How close were you with Eddie Fechter.

I was very fortunate to have known Eddie. In the early days at the Forks, you had to be asked to perform behind the bar or at the tables. When he asked me I was thrilled. Actually my first paid close up show was with Eddie Fechter. He asked me to accompany him for a private show at a millionaires home. Some of my best memories of him were on quiet weekday nights when you could sit with him at the bar and listen to his stories and discuss tricks. I can still remember when he showed me "Be Honest". The original move for the trick was shown to us at the 4F Convention by Mac Picnic. The move if you know the trick is a spectator would hold a card at their finger tips and the magician holding a card in his hand would stab at the card and try to secretly make a switch. We all tried different approaches whether fast or slow, nothing was really deceptive. So Eddie came up with his version where it doesn't matter if they feel the switch because he changes both cards. Then he would produce the original two cards from his pocket. David Blaine used it on a number of his TV shows.

I remember my family being invited to private picnics at his cabin with the late Lou Gallo and his family. That was the inner circle at the time.
I really miss him.

Great story Vic.

Thanks Gary!

I know it's impossible to sum up Fechter's body of work in just a few words, but could you share a few "lessons" you've applied to your magic that stem from Eddie?

Hi Paul,

You are right it is hard to capture in a few words the influence he had on me and so many others. One thing that I would say is that I learned how entertaining card magic could be. Eddie would do a set and the people would be howling with laughter and he wasn't even telling jokes. It was like the magic was happening for him too. A few years ago I met two of his nephews. They were young when he died and really didn't know much about him. Harrison and I went to dinner with them and told a number of stories. The one thing that we summed it up with was, every magician that came into the Forks wanted to be like him and every spectator wanted to be his friend!

Vic

Hi Vic,

Did you happen to compile a secret notebook of unpublihsed Eddie Fechter material... like Bruce Cervon did with the Castle Notebooks?

Tommy G

Hey Tom,

No didn't keep any records. I remember most of the ideas he showed me. One cool effect, he would show an Ace of Diamonds face up then turn it down. Then take the card and throw it on the bar spinning it like a top (face up). You could clearly see the diamond in the middle of the card. As it slowed down it was the 3 of diamonds. He also showed me how he would practice spelling for Fecthter Aces. Eddie could spell the name of any card in 11 or 12 cards. He would have you slide out any card. Without missing a beat he would spell it out to the ace that was 12th from the top.

Thanks,
Vic

I like that so much I went to lengths to be able to do it reliably. With a 'bubble' in the center of the card, you can get it to spin like perpetual motion. If you had a slick, clean surface. Problem was, working with Heba Haba at the Pickle Barrel or at Mr. C's Magic Lounge, a truly slick and clean surface was hard to come by. As you can imagine, cards get signed, stabbed, and things were rarely absolutely perfect conditions.

So, I bought a few of those little battery-operated fans, the very small type. If you lose the fan part, you have a spinning little plastic nub you can pop a little wax on. So, they see the AD, you table "it" face down via your favorite method. Pick up the card with your whirling little gizmo, turn it face-up, they can stare and stare at it and still see the AD.

There is obviously nothing in your hand, etc. Yet, you let them look for some time, place your hand over the "AD" and WHAM . . . it changes into their card, the AD. No working surface required. Great bit to do, particularly if you are doing bar magic.