©2005-2020 Ibmring81.com All rights reserved.
|
By Jim
Peterson
Our Club Historian
Bert
Allerton The Close-Up
Magician
In America during the 30's and
40's, leading night club magicians such as Paul Rosini and
John Booth frequently worked customer's tables between floor
show appearances. But although many skillful performers made
table work a successful part of their work it was Bert Allerton
who became the first exclusively close-up
magician.
Bert made his mark entertaining at the
individual tables in such spots as the Cotillion Room of the
Hotel Pierre in New York City and the Pump Room of the Ambassador
East in Chicago. There was a leaflet on each table telling about
Mr. Allerton and indicating that his services were available for
a fee of (you won't believe this. It was a different time.)
five dollars.
From the moment that Bert sat down with
a group, he communicated a warmth and joy in his work that was
irresistible. Although his emphasis was on fun and though he
interspersed his tricks with non-magical gags, to his most
sophisticated spectators his tricks were
miracles.
Two of Bert's most effective tricks
were "The Nest of envelopes" devised by Paul Le Paul
and the "Vanishing Bird Cage". He performed the
Vanishing Bird Cage under the spectator's nose while seated
at a table. The very idea of using the "get ready" for
the vanish as a trick in itself, the surprising
"production" of the cage, was a stroke of
genius.
Bert Allen Gustafson was born on January
1, 1889, in Lynn Center, Illinois. After serving overseas in the
first World War, he became a salesman for the Sun Oil Company. He
became interested in magic in 1934 when given a set of Tarbell
Course lessons by the printer who had multigraphed the original
course. Following the death of his wife, Bernice in 1935, he
turned to magic. First as an absorbing interest and then,
beginning in 1939, as a full time profession.
He died on February 22, 1958, in Elgin,
Illinois. He was a past-president of the Chicago Assembly of the
Society of American Magicians and a past national president of
the Society.
Inez Blackstone Kitchen
I spoke with Inez, for the last time, at
the 1976 Abbotts Get-Together in Colon, Michigan. Inez would come
every year to renew lifelong friendships made when the Blackstone
Show spent the summer there starting in the
1920s.
Anna Inez Nourse was born on June 23,
1889 in Fox Lake, Wisconsin. In her teens she played the piano
accompaniments for silent movies in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and
along the way she learned to play the banjo. Soon she was playing
banjo with the Reed St. John Trio and Crossman's
Banjophiends. She left the trio and on her own played vaudeville.
There she met Harry Bouton and his borther Pete who had an act
called "Straight and Crooked
Magic".
Harry married Inez Nourse in Ingallston,
Michigan on November 3, 1919 and the act became known as
"Harry Bouton and Company". Harry performed magic and
Inez played the banjo. Inez said the show was a god-awful mess.
The equipment looked terrible, the wardrobe was dreadful and
Harry didn't even speak good English.
Gradually the show improved with her
help. Harry got a price break on buying old Fredrik the Great
lithos and the show was advertised as the Fredrik the Great Magic
Show. However, it was 1917. The United States had just entered
World War 1 and everyone thought that the Fredrik the Great Magic
Show was German.
Harry and Inez discussed the situation.
By this time she had become a force both with the show and his
life. After the show, one night, Inez and Harry took a walk. They
passed through a park and spotted a big billboard. It advertised
a brand of cigars and had one word on it:"Blackstone".
Harry abandoned "Fredrik the Great and became
"Blackstone".
Harry and Inez were having their
troubles. In 1930 - 11 years after they had married and 14 years
after they had first met Harry and Inez got divorced. Inez know
the ins and outs of trouping a magic show, her experience
qualified her as a manager, so she took on the show of S.S.
Henry. Eventually she married Robert Kitchen, the brother of
Maurice Kitchen. Maurice Kitchen trouped under the name of Rajah
Raboid. Raboid was famous for mentalism, fortune-telling and
second sight successes.
Inez lived in Sarasota with Bob Kitchen.
She was the force behind the establishment of Ring 81, But on
that August night, many years ago in Colon, she said she wished
she had stayed with Harry. Inez died in October 1983, at the age
of ninety-four.
Re:
The Blackstone Book of Magic and
Illusion by Charles Reynolds
Blackstone, A Magician's Life by
Daniel Waldron
Inez Blackstone Kitchen
Honored
In 1974, RING 81, Sarasota, Florida,
honored Inez Blackstone Kitchen in recognition of her service as
Ring President for 25 years.
It all began in the Fall of 1916 when
Inez Nourse joined the Harry Blackstone Show to play the banjo.
It ended in 1930, 11 years after they had married and 14 years
after they had first met. A few years later she married Robert
Kitchen, the brother of Maurice Kitchen. Maurice Kitchen trouped
under the name of Rajah Raboid. Embracing the crystal gazer's
stance on stage and off, "Raboid" was famous for his
mentalism, fortune-telling and second sight
successes.
Inez never forgot Blackstone or magic
and she often said the worst thing she did was divorce Harry and
leave the show. She remained close to the people she met in Show
Business and in 1949, living in Sarasota, Florida she was the
force behind the founding of Ring 81.
At the February meeting, in 1974 with 29
members present, William Preston, I.B.M.'s Ring Coordinator
presented Inez a beautiful plaque, engraved as
follows:
"This plaque is presented to our
own Inez Blackstone Kitchen in appreciation of her services as
president for a quarter of a century. Her dedication and devotion
has been greatly responsible for the success and growth we have
achieved.
With this presentation, we are pleased
to approve her as president Emeritus of Ring No. 81 as a token of
our high esteem for her.
We hereby declare that henceforth this
organization shall be known as "The Inez Black stone Kitchen
Ring No. 81" International Brotherhood of
Magicians".
Inez Blackstone Kitchen died at the age
of 94 in 1983. She is interred at Manasota Cemetery. Her husband
Bob Kitchen, passed away in the 1960's and for years
afterward she lived in a mobile home park in Sarasota and went
north during the hot summers to visit with magic friends and to
attend the Abbott's Magic Get-Together in Colon, Michigan.
Re: The Linking Ring May 1974 Blackstone A Magician's
Life
Tony Dunn
Illustrator/Magician
Tony Dunn did his first published magic
art project in 1981 when he illustrated his own lecture notes for
a Sacramento, California convention. Cartoons for Genii magazine
followed in 1981 and 1982 and two of Tony's black and white
drawings hang in the Magic Castle.
In November 1992, Tony contracted to
work for theLinking Ring's Executive Editor Phil Willmarth to
typeset and do layout for the journal. In this capacity, Tony
contributes much of his time and graphic talents both to the
journal and numerous other projects for the I.B.M. He has
designed several items for the I.B.M., including their
stationery, Linking Ring stationery, brochures, awards and
certificates.
He is the past president of I.B.M. Ring
No. 74 in Syracuse, New York, Ring No. 31 in Madison, Wisconsin
and the Houdini Club of Wisconsin, and currently belongs to Ring
No. 303 in Ft. Myers, Florida and Ring No. 81 in Sarasota,
Florida. Tony is also a member of the Magic Collectors
Association and actively collects magic
magazines.
Besides his work for the Linking Ring,
Dunn has illustrated a number of books on magic. In 1996, Tony
executed over 2000 illustrations for three volumes of Paul
Harris' "The Art of Astonishment" and also typeset
and designed the book. In 2006 he illustrated the book
"Switch" which documents the $100 bill change. It's
hard to pick up a book today that has not be illustrated by Tony
Dunn.
Although Tony keeps busy illustrating,
he still enjoys performing when he can. While he has a great
interest in close-up magic and has received his Ph.D. at
Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic convention, Tony performs
mostly stand-up adult shows.
Tony Dunn attended Syracuse University
and graduated in 1970 with a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Art
History. Influenced by such great artists as Beardsly and
Bruegel, Tony is a serious student of art. Nonetheless, the magic
art of Nelson Hahne has had a great impact on him. Tony considers
himself primarily a linear artist and is particularly fond of the
contrast between black and white. He believes that his background
in drafting led to this interest in heightened contrast when
illustrating. Tony's favorite medium is pen and ink. He has
also done some explanatory drawings for effects in pencil –
a medium which isn't used very often in magic
illustration..
We are all lucky to have Tony Dunn as a
friend and member of the magic community in
Florida.
Re: The Art of Deception The
Affinity Between Conjuring and Art Page
284
Albert Goshman "The Baker
Who is a Faker"
On Saturday afternoons, in those happy
days just after World War II, it was customary for Albert Goshman
to go down town New York City and drift around three magic shops
to hear and see what was new. He visited Max Holden, Lou Tannen
and Stuart Robson (later Abbott's). There he learned close-up
magic. He had no act, but just simply tacked together a few
tricks.
Albert, the oldest of five children, was
born in Brooklyn, December 6th, 1920. With his brothers and
father, he was a baker until about 1958, when he was 38 years old
and the business closed down. At loose ends after the bakery
closed, Albert put together a lecture on magic and obtained a
dozen bookings for it across the country, ending up in Hollywood
with a December 1963 appearance at the recently opened Magic
Castle.
Arriving at the Magic Castle he
introduced himself to Milt Larsen as "The Baker Who is a
Faker." He said he did magic with bottle caps and salt
shakers. Obviously Albert would never fit into the Victorian
elegance and sophistication of the Magic Castle. What a crazy
idea!
Albert Goshman, who planned only to do a
lecture and stay in California two weeks, extended his stay about
22 years. Helped by Dai Vernon and Francis Finneran Carlyle he
put together a great 21 minute Close-Up Act.
He parlayed his ability with tricks with
sponge balls into a huge business....a tiny plant that made
millions of sponge balls and clown noses AND money! Goshman gave
up kneading dough in Brooklyn and ended up making dough in
Hollywood. He never learned to dress. He always looked as rumpled
as a unmade bed dressed in clothes that needed dry cleaning a
week ago.
As a magician Albert was a
perfectionist, he never stopped working on his act. His theater
was a table top. He was the star of his show and his hands were
his co-stars. I saw him perform at the Castle in 1973 and he was
great. Today his is a legend in modern magic.
re: Conjurians' Discoveries John
Booth page 243
Magic by Gosh Patrick Page and
Albert Goshman page 11
Richard
Himber
Richard Himber loved magic and spent a
lot of time in Lou Tannen's Magic Shop located on 120 West
42nd Street in New York City. In the 50's Dick formed
Himber's Custombilt Magic and introduced the world to many
new effects, such as The Himber Wallet, Staggering and The Pepsi
Vanish to name a few. It was Sam Schwartz who suggested to Himber
that he redesign and market a variation of the Yawning Mouth
Puzzle, which was first written up before 1700. That puzzle
became the prize winning trick Bill-Fooled.
Himber was certainly one of the last
"Characters" in magic. During the last fifteen years of
his life he would call Harry Lorayne every morning at about two
or three o'clock. That was the middle of the night. Dick was
either hated or loved.
Himber had very few friends. His antics
and tirades drove most people away from him.
Schwarzman remembers a time when Himber
was looking for a nut or bolt of a certain size for a trick. He
went to a hardware store in New York City and asked the
proprietor if he had the item. The man was busy with another
customer and directed Himber to an area where there were about 35
or 40 boxes of nuts and bolts. Each box contained perhaps 50 to
100 pieces of each size. Dick proceeded to empty the contents of
all the boxes onto the counter top and stir them around as he
looked. Not finding what he was after, he left the store waving
to the owner and saying, "You don't have what I
want." Can you imagine the reaction of the hardware store
man as he discovered thousands of mixed nuts and
bolts....apoplexy, immediately followed by the desire to
kill!
Richard Himber was a complex man of many
moods. He was born and grew up in Newark, New Jersey. In 1929,
Himber became secretary to Rudy Vallee, the orchestra leader and
he later attributed much of his success to him. In 1932 Himber
formed his own band and in the 60's Pepsi-Cola sponsored open
air concerts that Himber and his 25 man orchestra gave in
Rockefeller Center and other places.
Cliff Green said that there were only
five or six people at his funeral. For all the years that Dick
was associated with show business, as an orchestra leader and
magician only a few came to bid him farewell. Himber was 59 years
old.
re: MUM Magazine, June
2007
Richard Himber, "The Man and
His Magic:
The Himber Wallet Book......Written
by Harry Lorayne
Gibeciere/ Winter
2005
International Brotherhood of
Magicians
While working on the program for the
Ring 81 Fund Raiser this October I suddenly wondered how many of
our members know the history of the IBM. So....here is a brief
overview of the organization.
The International Brotherhood of
Magicians is an international society of magicians. It was
founded by Len Vintus, Gene Gordon and Don Rogers in 1922 with
its headquarters located in Winnipeg, Canada. In 1923 they
produced a magazine, The Linking Ring, to serve as a medium for
their magic message.
The very first IBM Convention was held
in Kenton, Ohio in 1926. W.W. Durbin, who lived in Kenton,
offered to sponsor the convention. Durbin was one of Kenton's
leading citizens, the owner of a printing business, a practicing
magician who had his own theatre (the 125 seat "Egyptian
Hall"), and above all, he was a political
animal.
On the agenda of the convention was the
organization's first official election. Durbin was elected
president, replacing Len Vintus, one of the founders and the
first vice-president was Harry Blackstone.
The convention was a big hit and the
list of magicians who attended included such names as Servais
LeRoy, T. Nelson Downs, Werner "Dorny" Dornfield,
Harlan Tarbell, Harry and Inez Blackstone, and many others. On
the list was the name of a magician whose career had stirred no
ripples as yet, but would. His name was Percy
Abbott.
In 1927 Percy Abbott moved to Colon and
he and Harry Blackstone formed the "Blackstone Magic
Co.". Soon the two man had a monumental falling-out and the
Blackstone Magic Company vanished. Percy later went into business
on his own with "Abbott's Magic Novelty Company", a
mail-order enterprise that operated out of
Colon.
Thus was born the General Motors of the
hocus-pocus business. In 1926 the International Brotherhood of
Magicians had a membership of 700 magicians. Today the enrollment
is about 14 thousands members.
Fred Kaps Magic as you like
it
In every field of endeavor there are
those at the top who are looked up to by the others. In Magic,
such a man was Fred Kaps. Every three years there is a
"Congress of Magic" held in Europe called the Fism
World Connection. The top prize for performing is the "Grand
Prix." Kaps is the only magician to have won this award
three times.
His good looks, skill and suave
presentation made him the most sought after magic act in the
world. In 1973 he performed in "It's Magic"
presented in Los Angeles, at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. A show
produced and directed by Milt Larsen. I was fortunate enough to
attend the show that year and later, at the Magic Castle, I was
introduced to Fred Kaps. In the bar area I saw him perform the
Floating Cork, which at that time was a close-up
miracle.
Bram Bongers alias Fred Kaps was born in
1926 in Rotterdam. During World War ll he served in the
Dutch-East-Indies. There he performed magic for the troops under
the name of Mystica. After the war he appeared twice on the
famous "Ed Sullivan Show" in 1954 and 1956. Just two
months prior to his death in 1980, at the age of 54, he was
awarded A Master Fellowship from The Academy of Magical Arts in
Hollywood.
He was the King of Misdirection and
through subtle phrasing and gestures he transformed tricks into
miracles. Fred Kaps always believed there were two kinds of
magic:
1. The magic one does in a Magic Club to
fool club members.
2. The magic one is hired to do, where
you perform for an audience who paid money to see you; here your
reputation is very much at stake.
The professional magician never presents
complicated effects. He uses only simple magic: a shell over
coin, metal ring with a gap, a double faced card, etc. Use simple
ideas that have been proven successful over the years. Three of
Fred Kaps close-up favorites are: The Chinese Coin Trick,
Kaps' Purse and Kaps' Currency Trick. Jim Hall features
the Kaps' Currency Trick in his stand-up
act.
In 1976 Ken Brooke marketed "The
Fred Kaps" Chinese Coin Trick" in a limited edition,
which was sold out before the final routine was written up, due
to the reputation of Fred Kaps. He was the? Greatest Magician of
His Time."
Re: Fred Kaps Published by Hades
Publications. Printed in 1988
It's Magic Program. Printed
1973
Le Grand David & His Own Spectacular Magic
Company
In Beverly, Massachusetts there is a
magic treasure. It is Marco the Magi's production of "Le
Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company." The
production debuted in 1977 and next January they will celebrate
their 30th anniversary.
The show was a dream of Cesareo Pelaez
and was inspired by the magic of David Bamberg ("Fu
Manu"). With two theatres of it's own, "Le Grand
David and his own Spectacular Magic Company" is a resident
performing troupe spanning over three
generations.
Heading this large collection of
families and friends is producer director and chief conjuror
Cesareo Pe.Cesareo assembled the original members of the "Le
Grand David" troupe during the early 1970's and, with
them, purhased the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre in
1976.
Among the earliest to join forces with
Cesareo was his apprentice, David Bull. The two have worked
together for nearly thirty years now, and David today shares the
spotlight with Cesareo at both the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre
and the Larcom Theatre, which the company purchased in
1984.
In the workshops adjacent to the Cabot,
The "Le Grand David" company has produced over a
thousand hand-sewn costumes, 125 magic props and illusions, and
four dozen prosceniumspanning back-drops.
Historians of stage magic have drawn
parallels between the conjuring on Cabot and Willis Streets and
other legendary homes of hocus-pocus. For fifty years around the
turn of the century, the Maskelyne family of illusionists held
forth at London's Egyptian Hall and late St. George's
Hall.
In America the record for the longest
run by a resident American conjuring company was held by Harry
Kellar (1849-1922). Beginning on December 15, 1884, he and his
company ran off 267 performances at "Kellar's Egyptian
Hall" in Philadelphia.
This year both Cesareo and David
attended the IBM Convention in Miami. Cesareo suffered a stroke
several months ago but got around very well and spoke at one of
the sessions. He is beginning to perform again in the "Le
Grand David" show.
The show is so complex it can not
troupe, so if you are ever in the Boston area plan a side trip to
Beverly and experience the greatest magic show on
earth.
Billy McComb The Passing of a
Legend
Bill McComb is no longer with us. He
passed away in May at the age of 84. I met him for the first time
in 1987, in Louisville, KY, I was spending the night at the same
hotel at which the local IBM Ring was having a lecture. The
lecturer was Billy McComb and he was outstanding. He was the Dai
Vernon of his day.
Billy McComb was an inventor, comedian,
Doctor of Medicine, actor, author, magician, and perhaps the most
renowned historian of the Magical Arts. He was billed as
"The World's largest Leprechaun", having been born
in Northern Ireland.
Billy was the son of Sir. Charles Henry
McComb, who was knighted by King George V for his valuable
research in the field of X-Rays. Billy himself earned his Doctor
of Medicine Degree to please his family, but to please himself he
soon gave up the practice of Medicine and moved to London to
pursue his dream of becoming an entertainer.
He soon became a fixture in London's
West End, doing anything he could to learn a
trade.
Within a few years, Billy was headlining
at various nightclubs with an original blend f comedy and magic.
Then came the pinnacle of his career when he was asked to do a
Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth at the London
Palladium. The show was a great success and Billy decided it was
time to try his act in America.
Americans loved his style as much as the
Brits and Billy became such a huge hit he was booked on just
about every television/variety show on the air during that time.
He made over 300 personal appearances in the US and also starred
in many of his own TV shows in the BBS. He worked the best cruise
ships and clubs around the world and was internationally renown
in the world of magic. Billy has published several books on magic
and has his own thoughts on how magic should be learned and
performed.
Billy McComb lived in Hollywood and was
actively performing until just before his death. In 1999, Magic
Magazine selected him as one of the 100 most influential
magicians in the 20th Century.
He received two awards from the Academy
of Magical Arts and was elected to the SAM Hall of Fame. In
recent years Billy opened in Las Vegas for the Amazing Jonathan
and appeared in the Lance Burton Show at the Monte Carlo Hotel
& casino.
Billy said he was never afraid of trying
something new. He was never afraid of growing
old.
He was never afraid of being wrong and
even more important he was never afraid of being
right.
For a man 84 years old Billy got as
excited as a 16-year-old when he saw a great new trick or heard a
waggish new tale.
Billy's philosophy of entertaining
was very simple. "When you walk out in front of an audience,
and you get laughs and applause, that is the food and drink of an
artist."
re:
Magic Magazine May 200l page
48
Viking Manufacturing Hall of
Fame
John A. Petrie The Wonderful
Wizard of Westville
In the early 1890's John Albert
Petrie was a young professional magician and musician. He was
also teaching magic and making magical equipment for professional
magicians as The John Petrie Magical Company.
A few years later a young A.C.Gilbert,
who had recently graduated from Yale University approached John
Petrie and asked for help in designing a magic set for boys. They
formed a partnership and called the company the Mysto Magic
Company. Both magic sets and the erector set were developed at
the Mysto Magic Company factory. John made magic sets and
A.C.
Gilbert, went on the road and sold them.
There was a disagreement between Petrie and Gilbert. The Mysto
Magic Company, together with it's trademark, was acquired by
A.C. Gilbert who went on to make himself a millionaire. John
Petrie struggled to support his wife and two young sons. As
Swastika Magic Company, he operated with a few machines from a
shed in the back of his home.
About 1917, Tom Lewis, a wealthy amateur
magician, for whom Mr. Petrie had built special magical apparatus
decided to put John back into the business of manufacturing fine
magical equipment. Mr. Lewis had recently sold a downtown New
Haven jewelry business and had more than adequate funds to
accomplish anything he set his mind to.
Once Mr. Petrie was established Mr.
Lewis bowed out as a partner in the company and retired to
California. Mr. Petrie was so extremely grateful to Tom Lewis for
his moral and financial help that he incorporated the new company
under their two names, Petrie and Lewis, and so the famous
P&L trademark was born. To the best of my knowledge this
probably occurred in the 1920's.
P&L made many fine small effects
which were equally as famous as the larger ones. Things that fall
in this category are the Brahman Rice Bowls, Ultra Card Box,
Ching Soo Firecracker, Ultra Four Ace Stand and Ultra Card Rise
to name a few. They all appear in a blue-covered 76 page catalog
issued in 1939. The second and final P&L catalog was
published in 1958.
The P&L Manufacturing Company was
literally known all over the world and its trademark on a piece
of conjuring apparatus was the equivalent of that of Tiffany on a
piece of silver.
John A. Petrie was born on August 23,
1870 in New Haven. He died on February 2, 1954 in New Haven. His
son Tod Petrie carried on the business until his death in 1962.
His wife sold the inventory, parts and rights to the products in
1967 to the Abbott Magic Company in Colon,
Michigan.
Re: The P&L Book Edited by Barbi
Walker and Robert Seaver
Jim Ryan Darling of the Geritol
Set
In 1970 Ivy and I moved from the
Philadelphia area to West Lafayette, Indiana where I had just
taken a job with National Homes Corporation. We suddenly found
ourselves in the middle of a whole new world of magic. To the
North, Colon, Michigan, was the Magic Capital of the World. To
the Northwest was Chicago and the home of Jay Marshall and one
hour South of Lafayette was Indianapolis were Harry Riser, the
King of Cards, lived and worked.
Two of the first people I met, in
Lafayette, were Ron London and Bob Hurt. Ron ran a magic shop and
Bob was a professional magician and about to become President of
the IBM. Ron and I soon organized Ring 219 and one of the first
magicians to lecture for our Ring was Jim
Ryan.
Jim Ryan was born February 6, 1899, in
Chicago, the son of Catherine Henny and John J. Ryan two
immigrants from Ireland. When Jim lectured for Ring 219 he was
about 75 years old and had been doing close-up magic since he
opened "The Magic Tap" in 1933. Close friends and
fellow magicians who frequented Jim's place were: Eddie
Marlo, Paul LePaul, Jimmy Kater Thompson, Johnny Platt, Vince
Gottschalk and the man Jim considered the greatest close-up
entertainer, Matt Schulein.
Jim sold the tavern business when he
realized that his family was growing up and he didn't know
them. He took a job with the City of Chicago, Department of
Weights and Measures. He also worked other bars around town, most
often helping Frank Everhart at the Ivanhoe and taking over when
Frank wanted a night off or had another job.
The audiences loved Jim Ryan. From the
moment he walked out and said, with a big Irish grin, "Hi
I'm James Patrick Ryan, affectionately known as the Darling
of the Geritol Set." The magic was great, but they loved the
man more than the tricks. Note: Frank Everhart introduced the
classic trick "Sam the Bellhop."
Re: Jim Ryan Close-Up......Phil R.
Willmarth
Herman M. Suss Carnival
Magic
Over the years, Ring 81 has had many
members who were well known in the field of magic. But, my guess
is that very few of you are aware of Herman M. Suss who toured
the country with a magic show and performed it under
canvas.
The first Illusion Show that Suss toured
was known as a "string show." In case you don't
know what a string show is, each effect is presented on a
separate platform and they usually have five to seven
attractions. He later framed a show that he performed under a top
(tent) 35' wide and 110' long. He used a stage 30'
wide and 20' deep with space reserved for what is called on
the carnival a "blow-off," or an after show. (An extra
admittance was charged to see this after
show.)
The shows routine was so that it would
be a continuous one from the opening to the close and the running
time of the show was scheduled for 50 minutes, thereby giving
time to put on five or six shows a night, depending on the
crowd.
Herman M. Suss was born September 29,
1880 in Montana and moved to Minneapolis, Minn. in 1895. At the
age of 18 he played character parts with the Suss Bros. and
Weishinger Dramatic Co., in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the
Dakotas.
He became interested in magic after
seeing the Kellar Show. His first magic shows were in Dime
Museums in Minneapolis and Chicago. For two years he worked in
vaudeville houses out of Chicago doing a tramp singing and magic
act for $30 a week. Later, on the carnivals, he was with the
Dodson's World Fair Show doing a full magic
show.
He also did some character work on TV
and in pictures. The last picture in which he appeared was
"Walk East on Beacon Street."
In 1953 Suss retired and moved to
Englewood, Florida. He attended the IBM Convention in Miami Beach
in June of 1956 and met Inez Kitchen. She encouraged him to join
Ring 81 and the rest is history.
Re: The Linking Ring March
1957
Harlan
Tarbell
Dr Harlan Eugene Tarbell (1890-1960) was
perhaps the most renowned magic illustrator of all. He was one of
the most multi-talented individuals in the history of
magic...performer, lecturer, teacher, artist and inventor...he
exceeded in all these areas. Both the Tarbell Course in Magic and
Greater Magic are testaments to the genius.
In 1909, he placed a small classified ad
in the magic periodical Edward's Monthly (1909-1910),
advertising his artistic abilities. Tarbell's quest to become
an artist brought him to Chicago in 1911. He began taking courses
at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and soon his skills as an
illustrator brought him new work. For example, he designed the
first tubular container for the Morton Salt Company. Another one
of his early assignments was illustrating an instruction sheet
for Tinkertoy.
In June, 1926, Tarbell signed a contract
with the team of Cooke and Jordan to write and illustrate a Magic
Course. After a year and a half of work, Tarbell completed the
Course which we know today as the Tarbell Course in Magic. The
year was 1927 and Tarbell had done approximately 3000
illustrations for the 60-lesson correspondence course which sold
for $79.50.
Around 1931, after selling 10,000
complete sets of the Course, the Great Depression and several
price reductions contributed to the demise of Cooke and Jordan.
Ten years later Tarbell produced a revised hardback edition of
the Course with Louis Tannen. Tannen bought the copyright to the
Course and produced the Course again, retaining the old format of
many illustrations and detailed text. Volume 1 through 6 were
illustrated and written by Tarbell. Volume 7 (1972) was written
by Harry Lorayne and illustrated by Ed Mishell and Volume 8 was
completed by Richard Kaufman and Steve Burton in
1993.
In the spring of 1938 Tarbell took on
another renowned project doing over 1,150 illustrations for
Greater Magic. Greater Magic was completed in November 1938 and
Tarbell chalked up another artistic
achievement.
Harlan Tarbell spent his life sharing
the magic that lived inside him. He is best known for
"Eyeless Vision" and his rope tricks. His mind was
always active, even until his last days. Unfortunately, his
physical capabilities, were not as strong as his mental ones.
Harlan Tarbell, one of magic's greatest exponents, died of a
heart attack June 16, 1960, at Hines Veterans Hospital in
Chicago.
Re: The Art of Deception, My Best, Tarbell Volume 8 Floyd
Thayer
The Magic Shop of the WestFloyd Thayer
was born on July 18, 1877 in Jacksonville, Vt. His first exposure
to magic occurred at the age of 6 when he saw Professor Jonathan
Harrington perform his full evening show in
Vermont.
Two years later, at the age of 8, he
received a small box of parlor magic effects as an award for
selling subscriptions to the magazine, The Youth's
Companion.
In 1891, at the age of 14 Floyd and his
father moved to Pasadena, Calif. and while attending high school,
his father made arrangements for Floyd to learn woodturning with
an old world German wood turner. When Floyd graduated from high
school in 1893, he began to work at the Pasadena Novelty Works
and made novelties there out of orange wood, manzanita and
yucca.
In Mahatma, a conjuring monthly, Floyd
placed his first ad for the "Wand of the West" which
was made in his small in-house magic business. In 1908 he moved
to 101 W. Union Street in Pasadena, Calif. and called the
business the Magic Shop of The West.
When he first began constructing magic,
Thayer produced natural wood pieces of apparatus usually from
mahogany and painted black and gold with an Egyptian motif. Many
of Thayer's early pieces were taken directly from Professor
Hoffmann's famous books ("Modern Magic," "More
Magic" and "Later Magic"), but instead of
constructing them in tole metal, he would turn them in natural
wood.
In 1913 Carl Owen was hired by Thayer.
Carl Owen's impact was felt in the Thayer Shop when colors
such as bright yellows, reds, greens were used in combination
with the standard black and gold. Nearly all of the box tricks
made by Thayer during this period had these beautiful color
combinations, as well as some crackle paints which were added to
the finishes of Thayer apparatus.
Most magicians today don't want the
brightly colored boxes and mechanical tricks of the Thayer era.
Thus, Thayer magic has become collectible and the collectors of
today rarely perform the magic, but merely put the pieces on a
shelf and admire the workmanship which is
present.
There is no question that the quality of
Thayer magic was at a different level from much of the magic made
throughout the world. Perhaps Dr. A.M. Wilson, a physician and
editor of the Sphinx (1904-1930) said it best......."Magic
is an art that sometimes instructs, often amuses and always
entertains."
Re: The Magic of Floyd Thayer Dr.
Robert Albo
Circus
Tihany
About a month ago I was having lunch
with friends at the Olive Garden Restaurant on Route 41 just
south of downtown Sarasota. I looked across the street and much
to my surprise there was a sign advertising the TIHANY PLAZA. I
wondered how many of our members know about the Amazing Tihany
and the Circus Tihany.
In 1984 Mr. Tihany was 68 and had been
trouping for three decades. He toured throughout South America
and Mexico each year from January 1 until December 31. He felt
tired at the time and decided to fold the tent and take a rest.
The entire family, great-grandchildren and all moved to Sarasota,
Florida where, back in 1976, Mr and Mrs. Tihany had purchased a
huge estate. Originally intended to become the winter quarters
for the show, it never quite did, as Circus Tihany never stopped
playing year-round in Latin America.
Meanwhile, the Tihanys began investing
in Florida real estate. His sons and Mr. Tihany started a
business in Sarasota, buying property and developing shopping
centers. Now there are five Tihany Plazas in the area and his
sons handle the leasing of these malls. Mr, Tihany was always in
show business.
His tent was a 4,000 seat structure, see
insert, which was custom designed in Italy and the show featured
The Blue Bell Girls from Paris, a ballet company, the Flying
Cranes and David Larible, a European clown who later starred in
the Ringling Show. This galaxy of circus stars may have attracted
the crowds, but the people came to see the
magic.
Today Tihany is retired and lives in Las
Vegas, his sons still operate the five Tihany Plazas and at 92
years old Mr Tihany is still very active in the Circus Tihany
which now stars magician Richard Massone.
About 10 years ago Vince Carmen
performed at The Players Theater and Mr. Tihany attended the
performance and I got a chance to meet him. I understand that
within the next few weeks Mr.Tihany will be inducted into The
Circus Hall of Fame located in Sarasota ,
Florida.
Re: Magic Magazine July 2002 Page
42
Nick
Trost
At our September meeting, during
intermission, Jim Hall presented some magic including a Nick
Trost card trick from his book, "The Card Magic of Nick
Trost".
Nick lives in Ohio and in May, 1961 he
began a column on card magic in The New Tops magazine which ran
until December, 1994....A span of over 33 years. He has published
over 22 books and manuscripts, plus packet and deck
tricks.
One of his mentors was Stewart Judah of
Cincinnati, Ohio. Steward was born on February 16th, 1893. He
marketed his first over-the-counter trick, the famous "Judah
Monte" in 1925. In 1937 Judah and John Braun collaborated on
the now classic "Subtle Problems You Will Do". John
Northern Hilliard named him one of the ?Card Stars of The
U.S.A." in Greater Magic.
Another of his early mentors was Bob
Lewis of Dayton, Ohio. Bob and his wife toured the mid-west for
many years doing a comedy magic act. They were often seen
performing at Colon, Michigan at the Abbott Get Together. Bob
introduced Nick to effective, sleight-of-hand card
magic.
In the book, "The Card Magic of
Nick Trost" are tricks by Judah, U.F. Grant, Tom Hubbard,
Paul Swinford, Al Thatcher, Mack Picknick and others. In addition
to card tricks there is a chapter on Sleights and Subtleties such
as the Biddle Move, Branue Reversal, Elmsley Count, Gilbreath
Principle, the Svengali Shuffle plus a whole lot
more.
The first really important text he
learned from was Hugard and Braue's "The Royal Road to
Card Magic". Mike Close believes this book should be on
every card magician's library shelf.
Nick is known for his simple, easy-to-do
card magic. He bases his tricks on subtle moves and principles
rather than difficult sleights.
Re: The Pallbearers Review The Card Magic of Nick
Trost
Editors note: The Card Magic of Nick
Trost is available at L&L
Publishing,
LLPUP.com for
$40.00
Eddie Tullock Trade Show
Magician
Eddie Tullock was the dean of trade show
magic. Eddie was born in 1919 in Minneapolis and was the eldest
of two children. Like so many of us he received a Gilbert Mysto
Magic Set as a gift and was hooked on magic.
At age 15, he met a Midwest magician
named Harry Gordien, who hired Eddie to work the carnival
ten-in-one show as a barker, beginning his lifelong career as an
entertainer. In 1956 Eddie was invited by Westinghouse to bring
his sleight-of-hand magic, to a business convention in
Philadelphia to promote a new electric light bulb. I met Eddie,
for the first time, at a School Administrator's Convention
held in Atlantic City. The year was 1959 and I was a salesman for
National School Studios.
For a little guy he had a voice of
thunder. His effects were mostly card tricks, but he could hold a
crowd of 100 to 200 people spellbound while he hammered home the
corporate marketing message. At one convention Eddie showed me
the inside of his attaché case and it was filled with decks
of cards. He used four to five decks of cards a
day.
He was not the world's greatest card
technician. He built his entire act with a palm, classic force,
top change and the double lift. For the most part all of his
sleights can be found between the covers of "Royal Road To
Card Magic." His tricks were not new, nor were they
particularly original. He didn't belong to any magic clubs,
didn't spend much time watching magic and seldom
practiced.
So what did he have to offer? Simply
this: Eddie Tullock was perhaps the most entertaining man in the
world when doing magic with a deck of playing cards. He hammered
home the corporate marketing message with power and energy. He
know how to present an effect and he had a great understanding of
people and could read his audience. No one could present a card
act with the force and excitement as well as Eddie Tullock. Note:
He had stubby fingers and used bridge size
cards.
I was in and around trade shows for over
40 years and I never saw anyone do it better. On May 5th, at the
age of 88, we lost the undisputed founder of trade show magic.
Re: MAGIC....June Issue TULLOCK...The Phantom Founder of
Trade Show Magic
Alvin H. Wheatley The Chop
Cup
More than four thousand magicians played
on vaudeville and nite-club bills around the world between the
1890's and the 1930's. At the turn of the century there
were twenty theatres presenting variety shows, acrobats,
jugglers, comedians, singers, animal acts, dramatic skits, and
novelty acts in and around London and as many within a thirty
mile radius of New York City. Acts varied in length from eight
minutes to an hour. Entertainers could work a hundred weeks in
the United States without appearing twice in the same city by
playing the Keith circuit in the East, the Orpheum chain in the
West, and other affiliated theatres in the South and
Midwest.
Al Wheatley was a part of this era. He
was born in Australia and brought to the United States as a boy
by his parents. He worked for a few years as Jean Hugard's
assistant, before becoming an expert "Chinese"
magician.
In the early 40's Al used the stage
name Ching Ling Fu and later was Ting Pin Soo, however, in the
50's he changed his name to Chop Chop and his act became Chop
Chop and Chalene. They played up scale clubs such as The Empire
Room of the Palmer House in Chicago and the Moulin Rouge in Los
Angeles.
The Chop Cup was created in the mid
1950's and was originally marketed as "Chop Chop's
One Cup & Ball Routine. It sold for $9.50 and came complete
with a hand-polished imported bamboo cup. By 1957 Wheatley's
company, Excato Magic, was advertising a modified aluminum Chop
Cup in magic magazines for $12.50.
Don Alan who introduced close-up magic
to network television performed his Chop Cup routine on the
"Ed Sullivan Show" in 1960. Needless to say at was a
big hit.
The trick has spawned many variations,
leading to elaborate routines developed by Larry Jennings, Ron
Wilson, Earl Nelson and Alan Wakeling. Larry Jennings'
"Famous Chop Cup Routine", was noted for its loading of
a big ball and the use of a silk handkerchief and a shot glass.
It was published in Genii Magazine in March of 1965. The Nelson
and Wakeling routines eventually appeared in The Chop Cup Book
(1979). Ron Wilson's Uncanny Chop Cup saw print in "The
Uncanny Scot" (1987).
Al Wheatley, whose name of Chop Chop is
forever linked to that classic prop, died on November 12,
1965.
Re: MUM Magazine...March
2006
Genii Magazine...Sept
1959
The Illustrated History of
Magic...1973
Willard the
Wizard
At the June Ring meeting, Bob Scekeres
mentioned that Michael Ammar would lecture at our November
meeting. Someone asked if, his wife, Hanna would be with him? I
wonder how many of our members know that Hanna is the daughter of
France Willard and that France Willard's father was known as
the great Willard the Wizard.
The name "Willard the Wizard"
is legendary in the field of magic. Harry Willard was born in
Clarksville, Texas, to James and Lucy Willard, December 12, 1895.
He toured a tent show like Circuses and Minstrels Shows in the
Southwest United States. His tents could hold 2000 people or just
a few hundred depending on the crowd.
The Depression years were hard on the
Willard Shows. The giant of all tent shows, Ringling Brothers and
Barnum & Bailey quit the tent and the road for a period of
time, during those years. The Willard's added a Spook Show
and when money was scarce, chickens, preserves, eggs and baskets
of home grown produce were taken for the price of admission.
"Mother Willard", Lucy, died in April, 1940. She was
the first lady to work the famous Spirit Cabinet and was the
teacher of all the workers except the last
one.
Frances Louise Willard was born December
1940 and Harry was very happy because he had another girl
assistant. By this time Harry was not offering just one show, he
was presenting 3 different shows within a one-week stand. In the
late 50's Harry and Frances played one night stands around
San Antonio performing the Thumb Tie, Bird Cage, Spirit Cabinet
and a few other items. Frances won the Miss San Antonio and was
runner-up in the Miss Texas Beauty Contest during this
period.
Harry was honored by having a magic club
in Dallas, Texas take his name....The Harry Williard Ring of the
International Brotherhood of Magicians. His tours took him as far
South as Clearwater, Florida. He continued the shows until his
health was in jeopardy.
Frances, in the meanwhile, had married
and was making San Antonio her home. Harry Willard lived out his
magical life in the home of his daughter, Madeline. On June 28,
1970, he died at 75 years of age; bringing to an end one of the
great shows in theatre history.
Re: Genii Magazine October,
1958
Willard The Wizard by Bev
Bergeron
|