Thanks, Levent, for the George F. Wright info.

Looking forward to your completed DVD set on the Multiplying Balls.

Levent,

You do know we are all standing here with bated breath like a bunch of giddy schoolgirls at a Jonas Brothers concert waiting for the finished product. I will be one to admit to being a part of that group and proud of it!

I have thoroughly enjoyed your post on the production of your billiard ball video.

When do you think you would have the finihed product out?

4:00 PM

Back to work from the late Lunch break.

I must say that I LOVED doing the Ade Duval routine. It uses 7 golf balls and one shell. No hard moves and really entertaining and a real fooler. I can't think of a faster way for a person to do an eight ball routine, without busting the fingers. It's done while talking and seems to me to be a perfect routine for kid-show performers. Ade Duval was such a fine entertainer and really a terrific magician.

Next up will probably be Richard Ross' fire to ball followed by the expanding double color changing ball bit...

Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com

Is the ball gimmick that Richard Ross used in his routine still available? I have looked around and have not been able to find it.

David

Levent,
Where do Lewis Ganson's routines fit in?

Jim

D/wing - Levent's stuff is a gift for now and for those who follow. This man deserves being knighted by our Queen. I'm with you.

Dave

Any video on Ade Duval?

7:45 PM Taking a short dinner break.

Shot about 2 hours of footage today.

After I completed the Ade Duval routine I shot my Multiply-Diminish-Expanding Golfball routine.

Did the Benson Ball Box.

Jon Evan's Ball on Silk.

My flash Ball opener

And then rapped it up with the late Richard Ross' fire to ball to expanding double color change.

Must eat now and then plenty to shoot tonight.

Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com

Darkwing: The DVD should be completed rather quickly.

Also the gimmicked ball you are referring to is the Durania Ball by Werner Geissler (AKA Werry) which Richard Ross demonstrated in his lecture and on the Joe Stevens video he did in the 1980s. I don't own a set of durania balls, but I do explain a bit of how they work on the DVD.

The Richard Ross ball routine I recorded today was the ball trick which the late Mr. Ross actually did in his professional stage act. Richard was a hero of mine and I just don't see him getting enough credit these days, so I included this bit from his act as a sort of tribute to the man.

-------------

JamesInLA

I am aware of Ganson's 4 & 8 ball routines, but I did not think they were appropriate for this DVD set. But I was considering including his color changes. If time allows I will revisit my notes and look at his routines again.

----------------

DaveAndrews

Not being a British Subject, a knighthood would not be proper. But if Her Majesty would like to give me some cash: I will make arrangements to accept British Pounds via PayPal

-----------------

MarkMiller

Yes there is video of Ade Duval and I learned his routine by watching him perform the trick. Sadly, I was shown the video by a collector who asked that I do not pass it on and since it comes from a TV broadcast, I do not have the rights to include it on my DVD set.

11:00 PM

Stopped shooting for the night. So far I have filled nine hour long tapes of footage.

Too physically exhausted to continue performing.

Decided to get a cool drink, lean back in my chair, play Glenn Gould's "Goldberg Variations" lightly in the background and begin editing the footage from day one...

Good night all!

Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com

Levent,

Take a break for goodness sakes. You deserve it. Good choice on the music, one of my favorites.

10:30AM

Back at the studio.

I am trying to make this the last day of shooting.

First up is the Roy Benson routine.

It's funny I needed a pack of all white menthol cigarettes for the Benson routine. I bought a pack of Kool's for $5 and it had the brown filters on it. So I just used that pack for rehearsal's.

I then contacted my pal Paul Kozak (as he is a smoker) and asked him if there was an all white brand of menthol cigarettes.

So Paul told me that he knew of only one brand that fit the bill. Here's the punch line: "it was Benson & Hedges".

One more thing, I'll be using Roy Benson's original music for the ball routine (which Benson actually wrote himself).

Best regards to all,
Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com

12:50 PM

Holy Cow!

By some miracle, I was able to do Roy Benson's entire cigarette & ball routine in sync with his original music in a one take, straight through without having to stop. I'm guessing that I probably built up enough muscle memory when writing "Roy Benson By Starlight" to make this possible.

Now I must reset the props and teach his routine...

Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com

P.S. Unfortunately, because of the lit cigarettes, my studio now smells like a speakeasy...

Hi Levent!

It occurred to me that we didn't talk about Maurice Rooklyn and the techniques found in" Spherical Sorcery and Recollections of a Pro". Are they a subject for inclusion for the DVD?

Also, thanks for a good suggestion for the "SIlken Billiard's" over in the silk forum. I'l be periodically introducing some rarely seen or discussed silk plots for the enthusiasts in that forum.

All best wishes-
JNeal

Hi JNeal:

I'm not crazy about the "handwashy" aspects of some of Rooklyn's work. But a few days ago I did shoot about five or six of his moves that I thought were really terrific.

Finished lunch and now it's time to shoot some more footage...

Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com

I agree, his routine does not appeal to me , but some of those moves....

3:00 PM

Entire Benson routine and explanation is done.

Must go out to get more blank tape.

I can't believe I shot 10 hours of footage!

Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com

Levent,
You are in the grove right now. I say keep going and let it become as long as it wants to be because you know what it takes to get back in that situation/state with so many balls in the air. No pun intended.

Jim

Hi Levent
I wish you could get a permission to include Cardini, Benson and Duval`s clips on your DVD set. That would be really great.
Did you cover unique Tommy Wonder routine with 8 "balls" or very original routine Jan Crosby performed in early 70 ies. His use of cummerbund servante to vanish 4 balls one by one is outstanding. In 1982 there was a japanese girl who performed on FISM using 2 Durania balls and that looked like real magic. Can`t recall her name.

Best,
Bojan

6:30 PM

The question now is which routine to do next? Paul Potassy's 8 Ball or Cardini's 8 Ball routine?

The real question is do I want to wear a moustache and a monocle for the next few hours?

Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com

Bojan: Yes it's too bad we can't show the Duval & Benson routines! As far as I know, there is no video of Cardini doing his full 8 ball routine. Just a few seconds of film here and there of little bits.

I had to put on my manipulation detective hat to recreate the entire routine. I showed the rehearsal video of me doing the Cardini routine to Charles Reynolds, Johnny Thompson who both saw Cardini do it live and they both thought I nailed it.

7:00PM

I'm cleaning my monocle as we speak!

Levent
http://www.LeventMagic.com