I've used the ten foot pole to little success on and off for the last five years. I have found that the reaction is not strong enough, mainly because the magic is so quick that people don't have a chance to think about it. Ie. they seem to go "How could that pole come out of there....it can't...gee that's clever" where as I want "MY GOD THAT POLE IS COMING FROM NOWHERE" type of reaction. The reaction is delayed and dilutted.

Here is me solution that has made this trick BRILLIANT for me. Go to hocus pocus and buy two eight foot wands. Take one and chop into a three foot wand and five foot wand and then chop off HALF of the white ends and the stick on white contact on the ends of the two pieces making two new wands. NOW, first you pull out a three foot wand from a one foot bag and you get the "How could that pole come out of there....it can't...gee that's clever" reaction. However, you then pull out an even BIGGER wand and the reaction is BIGGER. When you pull out the final GIANT WAND the audience go WILD. It appears SO much bigger and the audience is both surprised AND amazed.

Hi Nicolas:

Your idea may very well do the trick. I have to say that I recently returned from a Las Vegas trip where I got to see Sylvester the Jester do the 10 foot pole during his stage act. I was surprised that it got very little reaction from the audience. Maybe people know that somehow-someway, that pole isn't solid.

On the same show, Kevin James did his bowling ball production from sketch pad, and that got a very good reaction. But in that case, he drops the ball on ground, and it is obviously a real heavy bowling ball.

So maybe you have to "prove" that the pole is real before the audience will appreciate it.

Ron

That's very true.

The production of the item is not the magic but the PROOF that the item is REAL is the magic. With the ten foot pole it takes a second to realise that it is REAL and so the magic is dissapated. that's why dropping the ball is good! I produced a fish bowl from executive production and it wasn't that strong because you couldn't PROVE it was real. That had to look at it for a few seconds to comprehend the magic!

Proof is, indeed, often essential.

The productions of the 10-foot pole and the goldfish bowl simply tend to confuse the audience. And, to quote Vernon: "Confusion isn't magic."

On the other hand, the bowling ball, since it can be proven to be solid, is highly effective. (I used to do it with a roughly round bottle of Chianti wine, pouring the wine out of the bottle after it had been produced from an inch-thick attache case. Devastating!)

However, don't mistake silence for indifference. Very often that silence means (or SHOULD mean) that the audience is too flabbergasted to applaud.

This is the "ah" (or "awe") factor.

cheers,
Peter Marucci

HI,
I did not like the pole for the same reasons however I produce a sweeping brush (same method) during my straight jacket escape and although it is just a gag for me it really does get a big reaction.
Phillip

Nicholas,

I had the same reaction to the pole. My solution was to get instant recoil which allows me to show a few feet of the pole, look confused as I put it back in all the way, pull it out again and repeat as often as I can get a reaction before showing the entire pole. I can then make a comment and return the pole back into the bag. This lets me stress the impossibility of the situation and get a much better reaction. I had actually retired the pole for quite some time before coming up with this solution.

I use the pole in my opening bit in my Wizards School performance and it always gets a good reaction. I start off by producing from the little bag a handfull of fire, two full lenght swords, the ten foot pole (my office staff) and finally the little no bounce ball I had been looking for the entire time. It's the incongruity of the items produced out of the sack that makes it interesting. I'm not expecting a inexplicable WoW from the audiece but use the piece more as a mood setter for the act which is to folllow.
I don't think the pole was ever meant to be a trick but more intended to be a bit of business.

Just curious, if you produce the pole/straw/wand etc., how do you roll it back up without the children seeing. On stage is no problem once the curtains drawn, but at an average birthday party, the children are often still there while I'm packing up. That would put me off the idea of using it.

Billy

Billy,

That is where instant recoil works great. It allows you to put the pole back away once it is produced.

Since most of my Wizard School shows are library performances I have the room all to myslf when I am packing up. If I'm doing a home show I usually excuse myself to another room for a second to roll it back up or just take it back to my car in it's expanded state.

I like the Idea of instant recoil though and might look into getting one soon.

I use the 8 foot straw in every one of my shows as an interlude gag and always get great reactions. Of course I pull it out of a McDonald's bag with a Big Mac, Fries, and small drink even though I specifically said, "SUPER SIZE, please." The adults and kids get a huge kick out of seeing a monster super sized straw coming out. I know I don't do anything special when producing it but perhaps a McDonalds looking straw is an ordinary object that everyone knows and has used before unlike a 10 foot pole.

Christopher, how easy are those recoils to use? I usually just say that I have a shrinking ray in my car, that I use at the end of the show. It has worked great so far.

Paul

I don't do it for house parties. They keep hitting the roof and the kids often come up after and try and touch them. It's just one more thing to have to control.

I use for stage shows and shopping centers.

Recoil is very easy to use and it's great that the pole or straw is now reset and can be pulled out again at any time.

One important thing that was left out of this thread is pantamime. People will believe it is an 8 foot pole if you believe that it is an 8 foot wooden pole. This means that you have to have trouble pulling it out and you don't just easily pull it out with one hand as if it has no weight to it.

I know this is an old thread, but it lacked what I feel to be some vital content.

The 8 foot straw somewhat eliminates this problem as for one it's more of a gag item, it's almost more believable, and straws aren't supposed to be heavy so you can handle it normally as it is light weight.

I bought the 8ft the other week after putting 66 elastic bands on it the edges are still not together. I am currentley working on a routine were a mini magic wand turns into a 8ft wand, I have the props I'm just stuck on how to routine it properly. Is their such things as normal black modelling balloons with white ends? (not like silly billy's) I have an idea if they exist.

Matt

I've found the same thing matt.

I ended spending the extra money and getting Wayne Rogers to make me a set of three. It cost me about $120US and its worth it.

In regards to putting the poll away in front of kids....
I use the 8ft straw and have rarely had a problem with kids touching it. They often just want to touch it softly, to make sure it's not spongy or something. I've never had a kid take the straw and examine it.
I often take it to birthday parties. One option is to wait to collapse it until the kids leave the room. Sometimes the magic show is in the living room, and then the mom has the kids go outside to eat the cake, or to the kitchen. When nobody is looking, I can roll it up in about 10 seconds! Option #2 is to take it out to the car, leaving the kids with the impression that you have no option but to take it like that! Unless the kids come to wave goodbye, you can just roll it up behind the car, just before getting it.
Hope this helps!
-KEV

Where can you get an instant recoil from. Only I haven't seen one anywhere (I stopped using my 5ft pole for the same reason!)

I have always had great success with the 10' straw. I usually carry it back whole to my car or wait for the area to clear before rolling it up.

Dan.