The Man Who Really Fooled Hitler!

So, remember back when a really interesting book came out called The War Magician by David Fisher? This was based largely upon a book by Jasper Maskelyne called, Magic Top-Secret. Then at some point, the War Magician was accused of being highly fictionalized. I do not know, YET, that entire story, that will be for a later date.

But, now there is a new book called The Illusionist- The True Story of The Man Who Fooled Hitler. This is not about Jasper. It's not about Kalanag. It's about a completely different individual. I have not read the book yet. But it sounds like it is setting the record straight. I can't wait to get a copy. It is available through Amazon, I'm assuming Barnes and Noble has it and all your area book stores.

I will do a complete report once I obtain a copy and read it. Plus, I want to explore the entire story, where Jasper Maskelyne fits in or doesn't. Quite fascinating!

https://www.amazon.com/Illusionist-True-Story-Fooled-Hitler/dp/1639367160/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SFW2LFD99PZE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vrPqbSFg4UUmJ36zHCsRHMFaeEUh0Pie9r3b4FUhHrkhLSucetqQIqCNeStBOQAuUvq-yJGQSG8uLAgw9Z89r_8k-pMhTJaj_ZFHTdQUq4bjWkrQnNq8jgAKVwrYCKpQnKhWcCZ4hxpJWXbu-rtZNh8Upg8ckEY6S7o6e_Ckce4rZT061WeJIkyfisOICo6bJjx6aH8wUNO_nwVaKUBuBGOyQMGm54NnEASs9ip6iJw.vYwjMj3Lqq7TKsPwvTfLjCiBFWtmKp6F9PUvkt4rpro&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+illusionist+book&qid=1728247564&sprefix=the+illusionist+book%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-1

Magic, Magic, Magic on Amazon Prime!

 

Magic on Amazon Prime In October!

We are now in October, or what I consider Magic Month, I thought I’d share with you ALL of the various magic related programming that can be found on Amazon Prime. I don’t have access to Netflix, so I can’t cover them other than to say that is the home to Justin Wilman’s shows.

This list is probably not complete, I may have missed one or two things. OH, and not all of these shows are free to watch. Many are. But also a lot of them require either rental or purchase and I think one of them requires a subscription, but that episode in featured in two places on the site so you can access it without the subscription too.

Here we go. For the Houdini Fans:

1. Houdini 1953 with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh
2. Houdini the MiniSeries with Adrien Brody
3. Death Defying Acts with Guy Pierce as the worst rendition of Houdini, ever. Unwatchable in my opinion, but you might like it. Total fiction
4. The Magic of Houdini : an old 1970s documentary with Walter Gibson, Milbourne Christopher, Sid Radner and James Randi.
5. The Magic of Houdini: A British documentary of sorts with comedian Alan Davies
6. Houdini’s Lost Secrets: Documentary which first appeared on History channel I think.
7. Fairy Tale: A True Story which is has Houdini as a supporting character played very well by Harvey Keitel.
8. Would You Believe It : A documentary in which Houdini is just one of the stories featured.
9. Houdini & Doyle The Fox TV Series (fictional)
10. HOUDINI Unlocking the Mystery

TV Series on Magic Include

1. Mindfreak by Cris Angel
2. Magic & Beyond hosted by Michael York might feel very dated
3. Street Magic from 2015 a series 
4. Master Mindfreaks Vol 1 w/Cris Angel
5. Hip Hop Houdini 
6. Penn and Teller Magic & Mystery Tour
7. Lost Magic Decoded by Steve Cohen, his History Channel series
8. When Magic Goes Horribly Wrong
9. David Blaine Decade of Magic Vol 1
10. Something Unusual TV Series from Italy
11. Penn and Teller’s Bullshit TV series

Documentaries on Magic

1. Lost in the Shuffle which is NEW
2. The Expert At The Card Table
3. Deceptive Practices about Ricky Jay
4. An Honest Liar about James Randi
5. DEALT about Richard Turner
6. Long Tack Sam
7. Magic Camp about Tannens Magic Camp
8. Quiet Masters: the History and Relevance of Black Magical Artists
9. Kalanag Hitlers Magician There are two of these and appear to be the same, but offered by two different platforms. Get the one without the subscription.
10. Siegfried and Roy The Original Tiger Kings
11. Magicians Life In the Impossible, as I recall this one is hard to watch

Finally the Movies About Magic

1. Billy Topit staring Lance Burton
2. The Prestige with Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale
3. MAGIC with Anthony Hopkins from the 70s
4. Escape Artist the Movie from the 70s
5. The Illusionist with Edward Norton
6. The Illusionist animated movie
7. HUGO which is a fictional movie featuring George Mellie
8. The infernal cauldron, The Hilarious Posters, The Old Hag, the Impossible Balancing Feat, Whimsical Illusions, Excelsior! The Prince of Magicians, The Impossible Voyage, all short films by George Mellies, available if you have a MAX Subscription
9. The Great Buck Howard, loosely based upon the life of Kreskin
10. 10. Penn and Teller Get Killed

Full disclosure, I’ve not seen every one of these shows or movies. And there were some that didn’t make the list because they were so bad, mostly, independent sorts of things that just looked horrible. There may be some horrible ones on the list yet, lol. So buyer beware if you decide to rent or purchase some. 

Lost in the Shuffle Film: Review

Have you seen the movie, Lost in the Shuffle? I've posted about it several times here on this blog and mentioned it on my podcast. Have you seen it? Well, if you missed it, there is good news, you can now see it on Youtube.com or Amazon Prime. You will have to either rent it or buy it. I bought it, trust me, it's more than worth it.

What is this movie about? It's the history of playing cards, it's magic history, it's magic. In a way it feels like revealing our ancestry, because those of us who do card magic know it becomes part of your identity, part of who we are.  This is frankly a brilliant concept for a documentary. Shawn Farquhar is the main character driving the story. Along the way he speaks with other magicians and historians. He learns how the first playing cards were made. Why cards had a similar appearance through the ages. And mostly, he uncovers WHO these court cards represent. Because behind this mystery, is yet another mystery that is to be unveiled. To be very specific, it's about a potential murder mystery being locked into the images of playing cards for 400 years! 

Jon Ornoy is the producer of the film. Together, he and Shawn have created a fascinating story. Shawn as an onstage performer exudes enthusiasm. He is the same here in the documentary, his enthusiasm for the subject matter in infectious and you can't help but want to learn more and more as the story unfolds. He travels the Globe to uncover the secrets behind this age old murder mystery. Guest magicians include Alexandra Duvivier from France, Juan Tamariz from Spain, Michael Vincent from England and Richard Turner from America. 

I enjoy magic history documentaries as a general rule. This one is a lot of fun and has another twist to it, that you'll need to see to discover. You really need to take the time to watch this documentary. It's well worth your time and investment!!!

You can rent or buy Lost in the Shuffle on the following platforms: In the U.S. iTunes/AppleTV, Youtube, Microsoft/Xbox, Fandango at Home. Go here for a complete listing of LIVE events and where to see the movie online