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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
You normally think of these guys as illusionists with tigers, but check out this. Siegfried's dove work is immaculate!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl......E#at=111
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Mark Boody Illusionist Inner circle 1366 Posts |
Wow!!!!
Thanks for sharing that piece of nostalgia. A truly a lost classic.
Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible. Frank L. Gaines
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
This kind of confuses the story Siegfried tells of how him and Roy got together. The story is that when Siegfried was on a ship to America, he met Roy who worked as a steward. They instantly fell in love and they traveled to Vegas. Siegfried instantly got a review job, and he and Roy became a duo act. Roy actually did perform magic at the same time Siegfried performed the same trick. Roy was not an assistant as this early video shows, but actually performing magic. I always thought it was a success story just to unbelievable, as it was very early, and before the big magic draw Vegas took to the highest degree.
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Herr Brian Tabor Special user Oklahoma City 729 Posts |
That was amazing!
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-07-08 23:27, Bill Hegbli wrote: Everything that I have seen regarding their work and their history was that Siegfried was the magician, Roy was the animal handler. This early piece suggests that Roy's inclusion in the act was gradual, and along those lines. Siegfried is obviously highly trained and practiced at the art of dove manipulation. Since Roy does not do such things in this clip, I suspect he was not. But, when they come to the Metamorphosis presentation, although they are performing together at the same time, Siegfried still plays the traditional role of the magician, and Roy plays the role most often taken by the assistant. At the conclusion, the magician emerges from the box to take the final spotlight. (The Pendragons changed that, with Charlotte initially locking Jonathan inside the box.) If you look at the direction that Siegfried & Roy's act went, it was always Siegfried waving the all powerful hands while Roy climbed in an out of the boxes... the role traditionally taken by box-jumper assistants. Of course they also got to the point where they both stood outside the box waving their arms while other assistants did the inside work, but I think their roles were still easily identified.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Ken Northridge Inner circle Atlantic City, NJ 2392 Posts |
All great magicians began as dove workers.
"Love is the real magic." -Doug Henning
www.KenNorthridge.com |
hugmagic Inner circle 7655 Posts |
I did not know Thurston, Blackstone, Dante, Kalanag were dove workers.....
Richard
Richard E. Hughes, Hughes Magic Inc., 352 N. Prospect St., Ravenna, OH 44266 (330)296-4023
www.hughesmagic.com email-hugmagic@raex.com Write direct as I will be turning off my PM's. |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-07-09 08:45, hugmagic wrote: Perhaps not in the sense we are thinking, but some of those guys tossed around small livestock like a tornado going through a hen house.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Regan Inner circle U.S.A. 5726 Posts |
They were certainly a remarkable team! I doubt there will ever be a magic duo that will match them. I wish they were still able to perform.
Mister Mystery
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
You know, one of the things I noticed right off the bat was how graceful Roy was onstage. If he was new(er) to performing, he was a FAST learner. Watch him in the opening shot. Also, their coordination with each other is very, very good. There are no wasted or off time moments. Here is a specific example... when Siegfried produces the dove from the white hanky (after the cigarette trick), he holds the dove and the hanky (et al) in the hand closest to Roy and he is looking directly at the audience. He does not have to look at Roy to hand off these things. Roy takes the dove in the same hand that he holds the red silk, and as soon as he has the dove, Siegfried's eyes and hand go to the red silk as Roy goes for the white hanky with his free hand. They don't have to both be looking at the same item during these transfers. Each knows exactly what he is doing at every step, and the action is seamless.
Aside from the technical skills of the sleights (which a lot of magicians will naturally focus upon), stuff like this is a great lesson in performing magic! Those are the kind of details that give a quantum leap boost to an act. Things like this are often not noticed for what they are on the surface, but it will register with an audience as far as how polished and professional one act can appear over another.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
Oliver Ross Inner circle Europe 1724 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-07-08 23:27, Bill Hegbli wrote: Bill, According to the book "Siegfried and Roy - Mastering the Impossible - The truth behind the magic" (I own the german edition of this book), Siegfried and Roy met on a ship, but didn't get straight to Las Vegas. "Once they've finished working on the ship for three years (enough time to put this act together), they worked in different theaters and nightclubs (even striptease clubs) in Germany and in Switzerland. They went on to France presenting their act in the Moulin Rouge in Paris and back to Geneva and other wintersports places. In Lausanne they met the owner of the Cabaret Tabaris who brought them to Monaco. After a few engagements in Monaco and the south of France, Passaboga and Madrid, they went back to Paris for an engagement in the Folies Bergère. It's in this moment that they decided to go to Las Vegas instead of working for the Lido in Paris. They started at the Tropicana. During this time they changed the end of the act (video link in above post) and Roy enjoyed for the first time the audience final applaus standing on stage next to Siegfried. Three month later they went back to Paris to work in the Lido, finally. During three years they were working over there." So overall it took them a lot of time to get to Las Vegas. They stayed in Las Vegas from 1970 working for the Stardust and the MGM. In 1989 The Mirage stepped out of the desert's ground for them, and Steve Wynn the owner, "committed" Siegfried and Roy to work there until 2003, year where this woderful story of magic turned into tragedy, unfortunately. Concerning the beginning of Roy : According to the book he wasn't a magician at all, but had a natural feeling with animals. By the way, the cat in the video is Roy's first leopard "Chico". Oliver. |
Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
Thanks Oliver, that is a great story, it is much different then the Genii Magazine of the time, and their interview they tell the story in a very short explanation. I try to piece things together, but I got it wrong. That was a great story.
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Oliver Ross Inner circle Europe 1724 Posts |
You're most welcome Bill.
Yes, their story is great. I had to overflow the pages of this big book a few times before posting my comment, but it gave me desire to reread the whole book again... The press always has to shorten long stories and maybe enhance them a little bit, like TV shows to keep us interested and not to skip to fast. And maybe Siegfried & Roy shortened their story in the Genii Magazine too much aswell, so that it would sound that they got to Las Vegas straight ahead from the boat. Anyway,... Even if it took them years to go to Las Vegas, I think their story still sounds like a fairy tale; a kind of wish every magician might have and wants to become true. Oliver. |
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