESIDENT

July 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 3

MAGIC - UNITY - MIGHT

Society of American Magicians,

Submissions for the magazine will only be

VISIT THE S.A.M. WEB SITE

Volume 104 Number 2

From the Editors Desk

Cover Photo by Robin Dawes

THIS MONTHS FEATURES

Magic from a Member by Mitch Geier

THE PRESIDENTS GOOD WILL PERFORMER

THE PRESIDENTS YOUNG MAGICAL ARTIST

S.A.M. National Officers

Regional Vice Presidents

July 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 9

BY DEAN GEORGE SCHINDLER

The historic 472-seat Queens Theater was one of three

David Adamovich, Sol Stone, Jeff McBride, and Ken Ferst

Updates From Our

tion of a silk scarf. He then

Volume 104, Number 2

Society of American Magicians Monthly News

help John Caris staged a bizarre

MYSTICAL MAGIC IN MAY

New member Jarod Raitsky

OMAHA, NE Where has the

frame we had two lectures and a

The fez of Neil Bable

July 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 11

SAINT LOUIS, MO April 24,

on the block that night! Yes,

12 M-U-M Magazine - July 2014

many years. Then Derrel Allen

Mark Jensen recieves the

to Peter L. we have a wonderful

MAYS MAGIC BLOOMS IN

LOS ANGELES ELECTION

LOS ANGELES, CA The

enjoy the foods and

and named the missing card.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

July 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 13

DEALER DEMO AND MORE

And thus the gathering of

some bits of business which

14 M-U-M Magazine - July 2014

Caption: Joshua Jay and club

TRIPLE HEADER MAY WITH

DENVER, CO May 2014 was

Lumber Baron Inn and Gardens.

ROCHESTER, NY The May

RAFFLE AND MAGIC

few were really extraordinary.

from Knoxville, Ed Ripley, who

PEORIA, IL Our May meeting

SAN ANTONIO, TX May

DAYTON, OH In place of our

July 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 15

MARK MASON AMAZES

2 with the hole restoration was

ANN ARBOR, MI Our May