My full respect for all his work.

I received the pom poms, cup holder and balls in the mail from James Tong last week. Everything came out perfect. I can't believe it was done just like I wanted. I gave the dimensions of the cups to him by PM. I see he paid close attention to the exact size I needed. I was nervous at first. He even showed me an email picture to make sure I was satisfied before he sent it to me. I even received the props in the mail sooner than I expected.

I really like his quality of material and skills. Everything looks as if it was purchased straight out of a box from a Macy's store.

Every morning I wake up, I rush over to practice the Tommy Wonder routine. I have been spending so much time practicing, which is why my daily post are decreasing.

Thanks to everyone who preferred James. Especially thanks to you, James. I want to say a lot more concerning the quality, but I'm sorry, I still need time for more practice.

Peace,

Dynamike

Dynamike,

What cups are you using?

-Scott M

The manufacture of the cups is "Sunil Batra." The cups are copper. The mouth of a cup is 2 1/2 inches (6.35 centimeters). From the top to the bottom the cup is 3 inches (7.62 centimeters). And the cups have only one ring in the middle.

Thanks, Dynamike, for your kind words. I am really glad you like the set.

You are welcome for doing a fascinating job.
http://www.uniquemagicballs.com/products......ine.html

(the cups shown in the photo are not mine)

Dynamike...

A beautiful set up!

The bag looks large...will it do what Wonders routine requires...being a load?

-Scott M

I should have edited the post...these are not your cups...duh!

Regardless, does your bag fit in well for a load?

-Scott M

For a few months, Tommy Wonder sold sets of cups with pompoms, bag, etc. He used a regular copper Morrissey cup. The Morrissey cups of that vintage had the perfect height and diameter ratio.

There is a photo of one of these sets in the Museum.

I think I remember seeing an add in a (then) current magic magazine...can't recall what it was. I remember thinking it was a bunch of money back then.

But the possibility of doing his routine with that set up would have been a dream for me back then and still to this day. I just LOVE his routine.

The memories of his routine and cups bring a sense of awe to me.

So, I will pursue getting this current set up, as I do not want to pass up another chance!

-Scott M

Yes. All it takes is misdirection and sleight of hand.

I guess with enough misdirection and sleight of hand practice I could get a Tiny Tata in a cup. (do a search).

:)

-Scott M.

This routine (which I learned from Tommy's books) plays better for magicians and those laymen that have seen some magic (IMHO). I was destroying magicians with it up until the videos came out - then the surprise elements of the routine (the pompom off the bag in the cup, the bag in the cup) weren't surprises anymore. Not a lot of people do the routine, but a lot of magicians are aware of it now.

Now you're thinking. That will put the audience in deep suspense. Let us know how you're doing another ten years from now.

The bag doesn't have to be knit: try felt. Making a large pompom is also very simple using two round pieces of cardboard with a hole in the center of the size of a silver dollar. The magnetic part is also a no brainer.

Don't get discouraged, but you'll need a longer time for performing the routine properly than to make the props.

However you did a very good choice of routine.

Thank you, and it was all because I asked myself, "What will Bill Palmer do?"

By the way, you can get pom poms at Michael's and then glue a twist turn fastener to it and sow the other end of the fastener to the bag's string.

I have created my own bag but that is the least of my problems. I just have not had the time I need to work on that routine which requires an incredible amount of misdirection.

I personally prefer Tommy Wonder's routine over traditional three cup routines for precisely the reason he talks about on the DVD. The two ball routine is much easier for a lay person to follow from the perspective of the plot. I find most three ball routines to be confusing. Also, there is usually no real reason for the third cup. Little balls travel from cup to cup or pass through cups and you really only need two cups to get those concepts across.

I do think however that a big production (baseball, lemon, apple etc) would still be a nice addition to that routine. I know that Tommy Wonder did not want that as he wanted everything to be self contained as the routine was created in the 70's when pants were tight and putting a load in your pocket would have been obvious. But if you have room in your pockets, I think that the production of a previously unknown large object is still a nice finish.

Tgold65,

I don't think the confusion, that you find to exist in most three cup routines, is the fault of the routine, but the performer. You are right there is no reason for the third cup. Performers, from time immemorial, who've used three cups:

Miller, Vernon, Bosco, Ammar, Kaps, Malini . . . (there are a few more), didn't know what they were doing. They should've used two cups, like you think.


Most people doing the cups and balls today fall into a couple of copyist categories.

1. They're doing a watered down version of the routine in the Dai Vernon Book of Magic.

2. They're doing a watered down version of Ammar's routine.

Both of those sequences are long, for a close-up magic trick and require a master's skill level to present well. People who copy the work of others, slavishly, tend to draw a vacuum as performers. A blessed few can infuse these two routines with panache and originality. The majority are simply hacks without the presentational abilities to attempt such a tour-de-force.

I think the number of cups one uses is a personal matter. I know a two cup routine is easier to block, present and perform. The ease does not mean better. It's just as easy to dream up a crummy two-cup routine as it is a crummy three-cup routine.

I too was immeasurably entertained by Tommy Wonder's routine. I hold him and that beautiful piece of magic in the highest possible regard. I think if his routine held the sway of copy-cat artists the other two routines did . . . you'd be swearing by chop cup routines.

I cannot present a three cup routine of anyone else's construction very well. I can barely get through my own routine without inducing confusion. It is a trick, steeped deeper in tradition than any other. Three cups is a beautiful thing. There really is something, to me, far more magical with three, than two.

I do think a chop cup routine is a great place to start. Moving up to a two cup routine next is also a good idea. I think the vast majority of close-up magicians are not willing to think through all the necessary steps to present a routine with three cups well.

It ain't that third cup's fault though!

I think the moment when the two end balls both vanish and appear with the third ball is worth toting the third cup. There is an inherent beauty in well-done three cup routines. Again, this is my opinion. I got off on a rant and still 90% agree with your post, but:

Tommy Wonder's routine is a thing of true magic. I would never dream of second-guessing Tommy Wonder's routining. The production of something outside the props he used would be criminal. Please don't do that to his routine!

Buy a set!

LOL. Good one, Bill.