The Grim Game-Houdini's Best Movie

I believe it is tonight, March 27th, when a whole new generation of people will get to see, for the first time, the cinematic magic of HOUDINI. Not, Tony Curtis, Paul Michael Glaser, Harvey Keitel or some other actor portraying Houdini, but instead, the real honest to goodness Harry Houdini. Tonight, at the TCM Film Festival, audiences will get to see The Grim Game for the first time in many many years. As far as the motion picture industry was concerned, this movie was lost. Only a small 5 minute segment of film seemed to remain from the original print. The magic world, at least some of us in the magic world knew otherwise. We knew a print existed though it's condition was anyone's guess.

Thankfully, through the tireless work of Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks from the Houdini Museum in Scranton, Rick Schmidlin a Film Preservationist, along with Turner Classic Movies the movie was purchased from it's previous own, Houdini collector Larry Weeks and tonight the movie will make it's 21st Century debut.

I have a wish, and I doubt it would come true, but I would love to see this movie get released to movie theatres all over the country and then perhaps find it's way to get nominated by the Academy Awards Committee for some honor. If nothing else, perhaps it's time to recognize HOUDINI for his contribution to Movie Making.

Oh, by the way, I was slightly incorrect when I said that HOUDINI aka Tony Curtis wasn't going to be there. Actually, according to the list of movies at the Festival, the 1953 Paramount movie HOUDINI, starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, will be showing at the Turner Classic Movie Film Festival. I know we will get a full report from our friend John Cox about these movies. And I'm sure we will hear from Dick and Dorothy as well as they will be at the festival as well. Exciting times to be a Houdini fan!


UPDATE: Ok, I got the date wrong! It's tomorrow night. That doesn't make me any less excited about this. I'm going to throw things over to John Cox who is THERE and has been following this much better than I have. John runs WildAboutHoudini and if you don't know that you are either new to all this stuff or living under a rock. Here is his latest post about the movie, http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2015/03/tomorrow-grim-game-will-be-free.html

Remembering Cesareo

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the passing of Cesareo Pelaez, my friend and the leader of The LeGrand David Spectacular Magic Show on Beverly MA.. I was just about to put in the video of their  show that Cesareo gave me years ago, and that's when I remembered what day this was. Sure miss him and all my Beverly/LGD friends.

Update: I suppose that the above was hardly enough of a remembrance. It was more of a mention. Cesareo seems to creep up in conversations several times a week. I stay in touch with one of the members of the company so I often hear things about him that I didn't know. I suppose I'm reminded of Cesareo every day really because one of his costumes hangs in my office as well as a painting I did of him. On Sunday, I had the good fortune to show my friend Bobby a video of Cesareo performing the Floating Table, which was one of Cesareo's signature routines. I tried to win that table during the auction and sadly my final bid did not go through, and I lost it to someone else. That's not important though. What is important is the positive impact Cesareo had on my life and many others through his magic and teachings. He was a remarkable person.

Houdini's Birthday?

For years we have all celebrated March 24th, 1874 as Houdini's birthday, or more appropriately, Ehrich Weiss's birthday. Is this true? Houdini always said he was born April 6th. Hardeen stated the same thing. Walter Gibson and Dunninger also stated the same thing.

I just read an article that said one evening Dr. Leopold Weiss, Houdini's brother, was confronted at a party that had some magicians present. They asked him about the March 24th Birthday. The brother replied "That's nonsense! He was born in Appleton, April 6th!". This is the very same brother that Houdini stopped speaking too because he had married his brother Nathan's wife.

That article in question is by Bob Lund and was printed in the October 1971 issue of Linking Ring. The title of the article was 'Somewhere West of Budapest, Somewhere East of Appleton' starting on page 34. The craziest thing in the article is the reproduced letter from Gladys, Houdini's sister to Bess Houdini. In the letter she tells the story of a young infant boy named Ehrich who died in Budapest after taking a fall. And then she writes, "newborn children are named for the departed." So does this show that there were TWO EHRICH Weiss's? Harry being the second Ehrich? So he had two birthdates, two birthplaces and there were two of him?

It's late and that article was a lot to wrap my head around. For now I'll just wish Harry A Great Birthday!!!!! The rest of you go find the article in AskAlexander and read it for yourself.

UPDATE: Let me say, I do think Houdini was born March 24th (Today) but this article mentioned a lot of unusual things. I don't ever recall hearing the 'other Ehrich' story before but apparently it is mentioned in two previous biographies. It just goes to show that the more we learn of Houdini, the more fascinating he becomes. Happy Birthday Harry!!!

'Houdini & Doyle' TV Show Just Announced

This is surprising and quite fascinating. I just read on broadcastingcable.com that Fox just picked up a 10 episode drama based on the lives of Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It will apparently be some sort of crime drama where the two investigate crimes of a supernatural nature. That should be interesting. Houdini says, "FAKE! Next!" and Doyle says, "Genuine Phenomenon if I ever saw it!" lol.

I hope it's a little better than a previous Houdini TV program. 

Houdini's Death Certificate

I'm not sure if I've seen this before, but thanks to www.seekingmichigan.org it's online for all to see.
There are some interesting things on this document. First, his name is listed as Harry Houdini, not his real name Ehrich Weiss. Next, his profession is listed as 'ACTOR & LECTURER', not magician. His date of birth is April 6th, 1874 and his birthplace is Appleton Wisconsin. I'm going to have to go back into my records and see, but I wonder, did Houdini know of his real birthplace and date. I probably knew this and just don't remember.

Finally, Cause of Death are all the various things we have heard in the past: Diffuse Peritonitis, Streptococcic, Ruptured Appendix.

Alexander The Man Who Knows- Book Review

This is going to be a short book review. Why? I'll tell you at the end. But first, the book is called Alexander The Man Who Knows by David Charvet it's published by Mike Caveney's Magic Words and there are two editions. The book first came out in 2004, but shortly after the publication, a bunch of new information came to light. So Mike Caveney and David Charvet decided they would do a second edition after the first one sold out. In 2007, the second edition with updated information was published.

On the opening page there is a black and white photo of Claude Alexander Conlin, wearing a top hat, smoking a cigarette, and wearing a tuxedo. The text to his left reads:

Alexander

The Man Who Knows

Mindreader

Charlatan

Extortionist

Bootlegger

Bigamist

Murderer

Magician

What more do you need to know? The book is exceptionally well researched. It's filled with incredible photos and stories. It's an easy read and it's a highly entertaining read. This is actually the second time I've read the book. I had read the original 2004 edition shortly after it came out and loved it. I just got this newer edition, and loved it again.

I've often said that there are so many wonderful magicians who deserve to have their life stories turned into movies. Houdini has had this honor several times. Robert-Houdin should have a bio-pic, Harry Kellar, Howard Thurston, Max Malini, Chung Ling Soo, and without question Claude Alexander Conlin-The Man Who Knows.

In a previous post I had written that there had been a movie called "Eternally Yours" starring David Niven that was apparently based loosely upon the life of Alexander. I am not sure where I heard that bit of trivia, but I don't think it's true. So the time is ripe to have a movie about one of magics more colorful characters. Part con-man, part motivational speaker, part magician, Alexander was a fascinating individual.

Normally, I share a little bit more about the book, and in a previous Alexander post, I did tell more about his life but don't even click the link to the previous post (unless you're unable to get a copy of the book). Honestly, this book is so fascinating, just go out and buy it and read it. It's available through Mike Caveney's website.

Remembering Kellar

Harry Kellar passed away 93 years ago this week on March 10th 1922. I've written about Kellar a lot on this blog and recently over at my other blog. We are fortunate that in the past few years some new books have come out on Kellar. The enormous Kellar's Wonders by Mike Caveney and William Miesel was the first to come out and it gives a very complete history of the life of Harry Kellar. A short time after another book was published called, The Amazing Harry Kellar: Great American Magician by Gail Jarrow.

Kellar was the first Dean of the Society of American Magicians and really the first famous American born Illusionist. In his life he would have seen Robert-Heller, John Henry Anderson, Alexander Herrmann, John Nevil Maskelyne, David Devant, Harry Houdini and of course, Howard Thurston. That's an incredible span of time to be able to see the acts of some of the most iconic people in magic history, and yet Kellar was among these iconic performers.

Had it not been for Kellar, we might not have had the Vanishing Birdcage here in America. Had it not been for Kellar the Kellar Levitation might still be known as the Maskelyne Levitation, lol. Ok, not everything Kellar did was honest. He certainly lived a full life with many incredible adventures, including loosing his whole act in a shipwreck! Yet he came back from loosing everything and became the #1 Illusionist in America.

RIP still, Harry Kellar.

Here are some notable moments in Kellar's life that I've written about in the past.

The Fakir of Ava

Harry Kellar and The Wizard of OZ 

Kellar's Shipwreck and Sunken Treasure

The Vanishing Bird Cage History

Kellar's Astarte Levitation

Kellar & Houdini

Passing of the Mantle of Magic

Kellar's LAST Mystery

Walter Zaney Blaney Ladder History

Walter Blaney is an amazing guy. I've had the honor of talking to Walter a couple times on the phone, though I've never met him in person. He is quite the character and a wonderful person. He is best known for his Ladder Levitation which was a fooler when he created it in the 1960s and is a fooler still today.

Personally, I also love his take on the sawing a lady in half illusion*. I found a video online which is a 30 minute documentary style video of the history of the Ladder Levitation. You've got to watch it! One of the coolest things on the video is the miniature mock-up that Walter built before creating the large scale version. The miniature version works just like the large one and it too is amazing.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Enjoy The Incomparable Walter Zaney Blaney!

If you'd like to see the Sawing a Lady in a Half-Blaney Version, this wonderful effect is also captured on a video. This is the link The Sawing effect is about 7 minutes 20 seconds into the video. But watch the whole thing because Walter is great during the whole video!

The American Museum of Magic

I still recall my first visit to the American Museum of Magic. It was many years ago now, and Bob and Elaine Lund were the owners, tour guides and gracious hosts on the day I visited with my family. This visit was the first time I had seen any sort of historical magic props or posters. It was an eye opening experience and really made an impression on me.

Bob Lund was an avid collector and he had everything from posters, books, playbills, letters to Houdini's Milk Can. Bob was not really a fan of Houdini, but he recognized Houdini's drawing power and so the Houdini items stayed near the front of the museum.

Another interesting item that I saw was a poster from the Le Grand David Show. I instantly

recognized it because we had visited Beverly MA for the first time a few months earlier and I had gotten to see the show. This was long before I became friends with the folks at the Le Grand David show. Bob and Cesareo became good friends and eventually Cesareo sent the museum a huge bronze cast sculpture of the show that was created by David Bull's father. There were three of those sculptures, one resides with Ray Goulet, one at the American Museum of Magic, and the third, I think is still waiting for a buyer. The third one was on display at the theatre in Beverly until the show was auctioned off.

Below are several videos of the museum. The first features an interview with Bob Lund. You'll want to forward the video to around 3 minutes 49 seconds, as that is where the magic interview takes place. During the interview you'll get to see Houdini's Milk Can and Bob talking about the Houdini routine.

On the second video, you'll see a shot of one of the large Houdini 'Do Spirits Return' poster. In the last video you'll see some shots of the collection of magic figurines. This collection of figurines inspired me to start collecting magic related figurines. 

I hope you enjoyed a little peak into the American Museum of Magic. It is still in operation today, and this year the Midwest Magic History Weekend will take place in Marshall Michigan, the home town of the museum. So if you'd like to check it out for yourself, you can visit the following website and look into attending the conference. http://www.magichistoryweekend.com/

Maro Prince of Magic Anniversary

Feb 26th, 1908, Edward Maro passed away from Typhoid Fever in Philedelphia PA. Here was a very interesting character and one that is mostly forgotten today. His posters remain and they are strikingly beautiful. And there is something else that remains, something I was unaware of until very recently (more on that later).

Unlike most magicians of his era, Maro made a lot of money performing magic. He was very similar to another magician I admire Robert Heller, in that he was both a magician and a gifted musician. Maro was only 39 when he passed away. I'll be writing more about Maro in the coming months. I plan to give you all a more detailed story of his life. If you visit one of other blogs you can see a photo of Maro's grave http://deadconjurers.blogspot.com/2011/08/edward-maro-prince-of-magic.html

Expect to read more of Maro later in the year!

Houdini In The News

There are two interesting articles on Houdini today in the news. One concerns more of the behind the scenes dealing with the Grim Game Movie acquisition. It's a very interesting article, here is the link.
http://www.nyunews.com/2015/02/09/nyu-helps-recover-houdini-film/

The next article is about Allan Slaight's Magic Poster Collection being purchased in Canada. According to the article, "this is the second largest collection of Houdini material held in a public institution." The collection is more than just Houdini, there are 600 posters, 200 rare books and 200 documents all about the golden age of magic.
http://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/local-arts/mccord-museum-acquires-significant-collection-of-magic-memorabilia

Sad Day of Rememberance

Feb 7, 2000, Doug Henning passed away. 15 years has passed since that news came out and it's still sad. However, to add to it, this morning I awoke to the news that the Maestro, Rene Levand has passed away. Rene was truly one of the most artistic performers of our art to ever live.

Wow, this has been a tough day. after I posted this I learned that Dean Dill also passed away today. He was such a kind man and fantastic performer. I am stunned.

RIP Rene Levand, Dean Dill, & Doug Henning.

The Great Doug Henning

We are fast approaching the anniversary of the death of Doug Henning. He was an iconic magician who left us much too soon. But thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can still experience his magic. Now, I will say compared to some of the super slick illusions and mysteries of today, some of the magic seems dated. But you also get to some some real gems mixed in as well.

Below, is a video of one of Doug's specials I found on Youtube. There are some drawbacks to the video, for one it's dubbed in Spanish, so if you speak Spanish you might enjoy it even more. But for those of us that don't it's unfortunate that we can't really hear Doug. Also, Bill Cosby appears on the show as his co-host. At the time, Cosby was one of the biggest stars in show business. I'll not be going into the current controversy, except to say, ignore that and pay attention to Doug!

On this special you'll see: Things That Go Bump In the Night, The Double Sawing, The Flexible Mirror, Walking Through a Mirror, probably the very first version of The Elevator and still my favorite, and you'll also see the Rube Goldberg illusion that I believe was actually Doug's idea. For close-up you'll see a contribution from Paul Harris called Twilight, Doug's Matrix with Sea Shells, and the production of some Goldfish.

AND, for the magic history fans, there is something that I did not remember on this special. It's a version of the Book of Life used by FuManchu.

So if you don't speak Spanish, turn down the volume a little and enjoy the magic. If you do, enjoy every moment of this fun special from the 1970s.

The Story of HOW the Grim Game Was Revived

Recently, the news came out that The Grim Game was being restored and would soon appear again. This is possibly Houdini's best movie and also one that hasn't been seen by the masses since it came out in 1919. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich from the Houdini Museum, we have the story. And a BIG THANK YOU to both of them for once again making the impossible possible!

Houdini Museum in Scranton PA Reveals the Secrets of 
Uncovering Houdini's 1919 Lost Silent Film The Grim Game

Magicians Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz, from the Houdini Museum in Scranton, PA, tell the story of the finding and restoration of the long lost Houdini silent movie from 1919, "The Grim Game\u001D". Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz from The Houdini Museum in Scranton, PA revealed, "The film has not been shown to the general public for 96 years. This was one of the most sought after items in Houdini History."

Houdini's movie Grim Game made in 1919, has been unavailable until now and considered lost. Brookz commented, "The only complete copy of the film was hidden in the collection of juggler Larry Weeks who got it from Houdini's wife after Houdini died. I have known Larry since I was in my early teens. Larry trusted us and knew we would never do any thing that was not in his best interest. He knew with us involved it would be done in a proper way to protect his legacy. We even put together and host his web site" http://larryweeks.info

Dorothy and Dick had kept a friendly relationship with Larry Weeks and that is what helped to make this happen. Juggler Larry Weeks called himself "Houdini's biggest fan" and amassed one of the best Houdini collections in the world, specializing in films of Houdini. He had the only print of Houdini's lost film, "The Grim Game hidden away in his collection." He was known to show it at various occasions in his life time. It is reputed to be the best of Houdini's five films. Dick Brookz commented "Over the years Larry invited us to see the film on two occasions. He found it odd and incomprehensible when I, Dick Brookz, told him that some magicians berated him for hoarding the movie that he preserved over the years at great personal cost." Dietrich added "Our show business contact for negotiations, film producer and friend for over 20 years, Rick Schmidlin, was the right person to bring this project to fruition. Rick Schmidlin's mother, who we also knew, lived nearby The Houdini Museum. In April of 2014 Rick Schmidlin made another one of his occasional visits to The Houdini Museum in Scranton. At that meeting we decided to tell him about the whereabouts of The Grim Game and our long time friendship with Larry Weeks We called Larry Weeks on his private number and told him about Rick and our desire to have the film restored. It took several calls to convince Larry to meet with Rick. Larry finally agreed and gave us permission to pass along Larry's number. Rick set up a meeting and arranged to acquire the film for Turner Classic Movies. Rick had to jump through a lot of hoops and clear several hurdles with tough negotiations. In the end, Rick put the pieces together to get the film, have it restored and added an original movie score. The wonderful thing is that the film content is complete., although it required a lot of restoration. Just prior to this time we had spoken with Larry several times and he informed us of his rapidly diminishing health so time was of the essence. The deal was made!" Larry Weeks died October 13, 2014, before the public would get news of the acquisition on January 23, 2015.

The restored film will have an musical score composed by Brane Zivkovic an award winning film, television, and theatre composer. This was all done with financial help from Turner Classic Movies, who will premiere it at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival held Thursday, March 26 - Sunday, March 29, 2015, in Hollywood.
Dietrich continued, "We are so proud to have accomplished this. To know that essentially every magician in the world big and small, will get the thrill of viewing this wonderful Houdini movie because of us. This includes future magicians for all time, as well as millions of non magicians. It was our goal to get this to someone who would release it to the public and not hoard in their cellar or a back room somewhere. Background information.

The Houdini Museum located in Scranton, PA is the only building in the world dedicated to Houdini. It has been put together by well known professional magicians Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz. The Houdini Museum has also taken on the responsibility of taking care of the abandoned Houdini Grave site, and recently replaced Houdini's missing bust that was destroyed 40 years ago by vandals. http://houdini.org

Dorothy Dietrich is considered the leading female magician and escape artist in the world having been called "the First Lady of Magic," and "The Female Houdini." She has appeared in countless Television specials including "You Asked For It", a Bill Cosby Special, " The Tomorrow Show", "Atlantic City Alive",  " Evening Magazine", "Just For The Record, the Best Of Everything", Montel Williams, etc. She was Special Guest Star in HBO's "The World's Greatest Escapes," costarring movie legend Tony Curtis, in which she escaped hanging from the bottom of a parachute ride hundreds of feet in the air while hanging from a singe piece of rope that was set on fire and she is the only women in history to accomplish The Jinxed Bullet Catch in the mouth, the one stunt Houdini backed out of. The stunt has killed over 13 men and injured many others. This stunt was done at Resorts International in Atlantic City. Both stand as world records to this day. When not doing crazy stunts such as these she travels with a magic show that features doves, a duck, a rabbit and two pet poodles. When in her home town of Scranton she appears on a regular basis on stage of The Houdini Museum. http://dorothydietrich.com

Dick Brookz has been a professional magician his entire life. He has fronted for Bobby Darin, Jack Jones, Neil Sedaka at performed at such venues as #1 Fifth Ave, The Rainbow Grill, The Americana Hotel and Casino in Puerto Rico, Aruba Hotel and Casino, etc. For a while in his spare time he wrote songs, one that became a "bubble gum" hit in the mid-west, "Powerhouse" that ended up being the theme song for the candy bar of the same name. Dick Brooks owned The Magic Towne House on the affluent Upper East Side of Manhattan. He pulled Brother Theodore out of retirement in the last 1970's for special weekend midnight performances. This resulted in a resurgence of interest in Brother Theodore that brought Brother Theodore success in his later years. The show was a success and ran for several seasons. http://dickbrookz.com

Rick Schmidlin is a film preservationist, silent film scholar, and a producer-director whose work has focused on restorations, reconstructions and documentaries. Rick is the only filmmaker to ever receive awards for two consecutive years from The National Society of Film Critics and The Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
To see this release with pictures go to http://houdini.org/houdinigrimgameuncoveredbyhoudinimuseum.html

Grim Game posters at http://houdini.org/thegrimgameposters.html

Forget About the MiniSeries, A True Houdini Movie Rises!

This news is both amazing and a big relief. Many of us knew that Larry Weeks owned a copy, probably the only surviving copy of The Grim Game. But that's all we knew. The condition of the film was unknown and Larry wasn't sharing. Well, John Cox over at WildAboutHoudini.com has big news and rather than try and duplicate what he wrote, please check out his blog! 

WILD ABOUT HARRY: TCM ACQUIRES 'THE GRIM GAME' - SCREENING IN MARCH: " The Grim Game is not just a long lost film from the silent era, but a really great and fun film that will surprise and entertain all...

More Forgotten Illusions-The Decapitation

The Decapitation is an old illusion and I'm not 100% sure of the creator. I know the origin of the illusion dates back hundreds of years. In fact, it might be the very first illusion. It was known as the John the Baptist effect for a long time. The historical John the Baptist was beheaded by King Herod. By 1584, the beheaded John the Baptist was turned into an illusion. It appears in The Discovery of Witchcraft by Reginal Scot as 'The Decollation of John the Baptist". In the illustration there is a long table which splits down the middle. Two holes in the table allow one actor to lay upon the table and put their head through, thus looking like the beheaded body, and a second act sitting underneath the table and inserting his head through upwards, so as to look like the head. It was usually set upon a platter or plate that also split in half to allow it to surround the persons head. It was a crude illusion and probably used for church dramas.

If we move forward in time to the mid to late 1800s, we come upon The Decapitation Illusion of
which I'm referring. I know of at least two performers who presented it and given these two were big names in the art, there were likely others performing it as well. The two names are Alexander Herrmann and the other is J.N. Maskelyne. The version of the decapitation illusion they used involved a chair and a cabinet. Both items were made to look like ordinary furniture. The cabinet had glass doors in the front and was filled with bottles and plates. The chair just looked like an apolstered chair. In the effect, a person reclining in the chair would have their head removed and the severed head would be set upon the top of the cabinet. The beheaded body could still move its arms and legs with no problem. The head could smile and talk. I imagine for the Victorian Era audiences this was quite a remarkable and yet grisly illusion.

I saw one at the Salon deMagie, which is Ken Klosterman's wonderful collection of magic artifacts. I think the chair may have belonged to Alexander Herrmann to be honest. I also have a feeling this same chair and cabinet combo may have also been on display at the now burnt down Houdini Museum in Niagra Falls.

The method is really quite remarkable and the workmanship that went into building these things is stellar. Below are two photos from my visit to the Salon de Magie and you can see the Chair and the Cabinet used in The Decapitation Illusion. If you're wondering if the skull is part of the trick, I'm afraid I really don't know for sure.

Listen To My Radio Interview on Houdini, Magic History and more

Just wrapped up two hours of discussing magic history, HOUDINI, and then we also talked about me :)   It was really fun. This was on SpacedOutRadio.com. You can listen to the replay here

I even do a card trick during the final thirty minutes of the show, so if you listen, get a deck of cards and try it along with the replay! The host, Jim Tyson, really did his homework and it's clear he is also a big fan of magic. By the way, here is a little bit of behind the scenes...so SpacedOutRadio is a radio show devoted to the Unusual, the Paranormal, Ghosts, UFOs and that kind of thing. Well because I was going to be interviewed for 2 hours, I made sure to take some notes on things to talk about in case I needed it. 35 minutes into the interview (I think it was 35 minutes), the power went out in my home. I'm on my cell phone, so it's not problem, but I'm also in the dark, so no access to notes. It's all 100% memory. Which turned out just fine. But I couldn't help but think about the 'ghost' thing for a second....the power almost NEVER goes out and it wasn't even storming! Strange.

I plugged everything I could think of during the show. I mentioned the touring shows, Masters of Illusion and the three ILLUSIONISTS productions. I mentioned the Copperfield Theatre at the MGM and even Criss Angel's shows in Vegas. I also mentioned the various TV shows dedicated to magic. I felt like the magic ambassador last night. Oh, and I plugged my own theatre show as well.
The interview must have had some pretty strong airplay because I just noticed the numbers on a couple of my websites shooting through the roof!

The Magic Detective on the Radio This Weekend!

This Sunday, January 18th at 10pm PST, 1am East Coast Time, I'll be interviewed by Jim Tyson for Spaced Out Radio. We'll be talking Magic History and probably a lot about Houdini. The good news is it will be available to listen to online after the initial broadcast.

Spaced Out Radio is a new online radio show dealing with the unknown. It's part of Blogtalkradio.com programming. You can find them at http://www.spacedoutradio.com

Another Forgotten Illusion-OH!

I am always astonished at the creativity of the old time magicians. Today when we think of illusions the first notion is some big box, which is usually correct. But the Victorian Magicians did not restrict themselves to mere boxes. In fact, the following is an example of very modern thinking, the props involved all look ordinary.

The illusion is called 'Mahatmas Outdone' and it was also known as 'OH!'. The basic effect is vanishing a person in a chair under challenge conditions. This was the co-creation of Charles Morrit and Nevil Maskelyne. According to two sources*, the effect first appeared at Egyptian Hall on September 29th, 1891. Oddly, the British Museum lists the date for the above poster as 1877. I think the date is incorrect on the part of the British Museum actually. Morrit would have been 17 years old in 1877 and as far as I can see, he didn't make his stage debut until 1878.

Interestingly, the Kellars Wonders book listed Harry Kellar as adding this trick to his act in three months after the Egyptian Hall debut. The book presumes that Kellar purchased the rights to the act as well as the rights to another routine he would add to his show.

Oh! is a remarkable illusion which requires the assistance of at least three people from the audience. The magicians assistant sits on a chair and places one wrist through a ring which is attached to a cord. The end of the cord is held by one of the audience helpers. The assistants other wrist is tied or buckled to the arm of the chair and then the curtain is lowered and the assistant can put their wrist through a hole in the curtain, thus allowing yet another audience helper to verify that the assistant within in still there. A sheet of metal was slid under the chair to prevent the person from going through some trapdoor.

When the magician gives the word, the volunteers raise the curtain, at the same time the hand that was being held is yanked inside the cabinet, but the second the curtain passes the height of the chair it's evident that the assistant is gone! Moments later the assistant reappears in the back of the audience! What an interesting trick. I love all these little convincers to prove that the person is still inside the curtained cabinet and then a second later, GONE!

The effect was presented by a number of different magicians at Egyptian Hall and later St. George's Hall. And of course, Harry Kellar used the effect to great success in the United States. There is a very cool poster of the Kellar OH! chair in the Kellars Wonders book. In addition, Howard Thurston also performed the OH! Chair Illusion.

UPDATE:
I hate when I send these things out before I've done all the work! I forgot to check one source and now I'm kicking myself because this source was full of information. You see, I knew that one of the OH! Chairs was in the possession of Mike Caveney. I remember seeing a photo of it in MAGIC Magazine. It might even have been accompanied by an article, I don't recall completely. At any rate, Mike's newest book,Wonders and The Conference Illusions has an incredible amount of information.

I forgot to mention, and thankfully Mike does in his chapter on the OH! Chair, that the Morrit OH! Chair was likely an answer to the popular DeKolta Vanishing Lady. The DeKolta Chair had been exposed in the press and in magic circles by the time the OH! Chair came along. Though they both used a similar method of vanish, the OH! Chair's convicers made it seem more impossible.

In 2003, Mike Caveney recreated a presentation of the OH! Chair for the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History. He used Thurston's original chair. The chair by the way, had been restored by John Gaughan and the platform/curtain used in the recreation of the illusion was built by Craig Dickens.

FINALLY
There is a video of famed British Magician Paul Daniels recreating the OH! Illusion for his TV show
which can be seen here http://youtu.be/Cr2zKCsbkdA

*The two sources were Kellars Wonders by Mike Caveney and Bill Miesel, and St. Georges Hall by Anne Davenport and John Salisse

LIVE Magic and TV Magic NOW

Suddenly magic is everywhere, again. Tonight on the CW TV network, Masters of Illusion airs an all new episode. The only stinker is it airs at 9:30pm. That's an odd time, but I'll be up so I'll be watching! And speaking of Masters of Illusion, Gay Blackstone and her live version of the show is at it again with the LIVE version of the show. In fact, she is pulling double duty, or the show is at least. They have shows at Harrah's Rincon in Valley Center California on Jan 2, 9, 16. And all the way across the country on the east coast in Atlantic City, also at Harrah's they play 8, 15, 22, 29th.

I hear that Michael Finney, Jonathan Pendragon and Michael Turco are among the performers in Atlantic City. I don't know who the cast is on the West Coast.

IF you are near these locations, please take the time to go see the shows. The Masters of Illusion Show is an excellent production that showcases the best acts in magic. They will be touring all year long so watch for them to come to a city near you!

Speaking of Magic on TV, Wizard Wars starts up again on the SyFy Network in a couple weeks. AND Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller fame, has his own show on the Travel Channel called Penn Jillette's Street Cred, which features Street Performers from across the country and each week an act has a chance to win $10,000. It's different but I saw one of the episodes and enjoyed it. You'll have to check the listings on the Travel Channel to see when it airs.

Speaking of the Travel Channel, one of their regular shows, Mysteries At the Museum, often features magic. I've seen a number of stories on items stored in Ken Klosterman's collection, The Salon deMagie. They've covered, Houdini, The Great Lafayette, and recently I saw a story of John Mullholland. Even when they don't feature magic history stories, it's still a cool show.

Seeking Assistance From My Readers...HELP!

I am trying to get someone to make a high resolution scan of the cover of Modern Magic by Professor Hoffman. There were several different covers of the years, I'm looking for the earlier editions. Any of the ones above are fine. I noticed that some editions follow a different color scheme, so that is ok as well. I'm looking to get a hi-resolution (350dpi) photo of a good quality edition of Modern Magic, that I can then blow up into a very large size and have it printed so I can put it on the cover of my Book of Life Illusion. If you happen to have a good copy of the book and would be willing to make a high resolution scan of the cover, I would certainly appreciate it. You can email me at carnegiemagic@aol.com

There are two editions I'm not interested in, the Dover edition of Modern Magic, and the one pictured below.

The Illusionists @ The Kennedy Center -Review

I just returned home from seeing The Illusionists at the Kennedy Center. I can tell you that this show was one of the tightest, most professional shows I've ever seen. Every act was top notch. Every act was different and unique in their own way. The transitions between acts were well done. The live music that is used is such a big selling point. Live music adds a dimension to a show that recorded music just can't capture.

The show opens with sort of a pre-show routine with Adam Trent and a member of the audience. Not really the kind of opening I expected but for a lay audience they loved it. He followed this up with something that totally caught me by surprise, and I loved it and I'm not saying what it was. After this, the show actually begins.

If you've seen clips of the show, basically the opening is each act doing some quick magic routine one after the other. This is solid, eye candy magic, one visual effect after the other. They even introduce Andrew Basso by lowering him from above the stage in a straightjacket. Wonderful opening!

At this point, I think Jeff Hobson took the stage to do a solo routine. Jeff Hobson is not only one of the strongest acts in magic, he is one of the strongest acts in show business. Jeff, in my opinion, should be a house hold name, he is THAT funny. He simply destroyed the place.

I believe Dan Sperry was up next doing a routine he did on Americas Got Talent. He did the routine silently and with a big screen projector behind him capturing the magic for folks that were sitting further away. Dan performs as The Anti-Conjurer. He has such a clever twist on magic and presentation. I always enjoy watching Dan perform but I think I enjoy watching the audience react to Dan's magic even more. He is odd looking, even scary, and yet he is the one that many people gravitate to after the show. He wins everyone over with his killer brand of magic.

I think Aaron Crow was up next. He performs as The Warrior. I saw Aaron perform at Magic LIVE

and he scared the sh*t out of me. No kidding. I couldn't believe that Stan Alan let him do the act he did at Magic LIVE. It seemed like Lawsuit Central to me. So what did he do here? Same act. I honestly can't say if what he does is a trick or skill, I don't know. I do know that watching him perform this act at the Kennedy Center, I absolutely loved it. His character in Vegas was very serious as I recall. Here, it's kind of serious, but playful at the same time. That playful friendliness takes the edge off a really scarey act. It's STILL UNREAL! It's still breathtaking, and it's still unbelievable. Go see it for yourself. I thought it was incredible. And I wont' say what it is, you've got to experience it for yourself.

The Manipulator was up next. This is Yu Ho-Jin from South Korea. He was awarded Magician of the Year by the Academy of Magical Arts. And he is a past FISM Winner. Let me preface this by saying that I am a Chavez Graduate, which means I went to school to learn the art of manipulation magic. Yu Ho-Jin is a manipulator. I have no freaking idea how he did what he did. That was the most mind boggling card manipulation act I have ever seen. The greatest part about the act, it totally caught this audience by surprise. I could tell, they had never witnessed this kind of magic before and they were collectively blown away. He was tremendous.

Next up was my friend Andrew Basso from Italy. Andrew is The Escapologist and performs a full view Water Torture Cell. Andrew and I are both students of Steve Baker the famous escape artist. Steve Baker always had a very striking personality, very commanding presence on stage. This is a common trait among escape artists. But Andrew has a very different personality. He is humble and likeable and genuine. You want to root for this guy. You are concerned about him. When he goes into the tank of water, handcuffed, you fear for his life. The audience is on his side the entire time. His version of the Water Torture Cell is first class all the way. Andrew is a fantastic talent and the art of escapology is in good hands with him. Though I had nothing to do with his act, I must admit I was very proud of his performance. Steve Baker would be proud too.

And that was the first half, for the most part. I think I may have left off something but you get the general idea. The first half was tight tight tight. It ended with the thunderous applause of Andrew's escape from the Water Torture Cell. Frankly, if the show was over at that point it would have been worth the ticket price. 

INTERMISSION

Yep, there was still a second half to the show! I don't recall the order, but Dan Sperry opened with a very funny and well done Russian Roulette routine.  I think Keven James followed with what might be the best sawing a person in half illusion. By the way, Kevin was in the first half as well, I forgot to mention. I don't want to say what he did in case you see the show. It was awesome though. Kevin James always delivers original and awe inspiring magic.

In fact, I'm not going to say much about the second half except it was just as strong as the first half and featured some really amazing magic. I really enjoyed Adam Trent's act with the jumbo screen, incredible stuff. And speaking of Adam Trent, he does an opening illusion early in the show which is sort of a high tech variation on an older principle that rocks! He is a very likeable performer with a wide range of abilities. His 'futuristic magic' is fun because it's so outside the normal kinds of things you see illusionists do. But in regards to the second half, I simply don't want to go into detail because I don't want to spoil it for you if you attend. The simple truth is, the second half is as rock solid as the first.

The show is in town until Saturday January 11th and then it heads to Dayton Ohio. They are on a 30 city tour across the United States wrapping up in late June. Then in September they head BACK to Broadway.

Magicians in the D.C. area. GET OFF YOUR BUTTS and go see this show. I only saw one magician in the audience, and the reason I knew he was a magician was because he wore a rabbit and top hat t-shirt and his magic coat with his business name on the back. Do yourself a favor, if you attend, dress up, this is the Kennedy Center after all. There are still tickets available for all the remaining shows. The show we attended looked mostly sold out, which was nice. The show ended with a standing ovation and a well deserved one. I think it is very very important for the magic community to support these types of shows. I have said this before and I'll say it again, we are lucky to have shows of this nature traveling the country. It's been many many years since a traveling illusion show came to town. It's so refreshing to see a top notch show and even more refreshing to see an audience of 21st Century lay people totally mesmerized by good magic. The Platinum Age of Magic is in good hands!

The Platinum Age of Magic

We have all heard the term Golden Age of Magic. I'm not really sure if there is a true beginning and ending to the Golden Age, but my guess would be 1890-1930. This is when magic really took off. Kellar, Houdini, Thurston, Blackstone, Dante and others ruled the stages.  After 1930s, magic certainly continued but with the death of Vaudeville and the advent of movies and TV magic lost it's once mighty place in the world of showbiz.

Magicians know that magic continued and saw the rise of different kinds of magic, the manipulators, like Cardini worked nightclubs. Illusionists like Jack Gwynne changed their acts so they could work in the round on dance floors. And of course, there was the rise of the close-up magicians with men like Dai Vernon, Charlie Miller, Ross Bertram and others. Magic was forced to adapt and it did, but with the death of the traveling illusion show, magic faded from the eyes of the general public for the most part.

In the 1970s along came Doug Henning. He is credited with ushering in a second Golden Age of Magic and I think that's true for the most part. But there were others, Mark Wilson was setting the stage before Doug and even after Doug. David Copperfield came along just at the height of Henning's fame and David continued to carry the torch. Suddenly in this second Golden Age of Magic, we had Copperfield, Henning, Wilson, Blackstone Jr., Siegfried and Roy, Penn and Teller, Lance Burton and others. That flame seemed like it was going to burn for a long time but it was put out (in my opinion) almost over night by a guy named Valentino. And once again, magic seemed to slip away from the public consciousness.

Within the magic world, things were red hot. Close-up was the big craze and it was moving leaps and bounds over all the other types of magic. Folks like Paul Harris, Michael Ammar, John Carney, David Williamson, David Roth and others were now the big stars. Just when we thought there would be no more magic on TV, some kid named David Blaine showed up and rewrote the book on magic. David Blaine, like Henning before him, ushered in a whole new style and type of magic, Street Magic. Granted it was really close-up magic, but it was close-up stripped of the bells and whistles. It was highly visual magic that was often 'in your face'. No more tuxedos, no more big boxes, no more rabbits, magic was going in a new direction.

I can't say that David Blaine ushered in another Golden Age. I think what he did was keep magic alive and change what audiences thought of magic. Magic was becoming more psychological, more mystifying, frankly more amazing. The mentalists began to rise! Sure, we know they were there all along, but now they were out on the forefront. Folks like Banaceck, Derren Brown, Keith Barry were taking magic to places no one ever dreamed. Magicians and Illusionists jumped on the mentalism bandwagon and mixed their magic with feats of mentalism.

It was during this time, I would read on blogs and in magic magazines how some thought magic was dead. Some writers felt that magic was probably on it's last legs and because of the way technology was changing, we would soon all be gone. For the record, I've been hearing the doom and gloom scenario from magicians for years.

That brings me to now, 2014-2016. I think we have hit the Platinum Age of Magic. No more Golden

Ages. Magic is burning on all cylinders. Close-up is at an all time high. Card Magic has spun off into various directions, one of which is Card Artistry and there are a ton of people, guys and girls who are dominating that arena. Stage magic is seeing a resurgence, and a fresh one. Again, magic is no longer a males only club, Alana from Germany has got one of the best and most original magic acts out there. Illusion Magic is coming back in ways I never expected. Barry and Stuart from England do comedy magic with illusions and stage props and are killing it! Topas from Germany is adding a fresh spin on everything he touches. There are 4 unique touring illusion shows right now. The Illusionists, The Illusionists 2.0, The Illusionists 1903, and Masters of Illusion. Audiences are going nuts over these shows. Standing ovations nightly. I do not think there has been a time in the history of magic when magic was hotter than it is now.

On TV, The Carbenero Effect, Wizard Wars, Penn & Teller Fool-Us, Masters of Illusion, Steve Cohen's History Channel Special Lost Secrets of Magic, and the recent HOUDINI Miniseries. That was just last year! There were even MORE TV Magic Shows in England and Europe! The MAGICIANS was huge show in England, Derren Brown's TV Specials are big hits, Dynamo is a household name in Europe because of his TV show.  I understand there is a lot more magic in the works for 2015.

The Platinum Age of Magic is here my friends. Ride The Wave and let's hope it lasts for a quite a while!

Tomorrow, I will be attending The Illusionists Show at The Kennedy Center, so expect a review in a few days.

Magic Auctions Coming Soon

I just downloaded the catalog for the upcoming Potter & Potter Auction. It's filled with tons of magic apparatus and a great deal of books. As with any auction there are some really cool items in the mix. I'm partial to more of the unusual items and there are more than a few of those. One set of books caught my eye, which includes; Okito on Magic, Our Magic, Sachs Sleight of Hand, NEO Magic and several other books. The starting price is pretty low and I will say, that I paid close to the starting price for a single copy of NeoMagic a few years ago, so this lot is a steal. If you would like to check out a downloadable copy of the catalog or purchase a hard copy edition for yourself, go to
http://www.potterauctions.com/auctions/upcoming

Though it's not an auction, Lupe Nielsen of Nielsen Magic sent out an email a few weeks ago letting people know they were open to finding a buyer for their collection of Magic Posters. They wish to sell the entire collection. So the price is going to be high. But if you are someone with a big bankroll and would like one of the most incredible collections of vintage magic posters on the planet, then by all means contact Lupe. Serious inquiries only please. You can reach Lupe through their website http://nnmagic.com/index.htm

The Magic Detective in 2015

I've gotten a bit overwhelmed with shows and other projects the last couple months so this blog has sadly suffered. But never fear, I've got some cool things in store for 2015. About mid-month in July, I'll be doing an radio interview about Magic History. I'll post more on that as we get closer.

I'm also working to retool the Magic Detective Show on Youtube. First time it aired, I think I got out 6 episodes and then my camera broke. When I returned a year or so later, I changed some things about the content and then, well got busy with other stuff. I'm really having fun with the 'Victorian Magic' from Hoffmann segment, so I think that will be the emphasis going forward. However, I'm also hoping to do a few episodes where I visit different magic collectors and have them demo so of these wonderful gems from yesteryear. I'm still sorting out the different details, but I hope to have it back up and running in January.

The next thing on the agenda is my Houdini Book, which is close to being completed. More info on that once it's ready. Expect a 'March/April' (aka Houdini Birthday) time frame. I have a landing page set up for the book http://houdinimarketingbook.com/   If you're interested you can get on the waiting list and get to read one of the chapters now. (BTW, it's been brought to my attention there are a couple grammatical errors in the text. All will be fixed by the time the book is completed)

OH, AND I think I may be on hot on the trail of some new Daisy White revelations! That just

happened yesterday, so when we return in 2015, I hope I can share that information with you. I know they called Houdini the Elusive American, but that title really belongs to Daisy White! lol

A True Forgotten Illusion

Back in 1998, I purchased an unusual little booklet called Chung Ling Soo's Mechanists -They

Stayed Behind, by Brian McCullagh and Dr. J. Ernest Aldred. It's only 38 pages long and has some interesting photos and information within. The booklet is about two 'mechanists' from the Soo show, Phil Davies and Ernest Aldred, who stayed in Australia after Chung and the rest of the company moved on.

Within the 38 pages is a page on an illusion called The Lantern Illusion. This was created by Soo in 1907 and was also known as the Glass Casket, and also known as The Slave of the Lamp. I still remember reading about this illusion back in 1998, it had left a large impression on me. The illusion seemed incredible. A large 'lantern' made of glass was brought on stage and was proven to be empty. Then a cable was connected to the top and it was lifted off the stage. It was then spun and as it spun in circles the light would catch it and it made an incredible sight to see. Then, suddenly the figure of a woman appears inside the lantern as the cage is spinning. Except, the woman faces forward and does not spin, only the lantern surrounding her spins. Sounds pretty amazing and I sure don't recall seeing anything like this in any show of modern times.

So that brings me to the illustration here of Thurston presenting 'The Whirling Crystal Cage and Mysterious Production'. I had come across this on the internet maybe a year ago and the moment I saw it I remembered the Chung Ling Soo booklet. This must be the spinning lantern trick I had read about years before. Much like a LOT of magic back then, more than one performer was presenting it, sometimes legally, sometimes not. There were two copies made in Australia by Phil Davies. Thurston had a copy, which I assume he got permission to build from Soo. Though, Harry Kellar was known to steal everything, Thurston, as far as I can tell, got permission.

There is one Soo Poster that depicts the illusion. It can be seen in the Gary Frank book Chung Ling Soo the Man Behind the Legend. AND it can be seen in the Todd Karr book, The Silence of Chung Ling Soo, it's poster #36 near the front of the book and there it is called 'The Spinning Cage'.

In the Silence of Chung Ling Soo, Jim Steinmeyer has a short chapter on the illusion. It appears on pages 16-20. Jim describes the method used for the illusion, which I must say is quite elaborate. And he mentions that the illusion must have weighed upwards of 750 lbs. If you add the weight of the assistant, you've got 850lbs. That wouldn't be such a big deal except this big behomoth is spinning in the air!

I so want to see this thing in action!!! But, I don't think that is ever going to happen. It must have been a thing of true beauty. In fact, Percy Abbott, in his biography, A Lifetime of Magic, says this about the illusion, "This was a beautiful and spectacular effect. I can safely say one of the most beautiful I have ever witnessed and, believe me, to make that statement after viewing magic for more than sixty years, is unusual."

Does anyone know if any of the 5 Spinning Cage/Lantern Illusions exist anymore?

The Illusionists Open on Broadway

The ILLUSIONISTS has officially opened on Broadway. It's been a while since a big magic show has been to Broadway. David Copperfield brought is Dreams and Nightmares Show there years ago. And before him Harry Blackstone Jr. brought his show to Broadway. I guess the only one before them was Doug Henning who really started it all. Or more appropriately, Doug Henning restarted it all at the Cort Theatre in NYC with The Magic Show.

But now, rather than one man holding the stage it's Seven! And an interesting mix of magicians it is. The show includes: Kevin James, Dan Sperry, Andrew Basso, Aaron Crow, Jeff Hobson, Adam Trent,  and Yu Ho-Jin. Each has their own particular brand of magic, which is why they are described by titles such as The Inventor, The Manipulator, The Trickster and so forth.

They have been touring the WORLD for quite some time, but this is their first time in the USA. Wonder what New Yorkers think of the show? Read the review below........it's hard to get a better review than that!

http://www.thewrap.com/the-illusionists-theater-review-its-a-magic-show-thats-houdini-times-seven/

The Illusionists go on Tour of the US following the Broadway run. Check out their website for more information on tickets and tour schedule.

What Came Before The Rabbit and Hat?

When lay people think of magicians, one of the first things that comes to mind is the Rabbit and Hat trick. Thanks to John Henry Anderson, the Great Wizard of the North, this effect has become the most iconic image of the magician. It dates to the Victorian era by the way. But there is another creature that has been the magical sidekick to many magicians, probably even before the Rabbit. That creature is the Goldfish.

I am not really certain who produced the first goldfish via magic, but I do know that it was in the act of Robert Houdin in the 1850s. If Houdin had it, then so did John Henry Anderson who got a great deal of his act from duplicating Robert-Houdin's act. Robert Houdin produced a bowl of goldfish. Magicians since that time have created many wonderful illusions with these little guys.

In Vienna Austria, probably slightly before Robert Houdin was Johann Hofzinser who presented a

Fountain of Love

very interesting effect called The Fountain of Love.  It begins with a glass goblet containing some sort of murky dark water apparently from the 'Fountain of Love'. A borrowed ring is tossed into the water to test whether the volunteer who lent the ring has true love, for if he/she does, the water will turn crystal clear. The performer covers the glass goblet with a scarf for a moment and then when it is removed the water can be seen to be clear and there are a a couple goldfish swimming inside the goblet. But the even more amazing part, one of the fish apparently has the ring in it's mouth! A net is used to retrieve the fish and the ring.

Hofzinser continued to develop the trick and eventually developed a slightly different routine he called 'The Ink of the Enamored'. The effect was similar, but the method had been changed.  A very primitive version of the trick is sold as 'Ink to Goldfish' today.

Chung Ling Soo presented an effect called Aerial Fishing where he would take a fishing pole and cast it out over the heads of the audience and a fish would appear on the end of the line. The fish would be reeled in and removed from the line and dropped into a fish bowl. Then the effect was repeated several times. Today, Mac King presents a slightly streamlined and very funny version of this effect.

Jack Gwynne, the illusionist, was known to magically produce a stack of goldfish bowls. This was one of his signature tricks. In fact, this particular trick is so associated with Jack Gwynne, that the Stack of Goldfish Bowl Illusion is actually etched into his tombstone! Jack Gwynne also had a Goldfish bowl illusion where he would produce a woman from a large goldfish bowl.

Maybe the craziest and in some ways coolest fish trick of them all is the Educated Fish by David

Devant. In this particular trick, the Magician has a large bowl of water and fish. On the bottom of the bowl are cards with letters on them. Words are chosen by audience members and written down on a blackboard. The fish them proceed to spell the words! They apparently hit the cards as they swim around and then the proper letters gradually float up to the surface! I told, crazy, but oh so cool.

As mind boggling as the effect seems, the method to produce the illusion is even crazier. Unfortunately, I don't give away magic secrets on this blog, but you may want to check out OUR MAGIC by Maskelyne and Devant  just to discover how the illusion works. To top things off, I had heard someone recreated this trick for one of the magic conferences a few years ago! Wow.

Today, Teller from Penn & Teller, presents a version of Miser's Dream in which coins are produced from a large tank of water. At the end of the routine 100 goldfish are magically produced as well. Interestingly, on page 283 of OUR MAGIC a very similar effect is described in the same article about the Educated Fish. Given that Teller is well known for his knowledge of Magic History, I guess it's possible that this was the source of his inspiration. The routine described in the book is a Misers Dream where the magician produced handfulls of coins and they are dropped into a large glass bowl on stage. It doesn't say if the bowl contained water, nor does it mention anything about a goldfish ending. Those additions are Tellers.

I too have ridden the Magic Goldfish Train. In fact, some of my friends jokingly call me the Goldfish Magician because of the countless number of ways I've developed to magically produce fish. I even do a goldfish routine in my School Assembly Show, but it uses fish images rather than actual goldfish.

David Copperfield has a really interesting goldfish routine where water mysteriously vanishes and the reappears in a glass and then with his barehands he produces a quantity of fish. 

My favorite Goldfish trick by someone other than myself is by Luis DeMatos. The first time I saw his routine I was blown away. I had been working on a similar thing myself but ran into a problem. When I saw his routine he had something unique, a cloth with a large hole in it. This allowed him to reach into the tank while it was covered.  About ten years ago, I emailed Luis and asked for permission to use this same cloth with a hole and he kindly gave me permission. I honestly don't know if he uses that anymore. I know though I used it for a time, I eventually moved onto other ways of producing fish.  But still today, I think Luis's routine is fantastic. The amount of fish that appear is astonishing. It's a beautiful effect and I'm glad he still performs it

I'm currently working on a NEW Goldfish effect for my Steampunk Illusionist Show. I'll post a link to it once it's completed.

Magic Auction A Few Hours Away

November 15th, Haversat & Ewing Galleries will be holding an auction of some really great magic items. There are Houdini items, Blackstone Sr. and Jr. pieces, a Chung Ling Soo Poster, and some Kellar items as well. In addition there are quite a few books and various letters which will be in the auction.

My two favorite items: The Marlin Daily Handcuffs that were once Houdini's and The Stack of Fishbowls.....Ok, I'm an odd one, lol. There are some wonderful pieces in this auction. Good Luck to All the Bidders!

http://www.haversatewing.com/ Auction begins at 11am.

The Old Magic Theatre Has Sold

Well it's official, the Cabot St. Cinema Theatre, which was once home (for 37 years) to the incredible Le Grand David and His Own Spectacular Magic Company has sold. When it was first announced that the theatre was for sale, I must admit I feared for the worst. I was scared that a developer would come in and tear down the old theatre and put up condos. Just one town over, in Salem, there was once a theatre. In fact there is a fairly well known photo of Houdini's props sitting out in front of the Theatre making an incredible display. That theatre was torn down ages ago.

I recently learned that there had been some 20,000 live event theatres back in the heyday of Vaudeville and now about 250 remain. Thankfully, the Cabot will be one of those that stays. Apparently, it was sold to a group of townspeople who plan to turn it into the Cabot Performing Arts Center. BRAVO!!! And they've announced a bit of renovation as well. First up will be installing new seats. Having sat in those Cabot seats many times, I can say, yep, that is needed! I'm not sure what else they plan to do, but I for one am happy the old theatre is staying a theatre!

It reopens Nov 14th, once again showing movies. Soon they'll also be doing live events. Probably no magic shows on the horizon, but with the popularity of the new touring shows, The Illusionists, Masters of Illusion, and others, who knows?!

I will make one suggestion though, if anyone of the new owners cares. You should acquire one of the LGD Original Paintings and permanently mount it in the Lobby. Had it not been for Cesareo and the many many many cast members, and family members who worked on the LGD show, that theatre probably would not be standing today.

By the way, an interesting side note, the Theatre officially sold on Oct 16th, Cesareo's birthday.

The new theatre comes with a new website www.TheCabot.org

The Magic Detective is IN the Linking Ring

Sammy Smith, editor of The Linking Ring, the Official Magazine of the International Brotherhood of Magicians had contacted me back in September and asked if I could write a review of the HOUDINI/History Channel Movie for the magazine. I said, "Sure!". Afterall, I had already written one for my blog. But I wanted to expand on a few things and delve a little deeper into the movie than I had initially done in my blog article.

The article is in the October 2014 issue of The Linking Ring. It's titled "A Magician's Guide to HOUDINI-The MiniSeries." Please check it out if you get a chance. I have had more people contact me regarding that article than just about anything I've written before. It's always nice to hear from people and it's even nicer to know people appreciate what you write.

Blackstone's Elusive Moth Strikes Again!

This past weekend was The 2014 Yankee Gathering in New England. I missed it unfortunately. But thankfully two of my friends who did attend did something rather special. Those two friends are Rory Feldman and Adele Friel Rhindress. Rory is the owner of the Thurston Show...well pretty much. If Thurston were alive and wanted to find some of his show items, chances are Rory has them in his fantastic collection. Adele is a living treasure. She worked on the Blackstone Sr. Show from 1947-1950.

Rory had some silent footage of the Blackstone Show and he video taped Adele watching the footage. She gave a play by play analysis of what was going on and who was in the footage. The one unfortunate part is that it's only 14 minutes long. Once you see it you'll wish it was an hour or more. Adele's recollection of the events is amazing and I love how she describes the various illusions.

Thank You Rory and Adele for this incredible video!