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mrunge Inner circle Charleston, SC 3716 Posts |
Does anyone know the name of the person who took over the manufacturing of the Jack Miller (from NY) hot rods?
After Jack died, there was hope his daughter would take over the business, but she declined. There was a man who had become friends with Jack and learned his technique directly from Jack. I think his name was Peter and he lives in Europe (England or Germany). I used to have his contact info but lost it. Any idea? Thanks, Mark. |
aqmagish20 Regular user 146 Posts |
Hello Mark. I was a close friend of Jack's up here in Syracuse. Just seeing this question brings back lots of fun memories. I can help, but only a little. About 1-2 years before Jack passed he sold his business to a women in North or South Carolina? Don't know her name. She was into magic production. Jack produced under the name JTM Enterprises and Jack Miller Enterprises. This might help you along the trail. I haven't seen hot rod's of JAck's quality since.
Andy |
mrunge Inner circle Charleston, SC 3716 Posts |
Hi Andy,
Thanks for the info. I'll see if I can find out more. I had spoken with Jack several times, over the phone, before he passed. He was a wonderful person. He even made several hot rods for me with the combination of stones requested. You're right...I too have not seen hot rod's of his quality since either. They were the best. Take care, Mark. |
Ed Hutchison Regular user Madison, MS (orig. CNY) 118 Posts |
I, too, have numerous happy memories of the time I spent with Jack--including many visits to his combination basement workshop and magic shop in his Syracuse home.
I often watched while he produced his high quality Hot Rods. He farmed out the manufacturing of some of his products to others, but he had special jigs and machines he used himself to make the Hot Rods. He had it down to a science and could turn them out quickly and in great quantity. In fact, Jack often joked that he had made enough Hot Rods to supply every magician in the world with a dozen each, and that was not much of an exaggeration. I never heard Jack claim to have invented the Hot Rod, (surely it must have been some cave man who devised the paddle move that makes the trick possible), and it would be an interesting project for some magic historian to trace the pedigree of this effect. My understanding is that Jack began making the rods, circa 1960, when Ken Allen more or less retired from the magic supply business. But my information is very incomplete and I would quickly defer to someone with more direct knowledge of how this trick came to market. |
mrunge Inner circle Charleston, SC 3716 Posts |
I just found out that, as Andy mentioned above, there is a woman in NC who still makes the Hot Rods that Jack Miller sold.
She had known him for years and spent time at his home as a young girl, watching and helping Jack in his shop. Later on, as Jacks health started to deteriorate, she took over the production of his products for him. They are now sold by La Rock's Magic ( http://www.LaRocks.com ) in Charlotte, NC. According to them, she stops in the shop every so often and they give her an order for additional stock, which she then makes and sends to them several weeks later. She makes them in either clear (my preference) or black. You can also get "The Ultimate Hot Rod" package which has 3 rods (2 force, 1 fake) in it, allowing you to repeat the effect with different results. If you're looking for a really good hot rod, you can't beat these. Their size and weight are perfect and the quality has always been great. I'm glad to have found the source for the Jack Miller hot rods again. Hope this helps. Mark. |
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