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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
I am a real hack in the workshop, but I managed to build a Flea Circus based on Walt Noon's video and book. The only tools I used were an electric drill, a jigsaw, a $9 saw that came with a plastic miter box, a Dremel tool, a couple of screwdrivers, a pair of metal shears, scissors, and Exacto knife. A friend with a drill press helped out on some of the precision drilling. I also used a lot of epoxy putty (over three pounds!), E-6000, carpenter's glue, Gorilla glue, and velcro. I went through a serious amount of spray primer, flat black, gesso, and acrylic. I just did the debut performance on April 30, and it went great!
I am so proud that I'm about to bust! Have a look at some pictures. Yours, Paul |
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Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
Your circus is beautiful, a real work of art. The only problem is, no matter how much I blow up the picture, I can not see the fleas? (g)
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
Looks very nice Doc!
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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rtgreen Inner circle Portland, Oregon 1322 Posts |
Quote:
On 2005-05-09 15:29, Cliffg37 wrote: Do you know how difficult it is to convince a flea to sign a model release to have it's picture published? No wonder Doc left them out. Richard |
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funny_gecko Elite user 436 Posts |
What is a flea circus?
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MagicMan1957 Inner circle 1445 Posts |
Paul,
I,ve always wanted one of these...by any chance will you make a video of the flea circus in action?.... I,ve never seen one actually in use. |
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Wizzard Veteran user 322 Posts |
WOW!!! Am I impressed. With all the "Love, Sweat and Tears" you have produced a true winner. I applaud you Sir! The faces on your Audience are pricless!
Much continued success with your Troupe! Regards, Wizzard
It's never the wand, it's always the magician
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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
Thanks all for your kind words!
funny_gecko, a Flea Circus, in my case, is an Extraordinary Entomological Exhibition in which Trained Fleas Execute Acts of Skill and Daring! These go way back, please see: Ricky Jay Jay's Journal of Anomalies Ballantine Wild Tigers and Trained Fleas MagicMan, I might make a video, but I would defer to Walt Noon. You can get his video or DVD from Stevens Magic Emporium or directly from Walt Noon. Not only do you see performance, but you also get all the details on construction. Yours, Paul |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
It's been so long since I have seen a Flea Circus, but they are fun, and you certainly have done a bang-up job on making it!
I applaud your dedication to breathing a new life into these old gems for what is obviously a very entertained audience. On behalf of your construction prowess, I am going to link to this thread from pmzz.org. The guys will love this! ~michael
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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rtgreen Inner circle Portland, Oregon 1322 Posts |
I think it is in "The Circus" that Charlie Chaplin does a complete flea circus act. It is a very strange scene because he wanted the laughs to come from the audience, just like in live theater, so he has no sound effects and only quiet music. It makes the act have an almost creepy quality.
Thanks, Richard |
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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
Richard,
It is a very strange act. Most people do it with a lot of jokes, but Dr. Wilson doesn't use jokes. I read all the books and watched a bunch of Cirque du Soleil videos (including the documentary footage) to try to get the feeling of the circus in the script. One of my favorite bits of flea circus history is that for a while, the outside talker at Hubert's in Times Square was no less a person than T.A. Waters, author of Mind, Myth and Magic. One of the books on the act is The Famous Flea Act by Tom Palmer, aka Tony Andruzzi and Masklyn ye Mage. So either the act is bizarre or it drives the impresario into further depths by its sheer weirdness. By the way, Bill Ballantine's book is Wild Tigers and Tame Fleas. Yours, Paul |
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rtgreen Inner circle Portland, Oregon 1322 Posts |
I also seem to remember Tony Randall telling a story about how he got interested in show business by sneaking into a theater in NY to watch a flea circus. I wonder if this was the same place T.A. Waters worked (at a different time, of course)
Someone on the Café is selling a copy of the Tom Palmer book. I was thinking of getting it. How is it? Thanks, Richard |
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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
Richard,
I love the Tom Palmer book. I got it from Misdirections for $10. If nothing else, it will give you the confidence to use extremely simple methods, which allows you to concentrate on performance. Hubert's operated in Times Square for a long time. The performer described in the Ballantine book is the son of the former performer, so as far as I know there was one and only one flea circus in Times Square. Todd Robbins would know for sure. Yours, Paul |
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Outstanding Job Paul!
And it has its own website too! I'm sure it was both a lot of work and fun getting to this stage. I know you have to be proud. Congratulations! Keep us posted. Bob and Lucy Sanders Magic By Sander |
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Spellbinder Inner circle The Holy City of East Orange, NJ 6438 Posts |
I remember being fascinated by the Flea Circus in Times Square, NY when I was a kid. It was well worth the price of admission. Besides the Flea Circus, you also got to see the fire eater (that's where I met Everett Johnson, who became a regular at the old Mecca Magic Shop in East Orange, NJ, and who convinced me NOT to start on a career as a fire eater!), the woman who worked her body through what appeared to be a 12 inch ring from a linking ring set, and various other bizzare acts and carnival illusions including a Pepper's Ghost lady to gorilla transformation.
Seeing your wonderful reconstruction took me right back to all those days, and for that I thank you. It was well worth the price of admission (an old joke from those days).
Professor Spellbinder
Professor Emeritus at the Turkey Buzzard Academy of Magik, Witchcraft and Wizardry http://www.magicnook.com Publisher of The Wizards' Journals |
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Viano Regular user 110 Posts |
I have thought about it for years. Walt's video is in my collection. The missing ingredient was the confidence to preceed. You have inspired me to actually do it.
Thanks. Rich |
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llsouder Regular user 114 Posts |
Wow, that is really cool.
I just searched with google and there realyy is not much else out there on the web about the Flea Circus. |
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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
Thanks again, everyone. There are several performers getting a lot of mileage out of flea circuses, they just don't have much on the web about it. One of the top performers is Adam Gertsacov of the Acme Miniature Circus in Providence, RI:
http://www.trainedfleas.com/ Prof. Gertsacov has written a book on Rhode Island, A to Z, developed a one-man show on the life of P.T. Barnum, organized Bright Night (a New Year's Eve Arts Festival in Providence), and many other worthy endeavors. I have also corresponded by email with David Hira, a hard-working pro who has some excellent ideas about using the flea circus to add extra value and make extra money from his performances. His site is: http://www.amazingfleas.com/pages/1/index.htm Even a quick look at these pages will show you that it is possible to take several different approaches to the performance. As always, it is best to develop an approach that suits your style and personality. Yours, Paul |
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funny_gecko Elite user 436 Posts |
So is it actually fl;eas? or is it a gag / joke
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GuySavoie Loyal user Tampa, FL 242 Posts |
Both, or either!
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