Hard to believe but Don's usual supplier has Svengali decks on back order and does NOT know when they will be in. A couple of months "maybe". WELL!!!!

Looks like F*n, Inc. is gonna get an order from me after all, even tho they are .87 in 2 gross lots, compared to .60 from the other guy. AND are not put together AND have a very generic box. Oh, well. Life ain't fair, ya know! Now I REALLY gotta do WORMS!! ;-)

Jon

Try S.S.Adams Jon http://www.ssadams.com

Hey Jon, looks like you "drained the well" over at Loftus . . . how about leaving a few tips for the rest of us?

Anyhow, it's hard to believe that they would be out of such a basic item, and for such a long time. Even though the "other" decks are a bit more, I think you'll be happy with them. Please let us know how they compare. SETH

Just ordered my 1st gross from SS Adams. Thanx, Don. Their price is only $0.10 more than Loft*s but shipping is a little less. Dave is a very friendly guy.

Now about those worms....

Jon

Jon,
Right now,call S.S.Adams back and order worms..."take the plunge"

I think you'll like this deck better and your D.L. will be easer.Do report back once you get them.

Don

There was a question about S.S. Adams on Jeopardy last week .
Category of American Inventors.

All you had to do was read my other post

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=192&0

Later,Don

OK Don. Listened to your interview today and it FINALLY sank in.

If I make the Svengali DVDs, I have to spend 15 minutes each AND they cost me about 50 cents ea. If I sell the worms, they cost about the same and I don't have to make 'em. And I can sell the cards and worm for the same price as the cards and DVDs.

AND I can use that 15 minutes I saved to go grind cards and make some more Svengalis. (JOKING!!)

So I ordered 10 doz. worms from SS Adams. NOW I gotta break out the old Svengali/worm DVD and learn the worms. And buy a couple of Seth's multicolored shirts.

So why didn't someone tell me this 6 months ago? The question is, what do I do NOW with 100 blank DVDs and cases?

Don't worry, at the rate I learned the Svengalis, I'll have this worm pitch down (as John Wayne says in "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon",) "....in about 10 or 12 years...".

Jon

Hey Jon, the blank DVD's would make nice drink coasters, not sure what you can do with the jewel cases -- maybe you can trade them in at Sears for a couple of loud plaid shirts?

Good luck with the worms, I think they will work out well for you. And try using that Kevlar IT, it's about the best stuff I've found for demoing the worms and really holds up. BTW, I just tie the opposite end of the IT to a large paper clip and slip it onto my shirt about an inch below my waist apron. Easy on, easy off, and a very secure anchor that won't slip around or come loose during the day.

BTW, how were the S.S. Adams pitch decks? Looking at the back design, I think they are the same ones offered by FUN, Inc.; if so, they are pretty good. SETH

Seth said:

"BTW, how were the S.S. Adams pitch decks? Looking at the back design, I think they are the same ones offered by FUN, Inc.; if so, they are pretty good"

Seth Fun Inc and S.S.Adams split a container from China so they are the very same deck.

Don

So one is .70 and one is .87 and they are the same cards? Hmmmmm wonder which I'll buy next time if Lo**us STILL doesn't have any?

Jon

Fun Inc has a minimum of I believe $500 S.S.Adams dosen't have any minimum.

Don

Actually, we have a minimum $250 order for first-time customers. Subsequent orders are $100 minimums.

If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at john@funinc.com or at (773) 745-3837.

Sincerely,
John Sturk
Project Coordinator
FUN Incorporated

Thanks, Don, that's what I thought. They are decent quality, good instructions, and good packaging. The decks aren't collated, but that gives the buyers something to do! SETH

Jon, I meant to tell you that in my experience, the big secret to the worm pitch is to keep that worm MOVING.

I used to just keep the worm sitting on the pitch table, and only demoed it after I had stopped someone with a question like "Have you met my friend, Willie the Magic Worm?" I felt this would be an effective routine, because I would go from a totally still worm to a suddenly very active one.

While this might have been true from a "trick" standpoint, it was totally wrong from a "pitch" standpoint. As Don Driver has emphasized time and again, being a pitchman and being a magician are two very different things. (But it is also true that pitching will make you a better magician, because of the constant performing and polishing of one or two effects, and the experience in dealing with people.)

Now, I always have the worm in constant motion over the backs of my hands (crawling sideways from left to right and back again). This is a simple but very showy and mystifying move, and believe me, it literally stops people dead in their tracks. And once I draw a good tip, I can go smoothly right into the full routine with the cups, the kiss, the double somersault, climbing up the ladder, jumping through the hoop, etc. This has proven to be MUCH more effective.

Keep that worm in motion, and you will have no problems with building tips. Please let us know how you are doing with it, and if "Willie" is earning his pay! SETH

Jon...now you can tell people like I do. When someone ask "what do you do at the flea market" say "I take my worm out and play with it all day "

Don

Good one, Don!

BTW, that was the other problem with my original line -- a few slightly warped people took it a bit too literally and made jokes that were not, shall we say, "family-friendly" or "G-rated". SETH

Sethb,

Where/how did you learn your worm technique?

Opus,

The worm pitch/moves is on my Svengali pitch DVD.

Don

"I take my worm out and play with it all day"? Sure!! I'll be saying THAT a lot! But I am eager to get on with the worm. Seth, I REALLY appreciate your help. I WILL let EVERYone know my progress or NON progress. Heck, I may become a carny yet!

I watched Don's DVD umpteen times yesterday and played (can't say "practiced") with a fuzzle I bought several years ago. As you might imagine, I'm not a pro yet and I haven't bought the rope to make ITs with either. But I will.

I think I've mentioned here that I also have the tape from the guy in TN. His demo is a little longer than Don's and I've seen a couple of other people actually pitching the worm at shows. So between all the info and help, I'm sure I'll get it down......someday..... (Remember, I'm 112 years old!)

If I understand your DVD, Don, you show the worm first, then segway into the cards. I'm just afraid I won't be able to hold their attention long enough to do both, tho I'm gonna try. Maybe by spring....or summer...or 2010....or.....

Jon