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winslow17 New user 2 Posts |
In the mid-1970s, as a budding card magician, I used to hang out Saturday afternoons at Tannen's shop, up on the 17th floor of a old, show-biz building on Broadway in Times Square, NYC. It was a very special place, its intense scene topped only by the one that materialized at The Governor, a Caféteria where magicians gathered each Saturday after Tannen's closed, mid-afternoon. That was an old-style NYC Caféteria on Broadway at 39th St. (last I looked, it was a Duane Reade drugstore), of a kind that has disappeared from that city. One distinguishing characteristic: You'd pull a ticket from a machine as you entered; as you ordered your stuffed cabbage or cheesecake or coffee, the man behind the counter would punch this ticket; and as you left, a woman sitting in a booth at the exit would interpret the punch marks and collect the appropriate amount of money - a scheme still in use only at Katz's Deli, down on Houston St. The magicians would meet at the back of this place, which on Saturdays was pretty empty. It was at the edge of the garment district, and I remember seeing men there with tatoos on their arms, from the Nazi concentration camps of WW2.
Anyway, often enough, Harry Lorayne would show up at Tannen's on many Sat. afternoons, sometimes making his way behind the counter and performing for us all. (I actually made some photographs of one of these moments, one of which he has used as the back cover of his Classic Collection book.) At some point (1973), Harry came out with his book Rim Shots, which I dutifully purchased and began to work my way through. (Lorayne was my main man.) And at some point, during one of his ad hoc performances at Tannen's, he revealed to some of us that the book itself is gimmicked. I am NOT talking about the torn card that shows up on the front and back of the book , though that is something to be made use of. No, the gimmick I recall has to do with the text inside the book - a certain hidden pattern that one can use for some quite startling effects. Now, 3 decades later, I cannot recall exactly what the gimmick is. I have looked with some determination, but cannot find it. I remember more or less the gimmick's concept but not its exact details. Does anyone else here remember this gimmick? Will Harry Lorayne perhaps help us out? Has he revealed the secret in his Classic Collection book? Or is this one of those secrets that he plans to keep to himself? |
Harry Lorayne 1926 - 2023 New York City 8558 Posts |
The 21st word of the start of EVERY article in the book is the word "that"! That's the secret. Best - HARRY LORAYNE.
[email]harrylorayne@earthlink.net[/email]
http://www.harrylorayne.com http://www.harryloraynemagic.com |
Gary Dayton Special user New Jersey 542 Posts |
Harry,
I thought you were going to say he needs your memory course I remember Tannen's back then. My Dad used to bring me there on occassional Saturdays (we lived in Connecticut, so we couldn't get there all that often). I have many fond memories, including having a few "sessions" with Frank Garcia -- that was a real joy for a young kid in love with magic. |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The workers » » Lorayne's Rim Shots - the gimmick? (0 Likes) |
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