MAGI-GRAM

Official Newsletter of IBM Ring 50 -- The National Capital Ring Volume 62 No. 8 August 2008

Jeff McBride headliner for Magi-Whirl 2009

Jeff McBride will headline Ring 50’s
Magi-Whirl 2009 public stage show at
Bishop Ireton High School in
Alexandria, Va., on Saturday night,
April 18. McBride, who is known for
his innovative and practical approach
to magic, also will present his new
R Session Mini Master Class”
I on Sunday, April 19, from
N noon until 5 p.m., also at
G Jeff McBride
50
International Brotherhood
of Magicians Ring 50
The National Capital Ring
President
Louis Meyer
(703) 765-1923
president@ibmring50.org
Vice President
Eric Redman
(301) 927-7717
vp@ibmring50.org
Secretary
Sam Brothers
(703) 550-9155
secretary@ibmring50.org
Treasurer
Bob Patterson
(703) 490-1222
treasurer@ibmring50.org
Sergeant-at-Arms
Reggie Rice
(240) 298-6077
sgtarms@ibmring50.org
Magi-Gram Editor
Jim Flanigan
(202) 554-3775
magi-gram@ibmring50.org
Webmaster
Eric Henning
(301) 369-0025
eric@ibmring50.org
Noland Montgomery
feature on page 4
lecture and workshop for magicians Jeff McBride, a three-time award winner
the next day. at the International Grand Prix of
Magicians who desire the Magic in Monte Carlo, is
more intensive workshop widely recognized as a
experience will want to stay after foremost innovator and most
Magi-Whirl officially ends exciting performer in
and join Jeff for his contemporary magic.
exclusive five-hour “Secret McBride’s signature fusion
of mask, myth, drama and
illusion reflects his lifelong
study of magic’s multi-cultural
Bishop Ireton. (Continued on page 2)
Disney illusionist Brad Ross to lecture
Brad Ross, a star illusionist who
is the headliner of the acclaimed
“Disney LIVE presents Mickey’s
Magic Show” tour, will be the
featured lecturer at the August
meeting of Ring 50. Members in
good standing will be admitted free.
All others must pay $10 at the door.
“He will be talking about the
business of performing along with
offering some insight as an
illusionist,” Ring 50 President Louis
Meyer says.
Brad offers a casual and candid
behind-the-scenes look at the
various aspects of touring with the
largest family illusion show in the
world. He also will be teaching real Brad Ross with Disney’s Goofy
world marketing secrets, tips, and
tricks on positioning and branding as well as teaching you how to book more
shows and make more money.
Brad will teach you how to effectively
AUGUST MEETING brand and position yourself as the top
Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 entertainer in your market. “It took me 12
HOLIDAY INN months to go from ‘Magician with Big
IN ALEXANDRIA Dreams’ to ‘Magician Living His
2460 Eisenhower Avenue Dreams’,” he says.
“Aside from the blood, sweat, tears, and
Alexandria, VA
painful life lessons learned in my 15 years
6:00 Cocktails in magic, I’ve come a long way from that
6:45 Dinner first free show at Ashbrook Nursing
8:00 Meeting Home in New Jersey at 13 years old,” he
explains.
 Coming Events
Society of American Magicians
(SAM) Larry West Assembly 28
Date: Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.
Place: National Press Club, 529 14th
Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Theme: “Show us what you want to
show us”
Contact: Ray Eyler at 410/798-0176
ceyler1026@aol.com
Barry’s Magic Shop, 5544 Nicholson
Lane, Rockville, Md.
Visit Barry’s web site http://
www.barrysmagicshop.com/ for the latest
events.
Contact: 301/933-0373 or email
magic@erols.com.
The Second Theory and Art of Magic
Conference on Performing Magic
Place: Muhlenberg College in
Allentown, Pa.
Dates: March 19-21, 2009
Keynote presentations and full-evening
performances will be made by Eugene
Burger, Roberto Giobbi, Max Howard
and filmmaker Michael Caplan. Extra
events for magicians only will be held
on March 18 and March 22.
Contact: Conference Director Dr.
Lawrence Hass at
lhass@muhlenberg.edu or visit
www.lawrencehass.com.
Lectures at Denny & Lee Magic Studio,
9004 Yellow Brick Road, Suite H,
Baltimore, MD., 21237.
A lecture by Sal Piacente, a talented
sleight-of-hand artist who began his
career as a blackjack dealer and later was
a casino fraud investigator. He has
appeared on Good Morning America
and other television programs.
Date: Saturday, Aug. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $20
A lecture by Jim Pace, a magician,
author, creator and lecturer on magic
whose most popular effects are The
Inviso Torch, The Restaurant Workers
Handbook, Float FX and Inviso Flash.
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $20
Contact: Denny’s at 410-686-3914
or email dennymagic@aol.com.
http://www.dennymagic.com/cgi-bin/
hazel.cgi
Magicians’ Alliance of Eastern States
MAES Convention
Dates: Sept. 11 - 13, 2008
Place: The Hotel Carlisle, Embers
Convention Center, 1700 Harrisburg
Pike, Carlisle, PA 17015. Phone 717-
243-1717
Cost: Lifetime dues are $15. To join,
fill out a membership application form
and send it to: Joe Curcillo, MAES
Secretary, 3964 Lexington St.,
Harrisburg, PA 17109. MAES
Convention room
rates are $85 per
night. Mention MAES
when reserving to
receive discounted
rate. The cutoff date to
make your reservation is Aug. 24.
Thereafter, reservations will be taken
on an as available basis.
Contact: http://www.maesonline.org/
Convention Headliners: David Allen,
Tom Craven and Scott Francis.
Glenn Gary Parlor Show
Dates: Wednesdays and Fridays at 8
p.m.
Place: The Westin City Center Hotel,
1400 M Street NW, just off Thomas
Circle at 14th and M, in the Fireplace
Parlor adjacent to the dining room.
Cost: Pending available seating day of
performance, any IBM member can get
in at a discounted rate of $25 cash at
the door.
Contact: 703-963-0790 or
www.glenngary.com.
Eric Henning Family Magic Show
at Friday Night Spotlight in down-
town Silver Spring, MD
Date: Friday, Aug. 8, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Place: Silver Plaza, Ellsworth Drive
between Fenton Street and Georgia
Avenue, Silver Spring, MD
Cost: Free
Ring 50 Schedule
2008
Aug. 6……...……...Brad Ross Lecture
Sept. 3……......Barry Mitchell Lecture
Oct.1...History of Magic-mini lectures
Nov. 5…….......................................TBA
Dec. 3……......................Holiday Magic
2009
Jan. 7……..................................…..TBA
Feb. 4.................................………..TBA
Magi-Whirl 2009
(Continued from page 1)
roots. He has performed around the
world as well as at Caesars Magical
Empire in Las Vegas and on network
television in numerous venues and
appearances
Paul Green, who was the Magic
Castle’s 2008 Close-up Magician of the
Year, also has been
booked to lecture and
perform at Magi-Whirl
2009. He has done his
refined and polished
magic at numerous
trade shows in North Paul Green
America, Europe and Asia. He was a
Magic Menu columnist and has been
published in Genii magazine.
Others who have
accepted invitations to
attend next year’s Magi-
Whirl are Joan Caesar,
new president of the
International
Brotherhood of Magi- Joan Caesar
cians, and Bruce Kalver, president of
the Sociey of American Magicians.
They will be featured
in a popular celebrity
interview which has
become a part of the
annual convention.
Early Bird registration,
including the gala public Bruce Kalver
show, will be $50 through April 5, 2009.
The convention cost after April 5 will be
$65. The general admission for the public
show will be $12 in advance and $15
at the door. The special Jeff McBride
lecture will cost $125.
Former Ring 50 President Michael
Taggert is the coordinator for Magi-
Whirl. Ring 50’s own Eric Henning will
serve as emcee of the Saturday night
show and Noland Montgomery, four-
time winner of our Magician of the Year
contest, will open the performances.
March 4…………...........................TBA
April 1 ………..........…..Auction Night
April 17and 18…...…Magi-Whirl 2009
May 6…………….Dan Lacey Contest
June 3……...…….Winton Carroll Contest
July ………………No Ring 50 meeting
July 1-4……........81st IBM Convention
Nashville, Tenn.
THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER
This is my first column as president
of Ring 50. There has been so much
going on for the club that I have had a
hard time just putting this column
together but here it is!
I wanted to start off thanking Mike
Taggert for doing such a great job as
president last year. Magi-Whirl has
really helped put Ring 50 on the map
and Mike is the ring leader of our
convention. I’m sure many of you have
all read the recent emails mentioning the
great lineup of talent that will be there
next year!
Let me give you my mission
statement for the coming year: I want
to continue the growth of Ring 50
and put a spark in our club by adding
some new things while remembering
the principles that make us a great
magic club.
TVP Jim Flanigan, left, congratulates
new Ring 50 president Louis Meyer
Louis Meyer new leader
of Ring 50 for 2008-09
Louis Meyer was sworn in as the
new president of The National Capital
Ring at our June meeting. He stepped
up from the vice president’s position to
assume the leadership role.
Washington, D.C., Territorial Vice
President Jim Flanigan conducted the
candlelight Points of Light installation
ceremony. Others taking their oaths of
office were Eric Redman as vice
president, Bob Patterson returning as
treasurer, Sam Brothers as secretary and
Reggie Rice as sergeant-at-arms.
Outgoing Ring 50 President Michael
Taggert, joined by former Ring 50
leaders Dwight Redman and Don
Freedman, will serve as directors.
Brad Ross should be a terrific
lecturer in August. He is young and
has so much excitement and energy
for magic that it is contagious. He will
be followed by Barry Mitchell, who
has a gift of making people laugh.
A couple new
things I want to
introduce. One, we will
be having a “Magic
History” month in
October. I want us to
remember and cele-
brate the magicians
and magic items that
have brought us to Louis Meyer
where we are today. If you would like
to give a 7-10 minute lecture please let
me know. Two, I want to give all
magicians an opportunity to present
magic and get some feedback every
meeting. At the beginning of every
meeting if you would like to perform
a trick, and get feedback, let me
know. I would like to have about 10
minutes every meeting for this
opportunity (excluding lecture
months).
If there is anything that I can do
for you as a member of the club
please feel free to email me anytime at
louis@childtimemagic.com or call me
at (703) 765-1923.
I look forward to serving you this
year! At the same time, you can help
build our club and make it a success
by contributing your talents and
ideas. Keep in mind that we will need
your assistance in various roles when
Magi-Whirl 2009 takes place in April.
It’s not too early to think about it.
Louis
Magic Books, Lecture Notes Available
To facilitate his move from a house
to an apartment, veteran Ring 50
member Phil Miller has books and
lecture notes for interested magicians.
The books include authors George
Schindler, Karrell Fox, Dai Vernon,
Bobo, Slydini and others while the
lecture notes have been collected
from lecturers at Ring 50 and
numerous magic conventions. If you
Ring 50 leader
relates success
in news article
Louis Meyer, the new president
of Ring 50 and owner of Child Time
Magic, was featured in the Jobs
section of the Washington Post
recently.
Vicki Elmer, the newspaper
reporter who interviewed Louis for
the Sunday, July 13, article, noted
that for every trick he performs, he
has developed a way out of a glitch
— some move that seems natural .
Louis, who started doing magic at
10 and taught himself dozens of card
tricks and illusions, recalled in the
story asking a police officer to
handcuff him at age 12 so he could
try to escape.
He figures he does 350 shows a
year — seven or eight on most
weekends. It’s paid off for him,
according to the newspaper article.
He estimated he makes more than
$80,000 annually . He estimated that
he’s one of about 20 professional
magicians who work around
Washington.
After a show, children often ask
Meyer’s secrets, the story noted. He
is honest, according to the article,
telling them he is an illusionist
whose hands trick the eye. “I never
say I have magic power now,” he
explained. “I do my thing and let
you believe what you want to
believe.”
would like to add material to your
collection, contact Phil at 703-867-
1132 to arrange a time to look them
over.
Stay in touch always
Between Ring 50 Magi-Gram
issues, check out the latest news
events and performances at the
official Ring 50 site:
IBMRing50.org.
Magic Olympics
article featured
in Harper’s
Harper’s Magazine provides a look
behind the 23rd World Championship
of Magic sponsored by the Federation
Internationale des Societes Magiques
(FISM) in Sweden in its July issue.
The article was written by Alex Stone,
a professional magician and a Ph.D.
student in physics, who attended the
prestigious event.
Nearly 2,800 attendees from 67
countries were at what has become
known as the Magic Olympics,
according to Stone. There were 153
competitors vying for medals in eight
events.
“FISM has grown tremendously
since its humble beginnings in 1948,”
Stone observed. “Today the Federation
boasts 50,000 members in 40 countries,
and attendance has gone up tenfold.”
Ricky Jay reprising
his one-man show
Ricky Jay, the master magician who
is known for his brilliant card
manipulations, is offering a reprise of
his one-man show, “Ricky Jay and His
52 Assistants, at the Geffen Playhouse
in Westwood, a sleek section of Los
Angeles, through Aug. 26.
The show, directed by David
Mamet, provides a platform for his
sleight-of-hand. Tickets are $75 to
$250 each. It is taking place in the
Geffen’s 98-seat Audrey Skirball Kenis
Theater.
Jay showed his media inquisitors an
early 20th century black-on-yellowed-
white handbill from a Pullman train car.
The sign warned passengers to beware
the “Card Sharks” and “Con Men”
circling among them.
“I love the line ‘have started their
winter campaign on railroad trains,’” he
chortled. “In all my research in
hustling I’ve never heard of a ‘winter
campaign.’ ” Jay is a collector of
items reflecting a world stocked with
hustlers, lowlifes. He is making his
second run in Los Angeles with his
popular 52 assistants act.
Noland Montgomery discovers his rabbit’s appetite for carrots
Ring 50 magician profiled
Ring 50 Magician of the Year Noland
Montgomery was featured in a full-color
article in the June 17 edition of the
Washington Post. In a story in the
KidsPost section headlined, “Here’s
the Real Trick: Practice Makes Presto,”
Noland told how he became interested
in magic when he was 12. His father
was a Foreign Service officer and
Noland lived in different places around
the world.
Noland, who has won the Dan Lacey
Contest four times, was interviewed
to help children understand what it
takes to be a professional magician.
Al’s Magic shop memories
The Washington Post recently
provided a walk down memory lane by
publishing recollections of people
who visited Al’s Magic Shop in
downtown Washington. Readers
extolled the shop in letters to the
newspaper.
Marlene Cohen of Silver Spring, Md.,
said that Al’s offered her son Alex, when
he was young, ways to shock his
parents and be the center of attention
with his schoolmates. “But it was so
much more,” she said. “It was a magic
show performed spontaneously just for
him by all the staff! It was magical just
to be there!”
“When my high school friends and I
would visit Al’s back in the 1960s, it
wasn’t about the magic,” said Steve
Butler of Waldorf, Md. “We went
The full-page spread includes action
photos and pictures of Noland’s
props, and he encourages kids to start
at their local library. The online
version even has a video in which
Montgomery teaches a trick.
Noland told reporter Amy Orndorff,
“You have to read books; watch other
magicians perform; and practice,
practice, practice.”
“Anyone, at any age, can be a
magician,” he maintained.
Noland performs with the help of a
white rabbit named Chester.
there for the stink bombs. And the
cigarette loads. ”
“It was a great place to spend my
allowance back in the days when a 7-
year-old could wander a few blocks
from her daddy’s office by herself,”
related Sandy McGrew of Kemptown.
“It was musty and dusty, and the nice
men behind the counter were always
happy to show a little girl some new
tricks.”
And Steve Pertilla of Washington
recalled: “To Al, I was ‘The Kid.’ Going
to a D.C. public junior high school in
the late 1960s was hard. Rough kids
and fights drove me to play hooky.
At times I ended up at Al’s, watching
him and his professional buddies do
tricks. Years later, I went in. When he
saw me he said, ‘Hey, you’re that kid.’
Boy did I feel special.”

MAGIC LECTURE--Former Ring 50 president James Munton, who moved to
Dallas, Texas, a year ago, returned to the Washington area in July to present
a lecture at the Falls Church Community Center in Northern Virginia.
Among the effects he showed was his popular Three Card Bunny routine
delivered with poetry. He also appeared at the I-Spy Museum in downtown
Washington.
Comedian to lecture at Ring 50
Barry Mitchell, a motivational
speaker and humorist, will be Ring
50’s featured lecturer at the group’s
September meeting. Thousands of
audiences and groups have laughed
and learned through his message and
humor. For almost three decades he has
entertained and inspired individuals to
live up to their potential.
Barry has a passion to give by
making people feel important, opening
communication through laughter,
researching your particular needs and
encouraging excellence.
Barry has been a humorist and
children’s entertainer for almost three
decades. He has been a street
magician in the New Orleans French
Quarter, was a regular opening act
for country music stars and featured
comedian at Dolly Parton’s Dixie
Barry Mitchell
Stampede Dinner and a lecturer at the
Magic Castle in Hollywood and the
Magic Circle in London. He has
performed in almost every state plus
England, Denmark, Australia and the
Bahamas. He also has invented magic
tricks, written stories and books, and
produced DVDs.
Ring 50 officer
Reggie Rice put
in news spotlight
Ring 50 Sergeant-at-Arms Reggie
Rice, who performs as
“SuperMAGICman,” received front-
page coverage recently in The St.
M a r y ’ s
C o u n t y
Enterprise.
The news-
paper featured
Reggie on the
cover of its
June 27
We e k e n d
section just
before his final
shows in a Reggie Rice
successful tour of Southern
Maryland.
The article captures Rice on his 25th
birthday as he plans and rehearses his
new show in preparation for his “Tri-
County Tour.” Mentioned prominently
is his involvement in Ring 50,
including his dual wins of the Winton
Carroll Award for Washington, D.C.’s
Comedy Magician of the Year.
The story, by staff writer Dickson
Mercer, notes that Reggie has high
standards and pushes himself hard.
‘‘Being on stage in front of people
is what I love the most,” Reggie told
the reporter. ‘‘When I am not on the
stage, I feel bored. I have always been
in the spotlight, and that’s where I like
to be.”
Since leaving St. Mary’s County for
the first time at 18, Reggie has traveled
across the United States and to
Europe.
Rice noted that his dyslexia made
high school classes difficult. It may be
part of the reason he became
something of a class clown.
“His family-friendly act, which is
wildly popular with children and
usually wins over the adults, combines
a variety of magic tricks with his
enormous onstage persona, comic
energy, music and even some Michael
Jackson-like dance moves,” the article
observes.
Reggie Rice wins second year
Good humor prevails at stormy
Winton Carroll night performances
Despite thunderstorms rumbling
through the Washington area, an
annual contest for the “Most
Humorous Magician” generated peels
of laughter at Ring 50’s June
meeting. The competition is held
annually in honor of Winton Carroll, a
former Ring 50 president, who served
as our leader in 1962-1963. He stressed
humor in his own magic act.
A $100 grant from Winton’s widow,
Emma, is awarded each year to the
winner. More than 60 audience members
enjoyed the comedy and magic of the
performers. Reggie Rice, who was
defending his title from last year,
retained the crown in an open
membership vote that declared him the
winner once again.
Leading the lineup of performers
this year was Larry Lipman. He
normally appears as “Lorenzo the
Great” but he identified himself as
“Grorenzo the Late” speaking in a
variation of Pig Latin. He did color-
changing silks, a sponge ball routine
and nesting wands while reciting
patter mixing up the beginning
consonants of most of the words.
His funny lines included such phrases
as he’s not a “mategracian” (magician)
and “yank thoo mery vuch” (thank you
very much).
Scott McDonald, performing as “The
Redneck Magician”, offered his
version of “The Guessin’ Card” in
which he fooled a young audience
assistant into believing he could
predict any card pulled from a deck. In
fact he did show the correct card—
along with 51 others—on a single
jumbo card! He then explained the
deck was really his NASCAR Trading
Card collection as he asked the young
man to pull any four cards from the
deck. The Redneck Magician then
accurately revealed the cards featured
noted race car drivers. However, one
card from his “Girls of Hooters”
collection mysteriously appeared in the
racer cards. Apologizing for chewing
gum while performing, he displayed his
collection of ABC—“Already Been
Chewed” –wads of gum. He finished
by showering a cascade of regular gum
into the audience.
Professor Ludwig von
Schnitzlemacher (alias John Roberts),
sporting a small square black mustache,
made a funny entrance speaking in
German. He had a five-letter word
selected from a pack of 25 alphabet
cards and returned the chosen card to
a sealed envelope that he set on fire.
Then, using a colander as a “helmet” to
amplify the “voices” in his head, he
produced a line of colored magnetic
letters on a metal tray that he
eventually used to spell the chosen
word.
Noland Montgomery opened with a
comedy torn and restored newspaper
routine. He followed it with some
impromptu puppetry by fashioning a
rabbit with a napkin he identified as
Hank the Hare. After asking a
spectator to mentally choose a number
from 1 to 10, the white rabbit
demonstrated his psychic power by
scribbling the correct figure on a pad
of paper. In another bit of tomfoolery,
the rabbit snatched a dollar bill
Noland had pulled from his jacket
pocket and devoured it like a piece of
lettuce. He followed this with a loud
burp.
Tom Paxton dazzled everyone with
an original routine using a Miser’s
Dream style coin production going to
a pocket with half dollars while
talking about kids and how they
spend money on stupid things. He
also produced a 3½-inch half-dollar
that he “had to cough up for his wife”.
Then he transitioned into a version of
“Heiny 500” that he called “My Las
Vegas Money” where his wife would
only give him $5 to gamble. He
changed the five $1 bills to five $100
bills. He told how he gambled and lost
almost all of his money before
changing the currency back to $1 bills
so he could tell his wife he broke even
for the night.
Bob Carnathan, who placed second
in the comedy contest, opened with a
prediction effect in which an audience
member was asked to name an animal.
The first selection did not match the
pig prediction Bob held in an
envelope. The second selected farm
animal did not match the pig
prediction either. Finally, with Bob
hamming it up with many hints, the
spectator correctly chose a pig which
was the animal in the envelope. Next
Bob performed a very funny mental
transference routine in which two
audience members sat on chairs on
stage with their backs to each other.
The woman was asked to pick a card.
She and the man in the other chair
were hooked up with two plumbing
plungers on their heads linked by a
long spiral cord running between
them like a clothes line. Through the
makeshift device, Bob correctly
identified the card chosen by the
woman.
The “Legendary” Rick Beatty, with
the assistance of two helpers from
the audience, comically astounded the
crowd with a poster routine using
names of famous magicians including
one with the word “ME” on it. In
another bit, he had another spectator
select a card –the 10 of spades—which
he made vanish. He then asked the
spectator the name of the card and
reached into his pocket wrongly
producing a 3 of spades. He then
quickly redeemed himself by pulling
the card all the way out showing it
was really a foot long with 10 spades
on it altogether.
For his winning performance,
Reggie Rice – appearing under his
signature stage name
“SuperMagicMan”—started by
opening his flat briefcase from which
he pulled a regulation-sized bowling
ball. Then he revealed that his biggest
secret in magic was that he learned
everything from a “Magic for Dummies”
book purchased at a local bookstore.
Using the instructions in the book, he
turned a bottle of coke into a shot glass with
liquid in it. He also did a card prediction opening
the book to a double page illustration of a King
of Clubs which a young audience member had
picked. He then did a “do as I do” paper tear with
the help of a young woman from the crowd.
Using a roll of recycled toilet paper, he made a
ball of it disappear only to reappear as a long
streamer pulled from his mouth. He concluded
with a pretty “Dancing With The Stars” routine.
— Bob Patterson

Bob Carnathan “wires” assistants for humorous telepathy act

Reggie Rice says he learned art

from “Magic for Dummies” book

Noland Montgomery does paper tear

John Roberts portrays
funny German baron

Rick Beatty shows “ME” is tops

Tom Paxton relates Larry Lipman entertains Becki Wells

coin magic story

Scott McDonald, alias “The Redneck Magician”