The RETURN of The Magic Detective

 

Well, that headline is a bit deceiving. I am not really returning, as I had never left. But it has been some time since a post or podcast appeared. Life and career seem to get in the way of the Magic Detective activities. Still if you were here in my house, you would think otherwise.

There are 350 books sitting on my desk. About 20 books on the coffee table. 3 books next to my recliner. 5 books next to my bed. The only room that doesn't have books is the kitchen. But the dining room table is also covered in magic books. And the reason for all of these various piles of books, is that every time I sit down, I begin to research something. But as I said, I've also been preoccupied with work. I just came back from performing as The Steampunk Illusionist for a festival in Hannibal MO. I've been working diligently on a new version of my show ASTONIFY, which is a magic show and seance presented virtually. And then I began getting inquiries for Halloween, so I just booked a big gig for the daytime on Halloween, and yet I'm doing Astonify at night. And it looks like the entire week before Halloween is going to be booked. All of those are magic gigs. It leave little time for the Magic Detective.

But fear not! Here is what I'm doing in regards to the podcast. Because I had such trouble keeping consistent with the podcast during Season 3, I'm just starting Season 4 in October. I will begin with Episode 70 covering the life of David Devant. I had so much research material on Devant, that the task became overwhelming. You'd think it would be easier when you have a lot to choose from, but the truth is, I have to constantly remind myself that I'm doing a 30 minute podcast and not writing a novel. I get carried away in the research at times. But I know you'll totally enjoy episode 70 when it comes out.  Later in the month I expect to have at least one Houdini episode and with any luck a third podcast, yet to be decided. 

The blog will feature the transcripts as well as any video that I might do.........and expect to see VIDEO in the coming months!

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Magic History Recollections from Podcast Ep 69

 

So this week, we had a couple birthdays in the magic world. One was my old escape mentor Steve Baker. He passed away a few years ago. The last few years of his life were pretty hard because his health had declined rather rapidly. He always had planned to make a comeback, even at his advanced age. I’m sorry that chance never came. In fact, there is a story about it, that I’ll share one day. But I have a different story to share with you instead.

And also this week was the birthday of Jonathan Pendragon. He is still very much alive, thankfully. And I consider him a mentor of Illusion, even though we have never truly met. I did meet him causally at a magic conference once, but I doubt he recalls. And he did send me a very nice note after I wrote about the Pendragons on my blog, the Magic Detective.com. But beyond that we’ve had no contact. The reason I refer to him as a mentor was because of his writings in Genii Magazine. There were a number of Pendragon issues and those were instrumental in getting me started in the world of grand illusion.

Let me begin however with a funny Steve Baker story. Now Steve was an escape artist and he was also a stunt man, which is not as well known. He had lots of Hollywood connections because of his work as a stunt man. One day, in 1986, he gets a call from a buddy of his who is a tech advisor on the new movie Lethal Weapon. The guy remembered a story Steve had told him about his first encounter with a straitjacket.

The story was this. Steve Baker’s mom worked in healthcare. One day Steve asked if she could  borrow a straitjacket from work. She checked with her employer and sure enough they let her borrow one. Steve was just a teenager at the time. And not well read in the methods of escaping a straitjacket. In Steve’s own words, “I was in my garage with my best buddy, Lee, and he proceeded to strap me into this thing. I was wearing a T-shirt which I later learned was a big mistake.

I twisted and turned and bent my body in ways that I didn't even know were possible. Then I had an idea. If I could shift my body within the jacket it might help me to gain slack and get my arm over my head, then I could get out. My solution, run full speed into the garage wall slamming my shoulder against it.WHAMMO! And OUCH! To make a long story short, I did get out, eventually. With plenty of marks and scrapes from only wearing a t-shirt.”

So back to Steve’s friend from the movie. He asks Steve if he can come in and share that story with the crew. So sure enough he goes on the set and shares the story. Mel Gibson, one of the stars of the movie was not on set that day, but the story gets back to him. He asks Steve if it’s true? And Steve assures him it’s exactly what happened. Then he asks, “did it hurt?” Steve says, YES. Mel Gibson apparently loved the story so much, he incorporated it into a scene in the movie. If you have ever watched the film, there is a scene where Mel Gibson’s character is put in a straitjacket and then slams himself into a filing cabinet in order to get slack to get out, ala the young Steve Baker.

Now, I guess I could share some Pendragon stories, but I’d rather save those for another day. Instead I’d like to give you some tidbits from these Genii articles. The first memory of one has stood out ever since I read about it. I believe it’s also from 1986, and the article by Jonathan was called ‘The Magician Versus the Prop”. He begins by relating a story from his youth. It seems that as a teen, another magician moved into his neighborhood, that would be a very young Harry Anderson. One day, Jonathan was visiting Harry and he noticed a very ornately decorated magic prop on a shelf. Harry asked him what he thought of it, and Jonathan replied, “I think it’s beautiful.” Just then Harry Anderson grabs it out of his hands and threw it across the room. He then looked at a stunned Jonathan and said, “Magic is an art, not a craft!”  I’d say that’s a strong lesson. And I can just imagine how it would send a shiver of pain up the spine of those of us who collect props, LOL. The point was of course, is to not let the prop over shadow the performer. He makes one very poignant statement at the end of the article and said, when a concert pianist is taking his bows, he doesn’t turn and point to his or her piano, lol. Good point.

My favorite Pendragon issue was Jan 1992. The Pendragons are on the cover. And the proceeding articles are fantastic, but one stood out above the others to me. It was simply titled, BOOKS. “If I were stranded on a desert island, what books would I want on Grand Illusion?” NONE, I wouldn’t want any books on Grand Illusion, I would want books on Long Distance Swimming In Ten Easy Lessons!”. Then he gives a list of books for anyone really serious about Grand Illusion. Here is the list (with my own commentary underneath)

1. The Jarret Book by Guy Jarret and Jim Steinmeyer.  To date there are three Jarret books. First is the original that Guy Jarret printed himself. Second is the first version that Jim Steinmeyer put out. Then years later who published The Complete Jarret. These are wonderful books by a complex individual (Jarret) and his unusual way to approaching Grand Illusion. It's hard to dismiss anything here because it all makes so much sense. His Bangkok Bungalow is about as unorthodox an illusion I've ever and yet it's a thing of beauty. His 21 Person Cabinet, proved to be another winner. Doug Henning, Harry Blackstone Jr, and Scott Alexander have all used it for great results. It is a must have for an illusionist.

2.  The Harbin Book. This is the only book on the list that I do not have. Of course it's known for being the book that includes how to build the Zig Zag Illusion. That would be the crowning jewel in the book, but there is much more there. There is something called The Upside DownBox that my friend David Bull built, and what a wonderful mystery that was. I did pick up the books, Harbincadabra and The Genuis of Robert Harbin.

3. ILLUSION SHOW by David Bamberg

Wow, this is David Bamberg's autobiography. He shares stories from his entire life...when he started out as Psyco as a youth, until he became FuManchu. Along the way he encounters many  personalities including: Houdini, Raymond, Chang, Eva Peron, Okito, and many others. It's a must read in my opinion. One of the best books of it's kind and quite an eye opener.

4.  Secrets of My Magic by David Devant

In the Genii article by Jonathan Pendragon, he mentions that he likely has spent more time with this book than all of the others. Why? Well, inside you'll find the Mascot Moth, the Artist's Dream, Biff and other incredible Devant creations. I would add another book along with this one at that would be My Magic Life by David Devant. There is some cross over in material, but it gives a great overview of the mind and magic of Devant. By the way, I recall exactly where I found this book, it was at Barry's Magic Shop in Wheaton MD. I was visiting the shop one day when I noticed stacks and stacks of books behind a counter. I asked Suzie, Barry's wife, if I could look through them and she said yes. I was overwhelmed to find Secrets of My Magic among the stack!

5. Hopkins Magic by Albert Hopkins

I will admit this was one of the tougher books to locate on the list. It was published in 1897. Thankfully, it had been republished several times and I was able to find a copy in excellent condition at a very good price. This book I purchased from Denny & Lee's Magic Studio. I think likely half the books on this list came from Dennys. He had the first magic shop I'd ever seen with a massive amount of books

6. Device & Illusion by Jim Steinmeyer

This book was published in 1991. I'm sad to say when I read over the list originally, I did not know who Jim Steinmeyer was. Suffice to say, I would learn very quickly. I don't recall where I got the book, I may have ordered it direct from Jim. Jonathan points out two effects in the book as being his favorites: Lady in a Puzzle and Small Packages. He also mentions that his small apparatus effects are some of the best in the book. I would agree with that. In regards to illusions, my favorites are Lady in a Puzzle, and Perforation. I own Lady in a Puzzle and it's a fantastic illusion. I used to own Through a One Inch Hole, but I never found it be play as strong as it reads. I can tell you one of the most amazing illusions in the book is a little piece called India Rubber. Honestly, I was not impressed when I read the description. But recently I saw a video of it being presented and it fooled me!!!!  Device and Illusion is a great book for the illusionist.

7. Conjurer's Optical Secrets by S.H. Sharpe

Well, I just realized, I do not have this book on hand. I have Conjurer's Mechanical Secrets, which is brilliant. This is part of a set of books including: Conjurers Psychological Secrets, Conjurers Optical Secrets, and I think there are one or two more. Great reference books for the illusionist. I actually have Optical Secrets, it's just not in with the box of books in my house, it may still be in storage.

8. Modern Illusions by Tom Palmer

Another book that I have in storage but not in front of me. If memory serves this book has the Throne Chair that Lance Burton used in his show that was highly effective. I think Doug Henning also used it in the musical MERLIN on Broadway. Quite a few clever, unique and rarely seen illusions contained in this small volume.

9. The Magic Poster Book by Charles Reynolds and Regina Reynolds

Who has not seen this book??? Filled with large format magic posters from the Golden Age of Magic. Clearly a source of inspiration for any illusionist whether starting out or seasoned pro.

10. TIED FOR 10th Place: OUR MAGIC   &   NEO MAGIC

Our Magic by Maskelyne and Devant is a powerhouse volume. The essay on the different levels of Art is fantastic. The entire book is a must read for the magician who is serious about his/her magical education. 

Next is NEO Magic by S.H. Sharpe. A book filled with theory and the philosophy of magic and performance. At the time I purchased this book, it was the most I'd ever paid for a single book. ( If you have a subscription to Genii or you have access to AskAlexander.com, look up the Jan 1992 issue of Genii and on page 181, you can read Jonathan Pendragon's thoughts on all of the above books)

I would have to agree. In fact, when I read this back in 1992, I set out to find the books, no small task. This was before the days when magic shops were loaded with books. My go to shop was Al’s Magic Shop and though they had books, noe one on this list was to be found there. I did eventually get every book on that list except one, the Harbin book. I did however get other Harbin books, Harbincadabra and the later book The Genius of Robert Harbin. 

And since 1992 there have been quite a few incredible books on Grand Illusion, but this grouping by Jonathan is fantastic.

By the way, one of the stories Jonathan shared in his Genii articles comes to mind. It was when he was working at Hollywood Magic part time. It was the Christmas season, and someone walked into the shop who gave him pause. I should say more accurately he was awed by the gentleman who appeared even bigger in person that he did on the screen, the man was John Wayne. 

Mr. Wayne said he son was interested in magic and could he recommend a stocking stuffer. Jonathan suggested the Cups and Balls and did a demonstration of a simple routine. Wayne was thrilled and said, “I’ll take it, but you have to teach it to me because I don’t want my son fooling me.”  For the next 30 minutes Jonathan taught the Duke how to present the Cups and Balls. I would love to have seen John Wayne present the cups and balls for his family on Christmas morning and then teach it to his son, likely son Ethan. 

But there is more to the story. After John Wayne exited the shop he was walking to his car when

he stopped to let another man pass down the sidewalk in front of him. According to the article, “The other was a young man with long hair tied back  in a pigtail. For a moment the two stood there until the young man gestured for John Wayne to pass first, “Please sir” Wayne dipped his head in a gesture that is familiar to anyone who watches his films. “thank you and Merry Christmas.” Wayne replied. “the same to you Sir.” said the other man who smiled and continued on his way. This was the mid seventies and here were two icons of radically different political beliefs, but this didnt seem to matter much. It was Christmas in Southern California and almost anything can happen.

I like that story because the end reminds me of how divided folks are today and how little kindness and common decency towards each other can go a long way. I”m not getting political it’s just an observation.

The Amazing Long Tack Sam

 

Long Tack Sam was born September 16, 1884 in Northern China. He was born the son of an Imperial Officer in the service of the Emperor (1).

There are conflicting reports of his childhood, so it's hard to know which one is true. One version of the story has a young Sam apprenticing with a Chinese Magician named Wang for six years. After that period of time, Sam had learned two tricks, the Linking Rings and the Rice Bowls. He left there and went out to work as a magician in Shanghai where we eventually joined another performing troupe. Another version of his earlier years has Sam being trained in acrobatic techniques by his brother and Sam eventually running away from home.

Whatever the case, he eventually left China working with a western circus. In time he would become part of The Tan Kwai Troupe and Sam became the director. Later the name would change to ‘The Royal Pekinese Troupe’ but that name was problematic because bookers thought it was a ‘dog act.’ The name of the show would change several times until he finally decided to use Long Tack Sam. Apparently his real name was Lung Te Shan or possibly Lu Te Shen. But he chose Long Tack Sam as his stage name & for his troupe.

His performing troupe was made up of acrobats, jugglers, dancers and he did the magic and also comedy. By all accounts he was a marvelous impressionist and mimic and could apparently copy the dialects of many languages including: Yiddish, French, Italian, German, American, Australian and probably more.

The magic that Sam included in the show consisted of the Burnt & Restored Turban, the Linking Rings, The Needle Swallowing Feat and Rice Bowls. But his stand out trick was one that other 'asian acts' had presented, but not in the dramatic fashion that Sam did. This description is from MAGIC: A Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theatre by David Price, "Long introduced his amazing bowl production. The trick was performed as part of a flip, sometimes called a somersault in the air, and was performed without touching the hands to the floor. After the flip, he had the bowl of water with fish in his hands".

However, a newspaper from the times describes the act as this, "Instead of making a head-roll over before showing the bowl, Long Tack Sam did a hand-spring, which makes and causes the trick to appear to be much more difficult." So perhaps Sam had multiple ways of presenting the trick, but all included some feat of acrobatics just prior to the producing the bowl and it was more dramatic than anyone else who was presenting a bowl production which is why his stood out above all others.

This bowl production trick was the creation of another Chinese Magician and really the first one on the scene, Ching Ling Foo. But other magicians copied the act, some using a stack of bowls instead of one large bowl. No one however did what Sam did.

Again from the book MAGIC by David Price we find this: “In the Long Tack Sam show, each trick, magical or otherwise, was preceded by the sounding of a gong. In the bowl production, six acrobats would perform the flip when the gong was sounded. The Long Tack Sam performed the flip alone, at the conclusion of which it was seen that he was holding a large fishbowl with live goldfish swimming about.”

Houdini invited Long Tack Sam to be a member of the Magician’s Club in England. Houdini was President and I believe Will Goldston was Vice President. Sometime later upon his return to the US. Houdini apparently patented or copyrighted the Needle Trick, thus stopping everyone else from performing it. 

The Needle Trick had been a staple of Long Tack Sam’s show for years, even before he knew Houdini, and now he was restricted from performing it. (2)  

There is a fun story from the biography of David Bamberg, ILLUSION SHOW. He tells a story of a Chinese man coming up to him after his show. The man first asks if he speaks English? And then he goes on to say that a lot of the material in the show appears to be copies of the tricks of the famed OKITO. Then he says, even your colorful banner, which has your name but OKITOS face….He says that though you are very talented, this is the wrong approach. And David Bamberg replies that he agrees for the most part, except the banner was a gift from OKITO and as for the tricks, his father gave him permission to use them. Long Tack Sam, seeming somewhat confused says, “Your father?”. And David says, “Yes, I am David Bamberg and OKITO is my father” And the two men have a hardy laugh. What I love about the story is the ending. The two men, after proper introductions, talked magic and magicians and then Sam spotted David’s Linking Rings. He asked to borrow them and then proceeded to show David Bamberg the most incredible routine with the Linking Rings. He was stunned!

On Sam's first visit to the U.S. his troupe got to open for the Marx Brothers at the Palace Theatre in NYC. Prior to coming to America, Sam had married a woman named Leapoldi or Poldi, from Austria. And he would soon start a family. As WW1 broke out all over Europe, it made travel to Austria impossible. It also made it impossible for his wife and daughters to come to America.

Sam had two daughters, Mina and Nepoldini, who eventually become part of his act in the later years. They went by the stage names Meena and Neesa. Neesa had a special gift of playing the violin that was incorporated into the show. Daughter Meena danced in the show and assisted Sam during his presentation of the Doll's House Illusion where she magically appears from a tiny Doll's House. In 1932, Sam and his daughters performed at the now famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood California.

It’s said that during his career Sam would open bank accounts in a host of different countries. He figured, if something terrible happened anywhere in the world, he would have sufficient funds to carry on. (3)

Sam apparently had a favorite story he would share about a piece of property he owned in Shanghai. It was a theater, and one day he was standing in front of the theater when a Soldier appeared out of no where. The soldier asked Sam, “WHERE IS THE OWNER?”  Sam told him, “UPSTAIRS!”. As the soldier went upstairs to find the owner, Sam ran in the opposite direction and fled the country abandoning his property. (4)

Long Tack Sam and his troupe were extremely successful and quite popular in America, Australia and China. Sam even invested in theatre property in China and two restaurants in London. Eventually, as age creeped up and life on the road got to be too much, Long Tack Sam retired from show business. The first time he was coaxed out of retirement was in 1940 when he performed at the Majestic Theater in Shanghai. Was this the theater he left behind during the earlier Japanese Invasion? We do not know.  He was talked into coming out of retirement by Herman Hanson in 1952 to appear at the Society of American Magicians Convention in Boston. He was on the bill with Frances Ireland, Silent Mora, Dr, Jaks, Jay Marshall and more. . He performed his fish bowl production and gave a lecture at the conference as well. Silent Mora was present at that lecture and said that he was even more astounding during his lecture than his Friday night performance. And it should be noted his Friday night performance brought the house down! (5)

And a few years later in 1958 he did return to the stage for one last benefit show for the Society of American Magicians in NYC. Sam was the Masters of Ceramonies, he was 73 at the time. A few years later, Sam and Poldi were in a car accident. They moved back to Austria to rest and heal. But rather than heal, Sam had more health issues. He died in Linz Austria on August 7, 1961. He and Poldi are both buried there in Linz.

Just to put Long Tack Sam into perspective, Orsen Welles considered Sam one of his mentors. Sam was friends with Dai Vernon, Max Malini, Nate Leipsig, Silent Mora, Houdini and basically all the popular magicians of his time. The legendary comedian George Burns said of Long Tack Sam, "The Greatest Vaudeville Act I'd ever seen."

On the DVD 'The Greater Magic Video Library Volume 29 with Charlie Miller and Johnny Thompson', Charlie Miller demonstrates the Chinese version of the Cups and Balls that he learned from Long Tack Sam himself. One of the moves appears to be the exact move that makes up one of the key elements to the Roy Benson, Benson Bowl Routine.

Finally, the DVD documentary The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam is a must watch. It's produced, directed, narrated

and stars his great granddaughter Ann Marie Fleming. It is so rich with magic history and yet tells a wonderful story of her family ancestry and contains some elements that are heart breaking and some very joyous moments as well. It's amazing that Ms. Fleming made the documentary when she did because all of the magic people interviewed in the film: John Booth, Elaine Lund, Jay Marshall and Jackie Flosso are all now gone.

I've seen the documentary numerous times and enjoy every viewing. I only wish there were more documentaries like this on our brothers and sisters in the magic world. We owe a huge thank you to Ms. Ann Marie Fleming for the wonderful job she did to bring her Great Grandfathers story back to the masses where it belongs.

BTW, Ann Marie mentions something in the documentary that I am familiar with. She ponders the notion of why his family had forgotten about him, why he was forgotten by the public, whether it was a cultural thing, or what exactly it was. I can’t answer the WHY, but I can tell you the exact same thing happened in my own family. My parents knew nothing about their great grandparents, nothing was ever said. It was a big mystery. And then I began to research the ancestry and found there was a huge side of my family that no one knew existed! It’s as if families just move on, live THEIR lives and don’t look much at the past. I think it was likely the same with Sam and his descendants. Then it takes someone willing to dig, to discover what mysteries were left behind.

For those interested in seeing the documentary, I will put a link in the podcast Episode description.

To hear the podcast https://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/ep-68-the-world-renown-long-tack-sam/

HOW to see the film

https://www.nfb.ca/film/the_magical_life_of_long_tack_sam/

1. Magic - A Pictorial History of Conjuring in the Theatre by David Price pg 529

2.   The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam Documentary by Ann Marie Fleming

3.   The Illustrated History of Magic by Milbourne Christopher

4.   Magic by David Price

5.   Silent Mora by William Rauscher

Parts of this article appeared in a previous blog post from 2012.