Posts
Photos from the Magic Banquet by Gary Adams
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
2008-05 Ring 258 Flea Market
IBM Ring #258, The Lake County Magic Club
Presents
Our Annual Flea Market, Swap Meet, Auction and Lecture
Saturday, May 17, 2008
At
The Youth and Retreat Center
33926 Haines Creek Road (Hwy 473)
Leesburg, Florida
Buyers - $5.00
Tables - $5.00
Lecture by Mr. Mark Fitzgerald - $10.00 Additional
Free to Ring 258 members.
Sell the "Magic" that is gathering dust in your closet!
Buy someone else's junk and make it your treasure!
Get to know your I.B.M. buddies in Ring 258!
Get there early for a shot at the best stuff!
What else do you have to do that day!
Directions:
From Orlando take SR 441 (OBT) North toward Leesburg.
Make a Right on Haines Creek Road/Hwy. 473. The Youth And Retreat Center will be on your Right, just after the sweeping Left curve in the road. The Ring 258 black banner will be on the fence.
Drive around to the Left of the large building to the smaller buildings behind.
Presents
Our Annual Flea Market, Swap Meet, Auction and Lecture
Saturday, May 17, 2008
At
The Youth and Retreat Center
33926 Haines Creek Road (Hwy 473)
Leesburg, Florida
Buyers - $5.00
Tables - $5.00
Lecture by Mr. Mark Fitzgerald - $10.00 Additional
Free to Ring 258 members.
Sell the "Magic" that is gathering dust in your closet!
Buy someone else's junk and make it your treasure!
Get to know your I.B.M. buddies in Ring 258!
Get there early for a shot at the best stuff!
What else do you have to do that day!
Directions:
From Orlando take SR 441 (OBT) North toward Leesburg.
Make a Right on Haines Creek Road/Hwy. 473. The Youth And Retreat Center will be on your Right, just after the sweeping Left curve in the road. The Ring 258 black banner will be on the fence.
Drive around to the Left of the large building to the smaller buildings behind.
2008-05 Another Magical Tribute Evening
reserve May27th for this exciting evening, organized by Dan Stapleton. Look for reminders in your email.
2008-5 Brett Daniel's Wohscigam
Yesterday I saw Brett Daniels' Wohscigam at the Sahara. I was very disappointed in the show. I even gave up a day of my training for to see that show.
First I was able to get a ticket for half price so it was about $25 and then I was sat off of stage left on the far left. After I got to the theater I saw that they were handing out free tickets to anyone who just happened to be walking by. They were sitting in the center section too. I paid and got stuck on the side while the freebies were given a better seat. After the show started I moved over to a better place.
It appeared that it was a dress rehearsal and needed a lot more time. Many obvious mistakes and mis-cues.
As far as the show concept. It was very interesting and different. It was narrated by Brett as a true story of a magician, Lester Tiband, just after the turn on the century. The story used many real magicians from the past and a few that were created for the story. About 10 minutes in I figured out where he was going with the story but that in no way would keep someone from enjoying the show if the show were up to par and ready for paying audiences.
The actual performance was more of a close-up / manipulation show with a few large scale illusions as well.
Here is what the performance consisted of...
A very interesting stage set. The curtain was very nice with many magical images and phrases. Two large gargoyles on each side of the stage came to life when the show started. A stand with a large book sat on stage left and a close-up table sat in front the first row on stage left.
Two billowing cloth banners from each corner of the stage towards a point, upstage, center stage. The cloth then disappeared into the center and Brett was floating above the stage a the point of the disappearance. After he descended you could clearly see the gimmick retreating back through the curtain as Brett walked forward to accept his applause.
After the opening he performed some card fans, card manipulation, coin manipulation/coin ladder and then some pocket watch manipulation to multiplying oversize pocket watches. During the card manip he seemed to be having trouble with the cards. It looked like the problem that many card guys say they have when they are visiting humid Florida but this was non-humid Las Vegas.
A coin matrix effect was next that led to a version of Silver Odyssey with the gimmick built at different places across the table top. It was nice but their were a few moments that were a little off.
This led to a coins through table routine using a glass window that was in the center of the table. It looked very magical as each coin passed through the table one at a time. At the end they all passed through at the same time. This effect probably got the most positive audience reaction in the show. It was very good. He followed the coins through table by inviting a child on stage and performing a card through glass with his selected card. The finale was that the card was trapped between two panes of glass and stuck in inside. It was removed and given to the child along with a souvenir poster that we could all purchase in the lobby after the show. More on the poster later.
Twisting the aces was next with a change to all queens at the end.
His next effect happened on the close-up table down in the house on stage left. He spread a deck across the table and had it signed by a spectator across the entire spread. After shuffling until the spectator said stop he re-spread the cards to show that the name was now mixed, juts like the cards. After a few more shuffles and being told to stop again he spread the cards out and showed that the name was now back the way it started. During all the shuffling he had been showing the faces by spreading the deck, face up, across the table. After the name had been shown back the way it started he spread the cards face up one more time and the name of Lester Tiband was now written across the faces.
His cups and balls was interesting but it also suffered from the dress rehearsal look. It started with a wood carving a a 3-dimensional cups and balls from a single piece of wood. He placed it to the side and performed his routine using peanuts that eventually changed into the regular crotchet balls we all recognize. After a few standard C & B moves he ended with a potato under each cup as the final load with one more load, a handful of peanuts, under the center cup. After it was over he passed a cloth over the cups and picked it up and brought it down to the front row to show that it was now a solid piece of carved wood.
Levitation - A cloth was held from his hands down the platform. After removing the cloth the female assistant was now floating in front of him. It seemed like he was talking her through the routine since his lips were moving but he wasn't making any noise since his mic was off. This was something I noticed throughout the performance.
Brett forced a card, badly, on a woman from the audience. He was caught but he had no choice but to use the card he wanted to use so he played it off and had it signed and used the force card anyway. It had to be the card used since it had to match later in the show. This was all for his torn & restored card routine. During the restore it was obvious that he was ditching the pieces of torn card because they were clearly seen falling from his hand as he was opening the restored card.
Gypsy thread was next using two colors of thread that were eventually restored to an alternating two color thread.
A ball manipulation routine was next. It ended with multiplying balls.
The Hand Thing - Remember the book on the stand I mentioned earlier? Brett turned to a page in the book and used a jumbo card to slice through his hand which remained on the table. The hand then rearranged the letters on the page to form the name of someone in the story that was being told. As he reattached his hand it appeared that he as having trouble. Even the kid sitting next to me said to his mom, "He screwed it up!"
A zombie routine was next. It used a ball the reminded me of an armillary sphere.
His final effect, read false ending, was a disappearance from the stage with a reappearance in the audience. After some applause he asked if we wanted to see one more.
After a lackluster response he proceeded to his actual finale, the appearance of a large carriage led by four carousel horses. It was big but I don't know how many people were fooled by it since then stage was obviously used for producing and hiding things throughout the show. It wouldn't be a huge leap to assume that the carriage was hiding under the stage which it was.The stage itself was actually sitting on top of the actual stage. I guess that it was made to be able to sit in any theater to make it easier to perform without too much retooling of the show.
A few additional notes...
On at least two occasions I noticed that he was talking to the light tech to let him know that it was time to darken the stage or change the lighting.
His on stage assistant was obviously someone provided by the theater and she was still learning.
About 6 groups of people left during the show. They were kind enough to wait until Brett had left the stage for a costume change so he wouldn't see them.
When the show was over I expected to see him in the lobby signing the posters that he had given to the child during the show. We were filed out of the theater into a bar area that was around the corner from the theater entrance. Some people were looking to see if Brett was doing a meet and greet but he was nowhere to be found. Eventually his assistant came around the corner and looked perplexed since we were not where we were expected to be. I didn't see any sign of a meet and greet or merchandise table anywhere. I could only think that it was canceled because we were let out of the wrong theater door everyone proceeded to leave the area or that it was never going to happen but it was part of the script and he forget to take it out.
I would have better spent my time going out with the rest of the team I am here with. I have seen Brett in the past and was very impressed and the magic periodicals have raved over this show.
http://www.wohscigam.com/PressPage.html
At least I only lost $25 but I don't think I would be happy even if the ticket was free.
So far this week I have seen Cirque du Soleil's KA, Brett Daniels' Wohscigam, Toxic Audio & later I am seeing Cirque du Soleil's O. You won't have to think too hard to figure out which show is at that bottom of my list.
That's all for now. If I can think of something else I will add it later.
JoeV
First I was able to get a ticket for half price so it was about $25 and then I was sat off of stage left on the far left. After I got to the theater I saw that they were handing out free tickets to anyone who just happened to be walking by. They were sitting in the center section too. I paid and got stuck on the side while the freebies were given a better seat. After the show started I moved over to a better place.
It appeared that it was a dress rehearsal and needed a lot more time. Many obvious mistakes and mis-cues.
As far as the show concept. It was very interesting and different. It was narrated by Brett as a true story of a magician, Lester Tiband, just after the turn on the century. The story used many real magicians from the past and a few that were created for the story. About 10 minutes in I figured out where he was going with the story but that in no way would keep someone from enjoying the show if the show were up to par and ready for paying audiences.
The actual performance was more of a close-up / manipulation show with a few large scale illusions as well.
Here is what the performance consisted of...
A very interesting stage set. The curtain was very nice with many magical images and phrases. Two large gargoyles on each side of the stage came to life when the show started. A stand with a large book sat on stage left and a close-up table sat in front the first row on stage left.
Two billowing cloth banners from each corner of the stage towards a point, upstage, center stage. The cloth then disappeared into the center and Brett was floating above the stage a the point of the disappearance. After he descended you could clearly see the gimmick retreating back through the curtain as Brett walked forward to accept his applause.
After the opening he performed some card fans, card manipulation, coin manipulation/coin ladder and then some pocket watch manipulation to multiplying oversize pocket watches. During the card manip he seemed to be having trouble with the cards. It looked like the problem that many card guys say they have when they are visiting humid Florida but this was non-humid Las Vegas.
A coin matrix effect was next that led to a version of Silver Odyssey with the gimmick built at different places across the table top. It was nice but their were a few moments that were a little off.
This led to a coins through table routine using a glass window that was in the center of the table. It looked very magical as each coin passed through the table one at a time. At the end they all passed through at the same time. This effect probably got the most positive audience reaction in the show. It was very good. He followed the coins through table by inviting a child on stage and performing a card through glass with his selected card. The finale was that the card was trapped between two panes of glass and stuck in inside. It was removed and given to the child along with a souvenir poster that we could all purchase in the lobby after the show. More on the poster later.
Twisting the aces was next with a change to all queens at the end.
His next effect happened on the close-up table down in the house on stage left. He spread a deck across the table and had it signed by a spectator across the entire spread. After shuffling until the spectator said stop he re-spread the cards to show that the name was now mixed, juts like the cards. After a few more shuffles and being told to stop again he spread the cards out and showed that the name was now back the way it started. During all the shuffling he had been showing the faces by spreading the deck, face up, across the table. After the name had been shown back the way it started he spread the cards face up one more time and the name of Lester Tiband was now written across the faces.
His cups and balls was interesting but it also suffered from the dress rehearsal look. It started with a wood carving a a 3-dimensional cups and balls from a single piece of wood. He placed it to the side and performed his routine using peanuts that eventually changed into the regular crotchet balls we all recognize. After a few standard C & B moves he ended with a potato under each cup as the final load with one more load, a handful of peanuts, under the center cup. After it was over he passed a cloth over the cups and picked it up and brought it down to the front row to show that it was now a solid piece of carved wood.
Levitation - A cloth was held from his hands down the platform. After removing the cloth the female assistant was now floating in front of him. It seemed like he was talking her through the routine since his lips were moving but he wasn't making any noise since his mic was off. This was something I noticed throughout the performance.
Brett forced a card, badly, on a woman from the audience. He was caught but he had no choice but to use the card he wanted to use so he played it off and had it signed and used the force card anyway. It had to be the card used since it had to match later in the show. This was all for his torn & restored card routine. During the restore it was obvious that he was ditching the pieces of torn card because they were clearly seen falling from his hand as he was opening the restored card.
Gypsy thread was next using two colors of thread that were eventually restored to an alternating two color thread.
A ball manipulation routine was next. It ended with multiplying balls.
The Hand Thing - Remember the book on the stand I mentioned earlier? Brett turned to a page in the book and used a jumbo card to slice through his hand which remained on the table. The hand then rearranged the letters on the page to form the name of someone in the story that was being told. As he reattached his hand it appeared that he as having trouble. Even the kid sitting next to me said to his mom, "He screwed it up!"
A zombie routine was next. It used a ball the reminded me of an armillary sphere.
His final effect, read false ending, was a disappearance from the stage with a reappearance in the audience. After some applause he asked if we wanted to see one more.
After a lackluster response he proceeded to his actual finale, the appearance of a large carriage led by four carousel horses. It was big but I don't know how many people were fooled by it since then stage was obviously used for producing and hiding things throughout the show. It wouldn't be a huge leap to assume that the carriage was hiding under the stage which it was.The stage itself was actually sitting on top of the actual stage. I guess that it was made to be able to sit in any theater to make it easier to perform without too much retooling of the show.
A few additional notes...
On at least two occasions I noticed that he was talking to the light tech to let him know that it was time to darken the stage or change the lighting.
His on stage assistant was obviously someone provided by the theater and she was still learning.
About 6 groups of people left during the show. They were kind enough to wait until Brett had left the stage for a costume change so he wouldn't see them.
When the show was over I expected to see him in the lobby signing the posters that he had given to the child during the show. We were filed out of the theater into a bar area that was around the corner from the theater entrance. Some people were looking to see if Brett was doing a meet and greet but he was nowhere to be found. Eventually his assistant came around the corner and looked perplexed since we were not where we were expected to be. I didn't see any sign of a meet and greet or merchandise table anywhere. I could only think that it was canceled because we were let out of the wrong theater door everyone proceeded to leave the area or that it was never going to happen but it was part of the script and he forget to take it out.
I would have better spent my time going out with the rest of the team I am here with. I have seen Brett in the past and was very impressed and the magic periodicals have raved over this show.
http://www.wohscigam.com/PressPage.html
At least I only lost $25 but I don't think I would be happy even if the ticket was free.
So far this week I have seen Cirque du Soleil's KA, Brett Daniels' Wohscigam, Toxic Audio & later I am seeing Cirque du Soleil's O. You won't have to think too hard to figure out which show is at that bottom of my list.
That's all for now. If I can think of something else I will add it later.
JoeV
2008-05 Dennis' Deliberations
I had a good time at the banquet and a full article for The Linking Ring will be on these pages very soon. Craig is digging up the photos and I am pounding the keys.
I did go to the Ring banquet by myself as I usually do. Perhaps an explanation is due. I will soon be coming up on my 36th wedding anniversary. Yes, to the same woman, continuously and happily. I know all the old lines about marriage that night club comedians use.
My wife has been supportive and encouraging about my magical adventures. Cindy will assist me on most gigs for lay audiences if I need help. But, she prefers to be left out of any social magic activities with magicians. She detests magic talk and card tricks and is bored silly with coin matrices and almost all walk-around stuff. Other than Vince Carmen, Bev Bergeron , Dan Stapleton and the late Harry Blackstone Jr. she has never expressed to be about being thrilled by the performance any stage magician. She was, for the most part, bored in the Las Vegas magic scene and only made positive comments about Rich Thomas’ Illusion Show and that is probably because he handled his audience volunteers well and incorporated ballroom dancing into his production numbers. Cindy and I are ballroom dance instructors.
How could a rational person, an educated woman, an artsy woman, a former elementary school teacher, be so disinterested in being around performing magicians? Recently, I think she enjoyed the visit from James and Joe and family as well as Richard Hewitt as long as the magic did not replace the social aspects. She also enjoyed being at Craig Fennessy’s Christmas party.
For a start, at the beginning of our marriage, almost all of the professionals and wanna-be professionals that socialized with us were either ego trippers, liars, blowhards, con-men or out-of-control drunks. Most of the time, they were all of the above. She considered the majority of them to be a bad influence on our three kids. What do you call a magician without a girlfriend? “Homeless”.
I do know that she always considered magic (show business- broadcasting) to be a kind of “mistress” to me that she had to compete with. She always thought that I was wasting my time and talents messing with show business. “Dennis, you could a tenured college professor, an engineer or a school administrator if you weren’t afraid of being 'tied up' with a regular job so you couldn’t make a show or short tour".
Maybe it was the Bra-trick done on her 30 years ago that created a permanent phobia of attending magic banquets. She was a 32A and the Bra was a 38DDD. As I recall it also had THREE cups! Some magical moron thought that it would be funny.
She reminds me that in another show she was called up by another loud-mouth to help with the Disecto Wrist Chopper and one of the lines he used with the carrot was “Here is a long skinny one. (Held like a phallic device) Do you like long skinny ones? Ha ha”.
Thank God most magicians do not do that stuff to women anymore, but that was the 70s.
So now when I ask her to accompany me to a magic show, she says, “You want me to go?” Then she assumes the stage inflections of a magician. In a sing-song stage voice she says, ‘Gimme a hand, no the clean one’- ‘Stand right here, on the trap door’- ‘what is your name? And your phone number while you are at it, honey?’ – She concludes with, “and you want ME to go to your magic show?”
I keep telling her that things are better now at magic banquets. Wish me luck as I try for next year with her.
*********************************
Automatic E-Mail replies are a fact of life. Computers can have a robot send an automatic reply to the sender. You send an E-Mail hoping to get a fast reply and you find out it will take a while. With the help of Magician Larry Thornton in Calgary, Canada, Here are some good replies for your robot E-Mail program to send to people.
1. I will be unable to attend to my emails until I return from my touring magic show gig. Please be patient, and I will make your message vanish magically in the order it was received.
2. I am currently out of the magic shop at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get employed by Criss Angel, please be prepared for my foul mood.
3. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the magic shop. If you're a kid with another inane question, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all from UPS.
4. Sorry to have missed you, but I’m at the doctor’s having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to the head of a talent agency.
5. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply by the time we get our wholesale magic order from Timbuktu.
6. I'm sorry I can't answer your email, as I’ve run away to join David Blaine on a flagpole in Alaska.
7. I will be out of the magic shop for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as ‘Pamela' instead of Hans Klok.
Dennis Phillips
I did go to the Ring banquet by myself as I usually do. Perhaps an explanation is due. I will soon be coming up on my 36th wedding anniversary. Yes, to the same woman, continuously and happily. I know all the old lines about marriage that night club comedians use.
My wife has been supportive and encouraging about my magical adventures. Cindy will assist me on most gigs for lay audiences if I need help. But, she prefers to be left out of any social magic activities with magicians. She detests magic talk and card tricks and is bored silly with coin matrices and almost all walk-around stuff. Other than Vince Carmen, Bev Bergeron , Dan Stapleton and the late Harry Blackstone Jr. she has never expressed to be about being thrilled by the performance any stage magician. She was, for the most part, bored in the Las Vegas magic scene and only made positive comments about Rich Thomas’ Illusion Show and that is probably because he handled his audience volunteers well and incorporated ballroom dancing into his production numbers. Cindy and I are ballroom dance instructors.
How could a rational person, an educated woman, an artsy woman, a former elementary school teacher, be so disinterested in being around performing magicians? Recently, I think she enjoyed the visit from James and Joe and family as well as Richard Hewitt as long as the magic did not replace the social aspects. She also enjoyed being at Craig Fennessy’s Christmas party.
For a start, at the beginning of our marriage, almost all of the professionals and wanna-be professionals that socialized with us were either ego trippers, liars, blowhards, con-men or out-of-control drunks. Most of the time, they were all of the above. She considered the majority of them to be a bad influence on our three kids. What do you call a magician without a girlfriend? “Homeless”.
I do know that she always considered magic (show business- broadcasting) to be a kind of “mistress” to me that she had to compete with. She always thought that I was wasting my time and talents messing with show business. “Dennis, you could a tenured college professor, an engineer or a school administrator if you weren’t afraid of being 'tied up' with a regular job so you couldn’t make a show or short tour".
Maybe it was the Bra-trick done on her 30 years ago that created a permanent phobia of attending magic banquets. She was a 32A and the Bra was a 38DDD. As I recall it also had THREE cups! Some magical moron thought that it would be funny.
She reminds me that in another show she was called up by another loud-mouth to help with the Disecto Wrist Chopper and one of the lines he used with the carrot was “Here is a long skinny one. (Held like a phallic device) Do you like long skinny ones? Ha ha”.
Thank God most magicians do not do that stuff to women anymore, but that was the 70s.
So now when I ask her to accompany me to a magic show, she says, “You want me to go?” Then she assumes the stage inflections of a magician. In a sing-song stage voice she says, ‘Gimme a hand, no the clean one’- ‘Stand right here, on the trap door’- ‘what is your name? And your phone number while you are at it, honey?’ – She concludes with, “and you want ME to go to your magic show?”
I keep telling her that things are better now at magic banquets. Wish me luck as I try for next year with her.
*********************************
Automatic E-Mail replies are a fact of life. Computers can have a robot send an automatic reply to the sender. You send an E-Mail hoping to get a fast reply and you find out it will take a while. With the help of Magician Larry Thornton in Calgary, Canada, Here are some good replies for your robot E-Mail program to send to people.
1. I will be unable to attend to my emails until I return from my touring magic show gig. Please be patient, and I will make your message vanish magically in the order it was received.
2. I am currently out of the magic shop at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get employed by Criss Angel, please be prepared for my foul mood.
3. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the magic shop. If you're a kid with another inane question, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all from UPS.
4. Sorry to have missed you, but I’m at the doctor’s having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to the head of a talent agency.
5. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply by the time we get our wholesale magic order from Timbuktu.
6. I'm sorry I can't answer your email, as I’ve run away to join David Blaine on a flagpole in Alaska.
7. I will be out of the magic shop for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as ‘Pamela' instead of Hans Klok.
Dennis Phillips
Sunday, April 27, 2008
2008-04-extra Magic benefit in LA
A Magical Night at the Magic Castle
Monday, May 19th
Burton Sperber is producing this special fundraiser at the Castle to benefit weSpark, the charity his late daughter, Wendie Jo Sperber, started to aid cancer patients and their families. The following magicians have volunteered their services: Just Alan, Eugene Burger, Mike Caveney, Bob Fitch, Andrew Goldenhersh, Paul Green, Neil Patrick Harris, Christopher Hart, Larry Hass, Mac King, Jonathan Levit, John Lovick Max Maven, Jeff McBride, George Parker, Peter Reveen, Burton Sperber, Abbi Spinner, Steve Valentine, and Jordan Wright. Tickets are $250, with all proceeds to benefit weSpark. For more information, visit www.weSpark.org.
Monday, May 19th
Burton Sperber is producing this special fundraiser at the Castle to benefit weSpark, the charity his late daughter, Wendie Jo Sperber, started to aid cancer patients and their families. The following magicians have volunteered their services: Just Alan, Eugene Burger, Mike Caveney, Bob Fitch, Andrew Goldenhersh, Paul Green, Neil Patrick Harris, Christopher Hart, Larry Hass, Mac King, Jonathan Levit, John Lovick Max Maven, Jeff McBride, George Parker, Peter Reveen, Burton Sperber, Abbi Spinner, Steve Valentine, and Jordan Wright. Tickets are $250, with all proceeds to benefit weSpark. For more information, visit www.weSpark.org.
2008-04-extra New Movie with a Touch of Magic
Opens NYC and LA, May 2nd; nationwide May 9th
Ricky Jay and Cyril appear in David Mamet's new film, Redbelt. Ricky plays the untrustworthy promoter, Marty Brown. Cyril's character is local illusionist Jimmy Sakata, who works his magic on the fighters before their bouts.
A brief synopsis: Set in the west-side of Los Angeles fight world, a world inhabited by bouncers, cage- fighters, cops and special forces types, Redbelt, is the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Jiu-Jitsu teacher who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code. Terry and his wife Sondra (Alice Braga), struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet. An accident on a dark, rainy night at the Academy between an off duty officer (Max Martini) and a distraught lawyer (Emily Mortimer) puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry's life dramatically introducing him to a world of promoters (Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna) and movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen). Faced with this, in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life.
Ricky Jay and Cyril appear in David Mamet's new film, Redbelt. Ricky plays the untrustworthy promoter, Marty Brown. Cyril's character is local illusionist Jimmy Sakata, who works his magic on the fighters before their bouts.
A brief synopsis: Set in the west-side of Los Angeles fight world, a world inhabited by bouncers, cage- fighters, cops and special forces types, Redbelt, is the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Jiu-Jitsu teacher who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code. Terry and his wife Sondra (Alice Braga), struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet. An accident on a dark, rainy night at the Academy between an off duty officer (Max Martini) and a distraught lawyer (Emily Mortimer) puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry's life dramatically introducing him to a world of promoters (Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna) and movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen). Faced with this, in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life.
2008-04-extra Magical Home Makeover
Extreme Makeover: Home Improvement
Sunday, May 4th, 8 p.m., ABC
Massachusetts magician David Oliver brought a little magic to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. "I'm not a big fan of reality shows," Oliver admits, "but this one has a good feel to it and really helps people instead of tearing them down." Oliver was brought in as a magic consultant to a home in Warwick, Rhode Island where the family's young son had an interest in magic. The idea of the program is to give the family's house a complete makeover, and Oliver was asked to help turn the boy's room into a magical bedroom. This included adding some special effects and stocking the room with tricks and books, including the Tarbell Course and numerous Dover reprints of the classics.
Oliver was chosen due to his work with kids. While not a kids' performer, per se, he has been running the Boston SYM Assembly for 22 years and has been a longstanding instructor at Tannen's Magic Camp. Oliver sees it all as his way of "giving back." The episode is scheduled to air May 4.
Sunday, May 4th, 8 p.m., ABC
Massachusetts magician David Oliver brought a little magic to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. "I'm not a big fan of reality shows," Oliver admits, "but this one has a good feel to it and really helps people instead of tearing them down." Oliver was brought in as a magic consultant to a home in Warwick, Rhode Island where the family's young son had an interest in magic. The idea of the program is to give the family's house a complete makeover, and Oliver was asked to help turn the boy's room into a magical bedroom. This included adding some special effects and stocking the room with tricks and books, including the Tarbell Course and numerous Dover reprints of the classics.
Oliver was chosen due to his work with kids. While not a kids' performer, per se, he has been running the Boston SYM Assembly for 22 years and has been a longstanding instructor at Tannen's Magic Camp. Oliver sees it all as his way of "giving back." The episode is scheduled to air May 4.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
2008-04-extra Magic on TV
Some upcoming magic on TV
Oprah!
Wednesday, April 30th, syndicated
David Blaine will be promoting his breath-holding record on Oprah!, April 30th. The show, which airs that same day, is syndicated, so check your local listings for times and channels in your area.
The Late Show with David Letterman
Monday-Friday, May 5th-9th, 11:35 p.m., CBS
It's "Magic Week" on David Letterman's show, May 5th through the 9th. Magicians who are scheduled to perform are:
Lance Burton (Monday, May 5th)
Mac King (Tuesday, May 6th)
Dirk Arthur (Wednesday, May 7th)
Steve Wyrick (Thursday, May 8th)
Penn & Teller (Friday, May 9th)
Celebracadabra
Sundays, 9 p.m., VH1
VH1's magic-reality show begins has announced the following schedule:
April 27th - Introduction/Street Magic
May 4th - Children's Magic
May 11th - Comedy Magic
May 18th - Strolling Magic
May 25th - Cabaret Magic
June 1st (pre-empted)
June 8th - Escapes
June 15th - Road to the Finale
June 22nd - The Finale
June 22nd (also) - Magician's Special
Extreme Makeover: Home Improvement
Sunday, May 4th, 8 p.m., ABC
Massachusetts magician David Oliver brought a little magic to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Oprah!
Wednesday, April 30th, syndicated
David Blaine will be promoting his breath-holding record on Oprah!, April 30th. The show, which airs that same day, is syndicated, so check your local listings for times and channels in your area.
The Late Show with David Letterman
Monday-Friday, May 5th-9th, 11:35 p.m., CBS
It's "Magic Week" on David Letterman's show, May 5th through the 9th. Magicians who are scheduled to perform are:
Lance Burton (Monday, May 5th)
Mac King (Tuesday, May 6th)
Dirk Arthur (Wednesday, May 7th)
Steve Wyrick (Thursday, May 8th)
Penn & Teller (Friday, May 9th)
Celebracadabra
Sundays, 9 p.m., VH1
VH1's magic-reality show begins has announced the following schedule:
April 27th - Introduction/Street Magic
May 4th - Children's Magic
May 11th - Comedy Magic
May 18th - Strolling Magic
May 25th - Cabaret Magic
June 1st (pre-empted)
June 8th - Escapes
June 15th - Road to the Finale
June 22nd - The Finale
June 22nd (also) - Magician's Special
Extreme Makeover: Home Improvement
Sunday, May 4th, 8 p.m., ABC
Massachusetts magician David Oliver brought a little magic to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Friday, April 25, 2008
2008-04-extra More info about Celebracadabra
The show airs on VH-1 starting April 27th. If you do not have cable or satellite TV, the introduction video can be viewed below. To see the remainder of the show on-line click on the title of this post.
video.vh1.com
video.vh1.com
Sunday, April 13, 2008
2008-04 Famulus Newsltter Ring 170
Newsletter of IBM Ring #170
The Bev Bergeron Ring
Next general meeting Wednesday, 04/16/2008 at 7:30 PM SHARP
Board meeting at 6:30 pm
Meeting theme: (April) Fooler-doolers
Marks Street Center, 99 Mark Street, downtown Orlando
If you visit with us and do not know the room we meet in , please be aware that some of the people in the office at the Senior Center may not be aware we are meeting there! At the last meeting one visitor asked where the "IBM" was meeting and the management apparently thought they were asking for the International Business Machines group! They said that there was no "IBM" on the schedule. So, if you have never been to our ring meeting , please say "magicians" or "FAME" and if that doesn't get the room location , just walk around looking for us. The Senior Center is a public building.
Lunch meetings every Tuesday at noon at Goodings (next to the food court)
Website: http://www.ring170.com/
F. A. M. E. is the Florida Association of Magical Entertainers
*************************************************************
Directory
Craig J. Fennessy – President – CraigFennessy@gmail.com
Chris Dunn- Vice President – Youngdunns@yahoo.com
Art Thomas – Treasurer – Art.Thomas@Disney.com
Dennis Philips- Secretary – Dennis@alliedcostumes.com
James Songster- Director at Large, - JjTjMagic@aol.com
Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms - talkingmute@tampabay.rr.com
Stefan Bartelski – Editor of “Famulus”- Famulus@illusioneer.com
*************************************************************
GET PUBLISHED!
Got an idea for an article to add to the next FAMULUS? Put it in the body of an email or in a Word document attached to an email. Send it to Famulus@illusioneer.com, and we will get you in print. Please, please, please, use the above e-mail address, your messages are in danger of getting lost if you do not do so.
The Bev Bergeron Ring
Next general meeting Wednesday, 04/16/2008 at 7:30 PM SHARP
Board meeting at 6:30 pm
Meeting theme: (April) Fooler-doolers
Marks Street Center, 99 Mark Street, downtown Orlando
If you visit with us and do not know the room we meet in , please be aware that some of the people in the office at the Senior Center may not be aware we are meeting there! At the last meeting one visitor asked where the "IBM" was meeting and the management apparently thought they were asking for the International Business Machines group! They said that there was no "IBM" on the schedule. So, if you have never been to our ring meeting , please say "magicians" or "FAME" and if that doesn't get the room location , just walk around looking for us. The Senior Center is a public building.
Lunch meetings every Tuesday at noon at Goodings (next to the food court)
Website: http://www.ring170.com/
F. A. M. E. is the Florida Association of Magical Entertainers
*************************************************************
Directory
Craig J. Fennessy – President – CraigFennessy@gmail.com
Chris Dunn- Vice President – Youngdunns@yahoo.com
Art Thomas – Treasurer – Art.Thomas@Disney.com
Dennis Philips- Secretary – Dennis@alliedcostumes.com
James Songster- Director at Large, - JjTjMagic@aol.com
Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms - talkingmute@tampabay.rr.com
Stefan Bartelski – Editor of “Famulus”- Famulus@illusioneer.com
*************************************************************
GET PUBLISHED!
Got an idea for an article to add to the next FAMULUS? Put it in the body of an email or in a Word document attached to an email. Send it to Famulus@illusioneer.com, and we will get you in print. Please, please, please, use the above e-mail address, your messages are in danger of getting lost if you do not do so.
2008-04 From the editor
Another Easter, another Auction has gone by and so it is almost time for our annual banquet. Be sure not to miss this evening full of good food and excellent magic. And after you have recovered, please do send me your thoughts on this year's event, so that I can publish them in the next newsletter.
Thanks to Dennis and Dan for their contributions this month.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon,
Your editor
Thanks to Dennis and Dan for their contributions this month.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon,
Your editor
2008-04 Ring Report
After reading my previous ring report, Harry Lorayne contacted me to remind me that he was at the beginning of rubber band magic. I neglected to mention his creations. One example is the April 1976 issue of MUM magazine and his Penetrating Bands. More recent creators of rubber band magic include our own Mark Fitzgerald along with Dan Harlan.
Our annual flea-market and lecture day was held on March 8th. It was a successful and fun day. We extend our thanks to Craig Fennessey and Art Thomas and everyone who made the event a success. Helpful wives also need to be praised. Michael Ammar and Magic Ian lectured. It was good to see Michael, who lives in Central Florida, lecture for the Ring. Magic Ian always has new effects, so never miss his lecture or you will miss his latest creations.
The March business meeting was very short to make room for the evening lecture. We had one guest, Chris Turner. Members Jim and Terry Whaples continue to expand their Creative Arts Store where children’s gospel entertainers and secular performers can find a complete selection of supplies. Once a year they sponsor a conference in Orlando.
For almost two decades, the guest lecturer for this Ring meeting, David Solomon was privileged to be part of Chicago's "Inner Circle" of card magic that surrounded the legendary figure Edward Marlo, and included such respected names as Simon Aronson, Steve Draun, and Bill Malone. David spent untold hours watching and helping Marlo create card effects.
His lecture had something for everyone from the beginner to the experienced performer. It was amazing card magic. The lecture provided novel natural handling with clean, well thought out methods. David eliminates extraneous moves and, through subtlety and devilishly clever thinking, creates fooling card effects.
Eugene Burger said,” You will discover how David's commitment to magical thinking, to taking things apart and putting them back together in new and different ways, has generated some wonderful card magic." Everyone had a great time learning from David Solomon.
Lots of fun activities are planned for the ring for the spring and summer. If you are in Orlando on vacation or business plan to be with us at our Ring activities. Good things are always happening in Ring 170.
Dennis Phillips
2008-04 FMA & Magic on the Beach 2008
Fellow Magi,
In an agreement with Daytona Magic Festival and the Florida Magician's Association, Magic on the Beach is now part of the FMA and will now be considered the Spring Florida Magician's Association Convention and the Daytona Magic Festival will be the Fall FMA Convention.
It was agreed that the FMA continue as an information center for all magic happenings in the State of Florida. The new FMA Officers are Dan Stapleton, President, Irv Cook, Vice President and Robert Schvey is Secretary/Treauser. Irv has agreed to create a new website and offer links to ALL magic clubs throughout the state. For this to happen we need YOU and your club members to email information to Irv.
The 13th Annual Magic on the Beach & 42nd FMA Convention will be held June 6, 7 & 8, 2008. It will be at the newly renovated Ramada Marco Polo Resort on beautiful Miami Beach.
This year's MOB offers a welcome party, Saturday evening awards banquet, Int'l dealers room, contests, lectures, close-up and stage show as well as a junior and spouse events.
This year we feature FISM Winner Pilou, from Paris, France, the Hillarious Fielding West, the legendary Fantasio, the elegant Duane and Mary Laflin, Argentina's ingenious talent Gustavo Raley, plus the dazzling wizardry of "Kopper Top" Karl Hein.
In an effort to generate more interest in the competition, MOB will offer $3000.00 in cash and prizes. We already have contestants from Cuba, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Florida and New York.
Dealers (so far) include Wizards Apprentice, Daytona Magic, Mark Mason, Raley, Laflin Magic and Fantasio.
Attached is a registration form and schedule of events. Please note there will be an FMA meeting Sunday morning from 9am-10am. All Florida magic clubs should send a representative.
I look forward to seing you all there.
Magically,
Dan Stapleton
FMA President
In an agreement with Daytona Magic Festival and the Florida Magician's Association, Magic on the Beach is now part of the FMA and will now be considered the Spring Florida Magician's Association Convention and the Daytona Magic Festival will be the Fall FMA Convention.
It was agreed that the FMA continue as an information center for all magic happenings in the State of Florida. The new FMA Officers are Dan Stapleton, President, Irv Cook, Vice President and Robert Schvey is Secretary/Treauser. Irv has agreed to create a new website and offer links to ALL magic clubs throughout the state. For this to happen we need YOU and your club members to email information to Irv.
The 13th Annual Magic on the Beach & 42nd FMA Convention will be held June 6, 7 & 8, 2008. It will be at the newly renovated Ramada Marco Polo Resort on beautiful Miami Beach.
This year's MOB offers a welcome party, Saturday evening awards banquet, Int'l dealers room, contests, lectures, close-up and stage show as well as a junior and spouse events.
This year we feature FISM Winner Pilou, from Paris, France, the Hillarious Fielding West, the legendary Fantasio, the elegant Duane and Mary Laflin, Argentina's ingenious talent Gustavo Raley, plus the dazzling wizardry of "Kopper Top" Karl Hein.
In an effort to generate more interest in the competition, MOB will offer $3000.00 in cash and prizes. We already have contestants from Cuba, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Florida and New York.
Dealers (so far) include Wizards Apprentice, Daytona Magic, Mark Mason, Raley, Laflin Magic and Fantasio.
Attached is a registration form and schedule of events. Please note there will be an FMA meeting Sunday morning from 9am-10am. All Florida magic clubs should send a representative.
I look forward to seing you all there.
Magically,
Dan Stapleton
FMA President
2008-04 Dennis' Deliberations
Another Ring flea market, auction and lecture have passed into history. I don’t know about anyone else, but I had fun. The annual flea market is a yearly ritual where we mostly all go just to see what junk has changed hands and maybe snag something we always wanted to have to collect dust in our closet or to find something too cheap to pass. But there also are some great items that you will use. I am always amazed at the bargains from Orlando local magic shops. Stan and Sandy from Rabbit in the Hat Ranch always amaze me with great things as do Tom and Donna Salvador.
Art Thomas was again the Mad Man of the Insane Deal. He was giving away assets faster than Ben Bernanke. Let me explain: The Ring was fortunate to acquire the magic estate of a collector and Art was spreading that wealth around like a rabid Communist. I am certain the poor widow was just happy to just get rid of the magic “junk”. I know my wife feels that way! A few weeks ago I had a health scare. A kidney stone will do that to you! When I got back from having the doctor looking at my emergency CAT scan and pronouncing that I would live a lot longer, my wife gave me a big hug of relief and within 2 minutes she blurted out, “Don’t you dare die and leave me to clean out your entire warehouse full of magic junk!” So at this flea market and auction I was under the edict that if I brought anything home, I had to get rid of something else. She has no idea what I can store, out of site, in the trunk of my car!
I always love it when I see a trick that originally sold for fifty bucks on a table marked down to five dollars. The usual excuse is, “I never could get anything out of it”. Well, did you think you could get something out of it when you saw it demonstrated? What happened?
When I was a 12 year old kid I bought U.F. Grant’s “Cutie Cow Trick” and used it well into my 20s until the gimmick finally deteriorated. I have never seen anyone else do the trick. I think I have seen it on flea market tables a couple of times over a 45 year period. Nobody seemed to ever get anything out of it but me! The effect is that you show two pieces of cardboard to be perfectly flat. They really are! One is green and the other is white with a cartoon cow stenciled on one side. After showing both sides to be flat and with no body loads you turn the green cardboard flat like a patch of grass and lower the white cardboard on it and in a flash when the cow cartoon is pulled away a glass of milk is on the green board. There is a bit of poetry to be said while presenting the quick effect, “Cute little cow and a patch of grass. Put them together and you have…a glass….of milk!” I then followed it up by producing another glass of milk which I drank!
The method used was a piece of clear curled celluloid with milk spray painted on it. The celluloid would roll out flat and was inserted into the green double cardboard that had a pocket. Under cover of showing the white card the celluloid fake was pulled out of the green pocket and allowed to curl into a glass shape. It is then plopped down on the green board. I think what made the trick work for me was that I followed the first glass with the production of a real glass of milk!
To cover this action I would hold up the green card and say, “I always wondered how a cow could eat green grass and make white milk.” I had a real matching glass of milk in a cup holder (made from a bent coat-hanger) attached to my belt under the left side of my coat. (The method was similar to how Danny Tong steals to brandy glass at the conclusion of his Egg Bag or how John Carney steals the glass of lemonade at the end of Zone Zero.)
I would put the first fake glass of milk on my table and turn slightly to my left while holding the green card up in my left hand. My right hand would bring the cow-stenciled board across to my belt level where I would thumb-clip and pull out the real milk behind the board for the second production! Thus, the actual original part of the trick was really a throw-away and set-up for the second part. I used a large roll-on table so I could load up the glass onto my belt any time during the show by getting behind the table. My presentation was not a part of the original Grant instructions. I don’t think that Grant, now MAK Magic, has made this trick in years. I might find one someday in a flea market.
There are no lousy tricks just lousy presentations. Maybe there is a sort of “connection” that the performer has to have with the effect that is performed. If you don’t believe in the effect, then you can’t put it over to an audience. Jeff Eaton used to tell me he had a dislike for “why” tricks. Jeff meant that when the trick was over you said to yourself, “why?” I think that most tricks can be “why” tricks without a reason to be done. This is where your presentation is the deciding factor. Frequently adding a storyline can justify the reason you are presenting the trick. Body movement and attitude with no spoken words can also work. Lance Burton’s FISM Dove Act is a good example of how a sneer, a glance and Vivaldi’s classical music disarms the audience and entertains them with the idea that they have been fooled by a sophisticated master. In contrast, Greg Frewin or Jason Byrne are energetic and almost give the impression they are juggling props and doves to upbeat music in a circus style.
My wife Cindy and I went to see “Spamalot”, the Monty Python Broadway road show, at the Bob Carr Auditorium. You need to have a feel for British humor and satire to appreciate the verbal parts and storyline. Much of the play is a satire on Broadway itself with bits like a Diva singing a soulful, “Once in every show you have to have a sentimental song like this…” There is a spoof on The Phantom of the Opera. Sir Lancelot and Herbert turn out to be gay and many bits of business are used for that. There is even a whole sequence with a satire on Fiddler on the Roof (using the Jerome Robbins’ bottle dance choreography) about needing Jews to be on Broadway. You must be familiar with Broadway shows to get a lot of the inside humor. It also helps to be familiar with the whole Monty Python catalog of humor from their years on the comedy scene, because much of the show is a rehash of old bits.
The production values and elaborate effects and costumes made it a feast for the eyes. As you may know, there are several magic type effects in the show and the credits listed Marshall Magoon as the magic advisor. Magoon is a San Francisco based performer.
Aside from the use of a Foy Flying rig, there were several magic type effects. The main one was the Black Knight who gets his arms and legs chopped off. This is a signature effect for the Python group. The arms were accomplished by fake arms with the real arms being tucked into the tunic. The armless Black Knight is then backed up to the castle gate with a rotating panel that is attached to a fake torso and legs He pokes his head out and King Arthur lops off both legs. The fake upper torso remains impaled to the castle gate. This is a low tech “Palingenesia” as detailed in the September 2006 issue of Genii Magazine.
They also had an effect, similar to the classic Ghost Show bit, where a Knight gets his head chopped off. Of course, the shoulders are built up and what is lopped off is a fake head and helmet. The vicious beast that guards the Holy Grail is an attack rabbit (puppet). The whole show concludes with the Holy Grail being found in the audience and one embarrassed audience member is brought up on stage for a celebration, certificate and instant photo. If you liked the classic Python song, “Always look on the bright side of life!”, then you will enjoy singing the finale with the cast. The production made good use of video projection.
Our banquet is coming up on the 19th. It will be a great evening of entertainment. See you there.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
2008-03 Extra -BANQUET
Make your reservations for the Ring 170 Banquet and Magic Show on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
Tickets are on sale now for $25.00 each.
Includes a full buffet dinner, close-up magic at your table, and a wonderful magic show staring, Terry Ward, Fred Moore, Giovonni, and a special appearance by the Blues Brothers. Seating is limited so make your reservations at our Wednesday meeting or e-mail Art Thomas at art.thomas@disney.com. Payment at the door.
This is a night of great entertainment that you do not want to miss!
Tickets are on sale now for $25.00 each.
Includes a full buffet dinner, close-up magic at your table, and a wonderful magic show staring, Terry Ward, Fred Moore, Giovonni, and a special appearance by the Blues Brothers. Seating is limited so make your reservations at our Wednesday meeting or e-mail Art Thomas at art.thomas@disney.com. Payment at the door.
This is a night of great entertainment that you do not want to miss!
2008-03 Famulus Newsletter of IBM Ring #170
Newsletter of IBM Ring #170
The Bev Bergeron Ring
Next general meeting Wednesday, 03/19/2008 at 7:30 PM SHARP
Board meeting at 6:30 pm
Meeting theme: David Solomon lecture
Marks Street Center, 99 Mark Street, downtown Orlando
If you visit with us and do not know the room we meet in , please be aware that some of the people in the office at the Senior Center may not be aware we are meeting there! At the last meeting one visitor asked where the "IBM" was meeting and the management apparently thought they were asking for the International Business Machines group! They said that there was no "IBM" on the schedule. So, if you have never been to our ring meeting , please say "magicians" or "FAME" and if that doesn't get the room location , just walk around looking for us. The Senior Center is a public building.
Lunch meetings every Tuesday at noon at Goodings (next to the food court)
Website: http://www.ring170.com/
F. A. M. E. is the Florida Association of Magical Entertainers
*************************************************************
Directory
Craig J. Fennessy – President – CraigFennessy@gmail.com
Chris Dunn- Vice President – Youngdunns@yahoo.com
Art Thomas – Treasurer – Art.Thomas@Disney.com
Dennis Philips- Secretary – Dennis@alliedcostumes.com
James Songster- Director at Large, - JjTjMagic@aol.com
Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms - talkingmute@tampabay.rr.com
Stefan Bartelski – Editor of “Famulus”- Famulus@illusioneer.com
*************************************************************
GET PUBLISHED!
Got an idea for an article to add to the next FAMULUS? Put it in the body of an email or in a Word document attached to an email. Send it to Famulus@illusioneer.com, and we will get you in print. Please, please, please, use the above e-mail address, your messages are in danger of getting lost if you do not do so.
The Bev Bergeron Ring
Next general meeting Wednesday, 03/19/2008 at 7:30 PM SHARP
Board meeting at 6:30 pm
Meeting theme: David Solomon lecture
Marks Street Center, 99 Mark Street, downtown Orlando
If you visit with us and do not know the room we meet in , please be aware that some of the people in the office at the Senior Center may not be aware we are meeting there! At the last meeting one visitor asked where the "IBM" was meeting and the management apparently thought they were asking for the International Business Machines group! They said that there was no "IBM" on the schedule. So, if you have never been to our ring meeting , please say "magicians" or "FAME" and if that doesn't get the room location , just walk around looking for us. The Senior Center is a public building.
Lunch meetings every Tuesday at noon at Goodings (next to the food court)
Website: http://www.ring170.com/
F. A. M. E. is the Florida Association of Magical Entertainers
*************************************************************
Directory
Craig J. Fennessy – President – CraigFennessy@gmail.com
Chris Dunn- Vice President – Youngdunns@yahoo.com
Art Thomas – Treasurer – Art.Thomas@Disney.com
Dennis Philips- Secretary – Dennis@alliedcostumes.com
James Songster- Director at Large, - JjTjMagic@aol.com
Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms - talkingmute@tampabay.rr.com
Stefan Bartelski – Editor of “Famulus”- Famulus@illusioneer.com
*************************************************************
GET PUBLISHED!
Got an idea for an article to add to the next FAMULUS? Put it in the body of an email or in a Word document attached to an email. Send it to Famulus@illusioneer.com, and we will get you in print. Please, please, please, use the above e-mail address, your messages are in danger of getting lost if you do not do so.
2008-03 From The Editor
First of all apologies to the Ring for this late publication of the newsletter. A combination of flu, vacation and new employment messed up my schedule. I was sorry that I missed everyone at the Auction (vacation), I hope that it was a great success. Please would any of the attendees write a short description, especially someone who also particpated in the workshop.
Thanks to Joe and Dennis for their contributions,
Your editor
Thanks to Joe and Dennis for their contributions,
Your editor
2008-03 Ring Report The Bev Bergeron Ring
Ring Report Ring #170 The Bev Bergeron Ring
February is the month of love and our members must have loved showing up for the meeting. We had 36 people in the seats along with one guest, Dan Mattei. President Craig Fennessey gaveled the meeting to order with reports on magical activities around the area for the last month. Craig gave a review on the recent Magic by the Bay in Tampa. We have our annual ring flea market and auction coming up on March 8th. The featured lecturers will be Michael Ammar and Magic Ian. We also have some other interesting upcoming lectures for the rest of the year.
Phil Schwartz then presented Magical Moment #3. His mini-lectures have become a very rewarding part of our Ring activities. This month’s lecture was about magic posters. Phil explained that before modern broadcast, highway billboards and print media, posters were the main method of advertising theater magic shows.
He explained the different sizes of posters and how they were used in the golden age of posters from 1870 to 1920. From his own private collection, Phil showed some rare and valuable examples such as a Chung Ling Soo and Charles Carter poster along with a rare Servais LeRoy and Company poster. It resembled a Dali painting with disjointed flying animals and the magicians sitting on them! Our ring is fortunate to have Phil Schwartz, an acclaimed Thayer expert, as an active member enriching our knowledge of magic history.
Dan Stapleton followed up with an announcement that he is in the running for an appearance on Network TV’s “America’s Got Talent”. Most people have no idea of the preparation and process it takes to be on a network TV show.
With the business meeting ended, Mark Fitzgerald stepped up to Emcee the Ring Show for the evening. He first explained that his wife, Lynn, would be on a Travel Channel show that was recently filmed at the Winter Park Farmer’s Market. He then kicked off the show with the “Inside-Outside” card. Two cards were shown and folded in half and turned sideways. They seemed to flip as they were passed through each other. When passed for examination they were ungimmicked. Mark then brought up Dan Stapleton who did an effect from Magic Magazine based on the Hugard’s, “Piano Card Trick”. Dan’s trick involved two cloth napkins and 4 volunteers and 8 pairs of knives and forks. Mysteriously one knife changed from one side of the stage to the other.
Bev Bergeron made a small quarter disappear and promised that in 45 minutes he would make the moon disappear. Cleverly, Bev knew that a lunar eclipse was due at that time in Orlando and sure enough the moon turned to blood and then vanished! Mark returned to the stage for a Restoration type card trick. This is where a signed card is torn and then visibly restored. Sid McWethy made a candle and a rose appear from a scarf in keeping with a February Valentine theme. Mike Bondi, now a newspaper advertising representative, did a cut and restored rope that had been used to wrap a newspaper. He followed it up with the Gene Anderson Newspaper Tear made famous by Doug Henning. Bondi also turned coupons into real dollar bills.
Charlie Pfrogner had a classic fall-apart box where most of the sides opened up so the box could be seen empty. From this he did a clever silk production. It is always fun to see the classic magic from the 1950s. Mark Fitzgerald was back on with another Restoration Card effect but a different method. Last up was former Ring president, Richard Hewitt. Richard treated us to Ace Gorham’s BINGO trick. It is a real mentalism fooler. Five Bingo cards are handed out and by a totally free choice the five spectators who each got a card call the number out. All the numbers were different. When the numbers were totaled they matched the prediction that Richard had made.
With the meeting adjourned we went into the warm February night. Be with us on your next vacation or business trip to Orlando, Good things are always happening in Ring 170.
Dennis Phillips
February is the month of love and our members must have loved showing up for the meeting. We had 36 people in the seats along with one guest, Dan Mattei. President Craig Fennessey gaveled the meeting to order with reports on magical activities around the area for the last month. Craig gave a review on the recent Magic by the Bay in Tampa. We have our annual ring flea market and auction coming up on March 8th. The featured lecturers will be Michael Ammar and Magic Ian. We also have some other interesting upcoming lectures for the rest of the year.
Phil Schwartz then presented Magical Moment #3. His mini-lectures have become a very rewarding part of our Ring activities. This month’s lecture was about magic posters. Phil explained that before modern broadcast, highway billboards and print media, posters were the main method of advertising theater magic shows.
He explained the different sizes of posters and how they were used in the golden age of posters from 1870 to 1920. From his own private collection, Phil showed some rare and valuable examples such as a Chung Ling Soo and Charles Carter poster along with a rare Servais LeRoy and Company poster. It resembled a Dali painting with disjointed flying animals and the magicians sitting on them! Our ring is fortunate to have Phil Schwartz, an acclaimed Thayer expert, as an active member enriching our knowledge of magic history.
Dan Stapleton followed up with an announcement that he is in the running for an appearance on Network TV’s “America’s Got Talent”. Most people have no idea of the preparation and process it takes to be on a network TV show.
With the business meeting ended, Mark Fitzgerald stepped up to Emcee the Ring Show for the evening. He first explained that his wife, Lynn, would be on a Travel Channel show that was recently filmed at the Winter Park Farmer’s Market. He then kicked off the show with the “Inside-Outside” card. Two cards were shown and folded in half and turned sideways. They seemed to flip as they were passed through each other. When passed for examination they were ungimmicked. Mark then brought up Dan Stapleton who did an effect from Magic Magazine based on the Hugard’s, “Piano Card Trick”. Dan’s trick involved two cloth napkins and 4 volunteers and 8 pairs of knives and forks. Mysteriously one knife changed from one side of the stage to the other.
Bev Bergeron made a small quarter disappear and promised that in 45 minutes he would make the moon disappear. Cleverly, Bev knew that a lunar eclipse was due at that time in Orlando and sure enough the moon turned to blood and then vanished! Mark returned to the stage for a Restoration type card trick. This is where a signed card is torn and then visibly restored. Sid McWethy made a candle and a rose appear from a scarf in keeping with a February Valentine theme. Mike Bondi, now a newspaper advertising representative, did a cut and restored rope that had been used to wrap a newspaper. He followed it up with the Gene Anderson Newspaper Tear made famous by Doug Henning. Bondi also turned coupons into real dollar bills.
Charlie Pfrogner had a classic fall-apart box where most of the sides opened up so the box could be seen empty. From this he did a clever silk production. It is always fun to see the classic magic from the 1950s. Mark Fitzgerald was back on with another Restoration Card effect but a different method. Last up was former Ring president, Richard Hewitt. Richard treated us to Ace Gorham’s BINGO trick. It is a real mentalism fooler. Five Bingo cards are handed out and by a totally free choice the five spectators who each got a card call the number out. All the numbers were different. When the numbers were totaled they matched the prediction that Richard had made.
With the meeting adjourned we went into the warm February night. Be with us on your next vacation or business trip to Orlando, Good things are always happening in Ring 170.
Dennis Phillips
2008-03 Make Magazine Magic Issue
Volume 13: Abracadabra!
In this issue of MAKE, you'll perplex your pals and confound your colleagues with wooden blocks that seemingly pass through solid objects, balls that float, pens that dance at your command, and more. You'll also learn how to grow a half-ton pumpkin, make an irresistible fishing lure for 3 1/4 cents, build an air-powered "boom stick," and fashion a baseball cap that can wirelessly turn off obnoxious TV sets.
All this and more in MAKE, Volume 13. http://makezine.com/magazine/
I was able to pick up a copy at Virgin Megastore at Downtown Disney and I have seen the magazine at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. The magazine price is $14.99
JoeV
In this issue of MAKE, you'll perplex your pals and confound your colleagues with wooden blocks that seemingly pass through solid objects, balls that float, pens that dance at your command, and more. You'll also learn how to grow a half-ton pumpkin, make an irresistible fishing lure for 3 1/4 cents, build an air-powered "boom stick," and fashion a baseball cap that can wirelessly turn off obnoxious TV sets.
All this and more in MAKE, Volume 13. http://makezine.com/magazine/
I was able to pick up a copy at Virgin Megastore at Downtown Disney and I have seen the magazine at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. The magazine price is $14.99
JoeV
2008-03 Dennis' Deliberations
Okay, Okay, I am a glutton for punishment. Did any of you guys ever know a homely, shy girl in high school or college? You looked at her and she made very good grades, was reclusively friendly and you thought she had some potential to turn from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Maybe if you could get her to ditch the cat-eye glasses, style her hair, dress in current fashion, you could help her out. You forced a few social dates on her and kept hoping she would blossom. You soon found out that she did not want to change.
I am beginning to feel this way about “Magic by the Bay”, the Tampa Magic Convention held the middle of February. I believe this was the 3rd year. It is sponsored by the local Magic shop in Tampa. Marty, the owner seems to be trying to create a springtime version of Harry and Irv’s Daytona Magic event. Last year Richard Hewitt was kind enough to take me over and support my attendance. This year, I rode with Dan Stapleton, Luciano and Chris Dunn for the Saturday night show and a glimpse at the dealer areas.
It seems to me that the whole convention is just not very well thought out and executed. I can not speak for the lectures and Friday Night show this year but last year, they were like the girl in the first paragraph, full of potential, interesting but lacking much. Last year, Rocco was a one-trick-pony. Nearly everything he did was sleeving, He was good at it, as was Sterling Steal. But, how much of it can you take? The Friday Night Show last year was little better than a local Ring banquet show.
I was told that Marty tries to run the whole show by himself, without adequate and costly help, and that can greatly affect the flow and execution of the events.
After supper at Sonny’s Barbeque on Dale Mabry we set off for the short trip to Thomas Jefferson High School. Dan, Luciano, Chris and I ran into our Ring President Craig Fennessey and Jim Green from Mr. G’s Magic and Costumes in Jacksonville.
The High School auditorium ended up about less than half full with about 300 in the seats. As was true with last year, the lighting and sound were abysmal. They must have hired the spotlight operator from Stalag 13 in Hogan’s Heros. He could not find anyone on stage. The microphones did not work and the sound that came from them was horrible. You would think that basic lighting and sound is foundational to any stage show but the show producer seemed unconcerned.
Last year and the year before the master of ceremonies was Ronald McDonald. May I speculate that it was a stoned Ronald McDonald? That Ronald was the most droll, monotone clown I have ever seen. He made TV’s James Lipton seem like a raging extrovert. Well, there was no Ronald this year. In fact, there was no Master of Ceremonies! To use a phrase from Jack Parr, “I kid you not!” Marty, in blue jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, came out and announced the intermission! For a moment I thought a wino had wandered in off the street and on to the stage. Just before the second act, some unprofessional dude with sloppy blue jeans and his shirt tail hanging out came out on stage and did an impassioned plea to not let young children see the following act with Eran Raven. Maybe that act was why Ronald McDonald was not on the bill this year. On the way back home we all were laughing in the car saying that we never believed we could have wanted Ronald McDonald back.
Okay, down to the show. At least the first half was a real downer. First up was Darren Rockwell. Rockwell is in his late 20s, I think he basically did the same illusion he did in Daytona two years ago. Maybe someone can explain what the whole thing is supposed to be. I get the crushing the girl part-yawn- but I missed what the set up was supposed to be.
There was no introduction. The curtain opened and the girl was in coveralls on an aluminum ladder with a couple of boxes and a trunk around her. The “music” was some acid-grunge collection of noise that sounded like Kurt Cobain in his last gasps of life. The girl twirled a bit and out walked Rockwell in faded jeans, untied sneakers and a shirt that was not tucked in. He helped the girl remove her coveralls and she was in a Marilyn Monroe style white dress. He put her into the Girl Crusher with what seemed like the Gerry Frenette moves as seen on Frenette’s sales video. Watch it on You Tube, maybe you can make sense of what he is trying to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70gId6yO5NQ That had to have been the high point of his act because we were then treated to 20 minutes of nonsense with a one-way deck.
He began this effect by going out into the audience to supposedly find a girl with whom he could establish a mind link. He went though several women asking them to say the first thing that came into their mind when he said a word. With each one that failed he seemed annoyed and told them to sit down when they did not fill his needs. There was no attempt at softening the impact. No compliment, just “Sit down!”… How about him saying, “You are really pretty and have a sweet personality but we need some more time together”. Then give her a rose. Nope, none of this! The way he handled the ladies made him seem arrogant and abusive.
Finally he found a girl and brought her up on stage. Catch this; we are ten minutes into the routine! Ten minutes to just find a girl to help him! Next he had a low coffee table. He opened a deck of cards and spread the face down on the table and then went to the other side of the stage with a giant drawing pad. He instructed the girl to push out any card of her free choice and look at it and then cover everything with a pocket handkerchief. Standing at the other side of the stage he opened the large drawing pad and begin eliminating cards by asking the girl personal questions about her life. Does anyone really care she has been with her current boyfriend of 4 months? “Okay, let’s scratch out the 4 of hearts!” After another 5 minutes or so of this type of stuff he finally revealed the card she had selected. Maybe he did not use a one-way deck but he could have and he also could have cut the whole bit down to one-fourth the time. I have a bias against anything but the most simple and quick card tricks. The audience has to be able to follow the action. Whatever it is, the card trick must be more than just, the fact that you figured out the card. Maybe Rockwell is just young. I hope he gets over the impression I get that he enjoys hearing himself talk.
The next act was the biggest disappointment of the night. They brought in Eran Raven who was one of the participants on the recent NBC show called Phenomenon.
If you recall from Episode One (that show went downhill from there) he was the mentalist with the Nail guns. The shtick is that he has air-powered nail guns on a table and someone from the audience loads real nails into only one and he puts all of them to his head until the final one. He hesitates between the last two and then correctly figures the one that is unloaded. Believe me; the Tampa stage version was far less exciting, in spite of the fact that he had a tension filled introduction. First of all, Raven must be having a bad season because his hair was not trim as it was on the show. He looked greasy and tired. His voice was much weaker than on the TV show. Also lacking was all the music backgrounds, the camera angles and especially the noise of the nail guns. His guns were pathetic sounding… a little small click! On TV they sounded like AK-47s.
One issue was the woman he brought up on stage to risk his life … I had seen her at the dealer’s market with her son. He was a cute little kid trying to do some card tricks for us. He looked like his Dad was Eran Raven! I can pretty much tell when a woman has had bust enhancement by Goodyear or Dow Corning. She was just too much of a babe to be at a magic convention with her son. So… the first act was over… I reached into my pocket and felt my folding money and said to myself…”Twenty bucks, huh…is this night gonna be worth it?”
The curtain came up on the last half of the show and the stage was filled with red box tables and props of all sorts. It looked like they moved the dealer’s room on stage.
But, to the joy of many present, we finally got down to seeing some magic. The magician was Dick Johnson. He has appeared several times at the Sanford Fun World Pavilion and is an old act that spent many years on the fair circuits. Dick has to be in his late 60s or early 70s but he is still energetic and has a gift of gab that is needed as a County Fair performer. He is a throw back to the old magicians you saw doing school shows in the 50s and 60s and at amusement parks.
At a result of his venues, all his props are out on stage to begin with and he shuffles boxes and bags and props out of his tables. We saw a very competent presentation of a number of Abbott’s’ classic tricks. One standout was his Crystal Coin ladder done as a Miser’s Dream. It was a solid crowd pleaser. He opened with several dove productions from props. He used a parrot as well as a duck and a guinea pig. The guinea pig was used in a sucker die box vanish created by Jack Gwynne. He ended with the Jig Saw version of the Visible Sawing a Girl in half. He made a comment that he got his rabbit at a county fair in Isle of Wight, Virginia. I have been to Isle of Wight, Virginia. Folks there still think that Roosevelt is president (Teddy Roosevelt). Hey, most of us are still doing stuff from the Teddy Roosevelt era! He did not do cutting-edge magic but he performed well. We all gave him a standing ovation when his act was over.
The final act of the evening was Roy Huston. I have known Roy since the early 60s. I remember seeing him at the MAES Convention in 1964, assisted by his mother. I always considered Roy a circus and carnival performer, but I could make the case that he was the legitimate successor to Bill Neff. Roy tried his hand, with some measure of success, in the fading spook show market before it came to a close in the late 60s. Many editions of the Abbott’s catalog had an old photo of Roy with his mother emerging from the Girl in the Drum illusion. Roy is a lot like Dick Johnson. He is an old guy with an old traditional act. But, just because the props and style are old does not mean that they still can not be entertaining. Roy did fine.
He opened with the Girl in Drum, his signature piece. The girls were in circus style costumes and Roy was in a brown and tan tux. He has a belly and stoops a bit in old age. Actually when he stands straight, his full mane of gray hair creates an imposing look. Again, because of technical glitches, his microphone did not work most of the time so we were treated to his soft and low husky cigarette voice, cultured by years of carnival work. He handled the glitches with the sound system with graceful humor. Roy followed his opening with the seldom seen, Rod through the Girl. He pushed a brass tube through the middle of the girl and then blew smoke through it. I recall Joe Smiley making this a real miracle by dimming the lights and running a lighted neon tube through the girl. His red-head assistant was a cute, shapely and trained well. Later I was told she was Phil Chandler’s daughter. He was an old circus magician. She was in contrast to the assistant we had next.
The curtains opened and Roy introduced another illusion. The illusion was a tip-over box with a set of rollers on top. The idea was that a “witch” got inside and he rolled her out flat, showed the box empty and then returned her to normal. The major issue was that the witch was in a very skimpy outfit and at least 50 to 75 pounds over weight as well as being pasty white! The woman did not belong in that dress. When she turned sideways, every guy in the audience prayed that she did not fall out of the costume.
Roy then went into a giant Hippity Hop Skeleton routine in front of the curtain. I liked his corny lines. One skeleton was white and the other was “Red Skeleton”. He was doing the “Graveyard Shift”. The routine ended with the sucker finish: the back sides were tomb stones.
The curtains opened and Roy explained that his next illusion had been a feature many years ago on the Blackstone Sr. illusion show. He said that he and Yip De Louis had revived it in 1970 when Yip made the first one for him since then days of Blackstone. There was a tall open cabinet with 24 long light bulbs. The girl stood up against the bulbs and Roy put a cover over the front with holes for the light bulbs to emerge. Two big roller shades were pulled on the side. He then pushed back the cover and squeezed the girl into the lit bulbs. It appeared than they had penetrated the girl. This was the one place in the show where they worked the stage lights correctly and when the stage went dark, with just the bulbs illuminating the cabinet, the effect was “electric” to say the least. Unfortunately, Roy never moved the lighted cabinet from side to side, so we were just treated to a straight-on view and some of the depth was lost to us. But I am happy to see this seldom seen and powerful illusion. I like the Yip de Lou version because there is no larger frame, such as Owens uses, to blunt the effect.
He closed the show with an Egyptian sequence. An assistant brought out a Safari jacket and a pith helmet and he dressed as “Indiana Huston”. The curtain opened and an Egyptian queen was produced from the Classic Mummy Case. She also needed a membership at LA Fitness. He went right into the classic Indian Basket themed as an Egyptian pyramid. The girl emerged unharmed and Roy and his crew came out for a final bow. The audience also gave him a standing ovation. Roy’s act brought back memories of the Friday Night Abbott’s Get Together shows in the late 60s. As I left, I guess I finally got my twenty bucks worth.
I keep hoping this Tampa Bay thing can turn into a nice springtime convention. It is not there yet and not making much progress but I will see how they do next year. Hope springs eternal.
Dennis Phillips
I am beginning to feel this way about “Magic by the Bay”, the Tampa Magic Convention held the middle of February. I believe this was the 3rd year. It is sponsored by the local Magic shop in Tampa. Marty, the owner seems to be trying to create a springtime version of Harry and Irv’s Daytona Magic event. Last year Richard Hewitt was kind enough to take me over and support my attendance. This year, I rode with Dan Stapleton, Luciano and Chris Dunn for the Saturday night show and a glimpse at the dealer areas.
It seems to me that the whole convention is just not very well thought out and executed. I can not speak for the lectures and Friday Night show this year but last year, they were like the girl in the first paragraph, full of potential, interesting but lacking much. Last year, Rocco was a one-trick-pony. Nearly everything he did was sleeving, He was good at it, as was Sterling Steal. But, how much of it can you take? The Friday Night Show last year was little better than a local Ring banquet show.
I was told that Marty tries to run the whole show by himself, without adequate and costly help, and that can greatly affect the flow and execution of the events.
After supper at Sonny’s Barbeque on Dale Mabry we set off for the short trip to Thomas Jefferson High School. Dan, Luciano, Chris and I ran into our Ring President Craig Fennessey and Jim Green from Mr. G’s Magic and Costumes in Jacksonville.
The High School auditorium ended up about less than half full with about 300 in the seats. As was true with last year, the lighting and sound were abysmal. They must have hired the spotlight operator from Stalag 13 in Hogan’s Heros. He could not find anyone on stage. The microphones did not work and the sound that came from them was horrible. You would think that basic lighting and sound is foundational to any stage show but the show producer seemed unconcerned.
Last year and the year before the master of ceremonies was Ronald McDonald. May I speculate that it was a stoned Ronald McDonald? That Ronald was the most droll, monotone clown I have ever seen. He made TV’s James Lipton seem like a raging extrovert. Well, there was no Ronald this year. In fact, there was no Master of Ceremonies! To use a phrase from Jack Parr, “I kid you not!” Marty, in blue jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, came out and announced the intermission! For a moment I thought a wino had wandered in off the street and on to the stage. Just before the second act, some unprofessional dude with sloppy blue jeans and his shirt tail hanging out came out on stage and did an impassioned plea to not let young children see the following act with Eran Raven. Maybe that act was why Ronald McDonald was not on the bill this year. On the way back home we all were laughing in the car saying that we never believed we could have wanted Ronald McDonald back.
Okay, down to the show. At least the first half was a real downer. First up was Darren Rockwell. Rockwell is in his late 20s, I think he basically did the same illusion he did in Daytona two years ago. Maybe someone can explain what the whole thing is supposed to be. I get the crushing the girl part-yawn- but I missed what the set up was supposed to be.
There was no introduction. The curtain opened and the girl was in coveralls on an aluminum ladder with a couple of boxes and a trunk around her. The “music” was some acid-grunge collection of noise that sounded like Kurt Cobain in his last gasps of life. The girl twirled a bit and out walked Rockwell in faded jeans, untied sneakers and a shirt that was not tucked in. He helped the girl remove her coveralls and she was in a Marilyn Monroe style white dress. He put her into the Girl Crusher with what seemed like the Gerry Frenette moves as seen on Frenette’s sales video. Watch it on You Tube, maybe you can make sense of what he is trying to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70gId6yO5NQ That had to have been the high point of his act because we were then treated to 20 minutes of nonsense with a one-way deck.
He began this effect by going out into the audience to supposedly find a girl with whom he could establish a mind link. He went though several women asking them to say the first thing that came into their mind when he said a word. With each one that failed he seemed annoyed and told them to sit down when they did not fill his needs. There was no attempt at softening the impact. No compliment, just “Sit down!”… How about him saying, “You are really pretty and have a sweet personality but we need some more time together”. Then give her a rose. Nope, none of this! The way he handled the ladies made him seem arrogant and abusive.
Finally he found a girl and brought her up on stage. Catch this; we are ten minutes into the routine! Ten minutes to just find a girl to help him! Next he had a low coffee table. He opened a deck of cards and spread the face down on the table and then went to the other side of the stage with a giant drawing pad. He instructed the girl to push out any card of her free choice and look at it and then cover everything with a pocket handkerchief. Standing at the other side of the stage he opened the large drawing pad and begin eliminating cards by asking the girl personal questions about her life. Does anyone really care she has been with her current boyfriend of 4 months? “Okay, let’s scratch out the 4 of hearts!” After another 5 minutes or so of this type of stuff he finally revealed the card she had selected. Maybe he did not use a one-way deck but he could have and he also could have cut the whole bit down to one-fourth the time. I have a bias against anything but the most simple and quick card tricks. The audience has to be able to follow the action. Whatever it is, the card trick must be more than just, the fact that you figured out the card. Maybe Rockwell is just young. I hope he gets over the impression I get that he enjoys hearing himself talk.
The next act was the biggest disappointment of the night. They brought in Eran Raven who was one of the participants on the recent NBC show called Phenomenon.
If you recall from Episode One (that show went downhill from there) he was the mentalist with the Nail guns. The shtick is that he has air-powered nail guns on a table and someone from the audience loads real nails into only one and he puts all of them to his head until the final one. He hesitates between the last two and then correctly figures the one that is unloaded. Believe me; the Tampa stage version was far less exciting, in spite of the fact that he had a tension filled introduction. First of all, Raven must be having a bad season because his hair was not trim as it was on the show. He looked greasy and tired. His voice was much weaker than on the TV show. Also lacking was all the music backgrounds, the camera angles and especially the noise of the nail guns. His guns were pathetic sounding… a little small click! On TV they sounded like AK-47s.
One issue was the woman he brought up on stage to risk his life … I had seen her at the dealer’s market with her son. He was a cute little kid trying to do some card tricks for us. He looked like his Dad was Eran Raven! I can pretty much tell when a woman has had bust enhancement by Goodyear or Dow Corning. She was just too much of a babe to be at a magic convention with her son. So… the first act was over… I reached into my pocket and felt my folding money and said to myself…”Twenty bucks, huh…is this night gonna be worth it?”
The curtain came up on the last half of the show and the stage was filled with red box tables and props of all sorts. It looked like they moved the dealer’s room on stage.
But, to the joy of many present, we finally got down to seeing some magic. The magician was Dick Johnson. He has appeared several times at the Sanford Fun World Pavilion and is an old act that spent many years on the fair circuits. Dick has to be in his late 60s or early 70s but he is still energetic and has a gift of gab that is needed as a County Fair performer. He is a throw back to the old magicians you saw doing school shows in the 50s and 60s and at amusement parks.
At a result of his venues, all his props are out on stage to begin with and he shuffles boxes and bags and props out of his tables. We saw a very competent presentation of a number of Abbott’s’ classic tricks. One standout was his Crystal Coin ladder done as a Miser’s Dream. It was a solid crowd pleaser. He opened with several dove productions from props. He used a parrot as well as a duck and a guinea pig. The guinea pig was used in a sucker die box vanish created by Jack Gwynne. He ended with the Jig Saw version of the Visible Sawing a Girl in half. He made a comment that he got his rabbit at a county fair in Isle of Wight, Virginia. I have been to Isle of Wight, Virginia. Folks there still think that Roosevelt is president (Teddy Roosevelt). Hey, most of us are still doing stuff from the Teddy Roosevelt era! He did not do cutting-edge magic but he performed well. We all gave him a standing ovation when his act was over.
The final act of the evening was Roy Huston. I have known Roy since the early 60s. I remember seeing him at the MAES Convention in 1964, assisted by his mother. I always considered Roy a circus and carnival performer, but I could make the case that he was the legitimate successor to Bill Neff. Roy tried his hand, with some measure of success, in the fading spook show market before it came to a close in the late 60s. Many editions of the Abbott’s catalog had an old photo of Roy with his mother emerging from the Girl in the Drum illusion. Roy is a lot like Dick Johnson. He is an old guy with an old traditional act. But, just because the props and style are old does not mean that they still can not be entertaining. Roy did fine.
He opened with the Girl in Drum, his signature piece. The girls were in circus style costumes and Roy was in a brown and tan tux. He has a belly and stoops a bit in old age. Actually when he stands straight, his full mane of gray hair creates an imposing look. Again, because of technical glitches, his microphone did not work most of the time so we were treated to his soft and low husky cigarette voice, cultured by years of carnival work. He handled the glitches with the sound system with graceful humor. Roy followed his opening with the seldom seen, Rod through the Girl. He pushed a brass tube through the middle of the girl and then blew smoke through it. I recall Joe Smiley making this a real miracle by dimming the lights and running a lighted neon tube through the girl. His red-head assistant was a cute, shapely and trained well. Later I was told she was Phil Chandler’s daughter. He was an old circus magician. She was in contrast to the assistant we had next.
The curtains opened and Roy introduced another illusion. The illusion was a tip-over box with a set of rollers on top. The idea was that a “witch” got inside and he rolled her out flat, showed the box empty and then returned her to normal. The major issue was that the witch was in a very skimpy outfit and at least 50 to 75 pounds over weight as well as being pasty white! The woman did not belong in that dress. When she turned sideways, every guy in the audience prayed that she did not fall out of the costume.
Roy then went into a giant Hippity Hop Skeleton routine in front of the curtain. I liked his corny lines. One skeleton was white and the other was “Red Skeleton”. He was doing the “Graveyard Shift”. The routine ended with the sucker finish: the back sides were tomb stones.
The curtains opened and Roy explained that his next illusion had been a feature many years ago on the Blackstone Sr. illusion show. He said that he and Yip De Louis had revived it in 1970 when Yip made the first one for him since then days of Blackstone. There was a tall open cabinet with 24 long light bulbs. The girl stood up against the bulbs and Roy put a cover over the front with holes for the light bulbs to emerge. Two big roller shades were pulled on the side. He then pushed back the cover and squeezed the girl into the lit bulbs. It appeared than they had penetrated the girl. This was the one place in the show where they worked the stage lights correctly and when the stage went dark, with just the bulbs illuminating the cabinet, the effect was “electric” to say the least. Unfortunately, Roy never moved the lighted cabinet from side to side, so we were just treated to a straight-on view and some of the depth was lost to us. But I am happy to see this seldom seen and powerful illusion. I like the Yip de Lou version because there is no larger frame, such as Owens uses, to blunt the effect.
He closed the show with an Egyptian sequence. An assistant brought out a Safari jacket and a pith helmet and he dressed as “Indiana Huston”. The curtain opened and an Egyptian queen was produced from the Classic Mummy Case. She also needed a membership at LA Fitness. He went right into the classic Indian Basket themed as an Egyptian pyramid. The girl emerged unharmed and Roy and his crew came out for a final bow. The audience also gave him a standing ovation. Roy’s act brought back memories of the Friday Night Abbott’s Get Together shows in the late 60s. As I left, I guess I finally got my twenty bucks worth.
I keep hoping this Tampa Bay thing can turn into a nice springtime convention. It is not there yet and not making much progress but I will see how they do next year. Hope springs eternal.
Dennis Phillips
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
2008-02 Famulus newsletter of IBM Ring 170
Newsletter of IBM Ring #170
The Bev Bergeron Ring
Next general meeting Wednesday, 02/20/2008 at 7:30 PM SHARP
Board meeting at 6:30 pm
Meeting theme: Valentine's Magic
Marks Street Center, 99 Mark Street, downtown Orlando
If you visit with us and do not know the room we meet in , please be aware that some of the people in the office at the Senior Center may not be aware we are meeting there! At the last meeting one visitor asked where the "IBM" was meeting and the management apparently thought they were asking for the International Business Machines group! They said that there was no "IBM" on the schedule. So, if you have never been to our ring meeting , please say "magicians" or "FAME" and if that doesn't get the room location , just walk around looking for us. The Senior Center is a public building.
Lunch meetings every Tuesday at noon at Goodings (next to the food court)
Website: http://www.ring170.com/
F. A. M. E. is the Florida Association of Magical Entertainers
*************************************************************
Directory
Craig J. Fennessy – President – CraigFennessy@gmail.com
Chris Dunn- Vice President – Youngdunns@yahoo.com
Art Thomas – Treasurer – Art.Thomas@Disney.com
Dennis Philips- Secretary – Dennis@alliedcostumes.com
James Songster- Director at Large, - JjTjMagic@aol.com
Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms - talkingmute@tampabay.rr.com
Stefan Bartelski – Editor of “Famulus”- Famulus@illusioneer.com
*************************************************************
GET PUBLISHED!
Got an idea for an article to add to the next FAMULUS? Put it in the body of an email or in a Word document attached to an email. Send it to Famulus@illusioneer.com, and we will get you in print. Please, please, please, use the above e-mail address, your messages are in danger of getting lost if you do not do so.
The Bev Bergeron Ring
Next general meeting Wednesday, 02/20/2008 at 7:30 PM SHARP
Board meeting at 6:30 pm
Meeting theme: Valentine's Magic
Marks Street Center, 99 Mark Street, downtown Orlando
If you visit with us and do not know the room we meet in , please be aware that some of the people in the office at the Senior Center may not be aware we are meeting there! At the last meeting one visitor asked where the "IBM" was meeting and the management apparently thought they were asking for the International Business Machines group! They said that there was no "IBM" on the schedule. So, if you have never been to our ring meeting , please say "magicians" or "FAME" and if that doesn't get the room location , just walk around looking for us. The Senior Center is a public building.
Lunch meetings every Tuesday at noon at Goodings (next to the food court)
Website: http://www.ring170.com/
F. A. M. E. is the Florida Association of Magical Entertainers
*************************************************************
Directory
Craig J. Fennessy – President – CraigFennessy@gmail.com
Chris Dunn- Vice President – Youngdunns@yahoo.com
Art Thomas – Treasurer – Art.Thomas@Disney.com
Dennis Philips- Secretary – Dennis@alliedcostumes.com
James Songster- Director at Large, - JjTjMagic@aol.com
Joe Vecciarelli- Sgt at Arms - talkingmute@tampabay.rr.com
Stefan Bartelski – Editor of “Famulus”- Famulus@illusioneer.com
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2008-02 From the Editor
In line with Dennis' theme this month I wish you all :Gung Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese for a happy and prosperous New Year). Quite a month for magic lectures, in addition to managing to make the John Carney lecture, I also attended a session at Denny & Lee's new store in Baltimore. Different to the usual lecture, this was a lesson in stage and presentation craft under the tutelage of the famous Bob Fitch. This was a very educational presentation, a half day version of Bob's famous five day sessions.
For those that makes this months meeting, Dan Stapleton has promised to tell his experiences auditioning for "America's Got Talent". Sounds interesting!
Thanks again to all this months contributers, and don't forget the Auction with 2! free lectures, as well as a special Ammar workshop.
Your editor
For those that makes this months meeting, Dan Stapleton has promised to tell his experiences auditioning for "America's Got Talent". Sounds interesting!
Thanks again to all this months contributers, and don't forget the Auction with 2! free lectures, as well as a special Ammar workshop.
Your editor
2008-02 Ring Report Ring #170 The Bev Bergeron Ring
January is usually a mild weather month in Central Florida and tourists enjoy a warm Winter break from the Northern cold. Local magicians are usually at work in the attractions and with tourist related activities. Our Wednesday night Ring meeting was well attended. President Craig Fennessey gaveled the meeting to order and announcements were made about future lectures and events. We always have these dates and locations on our Ring 170 website. Guests included Hani and his son Ryan from Chicago. Michael Hajeck was also a guest renewing his interest in magic. Dan Stapleton gave us a recap on his experiences as a featured performer at the last Daytona Magic Convention. It is always interesting to hear what it is like backstage at one of these events. Dan also told us about his recent trip to New York City.
James and Joe are busy at the Ohio Renaissance Fair and will soon come south to Florida for “Ren” fairs around here. Anyone with a few thousand extra dollars burning a hole in their pocket might be excited to know that their investment dollars are needed for becoming a partner in opening up a magic shop in Key West, Florida.
With the business meeting adjourned, it was time for the monthly ring show. Bondi agreed to Emcee. He began with a humorous explanation that he was a former mortgage broker and now, with the collapse of the real estate market, he is a newspaper advertising salesman. He did a quick plain paper to a stack of dollar bills and rolled up the bills to pull out the green fibers. Chris Dunn was first up with the new Tenyo “Spikes through Balloon”. This version seemed ungimmicked and different from Bob Gurtler’s (Andre Kole) original invention. Chris concluded with an “Any Card called for” effect. Dan Stapleton gave away one of his videos and presented an effect from it that he called “Plates”. He successfully determined four playing cards that had been selected and written by four spectators on paper plates.
Charlie Pfrogner, our Ring Dean of Creativity, had a clever original effect with an “elephant cage”. It was an “inside-outside” box. An elephant silk vanished from a small crystal silk cylinder and reappeared in the box. Charlie said it was an “asbestos” trick… “It was the best I could do”! Bev Bergeron took the stage and enchanted us with an old but great effect. The “cat’s eye” was a small red plastic box and a marble and a silk hankie. The marble “escaped” from the sealed box just like Houdini did from a locked truck.
Magic Ian did a great variation and combination of classic Bob Carver effect, “Professor’s Nightmare” and Linking Ropes. Bondi was back with a four of hearts card turning into a four of spades. Finally Dan Dyer, a former ring officer and now Lake County resident, presented a cardboard box filled with Ring 170 memorabilia, photos and records. It was at least 2 decades old and included ash trays! Dan also treated us to his comic presentation with a spring raccoon.
With the Ring meeting concluded we look forward to a year of more ring fun. Join us when you are in Orlando.
Good things are always happening in Ring 170.
Dennis Phillips
James and Joe are busy at the Ohio Renaissance Fair and will soon come south to Florida for “Ren” fairs around here. Anyone with a few thousand extra dollars burning a hole in their pocket might be excited to know that their investment dollars are needed for becoming a partner in opening up a magic shop in Key West, Florida.
With the business meeting adjourned, it was time for the monthly ring show. Bondi agreed to Emcee. He began with a humorous explanation that he was a former mortgage broker and now, with the collapse of the real estate market, he is a newspaper advertising salesman. He did a quick plain paper to a stack of dollar bills and rolled up the bills to pull out the green fibers. Chris Dunn was first up with the new Tenyo “Spikes through Balloon”. This version seemed ungimmicked and different from Bob Gurtler’s (Andre Kole) original invention. Chris concluded with an “Any Card called for” effect. Dan Stapleton gave away one of his videos and presented an effect from it that he called “Plates”. He successfully determined four playing cards that had been selected and written by four spectators on paper plates.
Charlie Pfrogner, our Ring Dean of Creativity, had a clever original effect with an “elephant cage”. It was an “inside-outside” box. An elephant silk vanished from a small crystal silk cylinder and reappeared in the box. Charlie said it was an “asbestos” trick… “It was the best I could do”! Bev Bergeron took the stage and enchanted us with an old but great effect. The “cat’s eye” was a small red plastic box and a marble and a silk hankie. The marble “escaped” from the sealed box just like Houdini did from a locked truck.
Magic Ian did a great variation and combination of classic Bob Carver effect, “Professor’s Nightmare” and Linking Ropes. Bondi was back with a four of hearts card turning into a four of spades. Finally Dan Dyer, a former ring officer and now Lake County resident, presented a cardboard box filled with Ring 170 memorabilia, photos and records. It was at least 2 decades old and included ash trays! Dan also treated us to his comic presentation with a spring raccoon.
With the Ring meeting concluded we look forward to a year of more ring fun. Join us when you are in Orlando.
Good things are always happening in Ring 170.
Dennis Phillips
2008-02 Ring 170 Magic Auction & Lectures
FAME of Greater Orlando
IBM RING 170
PRESENTS
Saturday, March 8, 2008
9:00 AM – 5:30PM
Magic Flea Market / Auction Workshop & 2 Free Lectures
Great Fun Great Deals
New & Used Magic
- Plenty of Free parking -
Rent table space and sell your old unused magic.
For full table $15.00, plus $10.00 per person admission. Contact:Art.Thomas@Disney.com to reserve a table. Payment at the door.
GENERAL ADMISSION: $10.00
SCHEDULE:
8:00am - Flea Market Load-in & Set-up
9:00am - Flea Market Opens
10:00am – 11:30am - Private workshop, by Michael Ammar
(Additional cost: Workshop is limited to first 15 people)
12:00pm - Flea Market Closes
12:15pm -12:45 Free mini lecture by Magic Ian – Rope Magic
1:00pm - 2:45- Headliner lecture, by Michael Ammar, Free with admission
3:00-4:30pm – Auction
Food & Drink available on site
LOCATION:
Christ the King Lutheran Church – Barnabas Hall
(4962 Apopka-Vineland Rd., Orlando, Fl 32819) Call: 407-947-1182 for more info.
• Take I-4 to Exit 74A-Sandlake/International Dr. exit
• Turn west onto Sandlake Rd. go 1.3 miles to Apopka-Vineland Rd.
• Turn right onto Apopka-Vineland, go north 3 miles (4 traffic lights).
• First left driveway after Woodbreeze Rd. traffic light.
Please note there is an additional price for the Ammar private workshop. This is a very special workshop by Michael Ammar. Go to www.Ring170 for more info.
E-mail CraigFennessy@gmail.com for workshop reservations.
IBM RING 170
PRESENTS
Saturday, March 8, 2008
9:00 AM – 5:30PM
Magic Flea Market / Auction Workshop & 2 Free Lectures
Great Fun Great Deals
New & Used Magic
- Plenty of Free parking -
Rent table space and sell your old unused magic.
For full table $15.00, plus $10.00 per person admission. Contact:Art.Thomas@Disney.com to reserve a table. Payment at the door.
GENERAL ADMISSION: $10.00
SCHEDULE:
8:00am - Flea Market Load-in & Set-up
9:00am - Flea Market Opens
10:00am – 11:30am - Private workshop, by Michael Ammar
(Additional cost: Workshop is limited to first 15 people)
12:00pm - Flea Market Closes
12:15pm -12:45 Free mini lecture by Magic Ian – Rope Magic
1:00pm - 2:45- Headliner lecture, by Michael Ammar, Free with admission
3:00-4:30pm – Auction
Food & Drink available on site
LOCATION:
Christ the King Lutheran Church – Barnabas Hall
(4962 Apopka-Vineland Rd., Orlando, Fl 32819) Call: 407-947-1182 for more info.
• Take I-4 to Exit 74A-Sandlake/International Dr. exit
• Turn west onto Sandlake Rd. go 1.3 miles to Apopka-Vineland Rd.
• Turn right onto Apopka-Vineland, go north 3 miles (4 traffic lights).
• First left driveway after Woodbreeze Rd. traffic light.
Please note there is an additional price for the Ammar private workshop. This is a very special workshop by Michael Ammar. Go to www.Ring170 for more info.
E-mail CraigFennessy@gmail.com for workshop reservations.
2008-02 Bob Sanders lecture
Sunday February 17th 1:30 PM til 4:30
at The NY Cafe, 1690 CITRUS BLVD. (HIWAYS 27/441).
admission $10 courtesy rate to Orlando and Tampa IBM members, Ring 258 paid local dues members are Free, guests and non-members $15
Limited seating, RSVP to Imailto:Ian@magicians.ws (to get a head count).
------------
Lecture on Silks, plus huge dealer display of fine silk magic products.
Effects with silks and props (eggs, dye tubes, etc.) and give more emphasis to taking individual tricks and working them into a routine that flows better than the separate tricks.
Custom art for silks that they can do for themselves. (How to do it and examples to show.) Any questions on Doves and dove steals Bob is the one to ask. He wrote the "Dove Hotline" for many years. A most knowledgeable man, and a very informative lecture.
Cash or checks accepted for products.
Bob Sanders
Bio
Bob was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama and has always called it home from where ever he might have been at the time. Although he was raised as a cowboy, his mother, a singer/dancer, always encouraged him to pursue the entertainment business. By age thirteen he had a personal manager, agent and contract with a major movie/recording company. He was already performing in theaters and on stage as a professional musician with recording artists and movie stars. (He also went to school with John Denver.) Upon going off to college at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Bob started American Artists Enterprises as a personal management and booking agency for professional entertainers and a firm that traded and negotiated recording contracts. It had offices in Tuscaloosa and New York. Uniquely, it was also the largest agency in the USA handling live entertainment for shopping centers and malls. Over 542 malls and shopping centers bought their live entertainment though AAE. That kept a lot of magicians and variety acts working.
At college graduation, Bob had service in the US Navy ahead of him, so he sold American Artists Enterprises and had to leave the world of commercial music forever. He went exclusively into the magic he had begun at age sixteen. In 1969, following the advice of other professional entertainer friends and to give privacy, he began working professionally as Magic By Sander. In his forty-something years in the business, Bob has performed stage shows in theaters, hotels, fairs, conventions and ballrooms around the country. He also has decades of experience in fundraisers, trade shows and sponsored corporate magic as well as talent in television commercials. His corporate clients have included the world’s largest private daycare provider, the most profitable brewing company in America, some of the largest consumer electronics firms in the world, the largest shopping mall management firm in the USA, the nations largest retailer, major advertising agencies, several leaders of the computer/information industry, medical care providers and communications firms. He has turned down invitations to perform for Worldwide Magical Congresses in Mexico City and Calcutta, India.
Bob has been active in magical fraternal and professional organizations since the 1960s. Those include the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians and the secretive Wizards of the Ozarks (professional magicians of the West and Midwest), which elected him Magicians’ Magician of the Year 1981-82. During that period he was doing over 200 stage shows a year, working on a Ph.D. in marketing, management, and finance; and caring for his infant son on the road with him. He has held offices in all of the major magical organizations. In the 80s he was responsible for transferring part of SAM’s film library to VHS tape. He is a seasoned lecturer available through the Magicians Lecture Network.
Among magicians he is best known for dove magic. Perhaps that is because he is the originator of Dove Hotline on the Internet and he wrote it for about seven years. Tony Clark handled it for a couple of years while Bob worked on a couple of books. Bob has returned to writing Dove Hotline in March 2006. Bob is on staff at The Magic Café. He also posts on PMZZ, KIDabra and the Genii forum.
at The NY Cafe, 1690 CITRUS BLVD. (HIWAYS 27/441).
admission $10 courtesy rate to Orlando and Tampa IBM members, Ring 258 paid local dues members are Free, guests and non-members $15
Limited seating, RSVP to Imailto:Ian@magicians.ws (to get a head count).
------------
Lecture on Silks, plus huge dealer display of fine silk magic products.
Effects with silks and props (eggs, dye tubes, etc.) and give more emphasis to taking individual tricks and working them into a routine that flows better than the separate tricks.
Custom art for silks that they can do for themselves. (How to do it and examples to show.) Any questions on Doves and dove steals Bob is the one to ask. He wrote the "Dove Hotline" for many years. A most knowledgeable man, and a very informative lecture.
Cash or checks accepted for products.
Bob Sanders
Bio
Bob was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama and has always called it home from where ever he might have been at the time. Although he was raised as a cowboy, his mother, a singer/dancer, always encouraged him to pursue the entertainment business. By age thirteen he had a personal manager, agent and contract with a major movie/recording company. He was already performing in theaters and on stage as a professional musician with recording artists and movie stars. (He also went to school with John Denver.) Upon going off to college at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Bob started American Artists Enterprises as a personal management and booking agency for professional entertainers and a firm that traded and negotiated recording contracts. It had offices in Tuscaloosa and New York. Uniquely, it was also the largest agency in the USA handling live entertainment for shopping centers and malls. Over 542 malls and shopping centers bought their live entertainment though AAE. That kept a lot of magicians and variety acts working.
At college graduation, Bob had service in the US Navy ahead of him, so he sold American Artists Enterprises and had to leave the world of commercial music forever. He went exclusively into the magic he had begun at age sixteen. In 1969, following the advice of other professional entertainer friends and to give privacy, he began working professionally as Magic By Sander. In his forty-something years in the business, Bob has performed stage shows in theaters, hotels, fairs, conventions and ballrooms around the country. He also has decades of experience in fundraisers, trade shows and sponsored corporate magic as well as talent in television commercials. His corporate clients have included the world’s largest private daycare provider, the most profitable brewing company in America, some of the largest consumer electronics firms in the world, the largest shopping mall management firm in the USA, the nations largest retailer, major advertising agencies, several leaders of the computer/information industry, medical care providers and communications firms. He has turned down invitations to perform for Worldwide Magical Congresses in Mexico City and Calcutta, India.
Bob has been active in magical fraternal and professional organizations since the 1960s. Those include the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians and the secretive Wizards of the Ozarks (professional magicians of the West and Midwest), which elected him Magicians’ Magician of the Year 1981-82. During that period he was doing over 200 stage shows a year, working on a Ph.D. in marketing, management, and finance; and caring for his infant son on the road with him. He has held offices in all of the major magical organizations. In the 80s he was responsible for transferring part of SAM’s film library to VHS tape. He is a seasoned lecturer available through the Magicians Lecture Network.
Among magicians he is best known for dove magic. Perhaps that is because he is the originator of Dove Hotline on the Internet and he wrote it for about seven years. Tony Clark handled it for a couple of years while Bob worked on a couple of books. Bob has returned to writing Dove Hotline in March 2006. Bob is on staff at The Magic Café. He also posts on PMZZ, KIDabra and the Genii forum.
2008-02 Sheldon Brooks operation
Sheldon Brooks one of our good members who, when missing can be foundworking on cruise ships, was operated on a couple of weeks ago. He was having major problems with moving his fingers on one of his hands. The problem was found in the nerve section of his neck. What may seen like a very simple operation can also be a very dangerous one.
He hopes to be able to drive his car in time for ourFebruary meeting.
Bev - b
He hopes to be able to drive his car in time for ourFebruary meeting.
Bev - b
2008-02 Close Encounters...with a real magician!
When I was in my teens, some 45 years ago or so, I used to frequent the Hornman & Martinka Magic Shop in Manhattan on Saturdays. At that time it was owned by the late, great Coney Island Fakir... Al Flosso!
One Saturday morning, after riding in to Manhattan on the LIRR, (Long Island Rail Road, for those of you who have never been to "the island") I climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor landing and opened the door to that musty, dusty world of wonders ... Hornman & Martinka. As I entered Al quickly caught my attention with his heavy Brooklyn, Jewish accent...
"Here kid, watch what I'm gonna' do!"
I turned to see him behind the display case holding up a walking cane. He held the ends of the cane and in a flash it was gone and a bouquet of brightly colored feather flowers appeared where the cane had been! I was completely taken by the effect! (Bought the cane on the spot. Couldn't afford the flowers!)
Al diverted his eyes, and looked past me, to a man sitting in the big easy chair in the corner. I had not noticed him there when I entered the shop.
Al asked the man "Well, what do you think Joe?"
Joe answered something to the effect of "Pretty nice."
Then Al Flosso had the good graces to introduce me to one of the worlds most famous magicians & mentalists...Joseph Dunninger!
Mr. Dunninger was in New York for an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Mr. Dunninger. After spending a few hours "talking shop" with Al & Joe, I left for home that afternoon with an autographed copy of one of Dunningers books on magic.
Yes, it really happened!
Magically,
Roger "Cigam" Reid
One Saturday morning, after riding in to Manhattan on the LIRR, (Long Island Rail Road, for those of you who have never been to "the island") I climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor landing and opened the door to that musty, dusty world of wonders ... Hornman & Martinka. As I entered Al quickly caught my attention with his heavy Brooklyn, Jewish accent...
"Here kid, watch what I'm gonna' do!"
I turned to see him behind the display case holding up a walking cane. He held the ends of the cane and in a flash it was gone and a bouquet of brightly colored feather flowers appeared where the cane had been! I was completely taken by the effect! (Bought the cane on the spot. Couldn't afford the flowers!)
Al diverted his eyes, and looked past me, to a man sitting in the big easy chair in the corner. I had not noticed him there when I entered the shop.
Al asked the man "Well, what do you think Joe?"
Joe answered something to the effect of "Pretty nice."
Then Al Flosso had the good graces to introduce me to one of the worlds most famous magicians & mentalists...Joseph Dunninger!
Mr. Dunninger was in New York for an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Mr. Dunninger. After spending a few hours "talking shop" with Al & Joe, I left for home that afternoon with an autographed copy of one of Dunningers books on magic.
Yes, it really happened!
Magically,
Roger "Cigam" Reid
2008-02 Dennis' Deliberations
My Friendly Tet Offensive 2008
Saturday January 26th was when many Vietnamese here in Florida celebrated “Tet”, the Vietnamese New Year. Actually, the official date for Tet will be on February 7th this year. The New Year begins on the first night of the first moon after the sun enters Aquarius. We are moving from the 2007year of the Pig to the 2008 year of the Rat. I guess for people of my generation the Tet holiday will forever be linked to form the words “Tet Offensive”. The North Vietnamese Communist Army staged a massive military offensive against U.S. forces in February of 1968 on the Tet holiday. It utterly failed and American troops in Viet Nam mopped up all resistance in a couple of day but the psychological damage was done in the minds of the American people and we lost interest in the Viet Nam War and 7 years later we finally got our behinds handed to us and withdrew.
That withdrawal and slow military disengagement of America from Viet Nam prompted a number of Vietnamese to apply for political asylum here in the United States and Central Florida became one area of concentration. In Orlando the area around Mills and Colonial is referred to by many as “Little Viet Nam”. I live in downtown Orlando and we have an Asian neighbor and by a series of acquaintances I was recommended to perform a stage show at the local Tet event. It was at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on a rainy Saturday night.
I was not aware just how huge this 2,500 person event turned out to be. I always carry my own sound system for a stage show and it was not needed. They had a full festival sound system run by an events company.
Oddly enough the Vietnamese Roman Catholic Church was a major sponsor. Recall the Viet Nam was a colony of France and the French brought Christianity to the country that previously had been mostly Buddhist in the cities. I find it utterly fascinating to witness religious syncretism. Vestiges of the pre-Christian religion exist in the legends, dance and graphics, but most have been Christianized. One could argue that the entire Christian religion represents a syncretism between Diasporic Judaism, Hellenistic Stoicism and the Roman Empire’s old religion. Humans tend to find the kind of god and belief system they believe they think they need.
Al Coury had seen my name in a Tet flyer and called me a couple of hours before I left the house saying that he wanted to be at the show but he also had a gig that night at another location. I carry a full carload of props since I wanted the act to be big, flashy and filled with flowers, silks and rice bowls. I would still anchor the show with my standard eight minute opening to my club act using doves and a rabbit finale. While I was loading my jumbo Phantom Tube, my wife was folding my two six-foot Rice’s picture silks and the other dozen odd silks and streamers. I inserted two Abbott’s Flag staffs into the secondary load and Cindy asked me how much the value was of all the production items. I calculated at today’s prices I was producing over $2,000 worth of items within 90 seconds of stage time.
I used the help of 3 stagehands and we got the props up on stage and off to the side as I waited for my introduction. There were a number of singers on stage before me. I was not quite sure when to load my doves into my coat so my birdies had an extended wait since I loaded up a bit early. The printed schedule handed to me was in Vietnamese and the Emcee spoke only Vietnamese. I can operate in six other languages and do know a little Vietnamese but I had to keep reminding myself that the Vietnamese have a different approach to schedules and time than we do! The show rolled on and all the cues were met and at the finale, my straight jacket escape, I bowed off to a nice hand. I am not surprised at the great success many Americans are having by taking their magic acts to the Orient. The Eastern cultures love magic!
Since we are moving into a Globalist future and all world cultures are going to be interfacing socially and economically, let me depart from talking “tricks” and help you with an understanding that could get you a future magic gig in “Nam”. Hanoi used to be a French Resort and the Pearl of the Orient. I believe that in addition to manufacturing someday Viet Nam will return to be a tourist haven with resort hotels and cruise ship ports. The magician of the future will understand how all cultures see “magic” and how they see the world.
Tet is a huge celebration lasting three days. Families save money, store food, and plan far in advance for Tet, a major holiday in Vietnam. The Vietnamese take extreme care to start the New Year out right. They buy new clothes, paint and clean their homes, cook three days worth of food, pay off all debts and make amends to rid themselves of all bad feelings. Cleaning is frowned on during Tet because one would not want to sweep out any good luck. Digging and drawing water is also not allowed so the ground and water can enjoy the holiday.
The marketplace is very busy the week before Tet, as people buy food, trinkets, firecrackers, flowers, and other items in anticipation of the holiday. At four o'clock in the afternoon on Tet eve all the markets close down so the people can go home and prepare for midnight when Tet begins.
The atmosphere is very festive. Incense is burned in the homes. The color Red, symbolizing good luck and happiness is seen everywhere. Games of gambling are in the streets, homes and in cars. If a gambler wins then he is said to have good luck gambling in the New Year. If a gambler loses, he is said to have good luck in other affairs. There are dragon dances at night. Food is plentiful, homes are decorated, parks are full of crowds of people dressed in their best new clothes, and for three days the people have an ultimate celebration.
Tet is a time for visits from family and friends. The first visitor to a home is very important. If the first visitor is rich, prestigious, or happy then the family will have good fortune that year. Usually this visitor is a relative, but sometimes the family will invite a special guest that they feel will bring them good luck. The first day of Tet is reserved for visiting family and relatives. The second day is set aside for special guests and close friends to visit, and the third day is for teachers and business associates to make a visit. Negative talk and arguments are taboo. Visitors end their visit with a farewell wish for the family such as, "I wish that money will flow into your house like water, and out like a turtle."
The Vietnamese believe that their deceased ancestors will visit the family for the holiday. Alters are decorated in the homes with incense, flowers, and photographs of deceased relatives. A tray full of fruit, coins, and a tall vase of blossoms are placed in front of the alter symbolizing good luck and prosperity. The third day is also a day to visit the graves of deceased relatives. The graves are decorated with incense, flowers, and candles. Many Buddhists go to their favorite Pagoda to pray for a good year. The Catholics go to a pre-midnight mass.
Not only is Tet the beginning of a New Year, it is also everyone's birthday. The Vietnamese do not know or acknowledge the exact day they were born. A baby turns one on Tet no matter when he/she was born that year. Children say they were born in the year of the symbol of the lunar calendar for that year. On the first morning of Tet, adults congratulate children on becoming a year older by presenting them with red envelopes that contain "Lucky Money,” These envelopes are given to the children by parents, siblings, relatives and close friends.
Families choose a Tet tree, or tac, which is a cone shaped fruit tree with miniature oranges just ripening. The more fruit on the tree, the luckier the family. Greeting cards and good luck symbols are hung from the Tet trees. Each family also has a branch of the Mai tree in their homes, a symbol of spring, which bear lucky little yellow flowers.
Food plays a major role in the Tet celebration. Tet is a time of excess, one does not enjoy Tet, one "eats" Tet. The first day a feast of boiled male virgin chicken, sticky rice, and a special soup made with clear vermicelli and bamboo shoots, boiled pork, and 3 or 5 duck eggs is offered to ancestors who have returned to their homes. Sticky rice and salt are also offered in the streets to any hungry ghosts who might be wandering in the neighborhood. A traditional food is Earth cake, a square cake made with rice beans and pork. When a watermelon is cut they believe that the redder the watermelon the more luck for the family. Several different desserts and dishes are made with coconut. On the third day another feast of chicken is served to say farewell to ancestors returning to their ethereal abodes.
In the United States large populations of Vietnamese celebrate Tet Vietnamese children do not attend school that day. Ladies wear red and yellow, the colors of the Vietnamese flag and the men wear all black. They go to church, eat earth cake, and have games, carnival rides, food booths and contests that are set up at a local college. The red envelopes are passed with "lucky money" in it. In the evening red firecrackers explode and dragon dances begin. You can check “Teacherlink” on the Internet as a source for more cultural information such as presented above.
The magical entertainer of the future will understand the global audience.
************************
Sterling Steal is an aging magician with a rather unusual magic act. He looks like a robotic character and does mostly stage manipulations with large hand held objects. I was pretty impressed by his lecture at Magic By the Bay in Tampa last year. I somehow got on his mailing list and I think you will enjoy this humor he sent me:
You might be a magician if…
Your best pickup line is "Pick a card."
You tell bad jokes 75% of the time.
You pay $50 for a $1 coin.
A "shell" is not something found on a beach.
You won’t play card games with your cards.
While watching a movie or TV, you have cards in your hands.
You pose for a photo with one eyebrow raised!
Your Christmas/Birthday wish list looks like a magic catalogue.
If you've ever been asked the question "can you make my wife disappear"?
You use the word "effect" rather than "trick".
You drive 300 miles round trip to visit a teeny-tiny store.
You have over 100 responses to the phrase "How did you do that?"
You actually want to go to a lecture.
You have a dog named "Houdini".
You record every magic special on TV.
All your friends call you when magic is on TV.
Your entire list of friends name starts with "The Amazing" or "The Great".
You have your local magic shop on speed dial.
You can lose your thumb and you visit the magic shop instead of the emergency ward.
You pay to see a lecture, buy a written version of what was just demonstrated to you, and then buy a manufactured version of something in the notes.
You pay $60.00 for a book and get, possibly, one or two useful things out of it and you're happy. You have so much magic stuff in your room that it’s considered a fire hazard.
You have more elastic bands than a stationary shop.
You spend hours trying to rearrange the letters in your name to use on stage (only to come back years later using your real name).
You don't mind kissing a dove.
It really matters to you how someone shuffles your deck.
You expect people to think ‘it's magic’ when it took you half an hour to set up.
You own a top hat, cape and cane and have never gone to the opera.
You began demonstrating the mysteries of ancient China at the age of 9.
When you come to visit, your friends hide all the silverware and bring out plastic ones.
Someone actually hands you a fork and says please bend this.
You pretended to be insane just to get the straight jacket.
You spend the most money on things that other people aren’t allowed to see.
You never throw out old decks because you "can make something out of it".
You carefully watch a card-playing scene in a movie only to see what kind of cards they’re using.
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Just for the male magicians:
Your girlfriend knows the sound of riffled cards over the phone.
You force your wife to take fertility drugs, so you can do those illusions that use twins....
You see a beautiful woman and think if she will suit your act.
You spend more time in front of a mirror than your girlfriend does.
You show your girlfriend the same trick everyday insisting that "I've improved it greatly".
Your wife tells you "we are going out to dinner, now dear; please leave your toys at home".
You are the only one of your male friends that has a nice "silk collection".
Dennis Phillips
Saturday January 26th was when many Vietnamese here in Florida celebrated “Tet”, the Vietnamese New Year. Actually, the official date for Tet will be on February 7th this year. The New Year begins on the first night of the first moon after the sun enters Aquarius. We are moving from the 2007year of the Pig to the 2008 year of the Rat. I guess for people of my generation the Tet holiday will forever be linked to form the words “Tet Offensive”. The North Vietnamese Communist Army staged a massive military offensive against U.S. forces in February of 1968 on the Tet holiday. It utterly failed and American troops in Viet Nam mopped up all resistance in a couple of day but the psychological damage was done in the minds of the American people and we lost interest in the Viet Nam War and 7 years later we finally got our behinds handed to us and withdrew.
That withdrawal and slow military disengagement of America from Viet Nam prompted a number of Vietnamese to apply for political asylum here in the United States and Central Florida became one area of concentration. In Orlando the area around Mills and Colonial is referred to by many as “Little Viet Nam”. I live in downtown Orlando and we have an Asian neighbor and by a series of acquaintances I was recommended to perform a stage show at the local Tet event. It was at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on a rainy Saturday night.
I was not aware just how huge this 2,500 person event turned out to be. I always carry my own sound system for a stage show and it was not needed. They had a full festival sound system run by an events company.
Oddly enough the Vietnamese Roman Catholic Church was a major sponsor. Recall the Viet Nam was a colony of France and the French brought Christianity to the country that previously had been mostly Buddhist in the cities. I find it utterly fascinating to witness religious syncretism. Vestiges of the pre-Christian religion exist in the legends, dance and graphics, but most have been Christianized. One could argue that the entire Christian religion represents a syncretism between Diasporic Judaism, Hellenistic Stoicism and the Roman Empire’s old religion. Humans tend to find the kind of god and belief system they believe they think they need.
Al Coury had seen my name in a Tet flyer and called me a couple of hours before I left the house saying that he wanted to be at the show but he also had a gig that night at another location. I carry a full carload of props since I wanted the act to be big, flashy and filled with flowers, silks and rice bowls. I would still anchor the show with my standard eight minute opening to my club act using doves and a rabbit finale. While I was loading my jumbo Phantom Tube, my wife was folding my two six-foot Rice’s picture silks and the other dozen odd silks and streamers. I inserted two Abbott’s Flag staffs into the secondary load and Cindy asked me how much the value was of all the production items. I calculated at today’s prices I was producing over $2,000 worth of items within 90 seconds of stage time.
I used the help of 3 stagehands and we got the props up on stage and off to the side as I waited for my introduction. There were a number of singers on stage before me. I was not quite sure when to load my doves into my coat so my birdies had an extended wait since I loaded up a bit early. The printed schedule handed to me was in Vietnamese and the Emcee spoke only Vietnamese. I can operate in six other languages and do know a little Vietnamese but I had to keep reminding myself that the Vietnamese have a different approach to schedules and time than we do! The show rolled on and all the cues were met and at the finale, my straight jacket escape, I bowed off to a nice hand. I am not surprised at the great success many Americans are having by taking their magic acts to the Orient. The Eastern cultures love magic!
Since we are moving into a Globalist future and all world cultures are going to be interfacing socially and economically, let me depart from talking “tricks” and help you with an understanding that could get you a future magic gig in “Nam”. Hanoi used to be a French Resort and the Pearl of the Orient. I believe that in addition to manufacturing someday Viet Nam will return to be a tourist haven with resort hotels and cruise ship ports. The magician of the future will understand how all cultures see “magic” and how they see the world.
Tet is a huge celebration lasting three days. Families save money, store food, and plan far in advance for Tet, a major holiday in Vietnam. The Vietnamese take extreme care to start the New Year out right. They buy new clothes, paint and clean their homes, cook three days worth of food, pay off all debts and make amends to rid themselves of all bad feelings. Cleaning is frowned on during Tet because one would not want to sweep out any good luck. Digging and drawing water is also not allowed so the ground and water can enjoy the holiday.
The marketplace is very busy the week before Tet, as people buy food, trinkets, firecrackers, flowers, and other items in anticipation of the holiday. At four o'clock in the afternoon on Tet eve all the markets close down so the people can go home and prepare for midnight when Tet begins.
The atmosphere is very festive. Incense is burned in the homes. The color Red, symbolizing good luck and happiness is seen everywhere. Games of gambling are in the streets, homes and in cars. If a gambler wins then he is said to have good luck gambling in the New Year. If a gambler loses, he is said to have good luck in other affairs. There are dragon dances at night. Food is plentiful, homes are decorated, parks are full of crowds of people dressed in their best new clothes, and for three days the people have an ultimate celebration.
Tet is a time for visits from family and friends. The first visitor to a home is very important. If the first visitor is rich, prestigious, or happy then the family will have good fortune that year. Usually this visitor is a relative, but sometimes the family will invite a special guest that they feel will bring them good luck. The first day of Tet is reserved for visiting family and relatives. The second day is set aside for special guests and close friends to visit, and the third day is for teachers and business associates to make a visit. Negative talk and arguments are taboo. Visitors end their visit with a farewell wish for the family such as, "I wish that money will flow into your house like water, and out like a turtle."
The Vietnamese believe that their deceased ancestors will visit the family for the holiday. Alters are decorated in the homes with incense, flowers, and photographs of deceased relatives. A tray full of fruit, coins, and a tall vase of blossoms are placed in front of the alter symbolizing good luck and prosperity. The third day is also a day to visit the graves of deceased relatives. The graves are decorated with incense, flowers, and candles. Many Buddhists go to their favorite Pagoda to pray for a good year. The Catholics go to a pre-midnight mass.
Not only is Tet the beginning of a New Year, it is also everyone's birthday. The Vietnamese do not know or acknowledge the exact day they were born. A baby turns one on Tet no matter when he/she was born that year. Children say they were born in the year of the symbol of the lunar calendar for that year. On the first morning of Tet, adults congratulate children on becoming a year older by presenting them with red envelopes that contain "Lucky Money,” These envelopes are given to the children by parents, siblings, relatives and close friends.
Families choose a Tet tree, or tac, which is a cone shaped fruit tree with miniature oranges just ripening. The more fruit on the tree, the luckier the family. Greeting cards and good luck symbols are hung from the Tet trees. Each family also has a branch of the Mai tree in their homes, a symbol of spring, which bear lucky little yellow flowers.
Food plays a major role in the Tet celebration. Tet is a time of excess, one does not enjoy Tet, one "eats" Tet. The first day a feast of boiled male virgin chicken, sticky rice, and a special soup made with clear vermicelli and bamboo shoots, boiled pork, and 3 or 5 duck eggs is offered to ancestors who have returned to their homes. Sticky rice and salt are also offered in the streets to any hungry ghosts who might be wandering in the neighborhood. A traditional food is Earth cake, a square cake made with rice beans and pork. When a watermelon is cut they believe that the redder the watermelon the more luck for the family. Several different desserts and dishes are made with coconut. On the third day another feast of chicken is served to say farewell to ancestors returning to their ethereal abodes.
In the United States large populations of Vietnamese celebrate Tet Vietnamese children do not attend school that day. Ladies wear red and yellow, the colors of the Vietnamese flag and the men wear all black. They go to church, eat earth cake, and have games, carnival rides, food booths and contests that are set up at a local college. The red envelopes are passed with "lucky money" in it. In the evening red firecrackers explode and dragon dances begin. You can check “Teacherlink” on the Internet as a source for more cultural information such as presented above.
The magical entertainer of the future will understand the global audience.
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Sterling Steal is an aging magician with a rather unusual magic act. He looks like a robotic character and does mostly stage manipulations with large hand held objects. I was pretty impressed by his lecture at Magic By the Bay in Tampa last year. I somehow got on his mailing list and I think you will enjoy this humor he sent me:
You might be a magician if…
Your best pickup line is "Pick a card."
You tell bad jokes 75% of the time.
You pay $50 for a $1 coin.
A "shell" is not something found on a beach.
You won’t play card games with your cards.
While watching a movie or TV, you have cards in your hands.
You pose for a photo with one eyebrow raised!
Your Christmas/Birthday wish list looks like a magic catalogue.
If you've ever been asked the question "can you make my wife disappear"?
You use the word "effect" rather than "trick".
You drive 300 miles round trip to visit a teeny-tiny store.
You have over 100 responses to the phrase "How did you do that?"
You actually want to go to a lecture.
You have a dog named "Houdini".
You record every magic special on TV.
All your friends call you when magic is on TV.
Your entire list of friends name starts with "The Amazing" or "The Great".
You have your local magic shop on speed dial.
You can lose your thumb and you visit the magic shop instead of the emergency ward.
You pay to see a lecture, buy a written version of what was just demonstrated to you, and then buy a manufactured version of something in the notes.
You pay $60.00 for a book and get, possibly, one or two useful things out of it and you're happy. You have so much magic stuff in your room that it’s considered a fire hazard.
You have more elastic bands than a stationary shop.
You spend hours trying to rearrange the letters in your name to use on stage (only to come back years later using your real name).
You don't mind kissing a dove.
It really matters to you how someone shuffles your deck.
You expect people to think ‘it's magic’ when it took you half an hour to set up.
You own a top hat, cape and cane and have never gone to the opera.
You began demonstrating the mysteries of ancient China at the age of 9.
When you come to visit, your friends hide all the silverware and bring out plastic ones.
Someone actually hands you a fork and says please bend this.
You pretended to be insane just to get the straight jacket.
You spend the most money on things that other people aren’t allowed to see.
You never throw out old decks because you "can make something out of it".
You carefully watch a card-playing scene in a movie only to see what kind of cards they’re using.
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Just for the male magicians:
Your girlfriend knows the sound of riffled cards over the phone.
You force your wife to take fertility drugs, so you can do those illusions that use twins....
You see a beautiful woman and think if she will suit your act.
You spend more time in front of a mirror than your girlfriend does.
You show your girlfriend the same trick everyday insisting that "I've improved it greatly".
Your wife tells you "we are going out to dinner, now dear; please leave your toys at home".
You are the only one of your male friends that has a nice "silk collection".
Dennis Phillips
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