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Genii
THE CONJURORS ' MAGAZINE
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WWW.GIHIIMAGA.ZfNI.CO M
GINII OFFICS 301.oS. 5800
FEATURES
8 Lisa Menna: Starting a Superstition
by Chloe Olewitz
Davenports Magic Closes
by Jamy Ian Swiss
40 Steve Forte: Gambling Sleight of Hand
by Norman Bec k

COLUMNS
Genii Speaks by Richard Kaufman
In Memoriam : Roy Walton by R. Paul W ilson
Now Performing
The Eye by Chloe Olewitz
ClassicCorrespondence
Glenn Jester to His Parents by M ike Caveney
Happiness is the Road
Two Men by Hannibal
Broadcast from Nowhere
Quan t um Entanglement by Al Schneider
Dealing With It by John Bannon
Blitzen: A Four-Card Production
Magicana by Jonathan Friedman
70 One and Dunn by Jerry Dunn
74 It's a Topsy-Turvy World, Jane by Andrew Musgra ve
76 Thoughts Are Colorful by Pierre Barry
The Academy of Magical Arts in Geni
78 Knights at The Magic Castle
by Jason Andrew Davidson
81 The Magic Castle Performance Schedule

UGHT FROMTHELAMP
8? Books Reviewed by Elliott Terral 88 Tricks Reviewed by Danny Orleans
82 52 Lovers: Through the Looking Glass by Pepe Carroll 88 Bare Mini by The Other Brothers
84 Miguel Gomez: The Joy of Magic 89 Buzz Killby John Bannon
by Luis Alberto Iglesias 89 Fadeaway Deck by Chris Philpott
84 The Buena Vista Shuffle Club 89 Stas is by Jambor
by Matt Baker 90 Bitcoin by SansMinds Magic
90 Click by Manoj Kaushal
85 Videos Reviewed by Nathan Coe Marsh
85 Lu Chen Live Act by Lu Chen 93 Subscription Information/ Advertisers Index
86 Socia/ Media Magic by Fe lix Bodden
87 Microphone Management for Mag icians by Michael Kent
 GENII SPEAKS
ORE GENII SPEAKS

AS A YOUNG MAN, 1 met and Schneider for a while, but lo and beho ld it turns out I had
interacted w ith many close-up magicians .
All were males, until I met Lisa Menna at a
New York Magic Sympos ium convention
in 1984. A girl who was better than many
of the boys, with a bubbly personality and
spark ling presentation. And she could
do sleight of hand. She also created
her own material-things that utilized
distinct ly feminine props or aspects of
her wardrobe such as a card stab with her high-heeled
shoe. All of t his was a shock, which was just fine with Lisa.
She has always understood t he
world to be a place in which
making people happy was what
she desired most, and magic
was the path through which she
accomplished that. Starting as a
young birthday party magician,
then easing into close-up magic,
then an illusionist at corporate
shows, and a trade-show magi-
cian, and pretty much everyth ing
else. Mentalist? I don't know.
Could have been. Some years
ago she started the charitable
organization Cause to Wonder ,
which promotes clean water and
proper behavior toward women
in underdeveloped countries. If
she's being hired for a magic
show these days, it's often as
"Mama Menna," in which she
transforms herself into an old Mama Menna
Ital ian lady with a razor sharp
wit. We're proud to feature her on our cover this month
with Chloe Olewitz doing the deep d ive on p.18. • Our
secondary stories are usually short, but this month it's a
long interview with gambling expert and cardman extraor-
dina ire Steve Forte. Norman Beck sat down with Steve
on the occasion of the publica t ion of his latest book,
Gambling Sleight of Hand. A two volume set for $300,
you might think it would take a while to sell. Forget it: the
entire first printing was gone in a matter of days. Why is
everyone so excited about it? Why do you need to buy it?
(And you do need to buy it; it's being reprinted as you read
this.) Norman has managed the excellent feat of getting
the normally taciturn Mr. Forte to talk about lots of things,
and you can enter an underground world on p.40.
I d idn 't think we'd have another new column from A l
one hiding on my desktop. This time, it's an essay and
a brief trick (but don't sell it short). • New columns from
John Bannon, Mike Caveney, and Hannibal will titillate
you, while the latest installments of "Magicana" and "The
Eye" will thrill you. Next month will mark Jason Andrew
Davidson's final "Knights at The Magic Castle" column in
Genii. He's done a yeoman job for two years, but wants
to give a fresh vo ice a chance. There will be a new knight
reporting from The Magic Castle in May. • We round out
the issue with reviews of books, tr icks, and videos from
Elliott Terral, Danny Orleans, and Nat han Coe Marsh.
There are few cities where folks
can go and visit a magic shop
these days. My trips to London,
England, often included a stop to
see Betty Davenport and Fergus
Roy at Davenports Magic Shop.
There was a lot of history there
and it was a blow to hear them
announce that the store would
close by the end of January. Jamy
Ian Swiss recalls one of his favorite
places on the page 11.
Roy Walton died in February
at age 87 and R. Paul Wilson
has provided an obituary for us
on the opposite page. Here's my
Roy Walton story: We were both
receiving awards at the Academy
of Mag ical Arts Awards Banquet
in the spring of 1997. The powers
that be sat us together, which was
a thrill for me. Along with much
talk and good fellowsh ip, Roy did
a tr ick. He had me peek at a card. Then he began dealing
cards off the top of the deck. He grasped each one by the
outer right corner, nipped between his thumb and first or
second fingertip. Each card was dealt on top of the previ-
ous one. He asked me to stay "stop" at any point. After
some dealing, I did. The card on top of the packet in his
right hand was mine. There had been no visib le control of
a card-th at is, it had not moved from the spot at which I
had seen it and thus I was fooled. It turns out that Roy had
done a Center Deal! It was perfect. So in addition to being
a lovely gentleman, he was an extreme ly fine sleight of
hand artist. He will be missed. • Halfway through February
and not a snowflake here in the nation's capital, in fact it's
60 degrees today. Also no snow in Stockholm, Sweden yet
this winter. That's a trick I really did not want to see. •

8 GENII
9
IN MEMORIAM
BY R. PAULWILSON
ROYWALTON
APRIL 1932- FEBRUARY3, 2020
IN 1965, Roy and Jean Walton
moved from England to Scotland
to run Tam Shepherd's Trick Shop,
a Glasgow institution and regular
pit stop during any Glaswegian
childhood. Over the years, Roy and
his family grew the business while
maintaining its uniq ue character
as a place trapped in time and
soaked in memor ies. While the
shop is a familiar city landmark,
few would guess that the quiet,
polite gentleman behind the coun-
ter was conside red a legend in
the world of magic or that magi-
cians from around the would make
time to visit Roy including Tommy
Cooper, Paul Daniels, Bill Kalush,
Eric Mead, Jason England, Ricky
Jay, Ray Grismer, Herb Zarrow, and
Persi Diaconis.
Roy's cont ribut ion to magic
began with a wealth of magazine subm issions that ranged
from clever variations on popular plots to ingenious new
ideas and devilishly direct methods that defy improvement.
A first tou r through Roy's subsequent books The Complete
Walton, Volumes 1 to 3 will inspire and delight anyone
with an appreciation for beautifully constructed deceptions
or novel, surprising effects. I still recall the thrill of explor-
ing those pages for the first time, and if card magic is, as
Hofzinser asserted, "the poetry of conju ring ," Roy's books
offer a deeply personal collection of his work.
He is often remembered for his effect "Card Warp," a
masterpiece of simple, deceptive construction, but Roy's
thin king in magic went much deeper and his knowledge
was far wider and more varied than his reputation as a
"card man" would suggest. Roy was an excellent coin
magician and had his own touch on well-known effects
that fooled knowledgeable magicians thanks to his under-
standing of timing and misdirection, wh ich was sublime .
He fooled everyone with his touch on t he Tenkai Pennies
and, when he finally shared the method, I almost could n't
believe how little there was to his secret but it was a per-
fect example of t he beauty and elegance of Roy's thinking.
Roy's presence in Glasgow cultiva ted a remarkable magic
scene that grew around the shop, inspired by having a
generous and knowledgeable master at its center. Gordon
Bruce met Roy when he was 13 years old and was followed
through the years by Bill Hamilton, Dave Campbell, Dave
Robertson, Vic Allen, Scotty McLean, Peter Duffie, Jerry
Sadowitz, Steve Hamilton, Douglas
Cameron, Jackie McClements ,
Lawrie Frame, Neil Smith, myself,
George McBride, Richard James,
lain Girdwood, Eddie McCo ll, and
others who became friends and
regular faces. Roy's influence may
be found in all of our thinking and
distinct approaches to the art, and
it's a real shame that our weekly
gatherings are a thing of the past.
Roy's own influence came from
his years growing up in London,
watching and then meeting tour-
ing mag icians while exploring
his fascination for playing cards
alongside friends John Derris,
Jack Avis, Ted Danson, Hugh
Scott, and Alex Elmsley. He was
a grea t admirer of Scotland's John
Ramsay, adopt ing his approach to
misdirection and became lifelong
friends with Ramsay's student, Andr ew Galloway.
Than ks to his gift as a storytel ler, no visit to "Roy's"
was comple te without one (or five) anecdotes and we
would always leave with some nugget of knowledge or
experience that money could never buy. His life was filled
wit h magic from his friendsh ips with A lex Elmsley, Dai
Vernon, Jay Marshall, and others, to his own fam ily his-
tory ; Roy's wife Jean is part of the Davenport dynasty and
Roy's daughters Julia and Sarah would often be found in
the shop helping during busy periods befor e gradually
taking over to allow Roy to spend more time at home.
Neverthe less, he remained a regular presence beh ind the
glass countertops until his death .
From a personal perspective, so much more could be said
about Roy. His generosity of spirit and kindness had an enor-
mous impact on my life. I found Tam Shepherd's at exactly
the right time and soon learned that the "man behind the
counter" was someone special. Over the years he helped and
inspired me in many ways and, while Roy's magic has guided
my thinking, without his gentle direct ion, my life would be
very different today. The same might be said for anyone who
was lucky enough to ring that bell above the door .
I st ill marve l at the opportunities magic has offered
over the years, all of which started with that little Glasgow
trick shop and the impact and influen ce of a great and
gentle man.
Roy Walton passed away peacefully on February 3rd ,
2020. He was 87 years old. •
MARCH 2020 9
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ContJnued on page 63
10 GENII
11
Davenports
By Jomy Ion Swiss
Magic Closes
IN A TIME WHEN brick-and-mortar magic shops
seem to be going the way of the horse and buggy, the
closing of another magic shop would seem to be far from
a shocking event. But in this latest case, the news is indeed
startling, and sad, when it's about a shop that has in fact
been around since horse -and-buggy days .
In January, this startling announcement was made on
the front page of the Davenports Magic website: "It is with
great regret that we need to announce that Davenports
Magic Shop in Charing Cross will be closing for the final
time on Thursday, 30th of January 2020."
Davenports Magic-founded by Lewis Davenport in
1898-is the oldest fam ily-owned magic store in the world.
But Davenports was much more than simply long-lived.
Rather, its story is inescapably intertwined with the entire
20th century history of British magic.
Lewis Davenport was born George William John Ryan in
1881 , and by his early 20s had adopted t he stage name
of Lewis Davenport. Establishing himself as an accom-
plished professional magician and juggler, Lewis was a
hard-working entrepreneur, initiating a mail-order business
from his home in Stepney under the name of L. Davenport
& Co. at the age of 17. And by 1908, Lewis would expand
his already multi-face t ed magic business by renting his first
storefront on the Mile End Road. And the rest, as they say,
is history-or more correctly, in this case, family history.
Lewis's first son, George-known throughout his life as
"Gilly"-had already arrived in 190S. Within a generation,
10-year-old Gilly, standing on an orange box to reach the
counter, would be demonstrating tricks in t he retail shop.
A decade later, with his fat her steadily touring around the
United Kingdom and Europe , Gilly would take over the
responsibility of leading the retail store operat ion. Lewis
was also a frequent performer on the stage of John Nevil
Maskelyne's legendary London magic venue, St. George's
Hall. Maskelyne would say of Lewis that he was "the most
accomplished professor of pure sleight of hand ever seen in
this or any age." In 1920, Lewis would perform on the same
bill as Harry Houdini at the annual Magician 's Club dinner
at the Savoy. Reputedly, by the year 1929, Lewis's success
would enable him to drive his own Rolls Royce to and from
the 13-room mansion where his family resided in Kent.
Continu ing into yet another generation, in 1948, Gilly's
daughter Betty would quit schoo l at age 14 (by her own
insisten ce), for the opportunity to work in the shop.
Eventually, upon her father's death in 1962, Betty became
the proprietor of the family business. Around 1981 she
would change the business name to Lewis Davenport
Limite q, and today it is known as Davenports Magi c.
A man named Fergus Roy had litt le background in the
world of magic when he married Betty Davenport. Thus
little could she have foreseen his future as an enthusiastic
Davenports, con tinued on page 64
2 •
■ ■
■ •
STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD OF MAGIC
••
CHLO E OLEW ITZ
Magic Movies at SXSW
A few months ago, Frank Oz let slip
on Twitter that there was a film ver-
sion of Derek DelGaudio's In & Of
Itself not only in the works, but com-
ing soon. Now the film is headed
for a world premiere at South by
Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas
this March. DelGaudio stars and
Frank Oz directs, with execut ive
producers Stephen Colbert, Evelyn
McGee Colbert, Daryl Roth, and Tom
Werner . SXSW lists the film in the
documentary feature category, and
all the talk so far seems to suggest
a hybrid style of some kind. Writes
DelGaudio on Twitter : "We didn't
capture the show. We liberated it.
And I can't wait for you to see what
it's become."
IN & OFITSRJ
M for Magic
Attendees of MAGIC Live! 20 19
will remember the general session
in which Max Maven interviewed
Erika Larsen and documentary film-
• THE EYE ■
•• •• ••• • I •
NEWSWORTHYITEMSMAY BE SENTTO TELLTHEEYE@GMAILCOM
•• •••
maker Alexis Manya
Spraic about their
upcoming film, M
for Magic. This
documentary fea-
ture traces four
generations of
Larsen family his-
tory throug h the
hallowed halls of
the worl d -famous
Magic Castle .
To complement
archival footage
and interviews with
the Larsens, celebrities
from Dick Van Dyke to
Dita Von Teese and Jason
Alexander to Neil Patrick
Harris weig hed in on the Castle's
ro le as a mecca to magic in the
Ho llywood Hills. with a deck of cards and a dream,"
From the synopsis: "Spearheaded Franco said in an official st atement.
by brothers who started the Castle "This five-year extension motivates
to honor thei r father's unrequited me even more to redefine magic as
dream, it is the perseverance of four we know it, and to share it with the
generations of Larsen women at the world in ways people have never
heart of the unlikely success story seen."
of a most unconventional fami ly
enterprise."
M FOR MAG IC
Mat Franco at The UNQ
Mat Franco : Magic Reinvented
Nightly first opened at The LINO
in 2015, hot off the heels of his vic-
tory on season nine of America's
Got Talent. In the five years since,
the show has won awards across the
board from t he Las Vegas Review
Journal's Best of Las Vegas awards,
including for Best Production, Best
Magic Show, and Best Showroom for
the Mat Franco Theater.
Franco recently acquired full own -
ership of the headlin ing show, and
in January announced that the LINO
has extended his run . "I showed
, up in Vegas five years ago as a kid
1
Wizard Works Brewing
Magician Chris lvanovich is running a
Kickstarter campaign to support the
launch of Wizard Works Brewing, a
magic venue and craft brew tap room
in Milwaukee . Sip beer, see magic.
What cou ld be better? Supporting
local brewers and local magicians
all at once, perhaps. From the cam-
paign description: "Bee rs will
be quaffed. Tales will be told.
Magic will be made."
According to the
Kickstarter, lvanovich
and his wife Jennifer
Higg ins, bot h beer
enthusiasts , have
already acquired the
brewing equipment,
secured the loca-
tion, and are ready
to bring Wizard
Wo rks Brewing to
life. The funds raised
on Kickstarter will go
toward designing and
furnishing the space,
and toward buying a
delivery vehicle to transport
Wizard Works' own kegs to
ot her bars and restaurants in the
local area.
"Magic is in my heart and has
been for the almost 40 years I've
spent as a working performer,"
lvanovich tells "The Eye." "The
taproom will feature decor includ-
ing classic magic posters and illu-
sion blueprints and the beers will
have magic-inspired names." He's
also seeking access to classic magic
perfo rmance recordings that he can
display on the taproom's screens and
plans to perfo rm behind the bar at
least one night each week.
It took 11 days for the Kickstarter
to pass the halfway mark to its fund-
raising goal, and as an all-or-no thing
project, Wizard Works will only
succeed if the campaign meets its
$15 ,000 goal by March 1. Perks for
backers include pint glasses, bottle
openers, memberships to the tap -
room's Mug Club, custom brewing
sessions, and, of cou rse, magic les-
sons with lvanov ich.
SUPPORT
~C)~"il
~~
Uri Geller
Eyes Downing Street
Without getting too deep into the
politics of Brexit, Uri Geller has
thrown his hat in the ring for a posi-
t ion at No. 10 Downing Street.
Dominic Cummings, Chief Special
Advisor to Prime Minister Boris
Johnson, posted on his blog an
open call for "wild cards" and "weir-
WWW.CHLOEOLEWITZ.COM
dos" to apply for staff
positions. His goal was
ostensibly to diversify the Prime
Minis ter's pool of advisors in order
to "im prove performance and make
[himself] much less important."
Although he called for "weirdos
and misfits with odd skills" along-
side more expected roles like data
scientists, economists, and po licy
experts, Cummings also made clear
th at "exceptional academic qualifi-
cations" from esteemed universities
(or equivalent or grea ter ta lents and
skills) were crucial. In the section on
"super-talented weirdos," he called
gender identity diversity "dr ivel"
and pushed for "ge nuine cog-
nitive diversity" instead.
Enter Uri Geller, who
has apparently (and
very visibly) completed
an application to
work at Downing
Street. He trotted
out fami liar claims
about his experi-
§ ence collaborating
ffJ with clandestine
!,}
3! services and sup-
~ porting national and
~ international nego-
(t tiations as proo f of his
'I utility to Johnson's new
{fl administration.
y]-~ Considering Gel ler's
mastery of PR and the global
media circus, it's safe to assume
this is more attention ploy than
pol icy play. All the same, he did
purport to be able to use his pow-
ers to stop Brexit from happening in
th e first pla ce, so one wonders how
that might factor into his appl ication
for an official governmenta l posi-
tion ded icated to predicting and
influen cing the country's near and
far future.
READTHENEWS
£Al) HlS ILOG
14
Mechanical Turk
at the Met
John Gaughan's masterful
reconstruct ion of The Turk, a
mechanical chess player originally
created circa 1769, is currently
on display at the Metropolitan
Museum in New York City. It 's part
of Making Marvels, an exhibition
that "explores the complex ways
in which the wondrous items col-
lected by ear ly modern European
princes, and the contexts in which
they were displayed, expressed
these rulers' ability to govern,"
according to the Met. The 170
objects on display represent inno-
vation, technology, and changing
ideas of modernity from the 1500s
to the 1700s.
Wolfgang von Kempelen's origi-
nal automaton, dubbed The Turk
after its costume, defeated the
likes of Catherine the Great and
Benjamin Franklin and swiped the
chess pieces off the board when
Napoleon Bonaparte tried to
cheat. Although the original was
destroyed in a fire in 1854, the
Met writes that over eight hundred
publications have attempted to
uncover the automaton's secrets
in the cen t uries since. Gaughan's
venerated recreation of The Turk is
joined by objects, furniture, musi-
cal instruments , jewelry, fine art,
and, yes, automata from around
the world. Making Marvels is on
disp lay at the Me t until March 1.
VISIT
· AGT Champions Magicians
Season 2 of America's Got Talent:
The Champions is well underway,
and a number of magicians have
returned to the show after appear ing
on various global Got Talent proper-
ties: Miki Dark (Holland 's Got Talent,
La France a un /ncroyable Talent),
Dania Diaz (Spain's Got Talent), Ben
Hart (Britain's Got Talent), Spencer
Horsman (America's Got Talent, La
France a un lncroyable Talent), Oz
Pearlman (America's Got Talent),
and Marc Spelmann (Britain's Got
Talent). At t ime of writing, Dark,
Hart, Horsman, and Pearlman have
been eliminated, leaving Diaz and
Spelmann still in the running.
Diaz, who is based in Spain but
originally hails from Venezuela, has
impressed from the very start with
card routines that draw on personal
anecdotes and reflect on the politi-
cal situation in her home country.
Spelmann appeared as himself on
his first Britain's Got Talent season, but
then returned as an anonymous and
thoroughly masked magician named X.
In one of his Champions sets this year,
he switched places with AGT fan favor-
ite, Shin Lim, to show that even though
the mask has come off, the mystery
and opportunity of X remain.
• REAO
Cartamundi Sale Complete
It's official: Cartamundi has officially
acquired the United States Playing
Card Company (USPCC). When we
first covered news of the pending
sale last year, many details remained
• under wraps for legal reasons unti l
the deal went through. "Our com-
mitment to delighting consumers,
cardists, magicians and casino play-
ers with world-class quality remains
our mission," said Michael Slaughter,
CEO of USPCC and now mem-
ber of the Cartamundi Executive
Committee, in an official statement.
It seems that only time will tell
whether or not the corporate sale
will have any noticeable impact on
the production, design, or qual-
ity of these highly popular card
brands. Fitting ly, 2020 marks the
50th anniversary of Cartamundi, the
150th anniversary of Fournier, and
the 135th anniversary of Bicycle.
Fournier and Bicycle are just two
of the brands that will now be sub-
sumed into the Cartamundi fam-
ily, including others like Bee and
Hoy le.
au..o
David Blaine's Next Stunt
We don't know many deta ils yet,
butYouTube revealed that it will
host David Blaine's next stunt in
a January announcement from
the Television Critics Associat ion
press tour. The live event is already
being advertised as "death-defy-
ing," a catchphrase that's already
being tempered with promises that

-,,ef1>,., organizations have collaborat-
~\._..-.-;.
it will be a light-hearted and less
frightening stunt than those Blaine
has staged in the past.
YouTube has sought to compe te
in the streaming market wi t h its sub-
scription service, YouTube Premium ,
but in September last year the com-
pany announced that its YouTube
Original shows wou ld be available
to pa id and free users alike. That
means that when it does eventually
air, premium subscribers will get to
watch David Blaine's special ad-free,
while non-subscribers will have to
wait out video advertisements. All
the same, for the first time since
Beyond Mag ic in 2016, Blaine is
back on the tube.
HAD
Blackpool Museum
The seaside resort town of Blackpool
has played host t o cation from the Nat ional Heritage
a rotating cast of Lottery Fund. The museum will
performers over the offic ially be named Showtown: The
years, from magi- Museum of Fun and Entertainment
cians and comedi - and is currently set to open in 202 1.
ans to dancers and IIEAD
acrobats. In honor WATCH
of Blackpool's role in
fostering British pop- The Wortd According
ular culture and per- to Jeff Goldblum
J" formance art through- One of the first shows that launched
;# out history, the Blackpool on the new Disney+ streaming
0~ Council and local cultural service in 2019 was The World
According to Jeff Go/db/um, in
ed to break ground on the first • which the eponymous star inves-
Blackpool Museum.
According to the
announcement, the
museum "will feature the
first permanen t displays in
a U.K. public museum on
circus, magic, variety, and
ballroom dance-f illed
with 800+ objects from
Blackpool's internation-
ally significant and exten-
sive collec t ions." Props
and costumes from Stan
Laurel, Eric Morecambe,
Ernie Wise, and Tommy
Cooper are all expected
to be on display , includ -
ing Cooper's head-tw ister
illusion.
The £13 million proj-
ect counts the Victoria and Albert • tigates subcultures that pique his
Museum in London as a partner and interest. Season one featured ep i-
is backed by a number of outside sodes on sneakers, tattoos, coffee,
donors, including a £4 million allo- and cosmetics. Now that the show
has been renewed for a second
season, Goldblum has begun to hint
at what the world according to him
may look like in 2020.
In an appearance on Conan
O'Brien's late-night talk show,
Goldblum teased the f irst four epi-
sodes of season 2: dogs, firework,
monsters , and magic. Goldblum
talked about gett ing inte rested in
magic, and in particular Houdini, as
a kid, and Conan weighed in about
Johnny Carson's interest in sleight
of hand magic, all leading up to
Goldblum's rope trick performance,
magically tying and untying knots in
an examinable rope.
WATCH
16
COMING IN 2020

THEBOOK
by CharlieMiller
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Containing all of Charlie Miller's
•Magicana • columns from Genii.
Get it for only $25
plus $ 15 postage USAor
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when you
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20

Lisa
Menna wasoneotthelasttocompete
atthelasVegas DesertMagicSeminar's
openclose-upsessionin1982,
whenshe
was11vearsold.It wasa longdav,and
sheremembers howthe checked-out
audiencehadperked upatthesightota
Atllenllg«I
I.Isa- -'-Odby
M~mmadAl
voung
woman
inawhite,
torm-lining,
knitdress.
~I tho 1982
0.K«tM.ig,c
Sem,nar Waiting inthewingsbeforeherset.Mennanoticed
acelebrilv
sit-
tinginthefrontrowth:atnoonehadcalledonvet.Shedecidedtogo
torii, andwalkedsuaighttowardhimtoask,"Could
vouplease
come
helpme?"Whatever attentionshehadgottentorbeinga gender
anomalV inthe20-person close-up
competition
wasdWartedbVthe
tactthatthegirlhadiustpickedMuhammad Ali.

Whenhejoinedheronstage, Menna doubled

downonhercare-
treeclowncharacter.
"Hi!MVname's Lisa!Wharsvourname?"She
hadnoideathatherfeignedinnocence wouldgetsucha bigreac-
tion."Mvname's
Joe,"
Aliresponded. "Joe
Frazier."
Morelaughter.

"Gosh
Joe,
vousurehavebighands,"
Menna
said
.Theroom
empted.

Menna was born in Connecticut in 1964.
When she was four years old, her family
relocated to St. Louis, where she encountered
magical clown Steve "Ickle Pickle" Bender at
her older brother 's birthday party. When she
was seven, Menna received her first magic set
as a gift from her mother, who during her own
youth had mailed in 57 Popsicle wrappers col-
lected over the course of a single summer in
exchange for a set of mu ltiplying billiard balls.
The Menna family moved to Humble , Texas,
when Lisa was nine, and by the following
year she was putting togethe r her first act. But
becoming a magician wasn't Menna's primary
goal, she had simply decided to begin planning
for her future. When she read in Ame,ican Girl
Magazinethat college would cost $40,000, the
young math lete calculated total tuition against
minimum wage and subtracted the hours she'd
be in school or asleep . "I reali.zed there wasn't
enough time if I needed to pay for college,"
Menna tells Genii, "so I started a business ."

20 GENII
21

Between that beginner's magic set, library can you make that sound?" Menna says, "He ~lo l popllt 13
Het boslnes.s ca rds
books by Bill Severn and Henry Hay, her looked at me and I looked at him, and there went from home-
early Ickle Pickle inspiration, and Boys' Ufe was this moment between us where he's like, rNdo to prtntod .
Magazine,Menna collected enough material to 'Okay kid, I'm going to do this. We're in this us t ye.1r one of
Lisa\ 1975 birthday
put on a show. She practiced for lwo years, and together.' The audience didn 't know, but I c:l1en:sd od and his
a week before her 12th binhday she debuted could see it." familyreturned tne
"Lisa Lollipop," the birthday pa rty clown. It Menna says that once Ali had bought into homctm.ld b.nl~s
urdtohl.'r-
was illegal to work in Texas before the age of their impromp tu collaboration, he was gener- 4S~l.i ter.
15, and she figured no one would notice she ous with his wit. "We were improvising , but he
was 12 if she hid behind clow n makeup. wou Id serve up these jokes and I would smash
Menna's popularity soon outgrew her small them home. Not once did he try to take cred it.
suburban LOwn; whe n she kept seeing the He would give me half a joke so I could kill it,
same kids at birthday parties five or six times knowing very well that he was just making me
a year, she realized her five-trick repertoire look good."
wouldn't cul it. Her hum for new material is Ali went along with the boing boing and
what eventually led Menna LOthe wider magic pfft pfft noises that Menna had refinedwith
world, and by age 15 she had discovered her typica l five-year-old audiences . Her
magic shops, conventions, and magazines. precociousness led to a script full
"Within a year I had decided to make a of references to Shakespeare and
Pac-Man trick and publish il in Genii," Menna Plato , and to her ability to riff
says. She sliced mouths into 100 sponge balls along with Ali so seamless ly.
she had ordered from Al Goshman, glued To this day, peo ple ask her
googly eyes onto cut-out ghosts, and called how she could ha,-e_acciden-
the routine "Pac-Mania ." Soon after, when tally picked Muhammad Ali .
Menna 's parents planned to auend an adver- Menna does n't mind that
tising convention in Las Vegas, she found that people missed the subtlety
the dates coincided with the Las Vegas Desert of her perform ance
Magic Semina r. that day In the end,
The Seminar's close-up competition offered it was worth it.
a $ 1,000 prize that year, bu t Menna remem- When her routi ne
bers seeing it as a free opportunity to demo was over, a sm il,
"Pac-Mania" for a captive audience. "It made ing Menna kept up
perfect sense; I'll be in the comest, everyone the ruse and thanked
will see what a hip idea it is, and buy my Ali for volunteeri ng : "Joe,
trick," she says. "I was 17, in high school, and I you're the greatest : He
had never done a show where I wasn't a clown. turned and replied, "No,
I had only done birthday parties up to that Lisa, you're the greatest!~
point. " It wasn't umil later that Menna came Richard Turner won that
to understand the who's who that was in the 1982 close-up competi•
audience: Marlo, Vernon, Copperfie ld, Slydini, Lion. but Menna still
Blackstone, and Siegfried & Roy, lO name remembers her standing
a few. Daryl, Ammar, Ackerman , Tamariz, ovation. "David
Ascanio, Williamson, and Heba Haba Al had Co ppe die Id
all performed in the all-star close-up show stood up and
earlier that day they all stood
Th e fact that Menna 's "Pac-Mania" routine up. That was
required her volunteer lO play along meant the begi n.
she would be asking Muhammad Ali LObe ning or
goofy, sound effects and all. When she showed every-
him the first sponge ball, she made the boing, thing. "
boing,boingnoise and said, 'That's your sound,
22

fu1~
mb
<!i~
,~in
~~~~!:,e:f
magic world, the '80s raged on. She was
a strong charac ter, and performed a strong
character, and did not fit the mold of the com-
munity's expecta tions for what a girl in a dress
could or would do. "Nothing about what I did
took advantage of my female wiles, I was just
there doing my thing, " she says.
She tr ied to auend Tannen 's Magic Camp but
found that they weren't yet welcom ing girls
when her application was rejected. "It wasn't
'No girls allowed ,' it was 'We've never had a
girl and we don't have the facilities for you "'
She filled out a second registration as Lee
Menna, thinking she might slip one by man-
agement. "They wro te back saying, 'We know
who you are, you can't come."'
"When I started, there were no other women
in magic with the exception of June Horowi tz,
Diana Zimmerman, and Tina Lenert ," she
says. But while Menna had become aware that
Above, Lisa, there were few women in the field, she never
ilQl!17, spent felt excluded. She worked hard and wante d
tho IUfflmlJf
doingm.ig,c Lo learn, and the community appreciated and
anddrMng rewarded her willingness to put in the time.
an lco-<tiam She had chops, and the magicians she admired
trud:..Riglu;
Armed ... th11 began to take notice.
newDoubl "All of the great magicians pulled me aside,
Undc!>:Ul andal sat me down, and made me beuer, " Menna
n w OoublcUi ,
aindha '"9 no says. "They invested in me because they
idea how fat wanted to see a thinking woman succeed.
thc.-ywould The re was still the background conversation o f
w :a her 'Honey, don 't let him know how smart you are,
you'll never get married .' That was just starting
to change. But the serious crafters were so kind
and so beautiful. "
Menna developed from a preternaturally
smart, adolescent clown-and the only girl in
the room-into a whip-smart businesswoman
and respected all-around performer (and still
some times clown). She learned early on to
distinguish between earned opportun ities and
those inspired by her novelty factor. "On the
list of sleight of hand artis ts that were possible,
I was at the bouom. But I was a girl, so they
invited me," Menna says.
"I know very well that a lot of my opportun i-
ties came to me because there wasn't another

22 GENII
23
woman doing sleight of hand in the magic
world. But in the real world, nobody had any
idea there were no women magicians . They
had only seen two magicians in their lives, and
they happened to be men. The magic world
work I got because I was a girl, but the real
world work I got because I got."
To this day, awe at Menna's chops still falls
easily from the Iips of virtually every male
magician who witnessed her emergence in
the 1980s. She wasn't afraid to use difficult
sleigh t of hand to prove herself in front of
some of the best magicians in the world. But
Menna also remembers that back then, when
she perfonned a trick predicated on a One-
Handed Bonom Deal, the male magicians who
saw it were comp letely baffied. It didn't occ ur
to anyone to look for a One- Handed Bollom
Deal from her . "It wasn't even in the realm of
possibilities, " she says. "I also fooled them hard
because I was a girl."
Beyond her own journey, Menna began to
realize that, as a whole, magicians weren't
particula rly kind LO each other. "They we re
competitive and snaky," she says, "but I had
never experie nced that. When I got a liul e
successful, they got a lin le pissed off, but only
some of them and never to me directly. The
best of them didn't see me as competition, they
saw me as a comple tely different category." She
used her access to "the best and the worst of
them ," as she puts it, to create an art project
she envisioned would be her gift to the magic
commu nity-hundreds of magicians ' faces
cast in plaster.
The effort began at a Las Vegas convenLion
in the 1990s. "Th ere were a bunch of heav-
ies sining at a table-John Carney, David
Williamson, Dennis DeBondt-a bunch of
really A-list guys, all riffing on each other and
telling jokes. And I'm funny, okay?" Menna
asks rhetorically. "I'm a really funny performer,
and I'm not funny because I have a catalog of
jokes-I'm Junny."
But at that table, every LimeMenna said some-
thing she knew was funny, the group ignored
her. At some point, she brought up her idea LO
Us.1w, Stydn,,
cast magicians' faces, and Williamson responded .1t<Mld
1981
MARCH2020
24
Channing 's yes are opon
because he refusedto par-
t>c.tpate
unless I.Isalearned
to ar"'o theeyosopenod
·He did not want to spend
etem,ty withhis eyes shut,•
she~
Jerry Andrus CharlesReynolds
with a crass joke. Everyone laughed. Then,
a week later, he called Men na to apologize,
lamenting that he'd gone loo far. He offered lo
do "that face-casting thing" she'd mentioned,
and she convinced him , falsely, that she'd done
it before. They made plans to meet the following
day, giving Menna approximately 24 hours to
find a local art supply store and figure ou t how
lo cast a person's face for the first time.
She worked oul what she co uld , winged the
rest, and luckily, Williamsons mold came om
perfectly. Since then, she has cast over 100
magicians, including David Roth , David Kaye,
and Genii Chief, Richard Kaufman, who m she
Channng Pollocl
describes as an Adonis in his day (whe n his
face wasn 't moving). Since Oood waters from
Hurri cane Harvey carr ied some of th e originals
away from her Houston home in 2017, she has
archived the casts more carefu lly. She even had
seven of her favorite faces recast in bronze:
Cha nnin g Pollock, Billy McComb, Karrell Fox,
Charlie Reynolds, Jerry Andrus, Jay Marshall,
and Johnny Thompson.
Over the years, face casting became a way for
Menna to meet new people and make friends
in the community She was in her 30s whe n
Darwin Ortiz decided lo join the face-cast club
al a Magic Summit in Washing ton, D.C. She had
discovered by then that having one's face fully
submerged in wet goop can cause claustropho -
bia and general panic, so she learned to invite
her subjec ts' friends to hang out, tell jokes, and
she would calm the model magician down with
a fool massage. During Onizs session , Menn a
managed to secretly pa int in nail polish a "7" on
one big toe, and a " ♦ " on the other.
For all Ortiz knew, he'd just been pampered
while having his face cast. But th at even ing,
John Carney performed a card trick for him. "IL
was like the king doing a card trick for the oth er
sovereign king," Menna says. "Everybody stops
to look. John forces the card, shu fnes them,
plays around, and says, 'Look in your pocket. '
Darwin looks in his pocket, nothin g. He has
him look in his sleeve, nothing. 'Unbuu on
your shin !' Nothing." ll went on like this, unti l
Carney had O rtiz remove each shoe and th en
each sock one al a time . Between seeing the "7''
and reaching for his second sock, Ortiz started
pulling it all together .
"Th at day, Paul Harris told me I became one
of the in-crowd, " Menna says. "He dubbed me
a true inner-circle magician after that." Ortiz
promised that if it took a lifetime , he would get
even with her. He hasn't, yet.
25
Below The
Cube Zag and
Z,g Zagpropslo
the background of
these !tide $how
photos show how
Usa used used one
ern,,ronmeotto trao-
$1bonto the next

TamConover Jay Marshall Kam!II Fox

7Ce,lirst6roc/fqre that Menna cian. During her stand-up period, she worked
te:~:
ne
N : h~n she left college showed only for the biggest names in technology and was
crowned "the darling of dot com." The Wall
her head and her hands. "l didn't want to be
hired for my body," she says, and she though t Street Journal printed that Menna brought in
at the time, "if I get old or fat, I'll print this 10 Limes as many leads as a standard trade
now and J'll have it forever." It was a folding show display.
brochure, the kind made to hang in a filing
cabinet, and she had centered a "master magi-
cian" label on the display tab. But a magician
Menna respected warned her that she couldn't
poss ibly become a master until she was at
least 50 years old. She accepted the challenge
readily, crafting a training plan to make herself
worthy of the title.
"I thought, 'Okay, what should I do between
now and 50 to become a master magician?
That was very conscious in my mind," Menna
says. There wasn't a precise timeline for the
journey, but she'd heard of the seven-year itch .
She spent seven years exploring one isolated
category of magic at a time, starting with close-
up, making her way to stand-up, and then to
the stage illusions that she took into her cor-
porate work.
Menna squeezed as much as she could out
of her creative cross-training, learn ing to adapt
her close-up skills to deepen her work on
stage, and vice versa. "I remembe r the strug-
gle," she says, "but I'm sure that because of it
I'm equally as competent on stage as I am with
close-up, even if the magic community thinks
of me as a close-up magician. I wanted to be a
professional in every aspect. I was going to be
a mentalist for seven years except by the time I
got to the age where I could sell it, there were
so many freakin ' mentalists ."
Although she has created characters from
Lisa Lollipop the birthday party clown to the
geriatric Mama Menna (who bears no resem-
blance to her actual mother), Menna may be
best known for her work as a trade show magi-

MARCH 2020 25
26

Topfe!c F\tch ll'\g She changed the game while working the
wh I! •ugg«:t• ; circuit, first by pricing herself against other
Topnght vendors and enterta iners instead of other
"Ment,or,1ng that
Jules Ashe, loved magicians, allowing her to raise her rates from
magic and would $1,000 a day LO $5,000, and eventually from
~ WillCntng my $5,000 to $10,000. She is also responsible for
1.1pc:,
afw-;,~got me
~: ( h!Jhlltig"; elim inating the counter set-up that had previ-
Bouomlef Am'll'S'f ously blocked performers' lower halves from
Tha,ond, the n.t view, a then-standard approach that Eddie
timewu,oda
l1volr,t~ll!f . Tullock had popularized. Menna instead per-
8ouocntight Sun formed beside a vertical pedestal that held her
M,aosystl!l'l'IS , props, posit ioning herself closer to passersby
Ta.,,.an
, '" 2001
and helpi ng her draw crowds quicker. She
also pulled her stage away from the aisles of
the trade show floor so that she could seat 15
people in her front row instead of four. Her
crowds grew expo nentia lly.
One of the things Menna is most known for
is her "High Heel Card Stab." She had been
working on a routine that she planned LO end
by swappi ng out a card using a trick box, until
Pete r Studebaker suggested that she reveal the
ca rd in her shoe instead. From that off-hand
comment, Menna began creati ng the piece
that would form the backbone of her reper-
toire for many years to come. She performed
an Ambitious Card rout ine, ending with the
first participant 's card spiked on her stiletto,
often more than once. And instead of revealing
the second card merely inside her shoe, she
revealed it between her stocking and he r bare
foot. "You'd have to rip my stocking to get it,
and just for fun I'd get the really hard LO tear
kind," she says.
&tween Menna's trade show days and her
entry into corporate shows, Ricky Jay advised
her to sta r in a theatrica l run. "He said the big
thing that changed his life was the day people
bought a ticket to see him," she says. "If you
happen to be at a party and theres magic, its
great. But if you buy a ticke t, take a shower,
wash your hair, and get ready to go to the the-
ater, that's a lot of time and energy in anticipa-
tion of having a good time. Thats a complete ly

26 GENII
27

different audience." Menna started four-wall-

ing theaters at ski resorts like Telluride and
Sun Valley, performing one show a week and
skiing to stay in shape.
Its in this muhitude of ways that Menna's
career defies categorization. She pe rform ed at
gathering s like the New York Magic Symposium
and F.F.F.F.,and appeared on Juan Tamarizs
acclaimed television show, Chantatachan. She
was the first woman ever to perform in every
room of The Magic Castle. She worked with
a cast of Russian circus professionals at the
Palazzo dinner theater cabare t in Vienna. "I
th ought it would be interesting to work with
four-generation circus artists," she says. "If you
were trained in the Soviet Empire, you lived or
died by how well you did your art, so all the
ambit ious people made an. I wanted to work
with those people before I retired." She was 38
years old.

ele::~~!~~t
e~~'i
e~~~ai~
Cana da , and rests-when she rests-in th e U.S.
Virgin Islands. Although her corporate trade
show days are behind her, the selling mindset
remains prevalent in Mennas performances of
late. These days she presents a son of trade
show in the jungle: "I gather a group of people
and I sell them somet h ing. It wasn't a new skill-
set for me. Now I'm just selling them an idea."
In 2011, Menna foun ded Cause LO Wonder,
a non-profi t organization that uses magic LO
inspire curiosity and facilitate an exchange of
life-changing ideas . But she didn't wake up
one morning with an urge to start a non-profit;
of all things, Cause to Wonder began when
Menna was invited LO pitch Dragon'sDen, the
Canadian version of the U.S. television show
Shark Tank, on which wealthy investo rs bid to
back early-stage startups and latent businesses.
"I was trying to figure out what I was going
to do on the show," she says. "Because I don't
really want LOwork, I'm perfectly happy living
off my investments, enjoying myself, being a
popular girl, gelling up in the morning and
having no responsibilities. I was burned om,
I worked hard for my life for a long Lime. The
idea of going back and doing some thin g ... I'd
have to do something I really loved."

MARCH 2020 27
28
VoluTI!eerMaryVargo
(JO! thec.,uw
to
WOf>d,,,r
tr.i,dom;i,
1eg,~tered \/oluntee('s
w,th s.pecial~Us
.tw.i)'1 Wlj~l'n(I
Cause to Wonder. says
t
Cause to Wonder .org
Menn., Performances
that inform. Improving
the humancondition

During her brainstorm, Menna discovered
Lawrence Brilliant, an epidemiologist and phi-
lanthropist who in the 1970s led a needs-based
relief caravan of 40 do-gooder hippies through
developing countries in Europe and Asia (hot
off the Oower power music tour that featured in
the documentary film, MedicineBall Caravan).
After breaking from the group, Brilliant part-
nered with the World Health Orga nization in
an attempt to end smallpox, which was officially
eradica ted in 1980. He went on to run a num-
ber of non-profit health organizations serving
citizens of the global thi rd world.
Menna latched on 10 the vision of Brilliant's
successes, including his hippie-loaded and
health-focused bus. The Dragon'sDen segment
in which she pitched her magic bus concept
never aired, but Menna had found some-
thing worth investing in, with or without the
Dragons' help. She started testing the waters
in Papua New Guinea, evaluating the potential
impact of her program. Soon after, she piled
a small team into a van named Charlie and
set off on an inaugural trip 10 Ethiopia. Could
touring a modest magic show with a message
inspire a lasting paradigmatic shift in the soc ial
dynam ic of the developing world7
In short and over time, Menna has found
that the answer is yes. She presents simple
magic, using sponge balls and rocks plucked
from the ground in village squares . Cause to
Wonder relies on the fact tha t people in many
parls of the world have never seen magic
before . If Menna's audiences are aware of
magic at all, they likely fear its darker implica-
tions for their religious and spirit ual beliefs.
It's specifically in these spaces that Cause 10
Wonder leverages the na ture of curiosity as a
mindset inherently able 10 cause receptiv ity. "If
you want someone 10 think, give them cause to
wonder ," she says.
29

chi wrom e hop.$ w l rcnlllfflberthomag,c

!NI a bodesmil,d fromtne 1he ~ !JibeVOU1tc-e"to be l>Nwnby uie groom1<1•hewoddlngto showherlow forhef Mend,
1y st I, .aoop! ng th ' -u o1 mlM'I)'b.. •ling
Menna believes that the experience of magic cepts she introduces into her audience's state of
pries open people's preconceptions and previ- wonder are designed to spark dialogue , inspire
ously unquestioned beliefs , and the openness compassion , and change lives. "In some cases,"
created by wonder allows her to subtly begin Menna says, "just leaving the phrase in the vil-
to challenge those assumptions. She threads lage to spread is enough. Because if they argue, Bolow
a song through every Cause to Wonder per- we win. It's true, no it's not, it's true, no it's not. In tho Ind ~n l;ig
formance, wrapping deep messages in catchy And we win. " of Su wilfa, no one
hldflWtwenol
jingles that are easy to remember. The con- Cause to Wonder's methodology is com- fore,g, pefSOf1 untJ1
l.ka Me<>a antved.
Havingperio,med
n lhe sc.hoolsdui
rig the week. the
)how,1111nounoodln
the v llage square
10( thoweel'tfld
w.n att!lndcld
by
I ,SOO peopl Tho
mommt Menn.,
r,1i$0d!,er h~ndto
do a mag,c;ilpus
al the childmn
shoutod."If )1:IIJ
WMII to~ a good
fuel. do not beat
women • Tho.ldilu
lookechround, illl
thoy,•= w,,
sm ,ng and tho
mcmwore e,lt,e,
do!Jghtod Of
torri! d

MARCH 2020 29
In PilJlla New Gu nea With1.i,etlull Wigna> The-•cr>monial W,gl are m.oe the wearer'sown hat•
fTtJM
plex, and Menna has spent the past few years
figuring out how to bes t exp lain iL When she
first stane d the non-profit, Menna wasn't yet
aware of the evolutionary and social theories
that have come to drive its work. Since then ,
spreading the message of Cause to Wonder-
not to mention fundraising Lo sup port an
international non-profit-has required her to
develop a mo re academic approach.
When Menna discovered Theatre for Social
Cha nge, an app lied drama theory dedicated
30 GENII
to works of art created by the com muniti es
they serve, she realized it spo ke to many of the
underlying concepts she had intuitively bui It
into Cause to Wonder . These kinds of scho l-
arship gave Menna access to a lexicon that
helped her explain the work she was already
doing; for example, Menna has been adamant
that, at least once, the magic phrases she sings
must fall from the mouths of respected elders ,
ch iefs, and spiritual leaders. Community own-
ership over the an work 's message is a founda-
 These men could be 5"of'P"'9for add.tion.tlwives: two pigs aod a goat a•e consloemd
,1 reasonable, ,.i~ f01ii w\ •1>

tional tenet of Theatre for Social Chan ge.

While she's out and about in the world
Menna likes to explain her work with some
version of: "I'm a magician, and sometimes I
go into the jungle in a village in Africa where
women are bought and sold for pigs , and I
make a rock disappear and then I whisper, 'If
you let girls go to school, the village will be
lucky.' And th en I leave. When I first started
talking about it, I couldn' t expla in it well, " she
says. "It's such a comp licated th ing; I'm doing
Ellen the m,gi'niestol warriorsIS brouglitdaN"lb'/ try'ng 10 f•M~li t
_, whobl w up ,e arumalballooo
MARCH 2020 31
32
run/ab,lr,d magic tricks, and I'm using these magic words,
None of th and I'm hoping people will repeat them ."
woma, In th,\
pho•o..,;n11t11Clf Repetition will lead to superstition, and
be ;ib/oto lea\/0 superst ition will lead to belief, perhaps, in
me~ w11hou1 pans of the world where belief is what drives
po,mlwon "'1011 action. Cause to Wonders main project aims
willma,iy a m;an
:theyhavt.'b.irctly to change prevailing att itud es about domesti c
mc,,1,- lnto violence. The goal is to embed into the public
his home, wr,.,e co nsciousness a simple idea : Helping women
his f»l'l!nts , and
ncvor n,turn 10 brings good things. The phrase originated as
h«bmily "helping women brings good luck, " but when
Menna discovered that Christian communit ies
in the Caribbean were offended by the word
"luck ," she began adapting the particulars of
the phrase to satisfy regional customs and
communicate in hyper-local dialect s.
Now when she travels for Cause to Wonder ,
Menna works with interpreters and local lead-
ers to develop unique versions of the phrase
that will connect most with their communities
while still honoring its message. In some pans
of the world, offering luck couches a paten-
32 GENII
tially abrasive idea into something people
already want: good fortu ne. Elsewhere, remov-
ing luck from the equation avoids the fraught
need to define it, and bringing "good things "
is sometimes more palatable for those likely to
balk at the white woman hawking goodies. But
in a way, luck and good things are all boobie
prizes dancing around the super stition's real
co mmandment : help women.
Iterations of the superstition have promi sed
good things to those who "help women,"
"don 't hit women, " or "don't kill women. "
Cause to Wonder clearly names domestic
violence in regions where abusing women
and girls is not a shameful ope n secret, its an
accepted - if not encouraged---cornerstone of
social life. The hitting and the killing aren't
exaggerations played for attention; they are
everyday realities. Helping women brings good
luck. Helpin g women brings good things.
Tomato, tomato .
While Menna does hope the messages she
33

communicates become a part of life in the had never seen the magic to begin with.
communities where she performs , shes not too Turning the message into a song has certain ly
bothered with whether they become supersti- helped secure the words in peoples memories
tions-with all the trappings of belief that long after Menna leaves. "Elders remembered
entails-or are adopted as household sayings every magic trick because the novelty was so
and passed from generat ion to generation. She high, " she says, "but all of the children could
does feel that the universality of "good things" recall the jingle ." The short tunes quickly
gives the saying more integrity. "But I don 't have become raucous chants in the mouths of excited
that much integrity," she says. 'Tm happy to say children watching a magic show.
its luck if you don 't hit your wife. I don't need to "How do you stop you rself from any bad
bring you around to ending domestic ,~olence habit?" Menna asks. "If you review it five times
through ethics. I'd hit you over the head with a a day-morning, noon, and all meals-then
trash can if it made you not hit your children you're only a few hours away from recommit-
and your wife. Just once. Just so
you could see."
Once, when she was dou-
bling back through a village
three weeks after performing
there , Menna woke up early
to find breakfast. On he r route
she saw a hotel laundress-
a 10-year-old girl- scrubbing
her way through a pile of sheets
twice her height. Menna passed
within earsho t of the girl, and
quickly realized that she was
singing "helping women brings
good things " from the show
she had seen weeks before. It
was an importan t moment for
Menna; she knew then that the
message had grown roots, and
that they were likely to last. It
was also a reminder that she
will never know the girls who
cling to the song for hope, or
the boys who internalize it and
stand for change.
In order to more formally document Cause ting yourse lf Lothis new behavior. That has an A.bovl:"'.Thts
to Wonder 's on-the-ground impact, Menna impact on your decisions. When something tN
1spart ol
·poop show" n
sent a social scientist to Mozambique 18 exciting happens to you, you think abou t it all Mozambiqu&,
months after she had performed there. Six the Lime. Maybe it's just enough Lo reroute the whc,1 Mcinn~
months of interv iews fed an official Measures synaptic pattern." used ;i tJ,,mblo
moveto ~nd
&: Impact Report that showed, a year and a Magic as ente rtainment is a once- in-a-life- poc>pbehind
half after the performances, a 104 pe rcent time experience for most peop le that Cause ll'VlltyQl'IC• !!al$
retent ion rate of the message Menna had com- to Wonder touches. There's the exciting event, and demonslTlltll
municated through her magic. A higher than then theres the song, a catchy phrase that how If someooo
defecates ln the
100 percent retention rate indicates that the people can invoke either privately or publicly la.JI IIV<ll)'Ol>II
people who saw Mennas show had integrated to recall the memory. And the more the songs !r!U poop
on them..
the message into their lives, but even further, it sp read, the more the superstitions root, the
proves that the idea had sp read to people who more powerful their effects become . "If I say to

MARCH 2020 33
34
e ~rid , g,ds get ready to go out ~ sa,,,i,
you, 'If you hiLyour sister, you'll have bad luck,'
Lhat'sone thing. BuLif I say iLLoyou and you've
already heard il here, Lhere, and there, suddenly
it's like, 'Yeah, everybo dy knows Lhat."'
"Helping women brings good things" isn't
the only superstition Cause to Wonder seeks
Lo spread . The shows in Mozambique, for
example, offered another idea: "A clean lake is
a hap py life." Menna put the Cause to Wonder
methodology to work in an attempt to Leach
five villages around Lake Malawi the impor-
tance of becoming stewards of Lhe water source
on wh ich they all rely. But creating an educa-
tional program Loexplain bacterial science and
potability, for example, would have been less
effective than the magic Menna presented in
"the poop show."
First, she produced endless clean water from
34 GENII
way by doj,,,geach other's make up •
a Iota-bowl and began mus ing about possible
sources of clean waler. She added soap to the
bowl to represent doing laundry in the lake,
turning the water into a slush powder blob to
help visualize the effects of lake contaminants.
Then brown "poop" appeared in a glass of
water held under a baby, and Menna explained
that "if somebo dy poops in the water, every-
body gets poop on them. " She used thimble
moves Lo pull "poop" off of everyone within
arms reach. When she drank from the co n-
taminated water, a stream of 25 fake poops fell
from her mou th. People were horrified. Finally,
she buried the poop and spring flowers grew
from the din, representing dry composting.
The drinking wells Lhat another non-profit
had built around the perime ter of Lake Malawi
had been dismantled for Lheir nuts and bolts,
35
Wh~o some schoolprog~ms
~ rl" 0193n ,-d, II 1$the ,pp.1n:,n \
~~ ontount lhlll II.ti
the mcY..t Impact wtien t comes
10 hDvng tho11Ud1enc bccomo
thof.lOry ur and1f>'il3d
lho
fflilglc WOids.

which villagers perceived as more

valuable than a clean water source.
The problem wasn't a lack of technol -
ogy, it was a lack of unders tand ing-
no one had explained the clangers of
using a single water reserve for every-
thing from drinking water to washing
clothes and personal hygiene to sew-
age. Or at least, no one had explained
it in a way that stuck
Whether her message is about hon-
oring women as whole human beings
or teaching communities the impor-
tance of clean water, Menna under-
stands that magic is a powerful way
to make change. "I didn't know about
cognitive dissonance; I just knew that
when you were wondering, you were
paying auent ion. I didn't know that we evolved of how her ego had clouded her compassion ---~ Below
to be innate novelty-seeking creatures, or that and made her magic selfish, that she concocted uuse to Wonder
N111dou1s. TheCilr•
curiosity was an adaptive drive. I just knew a new ending to the story. She started tell- IOOfl IS fot 111
terate
people were curious." ing peop le that she had left that crowd with people, encourag-
a promise that the baby wou ld be lucky, but lng 1/1011\to I t their
daughten gel
warned that they wouldn 't find out why until ianed,c.-,1,on
itS 35th birthday, hoping the legend would ThoothOItwo aro tho

9/.1:'lel~~~'fs'!!
11,:~
whe ther she would make it as an entertainer
and had begun to question where her life
would take her. She traveled to Sri Lanka with
her college's semester at sea program, and
despite all her doubts, her love of magic bub-
bled up to the surface . While traveling through
a village by herself, she made a rock disappear
for a child without th inking twice. Suddenly
she found herself surrounded by a crowd,
performing magic they had ever seen before.
"They loved me. The smiles on their faces
were so vibrant, and their eyes were so alive,"
Menna recounted in a podcast interview last
year. "I thought, I've finally crossed over ...
I'm going to be a great magician. Look at me!
I'm great." But her self-pra ise was interrupted
when a Sri Lankan woman pushed through
the crowd to drop a bundle of rags in Menna's
arms. Menna had enough time to see she was
about her same age before the woman dropped
to her knees and kissed Menna's feel. When
she unwrapped the bundle, Menna saw she
was holding a deformed baby.
She was so ash amed of what had happened,
force them to care for the child. That part
never really happened, but it offers a glimpse
into the power Menna now unders tands a
li~t il.nd=ond \'e~
sloM of tho e~pres-
s!on , "If you""~ \ to
ha\'O good 11,d:.
simple magic trick can hold. don't hit women •
G ri, wto ~tudy can
Menna says that since she started Cause to bocome phone oper-
Wonder, magicians have disagreed with the at0r1, 1oachon..
way she allows her audiences to cons true her llnd poltc.&-
atl jobs .i\·a1l.ibleto
magic tricks as miracles. 'They're offended WQfflt'n n lncf,1
because I'm using magic to fool people," she fvilmp,1ci,~
says. "And to me, I tricked somebody into 9'0Wed tbilt ~naqo
provo l!S con•.-.
believing that domestic violence is wrong. I'm lion , .tnd r,i,nfor~
good with that." the lo!\g-renn ,mpaC'-
The care that Menna takes to advertise her M~na g~va liw~y
30,000 Sbd:ers
performances accurately serves her audiences In kld1.i
as muc h as it serves magicians' ethics. It also
helps protect her-when Menna first makes
a pebble disappear, it's common for her audi-
ences to start picking up rocks of their own,
preparing to defend or auack. Fear-driven
responses force her to work to win her crowds
over to the side of entertainment and fun
because it is only in safe spaces that adaptive,
evolutio nary wonder can emerge .
But the very message that Cause to Wonder
seeks to spread also makes it cruc ial for Menna
to dissuade her audiences of the idea that she

MARCH 2020 35
36
"None of the other storytellers who use magic
for special-effects have ever been able to measure
the impact of their work. Although I am encouraged
by small stories of success, I can only hope that in 20
years, the little boys I meet have experimented with
respecting the women in their village . I hope so.
I beg that you support Cause to Wonder
socially and financ ially . Thank you ."
 ,
.
II •

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.-\fne1,,:and 1hc C.anbjx-,ml~bnds, 1.1n1111
.
l! •
10 \\~~nd cr ·1ra~
other regions wl~rc C"..111 -~
But the truth IS Ulll Ml'Tlnas mag1t lcJ\'CS con

"1
..1,·, vcrsalions mus \\.Ike and 1h.11's"'Onh, p.1ymg
auemton lo. h sms up ddxuc·, and II i
hope. Th.u C\'oluUor111ry stale of curiosur. 1Hi1.
'
paradigmatic shift Ul.ll ~fcniu SCI DUI 10 cdlatt. J
In the first place 1s rumb ling on so~ de~ ,
tce1omclr\'cl. k may take decide; for the work
she has d; nc to bear fmu in ihc magic 'ii:n•·
c:
munlt)", m socu:ty.and in the world, bu1 mayh
wonder, aha all, ...,,IbeJ wh.11does 1hctrtd, •

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1

SLEIGHT OF HAND
BY NORMAN BECK
MOST MAGICIANS HAVE HEARD OF STEVE FORTE.
Many have watched his videotapes and DVDs. Some have even read his
books on casino game protection and poker protection. Only a few have had
an opportunity to spend time with him. This is all about to change.

I remember Steve telling me that he was going to write a book on gambling sleight
of hand that would cross over into card magic. That day has finally arrived and the
book is titled Gambling Sle iglaf of Hand : Forte Years of Reseanlt .
[Editor's Note : The first printing of the book has sold out after 10 days on the market.]

New books come out all the time, but not like this one. I told a friend that a new card book
was coming out that costs $300. His response was that he didn't need another book on
card tricks. I told him that the book was over 1,000 pages and not just about card tricks.
His response was that no one knows that much about card work. When I told him that the
author was Steve Forte he immediately asked where he could buy it. That's going to be
the response from every student of card magic and gambling sleight of hand.

Gambling Sleightof Hand shows what happens when a 20-year-old with a

passion for sleight of hand moves to Las Vegas, meets the top experts from both
sides of the table, and is willing to practice over 16 hours a day and tirelessly
research the field for 40 years. Toss in a love for magic and you end up with
a uniquely qualified author and a fresh perspective of how to handle a
deck of cards that is guaranteed to open the eyes of cardworkers
everywhere. Join me as I ask my friend a few questions that will
help shed some light on the man and this amazing project.
s BEEN
APROBLEM
-SOlVlR
AND
ANOH-TAKER
- THfNonsOFTlN
CITED
POSSIBlf
MRHODS
GENII: Steve, you have been laying low for many
years. What have you been doing to stay busy?
fOKn , Although I've been enjoying my pri-
vacy, I've never been busier and have been for-
tunate to get involved with interesting projec t s
on my own terms.
GENII: You have a new book coming out on
gambling sleight of hand. Why did you dec ide
to write the book?
fORrL I've always wanted to write a book for
"cardworkers," whom I define as magicians and
hobbyists (performers and nonperforme rs}. I
wanted to offer a book that not only presen t s
the moves employed by the best cheaters, but
then compares the way these moves are typi-
cally handled by cardworkers because when
you compare the technical differences, most
cardworkers will immediately find opportunities
to improve their skills.
One of the primary benefits from this kind
of analysis is that it helps identify artificial
moves, which are the moves you want to avoid
if your passion is authentic gambling moves-
although the process offers many benefits to all
sleight-o f-hand enthusiasts. In many instances
the changes are technically minor and easy to
implement, but the moves improve dramati -
cally. This is not speculation on my part, but
something that has happened to me over and
over again . Even after watching cardworkers
adeptly do a move, I was still able to make
observations based on the way cheaters handle
the same move. The observations were always
well received and often with surprise: "Why
haven't I been doing the move the same way?"
At the heart of the book is hundreds of these
kinds of evaluations. Most of the classic moves
are described in detail, starting with several
technical observations and ending with meth-
ods and one or more uncommon variants to
help cardworkers appreciate the scope of pos-
sible handlings.
GENII: Can you describe the scope of the book?
fORTL The research is packaged in a two-
volume set of over S00 pages each, with over
1,300 black and white photographs . The set
details over 1,000 combined gambling moves,
stunts, technical considerations, princip les, and
observat ions. The research was specifically
written for the hobbyist, which I define as magi-
cians and cardworkers .
There are four core sections: gambling
sleight of hand as a hobby, gambling moves,
Erdnase, and pseudo gambling stunts.
The best way to appreciate the scope of the
research is to look over a summary of the table
of contents, which is posted on my web-
site: www.gamblingsleightofhand.com or
www.steveforte.com. In general terms, about
half the book is dedicated to the analysis of
gambling moves, which starts with a chapter on
the hobby, best gamb ling moves, the study of
gambling sleight of hand, learning curve, men-
tors, card players' standards, lessons, magic
mindset, practice, cheaters versus magicians,
secrets, credits, and more . The rest is dedicated
to Erdnase (130-page chapter} and pseudo gam-
bling stunts with over 250 presented (300 pages}.
Here's an interesting interaction I had with
one of the reviewers that readers might enjoy.
After reading the section on the second deal,
he told me that he didn't understand. I said,
"Didn't understand what?" He repeated him-
self, so I asked him aga in, "What part didn't
you understand?" He said that he counted
about 60 second deals and that it was the num-
ber of deals that didn' t make any sense. "I can
get to 10, maybe 12, but 60?" "Actually there
were over 60 second deals in the early drafts
but I moved several to my notes."
GENII: You have dedicated the book to Ray
Goulet who passed away last year. How did you
meet him and become friends?
fORIL Ray's mag ic shop was on ly a few min-
utes from my home outside of Boston. I don't
recall my first visit to the shop, only that Ray
was gregarious, accommodating, and a perfect
gentleman . Ray immediately became a mentor
and I treasured our friendship. It was Ray who
inspired my interest in antiquarian gambl ing
books and artifacts. Above all, it was Ray's kind-
ness and sensitivity to a shy kid with an interest
in gambling moves that made him so special.
My only regret is that I didn't get the book out
before his passing, but I did talk to him about
it and let him know that I was dedicating my
research t o him.
GENII: Many magicians like to do gambl ing
routines, but not many gamblers like to do
magic tricks. You do both. How did you first get
exposed to gambling and magic?
fORl'L Wh ile it's true that I can do a few stunts
for close friends, many of my friends have never
seen me w ith a deck of cards in my hand . I'm
not a magician/performer and not even a prac-
titioner at this stage of my life. I would be more
43
USING
AUTHENTIC
GAMBLING
MOVES
- 1WOULD
WORK
OUT
SOLUTIONS
TODIFFERENT
PROB
accurately descr ibed as a researcher or knowl-
edge ju nkie. The parts of the gambling world
that I sti ll spend time exploring these days have
nothing to do with sleight of hand.
As to my first exposure to gambling, it was
ubiquitous for as long as I can remember (card
games, dice games, Las Vegas nights with
casino games, t he numbers racket, etc.).
My first significant exposure to magic was
in high school where I watched a magician
change the Aces to Kings. After high school, I
recall stumbling into a Boston magic shop and
buying a stripper deck and a couple of packet
tricks. The John Scarne commercial that aired
during the Red Sox games forced me to pick
up a deck and experiment. Meeting Ray Go ulet
sealed the deal, and I've been a big fan of
magic ever since.
GENII: Do you remember the first magic book
you owned? How about the first gambling book?
FOlffL Yes, it was Close-Up Card Magic [Harry
Lorayne, 1962]. The first gambling book I owned
was either Beat the Dea/er [Ed Thorp, 1962] or
Scarne's Complete Guide to Gambling [John
Scarne, 1961].
GENII:What book had the most influence?
R>m:t The gambling boo ks. They both includ-
ed sections on cheating tha t grabbed my atten-
t ion because I was practicing classic gambling
moves at that time.
GENII:There are about 250 stunts in the chapter
on pseudo gambling stunts. How did you come
up with so many new moves and routi nes?
FORltt When I was meeting with cardwork-
ers regularly, the sessions were predictable . I
would demonstrate a few gambling moves and
cardworke rs would fool me with thei r magic. I
loved the feeling of being fooled so instead of
just carrying the four Aces to demonstrate a
false shuffle, for example, I started culling the
Kings for a surprise ending. Somehow, authen-
t ic gambling moves turned into moves with
kickers. The reaction was so positive I began
coming up with full-fledged gambling stunts.
It started with Ace-cutting stunts. I began t o
create my own moves to solve problems and,
before you knew it, I had over 100 Ace-cutting
stunts. Then it was stacking and false dealing
demonst rat ions, other gambling routines, flou r-
ishes, and more.
I've always been a problem-solver and a note-
taker. During my early days p laying blackjack,
every time I spotted a vulnerability I immedi-
ately headed for the Keno Room to jo t down
the angle on keno tickets. I did the same thing
every time I saw a gamb ling stunt. The notes
often cit ed possible methods using authentic
gambling moves and, when I had free time, I
would work out solutions to different problems .
Having developed severa l novel strategies
to beat casino games, coming up with offbeat
solutions to card stunts has always been easy.
I have found that th inking outside the box is
nothing mo re than refusing to accept what
most consider to be the st andards. For each
genre of stunts, say Ace cutting, I would ask all
kinds of questions. Is it possible to cut t o the
Aces even when their positions are unknown?
Or, is it possible to strip four packets into the air
and have each packet land on the table at the
same time, with each packet revealing an Ace?
Or, is it possible to cut to one position in the
deck that simultaneously cuts to all four Aces?
The answers are yes, yes, and yes, and the
solutions are presented in the pseudo chapter.
GENI: Could you tip a trick or two from the
book?
fOlffla Here 's an Ace-cutting st unt I call
"Location Unknown." Off-the-table cuts are
used to cut to the Aces, but what makes this
metho d novel is that the cutt ing sequence
starts before the locat ion of each Ace is known!
Think about that for a second.
I prese nt the principle in the cont ext of a
game called Aces in the Midd le. After the
shuffle and cut , t hree cards are dealt face up.
If at least one Ace shows, the dealer wins the
pot. If no Aces show, cards are turned over
until an Ace appears with each non-Ace cost-
ing the deale r a bet. W ith $100 stakes, if nine
cards are turned over before the first Ace, the
dealer would have to pony up $900 . Needless
to say, having the skill to cut the Aces co uld win
a fortune, even after the cards are shuffled by
another player.
Start with the Aces on top, riffle shuffle a
couple of t imes, carry the slug, and cut about
one -quarte r of the deck to the table, and carry
the cut . Pass the dec k to an observer and ask
him t o riffle once. Explain tha t a neat riffle has
the best chance to mix the cards thoroughly.
After the riffle, casually cut abou t one-quarter
of the deck and carry the cut, wh ich br ings the
Aces near the top and definitely in the top half .
According to the rules of the game, dea l three
cards face up to the table; if an Ace appears,
stop. If no Ace appears, continue playing the
game until the first Ace appears. Place the Ace
aside, casually flip the dealt cards face down,
and drop the remaining cards on top. This first
phase is done while explaining the game. You're
now ready to cut the remaining Aces, although
you still don' t know their positions.
After a reasonably pure riffle, you can safely
assume that either 0, 1, or 2 X-cards are
between each Ace, which means that the next
Ace is either on top, second from the top, or
th ird from the top . This concept is borrowed
from a strategy employed by profess ional
blackjack players known as "Ace tracking" or
"sequence tracking, " and simply presumes that
the purest part of the riffle occurs at the center
of both halves.
Pick up the deck and swing cut one-third
into the left hand, rotating the right side of the
packet downward. Get a break under the top
card in the same action (the goal is to barely
push the top card to the right to establish a lit-
tle-finger break as the swing cut occurs). Swing
cut two more packets, retaining the break.
Spin cut to the break and peek the bottom
card. Don't blatantly tilt the deck or your head;
just let it happen naturally. Ifyou peek an Ace on
the bottom, grab the deck with the right hand
from above and spin/pivot out a small packet
from the center at the inner left corner, letting
the packet land in dealing position. The cards
in the right hand come down on top of the left
thumb tip, which slides the Ace out and face up
onto the deck. Pitch the Ace to the table.
If the bottom card is not an Ace, flip the top
card over as if you expect it to be an Ace. If it
proves to be an Ace, pitch it to the table.
If there is no Ace on the top, grab the deck
with the right hand from above and show the
bottom card-since you have just shown no
Ace on top , it makes perfect sense to show no
Ace on the bottom. Given the riffle's pureness
near the centers of t he ha lves as described, you
can safely slip cut the top card into the deck
and revea l the Ace (if you miss, you can always
slip cut again).
The same procedure is repeated for the other
Aces: swing cut, ge t a break, spin cut, and peek
the bottom card. From here, cutting to an Ace
entails either spin-cutting the bottom card from
the center of the deck, flipping the top card over
to reveal an Ace, or showing the top and bottom
cards before slip cutting to an Ace.
Present ing the concept in the context of a
game is only one way to utilize this concept,
but I have found that "Aces in the Midd le" is
the perfect tale to highlight the cuts.
This stunt is a perfect example of using a
gambling principle to have a little fun. By the
way, the game doesn't exist ... not yet anyway!
Here's a stunt called "Dealers School." The
cardworker demonstrates a shuffling drill that's
used in dealing schools to help teach dealers to
riffle thoroughly. After demonstrating the drill
with face-up cards and proving that the riffles
are indeed pure, the Aces are controlled for an
unexpected ending.
With the Aces on top, split the top half to the
right and riffle under one card. Keep the riffle
as pure as possible; do not overprotect the slug
(five cards maximum).
45
HERE
'SASTUNT
CAWD"DEALERS
SCHOOl
."THECARDWORKER
DEMONSTRATES
A
SHUFFUNG
DRlllTHATS
US£0INDEAUNG
SCHOOlS
TOHllPTEACH
DEALERS
TOBIFFLE
THOROUGHLY
. AFTER
DEMONSTBATlNG
THE081llWITHFACE-UP
CA80S
AHOPROVING THIRlfFUSA8EINDllD
THAT PURI ,
THIACES
ARE
CONTROlllDFOB
ANUNEXPECTEDENDIJtG
.

Split the top half to the right and turn the

top cards of each half face up. Explain that
the simplest of all the shuffling drills is to riffle
the halves and attempt to bring the face-up
cards as close together as possible. Riffle the
right half under one card, and spread the deck
forward to show the two face-up cards on top.
Square the deck. Split the top half to the right
and ribbon spread the left half backward. Slide
the top two cards off the spread, flip them face
up, and replace them onto the spread. Push the
spread forward to square the half. Each half now
has two face-up cards on top. Riffle the right
half under two cards. Ribbon spread the deck
forward to reveal four face-up cards on top.
After this phase, flip the deck face up and
spread a few cards as you explain that the
drill can also be used to test how well the bot-
tom cards are shuffled. This is an important
psychological step because after the Aces are
revealed, most cardworkers will immediate ly
assume that they had to start on the bottom .
Therefore, we need to eliminate this possibility.
Stress that when the face-up cards get riffled
together you have proof that the riffle is pure,
that the deck was shuffled thoroughly, and that
dealers are becoming better shufflers. It's time
to repeat the same sequence one last time with
four face-up cards on both halves. Riffle the
right half under four cards and ribbon spread to
reveal eight face-up cards on top-an impres-
sive display of skill on its own.
With the right hand, push the eight face-up
cards forward. Rotate the cards forward and face
down on their sides, allowing the right fingers to
drag the lowermost card to the right, creating
a small bevel-brief. Casually flip the packet face
down onto the spread and immediately push the
spread back into the protected position (both
hands on the deck providing cover for the brieO.
Without squaring the deck or removing the
hands from the deck, undercut half the deck
and strip it. The beveled cards will take the
place of the br ief during an F-strip. Square the
right end, angle the brief to the inner left side,
get a break with the left thumb , and split the
top half at the break to the right. Look away
 INSHORT
. I CONCLUDED
THATERDNASE
WASNEITHER
ASKlllED
CHEAHR NORANEXPERT
ATTIECARD
TABLE
.
and riffle one last time, carrying the Aces on
top. Act indifferent to the riffle as if the drill is
over-the mindset of observers should be that
you just shared a shuffling drill used in profes-
sional casino dea ling schoo ls, and that's it.
Then reveal the Aces. I like to say, "You know
what we do with dealers who can do this? We
hire them on the spot."
Each phase/ drill sells the concep t of a thor -
ough riffle . After three riffle, there should be
no doubt that the entire deck is thoroughly
shuffled. If the revelation of the Aces doesn't
fool them, nothing will, especial ly if the riffles
are smooth and you look away from the deck
during the final riffle.
I recall doing this stunt for two world-class
cardworkers. As I got to the last riffle, one said,
"Oh no, I know something is coming, but I
don't know what." They didn't want to believe
that the dril l was just a drill, but there was noth-
ing to suggest otherwise.
GENII: Do you remember the first hustlers you
met in Las Vegas?
fORII:, The first was an old-timer by the name
of Al Fast . Al was a master of many short cons,
but his specia lty was the Chinese flop cup. He
had some nontraditional moves with the cup
that I have never seen, including a cool version
of the " t ip" (dou b le cross).
GENII: You have always talked about your good
fortune to meet several old-timers who were
experts and had a willingness to share. Can you
tell us abou t a few?
FOR'II, "Good fortune" is an understatement.
I didn 't just meet these guys; many became
fathers away from home. For example, Jimmy
Payne was an operator and expert in all fac-
ets of the casino business including cheating.
Jimmy is the gentleman who got me into the
consulting business (my first partner).
Mike Dades was anothe r expert who was
exceptiona lly well-versed in all facets of cheat-
ing with cards and dice, not to mention short
cons, carniva ls, pickpockets, and you name it.
Jim Keller was a well-known casino executive
who was as passionate about game protection
as any person I've ever met. I talked with Jim
almost every day and later wrote and dedicated
my casino book to him [Casino Game Protection:
A Comprehensive Guide, Forte, 2004].
Big JB is my oldest and dearest friend and
godfather to my youngest son. JB has been
a successful professional gambler for over 50
years (the best all-around card player I have
ever met, and I have met hundreds).
Through these guys, I would meet dozens
and dozens more, and books could be written
about many of them that would b low you away.
As I say in the book, imagine being a young
cardman with an interest in gambling moves
and being surrounded by a network of friends,
all two and three times your age and all experts
on cheating. And when you had a question,
there was always someone with an answer
you could trust. "Jimmy, have you ever seen
mechanics use a one-hand second to whack
out?" "Su re, here's the only method I've seen."
"Mike, have you ever seen this hop underfire?"
"No, there are too many better, safer ways."
"Paul, what's the best dealer-agent runup you
have ever seen?" "Let me show you something
that got the money for years."
Much of the research presented in Gambling
Sleight of Hand is drawn from these sources.
47
INMYVIEW
. THERE
'SUNQUESTIONABLY
SOMOHING
WRONG
WITHTHISCLASSIC
TREATISE-A
STORY
YET
TOBEUNCOVERED
.
GENO: How many hustlers have you met in
your life?
fOlffEa Hundreds ! I had only been in LV for a
short time when I started playing poker. As I
moved from small spread-limit poker games
with tourists to higher-limit games with the
professionals and locals, I was exposed to just
about everything: signs, false shuffles, holding
out, and coolers. It started with a small circle
of about 10 to 12 friends , but each friend
had their own sources. When I was research-
ing private-game cheat ing, any time I had an
opportunity to meet a hustler, I was in my car
or on a plane . After I started gambling for a liv-
ing, I was running into cheaters, crossroaders,
and professional gamblers almost every day.
Once estab lished in the consult ing business,
my network of hustlers expanded even further .
When I started playing b lackjack seriously,
I regularly ran into the crossroaders and t heir
scams-the classic dealer-agents scams, bend-
ers, "painters" (daub), and more .
It may seem like hyperbole , but in the late
1970s, early 1980s, cheating was ubiquitous.
The poker rooms were run by the mob and
cheaters had a green light to cheat almost
anyone provided they kicked back a piece of
the scores. Single-deck blackjack was the most
popular game and it was attacked by everyone:
card counters, advantage players (locat ion,
holecard players, trackers), and cheaters. I met
and watched dice sliders, roulette past posters,
and several kinds of slot thieves. When I was a
casino manager in 1982, I used to let the slot
cheaters play to find the machines most vulner-
able to "handle popping" and other scams
from that era. I would pay them with travel
vouchers-it was an inexpensive education.
GENO: You have told me that not every meet-
ing with cheaters is a posit ive experience . Can
you explain?
FOtffL Cheaters come in all shapes and sizes.
Some are good guys and some are egoma-
niacal jerks. Some are skilled; others are not.
Some do many moves while others specialize
in only a move or two. You j ust never know.
From a sleight of hand perspective , I believe
that most cardworke rs would be disappointed
to see a passable bottom dea l, the gamblers'
cut, and a lop-sided riffle after traveling across
the country. Fortunately , I have always been
interested in more than the moves and remain
a strong believer tha t you can learn something
from everyone . But there have definitely been
some less-than-positive experiences.
Also , it's tough to get cheaters to tip any-
t hing until there 's absolute trust. After one casi-
no lecture, my partner introduced me to a card
and dice mechanic who attended the lecture .
He didn't say much, other than to ask me to
do a few private-game moves. I d id, but never
asked him to do anything. I also shared with
him some of the casino moves/strategies not
in the lecture. When I left, I told him that it was
an honor to spend some time with him. He told
my partner that I was a respectful young man .
The next time we met, it was one of the best
sessions of my life. In fact, after his wife passed
away, he moved in w ith my wife and me.
Should you ever get a chance to meet one of
these guys , humbleness, pat ience, and respect
are paramount.
GENII: After reading the Erdnase chapter,
my guess is that it's go ing to generate some
heated debates . Can you share anything about
the chapter and its conclusion, and why it's a
big part of your book?
FORTI, It's a big part of the book because it's
a big part of every cardworker's psyche. I've
always been a fan of The Expert at the Card
Table (although like most of us, I was intimida t ed
by the book when I first read it as a kid). In 1996,
I was asked to write the foreword to the Italian
translation. Although I suggested others who
were true students of Erdnase, I acquiesced and
did my best to offer some positive observations.
During this process, I discovered a few discrep-
ancies that raised some disturbing questions.
I continued researching these discrepancies ,
eventually ending up with almost 200 pages
of notes that painted a completely different
picture of Erdnase than wha t is commonly
accepted in magic.
The chapter on Erdnase is called the "Erdnase
Factor," and it details the discrepancies I found
during my research and the factors that led to
my conclusions. The chapter does not look at
any of the theories regarding Erdnase's identity.
Examining only the words and drawings in The
Expert at the Card Table, I addressed one ques-
tion: Was Erdnase a supremely skilled hustler
who cheated players with the moves and sys-
tems he claims to have invented?
In short, I concluded that Erdnase was nei-
ther a skilled cheater nor an expert at the card
table. In my view, there's unquestionably some-
IIMAGIC
MOVIS
, THERE
ARE
NORULES
. fURTHEIIMOlll
MAGICSHOULD
NMRBERESTRICTED
thing wrong with this classic treatise-a story
yet to be uncovered. The moves were subpar
and unsustainable at t he card table. There was
shockingly extensive plagiarism, in addition to
errors, omissions, oddities, magic's influence ,
and more. I offer the research that led to my
conclusions and afte r that , I'll let the reader
make up his own mi nd .
GENII: Can you give us an example of a subpar
move?
FORTI, Most cardworkers are familiar with the
Erdnase false stri ps. To cont rol a top slug, cut
the slug to the bottom, secure a break, and
strip to the break. Okay, here's a problem I like
to pose to cardworkers. Even when the move
is executed perfec t ly, why is it an easy move to
detect, even from across the card room?
It's the pre-cut! If you give the deck to 1,000
card players and ask them to strip the deck,
not one will start by cutting a small packet to
the bottom and then begin stripping t he deck,
ending with throwing the same, initially cut
packet back to the top. A strip is a continuous
action that inverts packets of cards from begin-
ning to end. To start wit h cutting a small packet
is illogical, redundant, artificial, and suspicious.
Interestingly, I've asked this question to many
top cardworkers and not one has ever been
able t o answer correctly. This is not surprising;
in fact, it's expected, and clearly shows that
the focus of cardworkers seems to be solely on
execution, not acceptable card handling at the
card table. I then asked my friend and gam-
bling expert Ron Conley the same question. He
responded so quickly with the correct answer
that I couldn't stop laughing. True knowledge
changes everything!
Although Erdnase boasted that the false strip
was "among the most subtle and undetectable
maneuvers in card handling," there's nothing
subtle about a false strip that starts with a bla-
tant pre-cut. He also claimed that the "method
of cutting is quite commonly used by many
players for the very opposite purpose ." I reject
Erdnase's statement . He's either ignoran t or
disingenuous. Erdnase's bottom stock control
is even more flawed as the action starts with a
pre-cut and break, then starts the strip with the
same p re-cut packet . This is a redundant action
that violates a basic card-table principle: two
cuts don't make a cut. Gambling Sleight of Hand
offers simple solutions to this problem, eliminat-
ing the need fo r the pre-cut and framing the
strip so it's identical to the true stripping action!
GENII: Is there such a thing as the "perfect
move"?
JOITt , If there were "perfect moves," I could
list them. But I can't. Most hustlers scoff at
the notion of a perfect move and find it more
practical to d iscuss perfection in other ways: the
perfect move for a given situat ion, the perfect
momen t , the perfect game, and so on. Cheaters
want to steal your money deceptively and safely.
If a move accomplishes th is goal, it's perfect.
But here's where it gets interesting . When
moves are perfectly constructed and perfectly
executed, you start to get very close to the
notion of a perfect move. There are many false
cuts/strips, false deals, stacks, briefs, and other
moves that can be burned without observ-
ers even having an inkl ing that a move has
occur red. That's about as close to perfection as
you can get. There's a big difference between
doing a push-through, for example, fo r a fellow
cardworker and having him say, "That's a hell of
a push-through," versus him not having a clue
that a false shuffle j ust occurred.
As a compromise, perhaps the t erm "nea r-
perfect move" is a better choice of words.
GENII: How often do you pract ice?
FORII, I haven't practiced seriously in over a
decade. Although I have gone through exten-
sive practice periods (years) when I was young-
er and periods of dedicated practice in later
years, it's been a long time. I had to pick up a
deck and work through the moves and stunt s
for the book, but it was only to help remember
de tai Is; there was no practice.
When I first came to Las Vegas I was practic-
ing with checks [chips] every day-sizing into
bets and drop-cutting checks from 1-5 was a
required skill for all crap dea lers. I would go
from checks to silver dollars to half dollars.
Cutting coins because of their weight and thin-
ness is particularly gruel ing, so to break it up, I
would pick up a deck. So while I was develop-
ing good chops as a kid, I was still too green
to know for sure that I was practicing authentic
gambling moves; that wo uld come a little later.
GENII: How many moves have you mastered in
your career?
FOR1IJ Al though beyond the scope of the
research presented, I have only pursued the
mastery of a small number of gambling moves
during my career and be lieve that I achieved
these goals. Some are skill-ba sed; others are
49
TOCARD
-TABLE
PROTOCOL
UNLESS
THEGOAL
ISANAUTHENTIC
GAMBUNG
DEMONSTRATION
.

application-based. Should we meet some day,
ask me about these moves and I'd be happy
to demonstrate one or two of them. Most are
million-dollar moves that I have done with
multiple cameras, surveillance operators, and
pit bosses burning me from just a few feet
away. Unfortunately, these ideas didn't fit the
research profile for Gambling Sleight of Hand
and, by the way, don't automatically assume
that I'm talking about cheating!
GENO: How do you approach a problem with
cards?
FOlffl, For gambling moves, the most impor-
tant criteria is my knowledge based on person-
al experience. Having been around card games
my entire life, every time I see a move, action,
or idea, I simply ask myself if it's within the
range of acceptability relative to the card table.
Several other tests are offered in the book.
For magic moves, there are no rules.
Furthermore, magic should never be restricted
to card-table protocol unless the goal is an
authentic gambling demonstration. If I like an
effect, I enjoy assessing each key component in
a routine and exploring the possibility of alter-
native methods, especially the possibility of
substituting magic moves for gambling moves.
For most of the stunts in the pseudo chapter,
they were inspired by something I saw in the
hands of a cardworkers.
GENII: Could you explain a move or two from
the book?
FOll'L Here's a false cut/strip familiar to many
cardworkers . It's known as the CTB Cut/Strip.
"CTB" stands for center, top, bottom. After any
single-, double-, or triple-cut where a break is
held during the first cut and where one final cut
to the break would restore the deck's order, the
CTB strip replaces this final cut with a three-part
strip. While holding a break near the bottom of
the deck, instead of cutt ing to the break, strip
a packet from the bottom of the upper half
above the break (center), followed by stripping
the remaining cards in the upper half (top), fol-
lowed by throwing the remaining cards on top
(bottom) to restore the deck's order.
This move is almost universally done by
stepping the first undercut packet as follows:
Undercut about three-quarters of the deck
to the top, stepping the packet over the left
side. Strip a packet from the bottom of the
stepped packet (center), followed by stripping
the remaining cards in the stepped packet
(top), followed by throwing the remaining cards
on top (bottom).
The final CTB action is generally a three-
part strip, although many cardworkers extend
the second phase by stripping more than one
packet off the bottom of the stepped packet .
The CTB Cut/Strip is popular with card-
workers, probab ly ranking third behind the
gamblers' cut and up-the- ladder. One author
praised this false cut as "one of the most
deceptive and natural-looking of the numerous
false triple-cuts in existence." As described in
magic, this false cut/strip does not deserve
these accolades.
The CTB Cut/Str ip is a favorite with hus-
tlers, probab ly ranking second to the standard
gamblers' cut, but there seems to be a misun-
derstanding about the hustler's approach to
this move.
The CTB Cut/Strip has a serious flaw and
that's the initial stepping action.
I have watched dozens of hustlers and card-
workers do the move and almost invariably
think, "there's the step and there's the CTB."
Once the first packet is undercut and stepped
to the left, stripping from the bottom of the
stepped packet exposes the stepped condition,
which is naked as the right hand moves these
cards forward and diagonally away from the
safety of the hands. When multiple packets are
stripped off the bottom of the stepped packet,
the stepped condition is exposed longer, mak-
ing it even more obvious that some form of
 ANEXPERT
MUST UNDERSTAND
THE
GAMES
. APPLICATIONS.
PSYCHOLOGY
, GAME
-MANAGEMENtMUCH
AND MOHL
manipulation is occurring, and you don't have
to be an experienced card player to spot the
discrepancy and sense that something is wrong.
Here's how the bes t mechanics eliminate the
move's core weakness and turn it into a stellar
false cut/s trip.
First, instead of setting up the CTB phase
with one undercut, a double-cut is more logi-
cal, deceptive, and easier. Setting up the
move with one undercut requires a pick-up of
the first stripped packet tha t must be done in
one continuous action to emulate a true st rip.
Setting up the move with a double-cut presents
the move in two distinct actions: (a) a double-
cut, followed by (b) a quick strip. No pick-up is
required to mesh the two actions and attempt
to represent a single strip.
Second, center stripping from a break instead
of center stripping from an exposed stepped
packet is a superior option. I have demon-
strated this move for many cardworkers who
always ask, "What is that?" Even after I explain
that it's the old "center-top-bottom cut," they
are still surprised.
The book also offers a few technical
observations.
The CTB Cut/Strip is a good example of a
common move that looks better in the hands
of the best hustlers than it does in the hands
of the best cardworkers. Somewhere along
the line, some mechanic rea lized that during a
strip, there can never be a reason for the cards
in the right hand to be in a stepped condi-
tion. This can't occur natural ly-if the deck is
squared to start, the cards in the right hand
have to remain squared throughout the strip.
So this led to the obvious solution: get rid of
the stepped packets. Yet, look at all of the false
cuts/strips that require stepped packets.
Also, picking up the first stripped packet with
the right hand can be obvious as it violates the
true stripping action. Breaking up the move into
two distinct phases, a double-cut and three-part
strip, offers a simple, deceptive solution.
If you happen to use a false cut/strip that
requires a stepped packet, tread carefully.
Simply ask yourself, "Is the stepped condi-
tion exposed at any time during the move?"
If the answer is yes, review your angles, think
about hand cover, and determine whether the
stepped packet can be replaced with a break.
Remember, it's impossible to nail the perfect
imitation of two undercuts and a qu ick strip if a
stepped condition is exposed at any time during
the move. Eliminate the stepping action, make
the minor changes suggested, and add this clas-
sic, improved false cut to your repertoire.
For another move, the following switch is
called the Double-Down Chop. It's the best
method I know for mucking a single card-
generally used to switch a double-down card.
All you see is the card being picked up with
the left hand and immediately tucked with the
right hand. With the left hand, pick up the face-
down double-down card by the left end . Move
the right hand with its mucked card (previously
stolen) in front of the held card in almost-perfect
alignment. Continuing in one fluid action, grip
both cards with the right hand in the chop posi-
tion, move the hand forward, and muck the low-
ermost card while tucking the uppermost card.
For a variant, as soon as the right hand cov-
e rs the held card, I like to muck and move my
right hand upward to scratch my nose or adjust
my glasses, then casually flip the card in the left
hand face down as the right hand goes to the
rail and hangs over it for protection. For dem-
onstrations, try the muck with the cards face up
for an instant change.
GENO:Can you compare this book to your first
three?
F<>tnlJ There's no comparison. My first book
was written for professional blackjack players
[Read the Dealer, 1984]. My second book was
written for the casino industry [Casino Game
Protection, A Comprehensive Guide, 2004].
And my third book was written for poker play-
ers [Poker Protection, Cheating and the World
of Poker, 2006].
Gambling Sleight of Hand is not a book
about cheating, per se. It's not a game-pro-
tection book, and I didn't write it for gamblers
or the gaming industry. The research is about
cheaters' moves, not the scams they perpe-
trate. Gambling Sleight of Hand is about the
pursuit of technical excellence and was written
exclusively for magicians and cardworkers from
the perspective of a hobby ist. It's a book about
a specialized genre of sleight of hand.
GENII : Does the book cover areas other
than sleight of hand; for example, paper and
devices?
fORTL Due to the inextricable link between
the second deal and peeks or "pa per" (marked
cards), a short section on these topics was
included with the focus on marked cards that
51

work well with the second deal, especially as it

relates to "reading down into the deck."
By the way, reading paper is like any other
skill- it's easy to do poorly and difficult to do
expertly. It's a vast field and one of the few
facets of cheating that continues to evolve and
get more sophisticated. This is not the case with
most gambling moves. Take the push-through,
for example. The false shuffle hasn't fundamen-
tally changed since its inception. What you do
see, however, is the move executed with differ-
ent levels of skill and with minor variants and
handlings. Conversely, with marked cards, most
of the fundamental princ iples behind the classic
systems are the same (blockout, cutout, shade,
sand, etc.), but there are a few systems that were
unknown just 20 years ago; for example, mark-
ing the cards with IR (infrared) ink.
If we remove technology from the equation,
reading paper under fire is st ill an art and a
science. While it's easy to read some mark-
ing systems, others take hundreds of hours of
practice and sophisticated training regimens. I
recall one system where every card in a six-deck
shoe was marked differently. The work beat so
many casinos and stumped so many experts
that t he system was only detected after the
industry asked the FBI for help. Although the
FBI was able to detect the system with special
equipment, no one ever got indicted because
no one could read the work.
GENI: If you had to give one piece of advice
to serious sleight of hand students, wha t would
it be?
FotnL I'm not qualified to advise all sleight
of hand enthusiasts, but for those with a pas-
sion to study and master authentic gambling
moves, three things jump out at me.
(a) Avoid artificial moves.
(b) Adopt sound and efficient practice
regimens.
(c) Continue to expand your know ledge and
learn to do a move or two from each of the
diffe rent genres. In other words, be well versed
in the subjec t matte r. It will not only keep your
expe rt ise more rounded, it will make the hobby
more fun and interesting.
GENI: What are your thoughts about people
who claim to be gambling experts when they
are not?
FORTL If the goal is to enterta in, I have no
problem with whatever title is chose n. My only
beef is with guys who do pseudo stuff when
TRSCOMBINES
THEIDEA
OFMENTAUYANDPHYSICALLY
COUNTING
THECARDS
.
TODATE.
I HAVEONLYTAUGHT
THESYSTEM
TOTWOCARDWORKERS
:
THEBOOK
MAKES
ITAVAJLABLE
TOMRYONE
.
they are paid to provide quality information
that provides some leve l of protection and
awareness to casinos and card rooms.
An interesting aspect of this question is
the word "expert." I know many cardworkers
who are truly deserving of the title "gambling
sleight of hand expert" - in this regard, many
are more skilled and knowledgeable than most
cheaters. The issue is that a "gambling" sleight
of hand expert is not the same as a "cheating"
expert. An expert on cheating must have more
knowledge than just the technical skill to dem-
onstrate moves. An expert must understand
the games, app lications, psychology, game-
management, and much more. Moreover,
an expert at cheating is not the same as a
game-protection expert. True game-protection
experts are well-versed in cheating, advantage
strategies, electronics, mathematics, dealing
and procedures, casino operations, surveil-
lance, and much more. The bes t deal all games
and most have worked in gaming as executives
or surveillance operators.
GENII:What move or stunt in the book are you
most proud of?
FORl"E , I'm most proud of the book as a com-
plete project, not for any particular move or
stunt. The moves are presented according to
my research with the commentary directed at
cardworkers. As for the stunts, I'll leave that up
to the reader. As I say in the book, most are just
ideas that have only been demonstrated to a
small circle of close friends.
GENII: You end the chapter on pseudo gam-
bling stunts with a memory demonstration
called Total Recall Scanning or TRS. Can you
give us any background?
FORT'E , Total Recall Scanning is the last stunt in
the second-to-last chapter, Pseudo Gambling
Stunts. Curiously, in a monster research project
about gambling sleight of hand, the book ends
with a stunt that doesn't require any sleight of
hand ... only sleight of mind and body.
In my early days as a professional blackjack
player, I played a sophisticated four-level APC
{advanced point count) known as "Revere's
14-count." I also kept additional side-counts of
different values on different parts of my body.
I later played with hidden blackjack comput-
ers where I entered cards via switches above
and below my toes-output came through a
small solenoid under my instep. With one of
these devices strapped to my leg, I cou ld ask
the device to output the number or remaining
cards at any time: 13 cards remaining, 2 Aces, 6
tens, 0 nines, 0 eights, 1 seven, 0 sixes, 0 fives,
1 four, 2 threes, and 1 deuce. TRS allows you
to duplicate these skills withou t the computer.
With a borrowed, shuffled deck, the observ-
er removes any number of cards-generally
around a quarter of the deck. The cardman
takes the remaining cards and turns them face
up, two at a time per second, and calls out the
remaining cards as described. No mnemonics
are used; in fact, the speed of the stunt can't
be duplicated with mnemonics. TRS combines
the idea of mentally and physically counting
the cards. To date, I have only taught the
system to two cardworkers; the book makes it
available to everyone.
It's not easy, but if you're willing to practice
for a few months, you'll have a stunt that you
can do anytime with any deck and have them
calling you "Rain Man."
GENO: Any plans to write another book?
FORTE , Good question. I have a draft for vol-
ume three of Gambling $/eight of Hand that
would include more moves and stunts; more
information on marked cards, asymmetries,
and gambling devices ; dice moves; guest con-
tributions; interviews with cheaters; and several
other surprises, but it really depends on the
response to Gambling Sleight of Hand.
GENO: Any final thoughts or goals with this
project?
FORTE , Only that I hope all readers find
the research to be interesting and helpful.
Specifically, my goal with Gambling Sleight of
Hand is simple:
If every reader picks up a new move or two,
or a new stunt or two, or learns something new
about Erdnase, or starts to have more fun with
gambling sleight of hand as a hobby because
Gambling Sleight of Hand he lped them expand
their knowledge and improve your skill, I will
have succeeded. •
53

OUR ADVERTISERSLOVE TO HEAR THAT YOU SAW THEIRAD IN GENII MARCH 2020 53
 CLASSIC CORRESPONDENCE
Glenn Jester to His Parents
IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASUREto write about the
most famous names in magic but, I have to admit, I get
equal enjoyment out of digging into the lives of little-
known performers. And that is precisely what we have
here, a letter written to the parents of a small-time magi-
cian. The news is all positive and thus the parents are reas-
sured that their son's decision to head out on the road as
a professional magician was a sound one.
Young Glenn Jester,
ready to embark on his career as a vaudev illian .
Glenn V. Jester was born in Albany, Oregon in 1888. He
attended Mercer Grade School (which was named after his
grandfather) and Broadway High School in Seattle. By age
17 he was presenting a show consisting of mentalism and
54 GENII
hypnotism that featured the breaking of stones on a gen-
tleman's stomach. While attending Mercer Grade School
he met Anne Peterson, whom he eventually married.
Together t hey developed a 20-minute act that they hoped
would carry them to an exciting life in big-t ime vaudevi lle.
Jester's parents were justifiable leery of their son enter-
ing a field as unstable as show business, but eventually
gave the ir blessing, providing Glenn promised to write
home often. And w ith t hat, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Jester
signed a contract with the Sullivan & Considine Circuit and
embarked on a tour in 1910. Along with their props they
packed a good supply of their professionally designed let-
terhead. On an open Monday afternoon in San Francisco,
Glenn pulled out his fountain pen and filled five pages with
a revealing peek into the life of an American vaudevillian.
Frisco 1/16, 1911
Dear Folks, 1
Well th is is Monday at noon. We are laying off for awh ile.
Closed at the Market Theatre Sat . night. S shows Sat., 30
shows for the week. 2 Levey3 said he wouldn't have any-
thing till Thursday the last half of this week. Said he would
fix us up then Saturday night. Levey sent us a letter saying
GI nn J~. 1 , Id ,,. W II m L .J, ,I n Au .t 1
1863) nd Ida V~uQhnM ,:co,, Th<),y ~riud 1n 11186
Mr Jester workodIO tho :re,gl,tofi,ce of lhe Noni-rt f'aci!oc
road and late• '" ;i Sea::.e pownan \\11:iQnhe rot red 1n
R,i,J
1930 ho was the oldim ma,I cam"''" the city
2 Yes lodHd, 30 shows pClf week, welcom9 to tont.nuous
vaudevJlle The h,gheKl.ns v.wdal; lie tneilt~ geo~lly
offered two shows per n,ght. Aud.enc.es mewat w+iat11me lhe
show would b.,g1nand w,,en ,I wollld end Lower level ltleat,n
, which generally s,aned around
o'.erad continuous vi3\IOOl/\lie
11 In lhe mocrung and conUntJed, oon-SU>p , 1111 11 at n,gtl
Audll.'n~ rnembctSmuld a,m, at i\f'IY t.me .andSil downwb,I~
tN! show WM in prog!MS. When this s.am act •ppoared on
5t8QO 119au, • .5Qm two-pill$ hours i;.l(>r, thoy knewthey hxi
K"M tho oni,ro show and "41~ fOfhome. For the perform •
MS. rt n\lldo lor 11v ·ty long Dnll ex."t.lust,ngcby of WO!
3 Jnstot ~ ;ilm0it cllftlllnly r<1f~nng to An:h Lr,vy. • plortncr
vaudt•v,11.l<l«ll nd a boolilng m#l\lgc, to, tho Sull,v~ &
Conui.no c,,w,1 1n~I tOfnl.:IIn typielilfJsh10n, tho porn,tnlCf
b compl.r,ntng bout 1h ,:1ttlont ol his agonl and the monc,y
being o~erecl Th10Ugooot this le!!er Je,,te, rnrupellslevy ;n
Lewy
 ProlRnion,;1
1s;auonvry u,;ed
by 22-yiw old 01ann J c:Mr

o open at it>e Olobe Theatre tor

Sundoy of'ly one day"' They only
play 11avdevUle there on Sundays
only There v'lefe 5 acts in all
bes ides throe lryout acts mak-
1n9 ,. lot;, ! of 8 ,1ci , -4 "'ow~
that day. I am enclosing his
letter We g ot aim; .it S pn, Sat
at theat.r(; iusl belore we went
on It mode me sort, Al 5:30
I wos. dr~:r.ed .and wcnt to
Levey~ off ,ce I told h,m th;,1 I
wouldn 't go for thJl Jt .ill Ho
:.old ,t 'i. up to you You don't
h,M! to 90 ut1less you w.tnt.
I ~td I wo uldn't make any-
thing r°' ono day, bo$1,l~
001ng loss th.in Im 911n.ng
ot tho Matkot. I said no ,md
w nt b ade to th,atre .
Whim I got 1h11rtt
, 11 1n dt1
c.ime ,n t1nd inqu1r11dIm
me Sn,d Levoy w,119 ,ve
you SS more 1( you 'll go .
I M id WI': wou ld .ind Wi'
did l111nr I lounci 04.11
he had o!ferod twO other
acts on our bill at Mi,rkct Thcotrn SlO and thoy
beth 1umod him down Wo dc>ared about $13 on ':he doa l
ut an liour to :1mup and ,•,a!; alt padmd up by
Toole me 11b<J order ;o see jhe city Haven't '.een
~ clew of the show This rs~ov9h t'> P-'Y our ~'.llpE' ns~s anyth,r,g yet Ha\19 ha-d to ~ a\ t~atrt> from
for a week layin~ off.1 Wo wantod a low days oft an'l"@y in ilbout 12-noon 11 1111 pm every day so ilm 9 ad wo are off
for a few days
4 A!t'Jf tho dav11·J111ng 1~ 5a,, rrMK!SCO e,H"lt!Cl" . .. •nd Ii· ' Lo11ryh;i< prom stid rr m.;t he would givo us ou r \ix
m.a•,yMuwth&11iu .-1er11dvQWn ,, qu ly as fXKS.1., 71• woo ' $ steady,"° IOc1•
,ng ill a I ' I won 't loaf. that ·s all then•
Globe"'"' bu:ltby David Gri,urn,11m IS07 Dovid\ so,,, S."<i 11 to 11 Fnsco looks gc><>d to me Too many good boolc,ng
, rn;an.19ad•h9 Cwotxifor 11 11,no unt,I !,r, Ck'p:i1
Cir.a,.11r,a,i •fd a9,m 1s hl'fe to be lo.,f,ng Ew.sides, I could 9,11eshow.. only
lo, Ho yv.ood ,•,tictru h woud "'Ofl tll-llly t,u,;d tho l~od- on Sundat and malce oxpo n!>oshero . Bosidos, we haw 901
"11 Chln ~nd 1:gypi.,m lhoai 1> on Holfvwood Bou! v~,d a g"'al, long , list of £11do,;pendor,t houw s bel,Y,~ r h~
and th M I ;on Dol!,11T1-w tn Jowmo, .. lo, A,,!Jl'fo and Portland 11we wont com ng ba clt ' Everyon e gel$ a
The G obol O'ICITTl<lv111du-:il x i> orid 1fo ot n!OVI\'$ for a
niclcol o w:il A fow mon\h, ~!tor th ,. lvltc, wJ~ w, non. 1ho on 13 doll.JQperv,od.
>Alt ~r.,oc;,sco (room and mc.-alsl
54n fratnds,;o Gill n~•Pt" r.ubl:111.id
• ,tory , lied • llf11 6 LOo1f1ng' , ... tllrm Jm•c:r LIWSfor l•)•ng al• er ga.09 A part
••'
5 Ill F, 1,ap,· b~ :h GI~ ""'" cntl d out u, one or 1 or fi.llWtt\ w,tl,0,.,1 won:.
m.invIt., , s d, mo ,sh..d 111 IY1f, fo, · 1 1111v10Lit1c,11, of tJ oc: ., boolo:udon on ., ,ublbl od ,1lu<>tvII cnt;11,t,
7 Whfn 1111
tx_I ding WW\ .; th r• &alatyla g~ r r.t<Md' C tho chir I o, ol • • cetr.tllC' ..
5 So tlwtrP you h 11-0 I• In 1911ii rn•n lllld Vloman could I :w In th Ah m& ' w i, to~ 1 A n!'IW ,:c,,r,rl'(t w11h lnd:vdJ,11

MARCH2020 55
CLASSIC CORRESPONDENCE
Jester wears black silk stockings, satin knee breeches,
and a tailcoat to present his program of classic magic.
week off here and t here. If we played this independent
t ime it would take us at least 3 weeks if no t longer. Maybe
we will have you send us some more of our tr icks that are
m:inagon;or I~ th<)~ro;i Thb lorn, of tourln!'l 1,
r:nmoro labor 11•, Dnd (l)ln11~ "'1th occ.nion.il byefft
and a v.arlM>I lncomo Jcsl<tt ,, ptop;arlldwi\11ii 11\l of ii the
~t tho:ito~ batw" n ;>n fr•l1(1sco ,ind Pottl.:ano
011.g,
56 GEN II
Unable to afford custom-printed posters, Jester purchased stock posters
such as this attractive one-sheet from Russell Morgan Lithographers.
The performer pictured doesn't even resemble Jester
but no one seemed to care.
home if we play independent. •
Oh yes, the Globe Thea t re is larger than the Market.
The house was packed t o th e roo f. Between two and three
thousand people .• Every seat taken and hundreds stand-
ing up. Got good hands too.
The manage r came and asked me if I would n't make an
announcement about the three tryout acts. Explain to the
audience that they were trying out and to treat them as
such . I didn't know much what to say but agreed to do it. I
stepped out in front of the curtain and blew off a little. I did
th is between each act, for two shows only. The manager
was pleased and thanked me very much.
8 A typl~f •'>UC! lo let migh• run up to 1-1minutes. but book
Ing your I 11110 n lndcpu:idtnt tnNttlr (w,tn fl'w111 IICU on
• • bHOwouldroqu1ro.:acomldctr bfy longo, .:aet lin,o, Jot.•,-
., put11n.9his bthc>1 on 11011c th.it ho might nood IClfflO add
tJon:il ~tuuhippod to h,m 1fth y d.,ddo to go tt1,11ou1
, 9 Hoo,y~ ot: ,al Wnstorn ~r,ic.a/ Ouide 1901, 1908 I, t, The!
Globe Theatel as h.1','lng 2,200 seat1,
57

A tryout act here don't get half the

chance they should. Everyone looks
on them as new. You have got to
blow off loud about your act. No one
here ever dreams that we are new.
Levey doesn't even know it, nor he
won't either. There isn't a soul here
that knows it. 10 How do you think you
would feel making a spiel before a
packed house? I feel like I had been
in the business for years.
By the way, I made a mistake if I
said $42.40. I got $43.45. 11 Two or
three of the acts that we played with
are laying off this week. After all, in
the magic line, it is the illusions that
count. If you have the illusions, you
can get all the time you want. 12
Just found out that Crane was
getting between $550 and $600
a week. 13 Albini is getting about
$500. He has a pull with Considine
because he was an eye-witness to
Merideth shooting t hat Considine
was held for. Considine, they say,
promised him a life job and a fortune
if he would keep still, so they say.14
Am sending Howard $26.25 today.

10 How lmnic II It lh.lt Jt!Stor w.n a-,Ji.,:,d

by tha tti.-;i1c-r manager to Inform the,
oud ence that c,,rQ,n .ictsO!\ th show
v. newcomers .t1ldto go ,,;y on
thom when, ..ii nown :o tho milll1agef
or anyono olso, J~tor h,ms.;lf wH a
nC!'.'r.omar
1 I I believeJeste< is rof,m,ng to the '~
ho recer,,ed frx his or,'Kl;iy engage-
mental tht1Globe Theatro
12 Jemu had ii 1,lofong lol,a a!fa1r with
staga aluslons and '" h•s later years
vimt was reported •o be the
c,y,--necf
lilf98SIcollecoon of ,nusOM on the,
Wi>$t Coilst Ho co.int d omOClg
hit close tr•ends ii ,., ,o'< "tlo of
M.lg¢ lll~st'I lndud ng How~rdThurv..on, .be• Gwy,w,e, CQn.Jdln On June 25, 1901, ~.• rodith unlo3CIO<I both t>.lr-re
1-QtTyB~toi,o , V119~. one!
, Th Gr.m lnot1 , Floyd Thliyvr o4 his shou:un 1oww Co01id no iJnd,, mlr.lculowy, onfllcted
Al.,~ tha M.l'1Who ICno-~ only m,nor n~no,. John'$ bro u,, Torn Cons,d nc,, "~
13 IJi·,,, :,nco C,;;no tho lr,ahWrz;ird ammd o Ameroa II\• · M md,1h10 '™'floor 'Id , "~1119I.ho butt of a pdtof, trx11.rod
ager vnth tH p,mi·nl~ Ho SIOf'.CO OUI,l$. sleight of hand mllll Merod:h'$ ll In MO pbe<l$ Wt:t, M r )cl th b:>rolyllbl co
ond j.,11!<~ mt.n1on~10 hi$ Kt. H, drllU('d In a lolltin ,uncl . John Con.\ldnt> calmly cffo,,, h own .38 re,,o~.c,r and
i.a,l<oatand '-nee br~ accompanied by gruer, \I!'• stod- 1red throe shot\ , x,lhng h m on !he spot At !he tna l. Albini
ngs .and g,een shoes w,lh large M er buddes 1-t.swh,te Iii (Abraham Law) , who had been an e,-1 !7>1?15 to th~ incideni,
vest was decorated w,m yellow shamrocb, a shoc.i.of tousled test! ed • at the shoa'Jng had posl!M!ly been carried ou t In
red hair, and a wck lnsh broguo completed hts si.ge J>e™)lla, self-dofonse Tho j11ry\unan mous 1teide1wu not gu l:y
14 lhls w.;s pem.ipa the wo™ ltept i&cret n show business. In IJIM, lhe Consid.ne brotners, ~ w'lh TUT1
William Mered th was forced 10 resign his pos.1J00 ~ Seanle's 01DJ1 -.Allch
Sulltvan, craall!d 1heSullmn & Consldne v.auclevll1e
polic chleJ due to a egauons of bribery tMdo by John 1Jt its peak a:intrahd37 ineatnrl mthe ~ Tmrto,y For
MARCH 2020 57
CLASSICCORRESPONDENCE

Have had the $25 for 7 months

now at 8% which figures $1 .15.
Oh yes, I just put in my appli-
cation for membership to The
White Rats of America. 15 The larg-
est theatrical order in the world.
About the same as the Elks only
better. For performers only.
Membership fee is $25; $10 with
applicat ion and $15 when noti-
fied by New York office. The dues
are $12/year. For men only. Has
heavy insurance for Anne and all
funeral expenses. Any up -to-date
performer is a Rat. Don't know
whether I will pass or not. Will be
from three to five weeks before I
hear from N.Y. office . Will notify
me at home address . Everyone
has advised me to join. You get a
button with a number on it when
they vo t e on you, that is, if you
are voted in. Some say it is rather
hard to get in but don't know yet.
The application must be signed
by other Rats. I have paid $10
now at this office in Frisco. Got a
receipt for it. If I don't pass, get
the money back.
If you are a Rat, the manager
can't cut your salary. Can't close
you. A White Rat contract always
reads "pay or play." If a man-
ager closes a Rat and your act is a
good one whic h other people say
is, you can close the whole show
up, or make him play you. There
is an office in every city where you
report thi ngs that go wrong. If
you get stranded in a town, hunt
up the Rats office and they will
look after you. Also sick benefits. This hand -pa inted lobby board traveled with the show and was displayed in the lobby o f each theater .
They say it is even better than the
Elks. If I pass I get a button t hen
I am a bonded member. I am initiated whenever I get to
l,,s co-,v,-.c1ngca.rmom li!Stl"'°'1y,Albr,l was p,om,seda luaa-
New York. They say the initiation beats any ot her lodge in
!Ne canvact for Eeon the Sdlli·nn& Con1idno drtl.llt.
the country. The greatest performers in the world are all
1S The \'Vhte R.it5wu a frau;m.1 organization and laborumon
Rats. Gee, I hope I pass for the sake of the button when
basedo,, Great Bn~n's Grand Orm of Wm.'< Roa. AmarlCllrl
you come to a thea ter.
ma'e pc.-rf~ organized In 1900 In the hopes of comhlt •
Just bought new pair of $4 Regal shoes. Will write later.
ng the monopollst,c ptac'.ices oi 1he V~ le Managots
Am going to Cliff now. 16
Assocta!IO!l end the Un.·l!d Boob'9 O:t.co . A $trike ,n 1901
w~, Wtecmfal in abo!Wt ng 1h 5,r, kl bad lh~I iKIS.Wll
IOtC~<lIO p,JY to th uoolu"9.noOS At>ot/1111 Sttilco n 1916 16 Th!s ,i l;q!y a, • onc:oto tho famousOff H«AO, a gr~nd
wa, u!!cd to protosl poor ue ..uncnt by va\ldl',•iDo book(lf"I 8ohc-mlllt1
Ill~ SHUlltod on tho rockst>CXIIO the,Sutro
Tim ,osu(r!!d 1n a blao '" !hat preventl!d a I mombcus.of thu &ths and OY1Jdoc.'Y!g S..n Francaco&y Du.ungthu fl'IMOUI
Wl,1 ~ts kom ~Offll[ng in ~"Y of the 10.000 hea r, con- 50 YN" Cl,ffHousehad.wff rod c;il.)Cly1,n,lc
utntrop,l,et
trollodby Keirh/AfbeC! 't Un,tod Boolt,ng Office ThoW!, to ~u lndud.no ~m,te c.o•plosloniand dova~ur,g I 1<J1. Th
els.banded500rl ah.orth s stn•e f.a11ed It ls unk11ewn 1fGlenn fourth l~r~b<m orthe er.ffHouse opened In 1909 and trn.i;15
Jcmerw.is admittedto membersh.p l.irgoly&hestllKtwe lhat nlrn;l'llS open to th,s day
58 GEN II
59
THEJESTERS
If nothing else, the exuberance of youth kept them forging
ahead. After two years of work ing up and down the west
coast they headed east toward Wisconsi n and Michigan.
They completed 20 weeks on the Ed Fisher circuit followed
by 12 weeks on the George H. Webster circuit. Then it was
back out West for work in and around San Francisco. One
reviewe r noted that , "Although they have noth ing that can
be called new, they are making a hit." This is a revealing
bit of insight. Bookers were always looking for the next big
thing, not old classics competently performed.
When Anne gave birt h to a son, Glen Gorden Jester, it
made sense for the young family to return home to Seattle .
Even though Glenn got a steady job with the fire depart-
ment, he couldn't stop thinking about how illusion acts
always seemed to be in dema nd. He set about building a
far more elaborate and spectacular show that included The
Phantom Cage, Spirit Rapping Hand , Germain Wate r Jars,
Asrah Levitation, Roterberg 's Flowe r Producti on, Vanishing
Girl from Sack (Tip-Over Trunk), and the Spirit Paintings.
By 1920 The Jesters were back on the road, once again
harboring dreams of the big time .
They just kept plugging along; th ree split weeks in cen-
tral California on the Ackerman & Harris circuit. On March
2, 1923 a glimmer of hope arrived in the form of a letter Anne Jester stands to the right of a set o f Thayer Spirit Paintings that Glenn
from A lexander Pantages. It seems that t his titan of show obtained from his good friend Claude Conlin (Alexander the Man Know Knows).

Anne appears next to their original Trunk Mystery and the center table holds the Germain Water Jars.

MARCH 2020 59
CLASSIC CORRESPONDENCE

business wanted to see The Jesters in person so he was BIBLIOGRAPHY

giving them a week at the Pantages Theater in downtow n AskAlexander, Conjuring Arts Research Center, Bill Kalush, New
York City.
Los Angeles for $300 less 5% commission. This felt like the
Henry's Officia l Western Theatrical Guide 1907- 1908, W.R.
moment they had been waiting for.
Dailey, San Francisco.
Despite what it felt like, not hing much changed. This Seattle Magic Ring Newsletter, Syd Brockman , Dec. 1959 .
engagement did not lead to a lucrative tour over the Felsman's Magical Review, Arthur Felsman, Chicago, Ill., March
vast Pantages Theater circuit. By the end of the year, the 1920.
Jesters had returned to Seattle and Glenn was once again Sphinx magazine, A .M. Wilson, Kansas City, Mo. , Nov. 1912.
fighting fires. Genii magazine, William W. Larsen, Los Ange les, Ca., August
1942, June 1945.
It is easy to figure out why performers such as Alexander
Assorted newspaper clippings, contracts and prog rams in
the Man Who Knows and T. Nelson Downs spent years Egyptian Hall .
on the road with their magic acts. For each week of work San Francisco Theatres webs ite
they were paid a king's ransom. They stayed in fine ho t els
and ate in the best
restaurants. Both
saved enough money
that t hey were able to
retire at a yo ung age
and enjoy life.
But what about
Glenn Jester and all
the othe r acts who
clung to the opposite
end of the ladder of
success? What kept
them going? It has
to be that they loved
being mag icians.
They loved the whole
process of arriving at
the theater, putting on
thei r make -up, double
checking their props,
and then wal king out
into the lime light and
hearing the applause.
They earned enough
money t o keep going
and maybe that was
enough.
Glenn Jester retired
from t he fire depart -
ment in 1956 and
while I'm sure he was
proud of the work his
department made to
the commu nity, I'm
equally sure that the
best d ays of his life
were those spent wait-
ing in the wings for
the band to launch
into his opening music
and then wal king ou t
in front of an expect -
ant crowd. Yes sir, that
was living . •
Week of February 26, 1923 , one of The Jesters' last engagements at the Savoy Theatre in San Diego . Adding
insult to injury, their name was misspelled on the program .

60 GENII
1
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 HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD
1\voMen
IT'S NOT Al.WAYSGLAMOUROUS. Sometimes
it's very coo l, somet imes it's the most frustrating t hing ever,
and sometimes it's flat out surreal.
Living one's dream.
1997 ... the country-club days. I was working a circuit
of coun t ry-clu b comedy nights that took place in loca t ions
from West Virginia down through Georgia. The audiences
were a little elite ... but much more friendly than the bars
and grinders that were to come a little later. They rarely
fai led to produce a good story. It was in these clubs that I
developed what would become "Bookends," t he elf boot
trick. One night, in a very small town in North Carolina,
I had my first brush with fame, and one of the oddest
encounters I ever had while working.
In the midst of my set I used to perform the "Linking
Finger Rings." Learning t he effect taught me a lot about
audience management and control; chatting in a genuine
moment does wonders for directio n of spectators. This was
a fun, down-home gro up, ready and willing to laugh and
enjoy the show. Per usual, I asked to borrow three rings:
"I'd like to get something of dist inction. Something unique
and easily identifiable, even from a short distance." A few
hands went hesitant ly up, and one shot up quickly with
enthusiasm. The exube rant gent leman was beaming and
sitting on the edge of his seat, clearly wanting to volunteer.
I went to him and he int rod uced himself as Dan, then he
quickly slipped his ring off and put it in my hand. The first
thought I had was that it was a class ring: heavy, metallic,
a bit large. Then I got a closer look.
The ring was silver, emblazo ned with an eagle spreading
its wings. In its talons it held a swastika.
I stood the re for a long time, my mind careening in a
bunch of different directions. Had to be a really bad joke,
right? So how do I respond? My initial feeling was pu re
revulsion, like I was holding something grotesque and
slimy. (I mean ... I was.) I looked at th is smiling Dan and
asked him qu ietly (because my voice seemed to have left
me) wha t this was.
"Tha t's my Nazi soldier ring!" He exclaimed. "I got it
when I was a Nazi soldier." My lack of words deepened
and my mind decided it was time to do math. Dan was
older than me, but he didn't seem to be old enough to
have been active in the World War II era. I stammered out
a request for clarity: had he found it, inherited it, bought it
62 GENII
as part of collection of ghastly things?
"No," he said, "I earned it." And smiled broader t han
ever. So I asked: "Tell me this story." Dan winked at me and
procla imed, "I was a Hitler Youth ... in 1965. I played Rolfe
in The Sound of Music." He sang a bar of "You are Sixteen,
Going on Seventeen" for effect. Everyone laughed as real-
ization hit me. The best I could do was smile grim ly and
complete the effect. Yes, I used Daniel Truhitte's ring and
the show was a killer. Certainly one I'll not forget.
I muse over this every once in a while . Clearly Dan had
played this "joke" more than once. Apparently he wore
the thing whenever he went out, hoping someone would
notice. Nothing really wrong with that, I suppose.
But .. . symbols mean things. Words mean t hings . Is it
okay? To wear that particular symbol, even if it's a source of
pride over an icon ic role in a movie? Had I not mentioned
his character name, would you have known who I meant?
From a performance role, and Dan was most assuredly
performing, he put his prop to good use: directing the
feelings of the audience from revulsion to amusement with
a few well -rehearsed words.
For my own point of view, no. It 's just ... if not flat out
wrong, then certainly not right. How do you feel? In the
years since, I've watched The Sound of Music many t imes.
Rolfe doesn't wear a ring.
Carolina Renaissance Festival, 2015. Last day of the sea-
son, late November.
It was cold. Really cold. Frost on the grou nd cold, but we
were open and busy. I had fou r shows outdoors that day.
Now, I wasn't unhappy he re. I knew how it got late in the
season and I was fairly prepared, but this was worse than
usual. I had full seats waiting to be entertained, though
. .. so I grit my teet h to stop them chattering and I did my
job. This season was also the first season since my family
broke apart. I was estranged from the peop le I loved the
most, and a great number of my friends had tuned the ir
backs on me. I had my show, and I had my stage, and I had
the denizens of our little mythical town of Fairhaven. Some
days that was all that kept me upright.
There lived among these gentle folk a man called
Broe. Broe pulled a taxi in those days; kind of a rickshaw-
shaped vehicle that Broe and his fe llow taxi-pullers would
63

CHRISHANN
IBAL.COM

use to transport th e weary up the hills and through the
streets. Broe would often pause his taxi by my stage w hen
I was performing so that his hires could watch my show .
He admired what I was doing, and his laugh stood out.
When I first found myself on my own, Broe invited me out
with his friends to eat or find happy little b reweries. He
looked after my well-being in very subtle but caring ways.
On this day, halfway through, Broe brought me soup.
"You looked cold, and you still have shows to do." Then
went on his way back to work. Later ... just before the final
show, he came by again. The day had turned to drizzle, and
it was miserable. I could not feel my fingers. This is not good
for a magician, but I had a full house and the show must go
on (I've heard). He made a comment about how my hands
were shaking and, so saying, stripped off his thick woolen
mittens and gave them to me . I tried to p rotest.
"Look, man," Broe said. "I can't tell you how many days
you've helped me through. When my mood was dark or
things weren 't great in the real world, or even when I was
just beyond t ired, I wou ld come to your stage and you
would make me laugh or give me hope. Hell, I could just
watch all the faces you were cheering up and that would
help me through. Right now your hands are cold and you
can't do your best work. There are people who need you
today and ... I can help. Please let me help."
He showed me how the mittens could be folded back so
t hat I could use my fingertips for "whatever it is you do"
and then put back in place to keep my hands toasty warm.
The show went on. I still have the gloves.
Sometimes, when I doubt myself and the world seems
cold, I'll pull them out and remember.
We all have gifts. From the humor in our hearts to the
magic in our hands, to the rings we adorn ourselves with,
to the gloves we pul l on. It's in the way that you use the
gift; you can use it to uplift yourself and pull attention and
do a little showing off, and there's nothing wrong with that
at all. It's your gift to use.
... Or you could love. You could love. •

( NOW PERFORMING
CONTINUEDFROM PAGE10 • AU PiRfORMEl:SSUaJECT
TO CHANGE

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MARCH2020 63
DAVENPORTS
Davenports, continued from page 11
and obsessive magic lover, sharing in both the running of
the family business as well the expansion of the couple's
family. And into the now fourth generation, both of Betty
and Fergus's sons, Bill and Roy, Jr., have also followed in the
family's historic steps. Roy, like his great-grandfather before
him, shares his time between bei ng a professional (and
FISM award-winning} performer as well as producer and
businessman; wh ile Bill has long been focused on managing
the retail shop, which for many years has been tucked away
in the Charing Cross Underg round arcade.
My own connection with Davenports began in 1988,
when Fergus and Bett y booked my very first overseas lec-
ture tour, beginning in London and including other cities
in England and Scotland. It was an unforgettable trip, and
I've considered t he Davenports a fond part of my personal
magical family ever since.
On the occasion of our initial meeting, I began to hear
stories of the family's famed "crypt," which houses gen-
erations of magic show props, paraphernalia, and memo-
rabilia that mult iple generations of the Davenport family
has boug ht up ove r the years from legendary performers
they have known. In 2013 the family fulfilled a longstand-
ing dream for a time, opening an elaborate magic-themed
fami ly attraction in North Walsham that, among other fea-
tures, displayed some of the legendary family collection.
64 GENII
Sadly that enterprise ended in a contentious lawsuit that
forced its closing and continues to battle its way through
the courts today. One can only hope that the family finds
it s way to a resolution that will restore the fam ily's full and
rightful control of the historic collection.
However, Fergus Roy uti lized the crypt's extensive
resources-including unpublished manuscripts and
personal notebooks-to write and publish, circa 2009
through 2012, an extraordinary multi-volume history of
the Davenport family and business: The Davenport Story:
The Life and Times of a Magical Family. In four volumes
and more than 1,800 expansively illustra t ed pages, Fergus
Roy chronicled the Lewis Davenport era, 1881-1939 in
Volume 1; published three never-before-seen manuscripts
in Volume 2, The Lost Legends, written respectively by
family friends and colleagues Robert Harbin, Edward
Victor, and G.W. Hunter; the World War II years and the
family's extraord inary survival through the London Blitz and
beyond into the mid-and late-20th century, 1939-2010, in
Volume 3; and in Volume 4, Will Goldston, The Man and
the Legend (along with an additional limited edition 2016
booklet entitled A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing), documented
the life of this historic figure, uncovering never-before-
known facts about his persona l as well as profess ional life.
Which brings us to the present, and the extraordinary
and distressing announcement that, "due to the
redevelopment of the Underground Arcade that
we have called home for some 36 years," the
Davenports will, for the first time in well over a
century, be without a reta il shop. Actually holding
the Guinness World Record as the oldest continu -
ously owned magic shop in the world helps lend
confidence to the added public statement that,
"We are looking for a new central London loca-
tion for our shop, but at present have not found
anywhere that would suit our needs." Until such
a venue is found, the world of magic can be
reassured and relieved to know that the family
business w ill continue with its mail-order website
that catalogs thousands of items it routinely ships
internationally, as it has in the past to a custome r
base that included names like Harry Houdini,
Servais LeRoy, Chung Ling Soo, Maskelyne, Arnold
De Biere, Okito, and countless more. And they are
also contin uing their longstanding magic classes,
workshops and courses for both adults and chil-
dren; further information can be found at : https://
www.davenportsmagic.co.uk/
I have had the pleasure and privilege of person-
ally knowing the Davenports for 32 of their remark-
able 122 years in the magic business, and I look
forward to hearing good news about wherever
t heir historical path leads t hem in t he days and
years ahead. I encourage every reader to drop in
on the website for a visit with this storied and mag-
ical family and enterprise. And to Betty, Fergus,
Bill, and Roy, Jr.: I wish you the greatest new suc-
cesses ahead. Please: Keep up t he good work! •
 BROADCAST FROM NOWHERE
AL SCHNEIDER
Quantum Entangle111ent
YES, QUANTUMENTANGLEMENT
is a quan-
tum mechanical phenomenon. It is also the name of this
trick. Quantum entanglement occurs when a very small par-
ticle, such as a hadron, decays and emits two smaller sub-
atomic particles. Because they came from the same particle,
a hadron, the sub-atomic particles are said to be entangled.
This means if the particles are separated light years apart,
the spin of one can be detected by observing the spin of
the other , demonstrating that data can be transmitted faster
than the speed of light. See Bell's Theorem for more details
about this. Apparently this phenomenon is used in quantum
computers that seem to be quite the rage today.
Effect: The magician demonstrates quantum entan-
glement with a napkin.
That explanat ion reminds me of the professor that wrote
an equation on a blackboard and told his class he would
solve it. He thought for a moment, rubbed his chin, and
wrote the solution on the blackboard. A student raised his
hand and said, "I'm sorry professor, I d idn't quite follow
that." The professor apologized and said he would do it a
different way. He again wrote the equation on the board ,
thought for a moment, rubbed his chin, and wrote the
same answer on the board.
That reminds me of the professor that asked a student
for half a piece of chalk. The student went over to a side
table, picked up a piece of chalk, broke it in half and gave
it to the professor. The professor looked at it and said, "I
wanted half a piece of chalk. "
Oh, maybe I should explain the effect a bit better. A
small napkin is torn in half. Half is rolled into a ball and
given to someone to hold. The other half is torn into
shreds . The first half is unrolled and seen to be in shreds
because it is entangled with the other half of napkin .
Well, not an earthshaking trick but if you act charming
and smile a lot, your audiences will love you. After all, it
has been said that magic is 9S percent charm.
Props: This is a good trick to do when sitting around
chatting with friends and those small bar napkins are float-
ing around. All you need is an extra bar napkin. Perhaps
the real power in this trick is that the spectators do not
know you have an extra napkin .
Explanation: This routine requires little skill. But it does
require the ability to finger palm something. During your
wanderings around the bar, grab a bar napkin . This could
happen when you walk into the bar or on the way to the
restroom. Tear the napkin in half and discard one half. Tear
the other half into strips, roll it into a ball, and save it for later.
When the time comes, get this torn ball into finger palm
in the right hand. Then start demonstrating your knowl-
edge about quantum mechanics. You can ask a friend if
they understand quantum entanglement. Offer an expla-
nation of it .
Pick up a bar napkin from the table. Say, "This is a nap-
kin that represents some en tity in the sub-atomic world.
Because it is a unit, every part of it is entangled with every
other part. "
Then tear the napkin in half. Say, "Now, if we split it in
two, the two halves are entangled."
The half in your right hand is rolled into a ball with the
right hand only . Keep the hidden torn ball concealed.
Once the right hand has rol led the right half into a ball,
switch the two balls in the hand-this appears to be part
of the process of rolling the half into a ball.
Place the torn ball onto the table or give it to a helper
to hold . Keep the new ball hidden in finger palm . You can
say, "Remember, things in the sub-atomic world are very
small." This means nothing but is something to say as the
right half is rolled into a ball and sort of explains why you
are doing that .
Continue, "For example , whatever happens to one half
will happen to the other because they are entangled. "
Then, tear the left half into strips. While you do this, the
ball in the right hand can be secretly dropped to the floor
as strips are being torn.
After the left half is torn, po int to the ball on the tab le
or in someone's hand and ask someone to open it to see
what they can see.
They will find what they think is the right half torn like the
supposed other half.
Quantum magic has happened.
A Word about Tearing a Napkin : When you open a bar
napkin with the inside toward you, you will see three folds:
a mountain fold one half the width of the napkin, a valley
fold one half the width of the napkin, and a valley fold the
length of the width of the napk in. This encourag ing piece
of information is to let you know that if you tear the napk in
along the longest valley fold, the tear will tend to follow
the fold nicely. •
MA RCH 2020 65
 DEALING WITH IT
JOHN BAN NO CH

Blitzen: A Four-Carel Production

PRECIS
The performer shuffles the deck. The participant then indi-
cates a spot near the middle. The performer makes one
quick cut to the table and suddenly there are four piles of
cards there. Three of the piles have a face-up Ace on top.
Wait ... there are only three Aces. What about the fourth
pile? The performer gingerly peeks at the top card. With a
sigh of relief, he turns the top card face up, revealing the
fourth Ace.
NOS ENCANTA
In starting a series of four-Ace tricks, the perfo rmer can
open ly remove the Aces from the deck, or can produce
the Aces either as an act of skill or purported magic. The
production, moreover, can be a full-blown stand-alone
t rick, an introduction , or something in between.
These days there are a lot of very flashy (and surprising)
sequences in which the Aces are all apparently produced
at the same time. While some of these sequences are
really visual, in my opin ion virtually all of them suffer from
the same problem: one or more of the Aces must be
pre-reversed. This secret pre-reversal means the trick has
to be set up in advance, which decreases the utility and
practicality, or set up in real time, which makes it somewhat
difficult-obtaining the setup can be more difficult than
the trick itself.
Generally, depend ing upon what comes next, I often use
my "Final Verdict" as an elabora te st and-alone that also
produced the Aces for subsequent use. If a quick introduc -
tion was all that I was looking for, I would from time to time
resort to Gary Ouellet's "Three-Second Wonder," which
takes about three seconds (really) and starts with a II t he
Aces face down on top. While it's efficient, it's also highly
discrepant. Not t hat I have a problem with discrepancies,
but fortuna tely the production is only tangentially part of
the main trick, that is, the trick that comes next.
Which brings us to this trick and its advantages. First,
it's incredibly practical because it begins with the pertinent
cards face down on top--no reversed cards. This aspect
not only makes it easy to get into, but also allows a dif-
ferent dimension. For example, you could apparently lose
the Aces into the deck, con troll ing them to the top, and
then re-produce them (I know, magician's logic-a topic
for another time). Or, you could control and produce four
selected cards.
Second, it's easy. Really easy. Without any discrepancies.
Third, finally, and importantly, the method results in
one card remaining face down, creating the opportunity
for some drama. Out of four spots, only three Aces are
evident. Your participant might suspect the face-down
card may be the fourth Ace, but can't be entirely sure.
Accordingly, tension is created. I prefer to peek at the face-
down card, pause a beat, then turn over the last Ace. From
the first time I did this, I was surprised at how well this bit
plays. As Ace productions go, this added drama is unusual
and changes its cha racter from a mere production-into a
bona fide trick. That's a good thing.
MISEEN SCENE
Preliminaries: Beg in with the Aces on top of the deck. An
additional arrangement is necessary as the actual produc-
tion requires one Ace on the bottom , three Aces on top,
and a break under the top two Aces. There are different
ways to obtain this position.
The easiest and most straightforward way is simply to
Double Undercut the top Ace to the bottom. Then dribble
the deck into your left hand and, in squaring the cards, get
a left fourth-finger break under the top two cards. (Or, use
YFM for obtaining the break.)
As a bonus, this approach also preserves the top stock
(under the Aces).
Like Lightning: Showtime! Bring your right hand ove r
and take the break w ith your right thumb (photo 1).

66 GENII
7

With your left thumb, riffle down the outer left corner
of the deck (photo 2). Ask your participant to stop you
during the riffle. (The spectator's "stop" has nothing to
do with the trick and is a complete red herring. That said,
the "stop" seems to be important and methodologica lly
necessary. The illusion of choice.)

Deposit both portions of the deck onto the table (photo

4). Because of your crossed wrists, the right-hand packet
is on the left side, and the left-hand packet is on the right.
Without pausing, with your right hand, lift the top two
cards (those above the break) straight up. Bring your left
hand ove r as your right begins to turn its cards vertical
(photo 5). Take one card with your left hand and separate

When stopped, lift off the upper portion, maintaining

the right thumb break.
In a continuing action, cross both of your hands at the
wrists-right over left. Move your hands to the table, and
as you do, turn your left hand palm downward (photo 3).

your hands (photo 6). Place the left-hand card face up to

the left of the tabled packets . Similarly, place the right-
hand card face up to the right (photo 7).

MARCH 2020 67
DEALINGWITH IT

Pause And Effect: Now pause a beat or two to let the peek into his mind. The great body of his work-includ-
tableau register with your audience . Without comment, ing the draft of a book he was writing to share with the
"notice" that only three Aces are evident. Then, with your rest of us-has been misappropriated and may never
right hand, lift up the top card of the face-down packet see the light of day.
(second from the left), lean over, and peek at the card I got the basics of this production from "Cross-Eyed
(photo 8). Pause another beat or two as if deciding what Triumph" in Caleb Wiles 's Knockout Magic DVD. Part
to do. Then flip the card face up onto its packet (photo 9). of a larger more elaborate routine, Caleb attributes the
Now a// four Aces have been produced. sequence to Richard Hucko. Caleb's routine does not just
employ the sequence as a production per se, but some-
POSTMORTEM thing sneakier and very much routine-specific . However, he
Old Dog, New Tricks: For me, one of the fun parts of still requires a pre-reversed card fourth from the top . He
la cosa nostra ("our thing") is that I am always learning has a very elegant way to obtain this position which, alas,
new things. Not just moves, or even routines, but also is also peculiar to his t rick. Nevertheless, the basic concept
about people and the underlying dynamic of a card trick . of the production is from Richard Hucko. Nice work! You
As magicians, myself included, we are indoctrinated to should check it out. •
understand that in a speedy production like this, all four
Aces should be evident.
That said, in playing with th is trick, I couldn't pull it off
without either an inconvenient pre-reversed card (not an
option) or ending with one of the Aces face down. This
latter result seemed somewhat radical, but worth a try.
And, what do you know, it worked. The trick was far more
effective than a plain vanilla all-at-once production . (I have
ruminated about why this is so, but that's best left to another
conversation.) Give it a try.
Credits and Background: I have to think that the
all-at-once face-up Ace product ion began with Jack
Birnman's trick, "The Birnman Revelation," which Jack
graciously allowed me to publish in 1990's lmpossibilia .
I am pleased to have published this if only to give you a

68 GENII
 MAGICANA
JONATHAN FRIED
MA .

NEW APPROACHESTO CLASSICPLOTS- theymake me smile. I'm not talking about tiny changes that only
the most astute would notice. Small changes in structure, plot, handling, method, and presentation all allow for giant
leaps in the world of creative magic. After all, one can only reinvent the wheel so many times. Fortunately, all three effects
taught in this month's "Magicana" make the most of small changes. Each ends w ith big results that you wil l definitely
throw into your collective bag of miracles. Jerry Dunn has given us his take on "Spellbound." It's simply gorgeous. Andrew
Musgrave cuts to the chase and gives up his slimmed-down, small-packet "Out of This World" with a bonus game-playing
presentation that truly makes this a delight to perform. Pierre Barry gives us a tremendously clever way to mentally discern
the color of one of three colored pencils hidden in a matchbox. The handling is so smart that all of our collective IQs may
jump up a few points j ust by reading it. All three effects are performed in this month's "Magicana" Video.

One and Dunn

Jerry Dunn

JERRY IS A LONGTIME REGULAR around The Magic

Castle, where he's had the opportunity to wow some of
the brightest and most respected magicians in the land
with this four-phase Spellbound routine. Jerry has worked
with the National Geographic Society for 35 years. He is an
accomplished author and his magazine stories have won
three Lowell Thomas Awards, the "Oscars" of the field,
from the Society of American Travel Writers.
Effect: A single coin turns from copper to silver and back
again in four beautiful phases.
Needed: You will need a Sun/Moon coin. For those not
versed in astronomically named coin gimmicks, this is a
shaved-down copper/silver coin with a matching copper and third fingers (photo 1). As you apparently dump the
shell. Most commonly, it will be a half dollar/English penny coin into the left hand, the shell remains in purse palm as
coin with an English penny shell nested on top of it. The the insert falls from it, landing silver side up, near the left
gaff appears to be regular English penny, even under close fingert ips (photo 2). Make a quick fist around it, causing
scrutiny. Some of you might already own a Sun/Moon coin
without even realizing it. Hop on over to your magic gim-
mick drawer and dig out that "Hopping Half" set that's
tucked away. Inside, you will find exactly what you need.
(A standard copper/silver coin and an expanded shell will
also fulfill your needs.)
Setup: Place the copper/silver insert inside a copper
shell. The copper side of the insert is outward, so the coin
can be shown on both sides as a copper coin.
Method: Begin by cleanly displaying the shelled coin,
eventually maneuvering it (shell side against the flesh)
into purse palm in your right hand, resting on the second
finger between the base of the fingers and the middle
joint. The sides of the shell are clipped between the first

70 GENII
71

I
MAGICANA SUBMISSIONS:DO YOU HAVE AN EFF
ECT YOU'D LIKETO SUill\,\ITFORCON SIDERATIONIN "MAGICANA"?
EMAILIT DIRECTLY
TO JONATHANFRIEDMANATJONATHANFRIEDMAN02 l 2@GMAIL.COM

thumb (photo 4). As the left hand closes, the coin falls over
silver side up. Open your fist to revea l that the copper coin
has now magically turned to silver (photo 5).

the coin to flop over so it's copper side up when the left
hand is opened (photo 3). This action takes a fraction of a
second and is completed behind the screen of the back of Let the coin slide forward to just beneath the base of the
your right hand immediately after the coin has been tossed first two fingers of the left hand (photo 6). Grip the coin
onto the left fingers.
As you move the right hand away, what is ostensibly the
other side of the copper coin is seen on your left palm.
You have just secretly un-nested the copper/silver insert,
passed it off as copper on both sides without any sneaky
turnover moves, and purse palmed the shell in the right
hand. A lot of things get taken care of with one action.
Economy in coin moves is priceless. The "copper" coin
should land near the base of your left thumb .
As the left hand closes around the coin, it is propped
up in a vertical position with the muscle at the base of the

between the thumb and first two fingers as you revolve the
left hand palm down. Display the "other" side of the coin
also as silver (photo 7). This is the Paddle Move performed
with a coin.

MARCH 2020 71
MAGICANA
The silver coin is next balanced on the t ip of the left
first finger, pushed into posit ion by the left thumb with
assistance from the right hand. The right hand continues
to hold the shel l in purse palm (photo 8). As the right
hand passes over the balanced silver coin, the shell goes
ove r its fron t edge (photo 9). On the way back, the shell is
quietly added on top of the silver coin, resulting in a very
breathtaking silver-to-copper change in an isolated posi-
tion (photo 10).
End t his motion with the second fingertip of your right
hand on top of the newly tr ansformed "copper" coin bal-
72 GENII
anced on the first finger of your left hand, pinching it in
place. Turn the coin over in this pinched position to show
its other side (photo 11 ). You have just openly transferred
the co in from hand to hand and only one copper coin is
seen in the process.
Hold the copper coin in Spellbound pos1t1on in your
left hand, with the shell outermost. As you talk about the
coin's distinguishing features, release a litt le bit of pressure
on your grip, allowing the copper/silver insert to fall into
left-hand finger palm (photo 12). The silver side of this coin
is facing upward, but obviously not seen by the audience.
As the right hand approaches apparently to turn over the
coin, the shell is stolen into thumb palm , while at the same
time the tip of the right thumb contacts the coin in finger
palm and pushes it to the right fingert ips (photo 13). Place
this copper/silver coin into left-hand Spellbound position,
73
copper side showing (photo 14). This clever substitution
is undetectable since your thumb is working overtime and
pulling double duty. This switch also allows for both sides of
the copper coin to be seen, if you were interested in point-
ing out details from each side. The right fingers have a lot of
freedom with the shell concealed in thumb palm.
To change the copper coin back to silver, state that you
are just going to flutter your fingers in front of the coin. As
the right hand briefly hovers in front of the left while flut-
tering, the copper/silver coin at the left fingertips is turned
around with the assistance of the left first finger (photo 15
is an exposed view). This is a gorgeous transformation. To
apparently show both sides of the silver coin, allow its end to
snap off of your left thumb as the hand turns over and pushes
the coin to the fingertips (photo 16). Yet another awesome
Paddle Move with a coin. As this is happening, allow the shell
in thumb palm to slip to right-hand finger palm.
Maneuver the shell to fingertip rest. Openly take the silver
coin at the fingertips of your right hand. As the silver coin
is placed at the right fingertips, its right edge is placed just
into the left rim of the shell. From the front, only a silver coin
is seen. From the back the insert is slightly nested into the
shell (photo 17). To perform one last transformation, there
are a few ways to go. You could slowly let the silver coin
slide down behind the right fingertips, where it is nested
directly into the shell. Immediately use your right thumb to
push the copper coin (shell and insert) up from behind your
fingertips and into view (photos 18 and 19). Or you could
elect to do a full view transformation by simply sliding the
MARCH 2020 73
MAGICANA

resulting in a truly beautifu l change. Or you could bring t he

insert into the shell while the hand waves up and down .
The larger waving actio n covers the smaller sliding action,
silver coin up to the lips to blow on it. As t he coin comes
up, its exposed end is tilted back and away from the audi-
ence. At this poin t the shell is slid over the insert, then the
coin is t ilted toward the audience to show that it has now
turned copper .
"One and Dunn" is an extremely clean Spellbound,
performed without any extra neous movements. A lot of
current coin transfo rmat ion routines happe n so fast t hat it
is sometimes hard to fo llow. First the co in is silver and in
a blink of an eye, it turns copper before immediately turn-
ing back to silver. The true beauty of the effect gets lost
because there isn't proper time for the min d to register
that the coin is transforming, as well as confirming that the
hands are otherw ise empty in the pro cess. Flash changes
are nice, but this routine has much more of a smooth and
t imeless pace to it. •

Its a Topsy-TurvyWorld, Jane

Andrew Musgrove
ANDREW LIVES IN NEWFOUNDLAND , Canada, where he Turn the deck over so that it is face down, but do it in
is a student . He has performed professionally in Vancouver, the following manner. Grasp the outer end of the deck
as well as South Korea. Andrew has a few published pieces between the thumb and first finger of you r right hand,
out there. Look them up. Lots of good thinking. Andrew 's thumb on top (photo 2). Drag the deck forward, away
small addition to Paul Curry's "Out of This World" plot
has taken this from a long performance and shortened it
considerab ly, all while adding a delightful presenta t ional
angle that only comes from actually performing for real-
world people .
Effect: Twelve cards are freely dealt from a shuffled
deck and then magically divided by color (a la "Out of
This World"), pe r a very entertain ing " elimination ga me"
between the magician and the spectator .
Needed: A deck of cards.
Method: Beg in by giving the deck a few riffle shuffles , or
better yet, invite your spectator to do it fo r you. Once the
cards have been thoroughly mixed, turn them face up to
show the ir shuffled condition (photo 1). Square the face-up from your body . Once it is just about ready to clear the
cards into your left hand . left first finger, lift it and turn it end ove r end so that the
pinched end of t he face-down deck is now pointed d irectly
at you (photo 3). This technique for turning the deck over

74
75
is straight out of "Topsy-TuNy Cards" from Royal Road to
Card Magic by Hugard and Braue (1948).
Raise the deck to eye level so that your specta tor can-
not see the faces of the cards. State that you are going
to, "remove a mix of black and red cards," but in reality
you remove the first 12 red cards that you come to before
tabling them face down. This will create a large bank of
black cards at the rear of the face-up deck.
Mentally mull over the idea of removing a few more
cards while keeping the faces of the cards toward you as
you spread them from hand-to-hand . As you close the
spread and begin to lower your hands to their origina l
position, secure a pinky break above approximately 10
black cards on the bottom of the face-up deck (photo 4).

mix without exposing any of their faces. Explain that this

While hold ing the deck in dea ling position, keep the left
first finger slightly higher than the cards below the break.
Repeat the action of turning over the deck as described
earlier, dragging the deck (minus the 10 black cards below
the break) forward (photo 5). When the deck is about to
is an "elimination game" and that you would like them to
"choose either red or black." It's time for Magician's Choice.
If they choose "red" explain that their task is to try and
choose the six cards that they feel are red. Once done, they
are to square their six red cards (keeping them face down}
and place their hand over them . Remind them that they
have "eliminated the black cards" as you extend the deck
toward the spectator. Ask that they replace the six "black"
cards face down onto the deck. They have their chosen
"reds" and have given you the eliminated "blacks."
If they choose "black," state that since this is an "e limi-
nation game" they are to eliminate the six cards that they
think are black. Once done, ask them to place each of the
eliminated, face-down, "black" cards on top of the deck in
your hand and then to square the remaining red cards on
the table before covering them with the ir hand. Either way,
they have six "red" cards (really red) under their hand and
have apparently eliminated six "black" cards (also really
red} and placed them on top of the deck .
Ask, "How do you feel about your selections?" as you
bring attention to the cards on the table, continuing,
"If you did this correctly, those cards should be the red
ones." As their attention is focused on what you are say-
ing, simply roll your left hand over so that it is palm down
and point with the left first finger toward their cards (photo
7). This action turns over the deck, bringing the reversed
face-down black cards to the top of the deck, with the
remainder of the face-up cards below them.

clear the left first finger, lift it by its front end and turn it
inward toward you so that it lands flush on top of the face -
up black cards (photo 6).
Here's the situation. Right now, there are 12 face-down
cards on the table that your spectator believes to be "a
mix of black and reds" which in real ity are all red . There are
also approximately 10 face-up black cards on the bottom
of the face-down deck in your hand.
Invite your spectator to give the 12 cards a face-down

MARCH 2020 75
MAGICANA

Ask them to take a look at their cards. As they remove

their hand and turn their cards over, extend your left
fingertips completely below the deck (photo 8). Release
pressure with your left thumb as you turn your entire left
hand ove r. This will allow the deck to remain in its inverted
state (face-down cards on top of the face-up deck) on your
left fingers (photo 9). If this quick one-hande d turnover is
difficult for you to perform, simply place the inverted deck
directly into your right hand. Done casually, this will go
complete ly unnoticed because you've misdirected your
spectator like a champ.
After they turn over their tabled card s and reveal all six
to be red, slowly deal the top six cards face up off the top
of the deck to show that you have the blacks (photo 10).
Congratulate your helper for successfully doing their part well as the "elimination" gambit, make this a pleasure to
in this "elimination game," gather up the cards, and clean perform. For those wondering what is up with this trick's
up the mess on your own time. t itle and who is this "Jane" t hat he speaks of, Andrew
This is a commercial way to perform an "Out of This informs us that it is a line of dialog from the 1998 movie
World" type effect. The small number of cards used, as The Naked Gun. And now you know. •

ThoughtsAre Colorful
Pierre Barry
PIERRE,A RETIREDCRIMINOLOGIST from Quebec, is the Preparation: Take a look at your matchbox. It shou ld be
type of magician that I really love: a hobbyist that thinks approximately one inch wide and two inches long. Each
like a professional. A close friend of the late Gary Oulette, of the three pencils are to be sharpened to different, but
Pierre has been a lover of magic for over SOyears. He is a specific lengths. For the sake of explana t ion, sharpen the
very active convention attendee and has had a couple of his yellow pencil so that it is just a little bit longer than the
mentalism pieces published before. The thinking that went box. The on ly way that this pencil can fit inside is to put
into this "Psychic Colors" routine is exactly what I expect it in d iagonally, a position from which it cannot move on
from a criminologist. Brilliant, straight to the point, and highly
effective are all ways to describe his excellent contribution.
Effect: Three colored pencils (yellow, red, and blue) ,
three pieces of colored paper (same colo rs). a matchbox,
and a small bag are displayed. All three pencils are placed
into the bag and given to the spectator, along with the
matchbox. While the magician's back is turned, one pencil
is removed from the bag and placed into the matchbox.
The magician turns around and holds the matchbox over
each of the three cards and is then able to reveal success-
fully which pencil is inside of the box.
Needed: Three colored pencils (yellow, red, and blue),
three small pieces of paper (same colors), a small matchbox,
and a small bag that will hold all three penci ls (photo 1).

76 GENII
77
its own (photo 2). Next, sharpen the red pencil so tha t it is
just shorter t han the length of the box. If you move the box
around, the red pencil inside is free to roll only from side
to side (photo 3). Lastly, sharpen the blue pencil so that it
I other hand so that only their sharpened ends pro t rude
is a little bit short er than the width of t he box (photo 4). If
the box is moved around with this blue pencil inside, you
can feel it both roll from side to side, as wel l as slide back
and forth between its ends .
Place t he matchbox, the three pencils, and the three
pieces of paper inside the bag.
Performance: Reach into t he bag and remove t he
matchbox and the three pieces of paper . Place the pieces
of paper in a row on the table with the matchbox right in
front of them (photo 5).
Remove the pencils all at once and place them into your
over the tips of your fingers, held in place by the thumb
(photo 6). The back of the hand is facing the spectator.
Note that the t ips of all three pencils are in an even line.
This implies that they are all the same length without hav-
ing to say anything about it.
Drop all three pencils into the bag and give it a shake
before handing it to your spectator. Instruct them that
you will be turning around with your back toward them.
They are to place the bag below the table (or simply turn
around) and remove one pencil. Once that is done, they
are to place their chosen pencil into the matchbox, turn
back around, and then place the box onto the table.
Turn around and draw attention to each of the three
pieces of paper on the table. Pick up the matchbox and
slowly hold it over each of the pieces of paper. You will be
able to discern which pencil is inside by its movement in
t he matchbox. If the penc il does not move at all, it is the
yellow one. If you can feel it roll from side to side, then you
know that the red pencil is inside. If the penci l both slides
freely from end to end, as we// as rolls from side to side, it
is the blue one. It does not take a lot of hand movement
to make the pencil move . You don't want to shake the box
around when placing it above each of the cards. Small
subtle movements are definitely the way to go .
Once you triumphantly announce which pencil is inside,
open up the matchbox to display that your incred ible sixth
sense, which apparently only applies to identifying colored
pencils inside of matchboxes, has successfully struck again .
Hey, it's better than nothing, right? •
MARCH 2020 77
 WWW.~G ICCASTLE.COM

KNIGHTS AT THE MAGIC CASTLE

JASON ANDREW DAVIDSON PHOTOS BYTAYLOR
WONG

•~w \(\ whenever I'm at The Castle, I

make sure to come here and say thank
you to Mr. Martin." The prev ious sen-
tence is the closing line from a story I
often tell on my tours. The sentence is
a litt le sappy, bu t it closes a true story
about when dealer Harold Martin gave
my father a free deck of cards when my
dad was a little kid. That deck of cards
sparked a love of magic which would
later be passed along to me, setting
me on a path to meet wonderful amaz-
ing people from all around the world.
As I t ell t he story, I usually po int to
Mr. Martin's face on the large Chicago
Mag ic Round Table artwork with a sin-
cere sense of gratitude , and I recently
repeated the entire story verbatim to
former Castle manager Pat Payne dur-
ing a personal tour she requested to
gather information for The Castle's
Wal l Decorations Project.
For years, pictures and posters have an officia l decision abou t the Wall Last week, Jim was kind enough
been hung on The Castle's walls wher- Decorations Project by the General to sneak me into the empty seance
ever they would fit. A few months ago, Meeting on March 22 . However , stuff room with his laptop computer , and he
the AMA Board of Directors proposed like this doesn't always go as planned. verbally walked me through the entire
invest igating whe ther The Castle's art- No one knows this better than t he theatrical experience, describ ing each
work could be reorganized in a more AMA's President Jim St einmeyer , who detail, while the sound effects and
thematic manner, and they brought Pat has been leading the ref urbishment of vo ices played on his computer. I obvi-
Payne onboard to lead the project. As the Houdini Seance Room. ously can't reveal any of the secrets,
the former Guest Relations Manager, After months of meetings, design- but it's going to be an amazing, mult i-
Pat already knows every inch of the ing, scripting, and planning, Jim and sensory experience that people will
building and also has former experi- his crew went into the Houdini Seance want to repeat. Some of the effects
ence as an art and museum curator. Room at the end of last summer to start are so unique I can't imagine you'l l see
Pat's only challenge has been coming the transformation and were met with them anywhe re else in the world. I'm
from outside of the magic community, an unfortunate realization. Everyone still having trouble wrapping my brain
and so she's been giving herself a crash had expected that a little rewiring and around how many d ifferent things are
course in magic history, learning the some light construction work would be going into that little room.
backgrounds of every person in every required. However, no one predicted I can't thank Jim enough for his
picture on The Castle's walls. that the room would need to be totally generosity, not only to me but to the
We walked around The Magic gutted, down to its 1909 wall studs , entire AMA . Ironically, just after the
Castle for over three hours together and then completely rebuilt. In order seances start in mid-Ma rch, Jim will
one recent Saturday afternoon, after to support the planned enhancemen t s, also be stepping down as AMA presi-
brunch crowds had died down. She major structural changes had to be dent, due to term limits. No words can
has some great ideas for arranging made, bu t thankfully they're finished . express how gra teful we all are for
the pictures to te ll stories from magic The new carpet is in, the pa int has Jim Steinmeyer's amazing work at The
history. The Board is supposed make dried, and the furn iture is in transit. Mag ic Castle .

78 Gl:NII
79
DON'TFORGET
THATASA GENIISUBSCRI
BER
YOUAREENTITLEDTO A BONUSVISIT
TO THEMAGIC CASTLEEACH YEAR
!
In addition to Jim's tireless work
behind the scenes, he has also been
responsible for hosting many member
events, like the one that happened just
a few weeks ago. Members packed
the Inner Circle for "Tales from the
General Manager" in w hich Jim inter-
viewed General Manager Joe Furlow
about his past eight years leading the
insane business of the AMA and The
Magic Castle clubhouse. Joe's stories
were even better than anticipated.
Joe's delightful wife, Renae, was also
in attendance, and she was more than
happy to jump in throughout the inter-
view t o clarify details from her per-
spective. One of my favorite stories
was about Joe's final decision to take
the general manager position. After
spending a lot time considering all of
the possible advantages and disadvan-
tages, Joe asked his wife if she thought
he should take the job. "I asked Joe,
'Well, who will your boss be?"' Renae
remembered. "Joe said, 'Neil Patrick
Harris.' I said, 'Well, then, yes! I think
you should take it !'" As you might
imagine, everyone in attendance gave
a pretty big cheer to that!
By the way, Joe Furlow just announced
that, starting March 1, the 11:30 p.m.
Palace of Mystery show will moved to
6:30 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Few people are at The Castle at 11 :30
p.m. on the first two weekdays, and
often, those late Palace shows have
been cancelled. However, last fall, they
experimented with having a 6:30 p.m.
show on those nights and discovered
that many members enjoyed coming
in early to see the Palace show before
the first Palace performance, which is
traditionally at 8 p.m. So, now, it's been
permanently changed.
This month, the Palace has been a
parade of some of the most creative,
talented performers in magic. The
comedy illusion duo Conjure returned
to the Palace stage to perform for their
fourth time with award-winning magi-
cian Rob Zabrecky . "I met Mike and
Cole Huling when I made the movie
Decay a few years ago," Rob told me.
"Mike was a production designer and
Cole was a producer. As we got into
filming, we became fast friends. Each
time we book a week in the Palace, we
brainstorm for new material to make
the week interesting for ourselves and
our audiences."
For this week, they did the ir respec-
tive routines as a strange sibling show,
made even more bizarre since Mike
and Cole are married. Rob introduced
them as his brother Cornelius and "my
sister and most recent ly, sister-in-law,
Ab igail," and audiences though t it
was hilarious. "Performing with them
is always a highlight of my year," Rob
said afterward.
The week prior had been slightly
more traditional, but just as funny and
astonishing, with the triple powerhous-
es of Mike Caveney, Tim Wright, and
John Gaughan on the Palace stage.
Mike performed his William Tell routine
where he successfully shoots a par-
ticipant's chosen card with a bow and
arrow, and his well-known coffee ring
juggling act that always elicits gasps
from the audience. Tim Wright (aka
Skilldini) continued to prove why he's
the comedy king of the Zombie ball,
and John Gaughan performed two sep-
arate acts from his expertise in history.
John did Houdini's "Goodbye Winter"
routine and vanished a woman, which
he first revived for the Magic History
Conference a little over 10 years ago
in 2009. John also gave a performance
of Antonio Diavolo, Robert-Houdin's
automaton acrobat, that John rebuilt
MARCH 2020 79
 and has been performing with for the
past 30 years. I personally remembe r
watching John perform Antonio on
Ricky Jay's CBS special in 1990 on the
evening of my birthday.
The Palace of Mystery was even vis-
ited by Marco Zoppi and Rolanda from
Italy, who performed effects that were
ext remely innovative and unique. Their
act st arted with Rolanda apparently
painting the dark stage with diffe rent
co lors of light, and then Marco created
a number of amazing different effects
with bubbles, vapor, and a large bubble
screen. Their first time performing at
The Magic Castle, t hey flew di rectly
from Rome. "The audiences here are
just wonderful! They really love magic
and really want t o see it. It gives us the
energy to fight the jet lag,"
Marco said. "The best part
is seeing old friends. We
met Arthur Trace in Macau in
2016 , and now, we are shar-
ing the stage at The Magic
Castle. How cool is that?"
Reuniting with old friends
is definitely a favorite pas-
time at The Castle. Recently,
the very first woman to ever
perform in the Close-Up
Gallery, Judy Carter, reunit-
ed with friends at The Castle,
and a few weeks ago, she
gave a special presentation
to AMA members about
her career as a professional
speaker. While in her early
20s, Judy studied under Dai
80 GENII
Vernon at The Mag ic Castle, hung out
with Ricky Jay in France, performed
street magic in Germany, and flew
around doing magic for the Israeli Army
in Hebrew . Unfortunately, there wasn't
a lot of support for women in magic at
that time, and Judy felt like a pro fes-
sional career in magic would be almost
impossible. So, she focused on her
stand-up comedy career instead, and
after publ ishing two best-selling books,
she became a successful professional
speaker. Judy is currently working on a
show about her life in magic and reac-
tivated her AMA membership last year.
"They gave me back my old number,
which was nice," she said. Additionally ,
Judy says the overall atmosphere at The
Castle feels much different to her than
many years ago. "There's so much more
warmth and camaraderie now," Judy
said. "It's beautiful."
Remember that Genii subscribers
are entitled to visit The Magic Castle
once a year. Call (323) 851-33 13 with
a major credit card to make your din-
ner reservation, and you'll receive all
the specific information. Meet ing sub-
scribers will probably be t he part I'll
miss the most, as I've decided to step
down and let someone else have the
opportunity to write this co lumn. I've
had a fun two years, but it's time for a
fresh voice.
For the first time, I got an email from
a Genii subscriber's mother last month.
You see, Grady Jacobs is on ly 12, and
his mother made a brunch reservation
at The Magic Castle. However ,
Mrs. Jacobs still decided to
email me to give the fami ly
a tour, and I happily obliged.
After the tour, Grady sat down
at the tab le near the Palace bar
and showed me a very strong
Jack Assembly. I was serious ly
impressed. After we said our
farewells, the family said their
next stop was The Castle's gift
shop, to buy some souvenirs
with the AMA or The Magic
Castle logo. "Well, here's some-
thing with the logo that you
won 't have to buy, Grady ," I said
and handed him an unopened
deck of cards. Then, I turned
and walked away to say thank
you to Mr. Martin. •
81

MARCH 2•8
Close-Up Gallery
Cocktail: Anthony As imov
Early: Doc Docherty
Late: Danny Ray
Parlour of Prestidigitation
Early: Billy Kidd
Late: Matt Marcy
Palace of Mystery
Harry Mauer
Luna Shimada
Jack & Jerry
Peller Theatre
Max Maven
Library Bar
Griffin Barry
Friday Luncheon CUG
Doc Docherty
Saturday & Sunday Brunch
Parlour Kids Show
Jeanine Anderson
Sunday Ledure
Doc Docherty

MARCH 16-22 MARCH 23-29 MARCH 30-APRIL 5

Close-Up Gallery Close-Up Gallery Close-Up Gallery
Cocktail : John Kippen Cocktail: Henok Negash Cocktail: Jeff Parmer
Early: Joshua Messado Early: Georges-Robert Early: Jinie Brigina
Late: Eric Jones Late: Camilo Vazquez Late: Johnny Ace Palmer
Parlour of Prestidigitation Parlour of Prestidigitation Parlour of Prestidigitation
MARCH 9-15 Early: Chris Mitchell Early: Jade Early: Greg Wi lson
Close-Up Gallery
Late: Michael Chaut Late: Handsome Jack Late: Bruce Gold
Cocktail: Travis Kim
Palace of Mystery Palace of Mystery Palace of Mystery
Early: Rob Thompson
Alexander Boyce Chipper Lowell Gaetan Bloom
Late: Luis Magic
Michael Ammar Steve Owens Francois Pierce
Parlour of Prestidigitation
Hannah Willard Peller Theatre Peller Theatre
Early: Stan Gerson
Peller Theatre Frank Oliver Brana Jonathan Neal
Late: Bob Gebert
Andrew Goldenhersh Paul Nathan Greg Otto
Palace of Mystery
Albie Selznick Library Bar Library Bar
Joseph Tran
Library Bar Tom Frank Terry Luncefo rd
Eric Buss
David Gabbay Friday Luncheon CUG Friday luncheon CUG
Stuart MacDonald
Friday Luncheon CUG Camilo Vazquez Jinie Brigina
Peller Theatre
Eric Jones Saturday & Sunday Brunch Saturday & Sunday Brunch
Jody Baran
Saturday & Sunday Brunch Parlour Kids Show Parlour Kids Show
Lauro Castillo
Parlour Kids Show Jade Greg Wilson
Library Bar
Chris Mitchell Sunday ledure Sunday lecture
Hubb
Sunday Lecture Camilo Vazquez Gaetan Bloom
Friday Luncheon CUG
No Sunday Lecture!
Rob Thom pson
Saturday & Sunday Brunch
Parlour Kids Show
Frank Thurston
Sunday Ledure
Stuart MacDonald

DON'T FORGET
THATAS A GENIISUBSCRIBER
YOUAREENTITLED
TO A BONUSVISITTO THE/'MG~ CASTLE
EACHYEAR! MARCH 2020 81
 LIGHT FROM THE LAMP
REVIEWS
BOOKS
ELLIOTTI ERR
AL
For this column I had the pleasure
of reading three different conjur-
ing books: The Buena Vista Shuffle
Club by Matt Baker, Miguel Gomez:
The Joy of Mag ic by Luis Alberto
Iglesias, and 52 Lovers: Through the
Look ing Glass, the combined and expanded edition of
Pepe Carroll's 52 Lovers I and //.
I gained from all three, but I was most struck by the
chasm between apparent intentions from the creators.
So many magicians speak of Spain as the great bastion
for good conjuring in the world, through the influence of
Tamariz, his friends, and their disciples, as America had
been when Vernon was in his prime. If you'll permit a
guess, I think I know why. Poetry.
Based on my knowledge of Spain and assumptions rein-
forced by these books, I think the Spaniards have a remark-
ably poetic way of living. Call it sentimentality or spirituality,
beauty is pursued and appreciated in the world and within
the heart. A premium is placed upon the love-of people
or art or food or magic-of life itself. The Spanish conjuring
I've seen actually authentically communica tes something
about the magician in a way that shares the love.
It's in stark contrast to what I have witnessed from many
Amer ican conjurers. So many of their performances feel
cheap and shallow. Much more "look what I can do" than
anything resemb ling meaningful interaction between a per-
former shepherd and his audience flock. There's no poetry
in the approach-to the conjuring performance or to life in
general. It makes me angry, and then it makes me sad.
That 's not to say that I haven't seen performers do a
"look what I can do" act well, but what I'm talk ing about
goes deeper than that . The Spanish approach is rich,
and so much of the American approach is hollow. The
Spaniards talk of the magical atmosphere and Americans
talk about killing or crushing or frying. The poi nt-of-view
differs: the former is from the point-of-view of the audi-
ence-an experience of wonder the viewer or participant
has. The latter is from the po int-of-view of the entertainer
(if you know me, you know how I feel about the wo rd
82 GENII
"entertainer")-an experience the performer appreciates
only when the audience is clapping and cheering.
"But Elliott, this is supposed to be a book review." I
know; I hear you. The point I'm trying to make is that we
should learn from Spain, and all you have to do is look at
the literature coming out of the country for the past four
decades to know why.
52 Lovers: Through the Looking Glass
PepeCarroll $75
Starting with Pepe Carroll's 52 Lovers : Through the
Looking Glass, this new edition begins with words written
by Carroll's dearest friends following his passing in 2004.
There's depth and hurt and regret and sadness in these
words, but the re's also joy. A poem by Miquel Marti i Pol
speaks to the influence Carroll had, not only on those
closest to him, but to the world of magic he so profoundly
touched with his care and creativity.
Following this rather somber introduction are some of
the essays and stories originally published by Carroll in
The Madrid Magic School Circular. In these early writings,
Carroll's idolatry of conjuring is apparent; he worships the
artist lifestyle and the pursuit of magic. In both chap ters
"Experiences" and "The Mandragora," Carroll writes
about his appreciation for venues that value and promote
the performers as much as anything else, while slyly con-
demning the conjurers who skate by or let themselves be
"manipulated by the age nt mafia, and try to live (better if
he has the Zigzag Woman ... )."
Further through these short writings we find an assort-
ment of theoretical concepts regarding the construction
of mag ical effects, rout ines, performances, and analysis of
various aspects of stagecraft.
Readers familiar with the Spanish approach to conjuring
will already be aware of the importance of stagecraft within
the minds of professional performers and creators (See
Ascanio, for example), due in large part to their under-
standing and respect for the fact that mystery is delicate ,
and every moment can potentially detract or add to the
magical atmosphere. Carroll references the great philoso-
phers of history in his explorations, and the wise reader can
gain immensely from follow ing Carroll's examp les. (Not
just in conjur ing, obviously. Pick up Aristotle's Poet ics and
have a good think on it.)
Before we wrap up the first section of 52 Lovers: Through
the Looking Glass (it's a big book), I need to call your atten-
83
PlEASESEND BOOKS, TRICKS,AND VIDEOTAPES
FORREVIEW TO: GENII, 4200 WISCONSIN AVE, NW, SUITE106-384, WASHINGTON , DC 20016 .
INCLUDE A PREPAIDPADDEDENVELOPEOR SHIPPING CARTONIF YOU WANT THEITEMTO BE RET URNED.
tion to page 56. "One Gaze." When I talk
about richness, when I talk about poetry,
this is what I'm talking about. I mean,
whoa. There's a lot to learn, but even if
you don't do a single trick from this book,
buy it so you can own this piece of paper.
All righty. Moving on from TMMS
Circular, we charge into material previ-
ously published in Volume 1 in 1988
and Volume 2 in 1991, beginning with
Carroll's essay "Conflicts," which out-
lines a pretty compelling analysis of the state of conflict in
a conjuring performance. His argument is that conflict is
the heart of drama (pretty well agreed upon), and conflict
{Conjuror vs. Laws of Nature) is inherent in any conjuring
performance-this Carroll calls "Magic Conflict."
He goes on to describe the nature of conflict the audi-
ence is also experiencing-what he calls the "Rational
Conflict." Obviously what the conjuror is doing isn't possi-
ble, so how is it being done? This is where things get tricky,
and Carroll begins ratcheting up the Rational Conflict to
challenge level. The Rational Conflict lives in the space
surrounding method, whereas the Magic Conflict is more
closely related to the presentational premises at play.
Personally challenging the audience was extremely
popular in the conjuring world during the '80s. I don't
know why {I wasn't alive), but you can still see the approach
in so many of the leading magicians today {over 45 years
old, say).
I feel that di rectly challenging the audience is a weak
way to create "stakes." Audiences are so sophisticated
in t heir entertainment taste these days {Netflix, Hulu,
Disney+, Amazon, Apple TV+, HBO, Starz, etc., and ad
nauseam), that live performance needs to be more mean-
ingful than {here we go again) "Look wha t I can do, and try
to catch me doing it."
Maybe I haven't mastered the Cha llenge-"the
Challenge can be dangerous if it gets out of hand, but
I believe that it is the right path if it is we l I mastered."
{"Conflicts," p.77) But honestly, I don't thin k I'm going to
actively pursue mastery in that subject. Regardless, t he
essay is incredibly thought-provok ing and I urge you to
wrest le with the contents . Think about some of your favor-
ite performers and contrast them to those performers you
despise. Might be a good exercise.
I should also mention, I've really only called out a coup le
PEPEQ
~
,:,
::::=
0
r'
r' points in the "Conflicts" essay. There's
a lot more there to follow if you accept
Carroll's premises as t hey are, and it all
comes full circle. Regardless of whether
you agree with everything, the further dive
into deeper confl icts is fascinating fodder.
The remaining sections of the book
revolve around Carroll's various magical
creations, all but one of which {unless you
count the card trick performed with mir-
rors) are performed with a pack of cards.
There are transformations and transpositions, full routines,
and quick interludes. If you're at all interested in close-up
conj uring with cards, you'll find something worth learning in
the pages, though most of th is material will not go into your
working repertoire {nor should it, you can't be Pepe's clone).
The final pages of the book are saved for Carroll's
previously unpublished work and a couple of pages of
jokes he was famous for. Only one of the three routines
was explained by Carroll-"Poosha D'Poosha"- his Color
Changing Handkerchief routine fo r stage. The other two
routines, Carrol l's prize-winning FISM act and his dice -
stacking routine, are recreated from footage and Carroll's
friends' and students' knowledge. These are essentially
facsimile routines, and while they may not be completely
precise, I believe Luis Alberto Iglesias reached his goal-
"to be a worthy tr ibute to the artist."
"Elliott, you spent six paragraphs on an essay but only
two on all the tricks in the book?" Correct. Most people
buy magic books for the tricks anyway. This book is chock
full of them. I'm personal ly more interested in the thinking
behind the tricks, and thankful ly this work explores both
quite deeply. However, the explanations for each effect
can be a bit muddled and unclear-I'd imagine partly due
to the translat ions, but there are also copious notes in the
margins that make the descriptions anything but stream-
lined. If you maintain your focus and perseverance , you'll
enjoy the select ion offered to you.
It's clear why Carroll was so influential within the Spanish
magic communi t y, and I'm glad his creativity is able to find
new audiences around the world with 52 Lovers: Through
the Looking Glass.
52 Lovers: Through the Looking Glass• by Pepe Carroll • 9" x 12½"
• 288 pages • Illustrated • Your favorite dealer • Dealers should
contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. by phone at (800) 853-7403
or www.murphysmag,csupplies.com • $75
MARCH2020 83
 Miguel Gomez: The Joy of Magic
LuisAlbertoIglesias $80
Now let's fast forward a few decades and check in with
Miguel Gomez, Carroll's compa t riot and student, in The
Joy of Magic. The book opens with an introduction by
Bill Kalush, the steward of New York's Conjuring Research
Center and famed underground (is "famed underground"
an oxymoron?) card ex pert, who glowingly praises Gome z's
approach to sleight-of-hand card magic.
Before we delve into the contents, I'd like to take a
moment to appreciate how t he book is organized and
wr itten. Luis Alberto Iglesias is the author (he also wrote
t he speculative pieces of Carroll's unpublished work,
remember?), but during the explorations of the material,
little tidbits from Gomez are peppered throughout the
explanations. It reads like a conversation, and these pieces
of advice from the performer are priceless . They' re t he
kind of advice an experienced reader recognizes as invalu -
able and nearly unarguab le; however, the neophyte will
have trouble contextualizing, therefore
understanding, these little nuggets.
Aside from the first section, a full
card rout ine which appears to be
Gomez's favorite, and is a nice intro-
duction to his approach to conjuring,
each section begins with a t heoretical
essay that pertains to the tricks which
follow. As I've mentioned before,
the approach is more interesting t o
me than the tricks (in gene ral), but
the way that the book is constructed
gives the reader a more coherent
con t ext which works quite well.
The main focus of this text is on
sleight-of-hand magic with cards, but
it's a well -rounded experience for both
beginner and expert alike. There are
effects with coins and gaffed cards
t hroughou t , some self-working pieces with powerful
presentations, and you'll find not only close-up magic, but
performance pieces for parlor and stage as well.
To circle back around t o t he richness of the Spanish
approach, I was moved by Gomez's attention to elegance
in his craft. The handlings are soft and choreographed
well, and I think one of the most powerful pieces in the
book is (can you guess?) his essay regarding technique.
He deeply cares about the aud ience's experience, and as
I mentioned earlier, so much attention is paid to cradling
t he delicacy of mystery.
Gomez explains the difference between false and
covert actions and how t he practice of each should be
approached. He also makes important recommendations:
practice beyond your target goal, change the position of
the deck (t his o ne especially applies to becoming comfo rt-
able when single-handedly changing the position of the
deck), and avoi d continuous practice of difficult moves. I
have found through my own experience that these recom-
mendations do, in fact, lead to a more elegant handling
of cards, and if you're looking to soften your handling
84 GENII
and achieve a higher mast ery of sleig ht of hand, follow
Gomez's example.
Here's a weird th ing that happened that I never thought
woul d . Following the beautiful treatise on technique and
practice, t here are a number of pieces of sleight of hand
which Gomez uses to illust rate some o f the principles
reflected with in the aforementioned treatise. The first of
these is the "Overha nd Half Pass." Here's the weird part.
I published a nearly identical technique in 2017, with
the same name (publ ished and explained within "Nth
Triumph" through ArtofMagic.com, now no longer avail-
ab le). It's wild to think that you publish a thing, you step
back from magic, yo u come b ack t o write reviews for Genii,
and BAM! A thing that you worked on and researched fo r
years has actually existed since the '80s as an underground
piece of Spanish sleight of hand (as conf irmed by Gomez
himself whe n I asked for clarificat ion). In this case of inde-
penden t invention, I cede any and all owners hip ove r
that technique, and if I ever release the "Nth Triumph"
routine again (which I probab ly won't), full crediting for the
"Ove rhand Half Pass" will be att ributed to Miguel Gomez .
The Joy of Magic is written with plenty of soul, and the
love of magic by both Iglesias and Gomez is readily appar-
ent . Indeed, "joy" plays a big role in the book, and I'm
sure in Gome z's life . If you are thinking of being anything
more than a passive hobbyist in conjuring, please read this
book. You may not use any of the routines, but the little
nuggets of Gomez's w isdom peppe red throughout the text
and t he beau t iful theoretical pieces starting t he chap ters
are well wort h t he investment.
Miguel Gomez: The Joy of Magic • Luis Alberto Iglesias• 7" x 1O"
• 199 pages • Illustrated • Your favorite dealer • Dealers should
contact Murphy's Magic Supplies,Inc. • $80
The Buena Vista Shuffle Club
MattBaker $50
Surprise twis t end ing: You thought all of this was lead ing
to me revealing that I t hought Matt Baker's Buena Vista
Shuffle Club was a hollow, shallow piece of American "look
what I can do." I don't be lieve it is. Is it American- j okey,
snarky, quirky, goofy. Immatu re? Yes, but not hollow o r
shallow. It's fun, and there's a lot t o learn not only fro m
the methods Baker explains, but the contrary app roaches
shared by the fictional group of card workers for whom
the book is titled (some of these cont ributions are furthe r
credited to real people; RIP Simon Aronson) .
The style in whic h the book is written is entertaining.
Baker explains a t rick, and the Buena Vista Shuffle Club
responds in kind with alternative handlings and ideas,
as mentioned above. Baker ad mits t o writ ing a book he
would like to read, and I think he succeeded well. The
crediting is thorough, and the methods are really neat.
I don't use a stack very heavily in my own work, and I
not iced (and t he BVSC po ints out), a lot of the effec ts can
be accomplished without a full stack or wit h the accompa-
niment of a marked deck.
Baker is clearly a clever method- maker (say that phrase
five times fast), but I would strongly recommend you find
your own p resentations for these effects. They just don' t
85
work for me. Watching a performer tell a
story about being banned from a casino
makes me nauseated. I can't think of a
good enough reason to justify this as a
presentation. If you disagree, that's fine.
I don't care if you think the same way as
me-I just want you to think .
Most shocking to me, the only effect
from these three books tha t I actually
want to learn comes from The Buena
Vista Shuffle Club. As much as I care
deeply about elegant sleight of hand
and an effortless presentation of magic, methodologically
speaking, the ideas in BVSC are the most titillating to me.
Probably because I just want to break everything, and
math/stack tricks are easy to break (and in a rare moment
outside my typical self-delusion-my chops aren't what
VIDEOS
NATHAN
COE MARSH
Lu Chen Live Act
LuChen $40
Lu Chen is a celebrity magician in
Asia. This superb Penguin Live Act
gives some indication of the smart
construction and compelling presen-
tation that has made his work so successful.
Given the language barrier, it takes some effort and
patience at times to follow his thinking but that effort is
rewarded by the quality of the work. This is not a lecture
for beginning, or even possibly intermediate, students of
magic; the leve l of the conversation is high with several
ideas that probab ly will not make a ton of sense without
a solid foundation in magic literature and, possibly, some
real-world performing experience.
Sandwiched between performances and explanations
are conversations between Dan Harlan and Lu Chen that
dig into how his ideas about magic have changed through
the years, essential differences between performing on TV
and in-person, creating focus and tension, the influences
on his presentationa l style, and much more.
The performance material here leans t owa rds mental-
ism, beginning with a well-constructed Tossed-Out Deck
rout ine that escalates beautifully in imposs ibility, ratchet-
ing up th e amazement value.
Lu Chen begins this routine with an amusing, memo-
rable process where audience members peek cards while
he holds the deck. Lu Chen pours himself a glass of wine
as each participant cleans the finger that touched the card
with a moist towelette, and then each sticks that finger
into Lu Chen's wine. Drinking the wine, Lu Chen is able to
divine which card the finger had come into contact with
by taste. He then announces that they don't even have to
they used to be).
There's not much poetry here. These
are tricks meant to entertain and con-
found, rat her than to transform. I get it,
and there's room for everybody. To each
his own. My chal lenge to you is to take
the really clever methods and ideas from
BVSC and add some poetry. Overall, I
enjoyed the experience of reading the
book. It's a pretty quick read, and Baker
provides a really nice appendix at the
end called the "Quick Reference Guide,"
which gives the reader an easy revisiting later on. It's well
done, and I encourage you to check it out.
The Buena Vista Shuffle Club • Matt Baker • 6" x 9" • 264 pages
• Illustrated with Photos. Your favorite dea ler. • Dealers should
contact Murphy's Mag ic Supplies, Inc. • $50
come into contact. The deck is banded and tossed around
the room where guests peek cards; one person is asked to
just think of his PIN number , another to think of an animal.
The information is revealed with David Hoy's ingenious
blocking. Then a guest thinks of a card without peeking it
(in this iteration of the performance). Lu Chen is unable to
co rrectly name the card but reveals a long handwritten let-
ter predicting the card that would be thought of.
I love the escalation and the use of layered, cancelling
methods. From a method perspective, the construction is
immaculate.
My one issue is the two
shifts in premise. If you have
me dip my finger in wine
so that you can taste the
card I touched on the wine,
I am fascinated. If you then
show me that you can do the
same thing without me get-
ting wine on my finger I now
feel a bit silly. It is clear ly a
kind of trick that has nothing
to do with what you told me
was happening and I am less
willing to invest emotionally
in what you say. Likewise, if
you cannot correctly divine the card I am thinking of, but
then show me that you had predicted it before the show,
I am co nfused. Why, if it is correct on the poster you have
had with you on stage all along, did you misname it? Are
you just act ing? Is this all just acting? Am I, as an audience
member, dumb for having let myself be interested in a
process that clearly was just nonsense?
It is very possible that the trans ition to the prediction
(which involves a reference to a dream) makes more sense
in Lu Chen's native language, but here, while impossible,
it feels like a confus ing add-on.
After more conversation, we next move to Lu Chen's Add-
A-Number routine. This piece features an elegant handling
MARCH 2020 85
LAMP
of a pad that can be easily constructed by the viewer. This
pad design is worthy of consideration because it is not
closed by the artist during the routine, allowing for a very
open handling that eliminates the notion of a switch. The
revelat ion of the prediction is a creative callback to the prior
routine, the sort of thing where we realize in a satisfying way
that the predict ion was in front of us the entire time without
our having appreciated it. There is also a clear, interesting
premise in which the pred iction makes sense in a show
about mind reading . There is also a bold ruse to eliminate
the actual method being used.
I do have two minor reservations about the piece as pre-
sented {and bearing in mind that it appears to be a worl< in
progress). First, no reason is given for adding the numbers
together. I think Add -A-Number is the kind of plot with
which we are so familiar that we forget just how odd the
procedure is. If I am able to predict a number you will think
of, why not just predict the number? Why bother with the
math? Unless the presentational reason for the math makes
it so natural that it goes unquestioned, it is not a huge leap
fo r an analytical layman to realize that changing the num-
ber through the math has something
to do with how you do it. In addition
to being the truth, that pathway gives
the trick the sense of a puzzle with an
answer that simply has not been found
rather than an impossibility for which
no answer is conceivable. Incidentally,
the only published Add-A-Number pre-
sentation I have seen where the math
really made sense is Luke Jermay's
"The Ultimate Add -A-Number" from
Three Cheers for the Underrated {Self-
published, 2007).
Secondly, it is 2020. Every single
guest in your show has an accurate, sci-
entific calculator within arm's reach on their phone. There is
no reason to put a guest on the spot by asking them to do a
manual, longhand calculation with pencil and paper {which
many of us have not done in decades). Having them use a
calculator app is faster and surefire. Correcting an error in
manual calculation raises a lot of issues. There are not many
things less entertaining than watching a performer correct
someone on their arithmetic. The audience identifies with
the person making the mistake, and it is always going to
feel somewhat awkward and tense. The error draws atten-
tion to the identity of the individual numbers , which is the
last p lace you want focus. Furthermore, if the premise is that
you are predicting the total through some sort of mental
power, could you not predict that an error wou ld be made?
Wouldn't an incorrect total be seen as clearly in your crystal
ball as the correct one? It is worth noting that this does not
mean you need to use " TOXiC" or a related calculator-
based method. You can hold the pad for t he guest while
they enter the numbers on their own calculator, but there is
no reason to ask someone who has come to a show to relax,
and who may have been drinking, to do math in front of a
room of strangers.
Those issues aside, this is a strong piece from which
86 GENII
there is much to learn.
The third and final routine is a deeply fooling impos-
sible location. If you are looking for something to nail your
friends wit h at the magic club meeting or at a convention
session, th is will do it.
Highly Recommended.
Lu Chen Live Act • Lu Chen • Penguin Mag ic • Streaming and
Downloadable Video • www.pengu inmagic.com • 2 hours 36
Minutes • $40
Social Media Magic
FelixBodden $45
There is a legitimate debate to be had about the advisabil -
ity of social media as a venue for conjuring. For the pur-
poses of this review, I am going to set aside that conversa-
tion and assume t hat if you are interested in this produc t
then you are interested in putt ing magic performances on
your social media channels.
This DVD from SansMinds Media features six visual
routines designed to "translate well through computer
and mobile screens" {quot ing the ad copy) developed by
Dominican Republic-based magician
Felix Bodden. As with virtually all of
SansMinds products, telev ision rights
are not included with purchase and
are available by contacting t he com-
pany separately.
These are cool, visual moments
that I can imagine st opping some-
one from scrolling through thei r social
feed (and if you spend any time on
magic-re lated lnstagram accounts,
you have probably run across one or
more of these items). Cards spread
on a tab le change color in full view,
a rubberband melts through a finger,
a card visually vanishes while isolated inside a clear plast ic
bag, a card with a corner ripped from it behaves as if the
corner was still there, a card changes while spun upon the
artist's finger , and there is a visual sandwich effect where the
entrapping cards are seen to move around the selection.
My one consistent note about th is material is that it is all
blocked so that the performer's face is not in the frame, and
they are all abstract visuals that lack any emotional context.
When we look at videos of variety artists that go viral,
the unifying thread is that they have some dimension of
personality. The first viral videos of th is genre were video
clips from performers' live shows that made their way
online where they caught fire. Judson Laipply's "Evolution
of Dance" was a piece right out of his col lege shows . It was
goofy, nostalgic, and made people smile. They wanted
to share the way it made them feel. By the millions they
emailed the video to their friends at a time when their
friends had to download the fi le to t heir own compu t er
in order to watch it. Likewise, Chris Bliss's Beatles-driven
three-ball j uggling video was a signature part of his live
show (and, if you want to see how performers can be so
focused on their craft that they lose sight of what actually
moves audiences, check out the hilariously out-of- touch
87
"Chris Bliss Diss" from numbers juggler Jason Garfie ld).
The synchronization between the music, the clean aes-
thetic of the three balls, and the expression of Bliss's
personality brought this onto damn near every computer
screen in America.
Piff the Magic Dragon's Fool Us segment went viral in
the states years before the show would be on the air here.
What grabbed audiences was not the visual transforma -
tion of one card to another, it was the endearing contrast
between the unshaven, verbally vitriolic, curmudgeon and
his colorful, goofy costume and rigorous commitment to a
whimsica l premise.
Shin Lim's "Dream Act" pu t s the climactic focus on the
performer's face. It is about the person who is creating
these impossible happenings, not about obj ects.
Despite a proliferation of the kind of tricks taught on this
DVD on lnstagram and YouTube, I have yet to see an art-
ist get real traction from the lay public with a five-second
video of a card changing in anonymous hands over a table.
Even on social media, where attention span is comp ressed
to its t igh t est, personality always wins. People care about
other people more than they wil l ever care abou t objects.
If you decide to do th is material, and some of it does
look lovely, you are in for some arts and crafts work. None
of the g immicks look difficult to construct in the sense of
requiring specific t raining or obscure tools, but they will
take patience and care. Indeed, in the case of one prin-
ciple, ease of construction has clearly taken priority over
the deceptiveness and longevity of the gimmick. Here we
are t aught to make acroba t ic flap cards which use elastic
thread that lay in view over full-thickness cards. This has
the advantage that it can be made by a patient 14-year-old
and may last for a few shots on lnstagram, but it is infi nitely
inferior to the traditional , though far more demanding,
approach of sandwiching a dental dam under tension
within the layers of a playing card. I am guessing that poor
white balance and auto-exposure settings on consumer
cameras help t his, but it is not a g immick I wo uld use in a
live setting or even on camera unless I had complete con-
trol of the image before it was broa d cast.
Recommended , with reservations.
Soc ial Media Magic • Felix Bodden • SansMinds Magic • DVD •
www.sansminds.com • $45 • Your favorite dealer • Dealers con-
tact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
Microphone Management for Magicians
MichaelKent $50
May, 2011 : I was in Los Angeles to showcase at a comedy
club for a group of cruise line entertainment buyers. The
agency runn ing the showcase focused on comedians {I was
the only variety act on the bill that night), and the re was
no audiovisual production staff. Aware of this in advance,
I travelled with a Sennheiser t ransmitter/receiver and a
Coun t ryman headset microphone (a beloved possession
at the time). I arrived at t he club several hours before any
of the other acts and painstakingly set the levels for my
headset. The speaker arrangement in the room meant
the gain had to be pretty low, relative to the gain on the
house's handhe ld microphone, to avoid feedback. The
agent, a veteran comic who still worked ships whi le also
booking other performers, frowned when he heard my
sound check "It's going to hurt your show if you're quieter
than the other acts."
Five minutes before the start of the show one of the
comedia ns on the lineup arrived. She was going to play
guitar in her set and plugged her pickup into the same
line and cranked the gain way up. When I hit the stage
I was met with horrific feedback and d istortion. No one
was working the board, and after trying to muscle through
the distracting noise I muted the pack and finished my set
without amplification.
At the time, I was livid with the guitar-playing comic. In my
head, it was a lack of professiona lism on her part that led to
an audio nightmare during my set. Now, I see it differently.
My dependence on a body worn microphone made me
vulnerable to factors that were comp letely outside of my
control. If I had invested the thought and time to be able
to perform my act with a hand held microphone on a stand,
I would no t have gone through AV hell that night.
There are many advantages to working with handheld
microphones: they sound better, they allow the audience
to hear what on-stage volunteers say, they offer far better
gain before feedback, they even serve as an omnip resent
magic wand when holding out; but that night made clear
to me their most important advantage : if you can perform
your act with a handheld mic you are bulletproof. You can
work virtually anywhere with minimal AV hassle.
Of cou rse, there is a major reason why most platform
magicians use body mies: using a handheld microphone
adds an additional layer of planning and choreography
to a show. When wearing a headset you simply perform
exactly as you would without a microphone. For many of
us, myself included, who came up using body mies, the
prospect of re-blocking our show with a handhe ld micro-
phone is intimidating.
Enter Michael Kent with this phenomenal lecture on the
use of handhe ld microphones in magic. The lecture is record-
ed for a live audience of magicians at Brent Braun's J&B
Magi c Shop and Theater. Kent is an engaging, clear teacher.
This is the kind of talk, dealing as it does with tech
issues, tha t could easily be dry. Kent brings his instincts
as a veteran performer to the presentation and keeps the
momentum going without sacrificing the qual ity of the
information. Staggered throughout the lecture is a series
of pro tips on other topics which are themselves valuable
but which also prevent any sense of monotony from creep-
ing in. Probably the most interest ing of these for most per-
formers is the section on how Kent documents his shows.
He gives specific recommendations on gear and setup to
MARCH 2020 87
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unob t rusively get quality video and audio of every show.
Kent covers the reasons he prefers handhelds, the basic
workings of a microphone (which does a great j ob of making
clear why handhelds sound so much better and are so much
easier to set and EQ in different rooms), the correct way to
hold a mic, and some strategies for b locking magic with a
handheld. It was in this section that I got the most value.
Based on past experimentation in rehearsal, I did not see
a way to perform my opener using a mic on a stand. One
small tip Kent offered, which fee ls obvious in retrospect,
turned out to be the answer. Additionally, for t hose who
want more help, Kent offers consulting services in which he
will work with you to re-block your show to use a handheld.
If you are a performer who is dependent upon a body
microphone, I cannot recommend this lecture enough. I
strongly suggest doing what I did: watch Michael, take
TRICKS
0A"INYORLEANS
Bare Mini
TheOther Brothers $25
Orlean s' Opinion in less than 25 wards: Small
version of NBore. n MinHnarker is easier to
carry and de livers the same strong effect.
A couple of years ago, The Other
Brothers released "Bare." This was a
contemporary version of "Ashes on the Palm." Instead of
a dark swatch of ash appearing on the specta tor's hand,
"Bare" allows you to unob trusively transfer a more specific
image such as an X, a shape, initials, or a card index like JH.
The final reveal is done by spreading a granular substance
on their hand such as pepper, salt, or coffee grounds. If
you're unfamiliar with "Ba re," watch the video trailer.
In the magic community, we often see successful prod-
ucts rewritten, reedited, or reconfigured so the creator
can sell it again to happy customers. Such is the case with
"Ba re Min i." The new gimmick works just like the old; a
mini-Sharpie has rep laced the standard Sharpie.
The good news is that any effect you do with "Bare"
can be done with "Bare M ini." The better news is that the
smaller marker has the same amount of "sec ret stuff" in it
as the full-size marker-but the cost is $25 instead of $35.
It bears repeating, The Other Brothers' solution for
secretl y transferring an image to a spectator's hand has
dl1tinet1dv1nt1goi ovor"A1nos on the Palm." Although
you rnu5twr ite the image on your
hand before you do the
trick, you can show your
hands unmarked in t he
b eg inning of the rou-
secret stuff is not sticky or
. Best of all, it's easily wiped
away by the spectator after
t he trick is done.
88 GENII
notes, put a handheld mic and stand in your rehearsal
space, and take the time to choreograph your material so
you can use a handheld, and then actually do it at a few
low stakes shows. Doing this work does not mean you have
to convert fully to the cult of the handheld, but it means
that you will at minimum always have the option of working
with a handh eld when the situation dict at es it. I am still at a
point where there is some awkwardness in some moments
with the handheld, but I also would not be surprise d if I am
using a handheld as my preferred mica year from now and
this outstanding lecture opened that door for me. Highly
recommended.
Microphone Management for Magicians • Michael Kent •
hups://michaekentive.comlprod=lmlOCflhone-management-for-magicm,;I
• Self Published • Streaming and Downloadable Video with
Supplemental PDFs • 90 Minutes • $50
In t he box you get a "Bare- Mini" marker and a small
metal vial in which to store your selected granular sub-
stance. The download code for the instructions links you
to the same instructions that you got when you bought
"Bare." I recommend th e "Bare-Mini" to hobbyists, and
street and strolling magicians. Hook it to your keychain or
tuck it into a pocket and you're ready to go-and it only
takes up half the space.
Bare Mini • Other Brothers • $25 • Favorite Dealer. • Dealers
should con tact Murphy's Magic Suppl ies, Inc. on the web at
www.murphysmagicsupplies .com or by phone at (800) 853-7403.
Buu Kill
John Bannon $19.99
00<25: Memorable packet trick with cartaan images af flies and
bloody squashed flies. Intermediate card skills required. Worth
learning .
It isn't often that one of the wo rld's experts on card magic
produces a packet trick with imagery that-by his own
admission-will make it the most memorab le card trick for
laymen in your show. Yet, John Bannon has done exactly
that with "Buzz Kill." Watch the video to see the co lor
cartoon imagery of flies imp rinted on card stock and the
surpris ing and memorable finale.
You get nine playing cards, some w ith flies, some blank
(John calls the blanks "flypaper") and some with bloody,
red-eyed, squashed flies. The plot invo lves catching flie.~
with flypaper, only to see the flies disappear. The. mago
"accidentally" slams his or her hand onto a tabled
four-card stack which kills the flies, creating
the bloody mess.
If cards with flies on
them sound famil iar,
Aldo Colombini created
a Reverse Assembl y called
"Fly Cards" in the 1990s, I
think. But that was back in
the day when only blac:k•
and-white illustrations o n
89
playing cards were possible. "Bu zz Kill" is more visual and
a more streamlined effect.
Although Bannon didn't create this for kids, it would
play well for children . The simple p lot can be fo llowed by
child ren as young as fo ur years old. The necessary sleigh ts
include an Elmsley Count, a three-card Block Pushoff and
t urnove r, and the ability to hold two cards as one.
I recommend this for packet-trick aficionados and stroll-
ing magicians who wo rk restaurants and have enough
table space to create four piles on a patron's table. It's
a laymen pleaser because, when it comes to card tricks,
the illustrations of flies versus traditional playing card pips
makes it memorable.
Buu Kill • John Bannon • $19.99 • Favorite Dealer. • Dealers
should contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
Fadeaway Deck
Chris Philpott
00<25 : Mental Photography deck gets morphed. Modifica~on
creates a more intense visual experience for laymen. Still relatively
easy to do .
The "Fadeaway Deck" is Chris Philpott's update of the
classic "Mental Photography Deck" (aka " Nudist Deck")
created by Ralph Hull in the first half of the 20th century.
And what an imagina t ive update it is. In the original rou-
tine, a deck is shown blank on bo th sides. A single card
appears. Then all the faces and backs appear. Finally the
cards all be come blank again.
The "Fadeaway Deck" allows you to riffle through t he
cardslike a flipbook (or d rib-
ble them onto the table)
and gradually the
cards' faces become
less visible-fading
away - until t hey
Error are co mpletely blank.
404 eek out the trailer to
see how good th is looks.
Chris says he was inspired by
the Impro vements of the spe-
c:ialctffectsin the film industry.
Transformat ions used to be done with severe and
obvious film edits. Now technology has allowed audiences
to experience more realistic transformations as we see
objects slowly morph.
The good news is that the magical fading of the card
faces looks much better in your hands than it does on
video. You'll have fun p laying with and performing this
heavily gaffed deck. In the video download, you get sev-
eral rout ines and mo re than an hour of instruction and
ideas by Chris and some of his colleagues. I found it easy
to follow along with the deck in hand.
Along wit h the deck, you get some additional cards that
allow for a variety of routines. Most notable is an original
idea which is a humorous take on website search error
messages. You ge t a card that says, "ERROR 404 Card not
found ." Chris has built an entire rout ine around this con-
temp orary reference to our everyday online experiences .
He also cajoled card expert Steve Valentine to share a few
ideas on how you can use some sleights to make that card
magically appear .
I recommend "Fadeaway Deck" to fans of the " Mental
Photography Deck," collectors of gaffed decks, and any-
one from beg inner to pro who wants t o add a strong visual
routine to their card set. The only downside is, of course,
the deck can't be examined or he ld by a spectator .
FadeawayDeck • Chris Philpott • $25 • FavoriteDealer • Dealers
should contact Murphy'sMagic Supplies,Inc.
Stasis
Jambor $55
00<25 : Thoughit will remind you of Joshua Jay' s " Balance," this is
close-up with three of the four objectsexaminable. Angle sensitivity
will limit performance settings. Fun to practice .
"Stasis" is a balancing effect that will succeed in specific
close-up settings. The basic effect is shown at the end of
$25 the trailer. A spectator holds a credit card or ID card in a
vertical orientation. You set a playing card oriented horizon-
tally on the ID card's edge as you take the specta tor's hand,
tilt ing it so the ID card is now held at an angle. The p laying
card mysteriously continues ta balance. Youcan stackother
lightweight objects on the card such as a folded dollar bill,
an empty coffee cup, or a card box. In all, I'd recommend
no more than a total of fo ur
objects. Then you remove
the horizontal playing card
and everything tumbles to
the table.
This is a strong illusion
and dec idedly d ifferent from
most close-up tricks in your
repert oire. What makes th is
especially strong is that all the
objects but one can be bor,
rowed. I like that you can begi n
the routine holding the bott om
object and then transfer t he responsib ility to a spectator,
who can hold the stack of impossibi lity in one hand, as long
as they remain extremely still.
It's easy to jump to conclusio ns, based on the trailer, that
this is angle p roof. That's because Daryl does a 360 degree
turn while holding the stack of objects. Though that move
is possible to do deceptively, the trick is not angle proof.
As a matter of fact, you'll need to choose your angles care-
fully. This will work best when spectators are facing you. If
they can see "t he other" side of the ungimmicked ID card,
while you're holding the stack still, they'll see the g immick.
Speaking of gimmicks, don't buy this because you want to
learn the secret. It's easy to misinterpret thei r claim of "no
invisible thread."
Along with a playing card gimmick and a plastic card
gimmick, you get four instructional videos to download.
The boys cover the basic hand ling, advanced handling,
how to make your own gimmicks, and some bonuses
which show alternative stacks. When you see what it takes
to make a gimmick, you'll understand why the price is $S5.
I recommend "Stasis" for th ose of you that perform
formal close-up magic and strolling magicians as long as
MARCH2020 89
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you can control the POV of your spectators. Remember, in
a we ll-lit room you can't have a spectator standing next to
you . I loved playing with this prop . It's fun to balance the
objects on my American Express Card.
Stasis • Jambor • $55 • Favorite Dea ler. • Dealers shou ld contact
Murphy's Magic Supplies , Inc.
Bitcoin
SansMinds
Magic $19.95
00 <25 : If Bitcoin wer en' t a digital currency, this is what they' d look
like. Beautifully made. Nice weight.
Say the word "bitcoin" in mixed company and you'll
immediately hear comments about money made and lost,
modern-day payment options, and answers to the "what-
the -heck-is-it" question . It's complicated and very different
from normal currency backed by a country or centra l bank.
But for the purposes of this review, what's importan t , is that
you know that there is no such thing as an actual bitcoin
coin. Bitcoin (and all the cryptocurrencies) are digital only.
And that's the springboard for what can make any coin
routine you do with this beautifully made coin so much fun.
The jewelry-like box contains three shiny coins. Your
choice of silver or gold color. They are exactly the size and
weight of the current U.S. half-dollar and have a milled
edge. Plus, they are made of a ferrous metal. Otherwise,
they are not gaffed in any way.
Along with the coins, you get a video download made
by SansMinds called How To Do Coin Magic. This is a
one-hour instructional video that covers nine different coin
palms, four switches, six vanishes, the Click Pass, and five
routines . The download is sold separately for about $30 by
magic dealers, so getting this for free with the coins makes
them a really good value-especially if you are a beginner
to coin magic.
What I like about "Bitcoin" is that it gives you fodder for
scripting as you joke about the cryptocurrency's volatility.
"Did you hear that one of the central banks is now making
bitcoins? Look I have one. It's worth over $8000! And if we
wait a few seconds, it'll be worth $7000." Or, you might
want to talk about how quickly you can transfer bitcoin
from one account to another as you do a Coins Across.
Or, as you make a bitcoin vanish, tell spectators, "It's really
impossible to see a bitcoin because you can't hold it in
your hand . It's digital only-kind of invisible currency." Lots
of possibilities.
I recommend "Bitcoin" to magicians who perform for the
laity-real-world workers that perform for audiences who
have some awareness of the existence of digital currency.
90 GENII
They are t he ones who, upon just seeing these coins, will
immediately get the joke-the irony that because bitcoin
is a digital currency that the coins you are holding don't
exist in the real world.
Bitco in • SansMinds • $19.95 • www.sansm indsmagic.com.
Your favor ite dealer . • Dealers shou ld contact Murphy 's Magic
Supplies , Inc.
Click
ManojKaushal $35
00 <25 : A pre diction of a number , nam e, or object app ears in a small
Pola roid-like photo that ha s been in an envelop e in plain sight. No
force or switch. Clever.
If you've watched the trailer for "Click," you' ll probably
agree with me that it's a bit over the top . More like a
2½-minute movie trailer about a man, home alone, having
a supernatural experience. If you haven' t read the descrip-
tion of the effect, watching the trailer will take you nearly
90 seconds before you have an inkling of what the prop
is all about. But, I'l l admit, it is cool. Check that out now.
Most written predictions on small pieces of paper that
don't use forces-in other words a spectator can pick any
animal, number, color, word, or name-those predictions
usually appear on small pads, business cards, Post-it notes, or
small envelopes. And the method involves a swami gimmick.
"Click" has attempted to take the "prediction-on-small-
piece-of-paper" plot to another level by making the writ-
ing appear as though it's actually part of
a hard copy pho to that you
remove from an ungim-
micked envelope .
So, the basic routine
is that you are holding
a small envelope in your
otherwise empty hand . A
spectator names a (short)
word or number. The
2½" x 4" glossy photo is
removed from the envelope
and the spectator sees a picture of the surface of a wooden
desk. On it is a yellow label and a black envelope. Pulled
halfway out of the picture of the envelope is a gray sheet
of paper . Written on the gray sheet of paper is a slightly
blurred word or number that matches what the spectator
said just moments before.
What I like about this is that you don't have to use a
Nai lwriter or any secret writing implement that has to be
attached to your thumb and later d itched in your pocket.
The downside is that the writing is slightly blurry-and
appears in dark gray on a light gray background. See the
photo for a reference. My attempts were not as "clean"
as the writing that magically appears in the trailer .
Reset takes 1S to 30 seconds in semi-privacy. Sadly, you
can't give the photo away as a souvenir. I recommend
this to mentalists and strolling entertainers who want to
experiment with a nailwriter technique that doesn't require
a nailwriter.
CLICK • Manoj Kaushal • $35 • Favorite Dea ler. • Dealers should
contact Murphy 's Magic Supplies , Inc.
ALL NEW QUARTER VERSION

MARCH 2020 91
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