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bugjack Inner circle New York, New York 1624 Posts |
Scott, will you doing a Magic Lantern podcast with Al? I'd really love hearing that...
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ScottRSullivan Special user 874 Posts |
Hmmm. I guess I'm letting the cat out of the bag, but you might want to listen to Episode 15 which will be coming out mid-week. *grin*
We recorded the interview that Hank did with Al and will be airing it on the Lantern. It runs just under an hour and is a good one! Scott |
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bugjack Inner circle New York, New York 1624 Posts |
That's really great. Al's Magic Shop is such a huge memory from my childhood through early teen years. Al sold me dozens of tricks and books at the old Pennsylvania Avenue location, and trips there were highlights of weekend afternoons with my father. I can still remember the long, dark layout, the uneven wooden floors, and the crowded window full of all the other novelty stuff they sold. I'm going to really look forward to hearing this.
Best, Scott |
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ScottRSullivan Special user 874 Posts |
Bugjack,
We've uploaded the Al Cohen episode of The Magic Lantern at the Reels in Motion site. Here's a link to the show: http://www.reelsinmotion.tv/magiclantern015 It's a great interview. He talks about Henning coming into the shop, plus lots of other celebs. Hope you enjoy! Scott |
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bugjack Inner circle New York, New York 1624 Posts |
Hey Scott,
Thanks for posting this -- I'll download this now. Like I said, a lot of memories go back to weekend visits to Al's in the 70s. Best, Scott |
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Macphail Regular user 166 Posts |
I still miss Al's. I grew up drooling over his catalog. I remember visiting last in 2001, and asked to see Al. He wasn't in but the man asked who I was. When I gave my named, the man said "oh, you are Ralph's son!" I was so proud.
Al was an incredible demonstrator and inventor. He always performed the trick better than his customers. Does anyone know if he's still around? |
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Tom G Inner circle 2895 Posts |
He writes an occasional column for Genii.
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bugjack Inner circle New York, New York 1624 Posts |
It's funny to read this on Father's Day. I so associate that place with my father. He came back from a business trip once with the obligatory kid's magic set for me. I guess I got hooked, so one day he told me there was an actual magic shop in D.C. and began taking me there on Saturdays. My dad worked on Capitol Hill, and he'd go in for half a day of work, take me to Reeves Coffee Shop for lunch and then Al's Magic Shop. I too remember the dark, mysterious vibe of that long, narrow Pennsylvania Avenue location. I started doing kid's shows so I'd buy the usual kid show tricks, and then I'd buy whatever the new Emerson and West packet trick was. This was probably the very early 1970s. I never went to any of the meetings or lecture events or took part in the club, and years later, after ditching magic for 25 years and then returning, kind of regret that I wasn't more serious about it back then. Rather than work my way through Royal Road I'd be happy with another vinyl wallet and some cards with funny illustrations on them. That said, there was an aura to that old shop I still remember.
As an aside, I remember when a local magician named Mark Chorvinsky opened a shop named Dream Wizards in Rockville, MD. The shop mixed magic, science fiction books and roleplaying and strategy games, so it hit on everything I was into at the time. Mark tried to intercede a bit on some of my purchases by telling me what made sense for a kid to perform and what didn't. Dream Wizards put out some of their own stuff, beginning with John Kennedy's Floating Dollar Bill, which, if I remember correctly, was $10 -- a lot at the time for a five or so pages of stapled instructions and the IT. I did a Google search a while back to see what became of Mark and was sad to see that he passed away. |
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magicdave56 Regular user Ellisville, MO 63011 195 Posts |
Dose any one know where I can get a trick that call Piddle Paddle Al's used to have it.
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magicdave56 Regular user Ellisville, MO 63011 195 Posts |
Who took over his shop ?
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