You might consider remaking the illusion with one (or more) of these:
http://www.tinkertots.com/finmulcol6ft.html

You could get the same effect, but with none of the weight. If you want the separateness of the tires, you could make a stack of play tunnels of different colors, that all Velcro together.

The idea of the illusion was to use local tire dealer's tires for advertising. They should be real tires if you want the lay public to think they are just tires.

Richard

I have seen an illusionist perform something like this with racing tires. It looked amazing. The tires from Blackstone are for sale. Just contact them...
EVI

There have been many methods used to accomplish this effect.

Blair Marshall
"ShaZzam!"

I was thinking a more urban feel with motorcycle tires. Themed accordingly. I will give Gay a call.

There was even an illusion with giant Lifesavers (candy) that was similar.

Blair Marshall
"ShaZzam!"

I saw this live years ago by Jr. Personally, if you had a REASON for tires (promotion for instance) I could see doing it. If NOT, then life savers, deformed giant records, the color fabric tubes someone else suggested, or some other round disk with hole would be as good or better. I always thought it odd that in this show of gorgeous props, there was a stack of tires.

I believe both Thurston and Blackstone Sr. did Vanishing Cars.

Blair Marshall
"ShaZzam!"

It was in book -- Modern Illusions by Tom Palmer page 12 Name----In Tire Vanish

Tom Palmer's method is not the same as the Blackstone but it would workd with some modifications.

Richard

As far as I know, there is a clip of harry jr. performing the tire illusion. I amnot familiar with harry sr. version, but I once spoke to dennis loomis about h doug henning and his daning hanky and he was so kind to tell me about "things that go bump in the night"...eventually, we discussed the tire illusion and also the floating light bulb. Dennis saw harry sr. perform both the illusions live several times... Harry jr. version of the tire illusion, seems not to be possible as what it really is. I just think: I am a magician, so, I would not do it like that...! but it worked indeed and so it was performed like it was.

I saw Harry Sr. do it at the old Davidson Theatre in Milwaukee in 1945. I was only 13, and had never seen an illusion show. It was a phenomenal effect to my young eyes!

Years later,after seeing Harry's show a number of times, and having talked with George Boston--and George Johnstone, I really appreciated it! Johnstone and I became good friends and he tipped a lot of information on Mr. B.'s show. Jay Marshall said that he watched it from the orchestra, the balcony and the gallery, from center, left and right, and he couldn't figure it!

The assistants on the show hated it! The tires were heavy!!! --and they didn't pack flat!!! The assistants had to stack the tires vertically on top of the "elephant tub". Old joke: an old assistant was asked if he had worked on the old Blackstone Show. He answered with a grin: "Sure I was on the Blackstone show! --Wanna see my truss?"

BTW...Harry Sr. worked it "in one"!

I only saw Harry Jr. do it once. It was in that show in England. It looked great! Well, everything that the Blackstones did looked great.

Hey! You "shoulda" seen the DUCK INN!!! --ask Nick Ruggiero!!! Nick was on the show the last couple of years. He was the "important" assistant for the Duck Inn!!!

I believe I have the only footage of Jr. doing the Ducks Inn. It took me three times watching to catch it.

Yes, Nick might "slip" and tell you about his part in the illusion .

Richard

I thought the Tire Illusion was published in the Marconic hard bound book. My copy is stored, can't look. Or maybe it was in an old Genii Magazine.

It is not in that book and to my knowledge the real work has never been published. As George explained it all to me, I realized how lucky I was to have this explanation and how typically "Blackstone" simple it was.

Richard

Yeah! That old man has been called the ZIEGFELD" of MAGIC, and I truly believe it.

I have a picture of Harry Sr., from an old souvenir program. It's Harry, a couple of girls, and a GOAT! I never saw him do it, but in talking with a few old geezers who did, it was CHUTZPAH 100%!!! I can't tip it here, 'cuz it'a an open forum, but, like the tires, and the duck inn, and the goose and burro from the drum, it was typical BLACKSTONE!!!

George Johnstone, besides the tires, had some neat stories about Harry's Indian Rope, and his LEVI. Nick Ruggiero has some great stories about his part in the duck inn.

Charles Reynolds told me one of the big secrets to the success of the illusion's PACING on the Blackstone Sr. show was that they used large, thin, Ford Model T type tires which were available in the 1920's and 30's. The tires are light and they can be rolled quickly across the stage. When Harry Jr. did it in his show (recreated with Charles' help) they used modern truck tires, which are bigger and heavier, so the pacing of the illusion was much slower.

As a car collector, I told Charles that you can still buy new Model T style tires from Coker Tire in Tennessee. Of course they were all painted different colors for the illusion. As mentioned previously in this thread, motorcycle tires would also be good.

Here's a working link to Blackstone Jr's version of the Tire Illusion on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vatrjsADi1Q

I can see how this version works but I have no idea if it has the same method as Blackstone Snr's version.

I remember David Copperfield having a Blackstone Sr. Tire Illusion in his museum/whse.

Julie

It is the original Blackstone Tire illusion.
Richard