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Smoke & Mirrors Special user 506 Posts |
Very interesting to watch!
A 1956 clip of Al Flosso using a kid for a volunteer. I know there is a forum for videos, but this one is worth studying by this group, I think. A couple of things I noticed, he does talk down to the kid, and does not treat him with much respect, but he also has a great character that seems to make it work. A very memorable character. Also cool to see the T&R hat, I had no idea it's been around that long! What are your thoughts? http://homepage.mac.com/tfrank8176/TomFr......r64.html |
PROFED Loyal user Chicago,Illinois 229 Posts |
If you will stand up stright boy, I will thank you for the terrific clip.
Ed Gilmore |
Tony James Inner circle Cheshire UK 1398 Posts |
I remember seeing people like that when I was a child. I thought then it was rough and nothing now changes my mind.
I accept he's playing the role of an old time barker. With less shouting I see people today using children like that. It's not children's entertainment. It's using children to entertain adults, often at the expense of the child. It's a great example of how not to do it. I once saw a child quietly place a prop he was holding on the table and walk back into the audience, leaving the magician standing there. That was brave but the only successful way to escape the embarassment. Incidentally, the T&R hat routine came from Cecil Lyle's Magical Millener Act of the 1920s in London. He was still performing it as a cameo in his full illusion show in the UK theatres during the 1950s.
Tony James
Still A Child At Heart |
Starrpower Inner circle 4070 Posts |
It was great!
Kids are far more accepting and understanding than we adults tend to give them credit for. Watch the routine -- Flosso is constantly reinforcing the kid's positive behavior with comments like "I got the right boy tonight" after Marshall succssfully completed a trick; constantly repeating "He's alright, the kid's alright!" ; and Flosso allows Marshall to do some magic by reaching into the air can "catching" coins. Not only is this a GREAT example of how to manage an audience member, but I think the kid would enjoy it and look like a hero to his friends. Bear in mind the age of the child -- this is no 6-year-old he's working with. Not every magician has the personality or stage persona to pull it off, but it certainly is not at the expense of the child. |
Smoke & Mirrors Special user 506 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-01-07 10:12, Tony James wrote: I agree with that. But I have to wonder where magic was at then. I know magic dates way back, but on-stage, on-air performances in America in the early 50's...had we really planned out the psychology behind volunteerism yet? At the same time, look how he entertained hundreds with a few coins and a paper hat, and made it memorable at the same time. We can learn a lot from this clip in good and bad ways, I think. |
Starrpower Inner circle 4070 Posts |
I think there's more psychology there than you give him credit for. I'll bet the kid on stage sees it VERY differently than the audience. Flosso is actually kind to the helper, albiet in a seemingly brusk way. I'm glad you posted this -- it's really a fantastic piece.
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Jeff Haas Special user 929 Posts |
I don't think Marshall takes Al Flosso seriously, he's kind of amused by him. It's sort of like having one of your older relatives goof around with you in a good-natured way. Notice how Al makes the goofy hat out of paper and wears it himself instead of putting it on the kid.
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Starrpower Inner circle 4070 Posts |
Yes, Jeff, you're exactly right! Flosso's a goofy guy who pokes fun at himself as much as the kid.
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Kent Wong Inner circle Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2458 Posts |
I may be mistaken, but I don't recall Flosso doing a lot of children's birthday parties. He performed a great deal at Coney Island when it was really popular (thereby earning his name as the Coney Island Fakir). It was a quick set that was repeated quite often each day, with some really strange "geek" acts being main features. The people who attended these types of performances would not be the typical "birthday party" attendees that we think of today.
The act developed from a detailed understanding of his audience, his venue and his character. For instance, if you take a look at the volunteer in the video, you notice how much he literally towers over Flosso. In those circumstances, it was impossible for Flosso to talk down to anybody, and it would have been impossible for any such volunteer to feel embarassed or intimidated by him. I understand that, during his Coney Island days, the miser's dream would have been the climax of Flosso's show (where he was often called the King of Koins). As such, his playful yet edgy character would have long been established before any child took the stage as a volunteer. Even after Coney Island, Flosso tended to perform for adults, and only those clients that could afford to pay him. I've read that Flosso always demanded a dollar more than any other magician ever hired to perform at that venue. On weekends, he would often be found performing at resorts in the Catskill Mountains. By then, his miser's dream routine had gained notorious success. But the success of the miser's dream in Flosso's hands was not due so much to the digital skill of the magician (although he was extremely adept at coin sleights), but by the character driving the effect. So, although I agree that Flosso's character would not be appropriate for most birthday parties or children's events today, it was perfectly adapted for his performing character and the venues in which he chose to perform it. Kent
"Believing is Seeing"
<BR>______________________ <BR> <BR>www.kentwongmagic.com |
magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
Thanks for finding that clip, Aaron, I found it very enjoyable. His voice reminded me of W.C.Fields. I liked the structure of the routine bringing the coin wand in near the end but wasn't completely sure about the final productions.
I agree with Starrpower and Kent's take on this 100%. He's a family entertainer and the volunteer was a teenager. Within these parameters his execution of "volunteerism" (admit it S&M, you made that word up!) seemed entirely appropriate. George |
Stevethomas Inner circle Southern U.S.A. 3728 Posts |
That clip is almost exactly the same as what he did as a guest on "Magicland", Dick Williams' LONG running TV show out of Memphis, Tennessee.
Steve |
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