JANUARY 2011 U.S.

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 M AG I C
w w w . ma g ic m a g a z i n e . c o m
contents ja n u a r y 2 0 1 1 • V ol u me 2 0 • N u mbe r 5

38 54

50
From The Edi tor Stan Allen 11
Classi c Corresponden ce 14
Mike Caveney
viewpoin t Thomas Solomon 20
Upda te 23
Talk A bo ut Tri cks Joshua Jay 61
with Harapan Ong, Yoann Fontyn, Matthew
Featherstone, Dominic St-Jacques,
J.K. Hartman, Bobby Hasbun
D ire ctions Joanie Spina 70
56
This Is Not a Pen 38
By Adam Rubin
Inventor Mark Setteducati has brought magic and puzzles to the shelves of toy stores
the world over. He is aided in his endeavors by over 10,000 pens — tools for writing,
teaching, and inspiring.
Criss Angel BeLIEve — Two Years Later 48
By Rory Johnston
The Las Vegas collaboration of Criss Angel and Cirque du Soleil opened to less-than-
favorable reviews. After two years of changes and a recent major revamp, what can
audiences at the Luxor expect now?

CO FFEEHO USE CON JURIN G 72

Gregory Wilson & David Gripenwaldt Ken Scott:
TEA CH BY MAGIC Barry Mitchell 74 Lessons in Library Legerdemain 50
By Mark Nelson
REAL -WORLD METHODS 76 He performs up to 350 birthday party shows each year, yet says that eighty percent of
Doug & Heidi Scheer his work lately has been library programs. Atlanta’s Ken Scott is a busy magician, for
Marke tpla ce Gabe Fajuri 78 good reason.
Michael Claxton, Peter Duffie, Jason England
Will Houstoun, John Lovick
Close-up Magic from Far Away 54
Su bs crip tion In forma tion 95 By Alan Howard
How would you demonstrate an interactive television technology that lets your family
A dver tisers Index 95
and friends into your home without leaving theirs? The Cisco company chose magicians
R ecommended R etailers 96 to help market their new product.
Finall y 98
South for the Winter 56
By Rory Johnston
At nineteen years old, Sterling Dietz is starring in his own show in the tourist mecca
of San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. There were setbacks along the way, but now Sterling
believes, “This is where I belong.”
On the cov er
Photo: Michael Fodera
Design: Chris Sieracki

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 M AG I C m a g a z i n e
from the editor
s t a n A l l e n

Published by
Stagewrite Publishing, Inc.
Las Vegas, Nevada

Stan Allen
Editor

Alan Howard
Assistant Editor

David Parr, Gabe Fajuri

Associate Editors
Where the Road S eparates
Chris Sieracki
Art Director For the past five years or so, I’ve been standing at a fork in the road. Both paths lead toward
Mike Caveney, David Charvet, digital version of MAGIC Magazine. One direction was to take more and more content from the
Rory Johnston, John Lovick, magazine and put it on our website, while somehow securing that content for subscribers only. I re-
Shawn McMaster, Mark Nelson peatedly took a few steps down this road but always came to a stop, mainly because I couldn’t fin
Contributing Editors a reader-friendly experience that I was happy with. Sure, we could place PDFs of every page of the
Lance Burton, Mike Caveney, magazine up on the web, but PDFs are basically photographs of the printed page. Depending on the
Michael Claxton, Peter Duffie, size of your computer screen, you might be able see the entire layout, but reading the words requires
Jason England, Brad Henderson, zooming in. Then you have to scroll around to get the whole story. To me, it’s like reading a magazine
Will Houston, Joshua Jay, through a telescope. So, even though this road was clear and well traveled, I kept turning back.
Jeff McBride, Joanie Spina The other direction was less clear and certainly less traveled. In fact, that path was dark
Columnists
and had so many twists and turns, I couldn’t see what was ahead. Then, last year, I ran across
Arto Airaksinen, Zakary Belamy, something that lit up the path and made it clear that this was the road for me. What showed
Richard Faverty, Kari Hendler, me that I was on the right track was the Apple iPad. After only a few days of playing with it,
Tom Jorgenson, David Linsell, there was no question — this was the direction for the digital MAGIC Magazine.
Wittus Witt Of course, since making that decision, there have been hundreds of questions, but never
Contributing Artists/Photographers
regarding the direction in which we were headed. These digital tablets are the future, as evi-
Kristee Watson denced by the number of iPads already sold by Apple and the other similar devices coming out
Circulation/Advertising from other manufacturers.
MAGIC Magazine is published by Stagewrite Publishing, Inc. Now, all we had to do was answer a few of the other questions — who, what, when,
[address bottom of page]. Printed in the U.S.A. where, and how — which, of course, took longer than anticipated. My first estimates of ha -
Copyright © 2010 by Stan Allen. All rights reserved.
ing the digital version available in September were based on using outside sources to build our
To renew your subscription, become a subscriber, change product. The more we pushed forward, the more we realized that what has made the MAGIC
your address, or if you have other inquiries, please write to:
brand successful has been the ability to shape and control our own product.
MAGIC – Attn: Circulation
6220 Stevenson Way
So, we went back and started from scratch — well, actually before “scratch.” We joined the
Las Vegas, NV 89120 Adobe beta team to work with software that is still in development. Basically, we’re taking all
(702) 798-0099 ext.103 • fax (702) 798-0220
subscribe@MAGICmagazine.com
the elements of MAGIC Magazine and redesigning them for a digital read. It’s like building a
whole new magazine, using a whole new set of tools.
Payment must accompany all orders. Allow four to six weeks for process-
ing. Subscription rates: United States Periodical Mail $54 (one year), $104
And now for the good news: We’re launching our first digital issue on January 6. Appropriatel
(two year), $5 (monthly). Nevada residents must include applicable sales enough, that is the same day I launched the first issue of my Inside Magic newsletter 26 years ago.
tax. Foreign subscription rates at www.MAGICmagazine.com.
We don’t have all the answers; nobody does. But we’re moving on down the road!
Advertising: Rates and dimensions available by
contacting the Editorial Office [address below] o
advertising@MAGICmagazine.com
While sitting around on the Carnival Splendor a few weeks ago [see “Dead in the Water”
on page 23], someone asked whether we thought this would make the news. It was pretty
Contributions: Address all contributions, news, items for
review, and correspondence to Editor [address below]. All items should much agreed that it would get a small mention. Wrong! When we finally stepped off the ship in
be accompanied by the contributor’s daytime phone number. Items will be San Diego, it was a media feeding frenzy. I couldn’t believe how big a story our little adventure
returned only if accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
was — and how much the reporting was skewed. After reading a full report in USA Today, all
Columnists, contributing editors and advertisers agree to I could say was, “I’m glad we weren’t on that cruise!”
indemnify and protect the publishers from any claim or action based upon
the unauthorized use of any person’s name, photograph or copyright mate-
Yes, there were Pop-Tarts, but there was also fresh melon, grapefruit, milk, and cereal each
rial. In pursuit of free and open dia-logue, MAGIC airs opinions that may morning, and there were salads with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers each afternoon
not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the publishe .
and evening. While there might have been Spam served, I never saw it. Sure, we all got tired of
MAGIC – Editorial Offic the cold food, but we didn’t go hungry. And the experience was certainly not “harrowing” or
6220 Stevenson Way
Las Vegas, NV 89120 USA
“dangerous.” Inconvenient and disappointing — you bet. Still, you learn to adapt.
(702) 798-0099 • FAX (702) 798-0220 You stop using your laptop, because what little juice left in it will be needed to charge your
editor@MAGICmagazine.com
cell phone. And your cell phone has now become a flashlight, because there is no emergency
www.MAGICmagazine.com
[continued on next page]
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 11

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 lighting in your cabin. It happens to be an out-
side cabin, so daytime is fine, but the nights ar
a bit tricky. And since there are no hot show-
ers, you learn to “brew” warm water by fillin
trashcans and bottles and leaving them in the
window all day. And the ice-cold water from
the shower comes in handy to chill the free
beer and champagne.
Looking back on the experience, I
think my “favorite” adaptation came
on the first afternoon, when the plumb-
ing was still out. The close-up show was
held in an indoor meeting room with less-
than-good ventilation. Partway through,
the smell of sewage began wafting in.
My daughter brought out a package of
Altoids, hoping to take the “taste” away.
Soon, we figured out that if you hold one
of the mints up to your nose, the air you
breathe in is a lot fresher!
Later that day, the toilets were fixed
David Sandy had staked claim to a lounge
with large picture windows, and Magic
Cruise continued as best as possible. And
that was, even under those conditions,
pretty darn good!
And now, a couple of short announce-
ments:
Do you ever look at our “Finally” pho-
to and have a terrific caption strike you? If
so, send it along. In a future issue, we’ll run
the best captions we receive. Join the fun!
Do you know a young magician, under
the age of twenty, who is exceptionally ac-
complished? Maybe it’s you? If so, please
let us know about him or her. We’re look-
ing to feature a number of young magi-
cians in an upcoming issue.
Thanks!
Bill Self was not really known in magic
circles, and he wasn’t a big influence on
the magic world. He did, however, lead a
fascinating life, one that in its early and
later years involved a strong connection
with our art. I’ve asked Mike Caveney to
write a few words about Bill.
William Self: A Rememberance
By winning an amateur magician con-
test at the age of thirteen, Bill Self found him-
self presenting his winning trick for his idol
Howard Thurston in his hometown of Dayton,
Ohio, during a performance of The Wonder
Show of the Universe. Bill ultimately chose to
forgo his plan of following in Thurston’s il-
lustrious footsteps, and the world is a better
place for it. There is not a person reading this
magazine who hasn’t enjoyed the fruits of Bill’s
amazing career in Hollywood.
After becoming a tennis champion in the
Midwest, Bill moved to Los Angeles to try his
hand at acting. He landed small parts in good
12 M A GI C • ja n ua ry
M233 Editors.indd 2
films: Sands of Iwo Jima, The Great Gatsby,
Adam’s Rib, Red River, and most famously in
The Thing from Another World where, as Cpl.
Barnes, he foolishly covered the frozen monster
with an electric blanket, thereby thawing him
out and bringing to life a sci-fi classic. Bill s tennis
skills gained him access to the backyards of such
Hollywood heavyweights as Spencer Tracey,
Katharine Hepburn, and Jack Warner. After giv-
ing lessons to Charlie Chaplin, Bill was invited to
appear in Chaplin’s last film, Monsieur Verdoux.
But it was when Bill stepped behind the
camera that he began the career for which he is
most remembered. He produced 288 episodes
of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, employing actors
such as Ronald Reagan, Anthony Quinn, Rod
Steiger, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Charlton
Heston, and James Dean. Next came the ill-
fated Frank Sinatra Show that lasted barely one
201 1
season. Bill then became an executive at CBS
television. After producing the pilot episode
of The Twilight Zone, he was hired away by
Twentieth Century Fox Television. For fiftee
years, Bill was responsible for shows such as
Peyton Place, Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of
the Sea, Lost in Space, The Ghost & Mrs.
Muir, Land of the Giants, Daniel Boone,
and M*A*S*H. He worked his way up
to President of Twentieth Century Fox
Television and then Vice-President of the
Twentieth Century Fox Corporation.
After leaving Fox Studio, Bill pro-
duced John Wayne’s last film, The
Shootist, and then returned to CBS
Television where he supervised the net-
work’s made-for-television films an
mini-series for five years. In 1982, h
became President of CBS Theatrical Film
Production.
And through it all, Bill never for-
got the thrill of standing onstage with
Howard Thurston and performing magic
for a live audience.
In 1992, I met Bill and, along with
Bill’s grandson, Bob Self, we traveled to
an old farm in Berlin, Wisconsin, and we
pulled out the trunks containing Howard
Thurston’s show — the first sunligh
those props had seen in half a century
[see MAGIC Magazine, October 1992].
For those few days, the high-powered
Hollywood mover and shaker was that
thirteen-year-old boy again. Ignoring his
wife Peggy’s advice to “buy the whole
show, if you want it,” Bill purchased just
a few treasures, and with that, his inter-
est in magic was reignited. He joined the
Magic Castle, attended MAGIC Live!
and Collectors’ Weekend, and never
missed the LA Conference on Magic
History, where he once held 200 magic
historians spellbound with the story of
his night on the Thurston show. During
the 1990s, Bill sought out Jane Thurston,
Howard’s daughter, whom he’d met
backstage some sixty years earlier. They
developed a close bond, knowing that
their amazing and divergent lives were
bookended by each other.
After a rich life of 89 years, Bill died
of a heart attack on November 15. If there is
a prize for “most interesting person ever,” Bill
would win mine.
— Mike Caveney
And that about wraps up the first issue o
2011. From our family to yours: Here’s to a
wonderful year!
12/16/10 3:52 PM
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La Follette’s letter that he hoped would result in a job
with Carter’s Temple of Mystery. [Above] George Re-
uschling, aka Rush Ling Toy, aka George La Follette. ica, he added illusions to his show, creating a full
14 M A GI C • j a n u a r y 2 0 1 1
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classic correspondence
F R O M E G Y P T I A N H A L L
George LaFollette
to Charles Carter
By Mike Caveney
This is more than just a letter between two
magicians. It is a snapshot depicting America’s
Great Depression and how it ravaged every
sector of society, including our insular world
of magic. The author of the letter, George
LaFollette, had already fallen on hard times
and was looking for a paycheck anyplace he
could find one. The recipient, Charles Carter
(Carter the Great), had made a fortune during
his six world tours and was now planning the
biggest score ever, his own magic theater on
the midway at Chicago’s 1933 World’s Fair,
formally known as A Century of Progress
International Exposition.
LaFollette was born George Reuschling
(1886–1960) in Baltimore, Maryland. As a
young man, he made the decision to leave law
school and enter vaudeville with an Oriental
magic act. He performed as Rush Ling Toy, a
name derived from his last name, and eventu-
ally worked the Pantages circuit throughout the
Western states and ultimately on B.F. Keith’s
circuit, which was considered the pinnacle of
vaudeville’s hierarchy.
Never one to rest on his laurels, Reuschling
developed a quick-change act that he presented
as George La Follette. In one of his sketches,
“Frenchie the Cop,” George appeared as a
policeman, peddler, woman, Frenchman, and a
mugger. In an effort to convince the spectators
that it really was him portraying all of these
roles, some of his lighting-fast changes took
place behind a scrim curtain, which allowed
the audience to see the assistants stripping off
his breakaway clothes and helping him into
his next costume.
It wasn’t uncommon for a vaudeville
show to present Rush Ling Toy and George
La Follette as two separate acts, without the
audience ever realizing that the magician and the
quick-change artist were in fact the same man.
When George was offered a tour of South Amer-
M U S E U M
evening of entertainment. The tour lasted three
years but the outbreak of World War I forced
him back to the vaudeville theaters of America.
The 1920s were generally very good years
for George Reuschling, but two unrelated
developments soon changed his and everyone
else’s luck. Movie screens and talking pictures
began to push live performers further and
further into the wings, and when the stock
market crashed on Black Tuesday, October
29, 1929, the country found itself mired in a
debilitating economic depression.
The Great Depression of the 1930s makes
our current recession look like an economic
hiccup. By 1933, unemployment had reached
25 percent. More than 5,000 banks had failed.
That same year, a drought turned much of the
Midwest into a dustbowl, forcing hundreds
of thousands of farmers off their land. Relent-
less winds carried dried-out topsoil all the way
to the Atlantic Ocean, while farming families
headed the opposite direction with hopes of
finding a new life in California.
By 1930, Charles Carter had completed six
tours of the world with his ponderous, full-
evening illusion show. Most of those tours were
hugely profitable, which allowed him to build a
veritable castle by the sea in San Francisco and
live in comfort as he planned his next move.
With nothing but doom and gloom on the
country’s horizon, it was obvious that a tour of
American theaters was ill advised, and yet in
the new president’s inaugural address, Franklin
Roosevelt reminded America that, “The only
thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
When Carter read about Chicago’s plans for
an ambitious World’s Fair, his fear evaporated
in the certainty that he had discovered his next
pot of gold. His lifelong dream of owning his
own magic theater would finally be realized on
the shores of Lake Michigan. If he could extract
just 25 cents from even a small number of the
millions of people who would attend the fair, he
would be wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.
12/12/10 2:57 PM
 PHOTOS: MIKE CAVENEY’S EGYPTIAN HALL MUSEUM
On March 3, 1933, Carter signed papers
with the management of the fair. Two weeks
later, plans had been drawn for an all-steel
Temple of Mystery measuring 50 feet wide, 30
feet high, and 123 feet long, with a capacity for
700 ticket buyers. Carter moved into Chicago’s
Hotel Sherman to oversee the multitudinous
details that would present themselves before the
fair opened on May 27.
Knowing that publicity for his attraction
would be of paramount importance, Carter
tried to negotiate a business arrangement
with the Camel Cigarette Company, which
had been running a nationwide advertising
campaign wherein the methods for various
magic tricks and illusions were exposed in
numerous popular magazines. His idea was
to collect a hefty fee for placing giant Camel
ads in front of his theater; then, during the
show, he would prove that the exposed meth-
ods were not the ones he used to accomplish
the same effects. Before a deal could be con-
summated, Camel discontinued the ad cam-
paign and it became a moot point.
Despite the setback, Carter’s plans for the
Temple of Mystery proceeded. He placed an
ad in the showbiz magazine Billboard seeking
“East Indian Fakirs, Egyptian magicians, Bor-
neo fire-dancers, men who freeze themselves in
ice, bury themselves alive or drink gallons of
water and gasoline, and any other attraction
of extraordinary merit and magnitude for a
six-month engagement.” With performers suf-
fering from a lack of work like everyone else in [Top] Carter’s 700-seat, all-steel theater on the World’s Fair midway struggled to remain open for
the country, it is not surprising that the Chicago even a few weeks. Charles Carter placed this ad in Billboard magazine, hoping to find unusual acts
office of Billboard received an avalanche of for his Temple of Mystery at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.
mail addressed to Charles J. Carter.
A vast array of acts and individuals had a wire by his hair, or pull a car by his hair. Cleo Chester Smith called himself the world’s
seen Carter’s advertisement and sent in their For $25 per week W. Mayfield would eat fire greatest memory artist and entertainer. C.S.
résumés in the hope of landing a steady job. and molten lead, detonate gunpowder in his Ault offered to bring his 2,100-pound hog,
Harry Usher wanted to sell horoscopes. Her- hand and mouth, walk up a ladder of knives Big Bill, up from Tennessee and display him in
man Guelpa offered to display his prized and then jump into a box of broken glass. front of Carter’s theater. Mr. Ault went on to
possession, an ordinary pin with the Lord’s Edward Meister would demonstrate algebra say that Big Bill had died the previous Satur-
Prayer engraved on the head, for $20 per on a blackboard. Charles Fretz offered to be day and was currently at a taxidermist.
week. He later offered to throw in his Punch buried alive for as long as necessary, and he The preceding requests for employment
& Judy show and lower his fee to $15 per hoped to hear back from Carter soon because represent only a small fraction of the mail that
week. Magician Val Evans offered his ser- he was about to be “planted” in Doylestown, was generated by that single ad in Billboard.
vices as a “talker” to work the bally. Eugene Pennsylvania, for a period of eighteen days. Each artist had supreme confidence in their act
Laurant wanted to know if he could work Jack McCarthy, the world’s strongest police- or ability and desperately needed the work.
as Carter’s understudy. Frank Luckner wrote man, would lift a 500-pound cannon off the Few were chosen. Frank Luckner was hired as
from Colon, Michigan, to say that he had ground — using only his teeth — and then an assistant. Magician and escape artist Robert
much experience working as a carpenter and fire it. James Pond offered the services of his Cunning was brought in as a talker to work
prop master on illusion shows — five years client, Harlan Tarbell, whom he described as the bally. Chicago magic dealers Joe Berg and
with Mysterious Smith, five years with Harry “the finest person on earth.” Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Felsman were hired to sell slum magic to
Blackstone — and was “sober and reliable.” J.E. Burton were the smallest married couple the millions of tourists who would pass by the
Chundra Bey, who’d spent six years on the on earth — he 43 inches tall, she 40 inches. Temple of Mystery.
Thurston show performing his underwater To avoid any confusion, Mr. Burton added, One letter that caught Carter’s eye was from
burial act, was now hoping to get $60 per “We are midgets.” Harry Browne was a living an old friend, George La Follette. Though he
week to do the water burial, or be frozen in exponent of “the third sex,” starting his act as hadn’t heard from him in years, Carter had
ice, or have stones smashed on his head by a a man and finishing it as a woman. Harry also fond memories of the young magician from Bal-
fifteen-pound sledge hammer, or slide down played piano and did “several fancy dances.” timore. George had read of Carter’s interest in
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 15

M233 Classic Corr.indd 3 12/16/10 4:10 PM

 Freezing a Man in Ice, and he used his knowl-
edge of this stunt to begin a dialogue that he
hoped would lead to a job. Carter had already
answered George’s first lette , so George was
probably attempting to demonstrate his value
by sending additional information. The blue
stationery he rolled into his typewriter adver-
tised his quick-change act with the heading “La
Follette — The Man of Many Faces” and a
line at the bottom described him as “America’s
Most Versatile Mystic Entertainer.”
Mr. Charles J. Carter
Billboard, Chicago, Ill
Dear Charlie,
Very glad to have your letter in reply to
mine and I just send a letter to New York
inquiring about Freezing a Man in Ice. I don’t
think anyone ever built it but Betreace Houdini1
who I understand spent about fifteen thousan
dollars before it was workable2 as Schlosser3
played around with it for several years. The
Union Carpenter that I had with me for several
years went with Mrs. Houdini and put the
finishing touches on the trick and really mad
it workable. I will get all the information from
him and advise you as soon as I do.
I really think it will be an expensive trick to
work in a park doing so many shows a days as
the ice costs plenty.4
Regarding myself I am open for most any
kind of a proposition, to be frank with you
Charlie, I have been hit very hard financiall .
Had twenty-one people in Porto Rico and was
hit by the hurricane5 and that cost me over fiv
grand and since I have been back with condi-
tions so bad everything I put my hand on was a
flo 6 and [on] top of that the bank I had a little
ready cash has never open.
I don’t know how you contemplate working
your show whether as a regular grind show or
a full entertainment7 but I know I would be a
valuable man to you in most any capacity, man-
agerial, advertising, handling the front, produc-
tion, or if you contemplate other performers
working in the show with you I have my show
intact which includes the scenes in the program
1
It’s true that in 1927 Beatrice Houdini was
planning to enter vaudeville as Madam
Houdini, with an act featuring A Man
Frozen in Ice. An American Indian named
Waka Tanka, wearing a rubber suit, was to
remain frozen in an eight-foot-tall block of
ice while Beatrice performed some standard
magic. The big finish occurred when the
ice was chipped away and the man was
still alive. The ill-fated act actually had a
tryout during the first week of March 1928
at the Broadway Theatre in Long Branch,
New Jersey. After the performance, Madam
Houdini commented to a reporter, “I was
very nervous.”
16 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1
M233 Classic Corr.indd 4
I sent you. Have a two-ton International truck
with SOUND and public address system.
Write and let me know in just what capacity
I can fit and I am sure we can come to terms
I would be more than pleased to come to Chi-
cago immediately at a living wage and give you
all the assistance I can before you open and if
there is anything that I can do for you in the
east don’t hesitate to let me know.
With my best personal wishes will await
your reply.
Very truly yours
Geo LaFollette
Westminister Hotel
Fayette and Paca Sts
Baltimore, MD
Alas, it wasn’t to be. When La Follette
finally realized that he wasn t going to be spend-
ing the summer in Chicago, he joined forces
with a mentalist named Dr. Frederick Karr. One
thing that Karr — who wasn’t really a doctor
and was actually named LaPlano — and La
Follette had in common was that they both
had written to Charles Carter about obtaining
steady work. The combined show of Karr and
La Follette was a short-lived venture. Before
long, Dr. Karr was back to working a single act
called “A Night in Spiritland.”
George La Follette spent a number of years
in Boston, working club dates. He eventually
moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he ran
a magic shop. He died at 74 years of age on
November 8, 1960.
Charles Carter traded a few more letters
with La Follette during the weeks prior to the
opening of the Fair, but eventually the reality of
building a brand new theater and moving his
show from San Francisco to Chicago consumed
his every waking moment. The show would
include his version of the Kellar Levitation, the
Million Dollar Mystery, the Magical Divorce
(Gone Chair), his own version of Sawing A
Woman in Half, the Iron Maiden of Nurem-
burg (Nicola Spike Mystery), Crystal Casket,
and a demonstration of mindreading followed
by the sale of horoscopes.
2
The thought of Bess Houdini spending
$15,000 to develop the Man Frozen in
Ice stunt is hard to believe. That amount is
equivalent to $183,000 in 2010. At the
time of Houdini’s death in 1926, his estate
showed a deficit of over $7,000. Beatric
was forced to pawn her jewelry to pay off
debts. She sold Houdini’s brownstone house
on 113th Street in New York at a loss and
moved into a smaller house with her mother,
sister, and niece. More money was lost
on a failed tea room that she operated on
West 49th Street. This doesn’t sound like the
kind of person who would or could spend
$15,000 to develop a sideshow stunt.
In the weeks leading up to opening day, with
so much on the line, Carter couldn’t help but
feel some anxiety mixed with his anticipation.
He wrote to his friend Charles Hugo, “If the
people come to the Fair, which I suspect they
will in great numbers, I should clean up a quar-
ter of a million simoleons. If they do not come,
my bowels won’t move for the rest of my life.”
On opening day, a quarter million people
paid the fifty-cent admission fee and poure
into the fairgrounds. A thousand different
sights and sounds vied for their attention. There
were scores of free attractions and displays.
And there on the midway, just opposite Fort
Dearborn and sandwiched between a two-
headed baby and Ripley’s Believe It or Not
Museum, was Carter’s unfinished emple of
Mystery. With 424 acres of attractions, there
was little incentive to spend another twenty-fiv
cents to buy a ticket to a magic show. And the
people who were willing to part with the extra
quarter usually spent it farther down the mid-
way, where they could feast their eyes on the
talk of the Fair and all of Chicago: Miss Sally
Rand and her scandalous fan dance.
To drum up interest, Carter offered a free
attraction at his theater. Every hour, a man pur-
ported to be the murderer of Chicago’s mayor
vanished from an electric chair. The stunt failed
to capture attention.
In another part of the city, Sally Rand, seem-
ingly without a stitch of clothing on, rode a
horse down the street. In a single day, she was
arrested four times. It was a publicist’s dream.
Just four days after the Fair opened, Carter
wrote to his sister Mary in Washington D.C.
“The Fair is an interesting, beautiful exposition,
but monetarily it is failing, due perhaps to the
immensity of it, the numerous free exhibits,
the unfinished buildings, and finally the emp
purses. However, we are carrying on, hoping
for a pick-up late in June, at which time the
conventions will be held here. In the meantime,
however, we are making the best of it, and not
worrying too much.” Very soon, his worries
would escalate dramatically.
Chicago’s oppressive heat and humidity
were not kind to Carter, who had suffered a
3
Rudy S. Schlosser was a New York magic
manufacturer who specialized in custom-made
tricks and illusions with feather flowers. He
did construct the apparatus for Mrs. Houdini’s
Frozen in Ice stunt. Schlosser ultimately died
in a mental institution near Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1935, Horace Marshall purchased the busi-
ness and developed a reputation for producing
the finest feather flowers of his tim
4
La Follette is absolutely right. Presenting the
Man Frozen in Ice stunt on the midway all day
long in Chicago’s blistering summer weather
would require mountains of ice. Ever the
businessman, Carter hoped to convince an
ice company that the publicity generated by a
12/12/10 2:57 PM
 Front cover of a brochure that La Follette used to
sell his magic, quick change, and spook show.

heart attack the previous year. To keep the con-

tinuous performances running, he shared the
role as master magician with his son, Lawrence,
who had never shown the slightest interest in
magic and had never given a show in his life.
Nevertheless, Carter sent an upbeat report
to his wife Corrine back in San Francisco.
“Lawrence is doing very, very well, for despite
the fact that everything is strange to him and
the tricks and patter are new, still he struggles
bravely. It is excellent practice and I feel that
after a few weeks he will be right at home in his
new field of activities.”
The World’s Fair certainly offered young
Lawrence ample opportunity to practice in
front of audiences, minuscule as they were,
but using the Temple of Mystery as a rehearsal
hall simply guaranteed its failure. Within a few
weeks, Carter’s optimism evaporated com-
pletely and he began planning his exit strategy.
On July 4, he sold his $25,000 Temple of Mys-
tery for $15,000 to the John R. Thompson Co.,
which turned the theater into a quick-service
restaurant that operated very successfully for
the remainder of the Fair.
Notwithstanding Charles Carter’s bitter
experience, the 1933 World’s Fair was such a
smashing success that the organizers decided
to reopen it the following year for a second
season. By the time it finally closed on Octo-
ber 31, 1934, nearly forty million people had
passed through its turnstiles, and for the first
time in American history, an international fair
had broken even.
Carter shipped his show back to the West
Coast, and before the end of 1933, he had
embarked on his seventh and final world tour.
For more than two years, he once again tra-
versed the globe accompanied by 31 tons of
magic equipment. While in India, he suffered
another heart attack and died on February 13
in Bombay (Mumbai). future probably never looked bleaker. But long run, Carter’s rejection of his services
George La Follette must have felt discour- he persevered by doing club dates and run- forced George to formulate a different plan
aged when his friend didn’t offer him a job ning a magic shop, and he ended up outliving for his future which ultimately led to a longer
at the Temple of Mystery. His immediate Charles Carter by 24 years. Perhaps, in the and, hopefully, happier life.

sign in front of his Temple of Mystery, naming 6

them as the exclusive providers of ice, would
be invaluable. For this service, Carter would of
course get his ice for free. As it turned out, no
ice was needed because no man was frozen.
5
This statement about being hit by a hurricane in
Puerto Rico is a bit curious. La Follette did have a
large show in Puerto Rico in September of 1932.
The San Ciprian hurricane blew ashore on Sep-
tember 30, killing 200 people and causing prop-
erty damage estimated at $30,000,000. But
in the October issue of Linking Ring magazine,
Max Holden reported that “George just missed
the hurricane by two days.”
Le Follette was most likely referring to the ter, New York City.
combined full-evening show he presented with
The Secret Life of Houdini William Kalush and
mentalist Leona LaMarr, a venture that ended
Larry Sloman, Atria Books, 2006.
quickly and expensively.
Carter the Great, Mike Caveney, Magic
7
The answer to this question is that Carter would
Words, Pasadena, Calif. 1995.
operate his theater as a grind show, with perfor-
mances beginning at 10 o’clock in the morning Magicol magazine, David Meyer, Feb. 1995.
and running continuously till 11 o’clock at night.
Tablets of Osiris, Society of Osiris, article by
Each show would last thirty to forty minutes.
McCarl Roberts. Sept. 1997.
Linking Ring magazine, I.B.M. Kenton Ohio,
BIBLIOGRAPHY Oct., Dec. 1932.
AskAlexander database created by William
Kalush at the Conjuring Arts Research Cen-

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Hottrix M233 (1.c).indd 1 12/15/10 10:29 AM

 viewpoint
T h o m a s S o l o m o n
The Real Purpose
“A lot of our soldiers suffer from Post- magician who exposes the secrets on TV? It
Traumatic Stress Disorder,” a physical thera- had been a long day and I was eager to get
pist informs me, “so please, no mention of home, but I struggled to reply with short
torture or death.” answers as I was packing up my props. The
They mean business. The special require- conversation continued for about fiftee
ments and the strict security, unusual at first minutes, moving from magic to escapes to
are now routine and expected as we prepare to current news events and the wars in Iraq
enter the “Wounded Warrior Transition Unit” and Afghanistan. With my cases packed, I
at Fort Dix Army Base thanked the club man-
in southern New Jersey. ager and headed out to
Just steps from the reha- my car with my new
bilitation and recreation friend following me.
center, this seemingly
innocuous request now
Our craft is about On the street, as
I bade him farewell,
has me thinking, What
will I see today? How
so much more he asked if I might
consider donating a
will I be affected when
I leave?
than copper performance to enter-
tain and boost morale
As I prepare myself
mentally for what will be
and silver coins, of returning wounded
soldiers. He told me he
my eighth performance
of magic and escapes at
handcuffs, and had some connections
at the Pentagon and
a military base or hos-
pital, I think back to
faro shuffles wanted me to enroll in
“Armed Forces Enter-
where I have been: once tainment,” a group
at Walter Reed Army that provides enter-
Hospital, twice each at tainment to soldiers
Lakehurst Naval Base and McGuire Air Force abroad. In addition, he expressed an interest
Base, and today will be my third performance in performances for military hospitals state-
at the Fort Dix Army Base. Each visit has been side. Offering his help to make the vetting
different. In some cases, I performed in the process easier, he informed me that there
hospital or rehabilitation center for wounded would be no pay. He offered this bit of wis-
soldiers undergoing treatment. In others, I per- dom: “Your reward will be different. Give it
formed for soldiers about to be deployed, who a try and you’ll see.” I’d previously donated
were accompanied at the base by their fami- my time to hospitals and nursing homes, so I
lies. One time, I performed as part of a recre- figured this might be a good opportunity t
ational activity for the spouses and children of show my appreciation to our soldiers and,
soldiers on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. in the process, make some very deserving
My entry into the world of the military people happy. I offered to do one show. He
started with a chance meeting at a nightclub looked at the business card I handed to him
in Princeton, New Jersey, almost a year ago. and said he would be in touch.
An audience member approached me after Fast-forward six months to when, with
the show. A retired US Marine, he was very this gentleman’s guidance, I completed the
polite but methodical in his line of question- vetting process with the Pentagon and was
ing. Who has influenced me? Do I kno off to do my first sho , the one I agreed
such and such Las Vegas performer? Can I to, at McGuire Air Force Base. My friend,
pick locks? Can I cheat at poker? Is there the retired Marine, accompanied me. I
one trick I can teach him? What about the performed for hundreds of soldiers/airmen
20 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1
M233 Viewpoints.indd 2
being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan,
some for the very first time, others o
returning deployments. What struck me the
most was the level of responsibility being
placed on these young people, who were
being sent off on missions that were, at best,
uncertain. And yet they seemed to take it all
in stride. I left the base with a new apprecia-
tion for the sacrifices those people make an
a new awareness of what makes this country
great. As my friend so accurately predicted,
I was hooked. I had an epiphany that day
and agreed to do more performances, allow-
ing the recreational directors in the four
branches of the military to set my schedule.
Meeting the soldiers is both heart-
wrenching and exhilarating. These are the
most rewarding of any shows I have ever
done, and they remain some of the best
audiences I have ever worked for. They are
appreciative, interested, respectful, and with-
out the usual bravado you see in a night-
club audience. Seeing the injuries is what
stays with you — the amputees, the people
blinded by shrapnel, the people with what is
called the “signature wound,” a phrase that
refers to the concussions and other closed-
head injuries that are all too common in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
The Wounded Warrior Transition Unit,
where I am today, is a place where soldiers
undergoing treatment can use onsite com-
puters and participate in various activities.
Some changes to my preshow setup have
been necessary. Prohibited from using a
knife in the performance, I have precut the
orange for my “Too Big to Fail” (Bill in
Orange) routine. A butterfly knife I normall
use for the Card Stab has been left in the
trunk of my car. A container of lighter flui
for fire effects has also been left behind.
made sure that the New York Post news-
paper I use for a torn-and-restored effect
carries no derogatory or satirical headline
related to the war. I have removed from my
scripts all references remotely connected
with the macabre, along with any political
statements or opinions.
12/15/10 6:34 PM
 Just getting invited to perform for the
Wounded Warrior program has proved quite
a challenge. It was six months of preparation;
lots of questions, forms to fill out, phone calls
emails, background checks, more questions,
more forms, more emails, and more back-
ground checks. Even with all that and two pre-
vious performances at this base, I’ve still spent
almost ninety minutes this morning explaining
my purpose to a civilian employee stationed at
the front desk of the Visitor Center. It seems
that my name and stated purpose were not
entered into the base security system. A full
six-month vetting by the Pentagon and accep-
tance into the Armed Forces Entertainment
program has not made this any easier. So, I sit
in the waiting room, going over my script and
rechecking my props. Finally, someone looking
very important appears at the front desk and
apologizes profusely. “Mr. Solomon, so sorry
for the delay. Please follow me.” I quickly grab
my two road cases as I am waved through
security and driven over to another building.
The show today is an hour-long mix of
escapes and stage magic. I demonstrate and
explain theories and methods used to escape
from handcuffs. With the audience now in the
know, I escape restraints with which none of
the aforementioned methods will work. It’s a
performance I have been doing for years and
it always gets a great reaction. To make things
interesting, I add in some Middle Eastern
handcuffs and zip ties, the method of restraint
used by American soldiers in Iraq and Afghan-
istan, which piques the audience’s interest.
Every soldier has a story. You marvel at
what they have been able to accomplish and
continue to do. At Fort Dix, I spot a group
of five soldiers sitting togethe , off to the side
of where I am performing. They are very
quiet, but they watch the show with inter-
est. Afterward, as I am handing out souvenir
Thomas Solomon and “The Bionic Man.”
M233 Viewpoints.indd 3
decks of cards, I am told by one of the nurses
that the soldiers in this group are suffering
from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
I walk over to them with the intent of dem-
onstrating some close-up coin magic. I take
an English coin and a Morgan Dollar out of
my pocket in preparation for a Copper/Silver
Routine. The group moves in closer, shifting
their chairs to within inches of my feet, while
two other guys stand behind me and look
over my shoulder. One soldier motions that
he wants to see the coins. Satisfying his curi-
osity, I place one coin in each of his hands,
closing them into a fist. I then go through a
routine in which the copper and silver coins
change places. The soldiers express amaze-
ment, laugh, and high-five each othe , but
they hardly speak a word. They don’t seem
to exhibit the PTSD characteristics I’ve seen
before. Nevertheless, there is something dif-
ferent about their interactions with me. Later,
a nurse tells me that these soldiers are deaf,
their hearing permanently destroyed by the
blast wave of an exploding roadside bomb.
At another hospital, weeks earlier, a quiet
soldier arrives a full hour before the show
and offers to be an onstage assistant. He
tells me his name is Jason. I tell Jason that
I’d be happy to have him help out. True to
my word, when I need a volunteer to assist
me during the show, I select Jason. Using
a cane, he walks slowly to the small riser
where I’m standing. He’s wearing sweat
pants and a T-shirt on which the word
“Army” is emblazoned. I ask him his name
and he replies, “The Bionic Man.” He smiles
and raps his cane against his leg, producing
a loud thunk, thunk. The audience and I
watch as he lifts the cuff of his sweat pants
up above his ankle, revealing a prosthetic
leg. The audience erupts in laughter and
applause, with Jason smiling from ear to ear.
One could argue that this is the real pur-
pose of magic: to bring joy where it’s some-
times missing. Our craft is about so much
more than copper and silver coins, handcuffs,
and faro shuffles. It s about making a connec-
tion with the people in the audience, giving
them a memorable experience. I can honestly
say, when your presentation and interpreta-
tion of what is magical creates surprise and
amazement, reawakens a fond memory of
childhood, highlights a universal experience,
or brings a smile to the face of an injured
soldier, you have received your reward. We,
as magicians, and more importantly as per-
formers, should aspire to nothing less.
Thomas Solomon, a New York-based escape
artist and magician, has starred in two off-
Broadway shows, Theatre of the Macabre and
Ellusions, as well as his own television special in
the UK. He also received World’s Best Escape
Artist at the 2000 World Magic Awards.
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 21
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 MAGIC
update Find Internet links at www.MAGICmagazine.com/WebSource

PHOTOS: CHIPPER LOWELL

Dead in the Water
One hundred and fifty-eight registrants for David Sandy s third
Magic Cruise boarded the Carnival Splendor on Sunday, November 7,
to enjoy a seven-day cruise and conference on the Mexican Riviera —
Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas, plus fine dining and
luxurious accommodations, along with magic shows, magic lectures,
and magic camaraderie. Well, for the most part, the shows and lec-
tures happened, and for sure there was plenty of time for camaraderie,
but the rest of the party didn’t quite materialize.
Early Monday morning, less than twelve hours after sailing
out of Long Beach Harbor, the 113,000-ton luxury liner came to
a complete stop approximately 140 miles off the coast of Mexico.
All power was lost because of an electrical fire in the engine co -
trol room and, within hours, it was announced that the cruise
had been terminated. Tugs were dispatched from Ensenada, while
vessels from the US Coast Guard and the US and Mexican Navy
kept a close watch. By midday Tuesday, passengers were informed
that the ship would be towed back to San Diego, with an ETA of
Thursday. Helicopters from the USS Ronald Reagan began airlift-
ing fresh food and necessary supplies to the ship, while most of the
3,000-plus passengers settled in for a few days of doing — well,
not much. With emergency power only, hot meals and most forms Bill Smith amuses fellow panelists David Sandy, Mark Kalin, and Jinger.
of entertainment were nonexistent. Registrant Michael Trixx entertains stranded passengers.
The magicians, however, fared better. David Sandy and his team
commandeered a lounge with large windows for daylight and began A platform with lights, sound, and curtains was assembled that after-
rescheduling events. Over the next three days, close-up shows, lec- noon. Stage performers booked for the cruise, along with magicians
tures, and panel discussions were presented by Chad Long, Shoot from the Ring, presented a full show for registrants and any other pas-
Ogawa, Bob Sheets, Martin Lewis, Danny Cole, Christopher Hart, sengers staying in the hotel.
Chipper Lowell, Mark & Jinger Kalin, Bill Smith, Rich Bloch, and While the Magic Cruise was not exactly what David Sandy and his
Stan Allen. On Wednesday night, magic presenters and attendees guests had bargained for, there were a few upsides. Certainly an adven-
performed for appreciative passengers wherever they could find light. ture that was that week’s media buzz, plus Carnival did extend full
Magic was certainly the hit of the final evening onboard refunds for the cruise, plus all transportation to and from the ship, and a
The Splendor limped into San Diego Harbor early Thursday morn- credit for a cruise of equal value anytime next year. David — a fourth?
ing and passengers were assigned to hotels throughout the area. Magic
Cruise continued at the Marriott, with the help of the local IBM Ring. For personal recollections, see Stan Allen’s “From the Editor” on page 11.

Christopher Hart enjoys a lighthearted moment during a dinner buffet. Food and supplies were airlifted by helicopter from the USS Ronald Reagan
[above], then moved by the staff up and down nine flights of stairs via bucket brigade.
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 23

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 MAGIC update

PHOTOS: RICHARD FAVERTY / BECKETT STUDIOS

A Family Gathering
The late William Larsen, Geri Larsen Jaffe, and Bill Larsen Jr.
joined in spirit as “Brother” Milt and “Princess” Irene accepted
accolades on behalf of the entire magical Larsen family on December
6 in Las Vegas. Over 200 “family friends” gathered at the Orleans
Hotel as the Fantasma IBM Ring honored the family that brought
the world Genii, It’s Magic, The Academy of Magical Arts, and The
Magic Castle. Mac King hosted the tribute show featuring Jason
Byrne, ten-year-old Lena Marie, Aye Jaye, Max Maven, The Amazing
Johnathan, Luna Shimada, The Great Throwdini, Richard Sherman,
and Kevin James, with close-up magic provided by Simon Lovell and
John Accardo. The comedy highlight was The Amazing Johnathan &
Psychic Tanya impersonating Bill & Irene Larsen’s tongue-in-cheek
mindreading routine. This was the seventh evening of its kind, with [Clockwise] Milt and Irene reminisce about the Larsen family, Amazing
previous recipients being Johnny Thompson, Carl Ballantine, Norm Johnathan works as Bill Larsen Jr., Kevin James fires a bowling ball at a
Nielsen, John Calvert, Marvyn Roy, and Peter Reveen. “volunteer,” and Jason Byrne pulls Liberty Larsen into the act.

M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 25

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A Magic Castle
Summoned to the scene of
the crime, detectives encounter a
dead body hanging upside-down
in a Water Torture Cell. Did the
magician die trying to emulate
Houdini’s feat, or was it murder?
That’s the opening scene of
“Poof! You’re Dead,” the latest
episode of ABC’s comedic mys-
tery-drama Castle. The series
follows mystery writer Richard
Castle (played by Nathan Fil-
lion) as he gathers ideas and
inspiration for his next novel
by studying and assisting New
York detective Kate Beckett
(Stana Katic). The magic sto-
ryline of this episode was the
idea of Terri Edda Miller, a
producer and writer for the
show. “I love magic,” she says,
“so I thought this would be
a visually exciting murder to
create. We try to start each of
our episodes with compelling,
imaginative murders that make
the audience want to know
‘How did that happen?’”
While writing the show,
Miller’s research led her to real-
ize that “magicians are a very
small, tight community where
everybody knows each other. So
we take Castle and Beckett into
that world of magicians and their
lives. I talked to my friend Chuck
Martinez, who gave me a lot of
insight into the lives you all lead,
in terms of touring and develop-
Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) ponder a murder at Drake’s Magic Shop, a set created in a Los Angeles storefront last
November. Tobias Strange (Gilles Marini) presents his illusions, recorded onstage at the Orpheum Theater, also in Los Angeles.
M233 Update_REV.indd 7
MAGIC update
ing your act. It was fascinating,
as were the different kinds of
magic. Every hour-long TV show
I’ve seen has done a magic epi-
sode. But in my research, I had
not seen one that looked at all
of the different kinds of magic.
I wanted to show a little close-
up action, some stage illusions,
mentalism — a taste of each sort
of magic.”
Magic consultant Eric
Elkaim, who started out more
than thirty years ago as a
Magic Castle Junior, coached
the actors in the necessary tech-
niques. On the show, Castle
makes a cell phone vanish
(“tabling,” says Elkaim) as well
as a coin. A street magician
(Chadwick Boseman) makes
a watch disappear and then
reappear in an egg, a routine
Elkaim taught to him using a
Ring Flite gimmick. In charac-
ter as illusionist Tobias Strange,
actor Gilles Marini vanishes
himself from a trunk, and he
does a sword effect borrowed
from Ed Alonzo. The illusion,
known in Ed’s act as Nice
Rack, involves a rack of swords
that swings down to apparently
skewer the magician. “We went
back and forth with differ- also taught tricks to Stana The “Poof! You’re Dead”
ent types of tricks,” says Eric, Katic and to Molly Quinn, episode of Castle is scheduled
“finally narrowing it down to who plays Castle’s daughter — for broadcast on Monday,
the sword illusion, which tied effects that should come as a January 10, at 10 p.m ET/PT
back into the story.” Elkaim surprise to the viewers. on ABC.
PHOTOS: COURTESY ABC 
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 27
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MacMillan’s
International Magic
The 39th Annual International Magic Convention was held at the
Mermaid Conference and Events Centre in London, England. Even
though the event is now held over the course of three days — in this case,
November 26–28, 2010 — the gathering is still affectionately known
as “Ron’s Day,” in honor of the late Ron MacMillan, who created
and ran the convention for many years. This year, the Ron MacMillan
International Magic Convention hosted 500 attendees — increasing to
600 for the Gala shows — along with 26 dealers from a dozen countries.
Many of the same names kept popping up throughout the weekend
this year. The Flicking Fingers from Germany presented the Friday
night opening show with their unique presentation of magic and
comedy. Two of the Fingers then gave a lecture the next day, and two
more members of the group lectured on Sunday. An interview with
David Ben, conducted by Matthew Field, turned into more of a lecture
when Ben decided to demonstrate the effects and ideas he was speak-
M233 Update_REV.indd 9
MAGIC update
ing about; the next day the actual David Ben lecture was held, featur-
ing ideas not presented in the interview.
Saturday saw twelve contestants from nine countries vying for
the top prize in the close-up competition. The winner was Matthew
Wright, from the UK. More close-up was presented in a “Pre-Gala”
close-up session held in the foyer and bar, followed by the Gala shows
of magic and variety on both Saturday and Sunday evening.
Saturday also featured a special show earlier in the day, a tribute
to the late street performer Jim Cellini. Friends, fans, and students of
Cellini gathered to remember the man, with performances by Gazzo,
Michael Vincent, Chris Lynam, Richard McDougall, Johnny Fox, and
Ben Whiting.
Close-up magic was again the focus on Sunday afternoon, as Ponta
the Smith from Japan gave his highly anticipated lecture. Ponta also
participated in the International Close-up Gala, along with Pit Hartling,
Manuel Muerte, Derek Hughes, Ricky Smith, Tyler Wilson, and Thomas
Fraps. One of the highlights of the weekend was the presentation of the
Berglas International Award to special guest Juan Tamariz, with David
Berglas on hand to do the honors and interview Juan onstage.
The dates for the 40th International Convention are November
18–20, 2011.
Photos and information by Arto Airaksinen.
[Clockwise] Mentalism the Flicking Fingers’ way, Juan Tamariz inter-
viewed by David Berglas, David Ben with the classic Egg Bag, Johnny
Fox swallowing a screw driver, Romany in full reglia, Pontu the Smith’s
Ring on Rope, and Gazzo in tribute to Cellini.
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 29
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A Moment With...
Simon Lovell
Simon Lovell just celebrated the seventh anni-
versary of his weekly show, Strange & Unusual
Hobbies, in New York. MAGIC Magazine sat
down with Simon to learn about that milestone of consistency and some
recent changes in his life.
How did Strange & Unusual Hobbies get started?
I was doing a show called Monday Magic at the Soho Playhouse.
The owner of the theater said, “We’re changing our downstairs area
into a little bar. Do you want to do a show down there?” It’s an old-
fashioned cabaret that sits 55 people. They booked me for six weeks.
Seven years later, it’s the longest running one-man show in Off-Broad-
way history.
It’s the story of a man who fell in love with magic tricks as a child,
fell out of love with magic, became a professional con man and career
criminal, then fell back in love with magic. I like to think it’s funny, but
during the little shindig — I call it a shindig, not a show — I teach the
audience what cons look like and how to avoid being lured into one.
But I admit, I do teach the audience three ways to cheat their friends to
get their ticket money back!
You really were a con man?
Allegedly. For about eleven years. My grandfather, a grifter, taught
me various moves and devices of the con and card cheat. During
holidays, he’d send me out with traveling carnivals, where I learned
how to take money off people and how to “dip” or pickpocket. In other
words, how to be a thief. It was quite enjoyable for a long time. My
grandfather was, as you can imagine, not beloved by the family, but I
adored him. He’d take me down to the pub to sit at the end of the bar
with a little glass of beer while he was making book and teaching me
how to do it. Who wouldn’t want a grandfather like that?
But as it turns out, you had a good streak in you.
I guess so. I fought it for a long time — until about my early thirties.
Then I had an epiphany where I realized I couldn’t do it any more.
I’d taken a guy — allegedly — and he just slid down the wall, crying.
And I gave him $20,000 of the money back. That’s when I realized I
couldn’t do it anymore. You need to be ice cold to do that stuff — think
of people as walking ATMs. The moment you see them as people,
you’re done. It’s over.
You were done scamming, so you switched to performing.
That’s the one lie in the show: I never fell out of love with magic;
it’s always been my mistress. I’d done some television shows, includ-
ing one called Beat the Cheat, and realized I really enjoyed showing
people how cool these cons and magic could be. A lot of performers
use the audiences to get the love they missed as a child, and I think
that’s one of my big things. Anyway, I figured I’d done all the televisio
I was going to get in England, so I thought, F--- it, I’ll move to America.
And that’s what I did, twenty years ago, and started fresh.
Speaking of television, let’s talk about White Collar, the
USA Network series you are involved with.
I got a phone call from the producer, Jeff Eastin. I hung up; I thought
M233 Update_REV.indd 11
MAGIC update
it was a practical joke! Luckily, he called back. He’d read my book
How to Cheat at Everything and asked if I’d like to work as a techni-
cal advisor for the show. We did a three-season deal in twenty minutes
over the phone. I started out just advising, then rewriting stuff for them,
and then got a couple of acting roles. They gave me a couple of shout-
outs — there’s one episode where the guy is teaching a class on cons
and says, “For your homework next week, read Lovell, chapters twelve
through fifteen.
Do you do any of the close-up hand work in the show?
I do some of it, but to be honest [lead actor] Matt Bomer does
most of it himself. In an upcoming episode, he switches out a card.
All the magicians will think it’s me or a trick shot, but it’s not. Matt
learned how to do the turn-over switch and I think he does it better
than I do now!
On another subject, you had a reputation of…
Drugs, drink, rock-and-roll? Yeah, I call that my lost Lenny Bruce
period — which was about thirty years. On the traveling carnivals,
everyone drank. It’s not an easy life. People started giving me pills,
which led to the white powder. Beer led to scotch. I was functioning,
could do what I needed to do, but I was always drinking way too
much and taking way too many drugs. Eventually it caught up to me.
Last year — on April 1, of all days — I was onstage and I blacked
out, crashed to the ground with blood pouring out the back of my
head, and woke up in an ambulance. I was told I had a minor stroke
or a major seizure. The hospital wanted to keep me overnight, but I
booked myself out because I was still flying from the shit I’d taken. I
woke up the next day and said, “That’s it.” It was like my con man
epiphany. I quit.
Roger Dryer, who saw me through some black times, asked if I
wanted to go to rehab. I said, “No, I want to do it by myself, to prove
I can.” Then I went through four or five days of unspeakable hell. Bu
since April 2, 2010, I’ve had no hard liquor, no wine, no drugs. I feel
a lot better for it. Do I miss it? Of course I do; I miss it every day, but I
know if I do one line, two hours later I’ll be buying $300 of it. So now
I wake up in the morning and think: Could drink. Could take drugs. But
I’m not going to today.
I’m still a lunatic and go out until four in the morning with friends;
it’s just that now I’m drinking non-alcoholic beer and waking up clear-
headed in the morning. You have to hit total bottom before you can
realize what you’re doing — and I would count nearly dying, and
being such an idiot as to book yourself out of a hospital that is trying to
help you, as total bottom.
What’s next for Simon Lovell?
I’ve got season three of White Collar and hopefully more. I’ve got a
new book, Grandson of Simon Says. The first one was Simon Says and
then there was Son of Simon Says, and rather than calling it Illegitimate
Bastard Child of Simon Says, I thought Grandson might be a bit bet-
ter. The Off-Broadway show is still going on, and I’m still working with
Fantasma — advising, writing, and directing a few magic DVDs. The
main crux of my life now is not work, it’s waking up in the morning and
staying clean, and being able to think and write properly. That’s where
Simon Lovell is going, down a less weed-filled path
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 31
12/16/10 1:43 PM
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MILESTONES
William Self died at age 89
on November 15. A tennis cham-
pion, actor, director, television
and film producer, and president
of Twentieth Century Fox Televi-
sion, Self worked with a “who’s
who” of Hollywood for more than
six decades. He was also an
authority on Annie Oakley, on the
Board of Trustees at the Buffalo Bill
Historical Center, and a lifelong
magic enthusiast. At age thirteen,
he entered a contest in Dayton,
Ohio, that made the grand claim
to find “Dayton’s Best Amateur
Magician and the Person Most
Likely to Become Thurston’s Succes-
sor.” Bill Self won the contest and
performed his trick onstage with
Howard Thurston — incidentally,
the first time he ever performed the
trick in public. [Read more about
Bill Self in “From the Editor,” start-
ing on page 11.]
Dr. Earl Reum passed away
at his home in Denver on Decem-
ber 5. He was 79. Earl was a
longtime member of the IBM, the
SAM (which he joined as a junior
member in 1948), the Magic Col-
lectors Association, and a founding
member of the Mile High Magi-
cians Society. He was a teacher
and motivational speaker whose
life and presentations were fille
with magic and humor.
For 34 years, Earl worked as
a student activities coordinator for
the Denver and Jefferson County
school systems in Colorado, after
which he took to the road to work
as a consultant at educational
conferences across the US. By
his own estimate, Earl spoke to
50,000 student leaders per year
for more than fifty years, using
jokes and magic tricks to illustrate
M233 Update_REV.indd 13
his points on motivation and lead-
ership. With a Bachelor’s degree
in philosophy, a Master’s in com-
munication, and a doctorate in
education, Reum authored numer-
ous articles on student activities
and founded the National Associ-
ation of Workshop Directors. Earl
was also coauthor (with Lindsay
Smith) of the book Communicat-
ing with Magic: The Speaker’s
Guide to Magic, The Magician’s
Guide to Speaking.
Several months ago, having
received a diagnosis of terminal
cancer, Earl shared with his friend
Walter Blaney his secret for a
happy life: “Laugh uncontrollably,
and never regret anything that
made you smile.”
— Information by Lindsay Smith
Maurice Pierre, Honorary
President of FISM, died on Decem-
ber 8 at age 84. Born in Paris,
Maurice first lea ned magic when
he was twelve, and at seventeen
embarked on an eight-year career
as a magician, continuing from
then on as a semipro performer
of close-up and mentalism. He
was awarded a Bronze medal
by the Fédération Française des
Artistes Prestidigitateurs (FFAP) in
1971, a Gold in 1973, and the
FFAP Golden Wand in 1979, an
honor bestowed upon very few. He
served as president of the FFAP for
most of the 1980s. Pierre was pres-
ident of FISM from 1970 to 1973,
during which time he organized the
’73 FISM convention in Paris. He
was appointed Secretary General
of FISM in 1979, retaining that
position until 2000. Throughout
his magic endeavors, Maurice was
aided by his wife, Denise, who
survives him.
— Additional information by
Peter Din
MAGIC update
The Rebirth
of the Hofzinser
Commemoration Ring
In 1933, German magician Robert Farchmin endowed a finger ring
dedicated to Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser (1806–1875). Crafted by
Austrian designer Anton Stursa, it shows the letter H and carries a small
diamond. The Hofzinser Ring is considered one of the most important
awards in German magic, and it was intended to be awarded every
three years to a magician who accomplished extraordinary work.
The first recipient was Austrian magician and author Ottokar
Fischer, who wrote several books preserving the Hofzinser heritage,
including The Card Magic of Hofzinser and Illustrated Magic. In 1936,
the Ring was handed to illusionist Kalanag, who was honored for rede-
signing Magie magazine. Because of World War II, the ring was not
passed again until 1948, when Farchmin presented it to Punx. Punx
revolutionized magic performances by putting together a complete
stage play around magic, performing as four different characters.
After Punx received the ring again in 1950, he was given permis-
sion to pass it to whomever he found deserving, as Robert Farchmin
believed there would be no one worthy of the award in the near future.
The ring stayed with Punx and was almost forgotten for more than thirty
years. It wasn’t until 1985 that Punx chose magic dealer and publisher
Werner Geissler-Werry, honoring Werry for his independent magazine
Magische Welt, which he published for almost fifty years.
Werry died suddenly in 2000, having not yet found a successor for
the Ring. Seven years later, Werry’s widow asked Wittus Witt, the current
editor of Magische Welt, to establish an endowment that would allow
the tradition of the ring to continue. A committee of seven prominent
magicians agreed that Austrian magician and historian Magic Christian
would be a worthy recipient. He was awarded the Ring on December
12, 2010, during the Magic Theatre Festival in Mülheim, Germany.
Magic Christian was selected in recognition of his study of Hofzinser,
published as a trilogy — the final volume to come in 2011 — with
wealth of previously unknown material.
The magical journey of the ring will continue when it is passed to
another recipient in 2014.
— Information by Wittus Witt
Wittus Witt presents Magic Christian with the Hofzinser Ring at
the Magic Theatre Festival in Mülheim, Germany.
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 33
12/16/10 3:14 PM
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David Alexander, magician,
author, and silhouette artist, died
unexpectedly on December 14
while attempting to stem floodin
at a rental property in Aurora, Illi-
nois. It was not immediately clear
whether he suffered a heart attack
or accidentally touched outmoded
electrical wiring.
An original member of the Long
Beach Mystics in the mid-1950s,
David studied for seven years with
vaudeville and nightclub magician
José Frakson. Señor Frakson taught
David several of his routines, which
Alexander later used in his own
work and in an act in which he
portrayed Frakson himself.
Among Alexander’s many and
varied careers, he was resident
magician at the Hotel Claremont
in San Francisco, performed at
sea for several years on Princess
Cruises, and spent long periods
touring in Mexico and Central
America. As an author, he wrote
and published The Complete Pro-
fessional Pickpocket, and in the
early ’90s was chosen by his friend
Gene Roddenberry to write his aut-
horized biography, Star Trek Crea-
tor, which was published several
years after Roddenberry’s death.
David was a week shy of 67.
Robert Schwartz, 39,
magician and head of Schwartz
Security in Las Vegas, died
December 15 from complica-
tions that arose following kidney
surgery. Robert, whose previous
medical problems left him confined
to a wheelchair, was familiar to
many magicians who visited Las
Vegas, where he regularly pro-
vided security for the World Magic
Seminar and a number of other
magic events over the years.
M233 Update_REV.indd 15
MAGIC update
Bob Elliott 1934 – 2010
Bob Elliott passed away on December 7 at home in Oceanside, California, under hospice care for Alzheim-
er’s disease. He was 76. Mentored by Brother John Hamman, Bob went on to mentor and empower many
young magicians himself through the years. Bob was always proud to be an amateur magician, his favorite
quote being the old line, “Amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic!” IBM Ring #352 in Pennsylva-
nia was named The Bob Elliott Ring in his honor.
Student and friend Dennis Cook recalls:
I met Bob when I was nine years old. He and his wife, Happy, moved in next door and became my new
neighbors. I had no idea what I was in for! What a special man!
Bob introduced me to magic. He performed for me, and patiently taught and guided me into his world of
magic. Frequently, I’d meet fascinating and wonderful magicians at his house, which was known to be a sec-
ond home for any magician who needed a place to stay in New York. Yes, Bob had a passion for magic, but
he also had a passion for people and loved to help or touch someone’s heart.
He was a brilliant man, very well read, and held a degree in metallurgy engineering. After a successful
career with Johns Manville, he acquired certifications to teach math and science at the high school level and
incorporated magic into his lessons. Bob loved to teach; it was another way of giving.
Thirty years ago, Tony Spina approached Bob about becoming the director of Tannen’s Magic Camp.
Bob agreed to take the job as director only if he could bring me along as his assistant. I was sixteen years
old then, and I eventually became the director of Tannen’s. To this day, the camp is an incredible part of
my life; each summer, I derive immense satisfaction from being able to touch the young lives of future magi-
cians. I owe this all to Bob.
Bob was selfless, most definitely a giv . He loved teaching and he made a difference in the lives of every-
one who was privileged to cross his path. He was an involved, dedicated father who had a spectacular wife as
a partner. Happy was Bob’s “rock,” and he adored her for her outer and inner beauty. She was so loving and
supportive to Bob; she totally embraced his love of magic and made it hers, as well.
Friend and colleague Harry Lorayne reflects
I’ve lost a close, dear old friend. Bob
was one hell of a magician. He and Happy
played host to so many visiting magicians.
All who knew Bob loved him.
Bob was my first instructor when I ran
my memory school. He also was my dem-
onstrator at the first lesson, when potential
students signed up. People called off single
digits as quickly as I could write them on
the blackboard, until we had at least a
25-digit number. Without ever looking at
the board, Bob rattled off the entire num-
ber. Then I’d say, “Hey Bob, can you call
’em all off backwards?” He did! All the
potential students signed up after that.
He was a bit of a practical joker. I asked
new instructors to record their sessions so I
could check them out. Bob gave me a tape
— he was speaking rudely to students, using
dirty words, and so on! I was about to go
into shock, until I realized it was a joke. Don’t
know how he did it, but a joke it was.
He was also my protector. He was
strong, a body builder, so he was a good
protector! Nobody could say a bad word
to or about me when he was there.
I could go on and on, but it’s difficult. I
loved Bob. Bob Elliott in 2008, with his life-size mechanical Merlin figure
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 35
12/16/10 3:14 PM
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 M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 37

D. Tilford M233 (1.c).indd 1 12/11/10 11:52 AM

 This
is
Not
a
Pen PHOTOS: MICHAEL FODERA

By Adam Rubin
Mark Setteducati is lying on the rug of his Manhattan apartment and he’s covered from
head to toe with pens — well, not completely.
I pull the lid off a large plastic tub labeled “frogs” and pour amphibious-shaped writ-
ing implements onto his face. The shoot’s photographer says we need more pens — there
are still sixty boxes stacked up in the kitchen — so, on go the “hot dogs,” the “hearts,”
and the “tigers.” Eventually, all that’s visible are Mark’s aquiline nose and his designer
eyeglasses. While the camera snaps away, Mark shoots me a glance. Even underneath the
mountain of plastic, I can tell he’s smiling.

M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 2 12/15/10 6:59 PM


When the photos are finished, Mark sits
up slowly and brushes pens from his custom-
designed Chinese silk shirt. He is clad in
black, from his spectacles down to his pointy
boots. Normally, he’s serious and intense, but
at the moment, covered in brightly colored
baubles, he reminds me of a kid in a ball pit.
“That was fun,” he states matter-of-factly.
At First Glance
For a guy who invents novelties and
games for a living, Mark Setteducati is often
remarkably deadpan. He has a deep, dry
voice and an intently focused demeanor.
A New Yorker through and through, he
has strong opinions; he has no patience for
“crap,” and is a man of discriminating taste.
It’s kind of hard to imagine him playing with
toys, even as a child.
It turns out he was more interested in
playing cards as a kid. His uncle was a pro-
fessional gambler and his father owned the
Greenwich Tavern, a popular Manhattan bar
and frequent home of backroom card games.
Surrounded by the pasteboards from an early
age, it was John Scarne’s book The Odds
Against Me that inspired Mark to switch his
focus from gambling to magic.
Setteducati devoured Scarne’s work on
sleight of hand, spending countless hours
practicing close-up magic and performing fre-
quently for family and friends. He was equally
intrigued by Scarne’s work as the inventor of
games such as “Scarne” and “Teeko.”
For young Mark, magic and games
held great interest, but high school didn’t.
Fortunately, his mother encouraged his artistic
abilities and he wound up studying design at
Mark Setteducati immerses himself in his interests. Mark’s first invention, the pinball
machine AM/FM radio. [Facing page] Mark with a pen that is not merely a pen.
M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 3
the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in Manhattan. I thought I’d bring them to class and say,
Setteducati excelled as an art student. His ‘Here’s a pen, and here’s four or five differ-
work was distinctive and imaginative — so ent ideas with pens.’”
much so that one of his professors, famed To most people, a pen is a tool — a com-
sculptor Louise Bourgeois, invited Mark to monplace object easily lost and replaced
work as her assistant. He quickly became without consequence. But to an astute design
Bourgeois’ favorite magician. She even student, a pen might represent solutions to
included him in some of her performance multitudes of structural, manufacturing, and
pieces. In “She Lost It” (1992) Mark per- aesthetic problems. Mark wondered, How can
formed Multum in Parvo — wherein a volume you play with the idea of a pen while still main-
of milk mysteriously diminishes — alongside taining the integrity of the object? The lesson
a 245-foot-long scarf at The Fabric Workshop he gave to his class proved inspirational, so he
and Museum in Philadelphia. began to keep an eye out for other interesting
Around the same time, Mark was pens. “Before I knew it, I had 25 pens. One day
working as an in-house designer at a com- I realized, I guess I’m a pen collector.”
pany called Astra Trading in the Flatiron
Building. It was there that he created his The Pen is Mightier
first invention: an AM/FM radio shaped like Today, Setteducati’s collection has swelled
a pinball machine. Mark hitchhiked to Las to over 10,000 items. He has pens from Hong
Vegas and, to his surprise, found the pinball Kong flea markets, Swiss trade shows, and
radio on the shelves of the gift shop at the Manhattan bodegas. Together, the pens fill
Circus Circus casino. “At that point,” he over 75 plastic tubs stacked floor to ceiling in
says, “I really felt like I’d made it.” the closet-sized kitchen of his Gramercy Park
That first taste of success inspired apartment. The tubs are organized by sub-
Setteducati to quit his job at Astra Trading category and the labels read like a dubious
and go into business for himself. He knew Google search history: “Insects,” “Food,”
inventing would be a tough way to make a “Air Pressured,” “Flexible,” “Japan.”
living and for a while, he drove a taxicab You won’t find any Mont Blancs or
around New York City to help make ends Viscontis among the collection, but you will
meet. While freelancing, Mark developed
several puzzle and game items that were sold
under the license of Erno Rubik, inventor of
the Rubik’s Cube. One of Mark’s creations,
Rubik’s Illusion, required players to manipu-
late colored tiles to form patterns in an adja-
cent mirror. Surprisingly, some of the tiles
magically changed color when reflected.
Not long after meeting the inventor
of the most popular puzzle in history,
Setteducati had some commercial sensations
of his own. He created home versions of the
game shows Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune,
and The Dating Game. The games were hits
and Mark was on his way to becoming a
successful full-time inventor.
Meanwhile, he was supplementing
his income by teaching his craft. Mark
approached his lectures at SVA with an
innovative spirit. He experimented with
different teaching techniques and was
constantly looking for new and
better ways to demonstrate
creative problem solving
for his students. “I was
in a store on Broadway,
around 48th Street. I
saw a pen shaped like a
toothpaste tube, [and] I
saw three or four other pens
that were totally different.
12/15/10 6:59 PM
 find pens that make music, pens festooned
with creatures, ribbons, or feathers. You’ll
also find objects that, upon first glance, do t
appear to be pens at all.
To some, hoarding pens might seem like
a frivolous obsession, but for Mark the col-
lection represents a considerable intellectual
investment. He is adamant about the gravity:
“It’s not a pen collection, it’s an idea collec-
tion. It’s a metaphor for creativity.”
Ideas are valuable currency for a freelance
inventor. Unfortunately, brilliance is not
directly related to profit. Inventors work o
spec, which means they hunt down their own
projects, build their own prototypes, and pitch
their own ideas to hard-nosed executives. A
successful inventor creates products that tickle
the brains of the people who buy them, and
ring the cash registers of the companies that
produce them. To be profitable, an inventio
must be constructed in a factory, cheaply and
efficientl . To be popular, an invention must
address a need or solve a problem.
Consider the ballpoint pen, an elegant solu-
tion to a simple problem: fountain pens are
inconvenient and messy. A Hungarian news-
paper editor named László Bíró is generally
considered the inventor of the ballpoint pen. In
1938, with the help of his chemist brother, Bíró
developed a pressurized delivery system for vis-
cous ink that could be transferred onto the page
by a tiny rolling ball in the tip of the pen.
Further improvements came as technology
advanced. For example, spring-loaded pens
were developed to protect the roller ball from
clogging with dust and dirt. Today, the click
of a ballpoint pen is a ubiquitous sound. In
Mark’s collection, however, unusual is the
norm. Some pens twist, fold, or telescope to
open. Others retract with levers and springs,
and still others with wind-up motors. And
then, of course, there are pens with caps —
some decorative, others functional, some
quite small, and others larger than the body
of the pen itself. While several are more
clever or interesting than others, together
they represent a complex web of solutions for
the simple need to put ink on paper.

Through the Looking Glass

Addressing a functional need is one of
several ways to approach invention. Another
is to start with a principle and look for inter-
esting ways to exploit it. A major theme in
Setteducati’s work is reflection. He often uses
mirrors to create surprising effects, such as
in his patented Dracula bank, which makes
coins disappear.

Mark with Martin Gardner and Harry Eng in Gard-

ner’s home, circa 1994; with Tenyo inventors Hiro-
shi Kondo [left] and Shigeru Sugawara in Japan,
1995; performing for Louise Bourgeois, 2009.
40 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1

M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 4 12/15/10 6:59 PM

 Twenty-one of the two dozen Magic Works effects released by Milton Bradley.
[Right] Mirror Vision puzzle produced by Beverly Enterprises of Japan.

The mirror principle he created for the He picks up a black

Rubik’s Illusion matured years later into a object nearly identical to
project for the Harry Potter license. Mark the first and presses a but-
used accordion-folded puzzle pieces to create ton at its center. The pen
images that could only be completed by view- yawns open, slowly unfold-
ing the reflections in a mirror. ing in on itself, aligning its
Some principles can be utilized in a sur- parts perfectly and revealing
prising variety of different ways and Mark is the beauty of the reflexive
a glutton for versatile ideas. He dissects them, operational mechanism. It is,
learns from them, and applies those lessons without a doubt, superior to
to future projects. This is one of the reasons the confusing spasm of it’s fren-
why the pen collection is so important to his zied brother.
creative process. It serves as a well of inspira-
tion from which he can draw. Tricks for Kids
When Setteducati presents his lecture on Setteducati revels in the
the pen collection, one of his demonstrations counterintuitive. Curiously,
involves an object that resembles a silver he does not enjoy solving
plastic beetle. He activates the mechanism puzzles, only making them.
on the case, and the pod snaps open quickly, While not every puzzle is
like a startled robot jumping to attention. difficult to solve, the good
Unfolded, the pen is fashionably futuristic, ones involve an element of
both ergonomic and pleasing to the eye. surprise. For Mark, there
“How do you make it better?” he asks are many similarities
rhetorically. “You think, well, make it a dif- between designing puz-
ferent material, a different color, make it zles and creating magic
bigger, make it smaller — those are all the tricks. After all, isn’t
things that we have many examples of in the a magic trick just a
pen collection.” Mark smiles and looks over puzzle you don’t have
the top of his glasses, “One element you to solve to enjoy?
never think of is the time; make it slower, It was in 1987 that
change the speed.” Mark designed his

M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 5 12/15/10 6:59 PM

 very first magic set. Pressman oys owned the
Harry Blackstone license and was looking for
additions to their product line. Pressman hap-
pened to be the same company that produced
Mark’s popular home versions of TV game
shows. So when Mark proposed a cheaper
alternative to Pressman’s traditional magic
set, the company was interested to see what
the inventor would come up with.
Setteducati found the project challeng-
ing. Up to that point, he had invented mostly
games — products that have multiple pieces
and only one use. For this magic set, the price
point limited him to only a few parts and
pieces, yet the company expected over two
dozen tricks to be included. Mark focused on
creating a concept, an idea for the magic set
to revolve around.
He decided to make a “traveling case” —
a three-inch-by-six-inch suitcase that opened
up to reveal a platform or table on which to
perform the tricks inside. Despite a meager
production budget, Mark built a lot of magic
into that little case: the tabletop had a false
flap for vanishes, productions, and switches;
the underside of the table had a hidden ledge
for stealing or ditching coins and billets; there
was even a built-in shiner for secretly glimps-
ing playing cards.
42 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1
M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 6
Harry Blackstone Jr. was proud of the
finished product, and so was Mark. He had
finally found a way to combine his lifelong
passion with his budding profession as a toy
inventor. Little did he know, he would soon
be responsible for the most successful line of
magic tricks ever sold.
It started with a chance encounter in the
lobby of the Toy Building on 23rd Street
in New York City. While waiting in line
for coffee, the research and development
director at Milton Bradley offhandedly men-
tioned to Mark how much he enjoyed David
Copperfield s most recent television special.
Sensing an opportunity, Setteducati set up a
meeting with the development director later
that week.
Unfortunately, Mark had no ideas to
sell at the time. He had just completed an
innovative magic set with the Dutch toy
company Jumbo. The idea was simple and
radically new: give a child the ability to per-
form a structured sequence of magic tricks
immediately upon opening the box — an
instant magic act. Featured on the cover
of this magazine in December 1994, the
“Magic Showcase” from Jumbo was a major
success and became the benchmark for
Mark’s later work in the magic set category.
The only downside to the groundbreak-
ing project was, in the process, Mark had
burned through a decade’s worth of good
ideas. His creative cupboard was empty just
when he had a golden opportunity for a
pitch meeting.
So, instead of proposing a new prod-
uct, Mark showed the executives at Milton
Bradley why he thought most magic sets
were crap. He brought in examples of his
competition, or as he described them, “card-
board boxes stuffed with 150 tricks and 3
good ones.” Mark also brought along some
products made by a Japanese company called
Tenyo. He demonstrated the Tenyo items and
explained how they were doing things right
by focusing on one great trick at a time.
The executives were impressed with Mark
and his philosophy on marketing magic
that kids would treasure. They were also
impressed with the devious plastic wonders
that had been left in their possession.
Ten years earlier, while Mark was visiting
the Magic Castle in Hollywood, Max Maven
introduced him to a Japanese gentleman with
a surprising mastery of English. The man’s
name was Hiroshi Kondo, head of R&D at
Tenyo Co., Ltd. Mark and Hiroshi became
friends and mutual admirers. Several times
a year, they would meet for lavish dinners at
toy shows around the world.
Setteducati is forthcoming about the rea-
son he is invited to so many exclusive meals:
“They want so see card tricks.” The language
barrier can be a formidable challenge when
performing for the same group of executives
year after year, but Mark knows the value
of high-profile connections and he carefully
tailors his repertoire to leave a lasting impres-
sion in any language. The practice time paid
off; his Rolodex has proven its value many
times over in his career.
For example, when Milton Bradley
wanted to license the Tenyo tricks Mark
showed them, he immediately called Kondo-
The innovative Magic Showcase released by Jumbo
in 1994 offered performers an “instant act.” [Facing
page] Mark displays prototypes of his inventions,
along with tools he uses to make them.
12/15/10 6:59 PM
 san. The two companies worked out a royalty
deal, and Magic Works was born. “There are a lot of details that make [the
Mark selected his favorite tricks from the
Japanese line to launch Magic Works in the product] really come alive... When you
US. Some of the effects required alterations.
“Crystal Pyramid” became “Coin in Crypt” show someone, they can’t see what you
to eliminate potentially dangerous pointy
pieces, and “Zig-Zag Cig” became “Severed see, because they haven’t been thinking
Skeleton” to avoid potential lawsuits from
the American Cancer Society.
Magic Works flew off the shelves. Milton
about it as much as you have.”
Bradley decided to produce limited runs of all
the items to increase demand and collectabil-
ity. But even with Tenyo’s robust catalog of
items to draw from, Mark scrambled to keep
up with the pace required for new products.
He invented several original items for Magic
Works, including The Hidden Sun, which uti-
lized a little-known material that was trans-
parent on one side and opaque on the other.
He also reached out to fellow magic inventors
like Dan Harlan and Jeff Sheridan to create
tricks for inclusion in the series.
Upon its debut in 1995, many magicians
complained that Magic Works exposed tricks at
too low a price point to too wide an audience,
but the massive television campaign, excellent
design and packaging, and overall quality of the
tricks raised the bar for magic marketed to the
general public and inspired a whole new gen-
eration of magicians (myself included).
After 4 series and 24 Magic Works tricks,
buyers in the toy industry were looking for the
next big thing — new concepts, exciting ideas.
So Mark gave it to them. He revived several
old sleight-free card tricks (“self working,” as
they are sometimes called), then took the magi-
cian out of the equation and replaced him with
recorded audio clips delivered by supernatural
themed, plastic-molded ghosts and ghouls. He
made magic tricks that talked. Buyers went wild
for the new Electronic Talking Magic Works, as
did customers at Toys ‘R’ Us.

More than Meets the Eye

According to Setteducati, there are two
ways to create new product ideas: invention
and styling. Invention requires a new solu-
tion to a unique problem. Styling involves an
existing solution that is executed or designed
in a new way.
For example, Lubor Fiedler, whom Mark
considers a friend and mentor, is a master of
invention; Lubor’s Lens, Gozinta Boxes, and
Invisible Zone (originally invented for, but
not included in, Magic Works) are counterin-
tuitive solutions to different problems. Mark
considers Lubor to be the greatest inventive
mind in the history of magic.
Styling is Mark’s preferred method of
creation. He has an uncanny ability to
improve upon established ideas with cre-
ative design changes. His Mr. Creepy line
of magic tricks took traditional magic set

M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 7 12/15/10 6:59 PM

 Mark collects many versions of the same
object to learn from different interpretations
of the same problem. “All of them are varia-
tions of the same idea. But then you get into
the subcategories, which are interesting.”
M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 8
items and restyled them to produce new
effects. The Ball in the Vase replaced with
a human brain, a switching device made
from chattering teeth, and a Snapper gag
shaped like a severed finge . Inventive styl-
ing allows a single solution to be executed
in multiple ways.
The reason Mark collects many versions
of the same object, such as pens, is to learn
from different interpretations of the same
problem. “All of them are variations of the
same idea: pen. But then you get into the sub-
categories, which are interesting.”
In the “smoking” area there are many
examples of cigar pens designed differently.
One has a pen tip extending from the butt of
the stogie, one has a removable ash cap, and
another has a tap mechanism which extends
the writing tip. Then there are the “tie” pens.
One twists to activate the tip, one has a
spring mechanism, and one includes a string
so you can wear it around your neck.
Creative styling through simple design
alteration can sometimes change an idea dra-
matically. Consider the classic novelty pen that
contains a floating boat that sails from end t
end when the pen is tilted — Mark has nearly
three dozen examples. Now, replace the boat
with a swimsuit and the soothing ocean back-
ground with a naked woman, and even though
the two objects are functionally identical, they
represent two distinctly different ideas.
In fact, the “X-Rated” tub in Mark’s pen
collection is the most extreme example of
how a styling change can make a dramatic
difference. Many of the same pop-up mecha-
nisms are found elsewhere in the pen collec-
tion, but when a fish is replaced with a pha -
lus — well, you get the idea.
By the time the photo shoot is over,
Mark’s studio is covered with an ankle-deep
layer of pens. The photographer apologizes
for having caused such a mess in the course
of the shoot, but Mark waves off his guilt
and insists that every time he reorganizes the
collection, he learns something new. I can’t
begin to guess how long it takes to categorize
10,000 novelty pens. Does the analog roaring
tyrannosaurs pen go in the “Dinosaur” bin,
or the one labeled “Interesting Mechanisms?”
One might assume that Mark keeps a
quirky novelty pen on hand for jotting down
notes and sketching out ideas, but that’s not
the case. “I’m embarrassed to say I use a Pilot
razor-point pen from art school for sketch-
ing,” he admits. “But with the size of my
collection, I could carry a different pen every
day for the rest of my life.”
Gems in the Jewel Box
Pens are not the only things Mark col-
lects. A large glass display case in his living
room holds an impressive array of illusions,
puzzles, and impossible objects. Some of the
12/16/10 3:20 PM
 items are obviously beautiful while others
require investigation or a demonstration to
fully appreciate.
The artifacts represent the work of an
eclectic array of international geniuses —
scientists, artists, magicians — all friends of
Mark. There is a set of increasingly minus-
cule interlocking wooden puzzles made by
American Alan Boardman, a few stunning
pieces by Japanese puzzle master Akio
Kamei, and several glass bottles with impos-
sibly large, solid objects placed inside by the
famous Harry Eng.
Beside the curio cabinet hangs an original
Patrick Hughes sculpted painting, given to
Mark long before the English artist’s work
was exhibited at the Guggenheim. Hughes is
known for his three-dimensional perspective
pieces that create dramatic shifts in depth
perception when the viewer moves his head
even slightly from side to side. In galleries,
people often rock back and forth in front
of the apparently shape-shifting artwork.
Museum curators have nicknamed this
behavior “the Hughes dance.”
Sculpture, like magic, requires lateral
thinking. Both art and science are required
to produce the desired result. Architecture,
cooking, design — all of these disciplines
create effects that encourage their audience
to ignore the methods used to achieve them.
The more obscured the method at work, the
closer the object comes to being a puzzle.
Puzzles, as it happens, are created by
folks from all walks of life, not just pro-
fessional inventors like Setteducati. Some
people like word puzzles, some like math
puzzles, and others prefer optical illusions.
Despite different professions, interests, or
training, most serious puzzlers have one
M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 9
thing in common: they love
Martin Gardner. And, as
Mark puts it, “people with
specific passions tend to find
each other.”
Here Comes
the Science
Puzzle collector Tom
Rogers organized the first
Gathering for Gardner in
1993 to honor the legend-
ary writer and iconoclast.
Rodgers knew the puzzle
world but he realized that
no one person could match
Martin’s expertise in such a
wide variety of disciplines.
So he recruited help. He
put Elwenyn Berlecamp in
charge of inviting innovative math-
ematicians and Mark Setteducati in charge of
collecting the world’s most clever magicians.
At that point, Martin Gardner had already
been a major influence on Setteducati’s career.
In fact, it was a Gardner article on a topologi-
cal oddity called Hexaflexagons that got Mark
interested in designing puzzles in the first place.
The original G4G was a huge success.
Great thinkers from around the world came
to share their ideas, meet with Martin, and
celebrate his work. It was there that Mark
Setteducati met Ken Knowlton. Knowlton,
an MIT-educated scientist, computer graphics
pioneer, and former employee of Bell Labs,
had achieved much notice at the event for a
portrait he made of the guest of honor. From
a distance, the haunting image of Martin
Gardner is as clear as a photograph, but the
likeness fades as you get closer. The portrait
is in fact a mosaic image; the big picture is
composed of lots of smaller elements — in
this case, six full sets of dominoes. Up close,
there is no picture, just a 40-by-34-inch rect-
angle full of black squares and white dots.
Ken Knowlton is a pioneer of photomoasic
art. In fact, he was one of the first people in
the world to use a computer to make images.
When Ken started experimenting with creat-
ing programming languages in Bell Labs, the
phrase “computer graphics” didn’t exist. He
tells a story of walking on the beach in Puerto
Rico and gazing out over the seashells in the
sand. He thought, That’s a picture of someone
if you only put it together right.
Well, Ken figured out the way to put it
together. He tessellated or broke down pic-
tures into pixels, categorized the pieces by
value with a light meter, then used unprec-
edented calculations to compose beautiful
mosaic images.
Knowlton discussed his work with
Setteducati at the Gathering for Gardner,
and Mark later drew some sketches in his
M AGIC
[Below left] To the amusement of John Carney,
Mark demonstrates The Magic Show book,
released by Pressman Publishing in 1999.
notebook regarding possible applications for
Ken’s technology. Mark knew the mosaics
had promise, but the sketches he drew didn’t
quite capture the potential of the principle. So
he filed them away and moved on to another
exciting project.
Magic in Two Dimensions
For years, Mark had been combining
paper engineering and magic in his personal
Christmas cards, dispersed annually to a
lucky few in a variety of time zones. He con-
structs the cards himself using X-acto knives,
Scotch tape, and glue. Even with all his suc-
cess, the man is still an art student at heart
and he enjoys crafting his ideas nearly as
much as dreaming up new ones.
One of his favorite inventions is his busi-
ness card, which he came up with as a stu-
dent at SVA. The design of the cards hasn’t
changed much but, over the years, he’s gotten
much quicker at making them. The card is
shiny and black (of course) and opens up like
a butterfly to reveal a Mylar reflector on one
half and gibberish letters printed on the other.
When you fold the card to about forty-five
degrees and look inside, the type is reflected
in the mirror and becomes perfectly readable.
It says, simply: Mark Setteducati.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t until one of his
mentors, designer Ivan Moscovich, completed
a book of pop-up puzzles that Mark was
convinced an entire book of paper-engineered
magic could be possible. He aspired for the
book itself to perform tricks for the reader,
and he wanted the experience of reading it to
be astonishing, like watching a magic show.
It’s very difficult to sell an idea that is still
• january 2 0 1 1 45
12/16/10 3:20 PM

The Jigazo assembly process, from the source
image above. [Facing page] Mark’s curio cabinet
of puzzles and illusions from around the world.
46 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1
M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 10
in development. Mark explains, “From the
point that you have the concept to the point
that you have it produced, there are a lot of
details that make it really come alive. At the
end, it looks so obvious and natural. But until
it’s fully finished, it s hard. You see the idea so
clearly in your own head. But when you show
someone, they can’t see what you see, because
they haven’t been thinking about it as much
as you have.”
To help find a buye , Setteducati enlisted
the help of pop-up expert, magician, and
fellow G4G attendee, John Railing. On the
strength of several sample spreads, Workman
Publishing decided to buy the book. Mark
began to lay the groundwork for a project that
would eventually become one of his greatest
achievements, The Magic Show book.
Ivan Moscovich helped with inspiration,
Railing helped with production, and one of
Mark’s former students, Anne Benkovitz,
helped with design. Perhaps Setteducti’s
greatest strength is recognizing the talents of
others. When he needed help creating a fien -
ishly deceptive mechanical effect to end the
book, he knew just who to call.
At the time, Angelo Carbone was rela-
tively unknown, but Mark recognized his
genius right away. The trick Angelo designed
to finish the book is astounding: a cardboard
cutout of Setteducati escapes from a locked
trunk and reappears on a different page. The
devilishly clever method fooled even the most
well-posted illusionists and made a wonderful
finish to a book full of beautiful, innovative,
and incredibly deceptive magic tricks — a
repeatedly astonishing inanimate object.
Carbone and Setteducati continued to
collaborate. Mark introduced Angelo to his
friends at Tenyo, who went on to produce sev-
eral of the British magician’s creations. When
Mark helped his friend Roger Dreyer found
Fantasma Magic in 2001, he brought on
Carbone as an in-house inventor and creative
project manager. Fantasma later produced sev-
eral of both Setteducati and Carbone’s tricks
and now operates from a beautiful shop across
from Madison Square Garden.
For several years, Mark continued to trot
around the globe, pitching ideas, consulting
and, of course, collecting pens — and all the
while, looking for the next big idea.
Putting the Pieces Together
By 2008, Ken’s mosaic tiling ideas had
been tessellating around in Mark Setteducati’s
head for fifteen years. And, after watching
Knowlton give a presentation on his work
for a second time, Mark had an epiphany.
He suggested creating a personalized jigsaw
puzzle, one that any person could arrange
into a picture of his or her own face.
Ken thought the idea was possible and
he set to work creating an algorithm, while
Mark tried to figure out how to make the
puzzle fun to play with. They decided to limit
the components to 300 numbered squares in
varying shades of gray. Next, they worked to
incorporate the computer software with the
physical assembly of the puzzle. The two men
made progress quickly; within two months,
Mark was demonstrating a working proto-
type for his old friend Hiroshi Kondo at the
Toy Show in New York.
Though magicians know Tenyo as a magic
company, it is also one of the world’s largest
producers of jigsaw puzzles. Kondo loved
the prototype and brought it back with him
to Japan. Soon after, Tenyo sent back a chal-
lenge to Mark and Ken: translate ten photo-
graphs of Tenyo employees into mosaics.
Mark was nervous. They had used Ken’s
program to create mosaics of recognizable
celebrity faces, but could they produce dis-
tinguishable images of ten random Japanese
men and women? Ken was confident the
puzzle would work. Not only was he sure he
could create a spitting image of any person’s
face from the same 300 pieces, he believed
the puzzle would work for pictures of animal
faces as well.
Ken plugged the Tenyo employee pictures
into his program and the results were amazing.
Mark was delighted to see that each puzzle pic-
ture was immediately identifiable with its co -
responding photograph. The software worked,
and the idea was there, but the product needed
better styling to be truly marketable.
Setteducati is a big proponent of col-
laboration and he surrounds himself with
the highest caliber creative minds. When dis-
cussing Hiroshi Kondo’s contribution to the
puzzle project, Mark doesn’t mince words:
“The man is a genius, and [it] couldn’t have
happened without him.”
Hiroshi suggested using symbols instead
of numbers to identify the puzzle pieces on
12/16/10 3:47 PM
 the back. He also added a subtle veneer of the a pen. But then, there are other ideas he is out of place; it looks and feels just like a
appropriate symbol on the front of each piece never would have thought of. “Those are #2 pencil. It has a rubber eraser, a yellow
to make arrangements as easy as possible. the most valuable ideas, the ones where you hexagonal shape, even a frayed wooden
Finally, he christened the puzzle, “Jigazo,” say, ‘Ooof, man! [snaps] I never would have edge where the tip has been sharpened.
a Japanese word that means “my own por- thought of that!’ It takes you into a different However, in Mark Setteducati’s world,
trait” and only coincidentally sounds like the direction and it opens up a different door in things are often not as they appear, and
English word “jigsaw.” your mind; it brings you into a place.” He when you put the pencil to paper, ink comes
Tenyo debuted the Jigazo puzzle at the believes that ideas get stored in the subcon- out. The funny part is — and you’d never
Tokyo Toy Show in June 2009 — 300 sepia- scious and that by exposing his mind to thou- notice it at first — carved into the side o
toned jigsaw pieces with billions of possibili- sands of ideas he never would have thought the wood, in big bold letters, is a message
ties. Even Mark was surprised by how strongly of, it allows him to think that way, later on. that reads, “This is not a pencil.”
consumers responded to the new product. There is one object in Mark’s “idea col-
People loved to rearrange the puzzle to form lection” that describes it all rather poeti- Adam Rubin is a Chicago-based writer and
images of their loved ones and friends. It was cally. It lives in the bin labeled “Illusions.” performer. See what he puts his mind to at
the perfect blend of tactile interaction, tech- At first glance, one might assume the objec www.whothehell.com.
nology, and personalization. Jigazo images
flooded the Internet and it quickly became th
best-selling puzzle in Japan.
Always looking forward to the next great
idea, Mark spearheaded the development of
Jigazo 2.0 for release the following year. In
the new version, the puzzle began as an image
of a famous painting that could then be end-
lessly rearranged to resemble any human
being on Earth. Jigazo 2.0 was given the
award for Most Innovative Toy of 2010 upon
its debut in Tokyo. Hasbro (formerly Milton
Bradley, the same company that produced
Magic Works) decided to bring Ken and
Mark’s idea to American markets, where it is
now on sale.
Knowlton describes his two-year collabo-
ration with Setteducati as “rather intense.”
They worked out most of the highly technical
and seemingly endless details for Jigazo over
the phone. “I would call his cell phone and
ask, ‘Incidentally, where are you?’ It might
be Hong Kong one week and Austria the
next.” Despite his whereabouts or conflicting
engagements, Mark remained fully engaged
with the Jigazo process. Somehow, he has
become immune to jet lag, especially when
fueled by a good idea.

Collecting One’s Thoughts

When Mark comes across an interesting
idea online, he downloads it immediately. His
vast digital files are meticulously organized
and wonderfully obscure, a collection not all
that different from the pens in the tubs or the
puzzles on the shelves. Each item is some-
thing wonderful that makes you smile, or
scratch your head, or simply say “wow.”
For Mark, it’s important to search out and
collect these conceptual objects and images.
His ceaseless curiosity is integral to his success
as an inventor. After all, his business is creativ-
ity, the generation and refinement of ideas
“For everybody, there are two kinds of
ideas: the ideas that we would have thought
of, and ideas we would never have thought
of.” Mark can point to many of the pens in
his collection as ideas he might have come
up with if given the assignment to design

M233 Setteducati_REV2.indd 11 12/15/10 7:00 PM

 CRISS ANGEL
BeLIEve
Two Years Later
BY RORY JOHNSTON
Two years ago on Halloween, I attended
BeLIEve starring Criss Angel and subsequently
wrote up my impressions of the show for the
December 2008 issue of this magazine. I began
by referencing the vitriolic reactions of many other
critics, but quickly added that I personally liked the
show — not because it was a good magic show,
but because it was fascinating theater.
My review was both positive and negative.
I felt there were numerous problems with the
production, most of which came down to the
difficulty of blending Cirque du Soliel’s distinc-
tive style with Angel’s Mindfreak persona.
Other troubles came about because of the
choice of director, a man who was on record
as saying “Everyone knows I hate magic. I’m
trying to direct a show for people who love it,
but also for people like me who hate magic.”
His lack of enthusiasm for and knowledge of
our art definitely affected the production in a
very detrimental way.
BeLIEve was a Cirque show with Angel as
the main character, but that character was pain-
fully out of place in the baroque circus setting
created for him. My conclusion was that the
show had great potential. I said that I would like
to return month by month to see how it evolved.
I did not. I waited two years, until it was
announced that Criss was now in charge of the
show and that major changes had been made
to the production, reflecting that it was under
new management. “It’s my vision now,” said the
48 M A GI C • j a n u a r y 2 0
M233 Criss Angel_REV.indd 2
new director/writer/magic designer — Angel
himself. So the end of October 2010 seemed
like a good time for me to revisit BeLIEve and
take a look.
Was it a new show? Yes and no. The great
news is that the part that remained was the
good stuff and the things that have been excised
were, for the most part, the problems. In other
words, it’s a much, much better show. In fact,
I’d say it’s a good show. And if you are one of
Criss Angel’s fans, it’s a very good show.
BeLIEve has found a new voice. The French
accent is nearly gone, replaced by a strong one
from the streets of Brooklyn. The new incarnation
is closer to “Mindfreak Live” than the original
BeLIEve. Upon arrival at the theater, the changes
might not be immediately noticeable. The décor
remains the same, the theater still resembles
a Victorian London opera house, and the first
fifteen minutes of the show featuring the antics
of four European-style clowns has not changed
1 1
much. But the clips from Mindfreak shown on
the big screen no longer seem like video from
another production, because when the curtains
finally open to reveal the star, we are plunged
into a magic show, through and through. The
scenario of Criss being in a terrible electrocu-
tion accident and dreaming the entire story
is, thankfully, gone. The dance numbers have
vanished. The circus acts have disappeared. The
girls flying on cables and people rising out of
trap doors in the stage have been eliminated.
The use of obvious plants in the audience has
been stopped. The show has become simpler
and more focused.
Two years ago, I felt that the weakest part
of the show was Criss himself. He seemed out
of place and overwhelmed. Now I must state
the exact opposite: Angel is what this show is
all about. Before, Mindfreak fans seemed to be
The great news is that the
part that remained was the
good stuff and the things
that have been excised
were, for the most part, the
problems. It’s a much, much
better show.
12/15/10 7:52 PM
 Even though he maintains evening. The clowns actually have an expanded Make no mistake, this is the Criss Angel show,
role, returning again and again during the show. not a Cirque du Soliel extravaganza. Do I miss
his Goth bad-boy image, This, for me, was not a plus, but their presence anything from the old version? Sure. I miss the
did allow for set changes and necessary prepara- incredible variety of beautiful costumes that were
you feel like you are seeing tion of illusions. pure eye candy. I miss the poppies floating dow
through that to a genuinely The main magic effects seem to be vanishes
and reappearances. At least nine of the show’s
from the sky onto the stage. I miss the amazing
moment as the wedding dress grew and grew
nice guy with whom you routines involve a vanish or an appearance, and then rose into the air, a sequence that has
including a real fooler that Criss calls Enigma. been cut for time. I miss the bizarre little dancing
might like to spend some There are several levitations, including a clever moles. I miss — well, actually, that’s about all I
variation that featured Angel walking forward miss. The gains far outweigh the losses.
time hanging out. with the floating girl in full vie , and the stun- I would recommend BeLIEve to any Criss Angel
ning piece in which he walked down the side fan. In this new version, I believe they will get
of a wall formed by a giant wedding dress. what they are expecting: the TV star in person, in
sorely disappointed in the production because The mega-machine illusions remain, twenty or character, doing some good magic. Beyond that,
it was not what they expected from a show thirty feet tall, looking impressive on the stage I’d recommend it to people who are not fans. Criss
centered around the television personality. Now whenever they appear. Angel’s dove act is still is certainly one of the most famous and influential
I think fans of his popular series will be thrilled a featured moment, a simple tableau that seems figures in magic right no , and his show is a part
with BeLIEve. For example, his live performance somewhat out of character but is well presented of magic history. If you saw the production before,
of the Razor Blades, accompanied by photo- and shows other skills. One of the cleverest, comparing the two is a real lesson in adaptability,
graphs of his bloody mouth, supposedly the most original routines features a volunteer from focus, and how important having a strong voice is
result of a mishap at another performance, is the audience participating in a giant Shell for any entertainer. Before you judge Criss Angel’s
vintage Mindfreak material. The star is person- Game, with massive cups and a human pea. vision, go see it. You didn’t really see it before. I
able and likeable. Really. He is self-deprecating, The ending is a nice surprise. BeLIEve you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
allowing the clown character in the show to
parody him and magic in general, and he even
shows family photos of himself, including one on
the toilet as a child. He speaks about his family,
love of children, and even God. It’s endearing
and, even though he maintains his Goth bad-
boy image, you feel like you are seeing through
that to a genuinely nice guy with whom you
might like to spend some time hanging out.
Is the magic good? Yes. Twenty-four months
of nightly performances have tightened up the
timing, and where speed counts, speed hap-
pens. There have been changes made that take
the magic from just okay to very good. One
such change, for example, has taken his upside-
down straitjacket escape from the least effective
version I’d seen to the most impressive version
I’ve seen. After he is bound and hoisted aloft,
he is spun in place, twisting like a tornado, twirl-
ing in a blur of motion until the jacket suddenly
flies off. It s a dramatic twist on an age-old trick
that pushes it to a new level of fascination. The
fake drop at the end is merely icing on the cake
now, not the big moment, and it serves mainly
as a gag to highlight Angel’s prankster side. It’s
a charming personality moment.
Although most of the Cirque veneer is gone,
some of the costumes and cool rabbit stuff survived
the cut. My big laugh in the show — a movie rab-
bit running into the edge of the screen — remains,
although featured in an entirely different way. The
dancing rabbit head, another of my favorite sur-
realistic moments, is still featured. Criss has found
ways to make use of props and bits that are no
longer part of dance numbers. An entirely new
comic routine with an animated rabbit has been
added, so the magician/rabbit theme continues,
albeit in a diminished way. The astoundingly
impressive video backdrops remain and are used
to enhance mood and illusion throughout the

M233 Criss Angel_REV.indd 3 12/15/10 7:53 PM

 Ken Scott
By Mark Nelson
Any child would consider him or her-
self fortunate to celebrate more than one
birthday per year. Atlanta’s Ken Scott, who
wrote the book on birthday party magic
(and naturally, an accompanying DVD),
has celebrated up to 350 birthdays a year

LESSONS
for more than twenty years. Ken’s thriving
business in birthday parties has solidified
his reputation as one of the premier chil-
dren’s party entertainers in the southeastern
United States. Notwithstanding his success,
for most of the past decade he has been
broadening his performance art into an

IN LIBRARY
equally lucrative area, for which the only
price of admission is a library card.
In the ever-shortening days of early
December, Ken keeps busy booking his
next summer’s gigs. “I would say that,
for the past twelve years, eighty percent

LEGERDEMAIN
of my work has been library programs,”
he explains. All across the country, once
children are out of school for the summer,
librarians and educators want to encour-
age them to keep reading. A book won’t
necessarily draw them into the library, but
free entertainment — that’s another story.
Mothers bring their entire families into
libraries during the summer season, mak-
ing up an audience that ranges in age from
infants to eleven-year-olds. Each season
brings a new national theme; last summer
it was “Make a Splash, Read a Book!” and
Ken developed his show around that slo-
gan. “The shows are designed to promote
reading, so I share a few books and tell sto-
ries in my library shows. It’s a win-win for
me and for the library,” Ken says.
The summer library shows incorpo-
rate magic and comedy that is suited for
storytelling. “Martin Lewis’ Tamasudare,
the Japanese bamboo mat manipulation,
is perfect for storytelling,” Ken claims. “I
wrote a nice piece for it and used it as my
closer, talking about a friend I had in the
third grade from Japan, and then going
into the various figures to illustrate our
adventures together.”
Ken also uses puppets in the show. “One
year, the national summer reading program
theme featured artwork with an alligator
carrying a suitcase, so I purchased an Axtell
alligator puppet I named Croco to appear
with me. Now the libraries want to book
Croco and not Ken Scott!” Ken uses Croco
to engage his young audiences, even though
the character doesn’t speak. Croco enters
into comic conflict with Ken and brings
illustrative props out of a prop box to help
describe the stories Ken tells, bringing the
tales to life. “When I tell an audience of
kids at a library or school that I’ve brought
a friend to meet them, those who’ve seen
the show before immediately shout ‘Croco!’

M233 Ken Scott_4p_REV3.indd 2 12/15/10 8:03 PM

 at the top of their lungs!” Stuffed Croco
dolls are a best-selling item after one of
Ken’s shows. “They sell like Justin Bieber
CDs,” he claims.
Like many magicians before him, Ken
received a Christmas gift that initially
stirred his interest in magic; in this case, a
Mickey Mouse magic book. A few weeks
later, when a childhood illness forced him
to stay home from his third-grade class
for a few days, the book caught his atten-
tion and he began to experiment with the
tricks it contained. As a result, from the age
of eight onward, his mother took him to
visit M&M Magic in Atlanta twice a year.
“The first tricks she bought for me were th
Nickels to Dimes, the sponge balls, and a
thumb tip,” which was far too large for his
adolescent thumb. He soon fell in love with
classic effects like Don Wayne’s Floating
Ball and the Chinese Linking Rings. How-
ever, in his later professional performances,
because venues rarely provided him with a
legitimate stage and because young audi-
ences require constant energy and personal
attention from the performer to keep them
focused, these more choreographed presen-
tations never worked their way into his act.
The manager of M&M Magic at the
time was Dan Garrett. “With his curly
waxed moustache, he looked the part of
a magician,” Ken says. The shop was co-
owned by Jim Maney, and even though
Ken couldn’t yet fit into a full-size thum
tip, he would still help out Jim and his wife
Diane around the shop whenever he could.
When he was barely ten, Ken attended the
Atlanta Harvest of Magic, a regional con-
vention that featured a big lineup of talent.
Tom Mullica (whose Tom Foolery bar was
located in Atlanta — but, of course, Ken
was too young to be a patron), Del Ray,
Slydini, and George Johnstone all made
appearances. J.C. Doty, who built the Tom
Foolery, was also on the bill and befriended
young Ken, presenting him with a Malini
Egg Bag that Ken used until it practically
disintegrated. “J.C. is a great magical
thinker; he has always been a wonderful
help in solving my magic problems.”
By the time Ken was thirteen, he was
working as a demonstrator at Daytona
Magic for very little money but all the Ken Scott in his natural habitat — onstage doing magic for a large group of attentive kids, and bringing
magic he could learn. He held out there for two volunteers up to participate more directly in what could become a messy situation.
five years, until his party business becam
too lucrative to be called a sideline. the First Lady’s annual Easter Egg hunt. and their families, including Congressmen,
One of the more memorable experi- The event following 9/11, on Easter 2002, Senators, and Supreme Court Justices. He
ences of Ken’s performing career took place was for the families of servicemen and continued his annual White House Easter
in 2002 when he was contacted by Ralph women only, but Ralph managed to move appearances for five years running. “ e
Maxwell, a Washington DC magician who the entertainment onto the White House were always cleared by the Secret Service
regularly appeared as “Ralph the Great.” lawn, on a special 12- by 12-foot stage, so six months in advance,” Ken remembers,
Ralph was in charge of entertainment for he could bring in more magicians. Shows “and they had bomb-sniffing dogs there t
the “holding area” where children gath- were scheduled every fifteen minutes, an check out our equipment. One performer
ered prior to visiting the White House for Ken performed before the celebrated guests was using a prop that was painted to look
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 51

M233 Ken Scott_4p_REV3.indd 3 12/15/10 8:03 PM

 like sticks of dynamite, and we were certain
he was asking for trouble. Sure enough,
they double checked him, but not for the
“dynamite” — it was for a can filled wit
spring snakes!” Ken keeps the thank-you
letters he received from the White House,
and a shadow box in his office contains
more unique souvenir: a handful of grass
from the White House lawn!
Ken’s organizational skills are a major
part of his success. His website offers
suggestions for parents, offering tips on
throwing successful birthday parties for
young people, ranging from age-appropri-
ate party lengths and activities to printable
invitations and special recipes for food and
drink. Rather than simply suggesting that
a client should call him for a booking, he
has a Birthday Booking Form that is eas-
ily completed by the potential buyer. Ken
does not keep these organizational skills
a secret; he offers them to other magi-
cians in a series of DVDs and sets of notes
with such self-help titles as Success in the
Library Market: How I Book My Library
Shows and How to Make a Six-Figure
Income Doing Kids Shows.
These same organizational skills were
extremely helpful when he was asked to
put together the South East Association of
Magicians 2008 convention in association
with the IBM in Atlanta. “I don’t know if
it’s true everywhere,” he says, “but gener-
ally, when a club is asked to put together
any sort of event, it’s a case of too many
chefs. There’s no overall direction, and a lot
of energy is wasted.” Ken made it clear to
the organizers that if he was to put together
the convention, he was the one who would
make all of the final decisions; there woul
be no committees second-guessing his
every move. With a relatively low bud-
get, he called in many favors to bring
in an all-star roster that included Amos
Levkovitch, Max Maven, Harry Ander-
son, David Kaye, and the magicians from
VH1’s Celebracadabra. “I figured that 125
attendees would allow us to break even.
A total of 260 attended that year’s SEAM
convention, and the club made a tidy little
profit.” Ken doesn’t recommend conven-
tion planning as a full-time gig, however.
“It was a lot of work,” he laments, “and I
didn’t see much of the convention.”
He’s far more interested in a long-term
project that his friend David Kaye, better
known as Silly Billy, began a decade ago. “I
met David years ago at a KIDabra Interna-

Ken themes a show by putting magic in a science

setting. A young volunteer finds a surprise inhabi -
ant in a large Drawer Box. Mike Bent, David Kaye,
and Ken at a recent KGB. [Facing page] Young Ken
at M&M Magic in Atlanta. Ken and Croco.
52 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1

M233 Ken Scott_4p_REV3.indd 4 12/15/10 8:03 PM

 families schedule vacations, Ken often likes As for the future, Ken says he wouldn’t
to appear before a grownup crowd. mind expanding his roster of corporate
For nine years now, Ken has made the clients, and broadening his performance
pilgrimage to perform at the Magic Castle schedule to include motivational speaking
in Hollywood, four years in the Parlour of using magic. “But then again, I would be
Prestidigitation and five years as the emcee very happy to keep doing school shows and
in the Palace of Mystery. He loves to per- private parties,” he admits. “Hey, perform-
form one of his favorite routines for the ing magic is a cool job and I get to do some-
over-21 crowds at the club; he calls it the thing I love.” Based on the number of shows
“Fantasy Magician,” in which a volunteer he performs in a year, it’s obvious that Ken’s
is brought onstage, dressed in a tuxedo that audiences — of every age — love it, too.
hides his hands and arms, and the magician
stands behind with his hands and arms tak-
ing over for the volunteer’s and performing
the magic. “J.C. Doty tells me it’s an old bit
that used to be called Hands Behind, and
he remembers seeing it performed when
he was a kid,” Ken explains. “Lance Bur-
ton and Kevin James have performed it. I
added the ‘Macarena’ to my
tional convention, the association of family routine. It has become the
and child entertainers. David found that most requested part of
the best moments at that convention, and my show.” Performing
at every convention, were the ones where at the Castle gets Ken
a few top professionals got together and out of his usual ele-
started jamming on any number of topics, ment and gives him
in the lobby, in a hallway, at a restaurant a chance to ad lib
table. David’s goal was to recreate that jam, with grownup
by invitation only. He calls it David Kaye’s audiences.
KGB — for ‘Kidshow Guru Braintrust.’” “And I don’t
For the past decade, the KGB has met feel nearly as
every year in such locations as New York, exhausted
Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, and Los Angeles. after doing an
Attendance is limited to ten or twelve adult show
invitees. Last year’s KGB roster included as I do after a
David, Ken, Norm Barnhart, Mike Bent, kids show!”
Trixie Bond, Jozo Bozo and Payne from the
US, plus Jimbo and Kimmo from the UK,
Jouquin Kitkin from Mexico, Mr. Mush-
room from Columbia, and Shabum from
Puerto Rico. “David tries to bring in fresh
talent every year,” explains Ken, “while
still trying to keep the headcount down.”
In addition to sharing routines and holding
workshops, the group discusses the state
of the industry and how to bring children’s
performers to a more respectable place
in the magical arts. “It’s not a joke,” Ken
states vigorously. “It takes a special kind
of performer to do kids’ shows, especially
today.” Ken is obviously one of those spe-
cial performers. Out of the past ten years of
KGB gatherings, only three magicians other
than its host, David Kaye, have attended all
ten events. Ken Scott is one of them.
Ken’s services are in demand almost year
round. The summer months for Ken are sim-
ilar to most magicians’ end-of-year holiday
season, and he books from 85 to 95 library
shows in June and July. Most of those book-
ings are locked in at the end of the year, as
librarians like to be consistent in their pro-
gramming and schedule their summer events
early. During other school breaks, when

M233 Ken Scott_4p_REV3.indd 5 12/15/10 8:03 PM

 Close-up Magic from Far Away
By Alan Howard
It’s more than a television in your living
room. It’s far from being a telephone. And it’s
a giant leap beyond the videophones that past
generations envisioned we’d all be using by
now. It is being marketed as a “telepresence,”
bringing friends and family into your home, as
you appear in theirs.
This is the new ūmi, properly written with
a straight line over a lowercase U, and pro-
nounced “you-me” — a connection between
you and me. You might think of it as similar
to Skype or iChat, but more imposing, utiliz-
ing your large-screen high-definition TV. The
Cisco company, producers of the ūmi, prefer to
call it home teleconferencing, “a new product
that gives you a totally immersive and lifelike
consumer video experience.”
The company hopes ūmi is the wave of the
future and is currently introducing the product
to shoppers in malls across the US by allowing
them to interact with performers in a studio
in Southern California. Cisco hired actors to
help demonstrate their product, but a new
twist was added to the marketing plans when
a member of the ūmi team saw a performance
by Los Angeles magician David Minkin. She
contacted him a few days later and set up a
meeting to experiment with ūmi and see if
magic could work with it.
“During the initial meeting, when I first
experienced ūmi, I was amazed,” says David.
“It’s an odd sensation, almost like you’re in
the same room with the people on the other
end.” He began performing magic for the
Cisco executives, working as if he was on tele-
vision, and keeping in mind that the ūmi image
can be zoomed in, “which allows you to set
your ideal frame for a magic performance.”
54 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1
M233 Cisco_REV.indd 2
It quickly became clear that certain effects
work better than others, with tricks that
directly involve the audience being preferable.
“If you perform a routine that is more of a
showcase piece, without the interaction, you
become reduced to mere television,” David
notes. “So it’s best to keep it interactive, since
that’s the whole point.”
After several meetings and performances,
the folks at Cisco determined that magic
not only works well with ūmi, but is “one
of the most compelling things that a person
can experience with the technology.” They
asked Minkin to be the project’s magic cura-
tor, assembling a team of twenty magicians
and training them with a basic repertoire of
magic that they felt would play well in the
ūmi environment.
The marketing program kicked off last
November and is slated to run through early
February. Magicians participating include
Alfonso, Lisa Cousins, Micah Cover, David
Gabbay, Bill Goodwin, Andrew Goldenhersh,
Whit Haydn, Dave Cox, Gerry Katzman,
Shawn McMaster, David Minkin, Joe Monti,
Johnny Ace Palmer, Jeff Parmer, Michael Ran-
gel, Patrick Schlangel, Joe Skilton, Louis Solor-
zano, Zachary Strange, and Arthur Trace. Some
of these performers only worked a few shifts
throughout the run of the promotion, while
others are more heavily involved, working up to
five shifts per week. Generally, ten different per-
formers are working stints sometime between 8
a.m. and 9 p.m., to accommodate live viewers
across the continent. Actors do word games
and other interactions with the viewers, and
magicians present two-minute tricks.
David recalls, “During the initial train-
ing meeting with all the magicians, it was
impressive to see so much talent gathered in
one room for a gig, and the inevitable antics
that resulted that day were great. Since you
can’t have a card signed through the TV
screen, you can ask the spectator to tell you a
word that has special significance to him. Bill
Goodwin asked the person on the other end
of the screen to tell him the name of a family
pet. She said, ‘I had a dog named Pickles.’
He wrote the name on a card and did an
Ambitious Card routine. A short while later,
Gerry Katzman jokingly asked the same girl
if she happened to have a family pet, and if
so, to tell him the name. She said ‘Pickles.’
He unfolded a piece of paper on which he
had written the word, ‘Pickles.’ Everyone
laughed. When it was Andrew Goldenhersh’s
turn, he borrowed a black scarf from Johnny
Ace Palmer and asked the girl if she happened
to have a family pet. She rolled her eyes and
said, ‘Pickles.’ Andrew then whisked away
the scarf and produced a jar of pickles that he
had pilfered from the break-room fridge.”
The ūmi system works through the users’
HDTV — which they presumably already
own — along with a broadband Internet con-
nection and the ūmi camera device. For the
demonstrations, multiple “pods” are set up in
twenty locations around the country, including
shopping malls in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Houston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. The
pods are furnished to give the participants the
feeling of relaxing in a family room, while the
staff, referred to as “brand ambassadors,” coax
them inside and guide them through the experi-
ence — and, of course, explain how they can
buy the system for their own home.
The actors and magicians are located in a
Southern California office building that has
12/16/10 1:31 PM
 been transformed into a studio, also with
homey-looking sets where the performers
await incoming calls from the remote pods.
In presenting what they are told to refer
to as “the ūmi experience,” the magicians
find it funny to watch people having their
first encounters. “The customers are so accus-
tomed to television that, when you first speak
to them, they often don’t react,” says Minkin.
“They are like deer caught in the headlights.
It takes them a moment to get their head
around the fact that the guy on the screen is
speaking to them.”
Shawn McMaster finds that people can
be disbelieving even after they finally real-
ize they are interacting with a live person
onscreen. While performing the Invisible
Pack, he asked a woman to name her chosen
card. “Because of a glitch in the screen that
happened right then, I couldn’t make out
what she said. I asked her to repeat the card,
and she did, but immediately followed that
with an aside to the brand ambassador: ‘See,
he had to have me say it again, so the other
guy in the room can hand him my card!
While I was performing a Chop Cup routine,
she thought ‘that other guy in the room’ was
underneath the table, passing stuff up to me
or into the cup through a hole in the table.
Wow! There’s nothing like being heckled
from 3,000 miles away!”
David Minkin finds that mentalism plays
especially well. One routine that is espe-
cially strong is an effect in which he uses
his “intuition” to lay a single card on the
Jeff Parmer
M233 Cisco_REV.indd 3
table in plain view, which is later shown to
be the card the distant spectator was think-
ing of. Another routine that works well is
David’s Minutiae, in which coins are slowly
produced, then slowly vanished. “Normally,
when I encounter kids on a gig, I produce the
first coin, then I have them do the same. With
ūmi, when kids are present, I have them toss
imaginary coins at the screen. I match my
productions with their movements and I fol-
low it up by saying to the kid, ‘Now you can
say that you threw a silver dollar all the way
to Los Angeles.’”
Minkin also notes, “I haven’t experi-
mented with a nail writer, but I’m certain it
would also be very strong. And, of course, it’s
a good idea to carry a piece of paper with the
word ‘Pickles’ on it.”
Routines in which the magic happens
in the hands of the spectator are the most
powerful — such as Darryl’s routine called
Untouched, utilizing a deck of cards that is
available in each of the onlookers’ pods —
effects that require an object to be exam-
ined, borrowed, or “serendipitously found”
are less effective.
McMaster discovered that the ūmi per-
formances have differed greatly from what
the magicians are used to. “You have no idea
who is going to be on the other line until you
push the button to accept the call and the
screen lights up. You have about ten seconds
while you’re introducing yourself and getting
their names to evaluate your audience and
pick the proper trick to perform for them.
Joe Skilton
What’s going to give the potential buyer the
best experience? The trick can’t be too con-
fusing to the person participating. It’s a very
delicate choice.”
Working in the ūmi environment has been
educational in a number of ways. The ūmi
has a full-screen “self-view” feature, which
the magicians discovered is a terrific asset for
practicing between calls, a sort of “high-def
practice mirror.” Jeff Parmer says he uses the
feature “all the time” when not otherwise
occupied in the studio, and he discovered that
one or two of his sleights needed some polish-
ing. After watching one of his sleights on the
self-view mode, he thought, Oh my God! That
looks horrible! And I’ve been doing it that
way for twenty years!
Overall, Minkin feels that the ūmi concept
expands your mind. “This could be an entirely
new mode of performance for magicians.
Imagine people calling you for a show on
demand. You could perform the show from
your living room!”
The continuing ūmi promotion is scheduled
to travel to malls in select cities across the US
through early February. Check the ūmi web-
site for itinerary details, and look for pods in:
Atlanta, Aventura (Fla.), Bethesda (Md.), Boca
Raton (Fla.), Burlington (Mass.), Chestnut Hill
(Mass.), Dallas, Garden City (N.Y.), Houston,
Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, New York City,
Pasadena, Portland (Ore.), Raleigh (N.C.), San
Francisco, San Jose, Vienna (Va.), Washington
DC, and White Plains (N.Y.).
12/16/10 1:31 PM
 By Rory Johnston
After a short delay, The Magic of Sterling,
starring nineteen-year-old Sterling Dietz, offi-
cially opened at the historic Teatro de la Cui-
dad in the tourist town of San Jose del Cabo,
Mexico. Sterling says it took over two years
to secure authorization for the use of the
government-owned theater. The soft open-
ing, originally scheduled for mid-September,
actually took place on October 16 — an
invitation-only event for the “des-
South
tination management companies,”
event planners, and concierges of
local tourist hotels. The response
was positive, with a standing ova-
tion, and word went out about
something new in town.
The theater, built in the 1940s,
was not in good condition. Even
for the
though it was refurbished in 2007,
only eight out of thirty-two lights
were functional. So, on November
Winter
6, Sterling did two benefit shows to
raise money for theater improve-
ments. “We marketed the shows
to the general public, specifically
the locals, and made it affordable
to them,” Sterling explains. Two
more standing ovations later, they
had raised $2,000 for new bulbs
and repairs to the “Theater of the City.” Word
about the show continued to spread.
A few weeks later, Sterling got bad news
from two fronts. First, his assistant of five
years, Jessica Gassman, told him that she
missed her family and wanted to return to
the States. Second, he received a formal letter
from the government. It seems elections had
been held and a new group of politicians was
now in place, so all previous negotiations and
any permissions granted were null and void.
Sterling was told they could not open the
show because the theater was only for cul-
tural use, not for rent.
Dietz set up a personal meeting with the
Treasurer of Los Cabos and, after waiting
outside City Hall for several hours, gave
a heartfelt pitch, touting the opportunities
the show would create for local businesses.
“We demonstrated that our presence here
would bring more business and tourists to the
nearby art studios, restaurants, and shops.
Fortunately for us, the man we met with
understood our vision.”
The first public show was scheduled to take
place in five days. Sterling had less than a week
to publicize it and train a new lead assistant.
On November 15, the show opened with about
a third of the 400 seats in the theater occupied
by locals and tourists. “It was the worst show
we will do this whole year, marketing-wise and
quality-wise,” says Sterling, “and yet they gave
us a standing ovation. After the dust settled and
I had paid my dancers, light and sound crew,
56 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1
M233 Sterling Deitz.indd 2
and the theater, I was in the black! I had fully
expected to lose money the first two months.
I knew the American and Canadian tourists
would love the show; what I hadn’t counted on
was the response of the local community. They
love the show and are promoting it all over
Facebook and their other networks.”
The show is booked through May. The
ticket price is 400 pesos — about $35 US — for
adults, and half that for children. Until the end
of this year, the cast will present one show per
week on varying nights, then will settle into
their regularly scheduled position, performing
every Tuesday and Thursday evening.
After that, Sterling will return to
the States for the summer. “It
was important that I created a
schedule that would allow
me to continue to grow as
an entertainer and not just
create a job, where I might
possibly get stale or plateau
in my creativity. By keeping
the season to eight months,
it leaves me free for June,
July, August, and Sep-
tember, when most of the
major magic conventions
take place. I’ve learned
through observation
and the experi-
ences of other
magicians who
have taken jobs
on cruise ships and
in other countries
that, although
they can make
very good
incomes, they
can very easily
become discon-
nected from the
magic community.
Given my age, I realize that staying connected
is especially vital to my continued growth
and development.”
The ninety-minute show features four danc-
ers plus the lead assistant. The magic, in run-
ning order, consists of a Doorway Appearance,
Sterling’s manipulation act, Miser’s Dream,
Instant Magician, Paper Balls over the Head,
Egg Bag, Origami, Cut-and-Restored Rope, a
“music box” Sub Trunk (with a dancing bal-
lerina on top), Torn-and-Restored
Newspaper (with an importance-
of-family message), and billiard
ball manipulation.
Dietz brought together a tal-
ented support team as he designed
the production, including Joanie
Spina as Artistic Director and
Choreographer, and Don Guy as
Lighting Designer. His dancers
and new lead assistant are all local
talent from Cabo. “We saw every
show in town and picked out the
best of the best.” Before returning
to the states, Jessica trained them
all in a week of long rehearsals.
Sterling is also greatly supported
in this endeavor by his parents. He
and his father are living in a home
only a half-mile from the theater.
Sterling speaks Spanish fairly well, having stud-
ied it for three years in high school, and he uses
it for radio interviews and some local private
shows, but he performs The Magic
of Sterling in English.
Dietz shares the theater
with other performance
groups. It is used as a
cinema one night a week
and is the only legiti-
mate theater in the city,
so beyond being used
for community theater
some nights, it is popu-
lar as a rehearsal hall
during the day. Unfor-
tunately, this means the
magic show must completely
set up and break down for every
performance. The company has
been promised some storage area
in the theater in the near future,
but for now, it’s a bit like being
a touring show. In spite
of the difficulties, when
asked if he is happy with
the way it is going,
Sterling answers, “At
nineteen years of age,
with my own show,
in a tropical para-
dise? I’m having the
time of my life. This
is where I belong.”
12/15/10 8:14 PM
 Scenes from San Jose del Cabo: A dancing bal-
lerina poses atop the Metamorphosis trunk. The
production finale to Sterling’s manipulation act.
Sterling strikes an applause cue with lead assistant
Jai Padilla in Origami. The sudden reveal climax-
ing the Metamorphosis. Giant card fans appear.
Jai assists a “hidden” Sterling and a volunteer in
the Instant Magician routine.
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 57

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 58 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1

Hank Lee M233 (1.c).indd 2 12/11/10 11:54 AM

 M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 59

Alakazam M233 (1.c).indd 1 12/11/10 11:54 AM

 60 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1

Y. Mesika M233_Tarantula (1.c).indd 2 12/11/10 11:55 AM

 talk about
by Joshua Jay

tricks
Moving Forward
It’s 2011 and, as Bob Dylan said, “the times they are a-changin’.” Are we willing to adapt
our magic to the changing times? And how do we accomplish that?
I’ll give you an example from my own experience, but first I have to make a confession.
Technological tricks leave me cold. I have no issue with effects that use a hidden technological
method — circuit boards, remote controls, etc. — but effects that look like advanced technol-
ogy don’t appeal to me. When something amazing happens on an iPhone or any other com-
puter screen, I can admire the ingenuity, but I don’t feel the astonishment I felt when my signed
bill appeared inside a lemon. With technological magic, the technology is both the effect and
the explanation. There’s rarely any mystery to it.
Recently, I’ve had three corporate engagements for which I’ve been asked specifically to
perform some “high tech” magic. One client asked, “Can you do something with cell phones
or the computers in our office? e’re a software company and we’re always looking for enter-
tainment tie-ins.” So, in spite of my natural inclination, I find myself researching and rehear -
ing several technology-oriented effects. There are some magic apps for the iPhone that I have
to admit are very good. And the magic doesn’t necessarily have to take place on the device: a
cell phone can vanish and reappear, it can reveal a prediction, or it can take the place of other
small props I use.
I’m also writing scripts that invoke cutting-edge research in psychology and neurosci-
ence as explanations or pseudo-explanations of the tricks they accompany. The book
Sleights of Mind, written by Susanna Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik, examines the
neuroscience behind the art of illusion. It just hit shelves and has garnered enormous press.
People are fascinated by these advancements in our understanding. Reading this book can
help to inspire presentations that feed the public’s curiosity about how the brain constructs
our perceptions of magic.
In the coming year, magic and technology will continue to move closer together. You and I
are faced with the same challenge: How can we become part of this movement, and how can
we convey that in our shows?

The Card PERFORMANCE: Cut a shuffled deck in half and then spread one half

Ac ross
By Harapan Ong uuuuu
JOSH: I was delighted when frequent contributor Harapan Ong
showed this effect to me, because it’s the rare card trick that’s as
novel in method as it is in effect. It bears some resemblance to
Hiviki’s Rolled Triumph [MAGIC, October 2010], in that they
both rely on Charles Nyquist’s ribbon spread holdout concept.
EFFECT: The performer cuts a shuffled deck in two and then spreads
both halves on the table, one in front of the other. Any card is placed
reversed into one spread. It vanishes from that spread and appears
reversed in the other spread.
face up from left to right in front of you. Make sure to leave enough
space behind this outer spread for the other half of the deck to be
spread later on.
Point toward the face card of the packet in your hand and ap-
parently turn it face down on the face of the face-up portion. Sup-
pose this card is the Two of Hearts. Actually, turn a double down.
Thumb over the top face-down card to your right hand as you turn
your left wrist inward to conceal the real Two of Hearts reversed
on bottom. Take the top card in your right hand as you table the
left-hand packet for a moment.
Insert the face-down card into the center of the face-up spread
on the table, but do not insert the card entirely. Instead, only insert
the card about an inch (Photos 1 & 2). Under even close scrutiny,
this action appears legit. Since the pack is spread, it is virtually
impossible for a layperson to tell the difference between a card that
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 61

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 1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
has been fully inserted into a spread and one that has been side-
jogged slightly, as this one has.
Pick up the face-down packet in right-hand end grip and casu-
ally swing cut the upper half into your left hand. As the two piles
coalesce, secretly sidejog the reversed Two on the face of the up-
per packet (Photo 3). Use the preliminary actions of a side steal to
accomplish this, by contacting the face of the card with your left
fingertips and sliding the card to the right
In a continuing action, spread the packet face down from left to
right, just behind the outer face-up spread (Photo 4). Thanks to the
sidejog (and Mr. Nyquist), the reversed selection will not show.
Now everything is set for a stunning revelation. Insert your left
fingers beneath the lowermost card of the outer spread and the
Have a trick that you would like to contribute to
“Talk About Tricks”?
E-mail Joshua at joshua@magicmagazine.com
Or write to:
Joshua Jay
410 Silk Court
Akron, Ohio 44319
62 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1
M233 Tricks.indd 4
turn the spread over, domino-style (Photos 5 & 6). As the spread is
levered face down, the indifferent reversed card will seem to disap-
pear, hidden by the cards above and below it.
Without pausing, reach your left fingers under the lowermost card o
the inner, face-down spread (Photo 7). Flip this spread over, causing the
selection to align with the other cards and appear, reversed in the deck
(Photo 8). It looks as if the card has jumped from one spread to the other.
Remove the reversed card and show it is still the selected card.
JOSH: I want to add two points, now that you understand the
method. The first is an important action you shoul
implement several times before the trick, which will help
condition the audience to the cut you must perform on
the face-down packet to centralize and sidejog the selec-
tion. Before the trick starts and, if you like, during the
preliminary stages of the effect, you should do a few run-
ning swing cuts to condition the audience to this action.
That way, it doesn’t appear awkward when you take the
time to cut the second packet before spreading it.
My second suggestion is related to cleanup. This effect
leaves a reversed card in the outer spread at the end of
the trick. But note that this card is still sidejogged. As you
square this packet, it is an easy matter to obtain a break
above or below the reversed card so you can correct its
orientation at your leisure.
R ese t2
By Yoann Fontyn uuuuu
JOSH: This stunning version of Paul Harris’ Reset is head-spinning
in the amount of “resetting” and transposing the packets
undergo. It is visual and quintessentially French in its rou-
tining and handling—multiple phases and unexpected plot
twists galore. I’ve been having a blast performing this and
I’m proud to present it to you. Direct from Paris: Yoann
Fontyn’s Reset2.
EFFECT: A packet of Twos and a packet of Queens transpose sev-
eral times.
PERFORMANCE: Begin by removing the Twos and Queens and plac-
ing them face up on the table. As you remove the cards from the deck,
arrange them so that the red Twos are below the blacks, and the red
Queens are sandwiched between the black Queens (Photo 1).
Pick up the Queens in left-hand dealers’ grip, and as you turn your
hand palm up and the packet face down, obtain a break below the top
two Queens.
Now you will apparently pick up the spread face-up Twos, square
them, and place them face down on the table. You will do this with your
left hand, grasping the cards above the Queen-packet you already hold.
To do this, use the left hand to pick up the spread Twos from the table,
secretly adding the Queens above the break to the packet (Photo 2). As
your turn your wrist over and turn both packets face down, allow the
cards to momentarily coalesce. Apparently drop the Twos face down on
the table, but press your thumb pad lightly on the uppermost Two, and
12/11/10 12:39 PM

retain it on top of the Queen packet as you toss the other “Twos” onto
the table (Photo 3). This whole sequence should be done casually.
Situation check: the face-down pile on the table consists of three Twos
on top of two Queens., You hold three cards in your hand: a red Two, a
red Queen, and a black Queen.
Table the packet you’re holding and then square it meticulously. These
are supposedly the four Queens.
Now pick up what the spectators believe to be the packet of Twos.
Holding this packet in left dealers’ grip, thumb over the top card and
show it as a Two (Photo 4). Take the next card beneath the first wo and
show it as well. Count the third Two beneath the others. For the fina
Two, you must do a discrepant but casual display, as follows. Bring the
cards in each hand together, feeding the two cards beneath the three Twos
for a moment. Allow the two cards to remain squared as one, in what
looks like a four-card spread. In a continuing action, peel the uppermost
card back into your left hand (Photos 5–7). Insert this Two second from
the top (Photo 8).
Peel the top card into your left hand and turn all the others, as a
block, face up on top of it. This will display a red Queen. Spread over this
Queen to reveal a Queen of opposite color beneath it.
Turn over all four cards above the lowermost card, apparently
turning over the two Queens. Deal the top two cards onto the table,
one at a time.
1 2
5 6
9 10
M233 Tricks.indd 5
t alk about tricks
Turn over the top card in your left hand to display a third Queen.
With your right fingers, reach beneath this face-up card and slide out th
top face-down card, taking care not to flash the other face-down card
Turn the card in your right hand face up outjogged on top of the other
face-up Queen (Photos 9 & 10).
Place the outjogged card face down on the tabled pile and then regrip
the double in right-hand end grip. You will now perform Hiro Sakai’s
Duck Change [MAGIC, September 1991], in which you’ll shoot the dou-
ble toward the table and it will rotate secretly and quickly, midstream,
and land on the packet with the Two uppermost and the Queen face
down. To do this, grip the double at the ends, between your right thumb
and second finger (Photo 11). Make sure you are gripping the double a
the extreme right side. Bow the double upward, convexly, then release
tension by moving your second finger out of the wa . This will propel
the card forward and cause it to turn over. Aim so that the double lands
squarely on the tabled packet you have just created.
At the moment you execute the Duck Change with your right hand,
pick up the initially tabled packet with your left hand and rotate it face
up. Done simultaneously, it appears that the Queens “jump” from one
packet to the other (Photos 12 & 13).
Table the packet in your left hand and pick up the other packet. Turn
over the face-up Two on top of this packet and then turn over the entire
packet. Execute an Elmsley Count to show all four cards as Twos again,
3 4
7 8
11
12 13
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 63
12/11/10 12:39 PM
 14
change; one of my favorites is John Lovick’s I Dream of
Mindreading from the December 2003 issue of this maga-
zine. And, of course, there are abundant color-changing deck
routines in which the back designs change.
Routines in which card faces and backs change are rare
and usually quite cumbersome in handling. In discussing this
plot with Michigan’s Matthew Featherstone, he offered the
following item, which is a simple and elegant approach. He
has a nice presentation for the routine, but here we will fo-
cus on the technical aspects of his handling.

EFFECT: A card is selected, and all the other cards in the deck turn
blank on both sides.

SETUP: Begin with a double-blank deck. Place a blank-faced card on

top, so the back design shows. Place your force card face down on top
of this, then place the deck in its case.

15 16 PERFORMANCE: Remove the deck from the case and say, “Normally
magicians have a card chosen and lost in the pack and then they try
to find the card.” Illustrate your words by openly taking the top card
face down in your right hand and inserting it into the near end of
the pack. As you push the card flush, push down and obtain a break
above it (Photo 1). “But in this trick, I won’t concentrate on your
card. I’ll concentrate on eliminating all the other cards. You’ll see
what I mean.”
With your left thumb, riffle gently along the outer left corner of
but don’t count the last two cards of the count singly. Instead, place both the pack in preparation for a riffle force. Angle the pack downward
Twos, as a unit, back on the face of the packet. This leaves the red Two so your spectators don’t catch a glimpse of the blank cards. When the
sandwiched between the two black Twos. spectator indicates for you to stop, lift all the cards above the break in
Palm the top two Twos off the face of the packet, concealing both of right end grip. Use the right finger pads to push down on the center of
them in your right palm. One black Two will change into another on the the force card, outjogging it as you push the upper packet flush with
face of the packet, but this will go unnoticed.
Drop the left-hand packet, injogged and face down, on top of the 1
tabled pile (Photo 14). Pick up both packets in stepped condition to dis-
play a black Queen on the face of the upper packet and a Two on the face
of the lower packet (Photo 15).
To change the face cards on both packets, move the right hand over
the two packets. When the cards are concealed from view, use your left
first finger to push the packets flush with each other; then take the
palmed cards between your left thumb and the pad of your first fing .
When the right hand is moved away, the packets appear to have changed
places again (Photo 16). Drop what appears to be the four Twos (actu-
ally just two cards) face up onto the table. Do an Ascanio Spread with
the remaining cards to show all four Queens. Drop the triple card onto
the tabled Twos, followed by the other Queens. You can now spread the
packet to show Queens on top of Twos.

D on’ t Blank 2 3

By Matthew Featherstone uuuuu

JOSH: The notion of changing both sides on a pack of cards is

one sought after by many serious card magicians. There are
many blank-deck endings in which the faces of the cards

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 t alk about tricks

4 5
remainder of the deck (Photos 2 & 3). This is the Annemann-Christ
Alignment move. Occasionally, the blank cards directly beneath the
force card might be inadvertently pushed forward. Before asking the
spectator to withdraw the outjogged card, square the cards beneath it
by extending the left first finger and pulling them flush with the pa
Invite the spectator to withdraw her chosen card and remember it.
Take back the selection in your right hand. With the pack in left deal-
ers’ grip, tightly spread or bevel the deck to the right (Photo 4). As
long as the cards are not spread or beveled too much, the pack looks
like any normal white-bordered deck. Insert the selection into the
pack (Photo 5).
For the first change—the change of the faces, simply turn the deck
face up. Spread all the cards to show that every single one has turned
blank. When you spread to the selection, table all the cards above it
in a loose pile. Then remove the selection singly and display it. Place
this card on top of the tabled pile and spread through the remainder
of the cards in your hand to show all the faces are blank. Retain only
the lowermost card (which is the only card with a back design) and
table the rest of the pack on top of the selection. Place the blank-faced
card on top of everything. You have thoroughly showed the faces of
the cards.
Now you will show that the backs, too, have disappeared. Pick
up the pack and turn it over. Spread until you come to the face-down
selection and then outjog it. Continue spreading. Since you cannot
spread the last card without exposing the extra back design, lift the
pack to chest height as you continue spreading, ostensibly to again
show the face of the selection. Hand the selection to the spectator,
turn the pack over once more, and spread through thoroughly.
The reset on the trick is almost instant. Simply turn over the blank-
faced card on top of the deck and place the force card on top of all.
stop. Once you have stopped, keep the right hand stationary and move
the left hand to chest height as you thumb over the top card of this lower
portion (Photo 1). This displays the selection to the spectator.
You will now simulate the action of swinging your left hand back
to waist height, beneath the cards in the right hand. Actually, several
things happen simultaneously. Let’s break them down.
Move your hand in a U-shaped arc that begins at chest height and
ends just above the right-hand cards. As you move your hand through
this downward arc, retract the selection flush on top of the deck.
At the same time, push your left finger pads on the face card of the
packet so that an indifferent card protrudes for half its length (Photos
2–5). Time your actions so you complete the secret maneuver of the
cards as the left packet approaches the right packet. Move at a fairly
quick pace, but your actions should look unhurried.
As the two packets come together, the right-hand packet goes be-
neath the left-hand packet with its outjogged card (Photo 6). Grasp
both packets between your left thumb and fingers. Release your
grip with your right fingers so the pack is only held by the left hand.
(Photo 7). This sequence should look as if you are simply slapping the
two packets together. When completed, the indifferent card should be
protruding from the right side of the pack. (Photo 8).
You can use your freed right hand to push the protruding card into
the center of the deck or you can ask a spectator to tap it in.
1 2
3 4

Perignon 5 6

Con trol
By Dominic St-Jacques uuuuu

JOSH: This control is further proof, if any is needed, that there are
endless possibilities for new sleights. When Canadian Domi-
nic St-Jacques showed me this control, I was fooled. When
he showed me the method, I was fascinated by its simplicity
and boldness. This is the kind of control one would think had 7 8
been thought of before, but my sources have confirmed tha
this top-card control handling is new. Its closest relative is Lee
Asher’s Losing Control [Hand Jobs, 2001], but the Perignon
Control is performed without any spreading action.

PERFORMANCE: Hold the pack from above in right end grip and dribble
cards onto your awaiting left hand until a spectator indicates for you to
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 65

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 Tra p R a p 2
By J.K. Hartman uuuuu
JOSH: This is a late addition to the column, but I squeezed it in
because I like to print tricks inspired by other “Talk About
Tricks” material as closely as possible to the idea that
spawned them. In this case, the legendary J.K. Hartman sent
in his clever handling and presentation for a transposition by
Donny Orbit.
Before we get into Mr. Hartman’s lucid instructions,
I want to mention how much I enjoyed his recent book
CAAN Craft. This tiny but thoughtful publication deals
with the popular Card At Any Number plot, and it features
a satisfying array of methods. If you enjoy Hartman’s think-
ing — and readers of this column have certainly enjoyed his
fine contributions here — I suggest you seek out a copy of
CAAN Craft. The only dilemma you’ll have is how to store
it. His other books are massive, and this new book will eas-
ily be lost among them!
I’ll let Mr. Hartman take it from here.
per packet is lifted off with the right hand in low-wrist position,
the fleshy mound of the hand masking the right long edge of th
double, the maneuver is entirely deceptive.
Place the deck on the table. Lifting the double card, shift it a
bit to the right, and lift off the lowermost Ace beneath it by rif-
fling up gently on the inner ends of the top stock, the Aces in
spread condition (Photo 2). Reminding the spectators that the
Aces are “your cards,” transfer the spread to the left hand, squar-
ing it. Point to the deck, saying that the spectator’s card is some-
where within it.
Retake the supposed red Aces with the right hand, now gripping
them at the inner right corner. Say, “Watch what my cards do to
your card.” Hold the Aces inward of the deck in “flinging” pos -
tion. Lift two-thirds of the deck several inches above the balance,
1 2

In his “Talk About Tricks” column for October 2010, Joshua

Jay included a fine trick by Danny Orbit called Card-Fu. As Jos
pointed out, it is essentially a standard transposition, but Orbit’s 3 4
presentational and handling embellishments turn it into a distinctly
nonstandard and impressive effect. This observation gave rise to
some mulling about the possibility of applying similar embellish-
ments to different forms of otherwise pedestrian sandwich or trap-
type routines.
Certainly the most basic and conventional sandwiching tech-
nique is the following. A selection is controlled to the top and a
break is held beneath it. The right hand holds, say, two red Aces
face up in end grip. As the uppermost Ace is dragged onto the
deck, the card above the break is stolen beneath the remaining 5
Ace. The double is placed on top of the pack. For the standard
revelation, the deck is given a cut or a riffle pass, then the pack
is ribbon spread to display the card sandwiched between the two
face-up Aces.
Try this approach. With the faces of the cards turned toward
you, look through the deck for “your cards,” upjogging the red
Aces. Close up the deck and turn it face down without exposing
the faces of the jogged cards. Obtaining a break beneath the top
card of the deck, draw out the jogged cards by pinching them at
the outer end, and revolve them face up on top. Since only one face
has been seen, it is now logical and nonredundant to display both
of them by performing the sandwiching procedure described previ-
ously. In this case, retain a break beneath the double as you deposit
it on top of the deck.
Now it’s the spectator’s turn to select a card. Riffle down th
outer left corner with the left thumb, asking him to call “stop.”
When he does, perform a riffle force: lift off the “packet” abov
the break, tilting it upright and, at the same time, twist the left
hand palm inward, the left forefinger extended to point at the a - 6 7
parent selection (Photo 1). Give the spectator no more than a sec-
ond to note the card, then reverse the actions, returning the deck
to face-down position as you reassemble it and timing your actions
to avoid flashing the face of the lower Ace. Retain a break beneat
the double when you replace it.
The idea of applying the bluff pass or mock pass to a force
was used in my Sandwichever [Means & Ends, 1973]. If the up-
66 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1

M233 Tricks.indd 8 12/11/10 12:39 PM


then dribble it back, saying, “Ready!” Repeat the action, saying,
“Aim!” Lift off the top block as before, and without the slightest
pause, fling the Ace packet through the gap to land on the tabl
forward of the deck, and instantly dribble off the left-hand cards
exactly as before, saying, “Fire!” (Photo 3).
The preliminary dribbles and the, at most, momentary exis-
tence of the gap create the appearance that you have tossed the
red Aces through the cascading deck. They will arrive in spread
condition, apparently having picked up a companion in transit.
Ask the spectator to name his card, and have him look at the
trapped card to conclude.
In this next case, the embellishment is a sequence which itself
is a hoary old chestnut. Perform the foregoing version through the
mock force sequence. The selection is between the face-up red Aces
on top of the deck. Summon a spectator to join you, facing the
audience. Tell him that you will give him the deck behind his back.
To do so, carry the deck behind the upper portion of his back, let-
ting him feel your hand. As he moves both hands behind his back,
lower the deck to meet them, performing a Charlier Cut as you do
so. Use a tight handling so that the upper packet doesn’t land with
an audible clump.
Ask him to take off the face-up Ace on top, insert it somewhere
in the middle of the deck, and square up. Next, ask him to insert
the second Ace in the same fashion. He, of course, is handling in-
different cards.
Have him bring the deck forward. Say, “What do you think the
chances are that you have inserted those Aces so they’re right next
to each other? Wouldn’t you be amazed at your remarkable skill?
Spread the deck face down on the table. Let me help. Oh — well,
you came close! Only one card between them. On the other hand,
maybe your skill is even more remarkable. You chose a card a few
moments ago. What was it? Take a look at the interloper.”
That last phase is, of course, the classic Annemann version
of the Magic Thrust from Hilliard’s Card Magic. The same end-
ing can be neatly applied to a different sandwiching technique.
Openly remove the red Aces, placing one face up on the bottom
of the deck, the other face up on top of the deck. Have a card
selected via a Bottom Replacement or a Convincing Control–like
technique. In the latter case, ask the spectator to push the pro-
truding decoy card flush into the deck. Now give him the deck
behind his back and proceed as before with the Charlier Cut
sequence, in this case asking him to insert the top card, then the
bottom card.
Finally, the following is less an embellishment of the final re -
elation than of the basic sandwiching technique itself, perhaps dis-
guising it sufficiently to puzzle another sandwich aficionado. ith
the deck face up, run through it and outjog the red Aces. Close up
the deck, turn it face down, and revolve the Aces one at a time face
up on top of the deck. Calling them “your cards,” make very clear
that they have nothing between them, in the process obtaining a
break beneath the first face-down card. Perform the mock force a
explained above, and reassemble.
Openly riffle off the uppermost Ace at the outer left corner.
Taking it there with the right hand, riffle off three-quarters of the
deck, and insert the Ace there for half its length, pointing out that
this Ace goes in the bottom half. Riffle off the second Ace, and as
the right hand moves in front of the deck to grasp the Ace, riffle
off the first face-down card. Grasping both cards as one, riffle
off the top quarter of the deck and insert the double card at that
point for half its length, here pointing out that this Ace goes in
the top half.
M233 Tricks.indd 9
t alk about tricks
Before releasing the double, use the left forefinger to apply u -
ward pressure against the lower surface of the jogged block, com-
pressing the outer ends of the cards and preventing any possible
flaring of the double card (Photo 4). Sa , “Watch what my cards do
to your card.” The following sequence is described in steps, but it
occurs in one fluid, rapid motion
Regrasp the jogged block at the outer left corner, and begin
to pivot it rightward until it is perpendicular to the deck and
halfway extracted from it, protruding from the right side (Photo
5). The left first, second, and third fingers give way to accom-
modate the action. Gripping the deck firmly with the left thumb
cater-cornered on top and giving way with the left little finger,
complete the rotation of the block until it protrudes from the
inner end of the deck for half its length (Photo 6.) Tilting the
outer end of the deck a bit downward to show the action clearly,
draw out the block, fanning it as you do so (Photo 7). Have the
selection named and allow the spectator to remove the trapped
card to conclude.
Any selection procedure that controls a selected card to the top
can be substituted. Drop the previously removed red Aces face up
on top and proceed as described.
A ny Card a t
A ny S andwi ch
By Bobby Hasbun uuuuu
JOSH: I’ve been holding on to this routine for a long time. Given
my comments about Hartman’s CAAN musings, it seems
appropriate to describe this here.
I think there’s something appealing about the follow-
ing fusion of Any Card at Any Number and a sandwich
routine. The introductory sleights are laborious and a bit
inelegant, but the end result, in which two selections appear
at a named number, is interesting. The plot reads more com-
plicated than it looks in performance, so follow along with
cards in hand.
EFFECT: The performer explains the CAAN plot and how it is a
favorite among serious card magicians. He offers to show his ver-
sion, followed immediately by a version from his two “friends.”
Two selected cards are buried in the pack, and a number is
named. When this number is counted to, the first selection is
discovered. Then, to show the version from the performer’s two
“friends,” he spreads the deck to reveal the appearance of the two
red Kings. They’ve sandwiched one face-down card — at exactly
the named position. This card is the final selection.
PERFORMANCE: Begin with two Kings secretly face-to-face on
top of the deck. “There is one card trick that is a favorite among
all serious magicians: Any Card at Any Number. In this trick, you
pick a card and name a number, and the card instantly appears at
that position in the pack. I have a version I’ve worked very hard
to perfect, and I’ll show it to you now. But as an added bonus,
I’ll also show you a version by two friends of mine. Let’s get two
cards selected.”
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 67
12/11/10 12:39 PM

Spread the pack, taking care not to expose the reversed King
second from the top. Have two cards withdrawn. One by one,
take them back and apparently lose them in the pack. Actually,
insert both second from the top via the Tilt maneuver. From the
top, the arrangement is now face-down King, face-down selec-
tion, face-down selection, face-up King.
Obtain a break beneath the top four cards and then transfer the
pack to right end grip, holding the break with your right thumb.
With your left hand, approach the pack from beneath and take
the lower portion into left dealers’ grip. As you pull the left hand
away, slide the top card off the deck and onto the left portion.
Reassemble the pack by turning the cards in the left hand face
up and placing them on top of the cards above the right thumb
break, maintaining the separation between the upper packet and
the lower packet.
In a continuing action, use your left hand to grasp all the cards
beneath the break, turn them face up, and place them on top of
the pack. This is a Braue Reversal–style cutting sequence. It leaves
the two selections face up between the two face-down mates at
the bottom.
Turn the deck face down and obtain a break below the top
four cards. Now, finally, you’re ready for the revelations.
Ask the spectator to name any number between 1 and 52. Sup-
pose she names twelve. Take the top four cards, as one, in right
end grip on the count of “one.” Immediately feed the new top
68 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1
M233 Tricks.indd 10
t alk about tricks
card beneath this quadruple on the count of “two,” then another
on the count of “three.” The three cards you take can be spread
slightly, and you can flash the face of each. Square the packet in
your right hand to conceal the extra cards. Now count the next
three cards in similar fashion, counting “four, five, six” in quick
succession and then tidying the packet. Continue in this way until
you have counted all twelve cards. Turn the packet in your right
hand face up and, in an offer to be totally fair, recount the cards,
counting each face up card into your right hand. There will be
twelve cards, just like the previous count.
Table the first face-down card you come to and then replace
the face-up cards in your right hand on top of the face-down
cards on the deck. As you square the pack, obtain a break above
the face-up King. Ask the spectator to turn over the twelfth card,
which now resides on the table. She will discover her selection.
As she turns over this card, tilt the pack toward yourself and turn
over all the cards above the break. This leaves a face-up sandwich
at the named number.
“But I promised that I would show you the same trick per-
formed by two friends. Here they are.” Spread the pack to reveal
two face-up Kings sandwiching a face-down card. Before you
reveal the sandwiched card, dramatically count the cards from the
top of the deck. As long as you count the uppermost sandwiched
card, you will find that the second selection resides at exactly the
named position. Reveal the second selection to conclude.
12/15/10 9:49 AM
 M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 69

Collectors M233 (1.c).indd 1 12/11/10 11:56 AM

 directions
in watching others, we see ourselves
A Different A pproach
For a different approach this month,
I would like to write about a highly suc-
cessful act and point out some of the rea-
sons why it works. Most of you recognize
Canadian-born Christopher Hart for his
highly acclaimed and unique approach to
the Zombie effect. To the rest of the world,
Chris is best known for his role of “Thing”
in The Addams Family movies. A frequent
performer at the Magic Castle, Chris cur-
rently resides in Los Angeles. He regularly
travels throughout the world, performing his
six-and-a-half minute act consisting of
card manipulation, torn-and-restored
music sheet, and the Zombie hand.
Chris also works frequently as an
actor, which gives him a well-rounded
resumé and skill set.
We first met in 1985 when we per-
formed in a charity fundraiser at the
Castle. I was working for Mr. Copper-
field back then. I very much admired
Chris’ performance style. He looked
the part of the tanguero, with fitte
black vest and pants, creating beauti-
ful elongated body lines in his card
manipulation act. His costuming and
style has appropriately changed to fi
his age, but he has always had that piz-
zazz. It’s in the eyes.
You must watch the corresponding video in
order to truly grasp my observations, because
words alone cannot convey my reasoning.
Facing upstage when initially introduced,
Chris snaps around on the first downbeat
of his jazzy music (0:03). Right up front, he
makes commanding eye contact as if to say,
“Watch this!”
He sets his black-gloved hand on fire
then — pow! — the fire in his hand change
to a yellow silk. It’s a clean, crisp, colorful
opening effect (0:12). He stares intently at
the silk for a moment, calling attention to
the fire to silk change before looking up a
the audience in a charming but confiden
manner. Chris’ self assurance and presence
has tremendous sex appeal. Yes, sex appeal.
70 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1
M233 Directions.indd 2
Power, presence, and good looks make for
sexy and seductive. He is in total control.
We have no doubts about his ability, right
from the get-go. It’s in his posture; it’s in his
eyes and in his smile. His focus and intent is
clear and deliberate. Watch his eyes. What
are they saying? Where is he looking? No
confusion at anytime. This is what you call
“stage presence.” Chris has a performance
style and energy that is all his own. He once
again sets his hand on fire (00:31). Watch
the close-ups. Chris flirtatiously teases th
audience, pulling them in all the time with
his eyes and that devilish smile, commanding
their attention. Yes, it’s in the eyes!
Moving on to card manipulation, Chris
removes his gloves and rolls up his sleeves
with style (0:48). He makes a point of it.
Removes one glove, then the other. Takes
his time, yet wastes no time. Stylish and
commanding, smooth and confident, h
owns the stage. That’s power. Hart snaps
his focus to the audience to begin the card
manipulations (0:56). Every moment pol-
ished and planned, Chris produces a card
and holds it between his teeth as he unbut-
tons his jacket. He is not overtly being
sexy, but he is unquestionably sexy. Chal-
lenging the audience to watch every move
J o a n i e S p i n a
he makes, his strong intent is engrossing,
captivating. Regardless of how you engage
your audience, whatever your style, you
want to captivate and hold their attention.
Chris flicks a card and flashes a grin
beguiling the audience (1:02). He never seems
insincere or manipulative, just smooth and
dashing. He moves with the flair and elegance
of a dancer, creating exquisite lines with his
long limbs. I know it seems like I am gushing,
but I am only stating the facts.
Chris’s hand and finger gestures are
well choreographed, giving beats and
moments to his routine (1:32), and
breaking up the card manipulation
nicely. Rather than just doing produc-
tion after production, he gives the magic
structure and style, continually playing
with the audience and pulling them in.
This prevents the card productions from
seeming like one long run-on sentence.
Fabulously musical, alternating from
one hand to the other, Chris repeatedly
produces single cards to the accents
in the music, creating momentum and
build for a strong ending (1:53).
Chris moves next to his torn-and-
restored music sheet. It’s a change of
pace and mood, set to Linda Ronstadt’s
version of Cole Porter’s “Bewitched,
Bothered, and Bewildered” (2:13). We see
a different, more vulnerable side of Hart’s
personality, providing him more dimension
as a performer. We like him even more now.
His boyish sweet charm is ever so appeal-
ing. Playing one note gets very boring to an
audience, so you want to offer change. If
everything you do has the same quality and
mood, the audience may begin to lose inter-
est. The contrast between this routine and
the card manipulation demonstrates how a
change of mood enhances the flow and inte -
est level of the act.
Chris pulls up a chair right at the edge of
the stage (2:32). The audience loves it when
you get close. Because of sight lines, staging,
and the size of illusions, the magic is often
12/15/10 9:15 PM
 View videos of Christopher Hart by visiting www.MAGICmagazine.com.

played upstage. Chris takes advantage of and point of view that give enchantment We have seen many sides of Chris as he
this opportunity to make the magic up close and humor to the routine. You must not rely takes us on a journey through his magical
and personal, hence stronger and better. solely on the magic trick; it’s what you bring world of tricks. The attitude of power and
Tearing a piece of sheet music in half, the to it that makes it special and moves it to control, as we saw in Chris’ card manipula-
music suddenly stops (2:39). How sharp is another level. tion, transitions to a new realm of physical
that? The song resumes when Hart touches This routine is filled with fantastic mag - comedy magic. Chris structures his act so
the torn pieces together, back-to-back. The cal moments that are motivated by a real-life he eases his way from one mood to another.
music skips and becomes distorted, all in scenario: woman chases The value of strong
accordance with Chris’ actions. The song man. Chris staged this acting skills is evident
skips repeatedly as Chris tries to shake loose routine as though an in his work. He is a
a torn corner piece (3:26). This is ingenious
staging, marrying the music with the action
amorous woman were
trying to seduce him. You must not gifted performer and a
lovable chap.
to punctuate the magic in an effective and He structured a logical
humorous fashion. progression of moves rely solely on the Though I say Chris
is an example of how
Watch the video to understand how Chris’ according to that prem- to do it right, I am not
facial reactions bring the magic to life, adding ise. And we are pulled magic trick; it’s by any means suggest-
humor and story. It’s all about those reac- into the seduction, ing you copy Chris.
tions. Without them, the routine would be because we can relate what you bring to You can learn from
nothing but the magic trick. Through Chris’ to it. We’ve seen this him. What is he doing
facial commentary, it becomes an endearing scenario before, but not it that moves it to that connects so well
and amusing masterpiece. What a clever con- this way. It’s very funny. with the audience?
cept and unique presentation. There is a Jerry Lewis– another level. We should all strive to
Boop boop be doop! Chris steps up the like charm to this rou- have a unique person-
pace a notch with his “Pink Glove” Zombie tine that has tremen- ality and presentation.
routine. Another side of Chris emerges as his dous appeal. Although Study the masters to
personality now starts to morph into a bit Chris is flattered by the glove s affections, he learn the styles, to figure out the how an
of a clown, putting him over the edge on the is clearly uncomfortable as it becomes overly why something works. Take what you learn
likeability scale (4:01). He can do no wrong zealous (5:10). He uses his tie to wipe the and then develop your own style.
at this point. He has eased his way into our sweat from his brow. The hand then yanks  
hearts and now he owns us. Many people Chris’ tie, leading him about the stage. The The acts critiqued here have submitted their
underestimate the power of vulnerability. tension continually escalates as the hand videos for this purpose. Joanie has selected
Who doesn’t love the funny and, at times, becomes more and more brazen, giving the clips of the routines examined for this column;
inept clown? Chris is succumbing to the routine impetus and build. This routine is you can view them at www.MAGICmagazine.
seductions of a pink-gloved hand and enjoy- absolutely brilliant, but what is even more com. If you would like to be featured in a
ing every minute of it. Much to his embar- brilliant is Chris’ performance. Closely future article, prepare a DVD of one or two
rassment and to our delight, we catch him watching Chris’ reactions gives you a real complete routines from beginning to end (no
relishing in a moment of pleasure and fan- appreciation for his range. He is committed highlight excerpts, please). Send to MAGIC
tasy as the glove runs its fingers through hi to each moment. His expressive reactions Magazine, attn: “Directions,” 6220 Stevenson
hair (4:16). Once again, it is Chris’ reactions are dead on. Way, Las Vegas, NV 89120.
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 71

M233 Directions.indd 3 12/15/10 9:15 PM

 coffeehouse conjuring
G r e g o r y
EFFECT: The magician opens a packet of sugar
and pours it into his closed fist. A wrappe
straw is waved like a wand over the closed fist
and every last grain vanishes. The straw paper
is then torn open at one end, and the missing
sugar is poured onto the stunned spectator’s
helping hand.
REQUIREMENTS: You need three packets of
sugar, a straw, a wooden stir stick, and a modi-
cum of chutzpa.
PREPARATION: Take the wrapped straw and
hold it vertically in your left hand. You do not
want to tear open the lower end of the wrapper.
Instead, using your right hand, gently slide the
thin paper casing downward so that the straw
gingerly pushes through the seal at the top.
Again, do not let the straw puncture the
opposite end. Take your time. After a bit of
experimentation, you will figure out how t
quickly and efficiently execute this prepar -
tion. It can be done at the prep bar in just a few
moment’s time.
Pour the contents of one of the sugar pack-
ets into the open end of the straw. Then take
the other sugar packet and shake all of the
sugar to one end. Using one end of the stir stick
as a probe, gently rip a slit across one side of
the packet (Figure 1).
If you bunch up the sugar first, it will ac
as a cushion or backstop to prevent the stir
stick from penetrating the opposite side of the
packet. Do not worry about making the slit
knife-like; it should be ragged anyway.
Afterwards, use the stir stick to widen the
slit-opening and then pour this second packet of
granules, except for a scant few, into the straw
until it’s full.
Finally, carefully reseal the straw with a slight
fold so that it looks normal and unprepared. All
that remains is to bring the prepared straw and
sugar packet to the table with another, unpre-
pared, sugar packet. If you’re at a diner, you can
72 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1
M233 Coffehouse Conjuring_v2_REVa.indd 2
W i l s o n & D a v i d G r i p e n w a l d t
S weet N othings
even sneak the prepared packet into the middle against the inside of your closed fist, it reall
of the sugar bowl at an opportune moment. sounds like sugar pouring. Visual: Allow the
scant number of granules to openly fall onto the
PERFORMANCE: Gather the appropriate props top of your fist, then casually brush them awa .
and place the prepared straw on the table. Toss the empty packet onto the spectator’s
Pick up the two sugar packets, one full and outstretched hand, which is still below your
the other empty, with the empty one toward clenched fist. Pick up and pinch the straw at
yourself. Shake them both together, as if settling the prepared end and wave it over your fist as
the granules to one end of the packets, while though you were waving a wand. To reveal
you say, “Here, do as I do. Take one and give the vanish, simultaneously open your hand
it a good shake.” Hand the full packet to the as you lightly strike your flattened palm with
spectator. When he shakes the full packet, you the straw — à la Williamson’s Striking Vanish
shake your empty packet close enough to his so (Figure 3).
it’s impossible to discern that the sound of one All that remains is to tear open the end of
packet is covering for both. the straw you had previously unsealed and pour
Next, you seem to change your mind in the missing sugar into the spectator’s happy
midstream. You say, “It’s easier to follow just hand (Figure 4).
one of these, so let’s focus on this one.” Ask
him to place his packet on the table. THE LAST DROP: This empty sugar-packet stunt
Hold your prepared packet with the “clean” is the brainchild of Greg’s longtime friend Brad
side facing the spectator. Like opening a LePaul-
gaffed envelope, rip the packet so the track of 1
the tearing coincides with the secret tear at the
back end. “Watch closely. Don’t look away.
Don’t get distracted. I repeat, don’t look away.”
Take a quick moment to squeeze and bow
the sides of the remaining packet with your left
thumb and fingers to make it look more plum
and full.
Hold the packet in your right hand, osten-
sibly in preparation to pour its contents into
your other hand. Make a loose fist with you
left hand. “Are you watching closely? Do not
look away.” 2
Invert the sugar packet and place the open-
ing into the top of your fist (Figure 2). If yo
like, and I think you will, have the spectator
hold an upturned hand below your fist to pr -
clude the notion that you simply and secretly
dropped the granules on the floo .
There are two ways to really sell the illu-
sion that you have indeed poured sugar into
your first. Audio: If you slightly scrape, with a
up and down motion, the sides of the packet
12/15/10 9:20 PM

3 In this new series for 2011, David Gripenwaldt and I will share
4 Some of the routines are a premium blend of existing ideas, but most
Stine. Greg originally published it as Vanish
5,000 in two other places, without this fina
straw business; first, in The Art of Astonishment.
Also, a similar trick using paper matches
instead of sugar was devised and published
by Joel Givens. It was released after the Stine-
Wilson version was established in Magic for
Dummies (1998).
Finally, it’s worth noting that this plays
much bigger than it might seem from its sim-
plicity. You are so far ahead of the audience
when you begin that any laypeople will fin
it impossible to reconstruct the solution. And
magicians, for that matter, are badly fooled by
the opening Vanish 5,000 sequence.
Since people have no idea where you are
going, the disappearance and reappearance
comes as a total surprise. And the reaction
is way out of proportion to how easy it is
to accomplish.
We like.
Gregory Wilson is a two-time FISM award win-
ner with fourteen instructional DVDs on the
market. David Gripenwaldt is a writer, market-
ing consultant, and radio/TV producer who
lurks in the shadows of magic’s inner circle,
creating and consulting for some of the best.
Together, Grip & Greg, lately known as The
Brews Brothers, have been thinking outside the
cup and have scores of collaborations to share
with the conjuring community.
M233 Coffehouse Conjuring_v2_REVa.indd 3
Wake Up and Smell the Magic
As if coffee wasn’t addictive enough, there’s now a new way
to become a full-fledged java junkie — by adding some high-octane
astonishment!
one innovative coffee trick per month until your cups runneth over.
are freshly brewed foolers from the grounds up.
Even when brainstorming non-coffee routines, we found ourselves
regularly visiting Starbucks. Away from home or office, they call it
the “third place,” which is the perfect atmosphere to let our minds
wander and wonder about all things astonishing. One brainstorm
session led to another, and now we have 65 caffeine-induced
coffee creations, with a lot more percolating in the background.
And best of all, most of these “brewed awakenings” are
completely impromptu and use only props native to this environment:
coffee, cups, lids, straws, napkins, sugar packets, stir sticks, tea
bags, gift cards, and even the barista’s tip jar.
Even if coffee isn’t your cup of tea, it’s like having a ready-made
magic shop on every other street corner around the world!
For me, half the fun of creating a new effect is in the naming
of it. Sometimes we devised tricks just to match my quirky titles,
such as Raising Cane, Strawesome, Decafalon, Java Nagila, Sim Sala
Bean, Sipping with the Enemy, Latte-tude, Deja Brew, Aroma with a
View, and Good Cup/Bad Cup.
Warning: Our goal is to get you so hooked on coffee and
coffeehouse conjuring that you’ll pull into Starbucks throughout
the day, just to do tricks for total strangers! You’ll also perform
without blinking, chew on your spectators’ fingernails, and mainline
your slow-drip coffee straight from an IV.
Here’s to Livin’ La Vida Mocha!
— Gregory Wilson
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 73
12/15/10 9:20 PM
 Teach By Magic
B A R R Y
Magic Moolah
Have you given much thought to why
you do magic? Is it to make people laugh,
to freak out your friends, or to hit on
women? Do you do magic to pay the bills
or to bring a smile to a sick child’s face?
When we really understand what we
want to accomplish with our magic,
we can more easily select tricks that fit
our needs.
This month’s installment of “Teach by
Magic” is a trick you would most likely
skip over if your goal were to make some-
one laugh or convince people that you
have special powers. But if you are looking
for a simple, impromptu trick to use as an
object lesson, Magic Moolah is the perfect fit,
as it can be used for a wide variety of teach-
ing situations.
Magic Moolah is a contribution by Barry
Mitchell from East Tennessee. Barry, who
specializes in educational and storytelling
magic, is probably best known for his cre-
ative contributions to magic in the form of
products, lectures, and his Creativity at Sea
cruise. However, Barry is also an accom-
plished author and a keynote speaker for
educational conferences.
EFFECT: You produce one or more quarters
from a folded dollar bill.
OBJECTIVE: Introduce the concept of fractions.
MATERIALS: A dollar bill and four quarters.
APPLICATIONS
Math
Make a story problem come to life. “If Sally
bought a candy bar that cost 75 cents and she paid
for it with a dollar, how much change will she get
back?” Pour out a single quarter to show they were
correct. You could have multiple dollars set up with a
variety of coins and values for different purchases.
74 M A GI C • ja n ua ry
M233 Teach by Magic.indd 2
M I T C H E L L
METHOD: The quarters are hidden behind
the dollar bill. They are held in place between
your thumb and index finger.
PRESENTATION: Announce that you will
talk about fractions. Show the dollar bill and
explain that it is the whole number “one.”
What your students don’t know is that you
have four quarters hidden behind the dollar.
Fold the bill in half, back toward you, so
the quarters are now sandwiched inside the
dollar. Make sure to keep pinching the coins
through the dollar bill so they don’t fall out
prematurely. Show that you now have one-
half of a dollar.
Reading
Use a page of the book Treasure Island and
have a treasure coin appear, demonstrating that
reading magically brings books to life.
Life Skills
Talk about sharing and working together. If you
fight over a dollar bill with your friends and you
tear the dollar into equal pieces, everyone loses.
But if you work together and change that dollar
20 1 1
ide
c
ks
ba
Next, fold the bill again, from bottom to
top, to make fourths. The quarters are now
resting in the corner of the folded dollar, and
you no longer need to pinch them.
Explain to the class that by folding the dol-
lar again, you created fourths or quarters. Ask,
“How many quarters are in a dollar? That’s
right, four!” Then pour the four quarters out
of the folded bill.
into four quarters, than everyone can have an
equal share and everyone wins.
History
Introduce the topic of US presidents, talk-
ing about their images on bills and coins. Did
you know that the first president to appear on
paper money was Abraham Lincoln? The first
paper money was issued while he was in office
in 1861.
12/13/10 12:20 PM
 This is the fourth installment in a series of rou-
tines created or adapted for educational enter-
tainment by the Teach by Magic team.

Scouting
Suggest that “a scout is thrifty.” Explain
that when you pay interest, your money is
just disappearing, but when you invest your
money, it makes more money “appear.” If
you put a dollar in the bank at five percent
interest, after a year you would have a dol-
lar and five cents. Illustrate this by making a
nickel appear in the dollar.

M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 75

M233 Teach by Magic.indd 3 12/13/10 12:20 PM

 real-world methods
D o u g & H e i
Special Needs C hildren O nstage
The boy in the back of the gym has his
fingers in his ears, yet the microphone isn t
too loud. Another child flaps her arms like
little bird every time something exciting hap-
pens. That’s kind of cute, but someone made
those same unusual gestures at yesterday’s
show. Is that an odd coincidence or some-
thing else?
Ask any children’s or family performer
and they’ll admit to seeing the same things
at their shows. And it’s happening more
frequently than ever. Some kids in the audi-
ence will stare at the floor for 45 minutes
seemingly oblivious to your latest miracle or
anyone around them. Others rock back and
forth endlessly. Some seem to have a case of
the giggles that lasts all day. Then there are
the kids who will sit quietly during a show,
but wear the same kind of headphones you
might use when mowing the lawn.
What’s going on? Are you imagining things?
If you’re seeing an increasing number of
kids and adults in your audience who have
behavioral issues and special needs, it’s not
your imagination. More children will be
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders
(ASD) this year than with AIDS, diabetes,
and cancer combined. Autism is the fast-
est growing developmental disorder in the
United States.
Children with autism have significan
difficulties in social interaction, along wit
restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior
and interests. In severe cases, children have
limited linguistic skills and delayed cognitive
development. They can be clumsy and use
language in atypical ways.
The Center for Disease Control indicates
that the number of kids being diagnosed
with autism has reached 1 out of 91. For
boys, the numbers are even more staggering:
1 out of 58, and projections suggest that
the numbers will be 1 in 38 in the next few
years. Back in 1980, the rates of autism were
only 1 out of 10,000.
So what does this mean to the average
magician? It doesn’t matter where you per-
76 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1
M233 Real World_REV2.indd 2
d i S c h e e r
form — banquets, schools, restaurants, or
private homes — your audience is changing.
Children with autism are being mainstreamed
into public and private schools. Restaurants
and airlines are making efforts to cater to
customers with special medical and dietary
requests, and resorts and hotels are learning
more ways to accommodate guests with spe-
cial needs.
This creates an incredible opportunity
for us family magicians. Instead of avoiding
these kids, consider actively seeking them
out to be volunteers during your shows. Our
son Gannon has high-functioning autism,
so we’ve had daily experience in interacting
and learning from these children. We know
how powerful it can be when you reach
these kids. Magic is a tool that has an amaz-
ing ability to connect.
Long before Gannon was diagnosed,
we had an unforgettable encounter with a
child on the spectrum. Near the end of the
show, a boy jumped up and yelled “Funny
show” and then sat back down. The teach-
ers and principal and even the students were
shocked. They couldn’t believe what had just
happened. This boy was nonverbal and had
never spoken more than five words in hi
entire life, but he just initiated conversation
with the magician without any encourage-
ment by his aids. After the show, no one was
talking about the magic tricks; they were
all talking about the boy who spoke to the
magician! It was great!
The main thing performers need to know
about kids with autism is that no two kids
are the same, so there are no rules that
work all the time. However, there are things
performers can do to make these kids more
comfortable, should they unintentionally or
intentionally use them as volunteers.
What many people don’t realize about
kids on the spectrum is that sitting in a
noisy audience, surrounded by people in
close proximity, with lights and music, can
be an overwhelming experience for them.
The fact that these kids are even in the audi-
ence means that they have overcome many
anxieties, fears, and issues that would have
sidelined them in the past. It’s like looking
at 650-pound man, who has just lost 200
pounds, and saying he’s fat. You have no
idea how much he has already overcome.
Gannon couldn’t sit in a movie theater
or even go to church without screaming
and running out. After dietary changes,
biomedical interventions, and therapy, the
day came when he could sit on a commu-
nity room floor and watch our magic sho .
He wasn’t the best behaved — grandpa
was getting dirty looks from the parents
around him — but we couldn’t have been
more proud. For the first time, our boy wa
watching his mom and dad perform!
Knowing what many of these kids have
already overcome is helpful in understand-
ing what might be going through their
minds when they’re onstage helping in your
show. Standing in front of 400 peers can
be frightening for anyone, but when a child
with autism is invited onstage, some can feel
completely lost. Imagine floating alone i
outer space and you’ll have an idea of what
being onstage can feel like to kids with cer-
tain developmental delays. Of course, there
are some children with such overwhelming
challenges that they would not make good
volunteers, but many kids, while seeming to
be totally disinterested in what’s going on,
are completely aware of even tiny details of
your show and may even want to help the
magician if chosen.
We always keep a stool or small road
case just offstage so our volunteer can sit
instead of feeling lost by standing alone.
And here’s a little trick: we remove one of
the rubber feet so the stool is just a little off
kilter. The volunteer will notice this and will
direct part of his or her attention to keeping
balanced. This isn’t distracting at all to the
audience, they won’t even notice, but it helps
direct the volunteer’s attention away from
doing something unexpected. If you’re on
the spot and don’t have a wobbly stool set
12/15/10 9:23 PM
 up, a small book or a piece of cardboard can
be dropped onto the floor and then a chai
leg can be placed on it to create a similar
tool for directing attention.
You can also offer the child something
unusual to hold, if he or she seems distracted.
Stress balls — the squishy-but-firm kind tha
are sold in office supply stores — work well
So do objects with unusual combinations of
textures, such as small bumpy balls sold in toy
stores and even some magic gimmicks or pet
toys. Carrying one of these items in a close-up
bag or performance case is a good idea. The
toy can be made to vanish and reappear, then
be handed to the child to hold for the rest of
the routine. It can also be offered discretely
without anyone in the audience even knowing
what’s going on. A sponge ball might seem like
an obvious choice because of its unique quali-
ties, but it can also be easily torn. Something
indestructible is best.
Be cautious about touching kids who are
on the autism spectrum. Many are extremely
sensitive to touch. Even the tags in the back of
their shirts can feel like shards of glass rubbing
against their skin. Doing the standard hand-
shaking gags, placing things on their head, or
moving them around by their arm or shoulder
are out of bounds with these kids. We’ve seen
some of them wince in pain just from a gentle
hand on an elbow. Performers need to be
aware that if a volunteer quickly pulls away
from a touch or a guiding hand on the back,
the child may not be acting up or being rude;
that child may be protecting himself or her-
self from actual pain. A thank-you fist bum
instead of a handshake as the child is excused
is more appropriate in these cases. You can
also avoid touching kids and prevent volun-
teers from wandering by tossing a mouse pad
on the floor and asking them to stand on it
Doing the old gag of “I need someone taller to
help out with this trick, so you better stand on
this little pad; now you’re perfect!” is an easy
way to sneak in this stay-put method.
After the show, when you’re chatting
with folks from the audience, avoid using
the word “autistic.” Some people view this
is a derogatory, dead-end label that suggests
no hope. It’s safer to say that a person “has
autism.” And be careful with your word
choices onstage, as well. Kids with ASD
take things very literally. Sayings like “break
a leg,” “raining cats and dogs,” or “you
nailed it” mean exactly what the words are.
Carefully choosing what you say and avoid-
M233 Real World_REV2.indd 3
ing abstract phrases will help prevent confu-
sion and misunderstandings.
If you are planning to put anything on the
child or to dress him or her up in any way,
ask permission first. Show the child the hat or
costume, then let him or her put it on. Some
kids will comply while others will not, so you
need to be able to think on your feet. Avoid
pressuring the child or making any jokes
about being uncooperative. Just move on and
try something else. Remember, the audience
doesn’t know what to expect, so changing
your routine in midstream will not even be
noticed. The small sacrifice you make with
your trick or routine will be made up tenfold
when you connect with that child. The child
will know it and so will your audience.
In schools, the special needs classes are
sometimes brought into the auditorium
before everyone else, because they may need
extra time to get settled. This is the time to
approach their teachers and ask if there are
any children that might make good help-
ers onstage. If there isn’t an opportunity
for this beforehand, a direct question to
the classroom teacher during the show can
be an effective alternative. Try asking “Do
you think any kids from your classroom
would like to help?” before picking your
volunteers. The teachers will appreciate your
willingness to include their kids and they’ll
admire your professionalism in handling
your selections this way.
If a teacher doesn’t think any of the chil-
dren are well suited to going onstage, that
doesn’t mean you need to avoid those kids
during the show. Even the most severely
affected kids can participate from their seats
by examining or simply holding a prop. Giv-
ing kids small and simple tasks while they
remain in their seats can make them feel
included and important, and those feelings
are a big deal to any child.
Lisa Ellis has been a teacher of special
needs students for more than thirty years,
and she recommends another way to include
these kids in shows. “Sometimes, it might
be best to include ASD children when mul-
tiple volunteers are needed onstage at the
same time. The more socially aware kids
will model the proper behaviors to follow.
This provides a sort of safety net for the
performer in case things don’t work out as
planned. Remember, children can always be
excused from the stage and thanked with a
round of applause.”
M AGIC
Lisa says that the opportunity of just try-
ing to help can make a lasting impression
and be a good learning experience. She likes
to see performers take chances onstage and
suggests that it’s even a better lesson when
things don’t always work out as planned.
“These kids need to learn to adapt and
be flexible, more than anything else,” Lis
explains. “They like predictable outcomes and
rigid patterns, so going along with unexpected
events can be a great learning opportunity. I
tell my students that in life outside the class-
room, things happen that we can’t always con-
trol, but it’s never the end of the world.”
In Lisa’s classroom, a lot of time is spent
focusing on problem solving and properly
using coping skills to handle situations. “Good
magicians do this all the time. I know things
don’t always go as planned onstage and our
kids can learn from watching a strong per-
former deal with unexpected issues.”
Lisa says that when a performer invites a
special needs child to assist, it shows accep-
tance to the other kids in the audience. “We
want these kids to be included as much as
all the other kids. Showing an entire audi-
ence that it’s okay to interact with them is
an important lesson. We need to share these
kids and our experiences with them so that
we can all learn and grow.”
My wife and I have had kids onstage who
get so absorbed in the magic that they will
remove their headphones so they can better
participate. It’s moments like those that are
remembered. Social connections are being
made, and that glimmer of hope for the child
and his or her future shines a little brighter.
It’s important to proceed with caution,
but taking the risk of including special needs
children onstage can make you a hero to that
child and to your audience. Magicians can
create memories that last a lifetime. When
you make a child a hero onstage, that child
becomes the star for the rest of the day. When
you make a child with autism shine, you’ll
touch your audience on a profound level, but
most importantly, you can help a child over-
come a hurdle that’ll make that kid’s year.
Doug Scheer, author of Scripts & Clips:
Educational Routines for School Performers,
performs over 600 shows annually in elemen-
tary schools and libraries in Michigan. Heid
Scheer assists her husband in the show and is
an autism advocate, speaking nationally on
biomedical treatments.
• january 2 0 1 1 77
12/15/10 9:23 PM

Marketplace
EDITED BY GABE FAJURI
The Last Greatest Magician
in the World
A brilliant new biography from the pen of Jim Steinmeyer.
Reviewed by Michael Claxton
In his forty years on the world stage, Howard Thurston (1869–
1936) made quite a few things vanish. Yet his total disappearance
from today’s public consciousness is not the effect he intended.
Like his legacy-conscious rival Houdini, Thurston worked doggedly
to become the World’s Greatest Magician and, as Jim Steinmeyer
argues, he was the last to earn that title before modern show busi-
ness changed forever. As the ranks of those who saw the Thurston
show now include no one under the age of eighty, this spectacular
new biography, written for magicians and laypeople alike, has
arrived just in time.
As a subject, Thurston has inspired a long bibliography. His
1929 memoir My Magic Life was ghosted, sanitized, and roman-
ticized, but it remains an entertaining read. Admirers Thomas
Chew Worthington and John S. Van Gilder published appreciative
monographs in the 1930s. Robert E. Olson spent decades research-
ing Thurston’s life and in 1993 penned his ambitious, two-volume
Complete Life of Howard Franklin Thurston, a sadly disappointing
work. Jane Thurston Shepard shared memories of her father in Our
Life of Magic (1989), and the appearance of the Grace Thurston
Manuscript in 1985 (republished in 2006) surprised many with its
no-holds-barred portrait by Thurston’s first wife. The revealing cor-
respondence between Thurston and Dante appeared in print in 1981
and again in 2007. These, along with countless book chapters, arti-
cles, and lectures provide massive detail on the great magician’s life.
But no single source draws together all of the details so grace-
fully, insightfully, and with such flair for a good story as The Last
Greatest Magician in the World. Reprising the same winning com-
bination of thorough research, deep awareness of context, and an
insider’s knowledge of illusion that made Hiding the Elephant and
his books on Guy Jarrett and Chung Ling Soo so successful, Stein-
meyer has written a fully satisfying account of Howard Thurston
and why he matters. What emerges is a portrait that could easily
be a pop psychology cliché. Thurston was a young man haunted
by his father’s failures and his own misspent youth. Having found
role models, first in Alexander Herrmann and later in Harry Kel-
lar, Howard struggled desperately to rise above the seedy past that
was so painfully visible in the career of his brother, Harry Thur-
ston. Howard plunged himself into every means of gaining love and
respectability: performance, invention, investment, marriage, and
charity. Graced with a golden voice, a con man’s savvy, and just a
touch of religion, the boy who was once arrested for pickpocketing
became the grand entertainer who received the accolades he always
wanted. “I love my audiences” was his famous mantra. And they
loved him back.
What keeps this profile from being a textbook case for Dr. Phil,
though, is how skillfully Steinmeyer weaves together the threads of
so many stories. He frames the narrative by dramatizing the rivalry
between Houdini and Thurston, tracing it to their salad days working
78 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1
M233 Marketplace_REV.indd 2
REVIEWED THIS MONTH:
The Last Greatest Magician in the World • Loki • Memento • Magic Marvels #5: Rich-
ard Osterlind’s Any Card at Any Number • Red Streamlined Convertible • Fully Loaded
• Mash Pack • Classic Correspondence • Spotlight on the Card Sharp • Learned Pigs
& Fireproof Women • Dupes • Alice’s Revenge • The Magic DataBase • Subsequent
Impuzzibilities • Torn 2 Pieces • The Revolution featuring Helter Skelter • Magic
Shows: 30 Years of Programmes from Daniels to Derren
the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the lowbrow
venues that followed, then to their simultane-
ous and career-defining successes in London in
1900. Throughout the next 25 years, the careers
of Houdini and Thurston were intertwined — as
competitive illusionists, as fellow SAM leaders,
as students of Spiritualism, and as virtual siblings
who clashed over Kellar’s affection.
The Last Greatest Magician is also the story
of the other wizards in Thurston’s life. Some were adversaries —
Paul Valadon, Harry Blackstone, Charles Carter, Grover George.
Others were trusted advisors, such as writer John Northern Hilliard,
the tragic inventor Gus Fasola, the expert stage manager Herman
Hanson, and Thurston’s unflappable assistant and valet, George
White. Still others — Okito, Guy Jarrett, and Samri Baldwin — were
both colleagues and spies, sent by Kellar to guard what he saw as
the integrity of his old show. Finally, Thurston’s protégés — Dante,
Tampa, and Fred Keating — reflect his appreciation for new talent,
but also his savvy in co-opting the competition. The candid stories
of these fellow conjurers reveal Thurston’s weaknesses, as well as his
gifts for both stagecraft and brinksmanship.
Steinmeyer captures Howard Thurston as an extraordinary show-
man. From his rough-and-tumble tours out West, to his overseas
travels, to his 25 years as America’s top magician, Thurston was
king. He seldom developed his own illusions and even got his career-
making card rise (“The Man Who Mystified Herrmann”) out of a
book. But his instincts for what audiences wanted were uncanny,
and his presence onstage was unforgettable. He knew that card
manipulations could entertain. He knew to add comedy when Saw-
ing Through A Woman. He knew that bringing the audience onstage
during the levitation bridged the gap between performer and specta-
tor. Even close to the end, he knew when to embrace the future and
join his show with the movies. Though the five-show-a-day grind
exhausted him in his sixties, he relished the chance to reach an
entirely new audience with his magic. And that’s what Steinmeyer’s
book allows him to do once more.
This is not a coffee-table book filled with dazzling full-color
poster plates. In fact, the illustrations are modest: only 33 well-
chosen black-and-white photos. But the author has pored over just
about every scrap of Thurstoniana in all the major collections and
has spoken over the years with many Thurston admirers. Naturally,
Steinmeyer retells a number of stories from his previous books, but
in the context of his subject’s entire career, they take on deeper sig-
nificance. The result is such a well-told story that I practically felt
Thurston’s heartbeat on every page. When Kellar passed the mantle
to his young successor in 1908, he conferred legitimacy on the for-
mer reform-school graduate. Now, thanks to Jim Steinmeyer’s book,
there should be no question about Thurston’s rightful place in the
history of American show business.
The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston versus Houdini and the Battles of the American
Wizards by Jim Steinmeyer. Hardbound with dust jacket, 376 pages, illustrated. $26.95. Available from
your bookseller or Amazon.com.
12/11/10 12:59 PM
 PRODUCT REVIEWS

Loki placed inside the card box. You then borrow

A versatile and well-disguised utility device a bill and fold it into quarters. The bill then
devised by Romanos and MagicTao. visually changes into the spectator’s chosen
card. You open the card case and remove the
Reviewed by Peter Duffie borrowed bill. Miller’s other routines include
According to Norse mythology, Loki was, Confined, in which a card changes despite
among other things, a crafty and sneaky god. being wrapped inside a bill; Sideswiped, in
And that is a perfect analogy for this prop. which a card changes while trapped under Magic Marvels #5
The Loki is a Zippo-style lighter that contains the cellophane on the card box; and A Sure Want to find a card at any number on your
the strongest-rated magnet in the world — the Thing, in which a card changes while under iPhone? With Richard Osterlind’s method,
N52 magnet. It’s important to note that this your wallet on the table. All four routines use now you ACAAN.
device is not meant for use only by a shimmed playing card, and one is
smokers. For most of the effects supplied with this package. Mine Reviewed by Will Houstoun
described in the instructional book- is a blue-backed Seven of Spades Magic Marvels #5: Richard Osterlind’s
let that accompanies the prop, the and it is very well made. In the first Any Card at Any Number is an iPhone-
lighter is concealed. It can be kept in three of these routines, the Loki is based version of the perennially popular
any pocket, under your belt, inside a concealed in a pocket, while in A Any Card at Any Number plot. In perfor-
card box, inside a cigarette packet, Sure Thing it is openly introduced mance, you ask two people to help you.
or strapped to your wrist. as an everyday lighter. One names a number between one and
The booklet is very well pro- The final chapter in the instruc- fifty-two, and the other names any card.
duced, with 36 pages in full color, tions is “Tips & Tricks” by Dee While they are choosing their card and
and the explanations are crystal clear. Christopher. Here we find further number, you locate an app on your iPhone.
Along with the Loki, you also receive two suggested uses for the Loki, such as stopping a Once the number and card have been
keychain rings. These are for the first effect watch, Lethal Tender handling, and so on. named, you click a start button. A virtual
in the booklet, 21st Century Kinetic Rings. To sum up, the Loki is a powerful mag- deck of cards appears face down on the
With the Loki concealed in any convenient netic holdout utility device, which looks like screen. Your spectator then touches the
place, you can easily charge the rings as you an everyday object that can be either hidden top card of the deck to deal it face up to
ask a spectator to hold out his forefinger. on your person or brought out of your pocket one side and, upon dealing to the number
You hang one of the rings on his finger, without arousing suspicion. In principle, it named, the named card is found.
then touch the other ring against it, where is similar to Chazpro’s best-selling Bat, but The system used to innocently input the
it remains attached and spinning. Yes, it’s a more versatile. named card and number is clever, but it will
well-known effect, but just one example of take a bit more practice than most magic
how this tool can be used. Loki by Ramanos and Magic Tao. Booklet and props. £30 ($48) apps. Also, if a large number is named, it will
The instructions also teach four rou- plus postage (varies by destination). Available from MagicTao, 6 take a while to deal through the virtual deck
tines by Justin Miller, including Card & Bill Water Orton Lane, Minworth, Sutton Coldfield, B76 9BU, UK, www. and find the card; you cannot, as you might
Transpo. In this, you have a card chosen and magictao.co.uk or your dealer. in real life, simply turn over the deck and
show the selection to be second from the bot-
tom (if the spectator names the number 51).
That’s fine, but the bigger issue is the
Memento overall effect. Is Any Card at Any Num-
David Regal’s latest is a blockbuster — literally and figuratively. ber the best plot to be transferred to the
iPhone? Maybe not. Transferred to an
Reviewed by Peter Duffie iPhone, the trick has a tendency to become
A card is freely chosen, noted by a spectator, and returned to the deck. You more of a puzzle than magic.
pick up the card box that has been in view from the start and tip out a clear That said, Magic Marvel’s #5 should
crystal block with a playing card embedded inside. The card has the words “My Favorite Card” appeal to fans of Any Card at Any Number
written across its face and proves to be an exact match for the selection. This is the effect of David and will puzzle your magic friends at your
Regal’s latest close-up miracle, Memento. next session.
As a prediction effect, Memento is great. The fact that a spectator can choose any card
is the big selling point. And the card inside the clear block has writing on it saying “My Magic Marvels #5: Richard Osterlind’s Any Card at Any Number by Andy
Favorite Card,” which simply enforces that you had this card embedded inside the block Milsusnic and WebGames 3d, $2.99. Available from the App Store.
beforehand. The heat on the block is thus minimal. You can also keep the block in your
pocket instead of bringing it out of the card box, but this requires that you cop the card
and gimmick. Product for review?
You can write anything you like on the embedded card, and you can easily change it to suit Items for review can be mailed to “Marketplace,” c/o
your presentation. Furthermore, the effect is open to many styles of presentation. One excel- MAGIC Magazine, 6220 Stevenson Way, Las Vegas,
lent expansion on the basic idea was suggested by Cameron Francis on the Magic Cafe and a NV, 89120. Please enclose information on price (in US
video can be found on YouTube under “memento.mov.” In it, a selected name ends up on the Dollars), rates for postage and handling (for domestic
card sealed in the block. Even David Regal liked this, so it must be worth viewing. and overseas customers), as well as where the item
Another effect possible with the gaff looks like this: A spectator signs a card and returns it may be purchased. Digital artwork (hi-res tiff or pdf) is
to the deck. You reach into your pocket and instantly bring out a clear block that contains the appreciated, on CD-ROM or floppy disc.
[continued on page 80]
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 79

M233 Marketplace_REV.indd 3 12/11/10 12:59 PM


Red Streamlined
Convertible
David Regal has devised a well-built odd-
backed assembly trick.
Reviewed by Peter Duffie
You remove twelve black spot cards from a
blue deck, and the four Kings from a red deck.
The audience can check the cards to make sure
there are no more Kings. You split the spot
cards into four groups of three and add one
King to each. The Kings now assemble in classic
fashion until all four are in the one pile. There
are no gaffs.
This is David Regal’s handling for the Lin
Searles odd-backed Ace assembly plot. It’s
well taught on this new DVD. But the video
offers up much more. Two other assemblies
have been included in a bonus section. They’re
called Streamlined Assembly (which was
published in Regal’s book Star Quality), and
Streamlined Assembly Minus-1 (which can
be found in his book Close Up and Personal).
Neither of these previous versions featured
odd backs, but both are very good and worth
studying, especially if pocket management
is an issue for you, because the main routine
requires carrying two decks. However, the odd
backs do add a visual element that can create
greater impact and magical moments that are
impossible any other way.
Regal explains that, over the years, he tried
many different assemblies and finally decided
to extract the parts he liked from the routines
he created, then try to reassemble them into
something that suited him better. The result is a
smoother and more efficient whole, with fewer
moves and less handling.
The average magician will have no problem
learning any of the routines from this DVD,
as the required sleights are basic and Regal is
an excellent teacher. Both the Elmsley Count
and the Jordan Count are taught in dedicated
sections, while other basic moves are explained
within the body of the main explanations.
While the real estate needed to perform
the routine makes it less than ideal for table-
hopping or strolling situations, Red Streamlined
Convertible is an excellent trick to add to your
repertoire and bring out for special occasions.
Red Streamlined Convertible by David Regal. DVD. $25 plus shipping
(varies by destination). Available from www.regalmagic.com or your dealer.
Dealers contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies, www.murphysmagic.com.
80 M A GI C • ja n ua ry
M233 Marketplace_REV.indd 4
[Memento continued]
signed card. While this version is strong, I don’t recommend that you pursue this version, for
reasons that will become apparent in a moment.
The trick is easy to do and no palming is required. However, the clear block cannot be handled
by the audience, and this is why I recommend you steer clear of the signed-card approach. If a signed
card appears inside a clear block, no matter how good your audience-management skills, nothing will
stop spectators from demanding to examine it. The effect is just too impossible — and personal.
For $55, you receive a beveled, clear acrylic block manufactured exclusively for Memento,
special gimmicks, additional supplies, and an instructional DVD. The video is fifteen minutes
long, which is plenty of time for Regal to explain everything you need to know. You supply the
deck and you’ll need a couple of minutes to prepare the card box, which is a one-time prepara-
tion that is little more than a few snips with a pair of scissors. The props are very well made
and will last a long time, which is just as well, because this is one that you may want to use for
a long time, as it really is a superb piece of magic.
Memento by David Regal. Props and DVD instructions. $55 postpaid. Available from www.davidregal.com.
Fully Loaded with the deck, so I don’t see this as a major
Another version of the card-to-envelope plot? setback. However, there are already many
Yep. This one’s from Gareth Shoulder. methods to get a card into an envelope that
don’t require the envelope to be near the deck.
Reviewed by Peter Duffie There is one routine Shoulder teaches
The card-to-sealed-envelope is a popular that works exceptionally well with this enve-
plot. Paul Le Paul fifirst published the lope load. It’s called Diet. You have a card
plot in his classic book The Card selected, signed, then lost in the deck.
Magic of Le Paul, and there have Stating that the card will appear in
been countless variations since. I your rear pants pocket, you pull
recently reviewed Consignment by out a card from the pocket, but it’s
James Howells, a version that uses the wrong card. You pick up an
a small pay envelope and requires envelope that has been lying on the
a fair amount of preparation but table and place it on top of the deck in
looks very clean. Gareth Shoulder’s your hands, then you squeeze your hands
approach to this effect requires little together — and the deck vanishes, leaving
in the way of prep work; you can prepare the only the sealed envelope. You finally open the
envelope in less than a minute. envelope and remove the signed card. The fact
In performance, you display a small sealed that the envelope touches the deck is justified
pay envelope, and this is left in full view on in this routine.
the table. A card is signed and lost in the deck. The DVD has serious sporadic sound prob-
You attempt to find the selection, but you get lems, with the volume dropping drastically
the wrong card, so you drop this card onto the because of wind and other background noise.
spectator’s palm, where the card changes into The menu system uses scene selection that makes
the selection. Again, the card is shuffled into navigating rather awkward. The teaching is fine;
the deck. This time, you draw attention to the everything is quite straightforward. Shoulder is
envelope lying on the table. You pick it up and joined by Chris Webb during some of the expla-
drop it onto the spectator’s hand as you place nations and also at the end, when extra ideas are
the deck aside. Finally, you open the enve- discussed. One of these allows the envelope to be
lope and cleanly pull out the signed selection. kept by the spectator along with your business
While Shoulder offers other presentations on card, but it involves a switch. Also shared is a
the DVD, this is the first one we see. non-switch method that is more along the lines
Here is the good news: minimal prepara- of the Le Paul version, in that it leaves you clean
tion is required, and you can place the enve- at the end, but it really doesn’t work well with a
lope on a spectator’s palm after it has been small envelope. That method aside, the envelope
loaded with the card, although the spectator cannot be handed out.
can’t reposition or examine the envelope while While I found Fully Loaded to be an inter-
it’s on his hand. The bad news, and some may esting card-to-envelope variation, it is not
see this as very bad news, is that the envelope something I’ll use. Maybe you will. Or maybe
must be momentarily placed on the deck prior you won’t.
to dropping it on the spectator’s hand. Shoul-
der incorporates some strong misdirection to Fully Loaded by Gareth Shoulder. DVD. $30. Available from your dealer.
cover the time that the envelope is in contact Dealers contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies, www.murphysmagic.com.
201 1
12/11/10 12:59 PM
 PRODUCT REVIEWS

Mash Pack second custom deck is offered as a bonus

A transformative Garrett Thomas idea. and is only available until stocks run out. Classics
Apparently, the USPCC will print no more.
Reviewed by Peter Duffie There are two routines taught using this
You appear to be holding a solid Bicycle deck. In the first, two cards are selected.
card box. The box instantly and visibly One by one, you cause the back on each to
changes into 52 single cards. Then, as you take on the image of the front of the card
square the spread deck, all the loose cards box. Then they change back to normal.
instantly morph back into a solid box. Again, Once again, they change to match the card
you cause the box to vanish, leaving box. Finally, the backs of all the cards
only the deck. This time, the box change to images of the card box.
reappears in your pocket. Mean- Method-wise this is a fairly standard
while, the deck has vanished. Where color-changing deck, but the use of Spotlight on
is the deck? Inside the box. the Box Back Deck elevates it to a the Card Sharp
The above is a description of Gar- new level. In fact, the Box Back Re-viewed by Jason England
rett Thomas’ Mash Pack, which, I Deck could add a new dimension
must say, uses a very unusual gaff. It’s to almost any color-changing deck I have a serious interest in the history of
a print-job like no other I have seen and you already know. card magic and the techniques of gamblers.
it is very convincing. Without giving too The second routine is called Monster Consequently, I’m often amazed at how
much away, here’s what I can tell you: when Mash and it’s a disaster. It should have been much I learn by rereading a classic text to
squared, the deck looks like a card box; when left on the cutting-room floor. I won’t even write these “re-views.”
spread, it looks like a spread deck. However, try to describe the effect; suffice to say that Consider Spotlight on the Card Sharp
it’s not quite as simple as that. You do need to it’s a complete mess in both effect and con- by Lawrence Scaife, published in New
secretly transfer a card to the top to complete struction. Zealand in 1933. First editions of Scaife’s
the transformation. While the move taught is Both the Mash Pack and the Box Back book are uncommon, but Gamblers Book
not difficult, novices who are unfamiliar with Deck are very good props. The Mash Pack is Club in Las Vegas reprinted it in 1976,
basic card handling will struggle. the more intriguing of the two, with its very working from a copy loaned to them by
The other effect made possible with this clever design. However, the versatility and Jay Marshall.
deck is a transposition. You remove the potential of the Box Back Deck will likely The book is about sixty pages long,
cards from the box. The deck is placed in make it of more use to the working pro. At and many of those are filled by large illus-
a hat held by a spectator. You are holding the risk of sounding like an infomercial, con- trations. The content is typical of the era.
the box. Instantly, the deck and box change sidering the limited availability of the Box The author cautions readers to be on the
places, and you are holding a loose deck of Back Deck, I recommend you grab this two- lookout for shifts, false cuts and shuffles,
52 cards. The spectator removes the box deck offer while supplies last. palming, stacking, and bottom dealing.
from the hat. There is also a section on crooked dice, as
Along with the Mash Pack, you also Mash Pack by Garrett Thomas. $40. Available from your dealer. Deal- well as some classic dice moves done with
receive Paul Harris’ Box Back Deck. This ers contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies, www.murphysmagic.com. cups. This information may seem quaint or
routine to us now, but in 1933, a lot of it
was still sub rosa.
Probably my favorite thing in the book
Classic Correspondence is on page 28. There, you find what could
A delightful, revealing collection of Mike Caveney’s columns, now in be considered a small but interesting step
book form. in the evolution of the Zarrow shuffle. The
concept of “unweaving” riffle-shuffled pack-
Reviewed by John Lovick ets can be found in Erdnase. The Erdnase
It’s no secret that one of the more fun and interesting columns shuffle, however, is an “in-the-air” shuffle,
extant in any contemporary magic magazine can be found in this not a tabled shuffle. If you’re interested,
very publication. I of course refer to Mike Caveney’s “Classic Cor- look at page 162 of The Expert at the Card
respondence.” His second two-year-long series of articles is currently running — go Table. In Spotlight, we find an almost identi-
ahead, flip back and check out his current installment if you haven’t already. The first cal shuffle, but this time the action takes
series of articles ran in 2006–07. Caveney has collected that first group of 24 install- place on the table. A minor point to be
ments in a beautiful cloth-bound volume. This is not a simple reprint, however. Caveney sure, but an interesting one.
has redone the format and layout, made corrections, added photos, illustrations, posters, What I learned from my recent visit with
and supplementary information. It is one of his most handsome publications (and that is Mr. Scaife’s book is that I’m convinced now
saying something — don’t forget, he’s the guy who published Revelation). more than ever that rereading classics is
Each installment consists of a personal letter, reproduced in full, from or to a magician of time well spent. I hope you agree and have
the past. Most often, sender and receiver are both magicians. Caveney prefaces each letter been encouraged to track down Spotlight on
with a page or two of commentary, wherein the key players are introduced, and biographical the Card Sharp.
information, pertinent facts, and historical context are detailed. The letters themselves include
footnoted commentary by Caveney, where references are clarified, fleshed out, and illuminated. Spotlight on the Card Sharp by Lawrence Scaife. Out of print.
The footnotes comprise nearly as much text as the letters themselves.
[continued on page 82]
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 81

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Classics
Learned Pigs &
Fireproof Women
Re-viewed by Gabe Fajuri
There’s no finer or more dignified literary
exhibition of oddities than this one. In Learned
Pigs & Fireproof Women, readers will meet
stone eaters, sapient canines, prodigious pigs,
armless painters, magicians, mountebanks,
and men who ate and regurgitated frogs and
fish. All of them receive erudite, humorous, and
amazing treatment, even the dogs and pigs.
Ricky Jay’s fascination with strange and
unusual entertainers of yesteryear shines
through on each page, proving the axiom
“Write what you know.” He is clearly a master
and fan of the subject, a fact that transcends
the text, as well as the suite of rare and arrest-
ing images complementing his words.
This book provides the modern magician’s
introduction to Matthew Buchinger, the “Little
Man of Nuremburg.” Max Malini’s legendary
exploits also receive richly deserved focus,
as do the mental talents of Datas the memory
man, the electrifying performances of theatri-
cal quack “Dr.” Walford Bodie.
First published in 1986, this distinguished
collection of curiosa captured enough atten-
tion to warrant multiple printings and foreign
language editions, as well as an hour-long
TV special hosted by the author. It is now
the undisputed classic in histories of unusual
entertainers. And though the book is now out
of print, it remains widely available on the
secondary market.
Until Jay’s book was released, strange and
unusual entertainers were considered noth-
ing more than curiosities, “back of the tent”
attractions barely recognized for their accom-
plishments, let alone worth writing about for
the general public. But by gleaning tales of
these remarkable individuals from the pages
of history and by illuminating the subjects in
an engaging and scholarly spotlight, Learned
Pigs & Fireproof Women changed the game.
No longer was this a freak show or a blow-off.
Now it was one of the main attractions.
Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women by Ricky Jay. Out of print.
82 M A GI C • ja n ua ry
M233 Marketplace_REV.indd 6
[Classic Correspondence continued]
The writers and recipients are a diverse bunch, ranging from performers as famous as
Houdini and Kellar to folks as unfamiliar as Delmas Jenkins and Earl Wayne Violet. Some
recipients are downright surprising, a good example being a letter from Howard Thurston
to Al Capone! The oldest letter is from 1895, the most recent from 1972.
All the correspondence, along with most of the images and information, comes from the
legendary Egyptian Hall collection, which Caveney and George Daily acquired in 2000.
This private museum of magic-related ephemera was established by W.W. Durbin in 1895,
and it grew to massive size under a half-century of stewardship by David Price. After a
decade of sifting through it, Caveney is still finding, as he calls them, “nuggets of gold.”
The vast amount of history and wonderful surprises packed into this little volume is
staggering. I could fill paragraphs with references to some of the nuggets Caveney shares,
but I will only mention a few of the things that amused, surprised, or fascinated me.
In a particularly venomous letter, Charles Carter, famous for pilfering tricks, accuses
Horace Goldin (inventor of Film to Life, the Buzz Saw, the Cannon, and Nest of Boxes,
and his version of Sawing in Half) of never having invented anything and being a “mon-
key who imitates”! I did not know that Dr. James Elliott, “King of all Kard Kings,”
shaved his head and donned a fat suit to become one of the succession of performers
who appeared as Bosco with LeRoy and Talma. In a letter that still makes one uncom-
fortable to read, P.C. Sorcar practically demands, with veiled threats, that Dante make
him his successor. And merely looking at T. Nelson Downs’ distinctive handwriting is
a treat — not to mention reading his lamentations about the passing of vaudeville and
his reminiscences of performing with Houdini (whose performing skills take a drubbing
from several writers in this collection).
I’m not going to make a case about the importance of studying magic’s past or how
you’ll grow as a performer by learning from the masters of yesteryear. I’ll simply state
this: Classic Correspondence is fun, funny, and captivating. If you are a reader who skips
over such material because you think history is boring, the old Life cereal TV commercials
come to mind. Imagine that you are Mikey, and Classic Correspondence is a bowl of Life
cereal. Try it, you’ll like it — even if it’s “supposed to be good for you.”
Classic Correspondence by Mike Caveney. 288 pages, cloth bound, illustrated with color photographs. $65 plus shipping (varies by desti-
nation). Available from Mike Caveney’s Magic Words, 572 Prospect Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91103, www.mcmagicwords.com
Dupes finishes between the red Aces inside the
Gary Jones and Chris Congreave have collabo- box. This is a strong routine with good
rated on an excellent new DVD of card magic. construction and, as the title suggests, no
palming is required.
Reviewed by Peter Duffie Pocket Aces is one of the strongest
Dupes is an entire DVD devoted to routines on the video. You produce the
routines that have one common denomina- four Aces and then lose them in the deck.
tor: they all use a duplicate card or cards. The deck is shuffled, then you reach into
Most of the effects are structured so that your pocket and bring our four face-down
you end clean, and most are easy to do. cards. The deck is spread to show that the
There are twelve tricks per- Aces are no longer there. However,
formed and explained. These when you turn over the four
include N early CAAN , a very cards they are seen to be the
clean version of this plot, with a Kings. Finally, you ask the
free selection of a card to begin, spectator to reach into his
and the spectator can count to any own pocket, where he finds
number to finish. There is a clever the four Aces. While the routine
subtlety incorporated into the selec- requires some palming, it occurs
tion of the card, but in certain cir- very early on in the routine, and under
cumstances it could backfire. How- cover of significant misdirection. Only a
ever, this subtlety is optional. novice would have a problem here.
C2B with Zilcho Palm is like Dr. Daley Also explained are three versions of the
meets Card in Box. You place the two pocket interchange, in which the four Aces
black Aces into the card box. A transposi- are placed into your pockets, the Kings are
tion now occurs between the black Aces placed on the table, then the cards change
and the red Aces, and a selected card places. The first method uses a duplicate,
20 1 1
12/16/10 1:49 PM
 PRODUCT REVIEWS

the second is ungaffed, and the third uses a his hands starts to feel heavier and heavier,
sticky card. The first version is the cleanest and it slowly drops downwards. The card
looking of all. in this hand is the selection.
In Lee Smith’s Predicto Pocket, a previ- While nearly all of the routines use
ously shown card with the word “Predic- duplicate cards to enhance the effects,
tion” printed on its back becomes the basic card handling skills are still required
signed card a spectator later chooses. in most cases. This is not a DVD of self-
This is quick, effective, and powerful. In working card magic. However, it is a DVD The Magic DataBase
Hypnotastic, a card is selected and then of excellent card magic and is well worth A PC-friendly database developed by HEH
the spectator shuffles it into the deck. Ask- your while. Software will help keep track of your tricks.
ing the spectator to hold out both hands,
you run through the cards and narrow Dupes by Gary Jones and Chris Congreave. DVD. £19.99 ($40). Reviewed by Peter Duffie
down your guesses to two cards. These Available from www.bigblindmedia.com or your dealer. Dealers The Magic DataBase was created by Edward
are placed face down on the spectator’s contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies, www.murphysmagic.com. Hass out of necessity. When Hass had the desire
hands. Under hypnotic suggestion, one of to find a book describing a trick he had per-
formed some years previously, he needed a way
to do so quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, he
couldn’t remember which of his books contained
Alice’s Revenge the description. At that moment, Hass decided
Bob Farmer offers up an elegant solution to an old problem. that a computerized system could be the answer,
and he started working on the idea. The result is
Reviewed by Peter Duffie The Magic DataBase, a software application for
The latest from Canadian lawman Bob Farmer is called Alice’s Windows computers that enables you to orga-
Revenge. It looks like this. You hold up a card box, stating that it nize all the information about your books, tricks,
contains the four Queens. A spectator is asked to name any Queen, props, and routines. It is flexible and easy to use
and there is no equivoque. Assume he names Clubs. You then ask the and it comes on a single disc. Installation is a
spectator to imagine all the ink on his Queen vanishing. N ext, you breeze. Pop the disc into your CD drive, follow
open the card box and show that there are three Queens inside. The selected Queen is the instructions, and the software will be ready
missing and in its place is a card that is blank on both sides. This card can be given to to use within minutes.
the spectator as a souvenir. Only four cards are used. When you run the application, you are
Farmer’s thorough instruction manual cites the following precursors to his effect, presented with the main menu and six options:
including Max Maven’s B’Wave, John Bannon’s Twisted Sisters, and Gordon Bean & Add Trick/Sleight, Add Book/Video, Add
Larry Jennings’ Limited Edition. While the latter is not a Brainwave effect, rather a ver- Author/Magician. Then, Find Trick/Sleight,
sion of the Princess Card Trick, it does end with a free mental selection turning blank, Find Book/Video, Find Author/Magician. The
though this blank card cannot be examined. three Add options are the ones you will use
What Farmer has done with Alice’s Revenge is create a devious method different to set up your database. There are hundreds
from any of the above-listed forebears and, more importantly, makes it possible for a of author names and keywords already in the
card that the audience really wants to examine to be examined! The other three cards system and you can add your own at any time.
are gaffed and cannot be handled by a spectator. What’s more — and possibly more Cross-referencing is easy; in fact, it’s auto-
important — is that the spectator can freely name any Queen. There is no elimination matic, so long as you input the correct data
procedure of any kind. Once named, you remove the packet from the box and simply in the right places. Remember the old adage:
spread the cards. garbage in, garbage out!
Until now, this review has focused solely on the “simplified version” of the effect, You can add page numbers, dates, and
which I like best of all the versions Farmer has created. More advanced handlings are author’s name to each entry. There is also a
described in the instructions, each offering its own benefits. Among these is The Bammo Statistics section that lets you see everything you
Switcholater that allows you to run through the deck and openly remove the four have in the database at a glance. Users of this
Queens, after which you put them into the card box. Then there is the The Bammo Pack- software also have the ability to share data with
etron Display, which enables you to show the face of each Queen, one by one, prior to each other, a capability with obvious value.
placing them into the box. And then there is PrediQtion, a departure from the basic plot, As far as ease of use is concerned, The Magic
where any three Queens freely named by the audience are found in the card case. Finally, DataBase is intuitive in design and should be
Farmer offers some additional ideas worth considering. So this is more than just a packet simple enough for anyone to understand after
trick with a sheet of instructions. In fact, it’s one of the best packet Brainwave versions I brief study. But for those who need it, help files
have ever seen. for each function exist. If there is one downside
Having said that, a 1-in-4 choice simply cannot compete with the 1-in-52 choice to the database, it’s that the software will not run
that a classic Brainwave Deck offers. But that argument has been around since the first on a Mac. It is designed for Windows only.
packet Brainwave was published decades ago. Long story short, if you’re seeking a magic
The beautifully sinister cover art reminds me of American McGee’s Alice, one of database and work on a PC, this one is well
my all-time favorite video games. This cover is loose and folds around the manuscript, worth looking into.
which has twelve pages and almost sixty photographs. This is a great packet trick. If you
don’t mind using gaffs, then I think you’ll like Alice’s Revenge. The Magic DataBase by HEH Software. CD-ROM. $29.99 includes shipping
and handling in the US (international rates vary). Available from HEH Software,
Alice’s Revenge by Bob Farmer. Cards and manuscript. $15. Available from your dealer. Dealers contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies, www.murphysmagic.com. 999 Dartmouth Lane, Woodmere, NY 11598, www.magiciansoftware.com
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 83

M233 Marketplace_REV.indd 7 12/11/10 12:59 PM


Commentary
Dealer Show
Twenty years ago, the path to magic-
shop blockbuster was a television appear-
ance. Every time David Copperfield ap-
peared on TV, the next morning, the ringing
of cash registers and phones was heard at
magic emporiums across America.
Though not many vanishing Statues
of Liberty were sold on the heels of
Copperfield’s performance of the feat,
Misled by Timothy Wenk was one product
Copperfield made into a success. A de-
cade earlier, Doug Henning did the same
for John Cornelius’s Fickle Nickle. Later,
David Blaine breathed life into Shinko’s
Twisting Arm Illusion, The Raven, and the
lowly Folding Quarter by taking a bite out
of it on national TV.
These days, the television game and
the magic business are different. TV
specials aren’t so special, and the major
networks no longer reign supreme on
the small screen. What’s more, some TV
magic shows could almost be classified
as dealer demos.
Take one of David Blaine’s recent of-
ferings: the day after broadcast, an entire
suite of prepackaged tricks Blaine used on
TV was made available to magic shops
worldwide, with his endorsement. And
earlier this year, one performer on David
Letterman’s magic week performed only
effects he sells on the web and teaches
in lectures. This fact has caused many an
amateur magician to proclaim, “I can do
those tricks! I know how he does it! I’m
better than him.”
This fact has caused many an amateur
magician to belittle TV tricksters, as if sim-
ply knowing how a trick works or where to
buy it means that you, too, can be a star.
We’ve all heard jealous magicians cry, “I
know how he does all that stuff. They sell
half of those tricks at the magic shop.”
Despite these laments, TV magic read-
ily available for sale isn’t necessarily a
bad thing. Magic on TV (cable, network,
or otherwise), when done well, can be a
boon and a boost to the art. It can draw
newcomers into the fold. So what if you
can buy the tricks from Davenports or
John Gaughan? Even easily accessible se-
crets — be they prepackaged with instruc-
tional DVDs, stage illusions, or hidden in
books — are only tools. It takes a magician
to make them into focal points of enchant-
ment, wonder, and entertainment.
— Gabe Fajuri
84 M A GI C • ja n ua ry
M233 Marketplace_REV.indd 8
Subsequent Impuzzibilities dural aspects of a lot of self-working magic is
Another fun collection of self-working magic the hands-off approach it makes possible; the
from Jim Steinmeyer. magic can happen entirely in the spectator’s
hands, and some effects can be done over the
Reviewed by John Lovick telephone or on the radio. With good routin-
As if you needed another reminder that Jim ing and scripting, inherent weaknesses can
Steinmeyer is smarter, more creative, talented, become strengths.
prolific, and ingenious than you are, he has Of the thirteen effects in this book, most
published a third booklet in his Impuzzibilities involve playing cards, usually a small packet.
series of “strangely self-working conjuring.” Four routines stood out for me. I’ll tell you
Between his original illusions, marketed close- about three of them; you’ll have to discover the
up tricks, consulting work, his- fourth for yourself. The Magi-
torical recreations, and writ- cian Who Fools Himself resem-
ings (biographical, historical, bles the Card on Seat presenta-
instructional, theoretical), one tions in which the spectator
wonders if there is any spot on plays the role of the magician.
the magic spectrum where he It’s a very clever Card Across
has not contributed. It’s not just routine in which the magician,
that the breadth of his output is playing the role of the specta-
impressive, but the quality is intimidating. Even tor, never touches the cards. Enigmatic Poker
his ability to write compelling, interesting pre- uses a seemingly chaotic, unusual mixing proce-
sentations for routines is inspiring. I recently dure wherein the entire order of a card packet is
watched a stage performer who did a classic retained. It’s a procedure that can, and I’m sure
effect with a script by Steinmeyer, followed by will, be adapted to many other packet tricks.
a routine with his own presentation. The differ- Ten in Concert is a three-phase (!) routine in
ence was like night and day. which you make a series of predictions about
Subsequent Impuzzibilites is composed of actions the spectator is going to make.
thirteen pieces of self-working magic. Like Some may dismiss the routines offered here
the other books in this series, which I’ve thor- as “puzzles” or “beginner’s tricks,” but there
oughly enjoyed, it contains the kind of magic are principles in this book that can be adapted
that is often overlooked or dismissed but fills an for other uses, and of course, the addition of a
important niche. Self-working magic can be an little sleight of hand, such as a false shuffle, can
important tool for novices, but I dislike tricks increase the deception of these mysteries signifi-
that smell of “magic store props.” I use tricks cantly, preventing them from being perceived as
from this series, and a couple of other texts, puzzles. As is almost always the case with Stein-
to teach beginners how to interact with and meyer, you can’t go wrong. You’ll definitely get
control an audience, create magic moments, your money’s worth.
write and deliver presentations, etc. — in other
words, how to be a magician — before they Subsequent Impuzzibilities by Jim Steinmeyer. Forty pages, saddle
develop the skills to perform sleight of hand. stitched and illustrated. $16 plus shipping (varies by destination).
The strength of the mathematical or proce- Available from Hahne, www.jimsteinmeyer.com.
Torn 2 Pieces
A memory-making trick by magic champion Shawn Farquhar.
Reviewed by Peter Duffie
Torn 2 Pieces by Shawn Farquhar is Dan Harlan’s Crazy Eights per-
formed with a photograph. In Harlan’s original, a signed piece of paper
is torn into four pieces, rearranged, and restored in mis-made condition.
The paper is then handed to the spectator with the signature intact. In Torn 2 Pieces, a signed
photograph is torn into four pieces, then rearranged and restored in mis-made condition. The
photograph is then handed to the spectator with the signature intact. A video demo of this can
be found on YouTube, along with a live performance by Farquhar on the Ellen show.
Farquhar had been performing Torn 2 Pieces for years, unaware of Harlan’s trick. Even so,
he credits Harlan in the History section of the DVD — though he can’t resist telling the cam-
era, twice, that Harlan told him that his (Farquhar’s) version was “way” better. Anyway, Far-
quhar has Harlan’s consent to sell this version and it is an excellent routine, even if Harlan’s
original is a bit easier to prepare.
Along with the DVD, purchasers receive a sample photograph, which lets you see what
is required to prepare the trick. Essentially, what’s required is some agility with software
201 1
12/11/10 12:59 PM
 PRODUCT REVIEWS

like Photoshop. The DVD contains, in separate files, 24 sample JPG images, and seven PSD
files with which you must work. The latter are easily editable Photoshop images. Instead of
Photoshop, Mac users can use a free program called GIMP, which also runs on a Windows
PC. However, I have discovered that GIMP has recently updated its software and this could
cause some problems with the files. Contacting Farquhar about the issue should resolve the
matter; a new template is available from him upon proof of purchase. Visit his website for
contact details.
On the DVD, Farquhar runs through the setup procedure for both programs step-by-step.
These software tutorials are easy to follow and much of the customization is automatic, thanks Magic Shows
to Jakob Halskov, who created the image conversion. Basically, you only need to alter one pho- Ian Keable’s latest is a chronicle of contemporary
tograph, after which everything else in the template changes automatically. This is followed by conjurers and their programs.
printing and careful trimming. While this may sound complicated, it’s not difficult at all, and
you might want to prepare a batch of these, as you will destroy one with each performance. Reviewed by Will Houstoun
For special occasions, if you can acquire a suitable photograph of the host or guest of honor, Magic Shows is not a book of tricks, the-
you can create a very personal and mind-blowing effect. ory, or magic history. Instead, it combines ele-
Torn 2 Pieces is a terrific trick that creates a memorable souvenir. If you prefer your magic ments of all three into something that should
to happen right out of the box, this is not for you. However, if you don’t mind some prep time, appeal to both the magic historian and the
you will have a trick that people will talk about, which is invaluable. professional performer.
Magic Shows contains information on the
Torn 2 Pieces by Shawn Farquhar. DVD. $30. Available from your dealer. Dealers contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies, www.murphysmagic.com. programs of forty magicians that author Ian
Keable saw between 1981 and 2010 — like the
Max Holden publication Programs of Famous
Magicians [1937], but with more prose used to
The Revolution The first effect, Helter Skelter, appeared describe each show.
Changing is easy, and Aaron Fisher’s new DVD in Fisher’s book The Paper Engine, but here The performers covered in Keable’s book
shows you how. the difficult moves have been eliminated. include Paul Daniels, David Copperfield, Ricky
You start with a blue-backed deck. A cho- Jay, Chris Power, Simon Drake, and Guy Holling-
Reviewed by Peter Duffie sen card is outjogged near the center. With worth. The description of each show includes a
This new DVD is the latest from Aaron a wave of your hand, the back of the card few of the author’s general thoughts on the show,
Fisher in his Personal Training Series. In changes to red. It then changes back to blue. a complete listing of the tricks performed, and
this installment, he offers two routines Finally, the deck visibly changes to red, leav- details of the routines. Each of the show descrip-
based on a new color change that is not ing the selection as the only blue-backed tions is also illustrated with a selection of photo-
difficult to accomplish. Fisher based his card. Some simple deck switches are also graphs, programs, and posters (many in color)
color change on a far more difficult change — taught, which will enable you to perform that relate to the show. It is worth noting that the
The Startling Change — published this effect at any time. majority of the shows were staged for the general
by Jerry Andrus in Andrus Card The second effect is Revolu- public rather than groups of magicians, so they
Control and elsewhere. In fact, the tion #9, which also first appeared accurately reflect “real-world” performances.
Andrus move is one of the most dif- in The Paper Engine. However, By and large, the performers and shows
ficult in card magic. The only person the difficult gravity half-pass has described in Magic Shows hail from the United
I have seen execute this perfectly been eliminated, along with any Kingdom. This is to be expected, as Keable is a
is Roy Walton. I have witnessed other sleights that might challenge Britisher, too. Even so, Magic Shows contains
more successful center deal dem- you. You wave your hand over a information on a wide variety of perfor-
onstrations than I have the Andrus face-down selection, causing it to mances — large illusions to close-up, serious to
change. Thankfully, what Aaron visibly reverse. Then, with another comedy, mentalism to kid shows, and even the-
Fisher has come up should be well within the wave, the entire deck turns face down. This ater productions featuring magic. It is hard to
grasp of intermediately skilled card handlers. is one of easiest methods for the Inversion think of a type of show not reflected here.
The change looks like this. You hold a plot I have seen. How you use Magic Shows will depend
deck of cards face down and place a card Fisher does a very good job explain- on your interests. If you are interested in the
into the middle of the pack, leaving the ing everything, including how to get into history of conjuring, Magic Shows provides a
card outjogged. You pass your hand for- the move and how to get out of it, and he valuable reference of detailed descriptions of
ward and back over the outjogged card, highlights some common problems that shows by both well-known and lesser-known
and after you do, the card turns face up. could arise in the real world. The video magicians. Alternatively, if you are a working
You can also make the back of a card was recorded primarily at the Sorcerer’s pro, Magic Shows will give you a vast amount
change color using the same move. The Safari Camp, with live performance shot at of information on how different magicians
change looks great, but it does have some other locations. structure different types of shows. This, in turn,
limitations, namely that you cannot change If you are looking for a nifty color change can help you to design your own show. In any
the face of one card to another. As such, and two very good routines that will leave your case, Ian Keable’s Magic Shows is an interesting
Fisher’s move will not replace your favorite knuckles intact, then check out The Revolution. and informative book.
color change. However, the two routines
that are taught on this DVD make this The Revolution featuring Helter Skelter with Aaron Fisher. DVD. Magic Shows: 30 Years of Programmes from Daniels to Derren by Ian
move worth learning, and many more can $29.95 (plus $5 shipping and handling). Available from www. Keable. Hardbound, 192 pages. £20 ($40) plus shipping (varies by destina-
no doubt be devised. aaronfishermagic.com or your dealer. tion). Available from www.iankeable.co.uk/magic_shows or your dealer.
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 85

M233 Marketplace_REV.indd 9 12/11/10 12:59 PM

 Get Close to the stars
at the Branson Magic Bonanza
The friendly convention with big name talent!

April 28-30, 2011

Cobblestone Inn and Conference Center,
Branson, Missouri
Join your hosts Marty and Brenda Hahne for three
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FEATURING:
The Great Tomsoni and Company, Stoil & Ekaterina, Denny
Haney (of Denny and Lee), Dan Stapleton, Mark Wade, Jason
Hudy, Dave Hill, Al Moessinger and Greg Wood

Registration includes Two Branson Shows, All Star Show, Seven Lectures, Dealers, Ice Cream Party and more!

To register, or for more information, go to:

www.bransonmagicbonanza.com or call Marty Hahne at 417-581-1664
86 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1

*M233 Catalog.indd 2 12/11/10 12:18 PM

 Wholesale To Magic
Stores & Magic Dealers
OVER 6000 DIFFERENT UNIQUE ITEMS –
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DEALERS: All of our items are shown on our website in color. New items are featured a few days after
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M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 87

*M233 Catalog.indd 3 12/11/10 12:18 PM

 THE LONE STAR
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And Swap Meet
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4. Lone Star retains 10% of sale price.

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88 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1

*M233 Catalog.indd 4 12/11/10 12:18 PM

 M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 89

*M233 Catalog.indd 5 12/15/10 9:45 AM

 90 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1

*M233 Catalog.indd 6 12/11/10 12:18 PM

 Focuses on the early business years of The Mysto Manufac-
turing Company in New Haven, Connecticut and the differ-
ent geographic locations of the Mysto factory based on infor-
mation given in the New Haven City Directories.
• Major emphasis is given to John A. Petrie as the mostly forgotten partner as
compared to the more successful, more well-known A.C. Gilbert.

• The critical role of Eva Judson Petrie, John Petrie’s wife, who emerged as a key
figure in the early history of Mysto.

• Features color photographs of the front covers of some of the early Mysto cata-
logs and the two Petrie-Lewis catalogs.

• Contains vintage Christmas advertisements from long-gone New Haven stores

of A.C. Gilbert Erector Sets & American Flyer trains originally printed in New
Haven’s daily newspaper, “The New Haven Register.”; these have never ap-
peared in any publication on A.C. Gilbert.

• Originally self-published in December of 2009, this book was compiled as a

tribute volume to Petrie & Gilbert to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the
building of the original Mysto Manufacturing Company factory in 1909.

The book is being offered as a print-on-demand publication for $30.00 in cash, check, or money order (to cover printing costs).
Payment should be made directly to the author, Paul Lepri. No credit cards please! The author will pay all postage costs. Please
address all payment and correspondence to:

Paul Lepri • 128 Tuttle Drive • New Haven, Connecticut 06512-5023

M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 91

*M233 Catalog.indd 7 12/11/10 12:18 PM

 92 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 20 1 1

*M233 Catalog.indd 8 12/11/10 12:18 PM

 The Harlequin
The Latest Automaton from Pierre Mayer
As you turn the handle, the lid opens and the Harlequin comes out of the box
and sits on the edge. Continue to turn the handle and the Harlequin
returns inside the box and the lid closes.
However, when the Harlequin is sitting, you have the option of pressing on
the two small levers located in the back. One will make the little man nod
for yes and the other will make his head move sideways for no.
Watch video at: www.youtube.com/pierremayermagic.
For information, email: pierregemayer@hotmail.com.
pierremayermagic.unblog.fr

M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 93

*M233 Catalog.indd 9 12/11/10 12:18 PM

 FREE Shipping!
Great Prices!
MagiciansGallery.com

Austin M agic Auction

April 16, 2011
http://austinmagicauction.com

94 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1

*M233 Catalog.indd 10 12/11/10 12:18 PM

 subscriptioninformation ADVERTISERindex
Alakazam Magic Co........................................ 59
To subscribe to the world’s largest-selling magic magazine,
Bean’s Magic.................................................. 22
complete the following form and send it to the address listed
Beckett Studios................................................. 89
below along with your MasterCard or VISA information.
Doug Bennett Magic......................................... 68
You can also pay in US funds with a check or money order.
Nevada residents, please include applicable sales tax. Best Magic...................................................... 94
Big Dawg Magic............................................. 90
Cannon’s Great Escapes................................... 89
Mail: 6220 Stevenson Way | Las Vegas, NV 89120 USA Mike Caveney’s Magic Words......................... 100
Tony Clark Productions..................................... 91
Collectors’ Workshop....................................... 69
Creative Magic LLC.......................................... 93
Daniel Cros Productions.................................... 88
Cuckoos Nest Magic Shop................................ 92
One Year Two Years Monthly* Daytona Magic................................................ 89
(12 issues) (24 issues) (1 issue)
Elmwood Magic & Novelty............................... 94
United St ates $
54 $
103 5
$ 00 E-Z Magic....................................................... 87
Fellowship of Christian Magicians...................... 94
Canada $
74 $
143 6
$ 75
Florida Magic Company................................... 92
B. Happie Foshee............................................ 87
Xavier Giro..................................................... 91
H & R Magic Books.......................................... 28
Dock Haley Gospel Magic Co........................... 94
All Other C ountrie s Rich Hill’s Illusionshop....................................... 88
Hocus Pocus.................................................. 8, 9
Airmail (2-4 wks) $
89 $
173 8
$ 00
Hottrix............................................................ 19
International Magic Studio................................ 36
Express (7-12 days) $
127 $
1100 Kardwell International . .................................... 93
Kostya Kimlat.................................................. 94
L&L Publishing.................................................... 3
* With our new Monthly Subscription option, you’ll never have to worry about renewing again. Each month, on the day the La Rock’s Fun & Magic..................................... 90
new issue of MAGIC Magazine is shipped, we will only charge you for that issue. Should you decide to cancel at any time, Michael P. Lair................................................. 94
for any reason, simply fill out the “Unsubscribe” fo m on our website, and we’ll take care of the rest. It’s just that easy! Hank Lee........................................................ 58
Paul Lepri........................................................ 91
Magicbox....................................................... 24
Magicians Gallery........................................... 94
Magic Warehouse........................................... 32
Magigadgets.com............................................ 90
Name Maxello Co., Ltd.............................................. 93
Pierre Mayer Magic......................................... 93
The Mechanix.................................................. 93
Yigal Mesika................................................... 60
Address
Misdirections Magic Shop................................. 86
Joe Mogar...................................................... 92
Motta Magic..................................................... 4
Murphy’s Magic Supply.................................... 10
City, State, Postal Code, Country
Onlinemagicshop.co.uk.................................... 94
PegStilts.com................................................... 92
Proof Positive Magic......................................... 21
Ronjo’s Magic & Costumes................................ 92
Phone, Fax
Signature Pieces.............................................. 92
Spectral Motion............................................. 6, 7
Joanie Spina................................................... 93
Stevens Magic Emporium.................................. 94
E-mail Address
Tilford Illusions................................................. 37
Vanishing Inc. . ............................................... 26
Don Wayne Productions................................... 87
MasterCard/VISA Card Number Exp. Date Wireless Wizardry........................................... 99
Wooden Cigars............................................... 93

Conventions:
Total Amount Signature Austin Magic Auction....................................... 94
Branson Magic Bonanza................................... 86
Int’l Brotherhood of Magicians Convention............ 2
(702) 798-0099, ext. 103 | Fax (702) 798-0220 | subscribe@MAGICmagazine.com Int’l Magic Experience...................................... 75
Lone Star Magic Auction................................... 88
www.MAGICmagazine.com Magi-Fest........................................................ 18
Magic at the Beach.......................................... 86
Magic Con...................................................... 34
S.C.A.M......................................................... 93
MAGIC, The Magazine For Magicians (ISSN 1062-2845), CDN Publications Agreement N o. 40038233, is published monthly for $54 per year Society of American Magicians Convention........ 30
by Stagewrite Publishing, 6220 Stevenson Way, Las Vegas, N V 89120. Periodical Postage Paid at Las Vegas, N V, and additional mailing offices
World Magic Seminar...................................... 13
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MAGIC – Attn: Circulation Dept., 6220 Stevenson Way, Las Vegas, NV 89120.
M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 95

M233 Rec-Retailers_REV2.indd 5 12/16/10 1:53 PM

 These fine magic dealers offer MAGIC

Magicmagazine’s R ecommended R etailers

Magazine over their counters. For informa-
tion on how to be added to this list, email
wholesale@magicmagazine.com.

Arizon a
Scottsdale, Presto Magic Studio
www.prestomagicstudio.com
Tucson, Williams Magic
www.williamsmagic.com
Ark an sas Colorado Springs, Zeezo’s Magic Castle
Little R ock, Mr. Magic & Novelties
(501) 455-6242
Californi a
Anaheim, Best Magic
www.bestmagic.com
Azusa, Owen Magic Supreme
www.owenmagic.com
Calimesa, Amazing Bechtel’s
(909) 795-4203
Camarillo, Merlin’s Mystical Emporium
www.magicmagicmagic.com
Carmichael, Grand Illusions
www.grandillusions.com
Corona, Wizard Headquarters
www.wizardhq.com
F resno­, Hocus Pocus
www.hocus-pocus.com
Hollywood, Magic Castle
www.magiccastle.com/giftshop
Hollywood, The Magic Shop at Hollywood
www.hollywoodtoysandcostumes.com
San Diego, The Magic Bug
www.themagicbug.com
San F rancisco, Misdirections Magic Shop
www.misdirections.com
Studio City, The Magic Apple
www.EarthsLargestMagicShop.com
Temecula, The Trick Shop Chicago, Ash’s Magic Shop Massachu setts
www.trickshopmagic.com www.ashs-magic.com Medford, Hank Lee’s Magic Factory
Westminster, Magic Galore and More Chicago, Magic Inc. www.magicfact.com
(714) 891-6488 www.magicinc.net
F ranklin Park, Midwest Magic Michigan
Co lor ado www.midwestmagic.net Clawson, The Wunderground
Peoria, The Costume Trunk www.wundergroundmagicshop.com
www.zeezos.com www.costumetrunk.com Colon, Abbott’s Magic Co.
Denver, Wizard’s Chest www.abbottmagic.com
www.wizardschest.com IN DIAN A Garden City, Wunderground Magic West
Mishawaka, Fun F/X www.wundergroundmagicwest.com
Conne cticu t www.funfx.com Mt. Clemens, ABC Magic
R ocky Hill, Studio of Magic www.abcmagicshop.com
www.sam21.org Io wa
Davenport, Wizard’s Den Minne so ta
Fl ori da www.thewizards-den.com Burnsville, Eagle Magic Store
Daytona Beach, Daytona Magic www.eaglemagicstore.com
www.daytonamagic.com Kan sas St. Paul, Twin Cities Magic
Kissimmee, Wizardz Magic Theater Leawood, U.S. Toy Co. Magic Division www.twincitiesmagic.com
www.wizardzmagictheater.com www.ustmagic.com Moorhead, The Magic of Applause
O range Park, Mr. G’s Magic Studio Wichita, Stevens Magic Emporium www.applausecostumesanddancewear.com
(904) 272-5900 www.stevensmagic.com
Tampa, The Magic Emporium Missouri
www.themagicemporium.net Ken tu cky Branson, Its Magic Jokes & Novelties
Lexington, The Clock Shop www.itsmagic.org
Geor gia www.magicclockshop.com
Decatur, Eddie’s Trick Shop N evada
www.eddiestrickshop.com Mar ylan d Las Vegas, Denny & Lee Magic Studio
Helen, Magic and Mischief Baltimore, Denny & Lee Magic Studio www.dennymagic.com
(706) 878-0052 www.dennymagic.com Las Vegas, Houdini’s Magic Shop
R eistertown, Magic Warehouse www.houdini.com
Illinoi s www.themagicwarehouse.com
Arlington Heights, PJ’s Trick Shop R ockville, Barry’s Magic Shop N ew Jer sey
www.pjstrickshop.com www.barrysmagicshop.com Atlantic City, Trick Zone
Champaign, Dallas & Co. www.trickzonestore.com
www.dallasandco.com
N ew Mexico

Grand Illusions Albuquerque, Magic Juggler Shop

www.magicjugglershop.com
Carmichael, California
N ew York
Grand Illusions opened by Steve Johnson (left) and his parents, Don and Leora, on Elmhurst, Rogue Magic & Funshop
July 19, 1988. The shop occupied an 800-square-foot space. www.roguefunshop.com
Although Steve was passionate about having a magic-only shop, early observations Hicksville, Tricky Business
showed that diversification was the key to long-te m survival. Grand Illusions began to (516) 520-4004
stock novelties and costumes and, at the prompting of customers, expanded into pup- Lancaster, Elmwood Magic & Novelty
petry and juggling supplies. www.elmwoodmagic.com
Within a few years, it became clear that the shop was outgrowing its tiny space. N ew York, Fantasma Magic, Inc.
The Johnson family started searching for a new location. After two years of hunting, www.fantasmamagic.com
Grand Illusions found its new home: a 2,500-square-foot building on a major thorough- N ew York, Halloween Adventure Masquerade
fare in Carmichael, a suburb north of Sacramento. The Johnsons purchased the space www.masqueradeadventure.com
N ew York, Louis Tannen
and, in August of 1995, Grand Illusions moved into its new home.
www.tannens.com
Today, after more than two decades, Grand Illusions continues to offer a warm and
Syracuse, The Wizards Magic Shop
welcoming environment for magicians, puppeteers, jugglers, and actors of all styles
www.saltcitymagic.com
and skills. The shop has influenced thousands of pe formers over the past two decades,
including Wayne Houchin, who came to Grand Illusions as a ’tween and still frequents
N or th Caro lin a
the shop, referring to the Johnsons as “family.” A table and chairs sit in front of the book-
Lincolnton, La Rock’s Fun & Magic
case, and customers are encouraged to hang out and show tricks and tell stories with
www.larocks.com
the regular denizens of the shop. R aleigh, Magic Corner
Grand Illusions hosts a magic lecture series that draws attendees from Sacramento to www.themagiccorner.com
San Diego. Product-release parties for friends such as Lee Asher, Aaron Fisher, and Houchin
are popular with the local community, too. The shop also offers private lessons, supports Oh io
local magic clubs, and helps guide the youth on their path to mastering the craft of magic. Brooklyn, Jinxed Costume & Magic
www.jinxedcostumesandmagic.com
7704 Fair Oaks Blvd, Carmichael, CA 95608 Columbus, Be Amazing Magic Shop
(916) 944-4708, www.grandillusions.com www.beamazingmagicshop.com
Tues–Sat 10–6

96 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1

M233 Rec-Retailers_REV2.indd 2 12/13/10 12:16 PM

 Cuyahoga F alls, Mr. Fun, Inc. Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Magico
www.mrfuns.com (54) 11 43832840
N orwood, Haines House of Cards
(513) 531-6548 Au str alia
Melbourne, Bernard’s Magic Shop
O klaho ma www.bernards.com.au
F airland, Magic Depot Sydney, Hey Presto Magic Studio
www.magic.org www.heyprestomagic.com.au
Tulsa, Spot Lite Magic & Costumes Tweeds Head South, Insane Magic Shop
www.spotlitemagic.com www.insanemagic.com.au
Tulsa, Top Hat Magic
www.tophatmagic.com Can ada
Calgary, A.B., Vanishing Rabbit Clownin’ Around
Penn sylvani a www.vanishingrabbit.com Vancouver, British Columbia
Hatboro, Guaranteed Magic Montreal, Que., Perfect Magic
(215) 672-3344 www.perfectmagic.com Clownin’ Around is located on Granville Island in the heart of Vancouver, in
Pittsburgh, Cuckoo’s Nest Montreal, Que., Spectram Magic
the Kids Market, a boutique shopping complex devoted to children of all ages.
www.thecuckoosnest.com www.spectram.com
The shop opened its doors on October 11, 1999, backed by a generous
Walston, Mike Gigliotti’s Magic & Costume Toronto, O nt., Browser’s Den of Magic
helping of what owner Amanda O’Leary calls “stupidity and naivety.” She didn’t
(814) 938-2346 www.browsersden.com
know how to perform magic and she didn’t know much about her business part-
Toronto, O nt., Morrissey Magic Ltd.
ner at the time. Two-and-a-half years later, O’Leary became the sole owner. “It
Sou th Caro lin a www.morrisseymagic.com
was an expensive learning process,” she says, “but the store fits me pe fectly.”
Columbia, Columbia Magic Shop Vancouver, B.C., Clownin’ Around
O’Leary now performs magic regularly, appearing around town as Smartee
www.shop.columbiamagic.com www.clowninaroundmagic.com
Myrtle Beach, Broadway Magic V ictoria, B.C., Murray’s Trick and Joke
Pants the Clown. She also conducts seminars for other clowns, teaching them
www.bwmagic.net www.magictrick.com
how to incorporate magic into their repertoires, how to develop their characters,
N . Myrtle Beach, Conley’s House of Magic Winnipeg, Man., Toad Hall Toys work onstage, and write patter.
(843) 272-4227 www.toadhalltoys.com Because of the high foot traffic at the Kids Market, Clownin’ Around does
brisk business in beginner-level tricks, and supplies much of its merchandise
Tenne ssee Den mark to tourists visiting Vancouver. “We are the first line for kids seeing and buying
Bristol, Top Hat Magic Supply Horsens, Pegani magic, so we take a lot of time to make sure the wee ones get the right trick for
www.tophatmagicsupply.com www.pegani.dk their capabilities,” explains O’Leary.
Gatlinburg, Magic and Novelty Outlet Passersby are often drawn into the store by its colorful displays and demon-
www.magicandnoveltyoutlet.com En glan d strations. Crammed into 358 square feet of space are approximately 500 dif-
Birmingham, Keith Bennett ferent products, 70 percent of which are magic-related. The remaining items are
Texas www.kbmagic.com practical jokes, novelties, and juggling supplies.
Austin, Texas Magic Supply Birmingham, World Magic Shop When Clownin’ Around opened its doors, two other magic shops and sev-
www.texasmagicsupply.com www.worldmagicshop.co.uk eral kiosks were operating in Vancouver. Today, O’Leary’s store is the only brick-
Beaumont, H & R Books Bournemouth, Mike Danata’s Magic Studio and-mortar magic shop in the city. 
www.magicbookshop.com www.mikedanatasmagicstudio.co.uk  
F ort Worth, Magic, Etc. Kent, Alakazam Magic 1496 Cartwright St.,Vancouver, BC V6H 3Y5, Canada
www.magicetconline.com www.alakazam-usa.com (604) 682-0244, www.clowninaroundmagic.com
McKinney, Main Street Magic and Fun Leeds, The Loony Bin Daily 10–6
www.mainstreetmagicandfun.com www.loonybin.co.uk
Plano, Queen of Hearts Costume Shop Lincolnshire, Magic Books By Post
www.queenofheartscotumes.com www.magicbooksbypost.co.uk In done sia N or way
San Antonio, JCR Co’s World of Magic London, International Magic Studio Banten, Magic Mania School of Magic O slo, Crosby Magic
www.jcrmagic.com www.internationalmagic.com www.magicmaniaindonesia.blogspot.com www.crosbymagic.no
London, Davenports N orth Sumatera, Magic Counter Medan
Utah www.davenportsmagic.co.uk www.sulaponline.com Sco tlan d
Salt Lake City, House of Chuckles N ewcastle, The Magic Box Glasgow, T. Shepherd & Co.
www.houseofchuckles.com www.magicbox.co.uk Italy www.tamshepherdstrickshop.com
N orfolk, Aquarius R ome, Tra Palco E Realta’
VIR GINI A www.aquarius-magic.com www.trapalcoerealta.net SPAIN
Winchester, Incredible Flying Objects Warwickshire, Kaymar Magic Company R ome, Vincenzo DiFatta Valencia, La Varita Magica, Magic Shop
www.ifozone.com (44) 1708 640 557 www.difatta.it www.lavaritamagica.com
Torino, Amerio Costumi
Washin gton F in lan d www.amerio-costumi.com Switzer lan d
Seattle, Market Magic Shop Kouvola, Markku Purho Ky Z urich, The Crazy Owl
www.marketmagicshop.com www.markkupurho. Japan www.zauberparadies.com
Miyagi, Joe Magic Enterprises
Wiscon sin F r an ce www.joe-magic.jp Thailan d
Milwaukee, Theophilus Magic Co Paris, Magic Dream Tokyo, Magic Land Bangkok, Tora Magic Company
www.theophilusmagic.com www.magicdream.fr www.magicland.jp www.toramagic.com
Waukesha, Jest For Fun Joke Shop Paris, Musee de la Curiosite
www.jokeshop.com www.museedelamagie.com N ether lan ds V enezue la
Haarlem, Magicshop Caracas, Magic Mania C.A.
Ar gen tin a GeRma ny www.magicshop.nl www.hipelmago.com
Buenos Aires, Bazar de Magia Bad Segeberg, Fa. Zauberdiscount Velden, Dynamite Magic Shop
www.bazardemagia.com www.zauberdiscount.de www.dynamitemagicshop.com

M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 97

M233 Rec-Retailers_REV2.indd 3 12/13/10 12:16 PM

 finally

The new airport security pat-downs aren’t that bad

if you tell ’em it’s your birthday.
PHOTO OF VOLUNTEER FIELDING WEST AND “TARGET GIRL EKATERINA” DURING THE GREAT THROWDINI’S KNIFE-THROWING ACT AT THE FANTASMA IBM
RING’S TRIBUTE TO THE LARSEN FAMILY: RICHARD FAVERTY / BECKETT STUDIOS. CAPTION: MICHAEL MODE.
SEND YOUR CAPTION TO EDITOR@MAGICMAGAZINE.COM.

98 M A GI C • ja n ua ry 201 1

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 M AGIC • january 2 0 1 1 99

Wireless Wiz M233 (1.bw).indd 1 12/11/10 11:57 AM

M. Caveney M233 (1.c).indd 2 12/11/10 11:58 AM