Hi,

I'm attempting to help Phil Willmarth in his effort to write a book about Irv and his magic.

If you have any anecdotes, stories, or quotes about Irv, please send them to my email below.

Also any video (Phil has the birthday party video) would be really helpful. In much earlier posts people have said there is some video "out there", but none has materialized. Any rare manuscripts that could be borrowed would be helpful, but Irv gave most of what he had to Phil, so that might be covered.

Any help would be appreciated.

Tom
tomgt8@comcast.net

I sure hope this happens. My Soft Dice disintegrated years ago! I am even more interested in the man himself, since from what I heard he was a wonderful storyteller, based on his own experience all over the world. I love guys like that whether they create and perform magic or not! A true raconteur and man of the world.

I saw him at a college show and remember too much to write here. If interested, call me some day after noon, west coast time.

I had stopped to visit Ralph Erlewine in Big Rapids, Michigan, about 40 years ago. Ralph was comptroller at Ferris University there. He said, after dinner we're going to see Irv Weiner at the college!

I had heard of Irv and his Red Tape Thumb Tie, but never met him. He carried his props in a case about 12" X 12" X 6 OR 8". He absolutely "killed" the college crowd. He did everything from the ancient "pulse stopping" to a very strong prediction. I can't remember details of the prediction, but it was great.

After the show, we went back to Ralph's home for coffee and a several hour session. All in all, one delightful evening!

I sent Phil a bunch of photos I took of Irv at a college show. Irv was a master showman and entertainer. Most of his stuff was very simple but effective. He opened talking about his parents were both deaf. He learned to sign early on. Hence the name.."Mr. Fingers". He would open up with arm stretching and other similar stunts. Then he did a great sponge ball routine with a spectator. He often closed his college show by doing a prediction in a sealed can that he had mailed ahead. He would have the event head bring the can and a can opener to the the show. Of course, his red tape tie was also a great routine. He was the number one college entertainer for many, many years. He was very animated on stage and infectious with the joy he had in performing.

It used to be I could make a steady diet of catching all the college acts in the area. Guys like Irv, Richard Aimes, Charles Greene, Gil Eagles, Denny and Lee, Landis Smith, Craig Karges, and so many others. All them were free and great shows. Probably still going one just don't have the time to go and see them all anymore. Look for the welcome week for freshman or sibling weekends.

He used to close by 'signing' to the audience, which was a callback to earlier references to his parents. I saw him twice on the college circuit and other than his small prop case , the only other stage furniture used was a folding card table. He totally controlled the crowd.

I agree..He was one of a very select few performers who could truly command a crowd with very little but his talent.

Hello evryone, I am Irv Weiner's daughter, Cheryl. I have a head full of stories, an attick full af magic and albums of photos. This book was planned to be written by Phil in 1996. He met with Dad and Mom and agreed to the book and unfortunatly it took many years. Dad passed in 1999 and we contacted Phil about the book. I wanted the book out first for Dad to see and then for Mom. She was diagnosised with Alzhiemer's in 2002 and passed in 2008. While I very much want to see the book complete I want myself and my brother involved. The contract Phil has is null and he should be in contact with me if he is to write this book. I am not looking for money but he best represtation of Dad as he is remembered on this site. A grand magician who could hold an audiance in the palm of his hand with his talent and his heart.

Hi tictoc1958, please check your PM.

I would like to know if the project of a book on the magic of Irv Weiner is still topical ? I love his trick "triple transposition" and I would like to know more about him. Thank you in advance.

The book that Phil Wilmarth was working was passed to a person in Boston who was able to contact Irv's family and get hold of a ton of material. Not sure what's happening now.

Ok... I do like the book on Matt Schulien by Phil Willmarth. I hope the project is in good hands...Thank you for the informations.

I loved the way he engenered a prediction from a sealed can using a can opener that didn't quite work.
And who could forget the Red Tape Tie?

Classic.

Hello all. We have the book in the works. It will include his life story, mostly written by him, lecture notes, manu-secrets, etc.

Cheryl Weiner Lekousi

Great news, a book like this is long overdue.

Looking forward to it.

Any update on this? Is there a mailing list to receive updates?

Last I heard, it was in the proofreading phase, but that was a while ago.

Here is a copy and paste of a comment I wrote a while ago about Irv.

I saw Irv's show a number of times at the school at which I taught. He would stop at my house after the shows to talk magic. A very nice and knowledgeable man. He would perform teaser magic in the Caféteria at lunch for the students to build the audience for his evening show and to do "pre-show" work as well. He did some very strong close-up magic. (His rendition of R.C. Buff's "Paper Napkin Vanish" from MY BEST was terrific and fooled the heck out of me the first time I saw it. He also did a number of very clever card effects with daub.) His evening show was wonderful. He could really entertain. One of his show stoppers was to stop his pulse while the school nurse was taking his pulse. He then had his pulse play yankee-doodle while she kept time with her other hand. He also wiped the blood from one of his hands, so that one hand looked completely white and the other blood red. Then at the count of three the blood would rush back into his white hand. This looked stunning with a spotlight on him. He also did Annemannn"s "Painless Chirurgery" from the Jinx (I think, it is also on page 483 of the Max Abrams Annemann book.) and finished with the needle through the arm. For high school students this sequence was a knockout, and this was just a small part of a full evening of entertainment. Irv did perform the red tape thumb tie and the floating egg in one of his shows at my request. I am pretty sure you can find the red tape thumb tie at Steven's Magic.
Regards,
Barry Moran

Recently I came across a file I had of Irv's promotional pieces that he sent when he performed at my school. He was a good promoter, businessman, and a very good performer.
Regards,
Barry

Hello everyone. Cheryl Weiner here. Dad's book is still in the works but keeps hitting bumps. We have it in edit and have a publisher. I guess we need a bit of magic to get it completed but please don't give up on us. I love reading statements about my father. He could indeed command a large audiance with a few items, a deck of cards, a rope, a newspaper, and his stories. He loved his audience and that helped him connect.