|
|
|
|||
| Go to page [Previous] 1~2 | ||||||||||
AidanHeritage Regular user 102 Posts 
|
Yes, Jay Marshall commented when Blackstone vanished something - even though he KNEW what he should be looking for (and I seem to recall it was an elephant) he STILL missed it
|
|||||||||
Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts
|
HOUDINI vanished an elephant at the old Hippodrome theater! (in Baltimore, I think). Two men pushed a huge "cabinet" on stage. The ephelant entered it. The doors of the cabinet were closed. Houdini (like Thurston!) fired a pistol. The doors opened. The ephelant was gone. Then TEN men pushed the cabinet off stage! --Well, that's how magicians described it! nee hee
I never saw Sr. or Jr. VANISH a "pachyderm", but, I saw Harry Sr. produce a honking goose AND a live burro from a few silks! I know it was a LIVE burro, cuz I helped "walk the beast" in downtown Milwaukee with Nick. Harry Jr. produced a camel AND an elephant in that New York theater.
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
|
|||||||||
|
AidanHeritage Regular user 102 Posts
|
Ah, the tricks our memories play - I can remember the quote, but I cannot remember where I read it or the full details. It probably wasn't an elephant, as I'm sure it would have been something more like "act as known" - however, with the usual caveats, http://www.lohud.com/story/life/2014/01/......4823507/ does have reference to Harry Jr and an Elephant vanish.
|
|||||||||
|
Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts
|
If you are referring to the Kellar statement, it's from one of the older books. All I remember was the broad statement about the brass band, and the parade.
I never SAW either Blackstone vanish an ephelant, but, then, Harry Jr. did a lot of shows that I never saw. I do remember following Jr. in Davenport Iowa in the Masonic Auditorium, about 25 years ago. It was a big corporate Family Christmas Party. I had an audience of about 500. The client told me that Harry had been there about two weeks before. He was sponsored by a fraternal group, which had advertised the BIG Blackstone show. They had not done a good advance sale, apparently due to poor planning and promotion. They called Harry, or his manager, and requested that Harry bring his "concert" show instead of the "big one". Harry came with Gay and a girl, plus a couple of young fellows to push the props and load in and load out.. He did a fine show. I've seen the concert program many times. He brought several self contained illusions like Zig Zag, and the Harbin Sawing, plus his "personality" stuff. (cage, bulb, handkerchief, committee, silks & ropes, etc. The audience liked him (here comes the BUT: The show was reviewed by a reporter who didn't like magic. He came, expecting to see an elephant, tiger, the Karnac Levi, the buzz saw and a "company of thirty -- mostly girls", etc. and he saw the much smaller concert program. He panned the show. It, of course, was not Harry's fault. I do have s fairly good memory of the history of this business, and, although, I try to tell an anecdote with as much "color" as I can, it is possible that I may not recall the color of the tux that Jr. was wearing at a particular show! It's like the young kid said, "I know Harry Blackstone"! The kid's friend replied, "Yes, but does Harry Blackstone know YOU"? (Harry knew me!) If you want some trivia, do you know what color were the trunks and crates on both Blackstone (pere et fils)shows? And, do you know whose work trunk's color did not conform to the show's color? And, do you know what color IT was? And, whose trunk it was? Do you know who made Harry Sr.'s Girl to Rose Bush prop? It was for years, the finish to the Flower Garden Opening, Do you know which of the old man's illusions brought Jay Marshall back 4 or 5 times? --and Jay still could not figure it out! --and why the assistants hated it?
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
|
|||||||||
|
Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts
|
Dear AidanHeritage!
I owe you an apology! When I read your last post (January 17, 7:24 AM, I misunderstood. I thought you were questioning my memory, and, I came back at you rather strongly. After a cup of coffee, I re-read your post. I think I understand it better, now! I hope you'll accept my sincere apology.
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
|
|||||||||
harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts
|
Though most of my gigs are music and puppets I still keep both hands in coin magic.
I find that even though some would say I have the chops that Schtick gets the gigs and audiences. Jazz can apply to musical bits and coin magic. I can improvise and change ongoing coin routines. I can move to help create better performances. I got into coin magic Because I liked the eye candy. I've learned to fool myself that us so nothing is noticed even from my point. ..behind the arms rather than only the front. Getting lower can help These days getting back up us part if a line that gets a laugh with truth of comedy. ...and allows something to be brought into okay covered by movement and laughter I learned these thing the old fashion way By learning what didn't work.
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
|||||||||
daniel116 Regular user 196 Posts
|
Back in the army I used to do tricks (can't really call the way they were presented "performing"), I was always surrounded 360 degrees, I found that sucker moves were the best and easiest solution for me.
The ol' spider vanish served me well... while in service! |
|||||||||
|
MaxfieldsMagic Inner circle Instead of practicing, I made 3009 Posts
|
Quote:
On Jun 14, 2015, Mb217 wrote: That's brilliant, MB. You really seem to understand children. And angles, of course. But understanding kids is much tougher than understanding angles. Very insightful advice. 
Now appearing nightly in my basement.
|
|||||||||
|
Quentin Inner circle 1020 Posts
|
A couple of points.
David Devant (remember him, whose motto was, "All Done By Kindness"), pointed out that children see magic from underneath. This was brought home to me when a stand-up magician was doing a set at a party I was at in a private house. The room was busy so some of us, including me, sat on the floor. I saw a lot more than I should have, including discovering the method of a trick that had fooled me badly. Blackstone Jr produced both an elephant and a donkey without boxes on a fully lit stage as part of his Bicentennial full evening show. If you can find the HBO TV special, "Blackstone Live in Seattle", you can see an hour of that show including the production. |
|||||||||
|
Banedon New user 74 Posts
|
Quote:
On Jun 14, 2015, Mb217 wrote: This to me is one of the key answers. It has been a LONG time since I worked any parties, but I recall being faced with situations of people insisting on standing behind me. My default reaction was to make it into a joke by providing some ludicrous reason of having a phobia of people standing behind me. Usually people got the hint in a way that was entertaining to that person and the audience. More than once someone refused to move so I simply stated that everyone had to be in front of me or I would not continue because he was too distracting to the audients. Phrasing and emoting it just right got the rest of the audience on my side who heckled the person into moving. In other circumstances (which is not always possible) I intentionally positioned myself so that it was extremely unlikely that someone would be able to come up behind me (walls and whatnot). |
|||||||||
| The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Nothing up my sleeve... » » Angle Managment (3 Likes) | ||||||||||
| Go to page [Previous] 1~2 | ||||||||||
Posted: Jun 17, 2015 10:40 am 
The same youthful mental quickness they have to figure out things, also works to confound them just as easily. | [ Top of Page ] |
|
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.05 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
|
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < 
|