|
|
Daniel Ulzen Elite user Berlin/Germany 490 Posts |
I have used the Break-Away Wand maybe 3.000 times in my life - and still love this gag. Jeff McBride wants all magicians to stop to use this gag. I believe he is wrong and this gag wand makes the world a better place (if poerformed ok). Who invented the Break Away Wand? Today I wanted to know that and with the help of Google some answers came up quick. One website wrote:
"Ian Buckland invented the Breakaway Wand" https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/14566398779571593/ So far it seems this information is wrong and it was George Wetherald who inented the Break Away Wand: "This prop was invented by George Wetherald, and marketed by Abbott's as “The Brak-A-Wa Wand,” 1936. See The Sphinx, Vol. 35 No. 2, Apr. 1936, p. 71, and The Linking Ring, Vol. 16 No. 2, Apr. 1936, p. 117.“ https://www.conjuringcredits.com/doku.ph......way_wand Does anybody lnow for sure who invented this gag? Does anybody know why one website mentiones Ian Buckland? Does anybody know how this gag-wand was invented? Does anybody know how the first performance went? Who was the first person on earth having this wand in his hand? Mayby this person is still alive ... |
Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Danny Orleans wrote an e-book about the Breakaway Wand (and mentions his breakaway crayon prop, which I also use in my shows). He also talks about the history of the wand in the book, and when it first appeared in the Abbott's catalog (matches with the info you quoted from "Conjuring Credits").
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/amazekids/break-away/ Note - I contributed one of the ideas published in this e-book, but this is not an affiliate link. - Donald
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
|
Mark Boody Illusionist Inner circle 1366 Posts |
I wish Dick Oslund was still with us. I would love to hear his thoughts on this!
Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible. Frank L. Gaines
|
Russo Inner circle So.California / Centl.Florida / retired Florida 1165 Posts |
I've used the breakaway wand on the breakaway fan -( show the fan whole - give it to a young Vol.,closed and ready to open, broken) of course even Magician should look bewildered.
|
Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Danny Orleans (Vanishing Inc. / Amazekids) sells a nice breakaway fan. Tommy James also sells the same one.
See this thread: Professional Breakaway Fan - Donald
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
|
FrankFindley Inner circle 1028 Posts |
Bev Bergeron covered this in his article "Who Invented the Brak-A-Wa Wand and Other Jewels?" in The Linking Ring Vol. 97 No. 9 September 2017. Ian Bucklad didn't create it...he did the research and found that Wetherald created it.
"I was saved by Ian Buckland, who found the solution in the May 1936 issue of Abbott’s Tops magazine. It was an ad for the Brak-A-Wa Wand, created by George Wetherald. This is what Ian wrote in the Thayer Magic website: Wetherald of Rhode Island lived close to H. Adrian Smith. They put their heads together on quite a few magic classics. How can you not love the idea of these two card maestros becoming enchanted together with a wand that flops? That first night of the wand must have been a case of up, down, up, down for hours. Percy (Abbott) seems to have become sick of typing hyphens, and soon changed the name to BRAKAWA Wand. Dear me, that’s even worse. Buyers, unable to spell Brakawa, soon broke it away, and Breakaway Wand became the parlance in parlours. Before Percy Abbott could get a second ad out about the Breakaway Wand, he was being ripped off by other dealers." |
brainecho New user 2 Posts |
.
No Ian Buckland did not invent the Breakaway Wand. This is me, Ian. Some silly sausage of a man put that I did on a Pinterest site. Or an Instagram site … but who's counting? Nothing annoys me more than magicians putting ridiculously wrong information on sites like this very one. I did, however, dig hard into the history of this wonderful gag and Bev Bergeron on this page has kindly quoted something I believe I wrote on Phil's Thayer Magic site. And no, for other silly sausages, Thayer had nothing to do with this comedy classic. It was Abbott and I am now fortunate enough to have two of the very original Breakaway Wands as sold by Percy Abbott. The best has it's own crystal box where it sits in all of its black wooden, nickel-plated ends glory. I also have the 'normal' first white ended black one put out by Abbott's pre World War 2. Here is a picture of the original loveliness of the very first one sold. It's on my study floor in Melbourne, Australia. Please don't ask if you can buy it … it's broken and going back to the shop. Looks like I'm foiled again. The remarkably small allowance for images 75 kb has done me in though I have reduced this lovely picture to an idiotically tiny size and if you can see it, it's your unlucky day. Click here to view attached image. |
oagwood Veteran user Pleasant Hill, CA 392 Posts |
Ian, that image is good enough for me. I absolutely love it. Wouldn't want it, the darn thing is broken. That nickel plating makes it look amazing. Thank you for helping with the history and cleaning up the discussion.
|
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The little darlings » » History of the Break-Away Wand (2 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.03 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |