Mum, 08 2014

AUGUST 2014
MANON RODRIGUEZ
THE WEARER OF
MANY HATS
Page 36
MAGIC - UNITY - MIGHT

Editor
Michael Close
Editor Emeritus
David Goodsell
Associate Editor
W.S. Duncan
Proofreader & Copy Editor
Lindsay Smith
Art Director
Lisa Close
Publisher
Society of American Magicians,

18915 East Briargate Lane, #1F
Parker, CO 80134
Copyright 2014
Subscription is through membership
in the Society and annual dues of $65, of
which $40 is for 12 issues of M-U-M.
All inquiries concerning membership, change
of address, and missing or replacement issues
should be addressed to:
Manon Rodriguez, National Administrator
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manon@magic.bz
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Phone: 303-362-0575
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Editorial contributions and correspondence
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4 M-U-M Magazine - August 2014
M-U-M
August 2014
MAGAZINE
Volume 104 Number 3
10
Photo by Dale Farris
S.A.M. NEWS
Cover
Story
PAGE 36
6
8
10
11
22
35
69
From the Editors Desk

From the Presidents Desk
Newsworthy
M-U-M Assembly News
Broken Wands
Good Cheer List
Our Advertisers
Poster Image by Bruce Kalver
THIS MONTHs FEATURES

24
26
28
30
32
34
36
41
42
46
48
50
54
58
60
68
69
70
70
I Left My Cards at Home by Steve Marshall

Blast from the Past
Nielsen Gallery by Tom Ewing
Illusions of Grandeur by David Seebach
Cheats and Deceptions by Antonio M. Cabral
Hit the Road by Scott Alexander
COVER STORY by Mark Weidhaas
Tech Tricks by Bruce Kalver
Combined Convention Photos
Not Just Kid Stuff by Jim Kleefeld
The High Road by Mick Ayres
For Your Consideration by George Parker
Ebook Nook: The Card Magic of Nick Trost
Messing with Your Mind by Christopher Carter
Informed Opinion New Product Reviews
Salon de Magie by Ken Klosterman
Inside Straight by Norman Beck
The Deans Diary by George Schindler
Basil the Baffling by Alan Wassilak
28
42
46
Cover Photo by Lisa Close

M-U-M (ISSN 00475300 USPS 323580) is published monthly for $40 per year by The Society of American Magicians,
6838 N. Alpine Dr., Parker, CO 80134 . Periodical postage paid at Parker, CO and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to M-U-M, c/o Manon Rodriguez, P.O. Box 505, Parker, CO 80134.
August 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 5
Photo by fivebyphotography.com
Editors Desk
Michael Close
In any organization, there are people who work behind the
scenes, communicating with members and officers, and keeping
track of the daily minutia that allows things to run smoothly.
In The Society of American Magicians, National Administrator Manon Rodriguez is one such person. As the cover photo
suggests, Manon wears many hats; she is the go-to woman for just
about any situation that arises, and she handles these events with
grace and good humor. The thing most members dont understand
about Manon is how to pronounce her name; its Man-oh, with
the emphasis on the first syllable. As youll learn in PNP Mark
Weidhaass article on page 36, Manon is also a very successful
businesswoman who (along with husband, PNP Dan Rodriguez)
has raised four talented children.
Lisa, Ava, and I attended the combined I.B.M./S.A.M.
combined convention last month, and it was quite a gathering, with
more than 1,300 magicians attending. For me, the problem with a
large convention like this is that I see more friends than I have
time to adequately visit with. But it was really great to reconnect
with old pals Lupe Nielsen, Dustin Stinnett, Seth Kramer, Joe
Stevens, Christian Painter and Katalina, Christian Engblom,
Danny Archer, Sandy and Susan Marshall, Lindsay Smith, Tom
Ewing, and others too numerous to mention here.
One person whose work schedule kept him from attending was
Mick Ayres, who received the Leslie Guest Award for Literary Excellence for his continuing column, The High Road. Every month
I find something of interest in Micks column; in fact, I perform
two of his effects all the time. If you have overlooked his articles,
go back and check them out. Youll be a better magician for doing
so. Congratulations, Mick.
This month youll find photos from the first two days of the
convention. More photos will follow in the September issue.
Contests were a big part of the combined convention, but
because three different organizations (I.B.M., S.A.M., FISM)
were judging the acts at the same time, the announced results were
a bit confusing (even for those who attended all the contests and
the awards ceremony). I asked S.A.M. contest chairman Vinny
Grosso to clarify the proceedings. Here are his comments and the
contest results:
Confused about the contest at the combined I.B.M./S.A.M.
convention? You are not alone. If you went to all six contest shows
you witnessed a FISM North American Championship, a Peoples
Choice Award voting, an I.B.M. contest and an S.A.M. contest.
This was much different than in 2008, when there was no affiliation with FISM at the combined convention. It was also a different
situation than that in 2011 when the S.A.M. hosted the first FISM
North American Championships.
The key element that had to be dealt with was that the I.B.M.
and the S.A.M. have members from all over the world; consequently, their contests are open to all of their members. FISM has
created continental championships where only residents of those
continents are eligible to participate. The combined convention
organizers wanted to preserve the I.B.M. and S.A.M. contests,
making sure they were open to all members, while also hosting
the FISM North American Championships.
The end result was that four preliminary contest shows (three
stage performances and one close-up performance) of nearly
sixty contestants were judged by a FISM panel using FISM
criteria. These contests produced two results: the North American
Champions, in both stage and close-up, as well as which contestants (North American) would receive an invitation to compete at
FISM. They were:
Stage 2014 North American Champions Trevor & Lorena
Watters (Canada), Christian & Katalina (USA), Trent James
(USA), the Reed Sisters (USA), Trigg Watson (USA), and Tim
Wright (USA)
Close-up 2014 North American Champion Shin Lim
(Canada), Michael Dardant (USA), Hannibal (USA), Alberto
Lorenzo (USA), and Reuben Moreland (USA)
The FISM contest fee (but not the registration fee) is waived for
the people getting invites to FISM.There were nine stage slots and
six close-up slots available. Contestants had to meet a minimum
score to be eligible. Four stage slots and one close-up slot were left
unfilled.
The FISM panel of judges was also responsible for selecting
the seven highest-scoring contestants in both stage and close-up
(regardless of their country of origin) for the two contest finals
shows. They were:
Stage Cheol-Seong Choi (S. Korea), DenDen (Japan),
PoCheng Lai (Taiwan), Hun Lee (S. Korea), Natalie & Eli (Switzerland), Sheldon Wang (China), Trevor & Lorena Watters (Canada)
Close-up Martin Braessas (Argentina), Michael Dardant
(USA), Hannibal (USA), Shin Lim (Canada), Alberto Lorenzo
(USA), Reuben Moreland (USA), Seol Park (S. Korea)
The finals were, in effect, both an I.B.M. and an S.A.M. contest.
Each organization had its own panel of judges and each gave out
its own awards. The convention also sponsored a Peoples Choice
award for the two finals show. The I.B.M., S.A.M., and Peoples
Choice produced some different results.
Peoples Choice Awards: Close-up Shin Lim (Canada), Stage
Hun Lee (S. Korea)
I.B.M. Awards: Close Up 1st Place ($2,000) Michael Dardant
(USA), 2nd Place ($500) Alberto Lorenzo (USA); Stage 1st Place
($2,000) Hun Lee (S. Korea), 2nd Place ($500) DenDen (Japan).
The I.B.M. did not award their highest honors, finding no one had
met their criteria.
S.A.M. Awards: Close-up High Score ($2,000) and Award of
Merit Silver Medal ($500) Seol Park (S. Korea), 2nd High Score
($500) Reuben Moreland (USA); Stage High Score ($2,000) and
Award of Honor Gold Medal ($3,000) DenDen (Japan), 2nd High
Score ($500) and Award of Merit Silver Medal ($500) Hun Lee (S.
Korea). The Originality Award was also presented to Hun Lee.
The S.A.M. gave DenDen from Japan the Gold Medal Award
of Honor. This is only the second time a gold medal has been
awarded for stage. The previous recipient was George Saterial in
1999. The gold medal has been awarded twice in Close-up: Johnny
Ace Palmer in 1988 and Eric DeCamps in 1995. This makes the
gold medal winners part of a very exclusive club. There was an
expert panel of judges for the S.A.M. Stage Contest: Stan Allen,
David Kaye, Casa Kim (the Korean College of Magic), Tina Lenert,
and Brian South. DenDens act is unique and expertly performed.
It was the belief of the panel that its destined to be a classic in
magic.
Presidents Desk
Kenrick "ICE" McDonald
Thank you for all of your support this year by attending the
I.B.M./S.AM. combined convention. Led by the combined cochairmen and their committees, the convention was a wonderful
experience. Moving a crowd of approximately 1,300 attendees
from place to place was done with precision, and I congratulate
you. A special thanks to Randy Kalin and his team for assisting
with the transportation to and from the airport, as well as other
destinations throughout the city.
I was extremely proud of the turnout of the young artists
who attended; your presence didnt go unnoticed. I would like
to encourage all of you to keep watching the Society for new and
exciting programs for young artists. Stay tuned for more convention coverage next month.
As I mentioned in earlier articles, this is the Year of the
S.A.M.Members. I am giving members the opportunity to
let us know their issues and concerns regarding The Society of
American Magicians. During the next three months, starting
this month (August), I want to hear from you. The objective of
this campaign is to come up with ways to improve local assemblies, regional outreach, and the connection between the national
council and its members. Due to the number of members in the
Society, I ask that everyone limit their comments to a small
paragraph. Please do not write a book; it will not get read. I ask
that you respect the process, while letting us know whats on your
mind. The national council will list the issues submitted and will
figure out, based on the list, how to address said issue, or whether
or not to address the issue. However, if this is going to work, there
are some rules that must be followed:
1. Do not address any issues that dont directly involve you or
that you do not have firsthand knowledge of no hearsay.
2. Do not address personal issues that have nothing to do with
the Society.
3. Do not be mean spirited or use any blue language. If we
receive any comments that contain any such language, your
comments will not be considered.
4. Comments sent in anonymously will not be addressed.
You must include your full name, membership number, your
assembly number, andbe a member in good standing.
Please send your comments tome at ice@magicsam.com.
I am pleased to announce a new achievement award that
goes along with one of my themes for this year, Honoring our
Members. The award will highlight and honor individual S.A.M.
members and their achievements. The regional vice presidents
will select and submit an individual from an assembly in his/her
region. I will award that individual with a Presidential Certificate,
the second highest award given by the S.A.M.s national president.
In extraordinary cases, a Presidential Citation, the highest award
given by the S.A.M.s national president, can be requested by
the regional vice president. This award will bear the presidential
signature and seal. The regional vice president will also sign it
and arrange for it to be awarded to the member. Each month the
honorees will be highlighted in M-U-M.
The Society of American Magicians has launched an official
Facebook page that is exclusively for the members. Yes, there
are a couple of Facebook pages out there; this one is called The
Official S.A.M Members Facebook Page. This page is designed
to get the latest official information from the national council to
its members, facilitate member-to-member communication, and
to be a direct line from members to the national council. Only
members in good standing will be allowed to post and receive
messages. There will be guidelines that are consistent with the
standards of the S.A.M.
THE PRESIDENTS GOOD WILL

PERFORMERS OF THE MONTH:
Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich, for the unselfish care and
upkeep of Houdini gravesite.
On September 27, 2011,
Dick Brookz and Dorothy
Dietrich, owners of the
Houdini Museum in Scranton,
Pennsylvania, replaced the
bust of Houdini at the Houdini
gravesite, at their own
expense. It had been destroyed
by vandals a few years earlier.
Dick and Dorothy have invested quite a bit of their time and money
into maintaining the gravesite for the past several years. During
the S.A.M. national council meeting held in Boca Raton, Florida,
in November of 2014, the Society unanimously voted to approve
a motion for the S.A.M. to take over care and maintenance of the
gravesite. We are currently looking into repairs needed to restore
the gravesite. We would like to thank Dick and Dorothy for all the
time, work, and money they have contributed to this effort.
THE PRESIDENTS YOUNG MAGICAL ARTIST

OF THE MONTH:
Harrison Lampert
Harrison
Lampert
has
been
performing magic for the past
fourteen years. Starting
in the Society of Young
Magicians, he is now a
life member of the S.A.M.
Harrison has competed
in some national conventions and was given the
opportunity to judge one
of them. He graduated
from Temple University
with a BA in theater, and performed in various plays and comedy
S.A.M. National Officers

Dean: George Schindler, 1735 East 26th St.,
Brooklyn, NY 11229, (718) 336-0605, Fax (718)
627-1397, showbiz10@aol.com
President: Kenrick ICE McDonald, P.O. Box
341034, Los Angeles, CA 90034,
(310) 559-8968, ICE@MagicSam.com
President Elect: David Bowers,
(717) 414-7574, David@MagicSam.com
First Vice President: Jeffrey Sikora, (402) 3396726 Jeff@MagicSam.com
Second Vice President: Richard Bowman, 719527-0678, Professor1@higginsmagic.com
Secretary: Marlene Clark, 274 Church Street,
#6B, Guilford, CT 06437, (203) 689-5730,
Skype: marlene.clark, Marlene@MagicSam.com
Treasurer: Eric Lampert, (215) 939-5555,
Eric@MagicSam.com
Regional Vice Presidents

New England: CT MA RI NH ME VT
Thomas D. Gentile, 413-533-7653,
tdgmagic@gmail.com
North Atlantic: NY NJ
Eric DeCamps, (718) 896-5861,
rvpnorthatlantic@MagicSam.com
Mid Atlantic: PA DE MD VAWV DC
Arlen Z. Solomon, 215-443-7908,
sam4Arlen@aol.com
South Atlantic: FL AL GA MS NC SC
James M. Driscoll, 770-603-9266,
jim.driscoll@gmail.com
Central Plains: KY TN OH IN MI
Steven A. Spence, (317) 722-0429
rvpcentralplains@MagicSam.com
Midwest: IL MN WI MO ND NE KS SD IA
Shaun Rivera, (618) 781-8621
rvpmidwest@MagicSam.com
South Central States: TX AR OK NM LA
Michael Tallon, (210) 341-6959
rvpsouthcentral@MagicSam.com
Southwest: CA AZ NV HI
Ron Ishimaru, (808) 428-6019,
rvpsouthwest@MagicSam.com
Northwest: WA OR UT ID CO AK WY MT
James Russell, (360) 682-6648
rvpnorthwest@MagicSam.com
Canada: Lon F. Mandrake, 604-591-5839,
lon@lonmandrake.com
Society of Young Magicians Director:
Jann Wherry Goodsell, 329 West 1750 North,
Orem, Utah 84057 (801) 376-0353.
bravesjann@comcast.net
clubs in Philadelphia. He moved to Los Angeles, where he was cast in The Incredible
Burt Wonderstone. Harrison was also accepted into the Groundlings School, where he
has been studying improvisational and sketch comedy for the past four years. Along
with studying at The Groundlings, he has also performed in several improv shows
there, including his own stand-up, sketch, and magic show that he wrote, directed,
and performed. He is proud to say that he has the longest titled show in Hollywood
and possibly all of Los Angeles. He has also been writing and producing his own short
sketches, one of which, The Legends of the Hidden Temple movie, was featured on the
Entertainment Weekly website. Magic has always been a part of his life; he has been
able to pull from it and incorporate it into his comedy. He used his magic background
to make the very popular Magician vs. Wild sketch.
Living Past
National Presidents
Bradley M. Jacobs, Richard L. Gustafson, Roy A.
Snyder, Bruce W. Fletcher, James E.
Zachary, David R. Goodsell, Fr. Cyprian Murray,
Michael D. Douglass, George Schindler, Dan
Rodriguez, Dan Garrett, Donald F. Oltz Jr., Craig
Dickson, Loren C. Lind, Gary D. Hughes, Harry
Monti, Jann Wherry Goodsell, Warren J. Kaps,
Ed Thomas, Jay Gorham, John Apperson, Richard
M. Dooley, Andy Dallas, Maria Ibez, Bruce
Kalver, Mike Miller, Mark Weidhaas, Vinny
Grosso, J. Christopher Bontjes, Dal Sanders
Newsworthy
2014 Milbourne Christopher Awards
I.B.M./S.A.M. Banquet, Friday, July 4th
The Milbourne Christopher Foundation was established to encourage excellence, originality, and leadership in the magical arts and to help keep conjuring on a
level with the other most popular entertainment forms
dance, drama, comedy, and music. Headquartered
in New York City, the foundation sponsors the annual
Milbourne Christopher Awards to spotlight the best
magic has to offer contemporaneously in performing,
writing, publishing, and invention.
Milbourne Christopher, author or editor of more
than twenty books on magic and extra-sensory perception, was named national president in 1957-58, after a
term as head of the New York Parent Assembly 1. He
created and starred in the first prime time network
television magic, which aired on NBC and on European
Updates From Our

S.A.M. Members
networks in 1957. Earlier, in 1951, he revived M-U-M as a

separate publication and edited it for five years. Christopher died in 1984 at the age of seventy.
The Christopher Foundation award winners are
selected by a panel of judges comprised of leaders from
the magic community. William V. Rauscher functions
as chair. Other judges include Thomas A. Ewing,
Raymond J. Goulet, Tony Clark, and Michael Miller.
Winners
Illusionist Award Alex Ramon
Mentalist Award Joseph Curcillo
Close-up Award Dani DaOrtiz
Visual Magic Art Award Rick Heath
Masters Award Dale Salwak
Literary Award Jim Steinmeyer
Lifetime Achievement Award Stan Kramien
Willam Rauscher with award winners.

Top row: Alex Ramon, Joseph Curcillo,
Dani DaOrtiz. Middle Row: Rick
Heath, Dale Salwak, Jim Steinmeyer.
Left: Christopher Award Winners
(absent - Stan Kramien)
Photos by Dale Farris
ASSEMBLY NEWS
August 2014
Volume 104, Number 3
Society of American Magicians Monthly News

GO TO: WWW.MUM-MAGAZINE.COM
and use the easy submission form to file your report
2
FINISH CLEAN
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Tonights lively teach-in, taught by
Corky LaVallee, revealed several
versions of the Ambitious Card
routine. First he demonstrated the
simplest method using a double
lift. Next, Corky caused a signed
card to appear on top of the deck.
He then applied a triple lift for a
more sophisticated method. Yes,
its all about method.
Tonights theme centered on
laundry. What kind of magic can
be performed with this theme
and its many byways? Besides
laundry soap and cloth, rope can
be used and even coins, which
of course are needed at the laundromat. Rich Seguine provided
humor with a bubble-blowing
act. Rich then followed with more
serious magic Tommy Wonders
excellent Rubicks Card effect.
Hippo Lau, assisted by Nathan
Ng, staged a selected, signed card
effect. After the card was replaced
in the deck, it disappeared from
the deck and was discovered in a
laundry soap box with the phrase
finish clean printed on it. With
a white handkerchief Stu Bacon
exposed the secret of a left-handed hanky that required a special
method to tie a knot in it. Rob
Shapiro entertained with his white
and red ropes routine. Tying a knot
in the white rope, he caused the
white knot to move to the red rope,
whereupon the knotted segment
of the red rope became white.
Nathan presented his superb
memorized card effect. Stu and
Rich assisted by selecting cards.
First Nathan spread the deck face
up and memorized the sequence
of cards. Then Stus card was
replaced in the deck, and Nathan
identified it. Rich followed by
selecting a card and then replacing
it in the deck before the deck
was spread face up. The mage
easily recognized Richs card.
Corky returned to stage his
laundry theme effect. Displaying
a stack of glasses, he poured clear
water into the top glass. Once the
water reached the bottom glass,
the liquid had become yellow. The
liquid in the glass above was green
and red in the next glass above.

Corky utilized the red liquid as a
dye and dyed a white cloth white
and then changed it into blue. John
Caris, assisted by Rob, performed
John Scarnes Six Cent effect.
John divined which of Robs
hands held a penny and which
a nickel. Mary Caris enjoyed
the evenings show and assisted
with the cookie vanishing act.
John Caris
Golden Gate Assembly 2 meets
first Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at
Community Room of Taraval
Police Station, 2345 24th Avenue,
San Francisco. Contact Corky
LaVallee crl27@cornell.edu (415)
648-1382 https://www.facebook.
com/groups/249018441875771/ for
more details.
LECTURE ON THE HISTORY

OF MAGIC IN
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA, PA Our
May meeting featured two
practical workshops on paper
money magic and rope miracles
in addition to a most informative
and entertaining lecture on The
History of Magic in Philadelphia
George Hample started things
off with a hands-on workshop on
paper money magic during which
he taught the handling of many
fine effects including his very own
Counterfeit Bill Effect as well as
Beswitched. Across the way from
George, Charles Murter presented
a fine workshop on rope magic
during which he taught a number
of variations on The Professors
Nightmare as well as the Block on
Cord effect.
Following
these
excellent
workshops,
National
SAM
Historian Tom Ewing brought the
History of Magic in Philadelphia
alive through a lively presentation
which incorporated a slideshow,
vintage photographs, theatre
programs and even actual effects
created right here in the City of
Brotherly Love. Tom shared with
us the history of the Yogi Club
and the Houdini Club as well as
the origin of SAM Assembly 4
which was named after Philadelphia Patent Attorney Charles Wo-
Our Very Own Elusive

Moth, Adele Friel
Rhindress, performing
with Harry Blackstone,
Sr.
bensmith who was a close friend
of Germantown native Walter
Gibson. Tom also discussed the
numerous magic shops to which
the city was once home, Houdinis
use of the city to expose false
mediums, and Assembly 4s
1938 Banquet honoring Thurston
which was attended by not only
Thurston, but also Walter Gibson
and Harry Blackstone, Sr. Tom
explained how much Harry Blackstone, Sr. enjoyed performing in
Philadelphia annually through
the 1950s and how our very own
Adele Friel Rhindress joined his
act for the very first time here in
the city on October 6, 1947, at the
Walnut Street Theatre. Adele, who
was present for the lecture and
who is beloved by all, rose to her
feet in recognition and was given
a rousing round of applause. It was
a great evening which we ended
as we typically do by visiting our
favorite local diner where the fun
continued. Peter S. Cuddihy
Assembly 4 meets the third
Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the
Bustleton Memorial Post, 810
(American Legion) 9151 Old
Newtown Road Contact www.
sam4.org/ for more details.
MAGICAL DOINGS IN JUNE
BALTIMORE, MD New
member Mike Parkinson was
welcomed into the assembly and
duly invested with his S.A.M.
accoutrements. After briefly

discussing a possible future
lecture, it was on to magic. Peter
Wood, declaring himself a 33%
mentalist, went on to divine
three different cards thought of
by three different spectators from
three different decks. It looked
like 100% mentalism to us. Guest
Charles Covington showed us
a little something with coins,
passing silver dollars one by one
through a small ceramic cup with
an even smaller bottom hole. He
then did a fine bare-handed Coins
Across. Mentalist Oneil Banks,
pointing out that ESP cards can
look more impressive to a lay
audience than regular cards, went
on to predict all five selected by a
spectator.
Joe Bruno performed a comic
four-card You Do As I Do that
Baltimores Frank Thompson
used to drive people nuts with
(in Junes M-U-M, p. 50). He
followed with another puzzling
card effect and graciously tipped
both. Tony Anastasi showed
how to make a mental trick out
of an all-backs deck (and used a
rarely seen paddle move with a
card). Jarod Raitsky brought out
a deck of cards so ancient looking
we were all afraid to touch it. But
it was a new deck printed to look
old, and he went on to reveal all
three of his volunteers cards. Jeff
Eline put the four Queens to work
Ralph Fowler performing

his famous hand-produced
Haunted Matchboxes
to find his spectators card. He
then showed some well-practiced
silver dollar work with the set he
purchased at last months Mark
Mason lecture. Mark Wolfire
sawed a joker in half and
Assembly News
restored it backwards, while we all
provided musical accompaniment
to We Will Rock You, certainly
one of the weirder moments of
the evening (Axel Hecklaus One:
Twist). Howard Katz had his
spectator cover a spread of cards
with a close-up mat (this is better
if you cant see it ... like most of
my magic), then ascertained the
spectators selection with his back
turned. Jay Silverman had four
different volunteers shuffle five
cards each, then merely think of
one. Collecting the cards and
shuffling them, he then divined
each thought-of card (an oldie, a
Paul Fox effect?). Ralph Fowler
closed the evening with his wellknown home-made Haunted
Matchboxes. Eric Hoffman
The Kellar/Thurston Assembly
6 meets every first Thursday at
8:00 pm at the Magic Warehouse,
11419 Cronridge Drive suite #10
in Owings Mills, Maryland. 410561-0777. Contact Andy London
alondon@comcast.net
www.
baltimoresam.com
for
more
details.
JUST WHAT I NEED!
OMAHA, NE The June

meeting of the Omaha Magical
Society was our annual garage
sale. This year was a veritable
smorgasbord of items, ranging
from DVDs, books, and close-up
effects to a hand chopper and
some other stage effects. In all,
tables were set up by six magicians
in what I sometimes I consider a
magic exchange. Lets see who
is no longer doing what. After
about an hour and a half of negotiating, the dealers closed up
shop. Perhaps someone bought an
Seller Bob Buczkowski with

buyer Noah Ryan and
Dave Arch
item to be used at our next meeting,
which is themed close-up magic.
The Omaha Magical Society
has been fortunate to have a large
donation from the estate of local
magician Warren Mattes that has
been used to generate income and
provide incentives for prospective performers at meetings. This
collection of goodies has been

further enhanced through the
generosity of Dave Arch, who has
donated magic that he no longer
uses. Were hoping that prudent
use of these items will expand the
talents of Omaha Magical Society
members. Jerry Golmanavich
Omaha Magical Society meets
usually every third Monday at 7
p.m. at the Southwest Church of
Christ near 124th St. and West
Center Road, right across from
where Hooters used to be. Contact
jerry golmanavich golubki@
cox.net (402) 390-9834 for more
details.
13
A GREAT NIGHT OF MAGIC

INCLUDES A BASEBALL
TRICK
DALLAS, TX President Frank

Seltzer called Assembly 13 to
order and initiated the business
portion of the meeting. Soon after
business was finished, the nights
performances began with Doc
Grimes asking Fran Hatzenbuhler
to remove eight cards from the
deck and to pick one. Frans card
was returned the middle of the
packet and Doc split the packet
into two groups of four cards. John
Hatzenbuhler confirmed that the
selected card was in the packet.
Then Fran invisibly pulled her
card from Johns grasp. In the
end, Frans card was magically
removed from Johns packet,
which now contained three cards.
Ian Richards performed another
card trick by asking Geoff Grimes
to select a card. Doc selected a
card and returned it to the middle
of a half face-up/half face-down
deck. Ian then split the deck
and shuffled; all the cards were
now facing the same direction.
After instructing, Doc waved
his hands over the deck and all
cards appeared face up with the
exception of Docs.
Diamond Jim Tyler performed a
numerology routine. Mike Blum
was given a grid of numbers and
instructed to circle one number
and cross out the other numbers
in the row and column. This was
repeated this until all the numbers
were either selected or crossed
off. Mikes final selection equaled
thirty-four. Meanwhile, Diamond
Jim made his own predictive
magic square whereby summing
a variety of patterned quadrants
also equaled Mikes freely-selected sum of thirty-four. Finally,
Diamond Jim asked everyone
who was the most famous player
of the Texas Rangers. The group
responded unanimously that it was
indeed Nolan Ryan. Jim removed
his outer shirt to display a Rangers
baseball shirt, proudly displaying the name and number (34) of
Diamond Jim Tyler shows

Mike Blum some Numerology
Nolan Ryan on the back.
George Ferrin followed with
card mentalism and Ian Richards
supplied his own deck of cards
for the trick. Ian split the cards
into four piles and selected a pile
and thought of a card from his
pile. After instructing Ian to deal,
count, and cut the cards, George
correctly revealed to Ian and
everyone else that the chosen card
was of the Seven of Spades.
Wrapping up the evenings performances, Derrel Allen signaled a
heart-shape with his hands toward
club member favorite Fran Hatzenbuhler and then he proceeded
to produce coins from the heart.
The Scribe of the Scroll
The Dallas Magic Clubs is S.A.M.
Assembly 13, chartered on
October 4, 1924 by MI President
Harry Houdini. Meetings are held
the third Tuesday of each month
at 7:00 pm at Theater 166, 2425
Parker Road, Carrollton, Texas
75010. Contact Dal Sanders dal@
magicsam.com (214) 902-9200
www.dallasmagic.org for more
details.
17
LAST MEETING BEFORE

THE SUMMER
SPRINGFIELD, MA Our
June meeting is our last before
September rolls back around, but
more important, it was our last
with Bob Carroll in town. Bob and
his wife Deb are packing up and
heading to California. Were all
sad to see them go, but wish them
all the best as they start this new
chapter of their lives.
Tonights theme was parlor
magic,
so
naturally
there
were a lot of card tricks.
Tom Gentile started us off by
having a card selected and remembered. He then donned a metalmind-reading cap with a phone
attached, and had the person who
selected the card mentally send
him the identity of the pasteboard.
A third person, on the other end of
the phone, then correctly named
the card. Rich Pinsonnault was
next with a production of coins
from within a handkerchief
clean, clear magic at its best.

Peter Lennis shared a four-Ace
production that he came up with
(working title: Aces), in which
the Aces were placed in separate
spots in the deck by a volunteer,
yet without any visible movement
on Peters part, they collected
together again. This was very
direct and baffling, a wonderful
new idea. Dillon performed
Dazzling Diamond, a close-up
version of Tenyos Whats Next.
Basically, a card was selected and
another card was shown to be a
prediction of what the selected
card would be. As Dillon rotated
the single prediction card, it kept
changing to different predictions until it finally matched. Jeff
Pyzocha performed Tenyos Tower
of Dice, a baffling little illusion. PJ
Pinsonnault performed a multiphase routine in which coincidences seemed to happen over and
over.
Bob Carroll and his

Farewell Cake
Eddie Kazar, current holder
of the prestigious (and self-proclaimed) title of Worst Magician
in the World, read the minds of
several people and was able to
tell them where they would most
like to visit in the world. Finally,
Leonard Nadeau performed a trick
he learned from the late, great
Aldo Colombini in which ropes
penetrate each other and link at
the middles as they pass under a
napkin. Karen Gibson
Dr. I.R. Calkins Assembly 17
meets the first Friday of every
month at 7 pm at RP Magic Shop/
Moto X Equipment; 69 East Street,
Ludlow, MA. Contact Rich Gilbert
rgilbertmagic@yahoo.com (413)
210-5725 www.assembly17.org for
more details.
19
HOT MAGIC IN HOUSTON
HOUSTON, TX The temperatures are rising in Houston along

with some of the hottest magic
you will find. We have Michael
Dardant lecturing on June 10 and
then Daryl will be here on July
8. Scott Wells keeps the great
lectures coming our way. Our
annual BBQ picnic was a great
Assembly News
success with good attendance at 8:00 pm. Contact Miles
along with fun magic as well.
Root milesroot@aol.com (281)
Our performances began with 334-7508 houstonmagic.com for
Marti Stein, who simply removed more details.
a full-sized shovel from a rather
average-sized paper bag. The
shovel looked pretty good from
BACK-TO-BACK
my front row seat as well.
LECTURES
Rick Hebert had a deck thoroughly shuffled and mixed several WEST HARTFORD, CT Our
times before he mixed it again and May and June meetings saw backthen restored it instantly. Two to-back lecturers.
fairly selected cards were then lost
In May, Kent Axell presented his
in the deck and amazingly found Things to Consider lecture, with
by Rick. He was looking for a focus on mentalism. Some of
feedback on this one, and several his key concepts included;Brutal
of us gave him some positive honesty with your effects;
feedback.
Emphasis on the puzzle aspect;
David Hinken showed us two Implicit v. Explicit instructions
metal tubes that were screwed to a spectator. He offered a tip for
together, with a quarter separat- doing Crazy Mans Handcuffs:
ing the open junction between raise the finale to eye-level, rather
them. Quarters were then placed than at crotch-level.
into one end of the tube and caused
He did some effects using the
to penetrate one at a time through Aronson stack, an Invisible
a series of moves. Looked like a Deck variation that involves the
nice pocket trick to carry around.
audience. He played a game
Roger Johnson shared an effect with Dan and Jason a variation
using a small wooden tube and of Out Of This World. Other
die. The die was firmly locked effects: Poker Face, using a
into
placed
with a wooden
dowel,
yet
somehow
managed to
free
itself,
even
when
the
dowels
ends
were
firmly held in
place. Roger
is great with
Lecturers Axell and Menotti visit Assembly 21
his stories as
well.
duplicate and a Mexican Turnover,
Mark Melchor produced a Art Fraud, wherein three people
gigantic straw from a McDonalds draw a secret image and a fourth
Happy Meal. This was followed examines them, finishing with the
with a Rubiks Cube effect in mage drawing a picture based on
which the cube was restored to that fourth persons thoughts,
normal with a simple flip in the plus many others.
air. Jamie Salinas borrowed Roger
And in June, Francis Menotti
Johnsons watch and handed it presented his Shuffles & Scripts
to America for safekeeping. He lecture, starting with a shuffle
then changed its time by a called routine a clever skit with voice
out number of minutes. When patterns matching the shuffling.
checked, he was right on time.
Some of his other effects: a
David Rangel had any card and prediction called Vivid; acoin
suit called out. He dealt out the through shirt illusion aka Matericards onto the table face down and alistic; a gag routine called Antithen narrowed the selection down Prediction; a wonderful predicting
to just one named card. When effect using the calculator app on
the cards were revealed, all were a spectators cellphone (this used
blank except for the called-out a swindle known as the toxic
card, even the original deck from force); Fax, which uses a duplicate
which they came. Max Bradshaw to make a signed card appear
vanished the four Kings one at a anywhere; and Smack, which uses
time, and then revealed them in a singular double life.
a magical way for a nice flourish
After the break, he told us some
finish. Miles Root
disaster stories and how he got out
Assembly 19 meets the first of them. He did Bill-Ver, in which
Monday of every month at a dollar bill transforms into a silver
the International Alliance of dollar and back. He taught us
Theatrical
Stage
Employees the basics of a proficiency-buildLocal 51 Meeting Hall, 3030 ing exercise for the club called
North Freeway, Houston, TX. A Shift Or Get Off The Pot. He
teaching lecture begins at 7:30 finished with a three-part effect
pm with the meeting beginning called Sync wherein he repeatedly
21
found the mate of a selected card.

Dana T. Ring
Assembly 21 meets 2nd Monday of
every month (except December) at
Angelos on Main, 289 South Main
Street, West Hartford, CT Contact
Dana T. Ring dana@danaring.
com (860) 5239888 www.ctmagic.
org for more details.
22
THE AWARDS BANQUET
LOS ANGELES, CA The

Southern California Assembly 22
has traditionally held a banquet
each June to install its newly
elected assembly officers and to
present awards and trophies to
those members who have excelled
in a variety of performance categories during regular assembly
meetings. This is always a
highlight of the assembly year
and is well attended by members,
spouses, friends, and guests, who
come not only for the official
events but for the socializing, a
great meal, and a very entertaining magic show. S.A.M. Hall of
Fame & Magic Museum President
John Engman served as toastmaster for the evenings festivities.
Prior to the meal, Steve Jennings
and Kim Hallinger conducted the
Turning of the Plate ceremony
for two of our assembly members
who had passed away during the
past year: Roland E. Hill and Toni
Perrine. This ceremony dates
back to the early S.A.M. annual
banquets in New York City before
the S.A.M. became a national organization. The Southern California
Assembly has, during its eightythree-year existence, continued to
use traditional S.A.M. ceremony
rituals and is proud of the S.A.M.
history and heritage.
Stevens Steak & Seafood in the
City of Commerce, California, has
served as our banquet restaurant
for a number of years and is a Los
Angeles institution. Past National
President Ed Thomas installed the
2014-2015 assembly officers, after
which both outgoing president
Tom Meseroll and incoming
president Michael Perovich briefly
addressed the assemblage. With
the conclusion of this assembly
business, emcee John Engman
started the show.
Opening the show was Harrison
Lampert, a talented young
assembly member who recently
moved to L.A. from Philadelphia. Harrisons act was full
of humor and magic and set the
mood for all the fun that was to
follow. The second performer was
another young and very talented
Los Angeles area magician,
Jeffrey Black. Jeffrey entertained with an act of stand-up
card magic effects, exhibiting his
considerable skill with a deck of

cards. Closing the show was Joe
Monti, a Los Angeles professional
magician with international performance credits. Joes act was
full of gags and antics that kept his
audience in constant laughter. His
magic included a signature piece,
Three Card Joe.
When the show ended, the final
event of the evening took place:
the awarding of trophies and certificates to deserving members
of the assembly. Some of these
trophies date back many decades
and contain names of some of
magics finest magicians. It was
another great evening of Assembly
22 magic. Steven L. Jennings
Southern California Assembly
22 meets the third Monday each
month at 8:00 PM, St. Thomas
More Parish Hall, 2510 South
Fremont Avenue, Alhambra,
California Contact Ed Thomas
magicmred@ear thlink.net
(323213) 382-8504 for more
details.
32
LYNCHBURGS FOCUS ON
WALK-AROUND MAGIC
LYNCHBURG, VA We
welcomed three first-time visitors
to our June assembly meeting:
Wyatt Bryant (age nine), brother
Evan Bryant (age seven), and
their dad, Chris Bryant. Wyatt
seems to be the one bitten by the
magic bug, but they all showed a
keen interest. The meeting started
with John Jennings teaching a few
effects with ropes; then Wyatt
demonstrated his own stiff rope
effect.
The theme for the month was
Walk-Around Magic. Bob Staton
got things started along that line by
showing an Aldo Colombini prediction effect. Colored balls were
selected from a bag; the color of
the last one remaining being held
by the performer was discovered
written on the back of a business
card that was handed out before
the presentation started. Bob
also performed a sleight-of-hand
trick with two coins and finished
with two separate small rings that
amazingly linked together. Bob
was generous enough to share
his handling of the rings with the
group.
Mike Kinnaird was on hand
to perform a Three Card Monte
routine; well, that was after
showing that his One Card
Monte just wouldnt work. Mike
also showed a nicely handled bit
of magic with rubber bands. Our
visitor Wyatt also performed an
effect with one of the rubber bands
in which it jumped from finger to
finger.
John Jennings continued the
Assembly News
theme-related magic by presenting the Invisible Zone (a Tenyo
manufactured item). He added a
quick illusion of pushing a finger
through his ear. A great thing
about both of these effects is that
they require no set up whatsoever. There was additional discussion of what makes good walkaround magic and a magic-filled
evening drew to a close. John
Jennings
The Hersy Basham Assembly 32
meets the third Tuesday at 7:00
p.m. at Tharp Funeral Home, 220
Breezewood Drive, Lynchburg,
VA. Contact John Jennings (434)
851-6240 for more details.
be to perform. The end result for

your audience is more important
than how it was done. Watch The
Carbonaro Effect to see how this
plays out in the real world. Thank
you Derrin for giving us all a real
eye opener! Darryl Bielski
Assembly 35 meetings are held
at the Milanese Restaurant in
Poughkeepsie, NY. Typically,
meetings are held every 2nd
Tuesday of each month, beginning
at 7:30 pm. Contact Joel Zaritsky
jizdds@optonline.net
(845)
546-1559 sam35.com for more
details.
35
CARDS, COINS, RINGS,

AND STORIES
MAGIC - VIDEO STYLE
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY Our
speaker tonight gave us an insight

into the world of television
that we would not have known
otherwise. For several months,
earlier this year, our own Derrin
Berger worked as a consultant on
Tru-TVs The Carbonaro Effect.
Derrin met Michael Carbonaro
at Tannens Magic Camp in 1992;
they kept in touch over the years.
A text from Michael to Derrin
on December 30, 2013, asked
him what time zone he was in.
That was the beginning of Derrin
working on the show.
There were some heavy-hitters
also working in the show; Derrin
described the schedule that they
all had to work under. They had
to come up with many, many
bits and get them all filmed in a
very short time. Not to mention
just getting used to working with
all the different people on the
show. With virtually no days off,
everyone was there to eat, sleep,
and do this show. But thats TV.
It was a fascinating look into how
a television show is put onto the
air. As with any endeavor, a group
dynamic has to develop before
anything substantial can be done. I
think back to what Billy Welu, the
Professional Bowlers Association
Hall of Fame member once said:
Trust is a must, or your game
is a bust. Everyone working on
the show had their strengths and
weaknesses, so it took some time
before everything congealed, but
that is what eventually made the
show stronger. That is what collaboration is all about, whether its
a magic show or something else.
A main idea that Derrin made to
us was that sometimes the simple
idea beats the clever idea. Dont
just do an effect as you read how
to do it, but explore how to make
it better. Make it your own. Make
it an effect that your audience will
remember. Give them a magical
effect, no matter how simple it may
38
KANSAS
CITY,
MO
Assembly 38 met on May 20, and
was called to order by President
Rod Sipe. The evenings magic
was a potpourri of props, personalities, and performance styles
that John Hicks, whose clever card
work and easygoing presentation
never fails to please, opened. Bob
Goodin, another performer with
a low-key persona and a powerhouse battery of remarkable
effects, followed him. The young
Ms. Amber Laguardia, definitely
our prettiest stage personality of
the evening, assisted him with his
card magic.
Then it was Shaun Rivera
treating us to magic with coins.
There seems to be no end to what
can be done with a few half dollars
and an Okito Box. Nicholas Theos
showed us just how adroit one
could become within only a year
of entering the world of magic.
Don Becker, just back from Iowas
AbraCornDabra, regaled the
assembly with Tales from the
Northern Farmlands, and a showand-tell of nondescript souvenirs
he brought back. Trevor Carso
mystified us with his ventures
into the world of mentalism and
his adroit presentation of paper
balls over an assistants head. The
vintage Merv Taylor rings which
Becker had brought back from
Iowa garnered a lot of interest.
Then it was off to our after hours
not-quite-five-star-grill where we
stayed up late doing card tricks.
Our June 19 meeting was called
to order by president Rod Sipes.
Our primary business item was
choosing a new vice president.
Congratulations to Jason Moore,
who was elected. Jason was also
our first up of the evening performers, and gave us pointers on the
care and keeping of sponge balls.
John Hicks presented a twisting
and printing card effect, and he
mystified us with a miniature
plunger.
Shaun Rivera did a trick that
involved tearing up other peoples

money. Then it was street-performer Daniel Jackson doing cups
and balls with surprise loads of
oranges.
In light of the nearness of the
Fourth of July, Don Becker
showed the assembly a flag Blendo
that goes back to the days of a 48
star flags. Fresh from a tour with
the United Stated Army, visitor
Joshua Theo showed us the history
of Three Card Monte, described
his Army experiences with
exemplary linking ring moves,
and closed with his version of Professors Nightmare. Bob Goodins
card and dice work, always professional as well as exceptional, was
well received as usual.
Rod Sipe and Trevor Kosar

contemplate paper ball
Our closing performer was
young sleight of hand virtuoso
Tyler Karso, whos act included
an Out of This World type trick.
There is never enough space to do
justice to each performer. Heres
hoping a Thank You and Well
Done! to everyone may suffice.
Don Becker
Assembly 38 meets at The Improv
Coffee House and Theater, 4010
Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas
City, MO on the 3rd Tuesday of
every month. Contact Don Becker
joydonbeck@charter.net
(816)
47
CLOSE-UP CONTEST AND

MAGIC PICNIC
ROCHESTER, NY [Close-up
Contest continued from last
report.] Don Aman performed
a puzzling transportation of a
ring to a puzzle box. Mike Dede
performed a Chop Cup routine,
a card transformation, a penny
transformation, and card on
ceiling. Sante DiCarlo performed
the classic Oil and Water. This
beautiful routine was followed
by a card being selected from a
deck, only to have it be the only
card with a different colored back.
The winners were: Mike Dede 1st
Place and $100, Joel Greenwich
2nd Place and $50, and Mike Ihrig
3rd Place and $25.

The year ended with the gentle
warm breezes under the pavilion
in Penfield, NY, as thirty members
and guests gathered for food, conversation, and magic! Magician
turned chef Dan Grayson manned
the grill where huge burgers and
hot dogs were cooked to order. A
special dessert was supplied by
local baker Jonathan of Jon Jons
Bakery. Many thanks to Mark
Tokers mom, Leslie, for making
that happen!
After the group was filled with
food, it was on to magic! Newly
installed Sergeant At Arms Mark
Toker performed a beautiful
coin routine and ended with a
signed card to mouth. Jimmy C
performed a miracle with Morgan
silver dollars. He later performed
a trick in which silks knotted on a
ribbon mysteriously fell off when
commanded. Mike Ihrig ended
with Danny Archers Telemental.
The picnic was a huge success,
do to the dedication of Professor
Rem and wife, Mary, Mike Ihrig,
Dan Grayson, our food providers,
magicians, and guests! Thank
you so much! Have a great, safe
summer! Mike Ihrig
Assembly 47 meets 7:00 P.M. on
the second Tuesday September
thru May at St. Josephs School,
39 Gebhardt Rd., Penfield, NY.
Contact Mike Ihrig ihrigmagic@
aol.com (585) 377-1566 www.
sam47.com for more details.
51
GRAB BAG NIGHT PROVES

TO BE A SUCCESS!
PEORIA, IL The June meeting

began with updates on upcoming
events, including the Riverfront Museum show, the Heart
of Illinois Fair, Farmers Market,
the Teach-in, and the Houdini
tribute. We learned the date for the
Diamond Jim Tyler lecture will be
September 18.
Jerry Tupper won the first of our
incentive program $50 prizes.
Congrats, Jerry!
Next, we went straight to the
magic part of the evening with our
theme: Grab Bag. Grant Golden
had gathered a nice array of
various magic tricks that were all
hidden in bags. Each attendee was
given a bag by a drawing, and each
had a few minutes to study their
trick and then perform it.
Jay Zentko was able to make a
silk vanish and reappear with a
unique gimmick, not often seen.
Regis Kormick demonstrated rope
through neck and body. Michael
Baker made coins appear in two
small cups, and Jerry Tupper
performed Comedy Split Deck.
Brock Cassidy did the One Ace
Trick, Grant Golden showed a
Assembly News
Michael Baker performing at

the Farmers Market
wand and silk trick. Rodney
Nordstrom had a Die, Rod and
Tube penetration, and also
performed Devils Nails. Kyle
Bassett made salt poured from a
shaker change to a ball and then
demonstrated rope through neck.
Barb Griffin showed three
cards and one disappeared. Grant
Golden then read the risqu patter
that Barb was wise enough not to
use. Bob Sumner showed a torn
and restored bill. Michael Couri
performed with a deck that caused
selected cards to vanish. Brad
Borland performed a growing
wand and a rattlesnake prediction
effect.
Many comments were heard that
this was a fun meeting. Several
of us gathered at a nearby restaurant for dinner, drinks, and more
magic. Michael Baker
Assembly 51 meets the third
Monday of each month, beginning
at 7:00pm at Schnucks in the
Metro Center, 4800 N. University
in Peoria. Contact Michael Baker
themagiccompany@aol.com (205)
612-3696 http://peoriamagicians.
com/ for more details.
ment for the evening, incoming

President Ray Adams presented
Don with a plaque expressing the
assemblys appreciation for his
service as its president.
Our guest entertainer for the
evening was David Hira from the
Dallas/Fort Worth area. David
thoroughly entertained us with his
fast-paced and humorous presentations, making use of a number
of club members and guests
to enhance his show. He even
thrilled the storytellers among us
with a beautiful presentation of the
floating table. Thanks to David
for a wonderful show, and thanks
to Don Moravits for bringing him
to us. It was a wonderful evening
enjoyed by all, and many thanks
go to Don and Dahnene Moravits
and Ray Adams, who put together
this awesome night.
Brother John Hamman Assembly
52 meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first
Thursday of the month at La
Madeleine Restaurant, located at
722 N.W. Loop 410. The restaurant
is inside Loop 410 on the access
road between Blanco Rd. and
San Pedro. For more information,
contact douggorman@att.net
59
RINGS AND THINGS/A STARSPANGLED AFFAIR
PORTLAND, OR Our May

club meeting was off to a great
start as president Mel Anderson
kicked off the meeting with the
theme, Rings and Things. Art
Manning made accolades to the
cast and crew who participated in
the May 24 Elks magic show. The
nights teach-in commenced with
John Edsall and Randy Stumman
INSTALLATION OF
demonstrating for the memberOFFICERS BANQUET
ship several effects that had rings
and other things used for magical
SAN ANTONIO, TX June purposes. After a short snack
7, 2014, Brother John Hamman break, people took time to look
Assembly 52 held it installation at the props for sale by Bob Eaton
of officers banquet at Pompeii from a fellow members estate
Italian Grill. After a great meal sale.
of lasagne, grilled chicken breast
Our performers for this months
and chicken parmesan, outgoing ShowTime were Randy Stumman,
President Don Moravits distribut- Tom Waldrop, Mel Anderson, and
ed awards to several members for a guest from Las Vegas, Greg.
their contributions to the assembly
The June 25th meeting started
meetings. He then installed the out with a bang. What a great
new officers. Congratulations to: night of magic we all expeRayAdam, President; Joe Libby, rienced. The teach-in was
Vice-President; Doug Gorman, Magical Items in a Bag. This
Secretary/Treasurer; and James was put together by President Mel
Dusek, Sergeant-at-Arms. Before Anderson. The members were
Don introduced the entertain- broken into four groups and were
given a bag of miscellaneous props and
items to make magic
routines. Everyone
in the group got
to choose an item
in which he could
From Left: James Dusek, Doug Gorman,
make a magical
Joe Libby and Ray Adams
effect. Everyone got
52
into the act; it was a real group

building exercise and magically
great time.
We inducted three new members,
including Ron Boyd, Frank
Dudgeon, and Jack Buchalter. We
had several guests as well. Next
we got a reminder of our annual
club picnic at Randy Stummans
home. Everyone needs to bring
a dish, their favorite beverage,
and meat if they wish. It will be
magical day. There was a discussion about the new sound system
that the board would like to
purchase. This presentation was
done by Randy Stumman. The
discussion
detailed
several
different systems and prices. The
members agreed that there is need
for a sound system for the club to
do public shows as a group. An
amount of around $600 was
approved by members for the
board to choose and purchase the
new sound system.
The night continued with
ShowTime. The theme was
patriotic effects. We had several
members who demonstrated their
skills using magical effects with
a patriotic theme. It was a starspangled affair.
Our club will be dark for July and
August, and return to our regular
schedule in September with our
annual swap meet. Wishing all a
magical summer. Andy Turner
Assembly 59 meets at the
Beaverton Elks Lodge. 3500
SW 104th Beaverton,Or Contact
Andy Turner mysteriesofmagic@
gmail.com
(503)
975-6139
sam59portland.org
for
more
details.
72
ANNUAL CLOSE-UP
CONTEST
7:00 PM. We meet at the Ronald

McDonald House, 2555 49th St.,
Sacramento, CA. It is located
behind the UCD Med Center in
Sacramento. Contact Gary Berard
berard.gary@gmail.com
(916)
77
COMEDY REIGNS AT
ANNUAL DINNER
MASSAPEQUA, NY We had
our annual dinner at DJs International Buffet in Garden City, NY (a
winner in my book). The room had
a decent-sized stage in the corner
that was a bit high but workable.
After an hour or so, newly elected
President Mitch Goodkin took the
mic and welcomed everyone and
proceeded to hand out a lot of certificates to many of our members
for their efforts and generosity of
their time. They called PP Steve
Rodman and Treasurer Jeff Miller
up to the stage and presented a
framed certificate of thanks for
their commitment to helping
The Long Island Mystics. Linda
Robbins, Bartholomew Simpson,
and Carol Klein received certificates in thanks to their performances for Birthday Wishes:
a non-profit organization which
helps children who are homeless.
Rounding us out were Pat
Darienzo, Mel Boskin, Allan Rubinstein, and Jose Merced (absent)
who were thanked for their performances for the Disabled American
Veterans. More important, our
raffle prizes donated by Warren
Berkowitz and The Magic Burger
Restaurant Business brought in a
nice amount to benefit more events
and work for the Mystics.
SACRAMENTO, CA The
May meeting of Assembly 72
hosted the combined SAM/IBM
Close-Up Competition for 2014.
There were four contestants,
Top Row: Allan Rubinstein,

Pres. Mitch Goodkin, Steve
Rodman, Linda Robbins.
Lower row: Bartholomew
Simpson, Carol Klein, Pat
Darienzo and Jeff Miller
Richard Alyward Close-Up Winner
Don Banks, Joe Chez, David
Dayton, and Richard Alyward.
All four acts were well received.
The winning act was by Richard
Alyward, with Joe Chez coming
in second. Gary Berard
Assembly 72 meets the fourth
Wednesday of the month at
For show time, Pat Darienzo

emceed the evening with ease.
Up first, Mystics member Harry
Mandel opened the show with nice
stand-up magic, including comedy
mentalism and a comedy rope tie.
Comedian Eric Haft performed
a tight and topical set and closed
with one of the best Robert De Niro
impersonations Ive ever seen. To
Assembly News
close the evening, fresh off from
his stint on Americas Got Talent,
we had corporate entertainer (and
friend to the Mystics), illusionist,
ventriloquist, and comedian allin-one, John Pizzi! He rocked us
with three different figures and
even showcased his invention
with a photo of Steve Rodman on
a flat screen monitor that became
a vent figure. We laughed at every
eye roll that it made. Hysterical.
He even brought up our sound
man Alfred and turned him into
a figure. It was a great fun show
and were looking forward to next
year.
Next meeting is September 8,
2014, with a whole new line-up
of lectures and fun and informative meetings. See you all then.
Lou Johnson
Long Island Mystics Assembly
77 meets at 7:30PM on the second
Monday of the month at The
Community United Methodist
Church. For more information,
check www.limystics.org. Contact
Lou Johnson loucircus@aol.com
(516) 978-7735 www.limystics.org
for more details.
88
MAGIC AND THE INTERNET
ANN ARBOR, MI Our June

meeting had a surprise guest, Mr.
Steven A. Spence, Regional Vice
President Central Plains. Steve is
on tour throughout the Midwest,
introducing himself to the assemblies he represents. Additionally, Steve laid out the Societys
plans for future training initiatives at the national level for local
officers. Assembly member Ray
Wojciechowski recently was an
award winner at the Southern
Fried Laughter Conference 2014,
which was held in Atlanta, Ga.
Congratulations Ray, and a big
guffaw for your accomplishment !
Our scheduled event for the
evening was a lecture, Magic and
the Internet, presented by member
John Russell. John has been doing
magic for more than fifty years
and has taught Internet marketing
strategies from New York City, to
Los Angeles, to Singapore. His
lecture demystified cyberspace
and helped take our magic to the
next level, as he explained why if
youre not online, you dont exist!
John Russell
We learned how to have a web

presence, a Facebook page, and
how to use a Twitter account.
Also, John discussed where to
buy and sell online with no fees,
make money selling other peoples
stuff, connecting with fellow
magicians around the world, and
promoting ourselves at little or
no cost. John is passionate about
magics relevance to the Internet
and it showed, judging from
the groups undivided attention
and multitude of questions. The
audience came away with a ton of
practical Internet tips and applications to the business of magic. His
lecture is highly recommended to
anyone desiring to market their
magic. Thanks John for generously sharing your expertise with
fellow magi.
The summer months prove
exciting with July scheduled for
a non-business meeting (picnic/
magic show) and August tagged
for our annual corn roast (picnic/
magic show). The fall will kick off
with a lecture by Barry Mitchell,
The Entertaining Encourager.
Jim Folkl
Assembly 88 meets second
Wednesday each month at 7pm,
Faith Lutheran Church, 1255
East Forest, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Contact President Bill Brang
havewandwill travel2002@yahoo.
com (313) 9371577 www.aamagic.
org for more details.
94
LESSONS IN MAGIC AND
COMEDY
SILICON VALLEY, CA Our

June meeting consisted of a
show and lecture by Nick Lewin.
First he performed for about a
half an hour for an audience that
included magicians and nonmagicians, children and adults.
After the show he gave a lecture
for the magicians that included
topics such as creating a powerful
running order, audience participation, sound and lighting, texture,
timing, opening and closing
effects, combining comedy and
magic effectively, and many other
aspects of making a magic show
commercial and impactful. He also
taught some of his original effects
and routines to demonstrate these
points, including: 20210s, Coin in
Vanishing Bottle, Mental Trilogy,
Ultimate Card in Envelope, Ultra
Cards Across. He also offered his
commercial handlings of classic
effects such as Color Changing
Silks, Card in Wallet, and Ring
Flight. He also featured an invaluable mini-study on the handling
of playing cards and other small
props in order to make them more
visible and effective to larger
audiences.
The night after the lecture, Nick

presented two workshops. The
first was a master class in which
he went into great detail on his
Mental Trilogy routine and his
combination of Paper Balls over
the Head and Electric Chair. He
also gave quite a bit of detail on
his own Bill in Lemon routine.
Emphasis was on the details and
thought behind the details as much
as the moves and patter. During
the second workshop, attendees
each performed a routine or effect,
a work in progress, and received
thoughtful, meaningful critique
and advice.
S.A.M. 94 members continue
to entertain for Magic Mondays
at Moroccos Restaurant. June
performers were Alan Leeds,
Joe Caffall, John Jones, and Sy
Hoff. Coming up in July are Phil
Ackerly, Alan Leeds, John Jones,
and Sy Hoff. Joe Caffall
We do not currently have a
permanent meeting location.
Please email Joe Caffall at
jocaff@comcast.net for meeting
information. We meet on the
second Monday of each month.
Contact Joe Caffall jocaff@
comcast.net (408) 375-1905 for
more details.
95
ASSEMBLY 95 MAGIC GALA

AND GIMMICKED CARDS
VANCOUVER,
CANADA
The June, 2014 meeting was held

at the magical home of our most
senior, albeit amazingly youthful
member, Anthony Young. Henry
Tom stepped up to take the monthly
minutes and notes in the absence
of Rod Chow. Trevor Watters
showed everyone The S.A.M.
#95 Magic Gala at the Magic
Festival poster, which he so beautifully and creatively designed
based on an outline by Rod. The
Magic Festival is a week-long
event produced by Assembly 95
Dean, Shawn Farquhar, which is
in its second successful year of
Bringing Magic to the Masses,
scheduling at various venues many
shows from several magic organizations and individuals for the lay
public and magicians. Assembly
95 is proud to produce a gala
show featuring Canadas three
qualified IBM/SAM/FISM 2014
North American Championship of
Magic competitors: Henry Tom in
Stage with his Comedy Dental act,
Rod Chow in Close-up with his
Money Magic act, and Trevor &
Lorena Watters in Stage with their
Comedy Dual act. Also starring
in the same show are Jeff Christensen as emcee, Ray Roch with
his shell/pea game and Impossible Box routine, and Assembly
President Lon Mandrake with his
The S.A.M. 95 Magic Gala

at the Magic Festival
poster designed by
Trevor Watters / Rod Chow
stunning mentalism.
The theme for the evening was
gimmicked card magic. Anthony
Young showed five cards, four red
and one black, and had everyone
at the meeting clip one position
to see if anyone would be able to
clip a black card. After everyone
placed their clip, Anthony flipped
over the cards, and to everyones surprise, it was just one
jumbo red card. Ray Roch did a
very clean torn and restored card
trick. Shawn Farquhar did The
Jealous Kings, in which the faces
of four cards disappear one at a
time and then all reappear onto
one card. Dave Watters handed
out four cards to everyone, and
then after tearing the cards in half
and shuffling in different ways,
found the matching card. Lon
Mandrake showed Shawn some
cards, and his choice then disappeared, and turned blank on both
sides. John MacMillan did a four
card trick in which the spectator
copies his moves, but always end
up different from his cards. Dennis
Hewson showed a Ten of Spades
and a King in a wallet, but when
he took the cards out, the face of
the Ten became blank and ended
up on the face of the King. Henry
Tom did Tony Chriss Haunting,
a hands-off haunted card effect
that can be done while you are
quite far away from the deck.
Rod Chow
The Carl Hemeon Assembly No.
95 meets the first Tuesday of
each month at members homes.
Contact Rod Chow rod@rodchow.
com (604) 669-7777 www.sam95.
com for more details.
99
STATE MAGIC CONVENTION

WEEK
ORLANDO, FL President
Mark Fitzgerald opened the
meeting welcoming visitors to our
meeting. Mark mentioned all the
members that the Famulus news-
Assembly News
letter still exists (http://ring170.
com/famulus). Mark introduced
the board of directors: Craig
Fennessy, VP; Bev Bergeron,
Treasurer; Chris Dunn, Sgt.
At Arms; Craig Schwarz, Web
Designer; and Phil Schwartz,
Historian.
Phil Schwartz presented Magic
History Moment #58. This month
Phil presented biographical facts
about the great Virgil (Virgil
Harris Mulkey. Charlie Phrogner
did a tongue twisting rhyming
effect where everyone would say
toy boat 10 times. Kent Gunn
did a card effect with a story like
Sam the Bellhop. Mark Fitzgerald did some matrix effects
with cards and coins. Christian
Sorondo got a signed card to
appear in a zip lock bag. J. C.
Hiatt did his color changing knife
routine. RAVELLI, did several
effects from his kid show close-up
and magic with coins and ropes.
He finished with a signed coin to
nest of metal boxes.
At our next meeting, Vice
President Craig Fennessy thanked
everyone who volunteered at
Florida
Magicians
Association convention: Dan StapletonProducer; Ben Mason-Dealers,
Program designer; Lynn Fitzgerald-Registration; Phil SchwartzAntique and Poster displays; Craig
Schwarz-Ad design and Spot Light
operator; Bevs whole familyRebo Tribute; Aaron SolomonBackstage crew, Craig FennessyPhotographer & poster design;
Luciano DePazos-Interpreter; Bob
Swadling and Mark FitzgeraldClose-up room hosts. Congratulations go to Alouise Bergeron, who
was awarded the Carol Bristow
award for being the magic helper
of the year. Craig also recognized
William Zabellero for winning
first place for both Youth Stage
and Close-up award.
We recently lost a very special
friend in the Central Florida area,
Elmo Bennett. He brought magic
to all his guests for years at Elmo &
Lindas Magical Dining. Elmo was
a wonderful person with a passion
for life and for his friends.his
magic will be missed.
William Zabellero
Phil Schwartz presented Magic
History Moment #59 with facts
about a Jewish folklore, called
a Golem which is an animated

anthropomorphic
being,
created entirely from inanimate
matter. This led to his talk on the
self-operating modern version of
the Automaton.
Performers for the magic
portion of our meeting were: Bev
Bergeron, Chuck Smith, Charlie
Pfrogner, William Zabellero, and
Dan Stapleton, who showed a
square knot effect and a wonderful
Slydini card effect that fooled
everyone. Until next time, let there
be magic everywhere you go.
Craig Schwarz
IHOP restaurant, 5203 South
Kirkman
Road,
Orlando,
FL 32819 Contact Craig Schwarz
craig@ibmsamorl.com
www.
104
104S NIGHT TO BREAK

BREAD, NOT WANDS
WITCH CITY, SALEM, MA

The year for Assembly 104 was
officially closed out with our installation banquet on June 4, 2014.
The food was good, the magic
excellent, and the fellowship was
completely rewarding. Back at our
usual haunt, the East Sakura Restaurant in Salem, it was an evening
of buffet indulgence before official
S.A.M. activities got into high
gear. When they did they were in
good hands.
Regional Vice President Joe
Caulfield, along with lovely wife,
Kathy, honored 104 by joining
us for the second year in a row,
and conducting the installation
ceremony. Joe is a very sincere guy
and his reading of the ceremony
was far from a by rote ritual.
Rather his weighted delivery
served as a touching reminder that
our Society is rooted in an ancient
and honorable art and that the
duties of our officers are a valuable
commitment to both. At the conclusion, compeers applauded
the roster for the coming year:
Co-Presidents (sharing duties
for the first time) Bill Jensen and
Rob Snider; First Vice President
Eddie Gardner; Second Vice
President J Hubbard; Treasurer
Debbie Loscutoff; Secretary Bob
Forrest; and Sergeant-at-Arms
Bill Marotte.
At that point, it was time for
magic. Our guest magician was
Joel Acevedo, a gifted local
performer, originally from Puerto
Rico, and now one of the frequent
highlights of the Mystery Lounge
in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
among other venues. Joel is an
accomplished, yet self-effacing,
magician, whose sense of humor
engagingly disarms his audience
while cleverly misdirecting it.
Joel kicked of his set with his
Why wait for a waiter? The

beer comes to Joel Acevedo
version of Silent Treatment, an
effect famous for the performers
silence until the last moment when
the thought-of card emerges from
his mouth. The presentation was
excellent. The sudden production
of a bottle of beer from a cloth was
another audience pleaser. So was
a spoon that entered Joels mouth
only to exit as a fork. In a highly
creative piece of routining, Joel
presented a magazine book test
effect. His treatment, however,
smoothly morphed into a Spirit
Slates revelation of the advertising
artwork on the final page chosen.
In a set that was over far too soon,
Joel Acevedo totally entertained
us and showed us what can be
accomplished when the force is
with you. As waiters cleaned up
afterwards, Joel generously hung
out with the diehard card lovers
among us who tried to judge his
ACAAN versus the version Evan
Buso-Jarnis had stacked up. They
were both winners. Bob Forrest
Assembly 104 meets on the
first Wednesday of each month,
September-June, 7 p.m., at the
First Baptist Church of Salem,
292 Lafayette Street, Salem,
Massachusetts. Contact Bob
Forrest
captainalbrightsq1@
comcast.net (339) 227-0797 www.
108
WESTERN PA MAGIC
UPDATE
SOMERSET, PA Our S.Y.M.

137 has had three visitors the last
two meetings with one positively
joining, which is wonderful that
we have some young magicians to
carry on the magic in our area.
We also had a visitor from our
President Gary Weimers magic
club at the high school he taught at
and hope to see more attend. Also
visiting was Pittsburgh magician
and friend, David Lawrence.
Several of us are performing at a
Yogi Bear Jelly Stone campground
for the fourth year in a row. The
management there has been well
pleased to the response to our
shows.
Also several of us will be joining
forces in October for a show at a

theater in Moorefield, WV. We
continue to look for opportunities
to perform together as well as our
individual shows.
If you are ever in the area please
stop by and magish with the most
friendly magic club around.
Dan Miller
The James Swoger Assembly 108
meet at Wheeler Bros. every third
Monday at. SYM meet at 6:00 pm
and SAM at 7:00pm Contact Dan
Miller millermagic@centurylink.
net (814) 733-4978 for more
details.
110
AFTER MEETING
HARRISBURG, PA The aftermeeting contest for June 12 had no

particular theme. Five members
decided to compete. Frank Bianco
was first to perform. Using a single
silver coin and a pocket mirror, he
gave us a twist on Twilight; a coin
multiplied to match its mirrored
image, and then multiplied and
changed from silver to copper.
John Sergott, using a small tin
of candies, played a game with a
guest as to who would select the
last of a handful of candies paced
on the table. A prediction card was
also in evidence. After two rounds
of the game John was successful in
fulfilling the prediction.
Joe Noll selected Rose Abbotiello as the person most likely to
possess the magic touch. Joe
showed Rose that the deck of cards
he was using had red backs and
that they were well mixed. Rose
touched the card she wanted on
its face and was given a chance to
change her mind but she held firm.
It turned out that she had chosen
the only blue-backed card in the
deck. Thanks Dan Garrett for
King Brain. Scott Correll treated
us to the restoration of a straw
wrapper. Very nicely done.
The last to perform was Lou Abbotiello who told us about his uncle
Guido (who was in the family
business) and how he used to
make his own money from special
paper. Lou showed us the paper
he used and then placed the paper
on a little table where he rolled
an inking roller over the surface.
Like magic, a twenty dollar bill
appeared. Louie asked that we
keep his secret (oops) because he
didnt have much paper left and
was nearing retirement age.
The voting of those members
who did not perform resulted
in Lou Abbotiello First, with
Scott Correll Second and Frank
Bianco Third.
Joe Homecheck, Assembly 110
meets 2nd Thursdays, 7:00pm, at
Johns Diner, 146 Sheraton Drive,
New Cumberland, PA 17070
Email: Secretary@sam110.com
Assembly News
112
COINS AND POKER
WORKSHOP
PLEASANT
HILL,
CA
President Larry Zappo Wright
took on the role of instructor
this month to teach two different
tricks, one with cards and one with
coins. The two tricks are actually
variations of the same principle.
The card trick is known as No
Jonah Poker, based on an effect
created by Jon Racherbaumer.
Zappo placed eight coins in a
row across the table, but prior to
commencing the trick he handed
out a sealed envelope containing a
prediction. The object of the trick
is for the spectator to attempt to
gather more money (in value) than
the magician by freely selecting
one of the coins from either end
of the row as the magician follows
his action by doing the same.
Spectator John Gyllenhaal ended
up losing with $1.55 compared
to Zappos $1.61. As an added
surprise, the envelope was opened
and the message inside correctly
predicted that Zappo would end up
with six cents more than John.
Jerry Barrilleaux demonstrates sponge ball move to

John Gyllenhaal
No Jonah Poker follows a similar
plot with the object being to end
up with the best poker hand. The
magician even allows the spectator
to peek at the end cards once
or twice, and yet the magician
always ends up the winner. After
a practice session, Roy Porfido
stepped up to perform this newly
learned trick and ask for a critique.
Following our monthly raffle that
netted some nice magical items for
Ric Ewing and Nate Wilson, John
Gyllenhaal presented his unique
version of sponge ball magic, in
which he uses sponge lady bugs
instead of sponge balls, an idea he
is developing for childrens magic.
Michael McGriff then showed us
how to create a rose from a paper
napkin, something called The
Desert Rose. He also demonstrated a simple trick or two that can be
done with the rose.
Bob Holdridge was next, using
cards to perform a great mentalism
effect that ends with a surprising
double whammy. Nate Wilson
followed with an Ace assembly

trick, and the evenings performances concluded with Zappos
demonstrating a trick known
to him as Mels Moms Trick,
something of a Do-as-I-Do trick
with a single deck.
Our meetings are a great place
to learn some new magic, practice
an effect or routine in front of
a friendly audience, or just get
together with fellow magicians
of all levels of expertise.
And dont forget the raffles.
Bill Marquardt
Diablo Assembly 112 meets on the
third Wednesday of every month at
the VFW building in Pleasant Hill,
California Contact Larry Wright
Zappo@zappothemagician.
com (925) 685-5129 http://www.
sam112.com/ for more details.
routine explanation, with a talk

on body language and a lesson on
the muscle pass. His coin to spoon
transposition had all the coin guys
sitting up and taking notes. He
then showed us what to look for in
choosing our own Linking Rings
and some of the wonderful subtleties he uses in his routine. He then
closed with a super mentalism
card routine ending with a blank
deck. All enjoyed a magical time.
Bethany Hall
The Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company
Building at, 1150 Pepsi Place,
Charlottesville, VA 22901. Contact
George Buckley gbbuckley@mac.
com (434) 409-2643 http://www.
facebook.com/SAMAssembly115
for more details.
115
GRANITE STATE
CONJURORS
A LECTURE BY SHOOT
OGAWA
CHARLOTTESVILLE,
VA
Our June meeting found Assembly

115 members gathered together to
host Shoot Ogawa for a lecture at
our new meeting location at the
Pepsi-Cola Plant in Charlottesville, Virginia. Members in attendance were George Buckley,
Wes Iseli, Daniel and Bethany
Hall, Everette Anderson, Tom
Olshefski David and Nathan
Clauss. Guests included Jerry
Winn, Glen Rae, Bob Staton,
John Jennings, Watt Hyer,
William Baber, and Lawrence
Lessner. While Mr. Ogawa set
up for his lecture, members and
guest had a wonderful meet and
118
NASHUA, NH The Granite

State Conjurors hosted an informal
lecture by Craig Browning this
month. As always, we have a
busy summer of performances
planned, including Nashua Childrens Day on July 19, Lyndeborough Community Day on August
9, as well as weekly performances
for Camp Allen every Monday
through August. Contact us for
more information about any of
these events.
Assembly 118 meets on the
third Wednesday of each month
at 7:00 p.m. at Black Sword
Estate, 126 Perham Corner Rd.
Lyndeborough, NH 03082 Our
venue rotates, so contact us first.
Contact Robert Granville sam.
nashua@gmail.com (603) 505
8749 http://sam118.com for more
details.
120
EASY TRICKS WITH

A BIG EFFECT
CHAMPAIGN, IL The topic
Charlottesville hosts Shoot

Ogawa
great. Old friends got caught up
and new friends were made. Mr.
Ogawa started his lecture off with
some beautiful wand manipulation and vanishes. Next came his
thimble act followed by his Three
Coin routine. It was a wonder
to behold. Next Mr. Ogawa
performed his famous Ninja Rings
with the help of David Clauss. His
card routines followed with a
wonderful card prediction and a
four Ace production with the help
of Nathan Clauss.
After a brief intermission Mr.
Ogawa started with his coin
for the evening was Easy Tricks

with a Big Effect and the magic
opened with Andy Dallas demonstrating a very nice easy to make
stand for a set of Linking Rings
and part of his routine. Professor
Higgins showed us his version of
Daryls patriotic ropes/acrobatic
knot. Chris Bontjes presented
the Chicago Opener. Jim Percy
Paddled his Tuna, showing it
appear to change from red fin to
blue fin to bones. Prof Higgins
took the floor again with the
Misers Dream done with both
coins and bills and Jim Percy
ended the evening with a Sword
Card Catch with the sword being
on the King.
Discussion was as interesting
was it was entertaining and then
we adjourned to the shop to if

Andy had anything new. See ya at
the meeting, Ken Barham
Assembly 120, Andy Dallas
Assembly meets the third
Wednesday at 7pm, (except Nov.
and Dec.) For location call Jim
Percy at 217-494-2222 or Ken
Barham Sec, 2318 Winchester Dr,
Champaign, IL 61821. 217-8415616 email: Kebram@aol.com
131
JUNE MEETING
DANBURY, CT On June 16,

2014 the Danbury Top Hatters
meeting came to order. President
Magic Mo is feeling better and
almost back on his feet. Walter
B was also back from his fall and
taking photos as usual. Russ has
returned and has been regaining
his strength.
Upcoming events: Church Fall
festival, October 4; Club Picnic
August 9 or 25. Dues were
collected and a few of the members
performed work in progress.
Russ showed a cute crossword
puzzle in which each of the horizontal words was filled in with the
word, bite. Walter B. showed a
comic salt shaker effect using a
marble size ball that penetrated
the closed salt shaker. This effect
was recently purchased at a
Daytona Magic lecture.
President Magic Mo at
his best
Past President Magic Marty
reported on an Assembly 35
Lecture by Derrin Berger, who
just completed the first season of
The Carbonaro Effect on True TV.
It was a great lecture focusing on
thinking out of the box. Magic
Marty then performed a comedy
work in progress, an adaptation
of a Tarbell effect. Tony Spiro
followed with a great card routine
ten black and ten red cards.
Frank M. performed a selected
card effect using a small laser key
chain, which marked the selected
card with a hole in it. The laser
was purchased at a dollar store.
Bob Abel showed a new magic
wand purchased from Harry Allen
at the Daytona Magic lecture. The
wand unscrews in the center to
pack easy. It has brass tips and is
constructed of hard rosewood.
Assembly News
On a final note: It was decided
that we share professional lectures
with our SYM in Stanford,
CT. Tony Spiro will act as
our Ambassador of Education
Martin Steinberg
Assembly 131 meets at Methodist
#5, Clapboard Ridge Rd.,
Danbury Ct Contact Magic Marty
magicmarty@aol.com
(845)
7978363 Danbury Top Hatters for
more details.
148
MAZDAMANIA
ELMHURST, IL This months

meeting featured the annual guest
performance from one of our
areas independent magic clubs,
the Mazda Mystics. (Our own
Assembly 148 members will, of
course, reciprocate in the near
future with a performance at
Mazdas location in Elgin, IL.)
Tonights excellent show was
emceed by their president, Jack
Skalon, who started the program
with a super smooth rendering of
Bill Abbotts Five Card Opener.
This was followed by a magical
murder mystery, Kostya Kimlets
Who Killed the King, utilizing a
permanent but little noticed feature
of one of the court cards. Jack then
performed a very original cut and
restored rope, using a jump rope
with handles (immediately eliminating the possibility of many of
the best known methods.)
Next, Doc Morrissy demonstrated why he is a much-indemand local pro whose repeat
performances have continued
in some venues for as many as
twenty years. Doc started off
with a stunning presentation of
the Mental Photography Deck
and segued into a card stab with
a jumbo deck and an even more
jumbo (and very menacing) Bowie
knife. Card man Steve Mills came
next doing several slick effects
with the pasteboards, including
a poker deal and a truly puzzling
prediction.
Steve
surprised
everyone with a non-card routine:
the ring and ribbon a la Mills.
Then Kevin Sarnwick took the
stage with a mental effect in which
a spectator gradually selected one
playing card by naming a color,
suit, and value only to find they
were identical to a mystery card
prominently displayed face down
on the table from the beginning.
Kevin also performed a coffee
cup and ball routine with sponges
and lemons, a card trick with the
spectator doing all the work, and
the hundred dollar bill switch with
the great Sankey presentation in
which punched holes in each of
the four corners assemble in one
corner. David Schleich, a Mazda
member as well our own treasurer,
treated us to his most original razor

blade trick using Listerine breath
strips and dental floss, followed
by a truly funny rendition of the
multiplying bottles. Finally, Les
Wittekind, who specializes in retirement and nursing home shows,
demonstrated why his colorful
silk and flower act is such a hit
with senior audiences. Our turn to
perform for the Mazda members
comes in a couple of weeks and
will feature John Hausheer,
Dave Schleich, Don Clancy, Tom
LoCasio, and your scribe, Tony
Noice. Tony Noice
Evangelical Lutheran Church,
corner of Spring and Vallette
(downstairs) in Elmhurst, Illinois,
third Monday of the month at 7.30
PM. Contact Tony Noice noicea@
net.elmhurst.edut (630) 993-3740
www.SAM148.com for more
details.
157
GREAT PICNIC AND

OTHER STUFF
BEAVER, PA Mystic Magicians
of Beaver Valley (Assembly 157)

held the Rich Howard Memorial
Picnic June 8 with a little sun,
a little rain, good food, and a
pick-up magic show with several
of Richs family in attendance.
At the regular meeting it was
announced that there was a little
extra money taken in at the GPMN
banquet, so the committee decided
to reimburse Doug Ries for his
audio/visual equipment. The
nomination committee has been
chosen for the upcoming officer
elections. Doug Ries will be our
delegate to the SAM/IBM Convention in July. The club will have
an ad in the program. Nathan
Kranzos lecture was well atended
Having fun at the picnic

and informative. Bill Cornelious and a couple others went to
Akrons banquet and show and
stated it was very good. Kathy
Brenner brought several of Jays
videos for the library. Jim Weyand
is converting them to DVDs. It
was announced that magic is on
TruTV and Americas Got Talent
shows.
Teach and Learn was on
Using Items for Something Not
Meant For with Frank Kietzke
leading. He advised members to
think outside of the box. Several

members supplied ideas they use.
Jim Tate emceed the performances. He also presented the
Giant Cube Illusion. He had a box
with a lid, in which he placed a
square with colored spots. Turns
over the box, and a ball comes
out. He had a participant place
lid on empty box, turns it over
and a di comes out. Don Moody
showed Panel Escape. He showed
three colored disks with holes in
center, which he placed a ribbon
through them all. Someone
chose a color. When he pulled
the ribbon, the chosen one fell
out. Ray Lucas performed a card
trick with all Diamonds. He spells
out each card from Ace to King,
showing the spelled card each
time. Jim Weyand demonstrated
Rolling Bones. He had six bones
with numbers on each end. Two
people add up the numbers on
their end. Total is same as Jims
predicion. Judy Steed
The Mystic Magicians of Beaver
Valley (#157) meet the second
Thursday of every month at the
Towne Square Restaurant in
Beaver, PA. Contact Judy Steed
heyjude1943@msn.com
(330)
181
THE SILK TO EGG

WORKSHOP
HIGHTSTOWN, NJ Last
month, our assembly had a
workshop conducted by the
Amazing Randy. I know what
youre thinking. It was not that
other guy, who misspells his
name with a final i. This is our
Amazing Randy, and he is the real
deal. The workshop focused on
Silk to Egg with Randy teaching a
second routine as well.
Randys love for magic began
as a child when his Uncle Joe
mysteriously made a coin
disappear. Magic became his
obsession
while
Christmas
shopping in the fall of 2007. Randy
was fascinated by the demonstrations at a magic kiosk at a local
mall, and there he made his first
magical purchase. Since then, and
in that very short period of time,
he has graduated from entertaining neighborhood kids to performing at school assemblies and
corporate venues.
The Silk to Egg routine that
Randy uses is based on the method
used by the late Steve Dacri. That
routine is a sucker effect
because of the surprise ending. It
is great to use at magic assemblies,
because we magicians feel like we
have seen it all and so fall right
into the trap.
The second effect that Randy
taught was what he calls his men-
talists version of Everybody

Wins.
After the workshop, we saw performances by the other attendees,
starting with Jeff and his card
effect, A Murder at the Magic
Castle. Hint: It happened in
Room 937. Rocco followed with
some of his own coin vanishes
and a homemade version of the
Chocolate Coin. Rocco is a very
inventive magician, and he showed
us one of his newest effects, the
swallowing of dog tags and chain.
The Amazing Randy

Reba Strong followed with a
magic classic, Scotch and Soda.
When that effect is shown, there
is going to be plenty of discussion
on variations. Jeff suggested a
variation that was a little nervy but
with a great impossible location
finish.
Assembly Dean Hank Strasser
performed a telephone number
card trick that catches the spectator
by surprise when he sees his phone
number revealed with playing
cards. The evening was completed
when Dave Sharlin performed his
modified version of Jay Sankeys
Back in Time. David Zboray
Assembly 181 of Hightstown
meets the first Thursday of every
month, September thru June at the
First United Methodist Church ,
187 Stockton Street, Hightstown,
NJ 08520. Doors open at 7:00PM.
Contact Stephan Sloan lands10@
optonline.net (732) 757-5337
http://www.magicsam181.com for
more details.
188
RED, WHITE, AND BLUE
OREM, UT Our June theme

was Patriotic Magic, and many of
the members turned out with red,
white, and blue on their magical
minds.
Street magician Daniel Schaffer
started off with a mind reading
effect with a selected jumbo card
matching a prediction previously
written on a whiteboard. He then
showed a number of shoelaces
and had a spectator yank them
from his hand, one by one, until
only one was left. The remaining
Assembly News
shoelace was shown to be tied to a
double-edged razor blade! Daniel
credited the effect to Morgan
Strebler. Daniel then performed
Exact Change by Gregory Wilson,
in which the change in his pocket
equaled a number selected by a
spectator.
Theron Christensen performed
Paul Harriss Whack Your Pack,
in which, after some spectator
by-play, a selected card appeared
in Therons pocket.
David Goodsell spun a tale about
Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett, and
re-enacted their armed confrontation with two sets of six cards.
Dave credited the effect to Brother
John Hamman.
Steve Dawson pulled a red, white,
and blue paper streamer from his
mouth and blended three handkerchiefs into an American flag (after
getting it wrong a couple times, of
course).
President Curtis Hickman had
a card selected from a bluebacked deck and had it signed and
replaced in the deck. Looking for
the card, he discovered a single
red-backed card in the blue deck,
which turned out to be the signed
card.
Dave
Magical
Johnson
performed an excellent magazine
test in which he divined words
selected at random from two
magazines.
The meeting then evolved into
a discussion of Docc Hilfords
Cassandra deck and pumping
decks.
It was decided that Julys meeting
theme would be Super Close-Up.
Assembly 188 meets the second
Thursday of each month at the
Courtyard
Jamestown,
3352
North 100 East in Provo, Utah.
Contact Brian South brian@
teachbymagic.com (801) 916-2442
www.utahmagicclub.org for more
details.
200
PACKET TRICKS
SEATTLE, WA Our June

meeting was Packet Trick Night.
Some of the wizards showed us
interesting packet tricks and some
wowed us with other magical
effects.
Magic that happens in the hands
of everyone in the audience was
performed by two of our members.
John Cameron had us all select
random times on a clock and, after
following his instructions, we all
ended up on one oclock. He then
taught us Jim Steinmeyers One
oClock Mystery. J.R. Russell
performed
Robert
Giobbis
Einstein trick in which we all
magically discovered the exact
card we had been thinking of.
Michael Jacobs shared Aldo
Colombinis Jumbo Coincidence

with a jumbo deck that had been
sliced in half. Miraculously, he not
only had the selected card match
in both halves but then had all of
the cards match after numerous
shuffles. Ben Eskenazi demonstrated a Michael Ammar effect
in which the selected card had a
different colored back than the
rest of the packet. Roger Sylwester
showed us some serious sleight
of hand with a slick Three Card
Monte routine.
Hugh Castell had a prediction
sealed in an envelope in a wallet
that matched a card that a spectator
had him stop on. Mark Paulson
continued to amaze us with his
evolving mentalism repertoire by
performing Richard Osterlands
Hands Off. We welcomed a new
magus, Gary Parrish, who shared
some of his background and his
desire to find effects that could
be performed without the use of
the magicians hands. Well all be
thinking about that challenge.
Bill Murray amazed and amused
us with a Juan Tamariz effect in
which we used negative vibrations
to find a card, leading to a positive
conclusion. Chuck Kleiner shared
his version of an old Emerson &
West packet routine called Color
Monte.
We closed out the meeting with
a Matrix routine from Mike Battistoni using only two cards and
four silver dollars. We felt that
if he could do it with two cards
what about just one card. Instead,
he performed the routine with
no cards blowing our minds.
The cries of Do it again, do it
again, made our club sound like
a bunch of kids at a magic show.
Mike shared that he had help from
Dean Dill in developing the effect.
Chuck Kleiner
Assembly 200 meets the first
Thursday of each month at a
branch of the King County
Library from 7PM to 9PM. Check
website for meeting locations.
w w w. e m e r a l d c i t y w i z a r d s .
org Contact Chuck Kleiner
chuckkleiner@yahoo.com
()
www.emeraldcitywizards.org for
more details.
206
FRIENDS AND FAMILY

NIGHT AND STREET
PERFORMING IN AUSTIN
AUSTIN, TEXAS Friends

and Family Night is an Assembly
206 tradition that provides both
amateur and pro members an opportunity to show off their favorite
effects in an intimate setting.
Joining President Mike Brewer for
the show on May 19 were close-up
prodigy Edward Boswell, veteran
wizards Kent Cummins and
Assembly 206 meets at the Omni

South Park Hotel, 4140 Governors
Row Austin, Texas, 78744 Contact
Jake Dyer jakedyer@yahoo.com
(512) 658-0017 http://sam206.
com/ for more details.
215
DO A TRICK/TEACH A
TRICK NIGHT
Eric Odditorium, Worlds
Most Daring Sword
Swallower
Peter the Adequate, Tim Dietz,
Shelby Parsons, J.D. Stewart,
Steve Farmer, and Paprika, a very
talented juggler.
Assembly 206 devoted its
June meeting to street performance, both its joys and perils.
A magician, a strong woman, a
sword swallower, and one half
of a mind-reading team gathered
together for an expert panel. Each
agreed that street performers
can add to the vibrancy of a city,
but also can face discriminatory
treatment.
The panel took up two topics:
street performance tips, and street
performance politics. The politics
aspect is particularly relevant in
Austin, because theres currently
an effort underway at City Hall
to clarify the citys street performance rules. Mr. Odditorium
expressed support for wide-open
laws, such as those existing in
New Orleans. He said other cities
are less friendly.
Ms. Lindberg, who has been
involved in the City Hall efforts,
and Mr. Maverick both said they
were encouraged by the assemblys interest in the issue. Ms.
Lindberg said various courts
have confirmed that street performance is protected by the U.S.
Constitution. Mr. Maverick, a
former Assembly 206 president,
discussed the challenges unique
to street performers, such as those
presented by drunken passersby.
The term of art for street performing is busking, a British
word. In the old days the buskers
assistant who gathered the crowd
was called the bottler. Mr. Dyer,
the bottler for the street psychic
known as The Girl Who Knows,
described a few run-ins with
police. He said busking helped
teach him to gatherand handle
crowds.
Mr. Dyer, the Assembly 206
secretary, also described his recent
appearance at City Hall, along
with Assembly Vice President Dan
Page. The assembly voted unanimously to support those advocacy
efforts, and directed Mr. Dyer to
craft a resolution in support of
clarified busking rules for Austin.
R.A. Dyer
LOUISVILLE, KY Cody
Clark reported the following:
In January, I won the Magic
Warehouse scholarship to attend
Jeff McBrides Magic and
Mystery School. So from June
12-18, I embarked on a grand
adventure to Las Vegas, in which
I had many life-changing experiences. In the Master Class led by
Jeff and Eugene Burger, I learned
about how to adjust your patter for
different types of audiences, what
life as a professional magician
is like, and I got to present my
Butterfly Blizzard routine to the
class for critique. Jeff and Eugene
made sure no question went unanswered and gave my classmates
and me plenty of homework to
ensure that we become better
magicians. Aside from attending
Master Class, I got to see many
shows, meet up with Louisville
native Lance Burton for lunch, and
even meet David Copperfield (at
the same show Johnny Thompson,
Tom Mullica, and Arian Black all
went to). It was amazing being
able to be in a city with so many
talented magicians and to learn
so much from all of them! I guess
Im one of the few people to ever
leave Las Vegas richer than when
I came in.
Performers and tricks for the
evening were the following: Jim
Harris a weigh the cards trick
from the recent Bruce Amato
lecture; Johanna Galloway
crayons disappeared from a
box of crayons and reappeared
elsewhere; Graham Maupin a
die disappeared from a box and
reappeared in his hat; Sidney
Hagerthey an arm twist effect
that David Copperfield has used
to open his shows; Berk Bryant
recited a story about a snake
that didnt have a pit to hiss in
and a cut newspaper prediction;
Cody Clark in Las Vegas
Assembly News
Ramsey Kraft a number prediction trick; Roger Omanson an
Aldo Colombini card trick; David
Garrard a matching cards prediction; Cody Clark an eraser
changed a card to the selected
card; Bill Kustes cards selected
by magician and spectator match;
Ray Tillman a find the rabbit
trick from The Linking Ring; Ray
Adams comedy sponge ball and
silk routine; Steve Haffner a
card in wallet and Gypsy Thread
with dental floss; Pete Miller a
Bill Pryor effect of a nut winding
itself off a bolt; Ned Way
linking ropes; Mike Blanckaert
an Aldo Colombini card trick.
Roger L. Omanson
Kosair Community Center on
Eastern Parkway Contact Roger L.
Omanson rlomanson@gmail.com
(502) 296-6577 www.lmcmagic.
226
ROY EIDEM LECTURE
WILLIAMSBURG, VA We
had a very special treat at the
May meeting of the Baker Temple
Assembly 226 a lecture by
Roy Eidem (rhymes with item) a
member of the Horace Bennett
Ring in Richmond. Watt Hyer
(Sgt-at-Arms of Assembly 226
and President of Ring 180) made
the arrangements (thanks, Watt)
and it was a very memorable
evening. Roy has been to
Fechters Finger Flicking Frolics
so you know he has the chops. Roy
performed and taught three of
his best routines: Dances with
Coins, And His Last Name Was
Houdini, and Santas Magical
Lump of Coal. The coin routine
alone would have been enough for
me as it was well thought out, entertaining, and very magical. Some
of the moves he taught had never
appeared in print until he wrote
his book Coins by Roy Volume
1. The routine And His Last
Name Was...Houdini proved the
power of three. Roy performed
three consecutive string ties (think
cats cradle from your childhood)
Roy Eidem in Action!

that simulated a Houdini escape
and each one built on the previous
and mystified everyone. Last
and definitely not least was his

lump of coal routine which was
again showed why he gets invited
to 4F. I should mention we also
had a really good turn out with
almost twenty magicians in attendance! If you ever get the chance
to see Roy perform or lecture dont
miss it! Michael Heckenberger
Assembly 226 meets the fourth
Wednesday of the month (except
August and December) at the
Williamsburg Library, Room B,
515 Scotland Street, Williamsburg,
VA. Meetings start at 7:00PM
Contact Michael Heckenberger
(757) 812-3299 http/sites.google.
com/site/samassembly226gmail.
his Past Presidents pin.

After a short break Dean Hankey
gave a great lecture on the business
side of magic. He stressed the importance of education and creating
value in everything you do. Thank
you Dean for all the wonderful information.
Assembly 248 Meets at Cocos
4573 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix,
AZ 85032 First Wednesday each
month Social hour 6:00 pm,
Lecture 6:30 pm. Contact for more
details.
248
SAM 248 FOUNDER PASSES.
meeting was called to order by

President Jerry Kardos on a
somber note. A moment of silence
was given to one of our founding
members, Elmo Bennett. Our
club, along with dozens of local
magicians and hundreds of family
and friends had met just the day
before for an emotional send off
for our brother, including the
broken wand ceremony conducted
by Dean Bob Macey. My joining
this club is because of the brotherhood shared by Elmo; he continued
to be with us all throughout the
evening as everyone shared their
own stories of our finest storyteller through their performances.
During the business meeting we
discussed starting a website, a
Facebook page, and documenting the history of the club so the
contributions of people like Elmo
are not forgotten. We discussed
the recent Florida State Convention and touring show of the play
Ghost, which was chock full of
magical effects.
Andy Linos schedule usually
keeps him away, but he surprised
us just in time for show time with
a visit this month. He had some
props from someone getting out
of magic that needed homes, and
the club was more than happy to
help out.
The meetings entertainment
began with Dean Bob giving us a
lesson in how to spot art forgeries.
Next up Jerry showed a color divination box that he was able to see
into remotely. Brad Breaux did a
comedy stage routine in which he
showed his cooking skills. Some
say he cooked Jerrys goose
from Jerrys finger prank last
month. Beverly did a cute silk
appear and vanish from a mysterious box. Scribe Al DAlfonso
showed off a new magic kit that
mixes traditional principles with
hologram technology and a space
age narative to teach magic to the
next generation. The group got a
kick out of the HolograFX adventures and how they revitalize our
art.
NAME CHANGE AND

AWARD ESTABLISHED
SCOTTSDALE, AZ On June
11, 2014, Assembly 248 held
elections for the 2014-2015 term
(starting in July). The following
are the new officers: President
Terry Osborne, 1st Vice President
Nicholas Pumilia, 2nd Vice
President Brian Nigre, Treasurer
Mike Wilbanks, Secretary: Irene
Godinez, Board Members Jeff
Payton and Frank Alfred.
As you may be aware, the founder
of Assembly 248, Robert Bluemle,
passed away. Another member,
Jerry Schmidt, also passed away.
We had a broken wand ceremony
for both of them at the June 11th
meeting.
A motion was made, seconded,
voted on, and accepted that
Assembly 248 add the name
Robert Bluemle to the existing
name. The name will now be The
Jack Sutherland/Robert Bluemle
Assembly.
A motion was made, seconded,
voted on, and accepted that SAM
248 establish the Robert Bluemle
Excellence in Magic Award to
recognize magicians that have
shown dedication and selflessness
to the art of magic. The recipient(s)
will be given a certificate recognizing this achievement and will
be awarded a lifetime membership
in Assemby 248. The president
shall, as their last act as president
for the term, select one or two
worthy magicians to receive this
award. The only stipulation is
that the president cannot select
himself.
The first two recipients of the
Robert Bluemle Excellence in
Magic Award are Kenton Knepper
and Barry S. Schor.
After the awards were given,
President Gary Bullock presented
newly elected President Terry
Osborne his presidents pin and
Terry in turn presented Gary with
266
A TRIBUTE TO ONE
OF OUR BEST
LAKELAND, FL The June
Our meeting started as it

began, with our friend Elmo. Ed
McGowan shared the trick that he
and Elmo were learning together
during the last week of Elmos
life. It was a great multiphase card
routine with an entertaining story
that was the perfect tribute to our
lost brother. RIP my friend, you
will be missed. Al DAlfonso
Jim Zachary Assembly 266 meets
the second Monday of the month
at 7PM at the Lakeland I-HOP, I-4
& US 98 Contact Al DAlfonso
keeper0499@embarqmail.com
(321) 437-3814 for more details.
291
DIRECT FROM LAS VEGAS:

MENTALISM WITH PAUL
DRAPER
LOS ANGELES, CA Assembly

291 was very fortunate to enjoy
the mentalism of Paul Draper,
who came all the way from Las
Vegas. From a very anthropological standpoint he is very well
versed in reading people and situations. Two of our audience were
intrigued in having their cards
read by such an expert. It gave
them a wonderful insight into their
own human condition. He also
showed us how he uses his mind
to bend spoons. As a result, one
of our S.Y.M. members had a fun
souvenir.
Paul Drapers resume is very
accomplished. He has appeared
with David Copperfield, Lance
Burton, and Teller as an expert
on the History Channel. He has
performed for the HBO Comedy
Fest at Caesars Palace, on Criss
Angels Mindfreak on A&E, and
on documentaries accompanying Steven Spielbergs Poltergeist. He has also appeared on the
Pawn Stars episode of Learning
The Ropes, where he works his
craft and bends a spoon during
an interview. In addition to his
corporate shows and lectures, Paul
Draper is frequently called upon
as an expert in fields ranging from
magical history to human consciousness.
In researching Pauls biography,
he is an anthropologist and
member of the Society for the
Anthropology of Consciousness.
Paul Draper
Assembly News
Paul Draper pursued studies with
Native American ghost dancers,
South cannibals, and spiritualists. According to Paul, he is an
anthropologist, magician and
mind reader.
Paul is everything he claims
to be and more. The lecture was
delightfully insightful. And we
would recommend him at your
next lecture. However, if you are
in Las Vegas, be sure to catch his
at the Venetian Hotel and Casino
where he is the house magician.
William Dow Jr.
Assembly 291 meets the second
Tuesday of every month at OPICA
Adult Day Care Facility, 11759
Missouri Avenue, Los Angeles,
CA 90025. Contact Les Cooper
Cooperl@ucla.edu (310) 473-1820
www.westsidewizards.org
for
more details.
292
SLEIGHTS ON THE SOLSTICE
GREELEY, CO We met on
the Summer Solstice (June 21st)
in The Buzz coffeehouse and
greatly enjoyed an unexpected
treat. Richard Nakata introduced
two guests: Peter Toews and his
nine-year-old son Michael, who
is one of Richs magic students.
Michael is a courteous, poised,
and gifted lad whose career goal is
to combine being a violinist and a
magician. His twin sister regularly
performs with him, playing a flute.
Shes a prodigy, too. Later, his supportive grandparents dropped by.

(Its a small world; Ed Hurtubis
knew his grandfather years ago
at work.) Michaels skills took
our breath away as he used large
rings for an Odin count and then
smoothly performed Dai Vernons
classic Symphony of the Rings.
Next he performed Nakatas own
Cups and Balls routine. (Michael
had a twist on one sleight, so Rich
said it really should be renamed
Michaels routine.) We look
forward to seeing more of this
lads impressive work.
Jim Pope ran an informal
meeting. He brought a Walter
Gibson book for a couple
members to inscribe since they
had known the author. Show
reports were by The Amazing
James Lopez, Rich Nakata, Lloyd
Worley the Wizard Worley,
and Lew The Great Loudini
Wymisner. Rich Nakata entertained us with terrible jokes and
his fathers signature Ah-Phooey
Rope Routine. It uses multiple
sleights (and really sharp scissors)
to cut and restore doubled ropes
and to trim and to vanish lots
of bulky knots. Lloyd Worley
displayed two elaborate Harry
Potter-themed wands. He passed
around the USPCCs mandolinback GT Speedreader Marked
Deck with Ted Lesley markings.
Then he performed the whitecrane version of SEO Magics
novel Origamagic. Instead of
the second Saturday of the month.

Contact Jim Pope jlp1616@
comcast.net (970) 339-3277 www.
SAM292.com for more details.
293
JUST DO IT
Rich Nakata cues applause

for Michael Toews
juggling the memory cloth in his
hands, Lloyd took Jeff McBrides
advice and bounced it on a large
black fan. This leaves a hand free
to make gestures causing the
transposition to evolve. The next
day, Lloyd sent us an email that
he had closed a show the evening
after our meeting with the same
Origamagic presentation. It left
the audience speechless. James
Lopez used several sleights in
dealing the Aces, and in doing
Solo Flight Aces from Expert Card
Technique. Lew Wymisner ended
the meeting with an interesting
display of gimmicked salt shakers.
He demonstrated features of the
props, including designs by Al
Baker and Vernet.
Ron Dutton
The Dr. Ronald P. Dutton
Assembly 292 usually meets at
Kennys Steak House, 3502 West
10th Street (corner of 35th Avenue)
at 11:00 A.M. (lunch optional), on
LINCOLN, NE With the timing

of the Lincoln Marathon and other
local sporting events, the theme
for our June meeting was Just Do
it. Whether its a new magic trick
youve been working on for some
time or a tried-and-true favorite,
club president, Bruce Jacoby encouraged our members to come to
the meeting and Just Do it. We
had many of our youth members
perform card tricks, as well as
several more seasoned members
show off their talent. In addition
to our regular June meeting, youth
leader, Luis Villamonte gave a
mini-lecture about the rhythm,
timing, and psychology that goes
into planning a forty-minute
stage routine. Club member Jarod
Cernousek also shared his experiences from the recent AbraCornDabra magic convention in Iowa.
Vizma Shaeffer
The Lincoln Magic club, Assembly
293, meets on the first Saturday of
every month from 12:30 - 2:00 at
the MagicKits.com Magic Shop
at 10th & Charleston. Contact
www.lincolnmagic.com for more
details.
Broken Wands
ELMO BENNETT
We are disheartened to
report the passing of Elmo
Bennett of Winter Haven,
Florida, on June 8, 2014,
from heart failure. He is
survived by his lovely wife
of thirty-one years, Linda,
his son Michael Bennett and
his wife Chrissy, and several
grandchildren. Memorial
services were held on June
10, 2014, at the Heartland
Community Church in
Winter Haven with over seven hundred in attendance a
fitting tribute to a man who had touched so many lives
throughout his community. Over thirty-three magicians
were also in attendance; Bob Macey, Dean of S.A.M.
Assembly 266, conducted the broken wand ceremony.
Elmo was a founding member of the Central Florida
Magic Club (started in 1977 by Tom Craven at his V.I.P.
Magic Shop in Auburndale, Florida). The club later transi22 M-U-M Magazine - August 2014
tioned into the Jim Zee S.A.M. Assembly 266 in Lakeland,

Florida; Elmo held every club leadership position
numerous times. He was also a long-time member and
officer of the Wizards of Winter Haven. Elmo was very
welcoming to new members and always had a kind word
to make them feel at ease.
He had numerous careers in his lifetime: He retired
from the US Navy after thirty-four years and from Tampa
Electric after twenty-eight years. Elmo was also a talented
musician, however, he was best known in the community
of Winter Haven for his subsequent and defining career
as a close-up restaurant magician. He and Linda owned
and operated Elmos and Lindas Magical Dining, for which
he was a magical performer extraordinaire. Elmo was
probably the most naturally funny magician and storyteller I have ever known. People flocked to watch his
magic and hear his tall tales while Linda provided scrumptious meals; it was the perfect partnership. On any given
day, you could find Elmo and his best pal, Ed McGowan,
holding court in a variety of venues. Elmo Bennett was a
one-of-a-kind original and he will be deeply missed.
Bob Macey
Broken Wands
DEAN OF ASSEMBLY 266 - RONALD A. WOHL
Ronald A. Wohl was
born on November 25,
1936, in Basel, Switzerland.
His fascination with magic
began at an early age. Being
a very bright, obsessive,
and creative person, he
began to publish many
of his creations while still
very young; most of his
early works and articles
appeared in German under
the pseudonym Ravelli.
In 1960, he released a
self-published booklet in
German titled Unheimliche
Kartenpartie.
Shortly thereafter he moved to the United States.
By then he had a PhD in biochemistry and began doing
research at Yale University. His first job in the US was as
a biochemistry professor at Rutgers University; this led
to his career as an executive at Berlex pharmaceuticals,
where he worked until his retirement in 2004.
Ron was a member of The Society of American
Magicians for close to forty years; he served as president
of Assembly 25 in New Jersey. Although he was a
member of several local assemblies, the Rouclare-Zarrow Assembly was where he was most active. At most
meetings he would share the latest magic that he had discovered on his travels, and he often tipped unpublished
secrets that would not go public for years.
Ron spoke and read many languages and had an
incredible retention for what he read. He was almost
encyclopedic about his passions, which included, magic,
gambling/cheating, con games, cooking, music, puzzles,
and many subjects. As a collector, he amassed one of the
larger collections of magic and gambling-related books
and props in multiple languages; he likely had the largest
collection of magic and gambling prints in the world. Most
of his collection is scheduled to be offered at a Potter &
Potter auction in 2015.
Some of his best known creations are The Australian Sixes, The Mechanical Reverse (often inaccurately
credited to Ken Krenzel), and Ravellis Waterfall Shuffle,
which inspired an entire industry of in-the-hands false
shuffles. His routines in the recently released Magical
Mathematics by Persi Diaconis and Ron Graham have
been called the highlight of the collection.
Ron died on July 7, 2014, after a long battle with
cancer. Since being diagnosed with terminal cancer
four years ago, he spent his remaining time enjoying life
instead of living in sorrow. He traveled to every magic
convention he could, along with many side trips to places
and museums that he always wanted to see. His time on
earth ended on an ironic date that he would appreciate
due to his love of numbers, puzzles, and coincidences: He
died on July 7, 2014 (7/7/14) at the age of seventy-seven!
ROBERT W. BOB KLAMM

There are two sayings
that were important
themes in the life of Robert
W. Bob Klamm, who died
July 10, 2014. First, there are
none as sad as those who
cannot laugh at themselves.
Second, those with sight
look into things with their
eyes, while those who are
blind must look deeper. For
the past eighty-four years,
Bob has been laughing at
himself and looking deeper
than most.
Bob was born nearly blind March 11, 1930, in Kansas
City, Kansas, one of two children born to Beulah and
Clarence Klamm. No one knew he was nearly blind, not
even himself, until he was eight years old. He just learned
to laugh at himself and made jokes about his bumbling
ways..
Despite his handicap, Bob developed a keen interest
in performing magic tricks. While a student at Northwest
Junior High School (Kansas City, Kansas), he did his first
big magic show for a student body of five hundred. The
show was immensely successful and Bob was finally
no longer an outcast. He was hooked on magic and
performed ever since then.
At the age of twenty-two, found a job writing advertising copy for Standart-OHern Advertising Agency.
While working there in the early 1950s, he pioneered
the comedy radio commercial. After gaining a Masters
degree in Education from the University of Missouri at
Kansas City in 1959, Bob worked as a speech and drama
teacher for nineteen years at Van Horn High School
(Independence, Missouri), where he touched the lives of
many students.
In 1976 Bob returned to his first love performing
magic and also opened a magic shop in Independence.
For the next forty years, Bob worked tirelessly at his
trade, and established himself as an international figure.
He founded the Greater Kansas City Assembly 38; he
also started a Kansas City assembly of the S.Y.M. and
produced their annual magic show for seventeen years.
Bob developed a product line of his own magic tricks,
including many new effects that performing magicians
now consider industry standards.
Bob was a prolific writer as well as performer and
teacher. His books include: Fly Like a Bumblebee, How to
Outfox the Kids for Fun and Profit, and Get More Laughs
from Your Laughs. Bob leaves behind his loving wife of
many years, Berniece, sons Dale and Scott, four granddaughters, sister Doris Stoneberger, nephew Mark Stoneberger, niece Sarah Harris, and a great many grand nieces
and nephews, who will miss their Uncle Bob.
(For a more complete story of the life of Bob Klamm,
see the April 2009 issue of M-U-M.)
I Left My Cards at Home

By Steve Marshall
RYAN SCHLUTZ
Ryan Schlutz is one of those rare individuals who was actually born and raised
in Florida.
When he was in third grade, his mother
showed (and taught) him his first magic
trick. She showed me the old trick where
you tie a shoelace into a loop and then
pull it through your neck, Ryan said. He
thought the trick was so cool that he took
it to school and performed it for show and
tell. I remember being so nervous. I got
up in front of everyone, performed it, and
nobody said anything! I thought I must
have been horrible and went and sat down.
Later on everyone came up to me amazed
and asked me how I did it. I had mistaken
their quietness for not liking it. They were
just so amazed that they didnt know what
to say. After that experience all I wanted to
do was to learn more magic!
Ryan began to study magic. By the
time he was in high school, his family had
moved to Orlando, Florida, where he met
another young magician named Kostya
Kimlat. The two of them became friends
and started hanging out and working on
new magic effects. I got to see Kostya cull
his first card. Thats my claim to fame,
Ryan said with a smile.
Also during his high school years he
volunteered every Sunday at the Give Kids
the World Village in Kissimmee, where he
would perform table to table at the Sunday
morning family breakfast and then run the
carousel in the afternoon. Ryan said that
this was not only great for working on his

magic; it was also a very rewarding experience to perform for these special children
and their families.
After finishing high school, Ryan
went to the University of Florida, where
he earned his degree in business finance.
During his time at the university, there
was a weekly event called Gator Nights.
He began performing there every week. I
was basically an in the trenches kind of
guy just doing close-up magic, mostly
walk-around stuff. This style of performing, in real situations, for real people, gave
Ryan a keen sense of what worked and
what didnt and enabled him to develop a
style, and create new material that would
work in the real world.
When he left college, he got a job
working for the defense contractor
Lockheed Martin doing corporate finance
work. Once again his surroundings started
to influence his magic creative process;
he began freaking out fellow employees
with tricks that he created using the office
supplies that were all around him.
Ryan had a dream to write a book about
all the lessons he had learned about the
performance of magic and the tricks he had
created. In 2011 his book Making the Cut
was published. One of the items included
in this book, the Pivotal Peek, has become
a popular and often-used sleight. Ryan
followed up his best-selling book with a
DVD of the same name, which teaches the
effects from the book.
After that, Ryan became, in his words,
a self-working card trick junkie and
began working on and collecting these
types of effects. Many such tricks were
included in his next DVD, Miracles
without Moves.
At the time of this writing, Ryans third
DVD, Effortless Effects, featuring more
self-working card tricks is being finished
up and should be on the market around the
time you read this. Ryan was nice enough
to give me a sneak peek at one of the new
tricks, called Clearly See Thru; it totally
fooled me.
Ryan has many great thoughts about the
performance of magic as well, including
some interesting ideas that help with that
awkward moment of approaching a table
to perform in a restaurant. I found that
people were more inclined to welcome me

if I initially said that I was a palm reader,
instead of a magician. I would then go into
a sort of comedy palm reading bit that
would change into a magic trick; Id then
have their attention and I could perform.
Ryan is truly creative in his ideas on
magic; I look forward to seeing more from
this young man.
ELEMENTARY
SPOON BEND
BY RYAN SCHLUTZ
This is a nice trick that Ryan sometimes
uses to close his walk-around sets at
restaurants. It leaves spectators with a
cool souvenir that just happens to be his
business card.
Effect: Begin by asking a spectator,
Have you ever heard of someone bending
a spoon with his mind? Pick up a spoon
as you say this. When she says yes, say, It
looks pretty difficult, but people can do it
without even knowing that they have this
power. Hold the spoon up in front of her
and say, Maybe you can do it! Go ahead;
try to bend it with your mind! Let her
make faces, put her hands on her temples,
etc. Then say, Its not working good try,
though! Its actually more difficult than
you would think. The steel is very hard, so
I started training to do this with something
much softer... Pull a stack of business
cards out of your pocket as you say,
paper!
Turn the packet of cards over and show
a straight spoon drawn on the back. Say,
I will teach you how to train your mind
with this paper spoon. First sign your
name across the bottom of the card so we
know that it is yours. Pull the signed card
off the stack while keeping the writing
side of the card toward the spectator and
the spoon drawing toward you. Tell her to
hold the card and shake it back and forth
as you illustrate the same action with the
real spoon. The spectator will see the real
spoon start to bend.
Stop shaking the spoon and show her
that your real spoon has bent. If you
followed my actions and my spoon has
bent, then your spoon should have bent,
too. The spectator turns the business card
she doesnt prematurely see the bent-spoon

drawing. Pick up your real spoon off the
table and, as you raise it up to her eye level,
push on the bowl of the spoon with your
thumb, giving it a slight bend (Photo 6).
over and sees that the drawing of her spoon

is also bent. The card is signed, proving
there was no switch, and she is left with
your business card that was magically
altered.
Method: A lot of you will probably
recognize the business card part as using
the Out to Lunch principle. You will
need to draw a bent spoon on the back of
some of your business cards. Lay one half
of another business card on top of it and
draw a straight, top portion, of the spoon
so that it lines up perfectly with the handle
of the bent spoon. (Photo 1 shows what you
will wind up with.)
Photo 1
Photo 3
out the stack of cards and ask your spectator

to sign the bottom of the card (Photo 3).
After this is done, take the cards back,
turning the drawing towards yourself; pull
out the signed card, leaving the half card
held to the stack by the rubber band
(Photo 4).
Photo 4
Draw bent spoons on about ten cards so

you can easily reset the trick when needed.
If you are a bit artistically challenged at
drawing spoons, as I am, ask a friend who
is better at this to draw what you need and
have the business cards printed.
Take a stack of business cards, about
ten, and place the bent-spoon card on top;
then place the half portion on top of the
bent-spoon drawing and line up the
handles. Wrap a rubber band around the
stack to cover the seam (Photo 2) and you
are ready to perform. (There are several
items on the market that you can use
instead of the simple rubber band. If you
intend to perform this routine often, you
may want to invest in such a prop.)
Since you have drawn spoons with

handles that line up to the half card on all
the cards in the stack, you can let the spectators see the next drawing, since it will
just look like another straight spoon
(Photo 5).
Keep the back of the spoon directly

toward your spectator and begin to shake
it back and forth. Ask her to do the same
with the business card. Begin tilting your
spoon toward her; she should do the same
with the card. She will see your spoon is
bent (Photo 7). Stop shaking it and show
the bent condition of the spoon. Ask her to
turn the card over and she will see that the
drawing of the spoon, with her signature
on it, has bent as well.
Photo 7
STEVES STUFF
Photo 2
Photo 5
Following the presentation above, bring
Photo 6
Put the stack of cards in your pocket

and hand the signed business card to the
spectator with the drawing toward you so
This is a great effect on so many levels.

It is amazing and engaging for the spectators, and they get a magical souvenir with
your contact information on it. If you are
new to spoon bending, this is a great effect
to start off with, because you could even
bend the spoon earlier, when the spectator
is signing the card, since there is so much
misdirection.
If anyone ever had a misspent youth, it is Al Schneider. If you

have even seen him perform his close-up Zombie routine, you will
know what I mean. The silver ball comes alive with a personality all its own. This is a result of thorough planning. Al looks at
routines from every angle and leaves nothing to chance. Every
move must look natural and be convincing.
I saw Al perform this routine at a convention this past summer.
It is a fooler, and comes from his book, Al Schneider on Close-up.
Read the routine, and then read it again. You will not want to miss
any part of Als misspent youth. David Goodsell
TWENTIETH CENTURY YARN
be aware of this, but dont bring undue attention to it. Later, when
you bring out the envelope with the thumb tip in it, the audience
will not be surprised to see the envelope still bowed open.
After the envelope is squeezed open, remove the two red
strands of yarn first, laying them on the table. Then remove the
yellow strand and lay it on the table. Put the envelope in your left
coat pocket, being careful not to flatten the envelope.
Pick up the two red strands and tie them together (Figure 2).
Say something about hiding them, pause, and reach for the
envelope in your left pocket as if you just thought of using it.
Dont overact this, for all you need do is pause as if thinking.
BY AL SCHNEIDER
The development of this effect began as a straightforward

effort to reduce the stage effect called Twentieth Century Silks to
a close-up routine. My first attempt involved switching two small
silks tied together for three tied together. This was accomplished
by rolling each set up into a ball. During the routine the switch
was to be done with something like a Toss Change with coins.
The handling never really appealed to me due some clumsiness
with a ball of silk.
Then, being aware of the tremendous power of a thumb tip,
I considered using that device. Since the thumb tip is used to
vanish small items, I thought of vanishing a small piece of yarn,
and then have it appear tied between two silks. Then, I thought of
using yarn totally instead of silk. I was in the process of trying
out a Himber wallet to switch two pieces of yarn for three when
I thought of doing the switch in an envelope. Switch envelopes?
Well, that was okay, but messy. How about using the tip? Yarn
can be compressed very nicely. That might work. But then how
do I vanish the single strand? Maybe I could use the tip on both?
Pow! Thats the method. Then, all I had to do was program the
final routine.
The routine uses two envelopes, three and one half inches by
two and one quarter inches; six pieces of yarn, four red and two
yellow, each about six inches long; and one Vernet thumb tip. Tie
two red and one yellow into a chain with the yellow in the middle.
Place this chain in the bottom of the envelope, turn the flap all
the way back, and place the thumb tip in the envelope in position
for correct use later on in the performance of the routine. Place
this in your left coat pocket. Place the yellow strand in the other
envelope, followed by the two red strands. Put this away until it is
time to perform.
Begin the effect by bringing out the envelope with the three
pieces of yarn in it. Open the envelope, bending the flap all the
way back. Squeeze the sides of the envelope so it opens all the
way. With your thumb, press a dent in the side of the envelope
(Figure 1). This will keep the envelope open. The audience should
Bring out the envelope containing the thumb tip. Immediately

insert the tied pieces of yarn into the envelope, and into the thumb
tip (Figure 3). The first poke will leave most of the yarn sticking
out of the envelope. Using your fingers and thumb alternately, push
all the yarn into the tip. When it is all in, a last poke of the thumb
withdraws the tip from the envelope on the thumb. Sometimes
the tip does not stick to my thumb, so I insert my thumb into the
tip and bend the thumb, which presses the inside edge against the
lower part of my thumb firmly grasping the tip from the inside.
Also note that while handling the tip inside the envelope, the left
hand can squeeze the tip while it is holding the envelope. This
provides stability in handling the tip.
Now that we have the tip out of the envelope, the left hand
presses the envelope flat (Figure 4), and then the right-hand fingers
flip the flap over so the envelope is closed. Moisten the glued part
of the flap with your tongue, and seal the envelope closed. Place
the envelope on the table or give it to someone to hold.
For the second part of the routine, the right hand picks up the
piece of yarn on the table using the tip of the thumb tip and the
second finger. Raise the left hand and close it into a fist, thumb
uppermost. The right hand approaches the left hand with the
strand of yarn. The right hand pushes the yarn into the left fist.
Only a small bit of the yarn is inserted into the left fist, however.
The right thumb is thrust into the fist deep enough to deposit the
thumb tip (Figure 5). Because the thumb is behind the right fingers
out of the view of the audience, they wont be totally aware that
you have made a deep plunge. Also, the action of putting the
thumb tip in should be a quick action that does not attract undue
attention to itself. You end up with most of the yarn hanging out
of a closed fist (Figure 6).
between the second finger and thumb; the tip is left behind in the
pocket.
Sprinkle the left hand with the imaginary dust and show the
yellow strand gone. It is up to you to reveal the three tied pieces of
yarn in the sealed envelope. Isnt magic wonderful?
[Note: For several years during the 1980s, Editor Emeritus
David Goodsell ran a column called Evidence of a Misspent
Youth. It contained some excellent routines from many of magics
top creators.
Twentieth Century Yarn is a routine I used all the time during
my tenure at Max & Ermas restaurant in Indianapolis back in the
1980s. It plays very well for children. I explored other options for
the envelopes, including an origami bird in a nest that could move
its head up and down. The two red pieces of yarn (worms) were
put in the nest. The yellow thread vanished. The bird lowered its
head into the nest and pulled up the three threads tied together.
This is probably way more trouble than most readers will want
to go to (assuming you could even find the origami fold), but I
mention it to stimulate your creativity.
Two other small additions you may wish to try: 1) Instead of
a thumb tip, use a finger tip on the right first finger or middle
finger. It makes actions of poking the thread into the envelope
more natural. 2) Have the envelope with the three tied threads
in the upper breast pocket of your coat. Instead of returning the
first envelope to your side jacket pocket, use the pocket-switch
dodge to switch envelopes in your breast pocket. This makes
it appear as if the envelope never leaves the spectators sight.
Michael Close] (Drawings by David Goodsell)
By alternating with fingers and thumb, poke the yarn into the
tip and steal it with almost the same motion you used to place it
into the fist. Briefly show your right hand empty by revealing the
palm of the right hand. Point the tip at the audience, and bend your
thumb, which causes the lower edge of the tip to blend into a fold
of skin (Figure 7).
Make a comment about magic powder and insert your thumb

and second finger into a pocket as if you were getting a pinch
of something. While the tips of the thumb and finger are in the
pocket the second finger presses the thumb tip against the body.
This holds the tip, allowing the thumb to be withdrawn. The hand
moves away from the pocket as if containing a pinch of dust
The Nielsen Gallery

Ten Ichi Troupe at the Casino de Paris
Dimensions: Half-sheet: 23" x 31.5" Lithographer: G. Bataille, Paris

Date: Circa 1903 Nielsen Rating: Unique
For centuries, Japan deliberately isolated itself from the rest
of the world. This changed in the second half of the nineteenth
century when the country opened up to the West. When it did,
cultural interchanges began on many levels. Soon magicians
from the U.S. and Europe began appearing in Japan. Likewise,
Japanese magicians brought their exotic conjuring to the West.
The first real star to blossom on the American stage is the subject
of this months poster: Ten-Ichi Shoukyokusai.
Magic in Japan grows from ancient roots. The earliest accounts
of magic performances appear in Japanese books as early as 800
C.E. (current era). The first Japanese magician to achieve fame
was Ukon Miyako who performed in 1670. The first Japanese
card trick was published in 1725. The first Japanese descriptions
of the Cups and Balls and Linking Rings appeared in 1764. And
books on magic proliferated. Between the end of the seventeenth
century and the start of the twentieth, over four hundred magic
books were produced in that country.
Ten-Ichis big break came in 1888, when, at the age of thirtysix, he dazzled Japanese audiences with effects like the Mizugei
or Water Fountains act in which water spouted from Ten-Ichis
finger and then from everything he touched, including the top
of an assistants head. He also performed the thumb-tie trick,
which consisted of his thumbs being tightly secured with a traditional Japanese cord made from twisted washi paper, which was
extremely strong. He then passed his hands through hoops thrown
toward him, encircled poles, and in other ways demonstrated the
penetration of solid through solid. With each instantaneous penetration his thumbs were found securely tied.
Both illusions were well known in Japan, but caused an
absolute sensation when presented during his first U.S. vaudeville tour in 1901. The thumb-tie quickly caught on with Western
magicians, who devised various methods to accomplish the feat.
None approached the skill and artistry of Ten-Ichi. In fact, he only
ever taught it to one magician, Carl Rosini, while both were performing at the Alhambra Theatre in London in 1904. It became a
signature effect in Rosinis repertoire, although he changed from
Japanese cords to twine. In return, Rosini taught Ten-Ichi his
billiard ball routine.
Getting back to the Water Fountain act, historian David Price
described it as follows:
It looked like real magic with Ten-Ichi transferring the
fountain anywhere he pleased. After the original fountain had
been transferred several times, at times coming from the middle
of an assistants forehead and from the tip of anothers nose, Ten
Ichi began creating many fountains instead of transferring one
from place to place. A fountain sprang from every place that he
touched. The entire company came on stage and was fountain28 M-U-M Magazine - August 2014
ized, with water spurting forth from one or more parts of the
anatomy of each.
Thurston, Dante, and Tampa all used the effect in their shows;
in Thurstons case, one of the girls in his company was even
suspended in air, held there only by sprays of water.
Ten-Ichi was soon playing the Keith and Orpheum theaters in
the east. Then, in the fall of 1903, without a contract in hand, he
took his company to Europe. Despite this lack of a contract, he
was quickly booked at the Wintergarten in Berlin for six weeks,
in Paris at the Casino, then in Amsterdam, and finally over to
England for his long run at the Alhambra. After great success in
England, he returned to the United States, playing major cities.
After several months he returned to Japan in 1905 and was booked
immediately into the Kabuki-za Theater, the largest in Tokyo.
When his show opened in Tokyo, it was not with the same act
he had been so successful with in America and Europe. Rather he
presented a number of illusions he had learned from his peers and
acquired during his travels. He delighted Japanese audiences with
illusions like Vanity Fair (walking through a mirror), Kellars
Vanishing Lamp and The Levitation of the Princess Karnac, and
Professor Minguss version of catching goldfish from the air with
a fishing pole.
In the Japanese culture, professional information was
commonly handed down from a sensei (master) to a deshi
(apprentice), who began at the bottom and slowly worked his or
her way up, eventually ending up with their own independent
work. Max Maven, writing in a July 1994 Genii magazine article,
noted that this was the case with one of Ten-Ichis students,
Tenkatsu Shoukyokusai (featured in the poster). After Ten-Ichi
died in 1912, she became a star in her own right. Another pupil
who became famous in his own right was Tenyo Shoukyokusai,
Ten-Ichis nephew. After a successful career in magic, he formed
the magic company that still bears his name.
Ten-Ichis popularity can be attributed to his understanding that audiences wanted something different and exotic. The
Japanese miracles he performed, all with traditional Japanese
dress and stage settings, were unlike anything audiences in the
West had ever seen. When he returned to Japan with Western
miracles, audiences packed the theaters.
The beauty and mystery of magic performed by Japanese
conjurors still delights audiences today. Perhaps Maven said it
best when he concluded his article on Japanese conjuring saying,
Watch for them; theyll have astonishing mysteries to give
you.
Tom Ewing
Another Lady in Two

I am confident I am not unique in having magic acts that I
favor, even though I cannot definitively say exactly why I am fond
of them. The Rice, Orange, and Checkers transformation is one of
those. And so is this months topic: Zellas Divided Lady.
Who was Zella? I wish I knew. I cannot find any reference
to him. I know that he invented at least one other effect: Zellas
Thought Projector. I had this Abbott Magic product when I was a
young man. It was a piece of rope; the magician would hold one
end of the rope and the spectator would hold the other. With it, the
spectator could announce/reveal, for instance, which playing card
another spectator had chosen.
The method was actually
both simple and clever.
Inside the soft magicians
rope was a tube that had an
inflatable bladder at one end
and a squeezing bulb at the
other. The magician would
place the proper end in the
spectators hand and tell her
to hold it securely.
I shall name several
cards. Please let us know
which one this gentleman
has selected. You will feel
the answer. The magician,
knowing the card, would
squeeze the bulb and the
spectator would feel the
inflating end of the tube in her hand and respond. It worked

most of the time. However, if the rope wasnt held at the right spot,
or if the chosen helper was inattentive, it might just fail. I never set
it up with the spectator beforehand.
I would file this prop and concept under the title Clever Ideas
I was not Able to Get Anything Out Of.
I first saw the inventors Divided Lady illusion in an issue of
Abbotts New Tops magazine in an article about a new Houdini
by David Seebach
musical in London. The
producers had bought this
prop from Abbotts, but had
repainted it with a mermaid
(as I recall) on its front.
About that same time I saw
the illusion on display and
for sale at the annual Magic
Get-Together in Michigan in
August. It was about $225.
Abbotts used the same
stencils and design for this
as they did for their Girl
without a Middle illusion.
It is and remains a very
striking Egyptian design.
The prop consists of a shallow, upright cabinet that is just
large enough for a woman to stand inside. Once inside, two blades
divide the prop into an upper half and a lower half. The upper half
is swung backwards 180 degrees so it is now upside-down and
directly behind the lower half. At this point the entire outfit can
be spun around.
Next, a pin is removed and the two halves can be wheeled
apart. Everything is put back by reversing the steps; the assistant
is found unharmed. I cannot imagine this illusion ever being
anything but a brief interlude. I dont think there is any point in
taking much time with it.
Other than the prop coming apart into its two halves this
illusion does not disassemble for packing. But, it is lightweight
and neither half is very large. The entire illusion can be shipped
in cardboard cartons via UPS. However, I do not recommend that
for long-term use. Youll pay a lot more than $225 for this today,
so take care of your investment.
With rare exceptions, I do not think it is wise to build your own
illusions. Youll make errors and it will never be as cheap as you
imagine. This prop, though, requires only basic carpentry, so its
at least a reasonable project (unlike, say, a Broom Suspension).
Abbotts still offers their mimeographed workshop plans and
Paul Osborne offers printed blueprints. But in both cases you will
note an odd detail: The door for the assistant to enter the illusion
is shown on the props side, not its front. I would also counsel any
builder that the dimensions shown are very generous.
This illusion only works if it seems impossible for the assistant
to double-up and crouch in the bottom half. So the prop must be
as shallow as possible. My actual Abbott-built prop is not as big
as the dimensions in the Abbott workshop plans. Less is certainly
more here.
The secret is that the back of the illusion is not solid. Its made
of rubber (or, perhaps, today, Spandex). The truth is that the
assistant could not squeeze into the lower half if it was completely
solid. But she can squeeze into it, since the back will stretch and
her body can protrude to the rear. Since the top half of the illusion
is also outfitted the same way, anything that bulges out will
bulge in to it. At this point it can be spun about.
This is not an illusion for an in-the-round show; sight lines
could be an issue. Once the halves are separated the performer
must be vigilant in keeping them oriented properly.
A Halloween Feature?
Halloween show
Several years ago I had a local

carpenter build this prop for me.
I obtained both Abbotts and
Osbornes plans for him and envisioned the prop as an upright
coffin. Although it was rectangular, I imagined suggesting the oldfashioned casket shape by design.
We used it to little effect, since it
was built to dimensions that were
just too big to fool anyone, in my
opinion. That prop is now owned
by a St. Louis illusionist. I have
since obtained an improved
Divided Lady as built by Abbotts.
I found this at Hocus-Pocus Magic
in Fresno.
What Makes it Improved?

It appears this version was built by Abbotts Glenn Arturo
Babbs, who along with Bud West turned out exceptional quality
apparatus for the firm. Glenn had originated the Cutting a Girl in
Sixths illusion, another upright prop. He added the shackles for
the hands and neck to this Divided Lady. Theyre identical to his
Cutting in Sixths.
If you are looking to add an illusion to your repertoire, I would
hesitate to suggest this as your first big prop. You cannot do it
everywhere and its not going to be as effective as a closing act as
so many other illusions would be.
But, for an illusionist looking for a brief interlude between
other, more drawn-out acts in a show, this effect, performed at a
sprightly pace, may be just right.
And when this isnt your finale, you can have some fun by not
restoring the assistant. Thats right; just roll her off stage right and
stage left. The audience will be stunned.
David A Seebach
www.davidseebach.com
david@davidseebach.com
(All photos were taken by Julie Sobanski with the exception of the
Halloween photo.)
Cheats & Deceptions

(For Entertainment Purposes Only)
By Antonio M. Cabr al
ILL HAVE A TRIPLE

This month I thought Id talk about
one of my favorite micro-techniques.
Micro-technique is a personal term I
use to describe those little subtleties and
finesses that are seemingly small things,
but that make a big difference in how your
audience perceives your magic.
Take the double turnover, for example.
In card magic, there are very few effects
as simple and as strong as doing a double
turnover to show one card, turning the
double down, dealing off the top card,
and then showing it has transformed into
a different card. The problem is that the
nature of the double turnover speaks to its
own secret: the double card is turned face
down onto the deck, and the card just seen
is left behind on top of the deck. Even with
excellent, practiced technique, its not at
all out of the question for a non-magical
audience to assume that, just maybe, the
card they just saw ended up on top of the
deck. Thats why we take pains to move
the card away from the deck (placed on the
table or in a participants hand) or we learn
more finessed techniques where the card
apparently never lands square on top of
the deck (the Vernon, Braue, or DAmico
un-loads, for example). But theres still the
nagging idea that the card was last seen on
top of the deck, so thats the logical place
for it to have stayed.
Im not here to argue against the double
turnover. I use the move often in my own
work, and I find it to be perfectly deceptive.
However, in certain contexts, Ive found it
useful to substitute another technique, one
that Ill refer to here as a triple-single.
Assume youve controlled a selected
card to the top of the deck. Instead of doing
a double to show the wrong card, do a triple
lift. The participant tells you its the wrong
card, so you turn the triple down and deal
the top card to the table. Cleanly turn
over the next single card to show another
wrong card. When this is rejected as well,

you turn it back down and make a magical
gesture over the card on the table to show it
has transformed into the correct card.
Theres actually a lot going on here for
such a simple trick. The triple turnover
shows the wrong card, just as you
normally would with a double turnover.
But then you cleanly show the next card.
The audience sees that next card, and now
they know that the card on the table must
still be the one you showed them, because
theyve seen its not still on top of the deck.
That level of conviction is an incredibly
powerful condition to attain in a transformation or a transposition.
The triple-single isnt a new idea, and
its not original with me. Youre probably
already recognized it from tricks like
Vernons Fingerprint Card Trick. (Darwin
Ortiz has told me that as far as he can
determine, the maneuver belongs to Dr.
Daley.) In that trick, the triple-single is
used to show the chosen card and apparently deal it to the table; this moment
creates the same sense of conviction. The
audience sees the chosen card, they apparently see it dealt to the table, and then they
see the next card on top of the deck. So the
chosen card has to be on the table. I use this
technique in my handling of the Dunbury
Delusion (Cheating at Blackjack from my
DVD The Usual Suspect), because the
more convinced the audience is that the
chosen card is on the table, the stronger the
climax of the trick is when it appears in my
hand. You can actually see the audiences
attention relax once theyve convinced
themselves the card is on the table. I use
that relaxation to execute upwards of
twenty second deals under virtually no
heat whatsoever. Why should they care?
They already know where their card ended
up (so they think).
Im tremendously fond of this
technique. I use the basic form as a
simple and strong revelation of a card. I
used a variation of the idea in the very first
trick published in this column in January
2014 (Be Honest Is It Blackjack?). And I
use it for the first in a sequence of two-card

transpositions. Its a style of transposition
popularized by Eddie Tullock, usually
done with a pair of double turnovers. I
use the triple-single to avoid giving the
audience a chance to burn my double
turnover twice in a row and give myself a
nice moment of convinced relaxation.
TRANSPOSITION TANGO
You start with a pair of pseudo-mate
court cards for descriptions sake lets
assume the two red Queens. One starts on
top of the deck, the other is fifth from the
top. Enlist the assistance of two audience
members. Spread through the deck for the
first participant to touch the back of a card;
in doing so, cull the fifth card under the
spread (one of the two red Queens). When
he touches the back of a card, separate the
spread at that card and flick the edge with
your thumb to indicate/confirm which card
he wants. Youll raise your right hand to
apparently show the face of this card; in
the process, force the Queen by straightening the right fingers and pushing the Queen
to the left. This gets covered in the action
of raising the right hand to show the face
of the card. Done properly, the illusion is
perfect. (For more detail on this type of
force, see page 173 of Simon Aronsons
Try the Impossible, or the Versatile Cull
Switch on page 159 of Frank Simons
Versatile Card Magic.)
Having forced the Queen, bring the
hands back together and cull it and an
extra card as you offer the spread to the
second participant for a selection. Once
she has touched her card, break the spread,
this time with the touched card on top of
the left-hand portion. Raise the left hand
to show the second selection, and cull it
with the others as you begin to coalesce
the spread. The reason for the change of
procedure is simple: If you raised the right
hand again, youd flash the culled cards.
If you start with the person on your right
for the first selection and the person on
your left for the second, the change up will
make sense as a piece of blocking.

Once the second selection has been
culled, close the spread bringing the culled
cards to the bottom, slightly in-jogged.
Bring them to the top using the lift shuffle
control described in my July column.
A nice feature of using the lift shuffle is
that it brings the culled stock on top of the
original top stock. After this brief shuffle,
from the top of the deck down, youll have
the first selection (a red Queen), a random
card, the second selection, and the mate of
the first selection (the second red Queen).
Give the cards a flashy in-the-hands
false cut that retains the stock on top (try
the Flip-Flap Cut on page 402 of Card
College 2), and announce that youve
found both cards at the same time. Ask
your participants to each hold out a hand
palm up as you pinky count to get ready
for a triple lift. Turn over the triple to show
the second selection but announce it as the
first participants card. Suiting action to
word, turn the triple down and deal the top
card off into the first participants hand.
Immediately turn over the next single card
and announce it as the second participants
card. Ask if you got the correct cards; as
youre waiting for the answer, turn the
single card face down and do a top change.
Deposit the changed card face down onto
the second spectators hand while they both
disappointedly tell you that you screwed
up. Thanks to the triple-single, theyll be
convinced of your failure and youll have a
big fat offbeat of relaxed attention to do the
top change. After youve placed the second
card in her hand, do an in-the-hands slip
cut to lose the top (random) card.
Once theyve acknowledged your
failure, a lot of audiences will try to
helpfully turn the first card over to show
you sort of got one right. Dont let this
happen; you want to stay in control of the
climax. Offer to fix the problem, make
your magical gesture, and ask the first
person to reveal the card in his hand; then
the second spectator reveals the selection
in her hand.
The second transposition is more of
an offbeat quickie. Take the two cards
back and offer to show how to make the
cards change places. Hold the cards in the
right hand with the Queen on the face and
the other selection (lets say its a Seven)
behind it, and ask, Just to clarify, you
had the Queen, and you had the Seven?
As you do this, you do the Vernon Optical

Monte move. Flick the queen with your left
thumb; then flick the other selection behind
it (Photo 1). Turn the cards face down and
pivot the two cards so they transpose, and
flick the lowermost card with your thumb
again (Photo 2). This is the Queen, but it
will appear to be the other selection. Ask
the second participant to take the Seven,
and if you did the move correctly she will
reach for the lowermost card. Let her take
it and turn the other card over saying,
Photo 1
is hidden behind it). Catch a break under

the double as you turn it over. Ask one
of your participants to hold out her hand
one last time. As she does, turn the double
down and push the top single card off the
deck. Take the face-down card side-jogged
on the face-up Queen, holding both cards
as in Photo 3. Reach forward with the left
hand to adjust where her palm-up hand is.
While the left hand shades the right hand,
turn the right hand palm down, transposing the two cards in a sideways action
similar to the Wild-card switch (Photo 4).
Start to place both cards onto her upturned
palm. What shell see is a face-up Queen,
with the indexes hidden by the face-down
card and your right fingers. Shell assume
the face-down card is the Seven. (This is
Jacks lovely subtlety from his trick Touch
My Heart.)
Photo 3
Photo 2
Which leaves me the Queen Look
surprised to be holding the Seven. (If she
hesitates and doesnt bite right away on
the Monte move, Ill pull both cards back
and say, You look confused. Ill do this as
fairly as possible, and Ill move right on
to the third transposition.)
The third transposition uses an idea
of Jack Carpenters, from his DVD All
In, and is described here with his permission. If you remembered to slip cut the
random card into the deck earlier, the top
card of the deck will now be the mate of
the selected Queen. Get a break under that
card as you take the two selections back
with the Queen on the face. Turn the two
selections face down on the deck, and
then pick up all three cards by the ends.
Peel the top card onto the deck and hold a
break beneath it; then place the remaining
double on top. Turn over the top single
card to show the Queen. While holding
the Queen, turn over the other two cards
as one to show the Seven (the other Queen
Photo 4
Have her place a finger on the back of
the face-down card. When she does, come
away with the Queen, turning it face down
in the process. You want her to realize its
a Queen, without being aware that its the
wrong Queen. Now you can finish with
a top change, or you can place the card
on top of the deck and do a double lift,
showing that you now have the Seven, and
she now has the Queen.
This sequence has proven an effective
opener for me. I hope it proves the same for
you. Look through your repertoire, youll
probably find some effective uses for the
triple-single as well.
Hit The Road

With Scott Alex ander, Puck,
Jenny Alex ander, and Adam Ace
SOUND DECISIONS
Last month we covered the benefits
of traveling with sound equipment. Well
planned music cues make your show seem
bigger and more professional and add production value, excitement, and energy to
your performance. Human beings connect
to music its tones and rhythms mimic our
heartbeats. You cannot help but feel good
and get an emotional lift while tapping
your feet to a catchy song. If you are
willing to schlep a little extra equipment
and invest in an app or system to play your
music, you will reap the benefits by having
audiences who will connect to your act on
a deeper level through the music you use.
Lets examine some of the best options
available for delivering the goods.
THE PLAYBACK
Show Cues $90 app/$60 remote
http://www.mojosoftwareonline.com/
showcues.htm
I am fond of Carl Andrewss app, Show
Cues. This is the system I use in my current
act. It allows you to edit your playlists and
music on the fly. It works with your iTunes
library and, if you use an iPad with it, you
have a nice big display that you can see all
the way across the stage. It also works well
with the iPhone. There is a small remote
that is also available that is easy to put in
your pocket to start, stop, advance, and fade
your tracks. The buttons are not raised,
so I glued a small bead on the play/fade
button so I can easily feel it in my pocket.
The Show Cues app did have a couple of
hiccups, but a short email exchange with
Carl Andrews revealed that I was hooking
up the dock, the remote, and the output in
the wrong order. You must plug in things
in the proper sequence, so reading the directions helps immensely! As far as value
for money, I highly recommend this app.
Cue Command $600
http://deceptivelysimple.com
There is a new kid on the block: Cue

Command. Adam Ace and I went to see
a show that a very talented contortionist and comedian, Jonathan Burns, was
working. We went backstage to hang with
him after the show and he showed us the
Cue Command he uses. Again, this system
works with the iPad or iPhone and has a
small dock with an antenna that your phone
or tablet sits in, providing you a display of
the tracks that are to play. The remote is
bigger, with larger, raised buttons that are
a bit easier to hit in your pocket. Another
nice feature is that Cue Command has
ankle transmitters available so you can
start and stop the tracks by simply clicking
your ankles together. The cost is quite a
jump up from Show Cues, but there are
some nice features that Show Cues doesnt
yet have.
MP3 Tech $1000 to $1700
http://www.promystic.com/product-category/media/
Puck is a fan of Kerry Pollocks system,
the MP3 Tech. Kerry recently sold his
company to Promystic, who now makes
and sells the units. This is a system that
has its own software that allows you to
load your songs onto a SD card via your
computer and then plug the SD card into
the MP3 Tech to play them back. You have
the ability to rearrange the tracks when
you are at the gig, if necessary, and for an
extra charge you can get a wireless display
unit that you can put in your case that
shows playing and upcoming tracks. Puck
really likes the versatility of this unit. Lets
say you are working in a room and there
are no sound inputs near the stage. You can
put the unit in the back of the room in the
sound booth, and because there is a small
red/green cue light to show you the tracks
are ready, you can see it even fifty yards
away.
A really cool thing is that Promystic
even has units to run lighting and whole
show control. Their Media Star units allow
you to control the intelligent lighting in a
venue, video projectors, and even smoke
machines all with the push of a button.
Although he has experimented with others,
Puck highly recommends the MP3 Tech.
Yes, it is the most expensive, but he feels it

is also the most reliable.
THE SPEAKERS
Peavey 3000 $600
ht t p://w w w.sweet water.com /store/
detail/Escort3000II
When it comes to speakers, the Peavey
3000 has served me really well. Puck
turned me on to the unit. It all folds up into
an egg-shaped case that you can carry as
a suitcase from a side handle or you can
roll using the built-in wheels. It sets up
in about five to ten minutes. Although
the specs say it is only good for smaller
venues, I have found it is sufficient to do
a room of five hundred to eight hundred
people with the proper speaker elevation.
It comes with speaker stands, all the cables
you need, and even a corded microphone.
For the money, it is a really good system
and has served me well over the years. The
newer Peavey units even have Bluetooth
and memory stick capabilities that are
worth checking out.
Bose L1 $900
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BOEL1COMPACT
Our good friend Joe Romano, who is a
terrific school show entertainer, hipped me
to the next two systems. These are more
expensive than the Peavey, but they have
a superior sound and set up very quickly.
The Bose L1 is a great system, even
though it is only one speaker tower that
you place onstage. Because of the Bose
technology the sound is omni-directional. You cant really pinpoint where the
music is coming from, which provides a
rich, textured sound. An added benefit is
that the whole unit weighs less than thirty
pounds.
Anchor Beacon $2300
http://www.anchoraudio.com/index.
php?id=498
This is the super supreme, creamof-the-crop version. Although it weighs
about forty-five pounds, this system is
still light enough to check over the counter

on a plane. It also has a really convenient
extending luggage handle, which makes
transport really easy. If you go to the link
above and watch the setup video, you will
be impressed at how it sets up in less than a
minute. Plus it is rechargeable, so you dont
even have to plug it into a power source.
Just flip it open and its ready to go. It also
has two microphone inputs built in, which
also aids in setup time. Two receivers are
built into the unit, which saves a lot on
setup time. Just add the mics you want to
use with them. If you have the scratch, this
is definitely the way to go.
THE MICROPHONE
Samson Airline Headset Mic $250
http://www.samash.com/samson-airline -micro -wireless- earset-systemswam2sesx
Last but not least, I love this little microphone. The transmitter is just a little
bigger than a Zippo lighter and is also rechargeable. It has a great sound. You wear
the microphone like a headset, so you are
hands-free, which is great for a magician.
The transmitter sits behind your ear so
there is no need for a belt pack. It has a
mute button you can just tap to kill the mic

for pantomime routines or stage cueing. I
love the compact nature of this little gem.
If you buy one headset mic to use for your
shows, make it this one.
If you are thinking about adding sound
and amplification to your shows, take some
time and look through these different links.
These are the best products that I think
are worth considering. Study the pros and
cons of each system, and weigh the factors
you are looking for in equipment to best
suit your needs. This way you can make a
sound decision for yourself.
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Good Cheer List

Please take a minute to spread a few words of cheer with a card or note to one of our less fortunate members. Send additions,
changes, or deletions to: Anthony Antonelly, Chairman, Sick and Convalescent Committee, (215) 820-3192 ext. 1512.
magicforfun60@aol.com
Daniel Cudennec
Dany Trick
225, Stang-ar-Veildan-Traon, Mellac-29300,
Quimperle, France
Dan A. Dorsey
98 Woodvalley Dr.
Fayetteville, GA 30215
Charlie Gross
16745 Gertrude Street,
Omaha, NE 60136-3023
Roy Horn
c/o Siegfried & Roy
1639 N Valley Drive,
Las Vegas, NV 89108
Bob King
304 Suburban Court,
Rochester, NY 14620
James J. Morrisey
24 Grove St.
Wayland, MA 01788
Pat Ryan
43 Fairbanks Rd.
Churchville, NY 14428
Stanley R. Kramien
11205 SW Summerfield Dr.
Apt 161
Tigard, OR 97224-3391
Nahmen Nissen
PO Box 1856
Colfax, CA 95713-1856
Matt Savin
P.O. Box 7693
Alhambra, CA 91802-7533
Richard Laneau
4020 55th St. N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33709
Allen Okawa
2101 Nuuanu Ave., Tower 1,
#2203
Honolulu, HI 96817
Jack White
4288 Arguello St.
San Diego, CA 92103
George Gilbert Lott

1725 Great Hill Rd.
Guilford, CT 06437
Jim Relyea
241 W. Lakeshore
Rockaway, NJ 07866
Frank J. McNaughton, Sr
1926 Apple Street,
Williamsport, PA 17701
Harry Riser
11755 N. Michigan Rd #313
Zionsville, IN 46077
Jim Zachary
2801 South Creek Drive
Mulberry, FL 33860
MANON RODRIGUEZ
S.A.M. NATIONAL ADMINISTRATOR
IS A NATIONAL TREASURE
BY MARK WEIDHAAS, PNP
WHAT IS MANON?
a. A region in Northwest Spain
b. A French opera
c. A popular female name in Quebec, Canada
d. The ultra-friendly Society of American Magicians National
Administrator
Its a trick question, because the answer is all of the above.
Here is another question: Who was the National Administrator
before Manon Rodriguez? Youll discover the answer later in our
story.
Manon Rodriguez is a long-time friend of the S.A.M. As
National Administrator, she is often the first contact a new member
will have with our national organization. She is one of the few
salaried employees of the S.A.M. Although she considers herself a
professional audience, her magic roots are deep and strong. And
she is very entertaining performing the six-dollar repeat.
Yes, she was born in French Quebec, Canada, but her family
moved to New York City when she was very young. Unique at
It was National Administrator Manon

Rodriguez who made my year run as
smooth as one could hope. She was there
to answer any and all questions that would
arise. Members need to know that Manon
Rodriguez is the person who keeps the S.A.M.
moving, not the president. Presidents come
and go, but Manon continues to make us all
look good. Mike Miller, PNP 2009-10
that time, her mother, Teri Jourdan, held a professional job at the
United Nations. Her father, Jean Jourdan, originally from France,
worked with computers (do you remember Fortran?). Manon
enjoyed the peaceful outdoors of the Catskills and she excelled in
artistic endeavors, including wood block prints, acrylics, photography, and stained glass. She attended high school in Monticello,
New York the same high school Jeff McBride attended. Could
this have been foreshadowing of the magical things to come for
Jeff? Everything Manon touches becomes magic.
Her father became a computer programmer with Diners Club,
and relocated to Colorado, but Manon stayed in New York to
strike it big. She met her first husband, Robin Casanova, and they
eventually moved to Colorado to be close to family upon the birth
of Tara, her first child. Several years later, Colin joined the family.
Since shards of stained glass look like Jolly Rancher candies, her
love of stained glass art had to be put on hold.
Robin was training in emergency services, but he was also
a weekend magician. To further supplement their income, he
purchased a Zeezos Magic Castle in Fort Collins. Zeezos was
a chain magic and costume shop, founded by Zeezo the Clown,
AKA Larry Campbell, with several locations in Colorado.
Manon worked the store and attended Denver S.A.M. Assembly
37 meetings. Another local magician, Sam The Hat Kent was
the owner of The Wizard Magic Shop on the Pearl Street Mall
in Boulder, Colorado. He connected Manon with an ad agency
that provided public relations for McDonalds restaurants. Her responsibilities included booking shows and travelling with Ronald
McDonald.
Robin was Ronalds assistant first, but it did not work out.
So Manon took over that role in 1984. Unfortunately, Robin and
Manon separated, and over several years, her relationship with
Ronald grew. This is a trade secret, but that Ronald McDonald
was Dan Rodriguez. Dan is a native Coloradoan, who, as a youth,
Ronald & Manon in 1984

attended magic classes taught by Bruce and Kitty Spangler (see
M-U-M, May 2014). Manon booked and set up ten thousand school
assembly shows for Dan. But they were also a team in magic and
did so much more.
Manon is a constant presence in the S.A.M.,

who answers my call weekends or evenings. Her
support of the national convention is amazing.
She will be working at the Gifts and Gadgets
booth, or checking names at the life member
program or national council meeting. You have
a friend in the S.A.M., and her name is Manon
Rodriguez. Mark Weidhaas, PNP 2010-11
Past National President Dal Sanders puts it this way: I first
met Manon in the early 80s when I went to Denver for a series of
shows. I took some time to visit with my friend Dan Rodriguez,
who at the time was performing as a certain corporate icon who
wears the same shoes and socks that I wear. I visited with Dan
before one of his shows, and I couldnt help but notice his show
assistant. She was totally different from my assistant. While
Dan was getting ready in the van, Manon made contact with
the client, set up his stage and sound system, set his magic, and
got the audience sitting down, focused, and warmed up. Wow; I
was impressed. At that time I felt lucky if my assistant got to the
location on time for the show. I did all of the set up and preshow
work. Dans show was fantastic, but I was still watching Manon.
She was professional, personable, and organized. Manon was a
fantastic manager who anticipated not only Dans needs, but also
the needs of the client and the audience. Thats when I figured out
that she wasnt an assistant. Manon was the show manager.
After the show (while Manon was repacking everything), I
spoke with Dan about her. I told him how fantastic she was and
he just smiled and acknowledged that he already knew that. He
also told me a secret: they were also dating and he was pretty sure
that she was the one. Of course, I warned him about dating the
people you work with, but his mind was already made up. Manon
was the one.
As I got to know her, I realized that Dan was right. Their relationship was solid and they made a great team (a veritable twoheaded monster). I believe that getting to know Manon and seeing
her with Dan changed my attitude (and my fear) of dating someone
you work with. I say that because a few years later, when Cinde
went to work for her fathers advertising agency (and became my
boss), I worked up the courage to ask her out. I would have
never done that before meeting Manon, but I saw in Cinde the
same kindness and organizational skills that I had seen in Denver.
I wasnt on the S.A.M. national council when Manon was
hired to be the national administrator, but when I found out that
she had the job I was thrilled. As I have worked with her over the
past few years, I have been reminded of those skills that she had
demonstrated so many years ago. Manon is still professional, personable, and organized, and The Society of American Magicians
is lucky to have her. Corporations would love to have someone
like her as their corporate administrator; she makes us all better.
I know I didnt say it often enough, but I appreciate all the work
she does for us. Manon certainly made me look good as national
president.
Dan, along with Wendel Gibson, Ed Shuman, Don Lea, and
Raymond Corbin, founded the Society of Young Magicians
(S.Y.M.) in 1984. Manon and Dan started S.Y.M. 3 in Denver,
and Tara and Colin were youth members, known as the Casanova
twins. For six years, from 1984 to 1989, Dan and Manon produced
a Colorado magicians convention known as Magic Days, the
prequel to the successful Magic in the Rockies.
In 1987, Dan and Manon honeymooned at the S.A.M. convention in Las Vegas. The entire family attended many national conventions. Manon says, Some were nice, and some not so much.
Many were lacking in providing events for youth. Manon came up
with an idea: Kids Doing Magic for Kids. The concept of having
a dedicated room just for the youth to hang out and share magic
with each other was a big hit, and continues today at S.A.M. conventions. In 1993, Jon Racherbaumer taught the kids at the New
Orleans S.A.M. convention. In attendance were Joshua Jay, Ryan
Oakes, Darren Romeo, and Mikah Lasher. At the 1990 Stamford,
Connecticut, convention, Manon started the youth autograph
party.
Dan Rodriguez was S.A.M. national president in 1993-1994.
To this day I still do not know all the

things Manon does. However, I do know she
does them, and she does them well. She is
the backbone of the Society, doing so much
work, while rarely getting the credit or recognition she deserves. I relied on Manon for
so many things and naively thought that as
a PNP I would no longer have to ask her
for favors. Well I still do, and she still does
them. The S.A.M. is so lucky to have her!
Vinny Grosso, PNP 2011-12
About that same time, they became McDonalds franchisees.

They had to accept what was offered, or they would start over on
the waiting list. The offer was in Ely, Nevada, which is located
in east-central Nevada. So, they spent two years in Ely, Nevada.
S.A.M. Dean George Schindler recalls, Manon set up a McDonalds in Ely, Nevada; but why? Does anyone go there? The
answer isyes. The Nevada State Prison is located there and has
over 1,100 inmates. Mostof them have families and friends who
visit them regularly, and they need to eatsomewhere nearby. Ely
alsoboasts the Jailhouse Motel and Casino.Not a bad choice after
all. Manon has great business acumen. We are lucky she and her
family are all devoted to the S.A.M.
When three McDonalds stores became available in Colorado,
it took less than five minutes to decide to move back to Colorado
and family. Because of Manons expertise in management, the
three stores quickly grew to six stores. In 2000, Manon Rodriguez
was awarded the top woman-owned business in Boulder County.
Dan and Manon reevaluated their lives after 9/11, sold their
stores, and moved to Pahrump, Nevada. Pahrump is another
remote town, located sixty miles from Las Vegas. Manon owned
the local McDonalds and Dan produced shows in Vegas. With
their kids grown, they did not enjoy being empty-nesters. They
became foster parents to Stephen (thirteen) and Miranda (nine)
and two years later were able to adopt them. You will often see
one or more of Manons children at an S.A.M. convention.
secretary who also performed the duties of the administrator. If

you guessed Dick Blowers, again you would be wrong. Before
Dick was Ruth Myers.
Dick Blowers had very big shoes to fill, but Manon was used to
working with Ronald McDonald, and he wears a size 16. And Dick
offered exceptional training. Seven years later, she has supported
the administrations of eight national presidents. She must adjust
her style to fit with the leadership style of each president. If there
are issues or struggles the president has to deal with, Manon is
right there with them.
The National Administrators duties

include:
1. Collecting all dues.
2. Coordinating delivery of the M-U-M.
3. Support of the executive board and the national council.
4. Communicating with the regional vice presidents and assemblies.
5. Welcoming all new members and sending their welcome
packets to the Assembly Secretary.
6. Being a depository of anything S.A.M., including the archives,
historical records, and original membership cards.
7. Support for the membership awards and Gifts & Insignia committees.
8. Being a resource for all members, available by email (manon@
magicsam.com) or phone (303-362-0575).
Dan, Manon, Miranda, and Stephen

In 2007, S.A.M. National Administrator Richard Blowers
announced he was planning to retire. A world-wide search was
launched for his replacement. Manon applied, but the position was
awarded to someone else. However, shortly after stepping into the
role, he resigned the position and Manon was confirmed by the
national council as our national administrator in 2008.
If earlier, you guessed Dick Blowers was the national administrator immediately before Manon, you would be wrong. The
right answer is Tommy Jackson, and chances are Tommy, Manon,
and Dick were the only ones to get the right answer. Here is a
little more national administrator trivia: Who was the first S.A.M.
national administrator? Joyce Zachary was the last national
One of her frustrations in her job has to do with item 5 above.

When your assembly holds elections, please let her know right
away the names of the new president and secretary so she can mail
the membership packets to the right person.
Manons biggest achievements so far have been moving the
S.A.M. into new technologies that can streamline operations. She
is also proud of the branding vision that is keeping the image of
the S.A.M. as the most prestigious magicians organization. Dues
payments with credit cards online have increased ten-fold. She
creates the hard plastic membership card at a cost-savings over the
old flimsy paper card. The new member packet has been recently
updated to maintain the S.A.M. brand. She is very proud of the
new S.A.M. shirts, coats, and scarves now available to members.
Look for them and other new items at the next S.A.M. national
conference or online at www.magicsam.com.
Manons fondest memories all seem to center around S.A.M.
conferences: her honeymoon at the Riviera, Las Vegas S.A.M.
1987; the Niagara Falls field trip, Buffalo S.A.M. 2009; Arlington
National Cemetery, Washington, D.C., S.A.M. 2013; and the presentation to David Copperfield, Las Vegas S.A.M. 2012. With
the children grown, she has rekindled her love of stained glass
art, and presented a one-of-a-kind Houdini poster replicated in
stained glass to David Copperfield.
In 2010, the S.A.M. national convention was in Atlanta,
Georgia. The convention opened with the recreation of a traditional sideshow, including barkers, games of chance, and many
of the exhibits that were typical of those shows. The author of
this article was Big Foot. As attendees wandered through the
area, they were met at one point by Sadie, the Bearded Lady, as
Manon is more than my national administrator.

She is a true friend: unflappable, willing to help no
matter what time of day or night gracious, and the best
roommate ever. I found that out at the S.A.M. annual
convention in Atlanta, when she helped me transform
into Sadie, the Bearded Lady. Thank goodness for
hair product and washcloths. She even made me
my morning coffee! I couldnt survive our morning
national council meetings without her, her computer,
and her printer. She is certainly the calming influence
on The Trinity. Thank you Manon, for being you!
Marlene Clark, S.A.M. National Secretary
Over these magical years, Manon has many fun stories to
recall. Of course, there are the phone calls from unsuspecting
members who ask for Brother Manon or Mr. Manon. Her
daughter Miranda answered the business phone once and a British
past-member explained to her with a thick accent, Ive lost my
mum. I really miss my mum. Can you help me get my mum
back? Miranda was very concerned about this man who had lost
his mother, until Manon explained that mum was M-U-M.
Manon is politically correct when asked which magician she
prefers to watch. Manon responds, I like them all. But she also
admits that she really liked seeing Doc Swan in Washington, D.C.,
in 2013. She recalls one convention, during a rain storm, when she
offered a ride to Jay and Frances Marshall. Frances was concerned
about accepting a ride from a stranger, but Jay said, Oh Frances,
dont worry. They are S.A.M. people.
Manon with her daughter Tara presenting David Copperfield

with Manon's stained glass artwork in 2012
portrayed by National Secretary Marlene Clark. As you will read
in Marlenes sidebar, Manon was a big help in the transformation
of Marlene into Sadie. It was all in a days work for our national
administrator.
In 2010, the S.A.M. national president was from Colorado,
so to support him, Manon uprooted from Pahrump and moved
back to Colorado. That is what she told the president, but in
reality, she moved back for family. Manon became a grandmother
when Taras son, Jackson, was born. Manon had to be close, so
they moved to Parker, Colorado, a beautiful suburb community
southeast of Denver.
Today, daughter Tara, who is still an S.A.M. member, teaches
magic at a Christian youth theater and has worked with Mad
Science in presenting magic and science experiments. Colin has a
degree in theater lighting design and toured with Greg Wilson in
Japan. He and his wife also live near Manon and Dan and are the
proud parents of a newborn baby. Manon is a grandmother again.
The national administrators office has recently moved into a
professional space in the Denver area. The space is large enough
for storage of all the S.A.M. archives, records, and back issues
of M-U-M. It also has a large room that also is the S.A.M. Magic
Center. When you have plans to visit Denver, contact Manon for
a tour.
Manon, Marlene Clark, and Jann Goodsell - a magic trinity!

Manon reminds us that it takes a community to raise a
member. She also says that she is excited for the future. Where
we are going with new technologies and social media will help
spread Magic, Unity, and Might. We will see a rebirth of our
organization as we become more relevant to magicians, and the
S.A.M. is in line to continue the legacy of the oldest and most
prestigious magical organization in the world.
A national treasure is something to be cherished. Merci
beaucoup, Madame Manon!
MANON
THE MIRACLE WORKER

BY DAN RODRIGUEZ, PNP 1993-94
Manon is an amazing person! We have been married for
twenty-seven years. Her ability to be an active mom, grandma,
community volunteer, hobbyist, artist, and manager of a magician-husband with ADHD tendencies is, in itself, amazing.
Adding the job of being the S.A.M. national administrator makes
her a miracle worker.
HERE IS A TOP TEN LIST OF THINGS YOU

MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MANON:
10. In the early 70s, Manon graduated from nursing school in
Boston and trained at Massachusetts General Hospital.
9. Manon was a longtime Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow and
served as president of her local Rotary club.
8. She served as a regional committee chair and volunteer for
the American Cancer Societys Relay for Life.
7. Manon received the Ronald Award, which is the highest honor
bestowed to a McDonalds franchisee.
6. As a personal historian, Manon has produced many video
interviews of senior citizens as they tell their life story to the
camera.
5. Manon is a budding still photographer, specializing in nature
photography.
4. She is an accomplished stained-glass artist.
3. Manon was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
2. She is fluent in French; English was her second language.
1. Manon has been a member of the S.A.M. for twenty-four
years; she is a Life Member.
Manon, Dan, Isabel Norquist, and Manon's father, Jean

Jourdan, participating in the Relay for Life
A NOTE FROM THE KIDS

Mom was a great influence when it came
to seeing the laymen side of our magic
acts. Being a constant supporter of the
craft and a wife and mother to magicians,
she spent countless hours watching our
rehearsals and live performances, all the
while giving honest feedback on what
looked good, what was entertaining, and
what might need some work. In addition to
this, she also spent a career setting up and
tearing down touring magical acts.
Mom taught us many great lessons;
one favorite is: Be a swan. On the top
be graceful; under the water kick like mad
to keep yourself moving. This is advice
that Colin, who is a lighting-and-sound
designer, uses often, especially when there
is a deadline, he has three different crews
working throughout a venue, things are
not going well, and the producer inquires,
How is everything going? The only
answer is, Great, we are working hard to
make it amazing.
One big lesson Mom taught us, which
many S.Y.M. alum will remember, is:
Always keep the secrets. This drove the
rest of the kids on the block crazy, because
they would constantly ask us how the
illusion they saw on TV was done. Our
generic answer was always: Can you keep
a secret? So can I.
Tara has found these lessons useful
in her work teaching and directing youth
theater. We followed our passions in
theater because of the example set by her
and we are both so grateful to have such a
wonderful mom.
Tara Hedberg and Colin Casanova
More than the Princess

When the Internet became
popular, it seemed that everyone
put up a web page showing the
Princess Card Trick. This is the
effect in which you show five court
cards and one is merely thought of.
The cards are turned over; when
they are turned face up again, your
card is missing.The trick spread
like crazy and everyone started to tire of it.
I did a search to find other card tricks that are performed
on the web and I came across this cool one. The concept
is from Bob Hummer; Jim Bumgardner of krazydad.com
put it all together.
MINDPOWER is a roulette wheel of sorts. The
cards are dealt into a circle. The twenty-six letters of the
alphabet are scrambled over the cards. Think of a four
letter word and spin the selected card under each letter
of that thought-of word. The wheel knows your word and
card. You have to try it to appreciate it. MINDPOWER
can be seen at wheelof.com/mindpower/
Calculating the Numbers Game

You may not realize
that the iPhone calculator is not just a basic
calculator, but also a
scientific one. Open up
the calculator app that
came with the phone
and turn your phone sideways. See, its a scientific calculator. Many people have discovered that if you put a
number in the scientific end and do some calculations in
the basic end, you can call up a pre-determined total. You
can actually perform Add-a-Number on anyones iPhone.
If you want step by step instructions on how to set this up,
go to: http://snapguide.com/guides/do-a-psychic-magictrick-with-iphone-calculator/
Liberace Magic
Whenever I see a performer producing objects out of an
empty hat, Temple Screen, or Square Circle, it amazes
me that most of the time they use silk handkerchiefs and
nothing else. Ive spent my life searching for unusual
items to produce. Well, lockerlookz.com has something
that all magicians should use in their arsenal.
Locker Chandelier is a
mini light fixture made of
plastic. It runs on two AAA
batteries to light it up and
looks tacky enough for stage.
It will fit inside a Temple
Screen or a medium-size
Square Circle. Because most
of it is beads and string, it packs pretty flat. The top of
it is magnetized; if you are working under a suspended
ceiling, you can actually hang the light fixture. Also, it is
motion activated so you dont have to fiddle around for a
switch to turn it on. When you pull it out, it lights up on its
own. They come in black or white. I saw mine at a Staples
Store, but if you go to the manufacturers website, www.
lockerlookz.com, you can look for a local store near you.
At $17, its worth keeping in your suitcase.
Bright Idea
When I am looking for unusual props and gags for
my act, www.kikkerland.com is a place I go. One thing
I found is the PULL Cord Light Bulb. It is a realistic
looking bulb screwed into a forty-six-inch cord. It works
on batteries. Simply pull the chain and the bulb lights
up. How do I use it? There are many times when I am
working a party and the room is not well lit. If I am doing
an effect where someone has to read something (like a
serial number or a word for a book test) I stand behind
them, hold the bulb above their head and turn it on. Ive
always gotten a laugh with it. It is super bright and sells
for $12.
The Bunny Hop

While you are visiting www.kikkerland.com, check out the Rabbit
Bank. It looks like a stuffed animal
and has a zipper on the bottom to
open it. I envision using this for kid
shows: have something disappear and
reappear inside the bunny. Im sure
you will come up with a nice routine
to use with it. Rabbit Bank is $30.
Bruce is always on the lookout for computer magic,
iPhone/ iPod Touch apps, Android apps, and tech
toys that can be used in magic applications. If you
have any suggestions for future columns, write to him
(SAMtalkBruce@cox.net).
THE TENTH I.B.M./S.A.M. COMBINED CONVENTION

For the first time since 2008, the International Brotherhood of Magicians and The Society of American Magicians
joined forces to hold a combined convention. The Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel hosted the convention, and it
proved to be fine choice; there were many restaurants within walking distance, the famous St. Louis Arch was only six
blocks away, and the various venues were only a short stroll from the main hotel area. (The attendees were bussed to
the gala evening shows, but the theater was actually walkable.)
For the next few months, M-U-M will provide photographic memories of the various events for those of you who
attended. For those of you who could not attend, youll see what you missed.
MONDAY, JUNE 30: Attendees had the opportunity for an early-bird visit to the fifty dealers who offered their
wares in the vendors exposition area. After an opening night welcome party, Argentinas Henry Evans lectured on his
inexplicable card mysteries.
TUESDAY, JULY 1: The second day of the convention

began with the gala kickoff show at the Ferrara Theater,
which was in the Americas Center complex across
the street from the hotel. The show featured three 4F
honorees: David Stone, Shawn Farquhar, and Henry
Evans. The theater seats 1,500 people, but the three experienced performers played the room beautifully and
garnered a great response from the audience.
The afternoon was taken up with the first of three stage
competitions and a lecture from David Stone. In the
evening, The Fat Brothers (Dani DaOrtiz, Miguel Angel
Gea, and Christian Engblom) blew away everyone with
hi-jinx and world-class card and coin magic.
Later that night, Richard Turner performed the first of
several shows that displayed his otherworldly prowess
with a deck of cards.
(Convention Photos by Michael Messing
unless otherwise noted)
THE FAT BROTHERS SHOW

JULY 1, 2014
FERRARA THEATER
Not Just Kid Stuff

By Jim Kleefeld
CHILDREN RECOGNIZE
QUALITY
When my son was eight, he wanted
a bicycle for his birthday. Not a Bicycle
deck, he wanted one of those things with
two wheels. Rather than surprise him, my
wife and I told him he could choose one
and we took him to a toy store with a large
selection of childrens bikes. Almost immediately he chose the most expensive
one on the rack. Im pretty sure he didnt
even see the prices. Almost instinctively,
he knew which one was the best more
features, better style, lookin cool. It was
expensive, and we could barely afford it,
but he was the coolest kid in the neighborhood for a few months.
What I learned back then was that
children recognize quality. Even very
young children can discriminate features
and make value judgments. They learn
these techniques by assimilation, watching,
and listening when adults talk. Children
are far more observant and reflective than
many adults give them credit for, and they
process a lot of information without our
being aware of what happens inside their
young minds. Much of what they hear
includes value judgments about things and
people. In fact, a lot of adult conversation
is about valuing. Even when children seem
inattentive, they often listen to and process
adult conversation; they pick up clues and
pointers from everywhere about how to
value things, places, people, and ideas.
Consider a birthday child opening
presents at a party. Every gift will likely
be accompanied by positive reinforcement
from his parents, who may be trying to
teach him to be polite and appreciative. If
the child does not say anything, the parents
may prompt him with: Youre going
to love playing with that, or Isnt that
neat? or How nice! What do you say?
But after that party when the guests have
left, how many parents do you think might
privately come up with: I know that isnt a
very nice gift, but you were polite to thank
them, or Dont open the box, we can
exchange it for something better, or even
Aunt Dorothy never buys anything nice.

In these ways children learn to recognize
quality.
So when they watch your magic show,
children will evaluate the quality of your
props. You can get away with using old or
cheap apparatus, but it reflects poorly on
your overall image as a performer. It might
determine how much you can charge or
how many shows you book. Your props
should look cool, exciting, new, and high
quality. One way to make sure of good
quality is regular upkeep and renovation.
Some props can be repainted, covered with
new fabric, or embellished with extras.
Unfortunately, one of the other ways to
achieve that is to spend more for props.
I have a friend who has been in magic
for many years and who does a decent job.
But he uses a signature monkey puppet in
most of his shows that is old and haggard.
He thinks it has charm. He has told me
that children love the puppet character and
ask for it when he books shows. What he
doesnt realize is that those kids are asking
for his witty and funny routine, not that particular old and ragged puppet. Ive watched
him do shows with it and overheard kids
make fun of the puppet. One boy actually
said, Why does he still use that ratty old
puppet? Ew!
One year I mounted a show based on
the theme of digging. I came across three
brands of Appearing Shovel, made by three
different companies. I thought I could save
some money, so I bought the $30 one. It
was noticeably smaller than a real shovel,
and the spade section was made of blue
plastic. It clearly looked cheap. I discarded
it and bought a $160 Appearing Shovel
that looked very real and worked perfectly.
That trick became the hit of the show.
Yes, it costs money to mount a show,
and it costs more money to mount a better
show. But in the long run, you will enhance
your shows, your bookings, and your
career. You can ultimately charge more
for each show and book more shows if you
have a better act. Nothing can replace solid
scripted routines and earnest rehearsal.
But if you have good material and combine
it with cheap props, your show will suffer.
Dont shortchange your audience just
because they are children.
Take inventory of your show. Does everything in your show stand out as being
of high quality? Dont fool yourself into
thinking that because children laugh and

clap that they would not recognize it if you
used better apparatus. They will notice the
difference and appreciate your show more
if you use high quality equipment. Begin
upgrading your props. Replace your go-to
items with new ones of the best quality.
Ditch that shabby old Spelling Bee trick
for a fine new Plexiglass one. Toss out the
thin wobbly Forgetful Freddie made in
India and buy a solid, heavy, well-painted
model. Buy a four-inch walnut Die Box
from Babcock and discard the two-anda-half-inch one made in China. Look for
solid craftsmanship and fine design in
new props. Children will see the difference between a wrinkled old silk and a
smooth bright fresh one. They can tell
that something is wrong if your ropes are
drab and dingy, or paint is flaking off your
wand. (Thats not a euphemism I mean
that literally.) And they will know the difference between a Fairchild Circus Wagon
and a home-made Bunny Box you bought
for next to nothing on eBay, because
Children Recognize Quality.
Here is a routine in which quality can
make a difference. Get four black cloth
drawstring bags. They should be made
of heavy and opaque cloth like corduroy
or velveteen. If they have a sturdy hem
with satin ribbons through the top, the
children will find them easy to open, and
that makes the routine move smoothly. In
addition, having an expensive-looking bag
tells the children that it is yours and they
will not get to keep it. Secretly mark each
bag so you can tell them apart. One way
to do this is to tie knots in the ends of the
drawstrings. Tie one knot in the first bag,
two in the second, three in the third, and
four in the last one, as shown in Figure 1.
Or you can sew a small black tab on each
bag near the top corner, top middle, bottom
corner, and bottom middle. You also need
four different color Stand-On Spots. These
are big plastic circles that you place on the
floor to mark your spectators positions.
Some kid-show dealers have them, or you
can buy them where physical education
teachers get their supplies.
You also need a slew of name-badgesized labels in four different solid colors.
You may be able to find labels already
printed with a solid color, but most likely
these will be shipping labels and the
adhesive will be too strong. I suggest you
Figure 1
print your own using Avery Name Badge

Labels No. 5395. These are white rectangles that easily separate after printing.
They come eight to a sheet and have a
gentle removable adhesive that will not
ruin clothing. Print a couple of sheets each
in solid red, yellow, blue, and green. Then
separate the labels into individual badges
with the backing still attached. Make a
face-down stack of these colored badges
with four red labels on top, followed by
four yellow, four blue, four green, and
then one of each color on the bottom. You
will use this stack to force a color on each
spectator.
Buy four giveaway prizes, such as
head visors or pennants in four different
colors. You want something that will be
light and will fit in the bag, but will also
be visible to the audience. Headbands with
springy wobbly stuff on top would work,
or different colored bandanas. Place each
of the four items in each one of the bags.
Remember which color item is in which
bag. It is easiest if you always use the same
color sequence; for example, red, yellow,
blue, green means bag 1, bag 2, bag 3,
bag 4.
Here is a quick overview of the presentation. Four children come forward;
each chooses one bag. Each stands on a
different colored spot, and each randomly
chooses a colored badge to place on his or
her shirt. They open their bags and find a
colored prize inside. Magically, all of the
colors for each spectator match. The boy
on the red spot picked a red badge and a
red prize. The same result occurs with all
four spectators.
Here is the logistical working. Place
the four spots on the floor before the show,
but do not call attention to them. Bring
out the four bags and announce a contest
with prizes. You need four helpers; if they
win the contest (which will be a matching
game), they can keep their prize. Choose

the first helper and let him take any bag.
Have him stand to the left of your table.
Call on a second child and tell him he can
either take a bag from the table for himself
or pick one up and trade it with the first
helper. Have him stand to the right of the
table. Let the third child choose a bag and
either keep it or trade it with one of the
other two. She should stand on the left side.
The last child gets to choose to keep the
final bag or trade it with someone else; she
then stands on the right.
When all four children are standing
next to your table and each has a bag,
secretly glimpse your marking system
and make a mental note of who has which
color. Tell the children to hold their bag in
front of them, and not look in them yet.
Say that they will each pick a badge; if
their color matches the prize they can keep
it. Bring out the stack of labels face down.
Step in front of the table and fan out the
bottom four labels face up so the audience
can see there are four separate colors.
Close the fan and tilt the pile face down.
Call the child who has the red bag over to
you and casually tell her to stand on this
spot and face the audience. Point directly
to the red spot, but do not call attention to
the color. Fan out the top four labels on the
face down stack (they are all red) and have
the child choose one.
Call the second child, the one with the
yellow prize, over to the front. As you do,
slip the top three labels to the bottom of the
stack and fan out the next four (all yellow)
ones. Point to the yellow spot and tell her to
stand there and pick a badge. Call the third
child over, point out that he should stand
on the blue spot in order to be in line and
face the audience. Slip the top three labels
to the bottom of the stack and fan out the
next four (all blue) ones. Have him choose
a badge. Repeat with the final child.
Do not make any significance of who
gets called first, second, or third, or where
they stand. Treat all of the movement as
casual. Your attitude should be along the
lines of Okay, lets see, who else needs to
come and stand in line?
Have the children peel off the back their
badges and stick them on their shirt. Pat
your chest with a flat palm, high, near your
neck, to indicate where they should stick
the badge. You can help a child peel the
back off the label if he is having trouble,
but do not press it to his chest. Point out
to the audience who chose which color
of badge. Tell the helpers that at the count
of one they should open their bag. At the
count of two they should reach inside. At
the count of three they should bring out
the prize and hold it up high. Remind them

that they can keep the prize, but only if it
matches the color badge they picked. Turn
to remind the audience that the children
could not see what color prize was in the
bag or what color badge to pick. Reiterate
that some children even traded bags
without seeing inside.
After this short verbal situation check,
count one, two, three. The children will
all hold up colored prizes. Stand behind
the line and point out the matches, adding
the information about who is standing on
which color circle. Look! He stood on
the red spot! And he picked a red badge!
And he chose a red visor! She stood on the
yellow spot, picked a yellow badge, and
chose a yellow visor! He chose the blue
spot, the blue badge, and the blue visor.
And all of her choices were green! They all
win and everyone gets to keep their prize.
Figure 2 shows the routines climax.
Collect the bags and send the helpers back.
Figure 2
Having quality prizes that kids will

envy is part of what makes this work. (In
fact, feel free to use colored iPods if you
are so inclined.) The heavy vinyl floor
spots and quality drawstring bags are also
an important part. It would look tacky to
use paper bags and cardboard spots. Yes,
it tends to be more expensive to produce
better quality, but it is not a significant
amount when you consider hundreds of
shows and potentially tens of thousands of
dollars of income.
The total amount of time a child
watches magic throughout his life is infinitesimally small. The experience can be
written off as enjoyable, but forgettable, or
it can be savored as a lasting memorable
event for the rest of his life. Do you want
to collect your check and go home, or do
you want to leave hundreds of kids in
awe of you for years to come? Give them
something grand. Give them something
they will remember by presenting the
best image. The lasting impressions come
when children recall great magic, great
humor, and great visuals because Children
Recognize Quality.
The High Road

script writing, char acter
development, and act construction
for the modern conjuror
By Mick Ayres
Many years ago, the champion boxer

Muhammad Ali was about to step into the
ring. A reporter asked Ali if he would win
the nights battle. Ali replied, The fight is
won or lost far from witnesses behind the
lines, in the gym, and out there on the road,
long before I dance under those lights. In
the boxers world, success hinges on what
the crowd never sees. Besides, in those
days you would have been crazy to step
into a ring with Ali without training first.
Even then the odds were against you.
Isnt it just as foolish an endeavor for
a magician to step on stage unprepared?
Of course, yet so many do. The work of
scripting takes time, energy, and repetition
to do well. You cannot just wing it on
stage without resorting to babbling at some
point. Developing a stage character takes
considerable thought and experimentation
before the role fits you perfectly. Constructing an act requires rehearsal after rehearsal
if one hopes to successfully navigate all
the trials and errors that lie ahead.
Any performance artist who embraces
these requirements soon discovers the
discipline is naturally reflected in other
important areas. For example, learning to
create original effects often begins with
a magician who decides to perform an
existing favorite trick differently, thereby
making it his own. Doing this enough
builds confidence in ones ability to think
outside the box. Eventually, the magician
starts imagining tricks he has never seen
done and comes up with a few solutions.
The initial efforts are often flawed in
one way or another, but persistence and
honest critiques eventually straighten out
that learning curve and soon yield strong,
original effects that the magician can use
to put food on the table while building a
marketable reputation at the same time.
To examine this creative process more
closely, let us consider a common method
used by conjurers to do card magic: the

stacked deck. The simplicity of the Si
Stebbins method (just add three to get
the next cards value while the mnemonic
CHaSeD provides the suit order) makes
it one of the most popular. As a card is
selected the deck is split and cut at that
point. A quick glance at the bottom card, a
little math, and the chosen card is known.
However, if a Stebbins deck is not handled
with care, the repeating patterns in the
values and suits can be obvious.
One way to randomize the values and
remember the order is to create a sentence
in which the sound of each word represents one of thirteen different card values.
Imagine a fellow so smitten with a royal
lady he would do anything to get her in bed:
For a fine ring to sack the Queen, Kevin
ate live hen chicks. (4, A, 9, K, 2, J, 3, Q, 7,
8, 5, 10, 6). Words are easier to remember
than numbers, so this accomplishes our
goal nicely. Another way to randomize the
values is to blend the phonetic sounds so a
single word can have two values. Imagine
a tolerant martial arts expert: A fightin
ninja took teasin quickly forgave. (A, 5,
10, 9, J, 2, K, 3, 7, Q, 6, 4, 8). The thirteen
values are still random but our mnemonics
are reduced to just seven words.
We are not done yet, though. Can we do
anything about the repeating suit patterns?
Can we eliminate the mnemonics completely? As it turns out, we can.
THE SHUFFLED SYSTEM

The Shuffled System makes a deck of
cards look thoroughly shuffled, yet there
is nothing random about it. Using this
stack takes little effort. The formula to
identify the next card is simple and easy
to implement.
The foundation of the Shuffled System
comes by blending ideas from J. Russell
Duck and John Cornelius that of giving
each suit a value. A Spade is 1 because it
has one point. A Heart is 2 because it has

two bumps. A Club is 3 because of its three
petals. A Diamond is 4 because it has four
corners. This means every card in the deck
now has two values, the actual value and
the suit-value.
Just add the two values of one card to
know the actual value of the next card.
Usually, the suit of the following card
is the next one in the 1-2-3-4 sequence.
However, to give the red and black colors
of the pack a shuffled appearance there are
two exceptions that involve odd cards and
the four Aces.
If the next card is odd, then it will be
the same color as the card above it but of
the other suit.
If the next card is an Ace, treat it as
an even number. In other words, an Aces
suit will be the next one in the 1-2-3-4
sequence.
Thats all there is to it. Here is the
complete Shuffled System order:
A, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, K, A, 3,
7, 9, K, 2, 5, 6, 8, J, Q,
A, 4, 8, 9, Q, 3, 5, 9, J,
2, 3, 6, 10, J, A, 5, 7, J,
K, 4, 5, 8, Q, K, 3, 4, 6,
9, 10, Q, 2, 6, 7, 10.
The final card is the Ten of Diamonds.
This value and suit identify the next card
as the Ace of Spades, the top card in the
stack. Therefore, the Shuffled System is
completely cyclical and is not affected by
straight cuts.
As mentioned earlier, the Shuffled
System owes much to the creativity of J.
Russell Duck. In the May 1952 issue The
Phoenix, Russell published the concept of
applying a number value to a cards suit
and introduced the idea of adding the cards
actual value and the suit value to obtain a
new card value. To help recall those suit
values, John Cornelius later created the
1234 suit associations and published them
in John Corneliuss Card System (1980).

Richard Osterlinds Breakthrough Card
System (1983) also uses the next cards
value to determine its suit. However, from
that point our systems diverge.
The Shuffled System eliminates all
mnemonics and uses few rules. It gives
the deck a well-mixed appearance but still
offers mathematical features and patterns
that allow for unique presentations. For
example, the card values ascend and reset
in random patterns; also, similar suits are
never side by side. Obviously, this information goes a long way toward identifying
the next card correctly and quickly.
Veteran performers have long known
that a guest confirms a deck is mixed just
by scanning for a scattered red and black
arrangement to the cards in other words,
by focusing on the forest instead of the
trees. This same principle is evident when
the four Aces are given an Elmsley count.
The guest expects to see red and black
cards and she does but she actually sees
one suit twice and another suit not at all.
We have successfully explored the
creative process involved in creating a
deck-stacking method that is simple and
efficient. After honestly examining the
strengths and weaknesses of each idea
we have finally arrived at a solution that
is currently used by professional conjurers
and mentalists around the world.
Still, the creative process focused on
these stacks continues. About two years
after I published the Shuffled System,
Doug Dyment released his DAO Stack in
the manuscript Tricyclic. The DAO Stack
is based heavily on the Shuffled System,
but Doug found a clever way to simplify
it even further. So who knows? Perhaps a
better stacking solution is still out there
and waiting for one of you to discover it.
INDIAN GIVER
A pack of playing cards is passed
among several guests, who each select a
random card, remember it, and shuffle it
away. The deck is tabled after the final
shuffle. No one touches it again. Despite
these fair conditions, you accurate discern
each guests card.
I frequently use this effect as an opener
because it is clean, simple, and direct. It
requires little in the way of cooperation
from the guests and gives you the option of

using several members of the audience or
just a couple, which makes this a suitable
effect for parlor or close-up performances.
Since this was designed as an opening
effect, take advantage of the opportunity
to begin with a stacked deck. Why not start
the show fully armed? Any cyclical stack
will suffice. Once your deck is prepared,
place the pack on the table and you are
ready to begin.
Approach a guest in the front row.
Hand her the deck with instructions to
hold it face down. Now say, I know I just
gave you all the cards, but please give me
back most of them. Just cut a large block
off the top and hand it back to me. Keep the
smaller portion for yourself. Once she has
done so, hold the balance of the deck face
down in your left hand.
Say, Look at the card you cut to and
remember it, please. She will pick up
the top card of her packet and memorize
it. Say, Now, bury your card anywhere
in your packet like this, and shuffle your
cards. Keep your cards facing away from
me at all times. While giving her these instructions, suit actions to words and mime
the action of removing the top card from
the deck. Pretend to look at this non-existent card and then rotate your left hand
so your palm is now facing the guest. This
gives you a bold view of the bottom card of
the deck as you mime inserting the card
into the middle of the pack from above. As
with any cyclical stack, the bottom card
provides you the identity of her chosen
card.
When she begins shuffling her packet,
hand the remainder of the deck to a second
guest and ask him to do the same thing:
give you back most of the cards, look at the
card he cut to, insert it into the packet, and
shuffle it away. Again, mime these actions
as before so you get a look at the bottom
card of the returned portion. You now
know the identity of the second guests
selection.
This process continues until you feel
enough selections have been made (or
for as long as you can remember cards).
Because most people cut less generously
than expected, I usually get three or four
cards chosen before the deck is depleted.
Since you have the task of remembering
several cards anyway, this is not a bad
outcome. Ask one more guest to collect all

the packets, assemble them in any order
and shuffle the deck once more for good
measure. This guest now places the pack
face down on the table and steps away.
You have a grand opportunity to
indulge in high drama now. Please do
not waste this moment by rattling off the
selected cards quickly. Instead, emphasize
the impossibility of deceit. I have handled
the deck as little as possible. Each of you
cut freely and shuffled your own cards.
Indeed, since this pack was last shuffled by
our volunteer, I have not touched it. Stare
intensely into the eyes of the first guest
and reveal her card gradually by saying,
I see red...but the red is sparkling...
like a diamond...yes...a diamond...I see
a person...not a woman...but not quite a
man either...so it is not the Queen...nor
the King.... is it the Jack? Yes, the Jack of
Diamonds!
For the second guest, place your hand
on his shoulder and ask him to count
silently to thirteen. Close your eyes while
he does this. Open your eyes and say, As
you counted, your mind almost shouted
one number at me...it was the number
seven. Now, think of the color. Dig deep
and concentrate. Wait! When I said dig,
you threw an image of a shovel into my
head...a spade? Your card is the Seven
of Spades? With a bit of creativity these
revelations can be intense, funny or even
spooky, depending upon your performance character.
When there are only two more cards
remaining, stand between the last two
guests and hold hands with them like a
referee between two boxers who is about to
name the champion. Reveal the colors first
and then the suits of the selected cards.
Struggle a bit while trying to come up with
the values. When you finally get it, lift
each guests hand high as you call out his
or her respective card.
This is a strong applause-cue position
and a baffling beginning to your show.
The Shuffled System Copyright 2008.
Previously published in Noetic License
(Book Three in the Act-Series).
Mick is a conjurer, tunesmith and taleswapper. He can be reached at mick@
mickayreswares.com.
For Your Consider ation

By George Parker
CARD (BUT NON-CARD)

EFFECTS
I played my first theater show, The Fifth
Element, in 2006 in Las Vegas at the Magic
and Meaning conference, produced by
Jeff McBrides Magic & Mystery School.
I had designed the show to be highly
portable so I could take everything with
me as carry-on luggage. This required me
to balance the low production value with
great magic as well as an interesting, movie-like structure, music, and personality.
It took me years to create the basic show:
routines, script, music, staging, structure,
delivery. But it was highly successful. And
because of all the work I had put into it, I
could easily turn the theater version into
a two-, three-, or four-part dinner show. I
think that the biggest part of the success
wasnt the magic or music. It was the script
and the structure. These elements took care
of giving every single routine meaning in
relation to the overarching storyline. That
allowed me to play it for a much broader
audience. I cant count the number of
people who walked up to me and said, I
usually hate magic and magicians, but
this was great! I really dont want to pat
myself on the back here. Im just trying to
clarify that magic can be interesting in and
of itself to magic lovers. But theres a big
audience out there who gets bored after
two or three magic tricks because theres
nothing of interest for them.
After creating two more theater shows,
The Death and Resurrection Show and Six
Strings & 53 Cards, I realized that theres
one question that helped me to create the
plots, scripts, and structures. Its the much
feared and sometimes sleep-depriving
question, Why? Why do you do this
routine? Why do you do it at this moment?
Why do you use this prop? Why that
gesture? Why do your hands go to your
pocket? Why do you talk so fast here? Why
do you move to the right? Why do you wear
that suit? Why do you smile at this point?
Why? Why? Why? The directors I worked

with asked me that question over and over
again. Answering it resulted in a better
storyline, a more coherent structure, more
original material, economy of movement,
and so on. If I couldnt come up with an
answer, I simply had to drop a line, get rid
of a gesture, or skip a routine that I dearly
loved.
WHY PLAYING CARDS?

One of the most annoying why-question is: Why do you use a deck of playing
cards? Sure, a deck of cards is convenient.
There are millions of tricks you can do
with them. Its easy to carry around. Weve
learned lots of techniques that allow us to
do a big portion of those millions of tricks.
Also, the audience is familiar with the
concept of cards, which saves you time.
But from a theatrical point of view those
reasons arent good enough.
From a theatrical standpoint, the answer
needs to be motivated by the storyline, the
script, the structure, and/or your persona
on stage. The cards need to have some
meaning in relation to those aspects. Cards
have, of course, built in meaning when you
do a poker or Three Card Monte routine.
But they may lack this context in a pick-acard-any-card routine, for example.
A CARD (BUT
NON-CARD) ROUTINE:
CORRESPONDENCE
Id like to explain Correspondence, one
of my routines that came out of asking the
why playing cards question. Years ago I
saw my dear friend Eugene Burger (who
kindly gave me permission to publish
my version) perform a routine with cards
at one of the Amsterdam master classes
I produced for Jeff and Eugene. The plot
is simple. A spectator randomly selects a
card and the selected card matches the one
thats in an envelope that has been lying on
the table openly during the whole routine.
I was inspired by it as I asked myself the
why playing cards question. I came
up with the idea of using postcards and
started to develop that version. I called it
Correspondence.
Let me first give you a quick description of what the audience sees, and then I
will describe the work you will need to do
to create your props. The audience sees a
big, thick envelope (about 9" x 6.5"). The
magician takes out a stack of postcards.
The postcards look genuine. There is also
one blue envelope (about 6" x 5") that he
puts back in the big envelope. He invites
an audience member to say stop at any
time while he starts dropping the cards on
the table one by one. When a postcard is
selected, he takes out the blue envelope.
The postcard in that envelope matches the
freely selected card.
You will need: seven sets of four
different postcards (the so-called force
postcards); twenty-four random postcards;
two double-ended envelopes (6" x 5"); one
larger double-ended envelope (9" x 6.5");
roughing fluid or wax. Piatt-style double
envelopes work great for this purpose. You
can purchase them at www.yourmagic.
com (type in Piatt in the search box).
Use the envelopes you purchase to make
templates for the larger envelopes this
routine requires.
I put stamps on all the postcards and
asked eight friends to write my address
and a message on them (in different colors,
preferably in different handwriting) and to
mail the cards back to me. You can see the
result in Photo 1. When I got all of them
back I took six sets of four cards and the
twenty-four random cards and arranged
Photo i
them as in Photo 2. The picture only shows
you two repeating stacks. In reality there
are six repeating stacks consisting of (face
up): force postcard 1, random postcard,
force postcard 2, random postcard,
Photo 2
the sticker and the stamp are tilted

to add some reality to the picture.
When I got them back I marked the
stickers with pencil dots so I can
instantly see which side I have to
open to take out the right postcard
(Photo 4). Force postcards 1 and
2 go in one envelope; postcards 3
and 4 go in the other. The stack of
postcards goes on top of envelope A
and inside one of the openings of the
big envelope (Photo 5). Envelope B
goes into the other opening.
Turn the big envelope around
and mark the side with envelope A
Photo 3
Photo 5
force postcard 3, random postcard, force

postcard 4, random postcard.
Photo 3 shows you the back of the
postcards. I marked each force postcard
with one, two, three, or four pencil dots
(yellow circles). They are barely visible in
the picture, but are easy to spot in reality.
I applied some roughing spray to the face
of the force postcard and to the back of the
random postcard it is paired with; this will
hide the force postcards. You can also use
a dab of wax.
Finally, I put stickers with my name
and address on both blue envelopes. I put
a stamp on them and posted them. Both
and the stack of cards with one pencil dot

and the other side (containing envelope B)
with three pencil dots (Photo 6). You will
notice that the big envelope looks worn out.
Thats just what its supposed to look like.
Ive supposedly collected the postcards
in that envelope, so it makes sense that it
looks a bit old.
Photo 7
the other opening. Even if they saw it, it
would probably fly by. Its just an extra
safety measure to hide the method. Take
out the stack of cards and envelope A.
Briefly look at both sides of envelope A
so the audience gets a clear picture of it
and put it back in the big envelope without
paying attention to it. Put the big envelope
on the table, non-flap side up.
Fan the postcards (Photo 8) so the
audience sees all different cards. Turn
them around and show the backs of all the
postcards while saying: Over the years, I
actually collected all the postcards I got.
Every card holds an exciting story. Lets
select one of the cards and Ill tell you the
story that goes with it. Square the cards at
this point and hold them face down. Sir,
would you please turn your head away
from me, because I really dont want to
influence you into selecting my favorite
story! Just say stop whenever you feel like
it. Notice that Im not describing whats
going to happen or what card will be their
selection. The reason will become clear
soon.
Photo 6
Photo 4
Performance: Pick up the big envelope;

while you open it, say, Im always
humbled when people send me spontaneous thank-you emails. And Im even more
touched when I get handwritten thank-you
postcards. Yes, that still happens! You
hold the envelope in the way thats shown
in Photo 7. As you can see, you cover the
lower part to prevent the audience seeing
Photo 8
Look at a person in the audience while
you say the previous line. Start dealing
postcards on the table, one by one, rhythmically and a bit up tempo; that makes it
easier to hide the force. As you deal, you
separate the roughed pairs. Look at the
for your consider ation

person all the time, meanwhile secretly
either peeking at the cards youre dealing
or just counting the cards. Every odd
number will be a force postcard.
Looking at the person puts you in a
position to turn your head at the forced
postcard the moment they say stop,
which helps to convince the audience of
the fairness of the procedure. When they
say stop you will either have a postcard
in your hand (either force or random), or
you will have just dealt a postcard (either
force or random) to the table. Here is how
you handle either situation in a way that
appears natural.
If you have a force postcard in your
hand, immediately turn your attention
away from the spectator and to the card in
your hand. Smile as if you remember the
story and say, Ah, this is a good one!
If you have a random card in your hand,
finish dealing the card while turning your
head towards the card thats now on top of
the stack in your hand. Smile and say, Ah,
this is a good one!
If the spectator says stop after youve
just dealt a postcard on the table, the force

card is either on top of the tabled stack
or on top of the stack in your hand. If the
force postcard is on top of the tabled cards,
lower the hand that holds the remaining
stack; turn your gaze away from them,
focus on the tabled cards, pick up the top
card, and say, Ah, this is a good one! If
the force postcard is on top of the stack in
your hand, turn your attention to that card
in the most natural way, smile, and say,
Ah, this is a good one!
You will understand that this works
just like a good equivoque. You will need
to practice all possible scenarios in order
to make every scenario look natural and
to convince the audience that the outcome
you play out is the only possible outcome.
You will now instantly spot what force
postcard was stopped on; the markings
will tell you whether it was 1, 2, 3 or 4.
After the Ah, this is a good one! line,
say, I remember this well. I performed at
an outdoor wedding party in Rome. Wendy
and Peter went there because they had met
for the first time at the Spanish Steps. Their
first kiss happened at the Trevi Fountain

very romantic. And although this is a great
story, youve created an even more magical
one. This script is just an example of what
I use. Youll have to create a nice script and
fill in the right names depending on the
card youve landed on.
Take the blue envelope that contains
the matching postcard out of the correct
side of the big envelope. In my professional life, theres only one postcard that
I had already received before. Out of all
the postcards you could have selected, you
picked that postcard! Take the matching
postcard out of the blue envelope and show
it to the audience. Youve just given added
meaning to the word correspondence.
Smile. You certainly have a knack for
these types of coincidences. Thanks for
creating yet another nice memory!
Its a nice creative exercise to scan your
repertoire to see if theres a card (but noncard) trick opportunity there. Good luck!
EBOOK NOOK
HORSE RACE
Excerpt From:
The Card Magic
of Nick Trost
Written By:
Nick Trost
Description:
Ebook, 334 pages
Available From:
www.llepub.com
Nick Trost is a name that may be unfamiliar to younger readers of this magazine,
but he was a prolific creator of card magic
that did not demand knuckle-busting skill.
As William Miesel wrote: Nick is known
for his simple, easy-to-do card magic. He
bases his tricks on subtle moves and principles rather than difficult sleights. The
thing that impresses me is how he obtains
such excellent effects by ingenious, yet
comparatively simple methods.
Trost published two, one-man parades
in The Linking Ring (1955 and 1957) and
in May of 1961 he began a column of card
magic in The New Tops that ran for more
than thirty-three years. The subject of this
months Ebook Nook, The Card Magic of
Nick Trost, was published in 1997. More
recently, the four-volume series The Subtle
Card Creations of Nick Trost has been
published by H&R Magic Books.
Below you will find three well-known
Trost routines. I mentioned the Horse Race
trick in my editors column in the June
issue. Rick Johnsson took this trick and
turned it every way but loose, wringing
a ton of entertainment out of it. EighteenCard Poker is a very clever twist on the
Ten-Card Poker Deal. You will probably
puzzle your magic buddies with this (and
it is also a great trick for laymen). Incidentally, if you are a fan of this trick,
you will love Bob Farmers new book, a
400-page compendium of routines, ideas,
and scams for the Ten-Card Poker Deal. It
should be available now. The final trick,
Eight-Card Brainwave is one of Trosts
most famous creations. It was marketed
by him and it has been varied by many
creators. (Youll read Bob Farmers clever
idea for this trick in next months issue.) If
you enjoy card magic, The Card Magic of
Nick Trost should be in your library. My
thanks to L&L Publishing for allowing
these excerpts to appear in M-U-M.
Michael Close
It is interesting to note that the idea of

running a horse race using a deck of cards
dates back at least to 1914 to a race game
called Minoru, so named in honor of
King Edward VIIs famous racehorse. In
this game, five miniature horses are lined
up on a course divided into an unequal
number of spaces. The horses are bet on
at different odds. The bookmaker deals
five cards from a deck, one card behind
each horse; the horse with the highest card
dealt moves one space up the course. This
procedure is continued until one horse
reaches the winning-post.
The prototype for the modern game
called Horse Race was described by
John Scarne in Scarne on Cards (1949).
Scarnes version used the four Aces as
horses, which moved one length per each
card of a dealt suit.
Tony Koynini was the first magician to
use the horse race game idea as a gambling
demonstration. He used a stacked
deck to control the outcome of the
performer always winning. Koynini
published his routine in booklet
form, called Derby (1952).
My original version of Horse
Race, developed in the early 1960s,
simplified Koyninis method in two
ways: First, the horses are moved
just one space per matching suit
turned up, not two spaces for a court card
as Koynini stipulated. Second, I simplified Koyninis method of getting the extra
card of the performers suit into position
to win. My version was a decided favorite
with Stewart Judah, who also had a hand
in the simplifying process. I have found
the effect to be entertaining for all types
of audiences.
Effect: A miniature racetrack of six
lengths is formed. The four Aces, representing horses, are lined up beside
the track. Three spectators each pick a
horse (an Ace) and place a bet on it. The
performer backs the remaining Ace. The
deck is now shuffled by the spectators, and
the performer turns up cards one by one.
Whichever suit is turned up, the Ace of
that suit moves up one length on the track
until one horse reaches the finish line.
The performer wins. A second race is run,
and he wins again.
Method: You will need a deck of cards,
six matches, and four coins, one large and
three small.
To prepare, first remove the four Aces
and the four Threes from the deck, placing
them aside. Now form a pile of twenty
cards, consisting of any five Hearts, five
Spades, five Clubs and five Diamonds.
Place the remainder of the deck face down
on the table, and then drop the four Threes
on top. Next, shuffle the pile of twenty
cards and drop it on top. Finally, scatter the
four Aces in the bottom half of the deck.
Slip the deck into the case and you are all
set.
To begin, remove the deck from the
case. Announce that you will show how
a horse race is run using a deck of cards.
First, we must set up the track, you say.
Arrange the six matches in a horizontal
row in front of you on the table. Space them
out about two and a half feet in length.
Well use the Aces as horses. As this
is said, pick up the deck, toss out the four
Aces, and arrange them in a vertical row at
the left end of the track (Figure 1).
Fig. 1
Now heres the way we play. Well

each bet on a horse. Ill turn up cards one
at a time from the deck. (Demonstrate by
turning up the top card.) The horse of the
same suit will move ahead one length,
you continue. Demonstrate by sliding the
corresponding Ace even with the first
match. Say, This continues until one
horse reaches the finish line marked by the
last match. (Point to the last position on
the track.) Whichever horse gets here first
wins and takes all the money.
Bring out the coins and hand each of
three spectators a small coin. Ill stake
you on this race. Each of you drops your
money on the horse you want; Ill take
whats left. Thats fair enough, isnt it?
you ask. After each spectator has his
money on an Ace, drop the larger coin on
the remaining ace. Ill put up the most
money, you point out.
Say, Wed better shuffle the deck.
Note the suit left for you. Pick up the deck
and hold it face toward you. Fan it near the
center until you see the four Threes. The

left thumb should be resting on the faces of
the Threes (Figure 2).
Fig. 2
now five cards of each suit in the top half

again.) Arrange the Aces at the starting
positions, and say, This time, I want you
to select my horse just by chance. Spread
the bottom half of the deck face down
and have a spectator touch the back of a
card. Pull it out and turn it up. Place your
money on the Ace of the selected suit. The
spectators drop their coins onto the other
three Aces. Bury the selected card about
a quarter of the way down from the top of
the deck. Proceed as explained above and
you will win again.
SECOND METHOD
This is the only move needed to accomplish the effect: You are going to split the
deck, taking the top twenty cards into the
left hand. But as you do, you must include
the three-spot of the same suit as your
horse. If the desired three-spot is right next
to the top twenty cards, split the deck to the
right of it. If it is second, third, or fourth
in the fan, simply place the left thumb on
the desired three-spot and slide it onto the
face of the twenty-card group as you split
the deck.
Immediately hand the cards in the left
hand (group A) to a spectator on your left
for shuffling. Hand the rest of the deck
(group B) to a spectator on your right to
shuffle. The whole operation should be
done in an unhurried and casual manner.
Assemble the deck, placing group A
(twenty-one cards) on top of group B.
Here we go ... you say. Place the deck
face down in front of you on the table and
turn up the top card. Whatever the suit,
have a spectator move the corresponding Ace ahead one length. Continue by
turning up the next card and having the
corresponding Ace moved. After several
cards have been dealt, again point to the
sixth match and say, Remember, the first
one to reach here wins. When your horse
reaches the finish line first (as it must), pick
up all the coins and say, Too bad. I guess
that you just dont know how to play the
horses. Would you want to try once more?
The Repeat: Usually I repeat the effect
once. Pick up the dealt cards and overhand
shuffle them face up, pulling off the card at
the face (the last card dealt) and shuffling
the others on top of it. Drop these cards face
down on top of the deck, and then double
cut the top card to the bottom. (There are
This method uses the Gilbreath

principle.
To prepare, first remove the four Aces,
the four Threes, and any four indifferent cards, consisting of one card of each
suit. Lay these three sets aside temporarily. This leaves forty cards. From these,
remove five cards of each suit. This forms
a twenty-card group. A second group of
twenty remains, which also consists of
five cards of each suit. Make sure the suits
in one group are mixed, and then arrange
the other twenty-card group in reverse suit
order of the first. This done, place these
groups face up on the table. Add to the face
of each group any two of the four indifferent cards placed aside earlier. Turn both
groups face down.
Now pencil dot the back of the Three
of Clubs in the upper left and lower right
corners, then lay it face down onto one
of the twenty-two-card groups. Lay the
Threes of Hearts, Spades, and Diamonds
(in that order) face down onto the Three
of Clubs. Drop the other twenty-two card
group on top. Finally, insert the four Aces
into scattered positions in the deck to
complete the setup.
Proceed as in the original method to
the point where you are left with one of the
suits as your horse. Pick up the deck and
hold it face down in the left hand. Spread
it near the center until you see the pencildotted Three of Clubs. This card keys
you to the Three of Hearts, the Three of
Spades, and the Three of Diamonds, which
are directly above it. Split the deck, taking
all the cards below the pencil-dotted Three
of Clubs into the left hand; as you do,
the left thumb slides the three-spot of the
same suit as your horse onto the top of the
left-hand half.
Have the spectator riffle shuffle the
halves together. Proceed as in the original
method and your horse will arrive at the
finish line first. For the repeat, use the
same method as described earlier.
This method first appeared in my book
Gambling Tricks with Cards, Part Two
(1975).
EIGHTEEN-CARD POKER
Bob Farmer, in writing about the
Ten-Card Poker Deal in MAGIC, May,
1994, was very complimentary when he
said: There is no question that Nick Trost
invented the first significant improvement
in the method for this effect: the morphing
Jonah a Jonah card that changes with
each deal, so that the spectator can never
notice that his losing hand always contains
the same singleton.
The principle used in Eighteen-Card
Poker is the same as in the Ten-Card Poker
Deal; the player who gets the odd (Jonah)
card after two hands have been dealt is
the loser. Eighteen-Card Poker, however,
uses two groups of nine cards, and the odd
card is always one from the other group of
nine, so as Bob pointed out it changes
throughout the routine.
Among the performers who considered
this routine one of their favorites were
Walt Rollins and Stewart Judah. The presentation described here was the one used
by Stewart Judah.
Effect: Several cards are removed
from the deck and shuffled by a spectator,
who then deals two poker hands, one to
the performer and one to himself. Before
the hands are shown, the performer states
that he will have the winning hand. The
hands are turned up, and the performer
wins. Again the cards are shuffled, two
hands are dealt by the spectator, and again
the performer wins. For the final deal, the
performer shuffles the cards, and then
shows each card to the spectator before
it is dealt. The spectator may decide to
either keep the card for his hand or let the
performer take it. Even under these conditions, the performer still manages to come
up with the winning hand.
Method: Beforehand, arrange two
groups of nine cards each. Each group of
nine consists of three sets of three of a
kind. For example, well say that one group
EBOOK NOOK
consists of three Threes, three Sevens and,
three Kings. The other group, for example,
consists of three Fours, three Eights and,
three queens. Place both groups on the
bottom of the deck; you are ready to begin.
Phase One: Remove the bottom
eighteen cards, giving one group of nine
to a spectator; you take the other. Discard
the rest of the deck.
Shuffle your packet as the spectator
shuffles his. Trade packets and shuffle
once more. Hand the spectator your packet
and have him place one packet onto the
other. (It does not matter which goes onto
which.) Now have him alternately deal
two showdown poker hands of five cards
each, one to you and one to himself. He is
to place the remaining eight cards aside.
Explain that even though he has shuffled
and dealt the cards himself, you know you
have him beat even before you look at the
cards. Reach over and turn his hand face
up on the table, calling out the rank of the
hand one pair, two pairs or three of a
kind. Turn your hand face up, showing that
you have him beat.
Drop your hand face up onto his and
pick up both hands. The odd card is now
on top. Hold this packet in position for an
overhand shuffle, but with the bottom card
facing left. Overhand shuffle, stripping off
the top (odd) card with the left fingers and
shuffle the remaining cards on top of it so
the odd card remains on top of the packet.
As you do this, have the spectator pick up
the eight-card packet and shuffle it.
Drop his packet face down onto yours
so the eighteen cards again consist of two
groups of nine.
Phase Two: Hand the cards to the
spectator, have him deal two poker hands
as before, and set the remaining eight
cards aside. Tell him that again you have
him beat. Turn his hand face up on the
table, calling out its rank. Turn up your
hand, showing that you have beaten him.
Drop your hand face up onto his, pick
up both, and shuffle as before, retaining
the odd card on top. He may shuffle the
eight-card packet. This time when you put
the packets together, put your packet on
top of his so that the odd card will be the
top card of the combined packets.
Phase Three: Explain that you will
give the spectator one more chance to beat
you; this time you will do the dealing. Deal
the top card (the odd card) face down to
the spectator and the next card face down
to yourself. Pause to show him the faces
of both cards, commenting on whether his
card or yours is higher. Then say, From
here on out, Ill show you each card, and
you can decide to either keep that card

or tell me to take it. Show him each card
from this point on and deal (according
to what the spectator decides) until you
each have five cards. Again, you get the
winning hand.
Notes: You may want to consider
carrying the eighteen cards used for Eighteen-Card Poker in a double-sided wallet
as a packet trick. By doing this, you will
always be ready to perform it at any time.
This is how I marketed the trick in 1989 as
Mississippi Poker. (This version, incidentally, features a more elaborate routine of
five phases.)
Several other routines for EighteenCard Poker have been published. Among
them is one released by Bruce Bernstein in
an eleven-page booklet called Psych-Out
(1985). In Bruces routine, he explains
to a spectator that he will use the Nines
through Aces because they are the
minimum amount of cards from a deck
that can create any possible poker hand
from one pair through a royal flush and
anything in between. (This would be true
if four-of-a-kind were used, but only threeof-a-kind are removed.) Bruce claims
that no one has questioned the logic, or
suspected only three-of-a-kind were used.
One group consists of three Nines, Jacks,
and Kings; the other group contains three
Tens, Queens, and Aces.
One of the most entertaining presentations I have read for Eighteen-Card Poker
is called The Cincinnati Kid Poker Game
by Tony Binarelli. You will find it in Gary
Ouellets book The Magic of Tony Binarelli
(1991) on page 169. This routine is also
performed and explained by Gary Ouellet
on the video The Magic of Canada, Vol. 2
(1994).
Start with the packet face up in the

left hand. Fan the cards face up in a wide
fan or spread them on the table, asking a
spectator to think of any card. This done,
square the cards and hold them face up in
the left hand.
Shift cards one by one to the back of
the face-up packet, asking the spectator
to stop you when you reach his thought-of
card. Lay his card face up on the table.
Fig. 1
As you explain that he could have
thought of any of the other cards, apparently show the backs of the remaining
seven cards, using the Olram Subtlety as
follows.
Hold the packet face up in the left hand
(Figure 2). Note that the cards extend
about half their length beyond the forefinger. With the left thumb, push the top
card to the right and take it into the right
hand, gripping it in the same way as the
left-hand packet (Figure 2). Immediately
turn both hands palm down, showing the
red back of the single card in the right
hand and the red back of the packet in the
left hand (Figure 3). (Note: The back color
of the two cards will depend on which card
the spectator chose. They will always be of
the same color.) Turn both hands palm up
Fig. 2
EIGHT-CARD BRAINWAVE
Ed Marlos Olram Subtlety (The New
Tops, November, 1965) was the inspiration to work out this effect, which was first
described in my column in The New Tops
under the title The Odd-Colored Back.
It originally used six cards and was later
changed to eight. It was marketed as EightCard Brainwave in 1976.
Effect: Someone simply calls out the
name of any card of eight different ones
displayed. All the backs are then shown;
the back of the named card is a different
color from the others.
Method: You will need four red-backed
and four blue-backed cards, each with a
different face. Arrange the cards so that
the red and blue backs alternate (Figure 1).
Fig. 3
and simultaneously deal a card face up on
the table from each hand. The right hand
deals the face card of its packet on the table
and the left hand deals its single card on
top of it. The back of the card dealt from
the left hand has not been seen, although
it appears that it has. (The discrepancy is

well obscured by the combined action of
the hands.)
Show and deal the next pair of cards in
the same manner. As you deal a card on
the table from each hand, deal them face
up into a common pile. Always deal the
right-hand card to the table first. Finally,
show the back of the single card remaining
in the left hand and deal it face up onto the
pile. Apparently all seven cards have the
same color back. Slowly turn the selected
card face down, showing that it has an
odd-color back. Replace this card on the
packet, and it is instantly reset for a repeat
of the effect, a nice feature when tablehopping.

Notes: Here are two A1 Thatcher
additions. Instead of fanning the cards for
a selection, deal the eight cards face up into
a row, left to right on the table. Have one
card indicated, which you push forward
from the row. Now pick up the other seven
cards, laying them face up into the left
hand like this: Pick up the card to the right
of the selection and lay it into the left hand;
now, working to the right, and back to the
beginning of the row, if necessary, pick
up the other six cards one by one. The left
hand now holds a face-up packet of seven
cards with the backs alternating red, blue

throughout.
Perform the Olram Subtlety with these
seven cards. Deal them into two face-up
piles after apparently showing the backs
of three pairs. The left hand shows the
back of the single remaining card and uses
it to scoop up the left-hand pile. The pile
is squared, turned face down, and held in
the left hand. The right hand picks up the
remaining three cards from the table one
by one and places them face down onto the
cards in the left hand. This visually emphasizes that all seven cards have the same
back color.
Messing With Your Mind

By Christopher Carter
THINKING ABOUT
REVEALS
Imagine you have a superpower. You
have the ability to fly. As far as you know,
youre the only human on earth who can
do this. You just discovered your ability a
few days ago, and it doesnt come easily.
You need a running start in order get aloft;
sometimes you have to push off a chair
or dive off a ledge. Occasionally, you
dont get airborne at all, but instead come
crashing to the ground. However, and this
is important, the discovery of this power is
quite simply the most significant event in
your life until now. You suddenly realize
that there is a vast, undiscovered territory of
physics that no scientist has yet described.
Who knows what other untapped potentials remain dormant in each one of us?
But more important, the feeling of flying,
the emotion you experience, is one of pure
joy. Its better than you ever imagined it
in your dreams. Youd love to find a way
of describing this emotion, but words fail
utterly.
Now imagine you have the ability to fly,
but this time, instead of it being something
new to you, its something youve been
doing all your life. It takes no effort at all;
you simply think about it, and up you go.
Being aloft is no more novel to you than
taking a walk to the corner grocery. Theres
no particular emotion associated with it,
its just something you do. As far as you
know, youre the only person in the world
who can fly. But to be honest, demonstrating your power has become a nuisance.
When people hear about it, they assume
youre lying. Then, when you do prove
yourself, they look at you as if youre some
sort of freak. As a consequence, youre
inclined to keep your skill to yourself, and
when you do share it, you cant help feeling
a little resentful.
Finally, imagine you are a witness to a
demonstration by each of the above aeri58 M-U-M Magazine - August 2014
alists. Which performance do you think

would excite you more? What would be
your emotional state at the conclusion of
each? What might you be thinking the
moment each flier left the ground?
In mentalism, were obsessed with
revelations. We put most of the focus
of our presentations on how to demonstrate that weve read somebodys mind
correctly. To continue with the discussion
of superpowers, think of the act of flying
as being equivalent to the reveal in
mentalism. At first you were doubtful that
the performer could pull it off; now you
know he can. Both examples have this in
common. Beyond that, what?
As an audience member, your reaction
to this moment of revelation depends
entirely on the context that led up to it.
With the first performer, you would sense
his eagerness to share this discovery with
you. With the second, you might sense
his reluctance, even his bitterness. With
the first performer, even though you may
be doubtful, you may also cheer him on,
hoping that he succeeds. With the second
performer, maybe you hope he falls flat on
his face. Each demonstration may be theatrically compelling in its own way, but each
will tell a very different story and engage
your imagination in a distinct way.
In each case, what is revealed is much
more than the fact that the performer can
fly. Also revealed is a snapshot of who the
performer really is. Each scenario offers
a brief glimpse of his personal journey,
his feeling about his unique ability, and
perhaps more important, his relationship to
you, the spectator. Beyond even this, each
scenario reveals a shadowy view into the
way the universe is constructed. It hints
at a world of unseen forces and untapped
potentials.
In mentalism, we are prone to think
that the most important part of the performance comes at the moment of the
reveal. It doesnt. Not even close! The truly
important moments are those that lead up
to the big finish and provide context for it.
As mentalists, we each play the role
of superhero for a few moments each day.
How we construct this role is crucial in
guiding our audience toward the moment
of the reveal. There are many possible
things to consider when creating our

roles. Of course, we will want to establish
a backstory to explain how we acquired
our special talents. We will also want to
establish the parameters of our abilities;
what are the things we can and cannot
do? But to my mind, the most important
thing to establish is our attitude towards
our abilities. Are we excited by them? Are
we frightened by them? Are we bored by
them? Are they abilities we want to share
with others, or are they abilities we would
rather hide?
Establishing our attitudes about our
special powers is a necessary first step,
because doing so provides our motivation for performing at all. If you hate
your powers, or if youre bored by them,
or if you consider them something to be
ashamed of, you will probably have some
difficulty justifying their demonstration.
On the other hand, if you make the theatrical decision that your skills are forever
exciting and fresh to you and that you
cannot wait to share them with others, the
act of demonstration is a natural result.
Think, for example, of Uri Geller
bending a spoon. (Im speaking here
strictly of the theater behind his performance. We can leave discussion of his
ethics for another time.) Imagine his excitement as the spoon begins to bend. Its
as if each demonstration is an excuse to
peek through the veil into another world.
Why would somebody want to bend a
spoon? Perhaps because each bending of a
spoon illustrates that what you thought you
knew about the very fabric of the cosmos
is utter trash, and that fact is exciting! It is
in fact The. Most. Exciting. Thing. Ever.
In Gellers case, the unique timbre of the
reveal is produced in part by his attitude
toward his ability. So it is with all of us.
Consider the following possible scripts.
In each case, the opening circumstances
are that a female audience member has
been asked to concentrate on the name of
her first childhood crush.
SCRIPT ONE
Mentalist: Concentrate on the name.
Really focus. Im getting the letter T. Is
there a T? Yes? Keep thinking. (Pause) I
dont know if I have this. Ill write it down.

What was the name?
Helper: Peter.
Mentalist (turns over his notepad to
reveal the word Peter): Got it.
SCRIPT TWO
Mentalist: This is going to require
some imagination. Look at me, but in your
mind visualize that boy. (Pause) Look in
my eyes, but see his eyes. (Pause) Look at
my face, but see his face. How old was this
boy when you had a crush on him?
Helper: Eight.
Mentalist: Eight? Then you might
want to imagine him a little shorter and
possibly with more hair. But try to see him.
(Pause) Now, say his name in your mind.
Not out loud, but hear your inner voice
say it...Say it now! (Pause) Really? Wow!
Say it again. (Mentalist laughs to himself.)
Thats amazing. Even after all these years,
I can still hear passion in your voice. I can
hear you saying, Oh, Peter! Is that it?
Peter?
Helper: Yes.
Mentalist: Wow. That must have been
some crush.
Of these two possible reveals, which
one strikes you as theatrically more interesting? Which one seems more powerful?
Which do you think will garner the
strongest reaction from the audience
helper?
You probably wont be surprised when
I tell you that I think the second one is
better. Im biased, of course, since that
is the actual script I use during a billet
routine I constructed for walk-around
purposes when Im entertaining on college
campuses. Its something I use as a teaser
when Im walking through a campus
cafeteria drumming up an audience for
my evening show. The former script, on
the other hand, is what I imagine as a
fairly typically unimaginative presentation of a mind-reading effect. Perhaps its

something of a straw man, but then again
Im not so sure.
But if we assume that the second script
is better, why is it so? Lets look at what
the first script is lacking. In Script One,
what is the performers attitude toward
his superpower? Its barely discernible,
but to the extent that it can be detected, it
might best be defined as look at the cool
thing I can do. The actual moment of
mental contact, the moment the thought is
received, produces no apparent emotional
reaction in performer number one. Apparently theres some challenge to it, but it
couldnt be much, or he would show some
surprise and delight upon its completion.
In truth, the only emotional reaction the
performer shows at all is when he demonstrates that he got it right, and thats really
more of a strut than a genuine emotion.
Seriously, if you really could pick up
someones thoughts, wouldnt you feel
something?
What is the process of mind reading for
the performer in Script One? Again, its
barely discernible. Apparently, the helper
must concentrate. But how does she do
that? What exactly does that mean? The
performer is not certain he got it right.
Why not? What is the source of his insecurity? Dont you think that if these
questions are left unanswered in the mind
of the spectator, the statement I dont
know if I have this, is going to strike the
helper as insincere? Will she be rooting for
the performer to be correct? I doubt it.
How about Script Two? In this one
the character of the performer expresses
something that could be called a point of
view. Its only a very brief bit of dialogue,
but his attitude toward his power is much
more discernible than the first. As with the
first performer, this one finds mind reading
to be somewhat difficult, but now we know
why: the helper has to concentrate in a

really specific way. The performer here is
also excited by the act of mind reading, and
not only because of the attention it draws
to himself, but also because it seems fun
simply to make a mental connection with
another person. We know this because the
moment of mental connection produces in
him an experience of surprise and delight.
Something about the way the helper is
thinking is so enjoyable that he asks her to
think it again.
And the process of mindreading in
Script Two? Again, its more clearly
defined. The performer explicitly spells out
how the helper must concentrate, and as
she goes through each step, the performer
is apparently receiving information from
it. The moment of thought reading is not
disconnected from the process as it in
the first script. Instead it seems to be the
natural result of a necessary progression.
There are many other differences we
could examine, but the most important
difference, I submit, would be the difference in the way the audience reacts
when her thought is revealed. I think its
possible that the helper in Script One will
be amazed, but I dont think she will react
with shock. In fact, I think her reaction
will be more one of puzzlement. The rest
of the audience, I expect, will be similarly
detached. I know from experience that
the helper in Script Two will turn red,
let out a little scream, and hold her hands
in front of her face, and there will be no
doubt in the minds of the onlookers that
you didnt merely guess her word, you read
her mind. The reason for the difference
has everything to do with how youve set
up the reveal. Unless it follows naturally
from context, the reveal has no meaning.
In Script One, crucial elements of context
are ignored. There is simply no path down
which the audience can be guided.
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INFORMED OPINION
LATEST PRODUCT REVIEWS
Compiled and Edited by W. S. Duncan
We havent had this much good magic in one month in a very

long time. Tony Cabral has a few words about one of the most
important books on magic ever written, and Curtis road tests a
new take on a couple of old coin tricks. Editor Emeritus David
Goodsell covers a new documentary on Eugene Burger, and
Joshua shares his thoughts on a bit of prop mentalism, and a new
take on the Tossed-Out Pack.
Marc raves about a new wallet, and Norman Beck reviews
Infallible, an interesting double-prediction effect. I had a thought
about the latter that might appeal to you, if youre interested in
the effect, which is the prediction of a number and a card, using

a pack with random numbers on the back. Consider introducing
the pack as a marked deck made for you by your child/nephew/
godson, or similar. Since the markings are random numbers, this
should get a chuckle. When you reveal the prediction, do so by
showing a video of the adorable child who made your marked
deck. Read Normans review if this sounds like something that
would suit your performance style.
See you next month.
The Magic Way (second edition) Book

By Juan Tamariz
from later books like The Books of Wonder, Strong Magic, and
Designing Miracles, I was admittedly a little disappointed at first
at what I was reading but only at first.
The Magic Way is for people who care about how their
audience perceives their magic not just how they experience it,
but how they perceive it. There have been plenty of magicians
before and since The Magic Way who declare, I dont care about
fooling people, I just want to entertain them! Thats a fine experience for anyone to have, to have seen a performer who made them
laugh, surprised them, and showed them a good time. However,
theres a very specific sensation to experiencing a magic performance that comes from how you construct a trick, and how that
leads the audience to perceive what happens. Forget suspension of disbelief. Teller has said, You have to forcibly suspend
their disbelief for them. Tamariz elaborates on the goal with,
We need to know what goes on in the spectators minds during
the course of the trick and upon its completion, and we must
determine what kind of impact is produced in their minds. We
should find out whether they suspect a method, even if it is not
the one we employed. Besides their not knowing how we did the
trick, we must prevent them from analyzing how we could have
done it. In other words, they should be incapable of figuring out
a solution, whether it is the right one or not. Besides being astonished, they should be dumbfounded, caught in a hallucination,
feeling amazed, spellbound and totally fascinated by the mystery
they have witnessed. The shock of mystery suspends any ability
to analyze, as well as the desire to do so. What that means is,
far from blithely pretending a covert method doesnt exist, in
performing magic we need to know that they know that theres a
covert method, and take concrete steps to separate the audience
from it. To that end, Tamariz introduced The Method of False
Solutions and The Magic Way.
The Magic Way, quite simply, is thinking about how normal
people perceive magic. You employ a move, or a subterfuge, or
a technique, and you consider, Whats my audience thinking?
Tamariz illustrates this in one of the great mind-boggling
passages in magic literature, in which he describes a stage vanish
of a dove in a box. He walks through the process of performance
in parallel with what a rational, intelligent audience would think,
and employs an overabundance of poetic metaphor to the point
that on first reading your eyebrows will simultaneously furrow
and raise and you may very well pull a muscle. But thats a factor
of language and translation, and his point is nonetheless essential.
Available from: www.hermeticpress.com

Distributed by Murphys Magic Supplies
Price $47.00
REVIEW BY ANTONIO M. CABRAL

At this point in time, Juan Tamarizs
reputation is firmly cemented as one of
the magic worlds great entertainers and
solid magical thinkers. That reputation
stems in part from legendary books like
this one, The Magic Way. Way back in
1987, Tamariz took the ideas that all the
great magicians knew and understood
and attempted to codify them into a
way of thinking, an approach to crafting
and creating a magic performance that
anyone could (and ought to) apply to the
study of a magic trick. The book, like
Sonata and his other early works, left a huge impact on magic and
has long been out of print. And now, nearly thirty years later, The
Magic Way is back in a revised edition for the benefit of a whole
generation of magicians, many of whom werent even born then
when the book was originally published. I was, but I still had the
pleasure of reading the book for the first time.
Theres an element to studying magic thats a lot like studying
music. Theres the stuffy old classical stuff in which all the rules
were established and stuck to, and the hip and exciting now stuff,
which produces all the new wonderful ideas. Then, at some point,
you go back and listen to Bach or Louis Armstrong, or you read
Hofzinser, Erdnase, or Maskelyne and Devant, and you realize
exactly how hip and exciting what they were doing actually is, and
how ahead of their time they were. And then theres the stuff in the
middle the stuff that, when it hit, was hip and new and exciting,
and has since become so ingrained in what everyone else did afterwards that you wonder how anyone ever thought it was hip and
exciting in the first place. Audiences rioted at sounds in Stravinskys Rite of Spring that are in nearly every movie soundtrack
today. By the time I heard Ornette Colemans The Shape of Jazz
to Come, that shape had arrived and settled in quite nicely. And
reading The Magic Way after getting my magic theory education
As Darwin Ortiz pointed out later, how laymen think is the most
important subject in magic.
The Method of False Solutions is the process of examining
all the methods you could employ, and how to eliminate them
from your audiences minds. This isnt an exercise in disproving or over-proving. Disproving is addressing the matter after
the fact. Over-proving is interrupting yourself to disprove things.
Tamariz is talking about constructing the process such that all
the information is elegantly provided along the way, so when the
moment of magic happens theres no question that what occurred
is impossible. Read his chart describing the difference between a
terrible magician, and a mediocre, decent, good, and exceptional
magician, culminating in simply a magician.
Of course, a theory is just words without practice. To that
end, there are tricks and routines described to illustrate the application of all this thinking. These have become classics since
their original publication. His Ambitious Card routine is a perfect
example of multi-phase construction, in which each phase serves
to cancel out a different possible solution. I saw his Spirit Slate
routine performed a couple years back not knowing the source,
but instantly recognized how smartly constructed it was, and the
audience reaction confirmed it. He offers a wonderful handling of
an Al Koran mental miracle that shows how you take a trick deck
and employ it such that the idea of trick deck the first explanation on an audience thinks of doesnt enter the picture. These are
worth everyones study.
And then theres the Oil & Water section. I dont think that
Oil & Water is a terrible trick that no one ever needs to see. I
also wont argue with people who insist that audiences hate Oil
& Water. If you hate Oil & Water, chances are your audiences
do, too. Tamarizs Oil & Water is a great routine that teaches
the same lesson as his Ambitious Card routine. The one thing I
question is the inclusion of what I can only call the Oil & Water
toolkit, nineteen different Oil & Water phases to be employed at
the readers leisure. Im guessing the idea is that, given the lessons
taught previously, the reader is invited to construct his own Oil &
Water routine using The Method of False Solutions. I can only say,
you can lead a horse to water, but to try to get the average card
worker to care about Oil & Water is a lost cause.
After all this, is The Magic Way something todays magician
needs? Absolutely. As mentioned before, knowing how our
audiences think is paramount to giving them an experience of
magic. I dont mean the magic of laughter, or storytelling, or
theater, or even the brief moment of astonishment. I mean the
lasting feeling of having seen something impossible. The Magic
Way, as terse and at times obtuse as is might be, will teach you
how to think about your magic. And it will make you a better
magician.
Days of Wine and Magic Book

By John Derris

Price $40.00
REVIEW BY ANTONIO M. CABRAL
A bit of clarification: The cover of John Derriss Days of Wine
and Magic states that its a collection of magic ideas, routines,
and presentations conceived in one of Londons oldest wine bars.
My initial assumption was that this was a collection of classy bar
magic developed while performing at said wine bar. Instead, this is
a collection of ideas, presentations, and bits of business conceived
while communing with friends over a glass or three. If youve
ever had the pleasure of a group of

like-minded magical friends to share
a drink and conversation with, you
know of what Derris describes as the
unfettered, free-flowing conversation
that leads to much originality. And
even though original and creative
doesnt always translate into good,
when the aforementioned friends are
folks like Jack Avis, Roy Walton, Pat
Page, Gordon Bruce, et al., the word
good cant be far behind.
I like a good tidbit book. John
Derris is very clearly a performer, and
one who appreciates the little extra bits that enhance ones showmanship. Most of these ideas are tidbits, little kernels of ideas, or
extra thoughts on tricks you may very well already do. Luckily,
theyre the kinds that make you say, Hey, thats pretty good, or
Ooh, I like that! and in a few cases, maybe even Of course!
The problem with a collection like this is that its very hard
to give descriptions of what it has to offer without giving the
ideas away. There are some nice presentational touches on the
Folding Bill, the Bending Mirror, and Triumph, for example, but
to elaborate would give the game away, and these are actually
neat ideas. Some of the more developed ideas are more easily
described. Theres a three-card revelation based on the art of
reading tea leaves, in which the last card can actually be read (in
the leaves) by anyone. Theres a bizarre ending for an Okito box
routine in which the box ends up full of rice (bizarre, but the idea
had potential). Theres a great alternate ending of Al Korans for
his Ring Flight, in which the ring ends up inside a ring box, and
can be removed by its owner. You wont find a use for everything
in this book, but those ideas you do find a home for will give your
magic that little extra boost that pays dividends.
If youre looking for the latest and greatest, this isnt it. But the
working performer should be able to pull a practical idea or two
out of the bunch. I say, check it out.
A Magical Vision DVD

By Michael Caplan
Available from: www.theoryandartofmagic.com

Price $19.95
REVIEW BY DAVID GOODSELL
Many of us have heard about Eugene
Burger, Jeff McBride, the Mystery
School, and the growing interest in
looking at magic as something deeper
than pure entertainment. The concept
of magic having inherent meaning is
not necessarily an easy one to grasp.
As Burger says, it is not that you have
to give magic meaning; it is that it
already has meaning.
This DVD, put together by
filmmaker Michael Caplan, who is
not a magician, explores this meaty
position, drawing from the experience
and wisdom of magicians including Burger, Max Maven, Luna
Shimada, and Jeff McBride, as well as college professors who
explore the philosophy behind magic both ancient and modern,
including some who are also well known in magic circles, like
Bob Neale and Larry Hass.

Caplan has woven wonderful bits of performance into the
script; we see Eugene Burger at his best with his Inquisition Card
Warp, the Haunted Deck, and his lovely Gypsy Thread routines.
We enjoy Losanders floating table, McBrides Water Bowls, Luna
Shimadas beautiful parasol productions that emulate the creation
of the universe. Exaggeration? Watch it and judge for yourself.
The parasols are painted with the planets and, as Luna says in the
film, These are themes that connect to us on a deeper level and
which, she believes, imbues her magic with power an intimate
power, as she describes it.
Bob Neale explains that magic has a potency we often
diminish, or perhaps do not even recognize. Do we take magic
for granted? Magicians, and their audiences, straddle the line of
fantasy and truth.
The question that weaves its way through this excellent film is,
What do we want our magic to be? What effect do we want to
have on people? Perhaps once we have learned our sleights, this is
what we should be considering.
I hope people are changed in a good way from watching my
magic, says Luna Shimada. Of course I want them to enjoy it,
to feel good, but I also want them to be inspired to do something
positive with their lives.
Reaching? Eugene Burger reminds us of Einsteins observation that the greatest experience we can have is the mysterious.
Indeed, Einstein expressed it this way: He who knows it not [the
mysterious] and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement,
is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. He was speaking about
the mysterious beauty of the physical universe, but oh my, it does
apply to magic, doesnt it.
Burger is the star of this film, without question. He appears
throughout with performance and wisdom, and we see his life
traced from the happy tricks of childhood to magic and meaning.
He has, indeed, traveled the progression from trickster to sorcerer
to oracle to sage. It is a journey worth sharing, which you can do
through this hour-long film.
Ill close this review with the words of our filmmaker Michael
Caplan: I love the mysteries of magic, but have never pursued it.
I want the Mystery.
Another DVD
By Dr. Yoshihiko Mutobe

Price $35.00
REVIEW BY CURTIS KAM
Another is one of those rare video

releases that can be called important,
in the way that we speak of certain
books being important. Thats not
because it reveals the latest hot trick,
not because its a cinematic experience
you can enjoy with your friends, and not
because youve seen this stuff on television. Another is important because it teaches
you, in exacting detail, the finer points of techniques that are becoming standard tools of serious coin workers
worldwide. Another is a DVD showing, exploring, and teaching
actually teaching advanced coin techniques developed by Dr.
Yoshihiko Mutobe.
That name alone is enough to set the hearts of coin geeks a
flutter. Dr. Mutobe has long been one of the driving forces of so62 M-U-M Magazine - August 2014
phisticated coin work, a fact you might gather from the endorsements that grace the advertising for this disc. Ponta the Smith
considers Mutobe-san his idol. Kainoa Harbottle has stunned
magicians worldwide with his work based on Mutobes techniques. Hidekato Kimoto, Akira Fujii, David Roth well, Ill let
you read the ads. But this would be a good time to confess that: 1)
Im also a fan, and Im happy to see this material get the treatment
it deserves; 2) I have known Dr. Mutobe for quite some time and
consider him a friend; and 3) I proofread the English subtitles for
this disc. Nevertheless, I will be as unbiased as possible here.
Speaking of subtitles, the disc is shot from multiple camera
angles, silently, with no audience. When appropriate, text (in your
choice of English or Japanese) provides additional information;
in most cases, the why behind the how thats shown on the
screen. And the how includes, in exacting detail, the concealment known as Mutobe palm, Dr. Mutobes work on edge grip,
the remarkable false transfers and displays that these techniques
provide, and a look at the care Dr. Mutobe takes in melding these
techniques seamlessly into a routine. Watch closely, and youll
see that each transfer from one position to the next is covered by a
natural movement; youll also notice the small details in positioning or grip that render the maneuvers invisible to the audience.
Regarding Mutobe palm, we are shown every detail of the
best way to get a coin into position, so that there is no unnatural
movement of the fingers. The exact position of the coin is
explained, and then Dr. Mutobes signature retention vanish into
Mutobe palm, which is completely deceptive and clinically clean.
Not only does the audience see a coin go into your hand, but the
placing hand comes away completely flat and clearly empty, rather
than in a fist. Several other applications are taught, including one
in which a coin melts into the table top, and another in which a
coin vanishes as it is being stroked across your palm. Finally, the
method of loading an empty hand with a coin from Mutobe palm
is much superior to the LHomme Masque load thats normally
employed.
Dr. Mutobes refinements and extensions of David Roths
edge grip receive the same detailed coverage. Dr. Mutobe has
developed a mannerism you may have seen in the work of others,
the ability to twirl a coin at your fingertips while hiding a coin, or
stack of coins, in edge grip. This allows you to show one coin on
both sides, while strongly suggesting that the hand is otherwise
empty. There are critical details having to do with the location of
the hidden coins that allow you to do this at all, let alone without
flashing or dropping. Dr. Mutobe also addresses the problem of the
hidden coin(s) walking further into your hand as the visible coin
is twirled and other issues that one only discovers after thinking
deeply about this technique for many years. Also taught is a new
way to display your hand as empty while holding out a stack in
edge grip. Like the fingertip twirl, this serves as an acquitment as
well as a display.
There are four routines taught, all of which involve the production and vanish of a coin, or coins. As noted, the construction of
the routines is excellent, and the attention to detail is impressive.
Hidden in these routines are techniques like Mutobes method for
silently transferring a stack of coins from edge grip to third finger
curl palm, and the production of one coin from third finger curl
palm leaving behind another, which is transferred to edge grip
under the cover of a twirl of the just-produced coin. If youre like
me, this stuff is more fun to watch from the back. There is also
a new Spider or sucker vanish of a coin, done at the fingertips,
and tips are given on how to silently stack coins on top of each
other in edge grip.
The methods for moving coins into and out of edge grip are
one-handed, and were not covered in CoinMagic nor David Roths

Expert Coin Magic. The only work in English that touches on this
material is Kainoa Harbottles Coins on Edge and even there its
not covered in this depth. Granted, this is not for everyone. But it
is for everyone with an interest in refined sleight of hand.
Infamous Trick
By Danie Meadows and James Anthony
Price $30.00 Standard $80.00 Deluxe
REVIEW BY JIM KLEEFELD
There seems to have been a rash of new
book tests released lately. Many have
beenweak or rehashed concepts;
most are poorly executed and not
worth the money. I know. I bought
them. So I was not expecting
much when I got the new book test,
Infamous. I was surprised. It is a
great concept with high quality materials.
Except its not a book test. Well, it is, in a way.
I mean, you get a book with it that you use. Or else you dont get
a book with it and you dont have to use one. Or you can use one
of your own if you want to. Or not. Hmm, maybe I better explain.
Both versions of Infamous come with an instructional DVD,
a gimmick for forcing a word, and a clever set of cards that you
can use to predict a word or reveal a chosen word. With a bit of
arts-and-crafts work, you can make up your own book to use. The
deluxe version includes a gaffed book and a matching fake, from
which you can have a word chosen. The book is a great addition,
since it is thoroughly examinable, with a well-known author and
title, and has been carefully gaffed with a Larry Becker principle.
If you perform this for a small group of people, a spectator who is
not the focus of the trick can hang onto the book, and may want
to flip through it.
The routine, as presented on the DVD meanders a bit, but
a seasoned mentalist can tighten the script and make this very
strong. You begin by showing a spectator color names that are
printed in different colors. The word red, is printed in blue,
for example. Explaining about the Stroop Effect, you have her
name the color of each word. Gauging her verbal performance,
you write a prediction. Then you have her freely select any page
in a book and move to any spot on the page using a bookmark.
She tells you the word she chose. You open your prediction and it
matches. Then, as a climax, you spread out the color word cards
she just read and those cards reveal the same predicted word. The
premise is that you persuaded her to find a specific word by implanting subtle clues within the color word cards. It is a neat and
off-beat kind of mentalism a kind of open prediction yet also
open to interpretation about influence and predictability.
Do you see why this is not really a book test? You show color
word cards, have a word chosen, and then use the color word cards
to reveal the chosen word. You can use a book for the selection of
a word, but you could also have a word chosen well, technically,
forced in some other way. The color word cards can provide the
revelation of any word, and are the main gimmick of this effect,
but you also get another gimmick that will force a word on a
spectator using this or any book. One terrific feature of this set is
that everything is completely modifiable. You can force any word
with the gimmick. You can even immediately force two different
words on two different spectators. You can reveal any word, even
two different words, with the color word cards. Well, almost any
word, because you only get so many color word cards.
It was a nice surprise to see that the Infamous gimmicks and
the book that comes with the deluxe set are both well made. The
book is gaffed via a well-known means, but it is a legitimate public
domain text that is completely readable and will pass high inspection. Titling, layout, pagination, colophon, and even an ISBN
all appear legitimate. One minor note to the creators for future
releases: chapters always begin at the top of a right-hand page.
Having white space and blank pages from the end of one chapter
up to the next right-hand page is a recognizable feature of real
books that readers will miss seeing. Poor layout is a telltale sign
of a self-published book. I dont know about you, but Im tired of
paying big money for a book test and getting a vanity press book
that looks like it was written by a teenager on drugs and edited by
a sixth grader. In fact, I released my own, The Mysterious Affair,
just to prove it is possible to create a book test using a real, high
quality, hardcover book that looks like it came from a bookstore,
not a storefront quickie printer.
The instructional DVD is decent, if homemade. Meadows
and Anthony sit at a table and talk you through the routine, the
gimmicks, the setup, and many variations on use. They both
seem to be knowledgeable about mentalism, its proponents, and
their sources. They give very reliable credits to most of the ideas
from which this stemmed (extra kudos for the apparent research
in tracking down ideas through The Phoenix). They even show a
few interesting but untested additions and modifications, which
might inspire you to come up with further routines using their
gimmicks. These guys are likeable and their enthusiasm for the
trick is contagious. One caution on presentation: your denouement is spreading the color word cards out in a line to display the
spectators chosen word. It is a great visual, but needs some real
estate on the table. You cannot do this trick standing up, strolling,
or even at a crowded restaurant table.
The trick idea in Infamous is versatile, the props are high
quality, and the price is very reasonable for what you get. If you
just want to play around and see if this is for you, you can save a
little money and buy the standard version. But the added book in
the deluxe version is very well done and could be used for additional routines. It can work as a separate stand-alone effect, or be
used in combination with the gimmicks for routining two effects
with the same book. If you buy this and just use the gimmick to
force a word, you would have your moneys worth. If you buy this
and just use the cards to reveal a word it is worth it. This was a
surprise; Infamous is a very decent trick at a decent price.
Sheer Luck: The Comedy Book Test

By Shawn Farquhar
Available from: www.PalmerMagic.com

Price $80.00
REVIEW BY PAYNE
Ive wanted to add this trick to my repertoire ever since I first
saw Shawn perform it at a gig we worked together a year or two
ago. So yes, to keep this review completely aboveboard and in the
interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I have known Mr.
Farquhar for many years and count him among my friends. But
I shall not let our long association or the possibilities of future
bookings influence my judgment in my analysis of his latest
release to the magic community.
In proof of this declaration, I will begin this review by stating
categorically that Sheer Luck

is not an amazing feat of magic
at least in the sense of it being
in the category of a major
mystery or a reputation maker.
When people leave your show
this isnt going to be the trick
they will be talking about.
That being said, it is, at
least in my humble opinion, a
great piece of entertainment. Its a perfect little interlude between
effects to provide the audience with a bit of breathing room. It also
gives the performer an opportunity to connect with his audience
on a personal level and establish character.
There are many presentational possibilities with this trick.
Here is a barebones example. A spectator is invited to the stage and
given a paperback (or, as they say in Canada, a pocketbook) copy
of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes a book that the performer
has claimed to have memorized in its entirety. To prove this, the
magician and the spectator stand back to back. This precludes the
possibility of the magician being able to get a glimpse of the book
the spectator is holding. The magician then asks the spectator to
open the book and tell him the page number she is looking at. The
second the magician secures this information, he is able to tell the
volunteer exactly what is on that page: the number of paragraphs,
the contents of sentences, or the location of any word on the page.
Properly done you will no doubt impress the spectator with your
amazing cognitive abilities and apparent eidetic memory. But
they will be the only one who is impressed, because what they
cant see is that, while they are concentrating on choosing a page
and verifying your recollection of its contents are accurate, you
have removed an identical copy of the book from your pocket and
are simply reading from it.
Yes, its the book test equivalent of Paper Balls over the Head
or Corindas Powers of Darkness. But unlike those previously
mentioned routines, Sheer Luck has a kicker ending. You eventually reveal to the spectator that you, too, have a book and that it
looks remarkably like the one she is reading. In fact, it is exactly
the same in all regards save one. Your copy is entirely blank. You
now flip through your book and show everyone that it is completely bereft of content.
You get everything you need to perform this trick. Two
copies of the book (both cleverly gaffed) and a well-produced instructional DVD that gives a complete provenance of the trick,
the various stages it went through in its development, clear and
concise instructions to its performance, and a half-dozen videos
of Shawn presenting it in various venues.
The books are nicely produced. Unlike some magician-manufactured book tests Ive seen over the years, Shawns looks like
a paperback book youd actually find in a bookstore. The covers
have a matte finish so they wont glare under stage lights and they
look like they will stand up to many years of use.
The blank book, even though it doesnt use rough or smooth
or the coloring book (or as they say in Canada, colouring book)
principle, still cant be handed out for examination. But the way
it has been gimmicked allows you to handle it in such a natural
and straightforward manner no one should suspect that it has been
gaffed.
Unlike far too much magic that is released today Sheer Luck
is a workers trick out of a workers repertoire and it has been
tested, performed, and perfected in real world situations. It isnt
some YouTube wonder that will find its way to the bottom of your
What was I thinking? drawer of disused magic.
Ninja Tossed Out Deck System Trick and DVD

By Patrick Redford
Price $35.00
REVIEW BY JOSHUA KANE
I always enjoy reading product submissions from Patrick Redford. In
particular, his series of mentalism
comics, known as the Shape
series, have been a strong combination of useable material and
inside humor. One of his recent
releases to the fraternity is a DVD
titled the Ninja Tossed Out Deck System.
While I often feel that DVDs are the lazy
mans method for avoiding the effort of writing a book,
and that many DVDs are overly long, self-indulgent, and a waste
of time, Redfords Ninja Tossed Out Deck is a rare exception. It is
well thought out and a good example of how a DVD can be a good
teaching tool.
Patricks goal with this project is to teach a series of methods,
sleights, and subtleties that will permit you to perform an everflowing and changing series of routines that have the killer impact
of the mentalism classic known as David Hoys Tossed Out Deck
(T.O.D.).
In the classic T.O.D., a routine that has seen strong modifications by such performers as Wayne Dobson and Sean Taylor, a
deck of cards is mixed by the performer, rubber banded around
the middle, and tossed into the audience, where it is caught by a
spectator who then lifts up a section of cards and peeks at one.
This spectator then tosses the deck to someone else who does the
same, and the procedure is usually repeated a third time. The cards
are then tossed back onto the stage to the performer, who rarely
manages to catch them. The cards are pocketed and the performer
asks the participants to stand up and concentrate on their cards.
The performer names three cards and asks the participants to sit
down if their card has been called. They all sit and the audience
applauds. It is an effect that looks clean but which does not bear
post-show discussion if the participants meet up in the lobby.
Redfords routines have the feel of the T.O.D., but they have
eliminated the actual tossing and the need to keep the participants
separate post show, as well as the need to use a specialized deck.
The first component of the routine is Patricks Ninja Peek Box.
Patrick tells us the peek box is called the Ninja for the simple
reason that it sounds cool. As a device, it will be best employed by
those with young eyes. I repeat, this is not a device for the readingglasses set, of which I am a member. Nevertheless, I recognize the
good value of the device and believe that it will appeal to many
of our readers.
The peek is as close to angle proof as you are going to find. It
is also fast and easy. The box can be prepped in less than a minute
and will bear examination. You can even send the spectator home
with the deck of cards, and it is not likely that the method will be
discovered. All you need is a new deck with cellophane intact,
a razor blade, and the aforementioned young-persons eyesight.
The construction is easy, and though it is best accomplished in
advance, it can be done on the fly to quickly gaff a borrowed deck.
The peek box allows you to have a participant cut the deck
anywhere they want, take a sneaky peek at the top card, bury it in
the middle, and put the deck back in the case. It looks fair, natural,
and clean, yet you are able to divine the card and reveal it in your
preferred manner. The participant may shuffle the deck before you
start, and no deck switch need be made.
To use all of the methods taught, you will need good eyesight
and be comfortable with card sleights ranging from faro shuffles
and false shuffles to controlling breaks and half passes. Some
of the sleights are taught, such as the Dan Fishman Overhand
Retention False Shuffle from Patricks book Square.
If you do not already do the faro shuffle, you will need to seek
instruction from your personal library or one of the sources Patrick
suggests. Comfort with using a stack is essential, and a basic one
is covered for those who do not already have a favorite. Some
of the real-time, non-gaffed peeks still require good eyesight and
lighting.
An impromptu non-pre-stack method is taught using Darwin
Ortizs Si Stebbinss secret, which requires the ability to do a faro
shuffle and Brother John Hammans Chinese Shuffle, which shifts
the cards from USA style new-deck order into the Si Stebbins.
The explanations are clear and credited.
Non-stack methods are also taught that do not require the
gaffed case, which means you never need be in the position of
turning down performing what feels like the effect even when not
prepared for a specific method.
Patricks T.O.D. routine delivers the peeks ingeniously in real
time; and for some of the methods, you do not need to recover the
deck to be able to reveal information, though using the box gives
you an extra cards worth of info.
In short you are taught a systematic approach to a freewheeling
routine that permits an array of impressive results while shifting
methods, approaches, and routining to suit individual situations.
The fluidity is simultaneously disarming and impactful.
Redford includes his Bold Method version which, is based
on one from Moes Miracles with Cards, long out of print and
published by the late Jeff Busby. It has an excellent script. This
option is a balls-of-brass approach; it will not hit every time, but
when it does will decimate the room. Lessons in angles, handling,
and timing are all covered.
References to methods or effects not included are kept to a
minimum. Redford is knowledgeable about the works that have
preceded him and the DVD is well credited and in several cases
permissions are noted. The DVD is well produced, the audio is
clear, and Keith Fields makes for a charming volunteer. There are
none of the annoying superfluous dialogue or inside jokes that one
is accustomed to hearing on DVDs these days. The video instruction is followed by textual reminders that can be screen shot and
organized into a working document of the sequences for setting
the stack on the fly. It is refreshing to receive a product that clearly
has been released with field testing, real world reactions, and peer
review. The Ninja Tossed Out Deck is a good value; it comes
with my recommendation, provided you are comfortable with the
aforementioned sleights and have good eyesight.
Chocolate Coin Prop and DVD

From SansMinds
Available from: www.SansMinds.com

Price $30.00
REVIEW BY CURTIS KAM
I really like this trick. Watching the trailer, I actually laughed
out loud when I realized that SansMinds had combined two of
my favorite pieces of strangeness: Gene Gordons Biting a Piece
from a Coin (from Bobos Modern Coin Magic as popularized
by David Blaine) and Chocolate Coin, (which first appeared in
Paul Harriss Close-Up Kinda Guy back

in 1983 (credited to Paul Harris and
Dick Ryan). Ever since I read the
effect in Close-Up Kinda Guy, I have
enjoyed the moment of pure surreal
weirdness created when you take a
borrowed coin and peel back the outer
foil, showing it to be chocolate inside.
Its the kind of sudden strangeness that
causes the spectator to question everything. And nobody can ignore the over-thetop reactions Blaine got with Biting a Piece from a
Coin.
The prop supplied is well made, and looks very much like a
chocolate version of a U.S. quarter. Thats a bit of a favor to us,
since the SansMinds people appear to be Canadian. Theyre right,
though, when they say on the DVD that the gaff will pass easily
for a Canadian coin, or for that matter, any silver-ish coin thats
nearly the same size. Any audience who knows what a chocolate
coin is will buy into the illusion so easily that the minor variations in appearance wont make much of a difference. There is a
part of the prop that is unavoidably fragile; youll need to replace
this regularly. While several replacement parts are supplied, I
dont think it would be too hard to find what you need in a store
near you. As you become more familiar with the handling, I
think repairs will become less frequent. Heres a carrying tip: an
expanded quarter shell makes a fine protective case.
To be clear, heres what the prop allows you to do: You borrow
an appropriate coin from someone in your audience. You comment
on how modern life forces us to make certain assumptions every
minute of every day, and that a magicians job is to remind us
that were making those assumptions. Take, for instance, the
coin from the spectators pocket; he just assumed that it was real,
spendable cash. But if he really checked, it might not be. To prove
the point, you peel back the foil surface of the coin, revealing
it to be chocolate inside. You pause, and then take a small bite
of the chocolate. For whatever reason you choose, you blow the
bitten-off chocolate back at the coin and it magically reattaches
itself. You then fold the foil back onto the coin, and return it to the
spectator. Of course, the coin is exactly the same as it was when
you borrowed it.
One of the benefits of this combination is that it provides a
logical reason for you to bite off a piece of a coin. That makes
the biting part believable, rather than magical. They emphasize
this on the short DVD provided. As a rationale for blowing the
coin back together, they suggest that you say that it tastes bad.
I prefer to let my expression tell that story, and simply ask, How
long have you had this in your pocket? I hand it back to the
spectator, and add, I think its gone bad check the date.
The handling taught is really quite good, and the illusion
created by pulling down the foil, and especially putting it back
on, is amazing. Happily, the movements necessary to switch out
the gaff are the same movements one would use to press the foil
back into place. The result is a striking piece of impromptu magic
that can also serve as a weird interlude for a strolling magician.
The coin is pretty small, though, and the part you bite off, even
smaller. I doubt it would be visible to more than a few people at a
time. But those few people will be surprised and delighted, which
is exactly what you want this trick to do.
The credits I provided above are more extensive than the ones
listed on the Credits screen of the DVD. There they only mention
that Bizarro had previously created a trick in which the surface of
a jumbo coin was peeled away to reveal a chocolate coin inside.
Actually, they only give us the name of the trick, which is Foiled
Again, and dont mention his name at all. Sadly, thats neither
surprising nor delightful.
Profiles The Social Mentalism Routine Packet

Trick with DVD
By Sean Hayden and World Magic Shop
Price $33.50
REVIEW BY JOSHUA KANE
This fun-filled packet routine from
across the pond is best suited for bar
and pub situations, as well as for restaurant and table workers in environments where young men are newly
coupled, or seeking to be so.
The performer leads into the effect
by talking about social networks such
as Facebook. A multi-point routine
can then be performed using the cards provided, which look like
snapshots of profiles of pretty girls. It is a commentary on the
low number of female magicians that there is no option for a set of
cards with pictures of men instead (which also might have made
this an effect usable with female participants and gay men).
The first phase of the routine is themed after the TV show
Catfish, which, while misogynistic, is popular. The effect has a
fun and only slightly naughty feel. I think that this would be a
loser as a pick-up effect, because who wants to go out with a guy
who is carrying snapshots of other girls profiles in his wallet. A
card is selected by an elimination process of she likes me she
likes me not. A number of beautiful girls are shown and there
is a surprise sucker ending in which the spectator ends up with a
previously unseen old lady instead of a sweet young thing. This
is clearly a magical moment and not pure mentalism. A second
round is played and the results on the girl match up with an earlier
prediction.
In the third phase, the cards are all shown to have different
phone numbers; the spectator then focuses on the number from
a card and you are able to reveal it. You can also reveal names
and locations. Some memorization is required, but not much. The
more work you put in, the more you can reveal. Because the first
stage has a surprise element, it will not bear repetition; the other
phases however most certainly will.
The accompanying DVD has a single strong demo and clear
instructions. This is a clever and fun routine that is topical. The
marking system is easily read and a clean false count and false cut
are taught. Sean Hayden has assembled a series of classic methods
into a slick contemporary presentation, which is very well thought
out and executed. Profiles is recommended for those performing
in singles environments, for primarily young male participants.
Workers Dream Props with DVD

By Harry Robson
Available from: www.HarryRobsonMagicshop.co.uk

Price $167.99
REVIEW BY MARC DESOUZA
Hello, my name is Marc and Im a wallet junkie. [Note from the
editorial staff: Hi, Marc!] Its been three weeks since Ive bought
a wallet, but I just got this new one

to review. Wow! This is impressive.
Its like a Swiss Army wallet. I am
usually wary of over-hyped props,
but they sure got this one right.
This one wallet allows you to do the
standard card to zippered compartment in the wallet and card to sealed
envelope in zippered wallet. You
can also perform a Mullica-style
card in wallet, and it has a special set-up to do Out to Lunch-type
routines. And there are two different built-in peek methods that
are both superb.
The wallet and all of the associated components are beautifully made in high quality leather. If I have a complaint, it would
be in the size of the wallet. It is a pocket secretary type of wallet,
but much shorter. This allows you to use it in either the inside
jacket pocket or in the back trouser pocket. The latter is ideal, but
I would not normally carry this type of wallet back there. The
wallet is too short to comfortably fit in the inside jacket pocket
and load it as easily as I would like. Perhaps with practice and
additional time spent, I could more easily do the required loading,
but for now, I just stuff a handkerchief in the bottom of that pocket
and raise the wallet to a more comfortable height.
The Workers Dream is of just the right weight to allow it to
operate properly. In the past, I have tried wallets that were just a
bit too thin to allow the loading to be done quickly and efficiently.
Not so with this wallet. The loading procedure is the same for the
standard card to wallet and card to sealed envelope. The really
cool part is that the reset for the card to sealed envelope takes
about two seconds. Harry uses a brilliant and simple idea he came
up with a number of years ago and has used it in some of the other
wallets that he has designed and marketed. These devices are
used in combination with Dave Bonsalls Bonsalopes. These are
automatic, self-sealing envelopes and they are fantastic. You get
a small supply with Workers Dream, but you will want to order
more from Dave. These are the best Ive seen. The entire setup
allows you to remove your wallet and hand it to a spectator, who
unzips the wallet, removes the envelope, opens it, and removes the
signed cardwithout a clue as to how this could have happened.
This is strong commercial magic!
For those who like the Mullica wallet, you have that option
too. The inner wallet is just as beautifully made and has a lip
that allows you to load it and safely drop it on the table before
removing the card. The Out to Lunch set up is very nice as well,
if that is your sort of thing. I was quite impressed with the strap
that holds the cards in place, as it is designed to hold the gaff
securely.
The peek area is also very well designed. A business card is
given to a participant to write something on. She is instructed to
open the wallet and place it face down inside a small purse-like
area and snap it shut. The wallet is closed and you put it away in
your pocket. As you do so, you can easily read everything that has
been written. One of the methods uses a more standard type of
peek, which requires a small movement of your thumb to open
the space, but the other version is far better. This utilizes a special
gimmick that I believe was discovered by Chris Kenworthy and
utilized in his TeleThought wallet. By using the material supplied,
the spectator cannot see the information, yet you can. This is absolutely the best peek-wallet technique you can imagine.
The DVD presents all of the magic very well. It is a simple, but
well shot session with excellent sound. You will be able to learn
everything you need to know in one sitting. Is it pricey? Certainly
not when you compare it with similar quality products and especially when you take into consideration all you can do with it. In
fact the only other wallet you would need is a good Himber wallet.
This gets my highest recommendation. Who knows, maybe I can
get rid of all of my other wallets now. Nah, I just like looking at
them and occasionally rubbing them on my body. [Editors note:
Im not sure we needed to know that.] But for those of you less
afflicted, this could be the only gaffed wallet you will ever need.
Infallible DVD and Deck

By Mark Elsdon
Available from: www.alakazam.co.uk

Price $49.75
REVIEW BY NORMAN BECK
Well lets see...my job now it to try
to talk you into spending
over fifty bucks for a card
trick. The first question:
Is it worth $50? The
second question is: Can
you actually perform it?
And the third and perhaps
most important question is:
Will the spectator like it and
remember it?The only one of those questions that I
can answer for certain is yes, you can perform it.
I will describe the effect, which is a bit out of the ordinary, for
you. You send a text or a video clip to a spectator. It is a prediction,
and you ask them not to peek. Then the following happens.Cards
with numbers written on their backs are dealt face down from the
top of the pack until you are told to stop by your spectator. You
then turn the deck face up and deal cards face up, again stopping
when asked,
The situation is now that you have stopped on a card and a
number. (I should point out that all the cards have numbers on
their backs, but the first card stopped on you simply turn face up
and ignore the number.) The spectator now plays the video clip;
the prediction matches both the card and the number. Let us say
you stopped on the Jack of Clubs and on a card that has the number
17 on its back; the prediction says Jack of Clubs and 17.There
are no outs, and no BS just a prediction that is straightforward
and to the point.You can turn around and do the same trick a
second time with two other results.Mr. Elsdon also explains how
to do it with the prediction in an envelope or on a business card.
Obviously, you can use any method you like for the reveal, and
the trick resets very fast. Be aware that there is a packet trick with
the same name by Al Lamkin out there. So if you purchase online,
make sure you dont confuse the two.
How do you justify $50 for a card trick?I cant answer that
question for you, but I will tell you that the method is good, and it
will fool people.On the downside, the deck is good only for this
one trick, and there is no explanation of the false shuffles that are
necessary to maintain the stack order. It may be that shuffling the
cards improves the effect, but thats a matter of personal choice.I
would also pointout that the back of the deck is a one-off.You
cant buy (or at least I dont think you can) a similar deck to use as
a normal deck. I would not let the spectators handle this deck. If
you wear the deck out, you will have to buy a new one at $50.The
instructions are clear and easy to follow.A small negative is that
you have to write the numbers on all the cards yourself.I have no
problem with this trick except for the price. However, I will say,
without tipping the method, that there is a good reason that the
cards cost that much, and I would rather see you spend $50 on a
good trick than spend $10 five times on bad tricks.
Wrong Way Trick

By Vernet Magic
Available from: vernetmagic.com

Price $30
REVIEW BY PAYNE
This is Vernets version of
the classic High Sign, or Magic
Compass trick. It fits very nicely
into the packs small/plays big
category of magic, and is one of
those tricks youll keep in your
case for the I need a quick filler
moments that happen to us all
from time to time. Not that this
prop needs to be relegated to that
position; this effect can also be a
featured role in your show. Its one of those tricks that, in the right
hands, can be a big hit with an audience. Measuring at twelve and
a half inches square, it is big and bold enough to be seen in a large
theater.
This version has a traffic sign theme. At least thats the presentation that is taught on the downloaded video instructions.
Yes, this is yet another effect taking advantage of the unfortunate magic trend of not including any instructions with the trick.
Instead, you must download them from their site and, if you dont
have software to expand the .rar archive file they are compressed
in, find an application to make the file readable. The instructions
(which are in Spanish and subtitled in English) feature a basic
routine performed in front of an audience of children, and a more
than adequate explanatory section.
The routine goes something like this. A large card is shown
to have an arrow on both sides of the card. These arrows point in
opposite directions of each other. However, as you keep turning
the card around, the arrows inexplicably now point in the same
direction. Then they go back to pointing in opposite directions
and then every which way you please as the direction they will
end up pointing is completely under your control at all times. As
the big finish the card opens up into a three-fold picture of a police
officer with a cutout for your face to look through. Im assuming
in Argentina, the country where Vernet is located, the traffic signs
are blue and white. However here in the States they are generally
yellow and black. So the card doesnt quite read as readily as
being a directional traffic sign as one might hope. But that is a
minor complaint; realism isnt necessary for the effect to play.
There are no difficult moves to remember and nearly everyone
who purchases this will be able to perform the basic actions after
a few moments of practice which is one of the effects problems.
It looks deceptively easy to perform. But this is a presentation
piece and without a well-scripted and rehearsed presentation
it stands a good chance of falling flat. Conversely, it is a great
piece to showcase your personality and establish character. Just
remember, the tag lines Easy to Do and No Skill Required
are just mottos used to sell tricks to the uninitiated. They have
no place whatsoever in the vocabulary of the serious working
magician.
Treasures from
the Salon de M agie
By Ken Kloster m an
DELL ODELLS APPEARING LAMP
My favorite female magician wasNell Odella Newton, or,

as the world knew her, Dell ODell. She was born in1897and
grew up learningshow businessfrom her father, whoran his own
travelling circus. At one point she performed a strongwoman
act; photos can still be found of her balancing a sofa on her chin.
However, magiceventuallywon out and she developed a fastpaced, funny act, occasionally ribald, andalwaysaccompanied
by rhyming patter.
Many in magic considered her a pioneer who opened the door
for the female performers who followed. Among her many accomplishments was that she was one of the first magicians to
appear on television with her own show,The Dell ODell Show,
on a local ABC station in Los Angeles in 1951. She billed herself,
and rightly so, The Worlds Leading Lady Magician and The
Queen of Magic.
One of Dells favorite magic dealers was Carl Brema from
Philadelphia. Among the Brema-made props she used was this
appearing lamp, listed in Bremas 1920 catalog as Production
of a Lighted Lamp on Undraped Table. Few performers had it,
because at $75 it was the highest priced item Brema offered. In
fact, it was manufactured only on order.
Larger and more realistic than Thayers vanishing and
appearing lamps of the same period, Dells prop was a thing of
beauty. What makes it especially convincing is that it can be
performed surrounded, whereas the more common Thayer version
of the trick has angle issues.
The lamp is eighteen inches tall, is made entirely of metal, and
has a shade that looks old-fashioned today, but which was common
in living rooms of the 1920-30s. Two features that are outstanding

from a magicians point of view are that the lamp appeared with
its electric bulb lighted, and most important, made its appearance
on a thin-topped, undraped table that had been sitting on stage
throughout the show. Dell would cover her arm with a cloth and
seem to catch something under it. Setting the mysterious object
on the bare tabletop, she removed the cloth to reveal the electric
lamp, shade and all.
The lamp appeared simply by tugging it up and out of concealment in the table. It was complicated to construct but could
be counted on to perform trouble free night after night in Dells
club act.
This past June, I had the privilege of hosting a weekend
gathering of magic collectors and historians from around the
world. In addition to outstanding speakers, performances, and
special events, attendees visited the Salon de Magie for that
famous elevator ride down into the underground mine shaft where
the collection resides.
They also were invited to Whitehall, an antebellum mansion in
the Ohio countryside that Judy and I have restored; it has a third
floor devoted entirely to magic. I mention this because one room
there is devoted to Dell; her Vanishing Lamp, P&L Blooming
Rose Bush, Snake Basket, Thread it, and other treasures from her
act are on display, as if waiting for her to bring them to life again.
If youre interested in finding out more about the wonderful
Dell ODell, be on the lookout for a new book written by Dr.
Michael Claxton, a magic historian and associate professor
of English, who took a sabbatical from his normal duties to
complete his book on Dell and her husband, Charles Carrer. It
is theproductof more thaneightyears of research and writing.
Check it out.
INSIDE STRAIGHT
BY NORMAN BECK
VITOS WAY
I realize that I have written about steakhouses in the past. I
cant help it; I love a good steakhouse. Im going to write about
one this month, but for a different reason.
Recently my friend and I went to dinner at Al Biernats in
Dallas last night. Please take a minute and go to their website.
This is one of the best steakhouses in the US. I promise you
that if you go, and you like steak, you will love it. As great as
the food is there, thats not what I want to talk about. The thing
I want to talk about is Vito.
Vito was our waiter. We went for one thing and one thing
only: the prime rib, which is priced at $49 (and that comes
with no sides, just the meat). Is it expensive? Yes, but it is
worth it. Vito suggested that we not order two of them, but
rather, to save some money, only order one and split it. Now,
from his standpoint, this suggestion makes no sense. Vito will
lose $49 for the restaurant (for the unordered prime rib) and
the tip on that amount will also be lost (about $10 if my math
is still working). The fact that he did suggest this let me know
that as an ambassador of Al Biernats, he had my best interests
at heart. He could have said nothing; we would have ordered
way too much food, brought home a doggie bag, and would
have remembered to be more frugal.
We went ahead and ordered two prime ribs anyway, but I
locked it in my memory bank that I wanted Vito to wait on us
next time. I also tipped above the norm and wrote a letter to
his boss.
As magicians, we can learn from this. I can think of many
situations in which a magician does one of the following:

Sells the wrong kind of show

Books himself for a job he not capable of doing
Books more time than the event needs
Books more magicians than the event needs
Charges whatever is in the budget
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A magician can get away with this once. By doing so, there
is a good chance that he will never get rebooked. For example,
assume say that the prospective client is going to have a
cocktail party and with a guest list of forty people. You book
it for four hours of walk-around, which you know is more time
than you need. At the gig, you have worked the entire room in
two hours, and now you have two hours to kill or you have to
go back and rework the room using your B material.
Instead, suppose that when you learned how many guests
would be there, you told the client that four hours is too long;
you could work the room in two hours, thus saving them
$1500. At the gig, you actually work for two hours and twenty
minutes and you make the client very happy. I dont want to
be hired for a gig or to sell a promotion that is only going to
happen once. I want to be booked with the idea that they will
book me back next year.
Another common mistake is to book a show that you are
not able to do well. The client wants a kids birthday party
and you hate kids. But you love money, and its the end of
the month, so you book it. At the gig, you cant understand
why six-year-olds dont like your Oil and Water routine. You
were unfair to the kids, to the person who booked you, and to
yourself. In my mind, by taking the gig even though you knew
you were unqualified, you were a thief; you just didnt use a
gun. I think that telling a client, Im not the right person for
this job, is a very smart thing to do.
The key word here is honesty. I dont mind bad news if
youre honest about it. Please dont lie. Dont publish a book
and tell me that its great when its bad. Please dont say youre
a gambling expert even though you have never gambled.
Please dont lecture about how a routine of yours is if the only
people who have seen it are other magicians. My friend Chuck
Smith once told me if you do a bad show, a show you were not
qualified to do, not only did you steal the fee, you also stole
something much more valuable: peoples time.
MiX16 Apps by Gregor Krasevec

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52
The Dean's Diary

By George Schindler
WHOS ON FIRST?
Isnt it amazing how people always like
to be first everywhere? First on line at
the theater; first to get seated at a lecture;
first at the checkout counter of the supermarket; and certainly first on the plane so
you can store your carryon bag in an empty
overhead bin. At Parent Assembly 1 my
wife Nina was the first (and so far the only)
woman to become president since 1902.
Ted Lee was the first (and only) black man
to preside over the assembly in 2001. In
different years he was also the president
of Yonkers Assembly 194 and served I.BM
Ring 26 in New York as their president.
I am always distressed by people who
refer to Houdini as the first president of
The Society of American Magicians. The
Society began in 1902 and Houdini didnt
get the office until 1917. If you want to
split hairs, he was the first to preside over
a national S.A.M. when it was forming
assemblies. He was, however, our first
Jewish president. So lets see whos on
other firsts list.
Our first Hispanic president was
Cesareo Pelaez in 1985. In 1990, Margaret
Dailey became the first woman to hold the
office. Her husband Frank had the job in
1983. Another husband and wife presidential team is David and Jann Goodsell.
David, the first Mormon, presided in 1986,
and Jann in 2000. A father and son made

history in that office. J. Christopher Bontjes
rose through the chairs and assumed the
presidency forty-one years after his late
father Gary J. Bontjes was elected in 1971.
The first man of the cloth was President
Father Cyprian (1989).
Weve come a long way baby. In 1902,
the gang at Martinkas magic shop set up
the S.A.M.; they opened it to male white
members. Thankfully, that requirement
was ignored or changed by 1903 when
Ellinor Redan became member #134, the
first woman in the organization. And now
112 years later, Kenrick ICE McDonald
Ellinor Redan, circa 1920

Photo courtesy Tom Ewing
Kenrick 'Ice' McDonald, S.A.M.

President (2014-15)
Photo courtesy Dale Farris
has become the first black president of
the society. It took the United States 232
years to do the same, and still no woman
has attained that office. Michael Close
comically noted on Facebook that this year
the S.A.M. mimicked the U.S. in that the
first black president succeeded a white guy
from Texas.
Most of us have forgotten that Richard
Potter, the first recorded American-born
magician was a black man.
We are indeed a diversified organization. Race, creed, gender, and color are not
as important as the magic, or the men or
women serving our Society. I am proud to
be a member of this wonderful fraternity,
where the first Jewish Dean isme!

Mum, 08 2014

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AUGUST 2014

MAGIC - UNITY - MIGHT

Society of American Magicians,

Submissions for the magazine will only be

VISIT THE S.A.M. WEB SITE

Volume 104 Number 3

Photo by Dale Farris

From the Editors Desk

Poster Image by Bruce Kalver

THIS MONTHs FEATURES

I Left My Cards at Home by Steve Marshall

Photo by Dale Farris

Cover Photo by Lisa Close

THE PRESIDENTS GOOD WILL

THE PRESIDENTS YOUNG MAGICAL ARTIST

S.A.M. National Officers

Regional Vice Presidents

August 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 9

Updates From Our

networks in 1957. Earlier, in 1951, he revived M-U-M as a

Willam Rauscher with award winners.

Volume 104, Number 3

Society of American Magicians Monthly News

and red in the next glass above.

LECTURE ON THE HISTORY

Our Very Own Elusive

MAGICAL DOINGS IN JUNE

accoutrements. After briefly

Ralph Fowler performing

August 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 11

JUST WHAT I NEED!

OMAHA, NE The June

Seller Bob Buczkowski with

collection of goodies has been

A GREAT NIGHT OF MAGIC

DALLAS, TX President Frank

12 M-U-M Magazine - August 2014

Diamond Jim Tyler shows

LAST MEETING BEFORE

clean, clear magic at its best.

Bob Carroll and his

HOT MAGIC IN HOUSTON

HOUSTON, TX The temperatures are rising in Houston along

found the mate of a selected card.

THE AWARDS BANQUET

LOS ANGELES, CA The

considerable skill with a deck of

August 2014 - M-U-M Magazine 13

be to perform. The end result for

CARDS, COINS, RINGS,

MAGIC - VIDEO STYLE

speaker tonight gave us an insight

14 M-U-M Magazine - August 2014

involved tearing up other peoples

Rod Sipe and Trevor Kosar

CLOSE-UP CONTEST AND

3rd Place and $25.

GRAB BAG NIGHT PROVES

PEORIA, IL The June meeting

Michael Baker performing at

ment for the evening, incoming

RINGS AND THINGS/A STARSPANGLED AFFAIR