Al Flooso does a great job:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcAdOV1eDDI

That was awesome Mike.
Todd

That WAS awesome. Great looking at these old clips and watching how it should be done!

He had a unique style that perfectly fit his personality.

Gerry

Nice. As a coin guy I love his misers dream.

The topper work was tops.

Climax can be more than jumbo coins. Thanks for the reminder of this
Legend.

It did nothing for me. The misers dream was well done but I did not like his personality or his handling of the volunteer. I suppose it takes all sorts.

I was pretty uncomfortable when he unbuttoned the boy's shirt. And a little more so when he reached inside the shirt a few times. I really didn't like seeing him put his hand in the kid's pants pocket repeatedly. Repeatedly touching the boy's face and poking his want inside his shirt near his navel was just weird. But I was down right disgusted when he put his wand in the kid's mouth.

It has nothing to do with the current climate of "no touch" or any PC stuff. It would have creeped me out any time.

Bazinga!

This was a period piece. In fact pretty old. My only grimace is folks are still using some of the
Stock lines.

Harris
Still too old to know it all

Some old pieces hold up. This one is non magic. What do you think?

The stick.

http://youtu.be/wwWDa1xPTPA

And yes I do this at times with other objects given to me or found at kid/family shows.

I gotta agree with Bazinga on this one. While I think FLossa was confident, smooth, and certainly a good entertainer, I also did not like the way he "manhandles" the kid ... or "handles" him at all. The touching is creepy.

I also question the use of the pin flower. Besides the obvious risk of pricking the kid, it seems almost inevitable that you will someday ruin a kid's shirt.

Harris, the stick was seriously funny. Laughed out loud several times. That stands the test of time.

One thing I disliked about Flosso was the way he trotted out the lines so quickly and unthinkingly. The whole routine looked like something he had done so often that he was on autopilot, ignoring the audience and the volunteer.

Tony, that's the character: A fast-talking, Coney Island huckster con man type, He's supposed to sound that way.

As Harris said, this is an old clip and what was acceptable then isn't the case today. While I wouldn't put my hand in a child's pocket the whole "no touch" thing has just gone too far these days. There's nothing wrong with a friendly hand on the shoulder or something similar.

Personally I think the people who say "you shouldn't touch a child at all cost" are part of the problem.

Only yesterday I had a little girl rush up to me and give me a hug - I briefly returned the hug making sure my hands were in full view. I don't see a problem with that - and call me a stubborn middle aged man (I am!) I won't be told otherwise by a bunch of people who generally don't know what the h*ll they're talking about.

Mark

Kinda reminds me of W.C. Fields

Kebleem,
You are so right , I think more magicians are paranoid about touching than parents ,
Ok putting your hand in a Childs pocket is a bit risky ! but I often lift a small child off the stage or touch them to guide them .
you are onstage with people watching you come on lets have some sense !
Phil

Yes, but this video went far past that. In those days, it may have been accepted and overlooked more, but as we are now seeing with the Catholic church situation (for example) lots of bad stuff was also going on unchecked. I think it's a good thing that we have this awareness. I don't think many of us are advocating never touching, but having a complete disregard for the subject is unhealthy and risky. Know why you are touching. Touch in safe, open ways. Guiding a child by the shoulders on one thing; reaching inside their shirts will lose you business and possibly get you in legal trouble.

You may think some magicians are paranoid, pb, and you may even be right. But that will be little comfort when an overzealous parent, teacher, or do-gooder reports you to the authorities. The mere fact that an act was investigated, however unfair the reasons, could destroy a career.

The routining/prop management is amazing.