I bet you haven't seen this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxMVctFhO......=desktop

Actually, I have!

Ah, memories... perhaps one day I'll find a use for my copy of Deveen's "Expert Cigarette Magic".
But, not being a smoker... *sigh*

Does make me want a cup of black coffee and a highball, though.

Nice find, Michael!

Thanks a lot. Came across a low quality version of this the other day in my search for decent cigarette manipulation. The quality of this clip is amazing.

That's Suzy Wandas doing the cigarette manipulation, I think.

Larry S.

PS: Perhaps cigarette tricks will return now that we have E-cigarettes? A little harder to vanish using a TT, I suppose. -)

I'm guessing this is part of a full-length film. I'd like to track it down. Good catch on the ID, if that is Suzy Wandas. Although a bit redundant with the multiple productions, that was one heck of a load!

This is the second time I have seen a woman doing outstanding cigarette manipulation. The other was Kirstie Alley (although it may not have been her hand in the shot). It was just a quick production of a lit cigarette in an episode of The Hitchhiker.

Also good notation on the e-cigarettes. I am about to release a cigarette/smoke effect that I used to use many moons ago when I smoked and did a cigarette act. No doubt it will not be for everyone, especially in this day and age, but perhaps a few magicians will get some mileage from it.

Michael,
It's a "short subject", as they used to call them; a 20 minute film called "Starlit Days at the Lido". Here's the IMDB page for it:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0292700/
(Note that Suzy Wandas is not credited there.)

According to one of the reviews of it
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0292700/reviews
it's included as an extra on the Astaire/Rogers "Roberta" DVD as a bonus feature. I thought I'd seen it somewhere, but couldn't quite remember where.

Larry

Cool! Thanks. I'll look for it. I did a Google search for Suzy Wandas cigarette, and it is her.

It's not clear just who this is, according to this ... http://forums.geniimagazine.com/viewtopic.php?t=22365

[/quote]
Cool! Thanks. I'll look for it. I did a Google search for Suzy Wandas cigarette, and it is her.
[/quote]

You mean 'Kool!' Thanks. ..
Thanks for the video. ...

What a delight Michael! --To see Suzy working!

She was always a LADY. I knew her only in her old age, and she was always a LADY! She and Anne Gwynne always sat down front at Abbotts and when they were introduced, they always stood, faced the audience, and styled. Class!

Here's a clip of Suzy Wandas doing card manipulation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhtn9bIOPhA

RJH

Both great clips of Suzy Wandas who was an excellent manipulator (evidenced by these clips!) and a wonderful Lady!

Thanks for the clips.

Regarding Cigarettes--they can still be done. Think John Calvert who did wonderful in the audience Cig manipulation and tossed each produced Cig in the air and was caught by the wonderful Tammy. Calvert did not use lighted Cigs was against smoking (shortens your life) and voiced his opinion on their dangers after the routine. But, as he said, it was good magic and the audience enjoyed it.

Second that-Dick Oslund.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Suzy but I have heard a lot about her.

In my own opinion, some of the most magical things can be done with cigarettes - especially when they are lit! BUT, I have never smoked a single cigarette in my life so in that respect, I lost out. I have found that the majority of cigarette effects can be easily done with chapstick tubes, mini Sharpie pens, small pens (like the Zebra brand with the telescoping pen) and other things of similar size. Even tightly rolled US paper notes work well but you have to justify rolling them up (though they work nicely for the Linking Cigarette effect!).

When I was younger I studied the Encyclopedia of Cigarette Tricks by Keith Clark (which is still one of, if not 'the', best resources for this genre and learned a lot of wonderful things from that book.

Cigarets were great props for manipulators. They are common objects, make to fit the hand, white (great for stage visibility), produced smoke (magical atmosphere), and the fact they were on fire made sleight of hand seem impossible. It may have been the perfect manipulators prop. Unfortunately cigaret magic is doubly doomed. First, cigaret smoking is banned in most indoor locations, for health reasons. Second, most stages wont let you work with fire, due to the possibility of a horrible tragedy. The stages where they are not completely banned require the OK of a fire marshal.

So, what do you think would be/could be as good a prop in the 21 century as the cigaret was in the 20't century? Since I asked the question, I'll offer the Sharpie/ mini Sharpie.

Chris

I believe the whole mystery behind cigarette magic being impossible is the fact that it has a hot tip burning.

Sure you can use cigarette moves and manipulation on knives, chalk, crayons, etc., but that is nowhere near the impact as a real burning cigarette.

I seen Frankson once, and you should have seen him make the sparks fly all over the place. It looked dangerous to me to see his act. Nothing like our modern cigarette expert Tom Mullica.

HERE is some nice modern day cigarette manipulation.

Michael,
Wow. So clear and easy to see!
Would you kindly post the shortcut on The Feminine Mystique? I am sure there are those who would love to see it there! Thank you.
Paula

Done!

Right Bill!
I saw Frakson in a movie short in the '40s. I don't remember if he got screen credit. But no one I ever heard about did cigarettes like that. Talk about 4th of July fireworks!!!

One of my first purchases from Percy Abbott was the 25 cent cigarette producer!

I saw David Alexander recreated the Frakson cigarette act. He was a protégée of Frakson. The sparks were all over the place. The secret was pretty simple but it was very visual.

Richard