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Month: June 2016

Magic Roadshow #163

Magic Roadshow #163

The Magic Roadshow  #163

February 2015

Copyright (C) Rick Carruth

Wow.. is it February already? I swear I just published the January issue… In addition, the Boston area has received over 40 inches of snow this month, making life very difficult. OK, so I live in South Carolina.. give me a break.

 I’m so glad to have you here. It’s the middle of winter, cold as Hello, and so very dreary outside. I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon than perusing through the pages and resources of the one hundred and sixty third issue of the Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic. If you’re new to the Roadshow, then you now understand what a gazillion readers before you have politely tolerated to get to the good stuff.

Aside from a barrage of magic related shows on TV, there is little of interest to report to you guys. That’s probably a good thing, since the solitude of winter gives me a chance to think. Whatever ideas I concoct inevitably help start the year in the right direction. So, like most folks who make ‘resolutions’, I have good intentions and high hopes for at least January, February, and probably parts of March….

After a decade of publishing the Magic Roadshow I honestly feel it needs to grow and improve.. or get out of the way. In order to improve I need your help. We will be entering our eleventh year shortly, and eleven is my number.. so we’ll see what the cards hold..

I have some great stuff from Paul Lelekis, Michael Lyth, Eliyahu Wincelberg, Werner Miller, and a special gift from Frank Moraes. I have magic in reserve from two amazing magicians: Jeff Hobson and Mick Ayres, that we’ll feature in next month’s issue. I can’t wait…

Comments and Correspondence….. EMAIL ME

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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– For Lovers Only – An Effect from Paul Lelekis

– One from Eliyahu – A Three Phase Triumph – Effect from Eliyahu Wincelberg

– Tricks Without Names –   Trick #2   from Werner Miller

– Two From Michael Lyth –  Free PDF’s

– Lu Brent’s Exclusive Card Mysteries   –   Free PDF for Readers from Frank Moraes

– Card Tricks That Anyone Can Do – Maxwell – Free PDF for Roadshow Readers..

– Make ‘Em Laugh – Free PDF from Colombini Magic

– Conjuring Credits.. The Origins of Wonder

– The Amazing iCard – Tutorial

– The Crazy Man’s Handcuffs Tutorial – In-depth Tutorial

– 3 Free Magic Gimmicks from Jay Sankey – PDF and Video

– MagicianBusiness.com – 5 Podcasts No Magician Should Miss..

Understanding Agents – The Relationship Between Magician And Booking Agent

Serve Your Way To Magic Success – It’s not about sales, it’s about service

Diversifying Your Magic Business – With Paul Romhany

The Importance of Outsourcing With Stephanie Lee Harper

How To Run A Weekly Mentalism Show

– VANISH Magic Magazine – Free Download

– Confessions of a Medium – Free PDF

– Revelations of a Spirit Medium – Free PDF

– Dollar Photo Club.. My ‘Secret’ Source for Great Pictures

– A Request for Roadshow Readers – Important !

– Items for Sale from a Roadshow Friend…

– Free eBooks For Subscribers….

 

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“If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents–start charging for it.” –Kim Garst

If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got.” –Anonymous

“If you’re going through hell keep going.” –Winston Churchill

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” –Albert Einstein

 

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FOR LOVERS ONLY

Paul A. Lelekis

 

This effect is similar to many “fusion” effects and has the same purpose as The Anniversary Waltz, however, I feel, is far easier to do and “cleaner”.

It is a good idea to have an effect like this in your repertoire should the opportunity arise. This effect has a VERY strong impact on the spectators!

 

EFFECT: The magician wishes to honor two spectators who are in love or are having an anniversary or for any other of a myriad of reasons.

The two spectators each choose a card and sign them. The two lovers then cause the cards to fuse together into one doubly signed card!

 

SET UP: You will need a double-face card (DF) and a double-back card (DB) of the same color as the deck.

Let’s say that the two sides of the double-face card are the 4 of Clubs and the 7 of Diamonds. Remove the regular 4C and 7D from the deck – you will need these cards in a moment.

It is best to use a double-face card that has spot cards represented on both sides – I NEVER allow spectators to sign face cards…it’s just not clear enough for signatures.

Five card set up, from the top of deck, down: regular 7D, regular 4C, indifferent card, double-faced card (with 7D facing upward) and then the double-backed card.

Since the 7D/4C double-faced card has the 7D facing upward, the corresponding regular 7D must be on top of the deck. (If the 4C of the double-face card were facing up, then the 4C would be on top.)

The double-backed card will, now, be fifth from the top of the face down deck.

METHOD: This type of effect focuses more on the outcome than the method, so the two riffle forces used should appear inconsequential. However you may use any force you wish. It’s just faster with the riffle forces.

Address the two lovers and give the deck a quick, false Hindu or riffle shuffle, preserving the five card set-up on top of the deck. During these shuffles is a good time to “set-up” your two participants about how love can produce miracles.

Cut the set-up to the middle of the deck and hold a left pinkie break above the 7D. Then riffle force to the regular 7D and give it to the first spectator.

Keep the set-up (and the break!) in the middle and then riffle force to the 4C. Thumb off the 4C and give it to the second spectator; however this time, cut the remaining set-up to the top of the deck. (LH packet goes on top of the RH packet.)

Fan the deck in your hands or spread the deck on the table, being sure to not expose the face-up 7D, now second from the top of deck.

Have each spectator insert his/her card into the middle of the fan or spread, being sure the 4C and 7D are widely spread. Direct the spectators as to where they should put their cards. Close up fan and take the deck into your hands.

Perform a Pass to bring the face up 7D to the center – or you may opt to just cut the deck. No one will have any reason to care at this point.

Have spectator #1 “squeeze” the deck and then spread to show a face up 7D! Have spectator #1 sign the face. The double-backed card will be directly below the double-faced card. Turn the double (7D/4C and the double-back card), face down.

Hold the upper half of the deck in LH dealer’s grip and lower packet in RH Biddle grip. Now using the right middle fingers (at the outer end of the RH packet) and press down onto the double-backed card. Push the DB card outward and out-jog it. It is, apparently, the 7D, but is actually the double-backed card.

The out-jogging of the DB card with the right fingers will help hide the face-up side of the DF card, the 4C. The top half of the deck should now be even with the bottom half with the DB out-jogged. Remove the double-backed card (apparently the face-down 7D) from the deck and leave it “face down” on the table.

Next have the second spectator squeeze the deck and spread to reveal the face up 4C, actually the face-up side of the DF card. Have the second spectator sign the face of this card. Lay the 4C on top of the face down card on the table. Cap the deck and leave it in your left hand.

Pick up the 2 cards on the table with your right hand. The face-up 4C, side-jogged to the left of the apparent, face-down 7D. Grip the two cards with your RH (fingers on top and thumb below) and perform the Monte move twice, apparently showing two separate signed cards!

Next place two cards on top the deck (the face-up 4C will be on top), square the cards up and immediately lift off the face-up double-faced card only in RH Biddle grip. It will appear as if you have lifted both cards – you hold only one.

Have the female of the couple hold her hand out, palm up, and place the single card onto her palm. Have the man place his hand, palm down on top of the card(s) on her out-stretched hand.

Do your best “magic” and reveal that the two lovers’ signed cards fused into one card! This is a VERY strong moment!

In my experience, many times the women will unsuccessfully try to peel the “two” cards apart! It happens often. This will present more opportunity for comedy!

 

NOTE: One nice thing about this effect is that it focuses on the couple and NOT on the performer! There is little to NO resistance from potential “hecklers” or just overly enthusiastic spectators who are trying to “figure the trick out”. This effect is a real pleasure to perform!

 

You can view ALL of Paul’s ebooks, all 18, at Lybrary.com .. They are, undoubtedly, one of the best values in all of magic..  Many are now considered underground classics…

http://lybrary.com/paul-a-lelekis-m-163788.html

 

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 One from Eliyahu – A Three Phase Triumph – Effect

Eliyahu Wincelberg

 

This is a quick, beautiful 3 phase face up triumph sequence I’ve been having a ton of fun with. Riffle down the pack and have someone say stop anywhere.

Lift up all the cards above where they say stop and double lift and flip over the top two cards on the bottom half. Ask your spectator to remember this top card.

Replace the top half, but keep a break at the spec’s card. Make their card appear on top of the pack, face up, by performing a pass.

Standard so far. Holding the pack in mechanic’s with your right hand, your left thumb and index pushes the spec’s card and the face up second card, referred to as the X card, slightly to the left, just far enough that you can securely remove the second card (the X card) in a moment, leaving the spec’s card on top. This occurs as you revolve the deck toward your body and simultaneously move it upward to about necktie position. By the time the deck has reached it’s upmost position, the spec’s card should be pushed back to flush position, leaving the X card extended far enough to the side it can be pinched and pulled out and away from the deck in a fluid motion, covered by the bigger motion occurring in the right hand.

The deck will now be face up, and the X card will be face down… just the opposite of what they were a moment ago. The spectator assumes the X card is his selected card.

As this ‘gesture’ plays out, slowly begin to lower both hands in unison and say… “Last time your card was face up in the middle of a face down deck. This time we’ll try face down in a face up deck.”

One-handed fan the cards slightly and cleanly stick the X card face down into the deck.

Square the cards slightly so they can’t see the X card, snap, and revolve the deck to face down, revealing yet again their card is face up on top.

It looks better if the cards aren’t completely square so they can see its face up on top of face down. Also I tend to stop just short of pushing the X card all the way in. It makes it easier to locate in the next step.

With the deck held in mechanic’s grip, locate the X card, face up in the middle.. If there is a natural break by it or if you left the card jogged a little, wonderful. If not, you can riffle the inside of the pack with your right thumb until you see it.

The next part is essentially slip cutting the spectator’s face up card on top onto the face up X card in the middle. With your right thumb on top contacting the FU card on top, the left hand comes in Biddle and pulls all the cards above the face up X card in the middle out as the right hand’s thumb peels the FU card on top onto the X card in the middle (without flashing the face up X card in the middle). Then use the left index and middle fingers to flip over the double back on top of the right hand’s half. This is very easy do due to the natural break.

Immediately insert the top single X card half-way into the center of the left hands half, which you’ve fanned to accept the X card. Have the Spectator push their card flush. While they complete that task, you have plenty of opportunity with the free right hand to finish the effect in grand fashion by getting their card on your forehead, in your mouth, or flipped over on top. That’s it! Enjoy!

(Andi Gladwin says this isn’t a Triumph.. but a multiple phase Revelation. At any rate, it’s a pleasure to perform!)

Eliyahu Wincelberg

 

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TRICKS WITHOUT NAMES – Trick #2

Another Mathemagical Medley of Semi-Automatic Tricks from Werner Miller

 

Trick #2

You need an ESP deck, cyclically stacked as usual.

 

Give the cards a Charlier Shuffle or a series of complete cuts, then fan the deck face down and have a card freely removed by the spectator. Break the fan at that point and cut all the cards below the gap to the top, so that duplicates of the spectator’s card are now 5th and 10th from the top down.

Mention some of the myths concerning the number 13, openly reverse count the top thirteen cards into a new packet (thus positioning the two duplicates of the spectator’s card 4th and 9th from the top down), and set the rest of the deck aside.

Pick up the 13-card packet and spell aloud “T-H-I-R-T-E-E-N”, with each letter dealing off the top a single card down to the table, one on top of the other, making a new pile of eight cards. Then place all the in-hand cards on top of the dealt cards, as a block, remove the final top card, and place it separately, still face down.

Square the remaining twelve cards, pick them up again, and repeat the whole procedure as described: Deal out the top eight cards while you are spelling “T-H-I-R-T-E-E-N”, drop all the remaining cards on top of this new packet, remove the final top card as you did before, and place it next to the card you removed after the first spelling/dealing.

Ask the spectator to turn his chosen card face up, then turn over the two cards you located: All three cards match!

(Fig. 1 illustrates the dealing procedure. The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are representing the five symbols. It is assumed that the spectator’s card is showing symbol #5.)

Alternatives

Because the German word for 13 also has eight letters (“dreizehn”), you can perform this trick in German language as well.

Slightly adjusted, you can even perform it in Italian language (Fig. 2). The Italian word for 13 is “tredici” and is one letter short. To make the trick still work, reverse deal the thirteen cards you are going to use not singly but in pairs, so that the duplicates of the spectator’s selection end up 5th and 8th from the top down.

(To Be Continued.)

For more (and more elaborate) math-based magic by Werner Miller visit…

http://www.lybrary.com/werner-miller-m-7881.html

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Two From Michael Lyth –   Free PDF’s

 

My friend across the sea.. Michael Lyth, has outdone himself this month. He has sent TWO pdf effects to share with Roadshow readers. Well, actually he sent them a month apart.. but I couldn’t get my ducks in a row and publish one last month. When you run multiple effects by one magician, a certain magic publication chooses to call it a ‘parade’. If that’s the case.. then consider this our first ‘cavalcade of magic’…

“A Practical Magic Drawing Board – PDF Tutorial”

 

A super easy way to take an item found at the average discount store and turn it into a magic drawing board. What I like about this effect is it will play well for either adults or children.. assuming the children are old enough to recognize the suit and value of a card. Because of the pictures involved, I’ve left it in a PDF format for ease of viewing.

https://app.box.com/s/11lss07wjbc4x8fbr0ixuiepds2sfhnn

 

“A Pocket Full of Dates” – PDF Tutorial

 

The second tutorial, is a very detailed effect designed to utilize a full seven to ten minutes of stage time. This effect will no doubt leave a lasting impression on your audience in general and your spectator in particular. I can tell you this.. no unusual card sleights are involved.. only a simple magicians force, and the results are truly BIG. Using aspects of mentalism, mathemagic, and card magic.. you’ll thank Michael may times over for sharing this well-designed effect with his fellow magicians.. I’ve left this effect in a PDF format as well in order to share the numerous images.

https://app.box.com/s/57g686xln092wi4uxh4ekkscko1w2zrj

 

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Lu Brent’s Exclusive Card Mysteries   –   Free PDF for Roadshow Readers

Frank Moraes

 

One of the best things about magic is that amateurs have such a large impact on the art. My hometown of Santa Rosa, California, was also the home of one of the great card magic innovators, Jack McMillen. But better known magicians such as Ken Krenzel and Ed Marlo were also amateurs. Another such icon of the art was Benjamin Joseph Lubrant, who performed and published under the name Lu Brent.

In 1934, Chas C Eastman compiled 15 of Lu Brent’s effects in Exclusive Card Mysteries. They aren’t all originally Lu Brent’s effects. In fact, Lu Brent was more known as a technician — coming up with different ways of accomplishing established tricks. And in this book, he’s very fond of using short cards and stacked decks. It isn’t strictly necessary, however. For those with strong technical skills, most everything can be done with a normal deck.

In my experience, magic has a tendency to get stuck in ruts — following fads. And the magicians who really stand out are the ones who are willing to go outside what people are doing now and revitalize older effects. Michael Vincent has done a great job of this, although combining it with flawless technique is what makes it transcendent.

The first trick in Exclusive Card Mysteries is a favorite of mine, “Thought Spelling.” The reason is that I love effects where the audience member doesn’t need to physically pick a card. In this trick, the magician shows a half dozen cards alternately to three different spectators and asks that each person mentally choose a card and remember it. Then the deck is given to each spectator to spell out their thought of card, turning over the card at the final “s,” which of course is the thought of card. It’s especially effective when done for fellow magicians, I find. And it requires no sleight of hand, but the addition of a little goes a long way in heightening the effect.

There are other interesting effects. The “Reversed Card Location” is about the best use of a locator card that I’ve seen. And “The Suit and Value Coincidence” is very much like a popular Bill Simon effect from years later. It just goes to show that ideas cycle. But the point of reading old magic books is not to find new routines. In general, the effects in Exclusive Card Mysteries would seem old if presented as written. But the book is filled with different ways of looking at the art of magic.

I’m pleased to be able to provide Exclusive Card Mysteries in PDF form. I’ve scanned it from the original printing in 1934. And even though it is in the public domain, it is still available commercially. But you would have to pay for such updated versions. I’m sure that anyone interested in card magic will take away at least a couple of ideas from it. As for me, I actually perform “Thought Spelling” — and I really don’t like spelling tricks in general. So take a look. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

https://app.box.com/s/oa3lmfz339ish58ivmjoym5wj09w6tpz

 

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Frankly Curious was started November 2009 by Frank Moraes as a place to write about whatever was on his mind. The content was and is very diverse. At this point, they try to limit their output to around five articles per day, but it goes up as high as ten some days. Also writing for the site are Andrea English and William Brown, who used to have their own blogs, ‘Curiously Clever’ and ‘Will Fully’. They have since all integrated into ‘Frankly Curious’.

http://franklycurious.com/wp/

 

Frankly Curious recently featured Magic News.org in a blog post, a very generous blog post..

http://franklycurious.com/wp/2015/02/10/magic-news-site-review/

 

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Card Tricks That Anyone Can Do –  Free PDF for Roadshow Readers..

Maxwell

 

Written and published in the 1930s by Maxwell, this 12 page scanned version of a library book is in its natural state, stamps, notes and all.. yet is easy to read. Ask I’ve mentioned many times, I look to older books like this for inspiration. You never know when an effect, or perhaps even a single move, will spur you to create your own effect. Enjoy…

“Containing twelve clever, mystifying card tricks that you can do any time, any place, without skill, special cards or apparatus – and without the need for lengthy practice. Card tricks are always popular and the popular man at any party is the man who can entertain with card tricks..”

 

Contents:

1 Sleight of Foot

2 The Voice Betrays

3 The Puzzler Card Trick

4   Card in Pocket

5   The Obliging Card

6   The Joker Tells

7   Cards Behind Back

8   Mind Control

9   A Clever Spelling Trick

10 Another Spelling Trick

11 The Reversed Card

12 Mental Forecast

 

http://digital.march.es/ilusionismo/fedora/repository/magia:10/PDF

 

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 Make ‘Em Laugh – Free PDF from Colombini Magic

 

The magic world lost one of it’s true visionaries one year ago. Aldo Colombini was more than just a performer, just a magician, or just a good guy.. He was a Prince of a gentleman who brought a world of innovation to every performance. He was funny, he was inventive, he was creative in marketing, and he was one of those guys who, if you saw him perform or heard him lecture, you would never forget.

If you’ve not bought or downloaded his pdf, ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’, now is your opportunity. It’s 13 pages of one-liners ideal for magicians. Comedy is so vitally important to being a first class magician. Not all of us can entertain an audience with beautiful assistants, helicopters, lions and tigers, and a mass vanish of half the audience. Most of us have to entertain with our selection of effects, our personality, our entertainment value, and our humor. Aldo understood that.. and that’s the purpose of this PDF…

 

http://www.wildcolombini.com/cart/images/makeem_laugh.pdf

 

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Conjuring Credits.. The Origins of Wonder

 

In the mid -80’s, Max Maven and Stephen Minch began the arduous task of keeping a record of their research with the intent of making others aware of the history of conjuring. They hoped to create a free website for magicians, historians, writers and students of magic. With Denis Behr creating the website, they were able to fulfill their dream. Regardless of your question, you are apt to discover the source of your search in a new website titled Conjuring Credits.. (This info gleaned from both the Linking Ring and the February issue of the Westside Wizards monthly newsletter – http://westsidewizards.org )

 

http://www.conjuringcredits.com/doku.php

 

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The Amazing iCard – Tutorial

A couple of my favorite effects are stored on my iphone. I bought both as inexpensive apps, and have fooled many a folk with my flawless, spot on performance.. (smile). Anyway, I was glad to see Scam School publish this tutorial for The Amazing iCard trick. No app is needed. Everything you do need is provided, including clear instructions and handling tips.

I don’t think I’m letting out any secrets when I say ‘cell phones are the future’. At one time, tricks for computers were big… but now, it’s all about the phone. This is a very visual effect you can easily perform on virtually any cell phone..

 

http://testtube.com/scamschool/icard/

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The Crazy Man’s Handcuffs Tutorial – In-depth Tutorial

You can never learn too much about this wonderful and visual penetration. This is perhaps the granddaddy of all close-up penetrations, made famous by David Copperfield during his stage performances. Yes, it has been around much longer and performed by many other magicians than Mr Copperfield… but he brought it to the general public, and inspired magicians everywhere to want to learn its intricacies.

FernandoP1 goes into great detail in this video to explain and demonstrate the finer points of Crazy Man’s Handcuffs. I think you’ll watch this one several times…

http://www.etricks.info/2015/02/crazy-mans-handcuffs-tutorial.html

 

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 3 Free Magic Gimmicks from Jay Sankey – PDF and Video

Jay furnishes you with three printable gaffs, all in one PDF, that make magic fun. These are easy to construct and simple to use…

The first, Juicy Fruit, changes a pack of chewing gum into a reveal of a chosen card.

 

The second, a Bicycle Playing Card box, reveals a chosen card when it suddenly appears printed into the outside of the box itself.

 

And the third, Monopoly Money, transforms a Monopoly 100 dollar bill into a mis-matched bill. Everything is provided and Jay includes a video on Youtube to show you how each gimmick is utilized..

 

http://youtu.be/1DWUmNp4UJc (Watch the video, learn the secrets, get the PDF link..)

 

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MagicianBusiness.com – 5 Podcasts No Magician Should Miss…

My friend, Julian Mather, and his partner, Ken Kelly, continue to outdo themselves week after week with their super-informative podcast for the working magician. What I love about MagicianBusiness is they do not repeat the typical ‘How I made it as a Magician..’ podcast. How YOU made it as a magician does not necessarily help ME become a better magician. MagicianBusiness wants to tell YOU how YOU can up your game, increase business, win contracts, and succeed in the world of magic. The business and bookings are there… you simply need to know how to get YOUR share.. (Note: these are only some of the very latest podcasts. There are 30+ similar recordings..)

 

Understanding Agents – The Relationship Between Magician And Booking Agent

 

Have you ever wondered what an agent thinks, what a booking agent wants, what will turn a booking agent away from wanting to represent you? In this episode Ken Lindsay from Dreamtime Agencies in South Africa ,who wears two hats as performer and agent, tells all.

 

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Serve Your Way To Magic Success – It’s not about sales, it’s about service

 

Get a big ol’ dose of work and life inspiration with Deano from Reno. The Dean of Success, Dean Hankey, takes an all you can eat buffet of knowledge and wisdom and packages it into a bite sized ‘podcast to go’ of actionable tips.

 

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Diversifying Your Magic Business – With Paul Romhany

 

Will magic support you and your family well into the future? What can you do to branch your magic business into other areas? Paul Romhany is a performer, creator of magic effects, lecturer and he edits and produces VANISH magazine. He’s also a parent (as you will witness at the beginning of the podcast). Listen in as he shares insights and tips that might get you started creating extra streams of income.

 

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The Importance of Outsourcing With Stephanie Lee Harper

How to be a magician and outsource extra bookings to a costume characters you have trained

 

Stephanie Lee Harper aka. Super Steph was driving to gig in her signed up van. At a traffic light a car pulled alongside and the man driving enthusiastically waved a balloon sword at her. She could have driven off but she didn’t. This strange meeting led to Stephanie creating a business where she recruits, trains, books and takes a cut of the performance fee of Super Hero party characters. Find out the nuts and bolts of running a business model like this and discover the importance of ‘outsourcing’.

 

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How To Run A Weekly Mentalism Show – or- Find a hotel and make it attractive for them to allow you to showcase your act to lead to private bookings.

 

Eric Citron went from doing corporate trade shows to performing kids and family shows, the opposite of most magician’s stories. The life on the road worked until the stresses on family life made him seek work closer to home. Then the 300-500 show a year workload of the kids/family market wore him down too. Looking for a happy medium Eric found mentalism . He discovered local hotels had empty function rooms that were not bringing in money. He simply asked if he could play his Totally Mental Show in these empty rooms. The answer might surprise you ..

 

http://www.magicianbusiness.com/magician-business-podcast/

 

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VANISH Magic Magazine – Free Download

From Paul Romhany..

 

Get you free copy of VANISH magic magazine. Almost 200 pages of magic, tricks, reviews and essays. It’s FREE from Vanish Magazine..

 

” In this issue we feature Anthony Owen who is a UK magical creator, writer and producer. His work on television productions reads like a who’s who of magic shows out of the UK including The Incredible Mr. Goodwin, Thomas Solomon: Escape Artist, The Real Hustle, The Secret World of Magic and all of Derren Brown’s specials and series for Channel 4 since 2000.”

 “He has been the Head of Magic at London based television production company Objective Productions since 2003 and is the creator and executive producer of CBBC’s Help! My Supply Teacher’s Magic. He is also the creator and executive producer of Killer Magic. If you want to find out information on how to get on television then this is the interview to read.”

“As usual we have a jam packed issue including some great magic routines from Louie Fox, Wayne Rogers, Danny Archer, Josh Janousky and Charles Gauci.”

 

http://www.vanishmagazine.com

 

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Confessions of a Medium – Free PDF

By   A. Medium

 

I received word from Michael Lyth of the sale of a early work on spiritualism by Trickshop. Michael provided me with a link to a very similar work called..”Confessions of a Medium”.. Then, following a Google search, I found another PDF for a similar work, probably written about the same time. Both PDF’s were written by anonymous writers, and both were detailed about the ‘tricks of the trade’. I can say this.. if you are a mentalist, there is definitely material in here you can use as background for your effects.. even if you aren’t presenting your effects as spiritualism. There are stories in these two works that will engage your audience and add a sense of mystery to your performance.

 

“It is with no feelings of exultation or pride that I view the publication of this work. The pictures of fraud and faith revealed in it are not pleasing… A triple reason exists for the public display of the knowledge I have gained—to give the truth to those who have been the victims of many painful deceptions, to those who are now being deceived, and to those who are in danger of falling into the hands of unscrupulous media… I have no acrimonious feelings against any one identified with Spiritualism. Those who abuse the generosity of their followers or clients… deserve the fullest exposure and punishment; but I refrain from assuming the position of judge or castigator… If there is any truth in Spiritualism… it will live; but … I have never discovered the smallest particle of truth in its professional mediums… In conclusion, I would give to those wishing to investigate Spiritualism the same advice that Punch briefly offers to those about to marry—‘Don’t.’

 

https://archive.org/stream/confessionsofmed00lond#page/n5/mode/2up

 

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Revelations of a Spirit Medium – Free PDF

To Quote from the book….

“The author of this book does not consider it a “literary gem,” by any means, but claims that it accomplishes the object for which it was written, viz.: gives the reader an expose of the methods pursued by the “spiritual medium” in the various deceptions they practice in their “circles,” “sittings,” and “séances,” which does

expose. The author has been a working “medium” for ‘ the past ·twenty years; -and – is not guessing or theorizing in what he has written. He will experience great pleasure in demonstrating to the scientific and reverend would-be exposers of spiritual phenomena how infinitely wrong have been the theories advanced by

them as an explanation of the wonderful manifestations occurring at the séances of the “medium.”

 

“The book was such a crushing expose of the methods of the bogus mediums that it created somewhat of a juror~ when it first saw the light. The mediums themselves bought every copy of the work they could fin.d. Many

copies were destroyed on the assumption that ” dead men tell no tales,” and the book soon became rarissime. Henry Ridgely Evans, writing in 1909, says (Old and New Magic, 2nd Ed., p. 377) : ” The Revelations of a Spirit

Medium is a very rare book,” proving that thirteen years ago the work was difficult to obtain. Very few copies found their way to this country. No second edition can be traced, and the publishers went out of business soon after publication.”

 

http://ssoc.selfip.com:81/texts/1922__anonymous___revelations_of_a_spirit_medium.pdf

 

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 Dollar Photo Club.. My ‘Secret’ Source for Great Pictures

 

Perfect for those who maintain websites, blogs, newsletters, etc.

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No royalties. You can use personally or commercially

Over 25 million images to choose from..

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http://mbsy.co/bHfWw

 

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 Never Miss Another Radio Show Again.. Listen and Record Any Show From Any Where – Free

 

Thanks to all of you who signed up for dar.fm .. For those of you who haven’t, you don’t know what you’re missing. Actually, let me tell you what you’re missing.. Radio shows from all over the country. You can enter key words, look at a search of stations that features content matching your search, and record that content for playback at your leisure. Record an hour, or two or five of your favorite music or commentary. And do it for Free.

 

Check it out FREE   –   http://dar.fm/new/9100625178

 

 

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A Request for Roadshow Readers – Important !

Guys, I’ve made a number of requests of you in the past two or three years. The Roadshow used to be about ten pages, instead of the current average of about 25 pages. Because of this, I’ve asked for articles and tips to publish in the Roadshow. Aside from a few ‘names’ in magic, I’ve received very little from the rest of you. I know a number of you guys are regular performers.. I also know a number of you do not think you can write, and that’s OK.. What I’m going to ask you to do is really simple…

I want to publish several articles related to performing for children. That is one of the few subjects I don’t write about. Personally, I don’t perform for children, and I don’t want to make myself out to be something I’m not.. What I want from some of you that do perform for children is… ANY of the following:

 

– A list of five ‘tips’ for performing for children. This may include handling tips, psychology, or personal experiences. These tips don’t have to be long of detailed, just specific enough that others will get your point.

– A list of five of your very favorite effects to perform for children. I need a little more than just the name. Not everyone will recognize an effect by its name. A brief one or two line description is ideal.

– A list of five of your favorite methods for getting bookings.

 

Don’t worry about your composition, punctuation, or spelling. I won’t publish it verbatim. I’m going to combine some of the tips into more than one article. Feel free to include a link to your site if you have one.

 

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Items for Sale from a Roadshow Friend…

 

Items for Sale – This is a list of magic items available to Roadshow readers… If you have questions about any of the effects shown, please call the number at the bottom. Happy shopping!

 

VANISHING DOVE CAGE……………………………………..     $     400.00

SMOKE MACHINE                                                             $     100.00

DOVE TO DUCK CAGE                                                     $     150.00

BOTANIA       ………………………………………………………      $     225.00

APPEARING CANE (PLASTIC)                                         $       50.00

APPEARING CANDLE (PLASTIC)………………………….     $       20.00

MULTIPLYING PIPE                                                           $       15.00

VANISHING CANDLE                                                        $       20.00

BALOON TO DOVE TRAY……………………………………..    $       60.00

ELECTRIC SOWING IN HALF ( TABLE AND DRILL)      $     300.00

LINKING RINIG 8″ SET SILVER                                       $       50.00

HOUDINI SUBTITUTION TRUNK                                     $     800.00

OWEN MILK PITCHER       NEW…………………………..  .. $       50.00

DOUBLE DOVE BAG                                                        $       25.00

OWEN CARD SWORD      NEW                                       $       75.00

CARD CASTLE                                                                  $       50.00

ALPHA MENTAL…………………………………………………       $       75.00

NEST OF BOXES (6) HOME MADE                                 $       50.00

NEEDLE TRU ARM                                                           $       25.00

SWORD TRU NECK           CHALET                                $     100.00

MULTON IN PALVO GLASES       ………………………….     $     150.00

CUPS AND BALL SLIDINI OR TANNEN                           $       50.00

FOUNTAIN OF FLOWER                                                   $       25.00

NEEDLE TRU BALOON………………………………………        $       25.00

SUPER DOVE PAN                                                           $     125.00

CHINESSE STICK                                                              $       20.00

PON PON BALL                                                                  $       75.00

3 SWORD SUSPENTION (ILLUSION……………………..      $ 1,500.00

CHANGING BAGS                                                              $       25.00

METAL APPEARING CAGE ROUND                                 $       75.00

FICCKLE FIRE SLIDINI                                                      $       85.00

COLOR CHANGING RECORD……………………………..       $       75.00

COLECTOR ITEM PRUCTION HOUSE                             $       50.00

VANISHING RADIO GERMANY                                         $     300.00

GENNI TUBE                                                                       $       85.00

ZOMBIE BALL…………………………………………………….         $       35.00

FLAGTATIC                                                                         $     100.00

 

My cell phone is… 347-758-2048

For any questions you may have…

EL FAUSAR THE MAGICIAN

(New York City area..)

 

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Patter I’ve Heard… (Really)

 

I give most folks a minute to figure this out.. I should probably give you two minutes..”

 ” Never try this at home… try it at a friend’s home..”

 ” I had a doctor’s appointment this morning. After a brief exam, he told me I was crazy. I told him I wanted a second opinion… He said OK, you’re ugly too..”

For a while, Houdini used a lot of trap doors in his act, but he was just going through a stage.

 An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.

 

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Free eBooks For Subscribers….

Here’s a link where you can download a variety of free ebooks, including Erdnase’ Expert At The Card Table… If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up HERE.. http://MagicRoadshow.com

 

http://streetmagic.info/cbmall3.html

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LIKE us on FaceBook..

http://www.facebook.com/magicroadshow

http://www.facebook.com/themagicnews

 

Some of my Other Sites..

Las Vegas Magic Shows – updated monthly

http://lasvegasmagicshows.info

Magic News – The #1 site in the world for ever-changing magic news. Updated daily.

http://MagicNews.org

 

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That does it for this issue. I hope you found something to help your magic studies along. Remember, if you have something you would like to share with the magic community, send it to: Rick@MagicRoadshow.com

 

“May my next issue find you well..”

Rick Carruth / Editor

Senior Professor – Camelard College of Conjuring of Chemmis, Egypt

“Magic’s Only Worldwide Honor Society”

http://www.camelardcollege.org/

 

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Magic Roadshow #162

Magic Roadshow #162

 MAGIC ROADSHOW 162

 January 2015

Hi Friends

Welcome to the latest issue of the MAGIC ROADSHOW JOURNAL OF MAGIC.. the #1 free newsletter in all of magic. Now, I didn’t say the #1 free magazine… our friend Paul Romhany  holds claim to that title. It’s hard to compare our 26 pages to www.vanishmagazine.com 170 pages ! Of course, we fill a different niche.. or at least that’s what I tell myself..

    PDF Version..   ROADSHOW 162

 I hope each of you experienced a Blessed Holiday season. My wife and I experienced a myriad of problems, much like dominoes tumbling one after the other, but we eventually caught up with the lead domino and settled in for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Stuff happens…

After a run of single digit temperatures, which could have produced even more mayhem, we have settled in to what the weatherman calls a run of  ‘temperate’ weather. I feel for those of you in other parts of the country who experienced sub zero temps and tons of snow.

For those of you who don’t know, I am a partner/founder in a company that delivers very large quantities of pharmaceuticals. We contract with around 20 drivers at any given moment, and the delivery of our cargo is critical. If the Roadshow is late, as it is this month, it can frequently be traced back to periods when I’m either training new contractors or running long routes to facilitate contractors being able to spend a little time with their loved ones.. not to mention bouts of flu or colds, which seem to catch up with everyone this time of year. I’m not making excuses.. just reporting the boring facts.

I want to issue a special ‘Thanks’ to everyone who contributed to this issue.. Paul Lelekis, Jeff Hobson, a return of our friend Werner Miller, and two effects from Michael Lyth.. that will appear in next months issue. 

Watch AMERICAN MASTERS on PBS this Friday as they feature Ricky Jay. Also, catch STREET MAGIC:TROY on the SyFy channel on Wednesdays.

Don’t forget.. Your Feedback is Appreciated!  EMAIL ME 

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           IN THIS ISSUE..

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  • 21st Century 21 Card Trick –  Ed Marlo and Paul Lelekis
  • Ribbons Through Body –  Jeff Hobson
  • TRICKS WITHOUT NAMES –  Mathemagical Medley of Semi-Automatic Tricks
  • Blood is Thicker than Water –  A Simple 4 Ace Assembly
  • False Cuts and Fancy Flourishes – Video Tutorials
  • On The Table False Cuts –  Video Tutorials
  • The Cardini Change Tutorial –  Video
  • The Magic Session – Underground Notes #1
  • A Visit to the Underground – Courtesy of SAM and  M-U-M
  • Magic Squares for the Mathematically Challenged –  Free PDF and Videos
  • Attention All Entertainers!!!  — From my friend Tait Harbaugh
  • Tom Thum: The Orchestra in my Mouth
  • TEDxWarwick – Owen Daniel – Mathemagic: Combining my Passions for    Math and Magic
  • Free eBooks For Subscribers….

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 “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap” (Ecc 11:4 NIV)

~ je suis Charlie ~

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21st Century 21 Card Trick

Ed Marlo and Paul Lelekis

EFFECT: A new way to perform a very old trick!  This is my version of Ed Marlo’s effect and it is a real beauty!

METHOD: Have deck shuffled and count off 21 cards into a pile.  Then have a card selected from these cards.  Take this selection and TILT it under the top card of the 20 card packet.

First undercut the top card to the bottom and then overhand shuffle, bringing the selection to the bottom of the packet.  Overhand shuffle the packet once more, being sure to keep the selection on the bottom.

Mention that you are going to divide the packet into three piles – the first pile (on your left) will, supposedly, contain 7 cards (actually only six!), the middle pile will contain 7 cards, and the third pile will secretly contain 8 cards, as below.

Performance:

Hold 21 card packet in right-hand Biddle grip – the selection will be on the bottom of the packet.  Each one of the three packets made will be counted off with a steady cadence.  Say the numbers out loud when you count off the cards so everyone is very clear that there are “seven” cards in each packet.

Packet #1: For the first packet, draw off the first card with your left thumb into the left hand.  Draw off the second card into left hand, but keep a left pinkie break between these two cards.  (Remember to say “One, two, three, four…” until you reach the seventh card!)

As you draw off card number “…three…” Biddle Steal the “broken” second card beneath the right-hand packet.  Continue reverse counting off cards into your left hand until you reach the number seven.  Lay this packet down to your left.

This first packet supposedly has 7 cards, but actually only has six cards.  The selection is now second from the bottom of the right-hand packet.

Packet #2: Begin counting the next set of cards, actually counting off seven cards.  Lay this packet down to the right of the first packet.

Packet #3: Reverse count the final packet of eight cards as seven cards…the seventh card will be a double with the selection on top.  Lay this packet down to the right of all.

Now the magic begins!

The first card travels:

Pick up the first packet on your far left and hold it in right hand Biddle grip.  Then false count this packet as seven cards, Biddle Stealing the second card, back under the right hand packet.

Twist the packet or do any type of “magic” and then pretend to reach into the middle of the packet and remove an “invisible card”!

Here I like to use a ploy by Paul Cummins.  As I pretend to remove the invisible card, I reach in between the cards at the near short end, pushing down on the bottom two cards.  Then as I pull my hand out, my left index finger pushes up on the bottom of the packet with an audible “Snap!”  It is very convincing!

Hand this “invisible card” to the spectator to hold.  This can be very funny!  Now recount this packet as six cards, turning them face up so everyone can see that there are actually only six cards and none are the selection!

The card travels to the second packet:

Pick up the second (middle) packet and reverse count it as seven cards – easy because it actually is!

Pick up about ½ of the cards from this packet with your right hand and have the spectator place the invisible card onto your left hand packet.  Then place the cards in your right hand back on top of all.  Do the magic.

Recount this packet as eight cards by Biddle Stealing the second card back under the packet.  Once more, pretend to remove an invisible card from this packet (as above) and hand it to the spectator.

Again recount this packet as seven cards as you turn them face up for all to see as you ask if anyone sees the selection.

The card travels to the third packet:

The selection will now be on the top of the packet. To prove that there are now 8 cards, merely spread the packet and show 8 cards.. getting a left pinkie break under the top two cards. The selection is secretly on top and the simple double will hide that fact.

Lift up half of the packet with your right hand and have the spectator place the invisible card onto the left hand packet.  Then place the right hand cards on top.

Perform the magic spell and then reverse count the cards as eight cards (there actually is this time!) to show the “arrival” of the invisible card.  The selection will be on top of the packet.

Spread the cards (still face down) to show that there are really eight cards…but get a fleshy left pinkie break under the top two cards as you close the packet up.

Turn the top two cards face up as one to show that it is not the selection.  Turn the double back face down and place the top card (the selection) onto the table.

Have the spectator make a magic pass over the card and then ask what her selection is…then turn it face up for the finale!

You can view ALL of Paul’s ebooks, all 18, at Lybrary.com .. They are, undoubtedly, one of the best values in all of magic..  Many are now considered underground classics…

http://lybrary.com/paul-a-lelekis-m-163788.html

 

Be sure to check out Paul’s definitive work on the Business of Table Hopping. Maybe my favorite of all his many ebooks. If you want to earn a steady income with your magic, this is the ebook for you….

http://www.lybrary.com/the-business-of-table-hopping-p-408936.html

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Ribbons Through Body

Jeff Hobson

I’ve never had as much fun with a trick than performing the Ribbons Through Body. I have used this effect to close every one of my children’s shows since I can remember. This trick and method are clearly explained in the Tarbell Course, volume 5 titled “Japanese Multiple Tape Tie”. 

( Editor: If you don’t have Tarbell’s course handy, download it in issue #160 of the Magic Roadshow.. then, find this effect on page 600  -or-  view a PDF of the effect only.. HERE .. It’s titled MYSTERIOUS JAPANESE TIE )

Nothing is changed in the workings except that three children are used instead of two adults. It’s the presentation that is all-important here. This is another trick that I’ve had many inquiries about so here it is! 

The effect is a simple one. Two ribbons, which are wrapped around three children’s waists, penetrate through their bodies. The ribbons I use are a satin/gabardine material and a width of one inch. The color I use is purple since it seems to be a pleasing one to the eye and also contrasts with most outfits that children wear.

I use “invisible” sewing thread instead of cotton thread. I found that the clear thread, being plastic, has some “give” to it which comes in handy in case the ribbons get pulled taught prematurely.

I get four children in total to help, which makes it a nice closing effect. One of the children I look for is an older, quieter one in their late teens. If this age group can’t be found an adult is substituted. He, or she, must follow directions well and will execute the pulling of the ribbons. The other three should be of graduating height so when standing in line; the youngest is standing in front and the tallest at the back. This is so the audience can see all of their faces. You’ll see why this is important in a moment. I also make a point to get at least one child of each sex as not to discriminate.

 Arrange the three younger children in a line. Ask them to stand, “heel to toe and toe to heel” so that they are one unit and won’t move around during the effect. I then talk about my “Christmas Ribbons” that Santa gave me to test children to see if they’re naughty or nice. I ask the children if they’ve been naughty or nice. This can be very cute with the right kids and lead to lots of fun. 

I ask the children to hold their arms up in the air. I give a wave in front of my nose and say, “Whew, who didn’t use deodorant?” I use the older kid (or adult) to assist me with wrapping the ribbons around the children’s waists keeping the threaded part at the back of the last, tallest child in line. I ask all of the children to put their hands on their hips, hold tight and not to let go. After the ribbons are tied around the child in front, I give the older child/assistant the proper two ends to hold. “Now don’t pull the ends until I tell you to!” I say before talking to the three tied-up children.

“These ribbons will tell whether you’ve been naughty or nice this year. At the count of three, my assistant and I will pull (I yell this extra loud for added effect) the ends of these ribbons. If the ribbons pass through your center sections without any harm, then that means you’ve all been good boys and girls so far this year.

However (emphasized), if, when we pull on the ribbons, you get cut in half and you fall to the ground. . . . . and there lies David (say one of the child’s names) I’ll shout, ‘Pull yourself together!’ and that means that you’ve been naughty boys and girls.” You should get some interesting looks on the faces of the ribbon-clad children. One very important word of caution – be very careful not to get timid youngsters. You may scare them with this talk. If I find that a seemingly brave child becomes scared, I immediately put on an air of play and joking rather than seeming to be serious. I then talk to the audience and remind them that, since the three assistants are holding on to their waists, the ribbon have nowhere else to go but straight through them. This comment is a “sell” of the magic effect to come.

Magic of this nature can often be made much stronger by stressing the effect before actually performing it!

I now do the traditional fake countdown. “Ready?. . . One. . .Two. . . Three days ago I tried this. . . . .” I usually only play this once unless everyone is really laughing including the kid’s who are involved. When I am finally ready to pull, I prepare myself to pull extra hard as the other assistant holding other ends of the ribbons rarely pulls as hard as I ask them to. I say to my assistant, “Remember, on the count of three you pull as hard as you can that-away (I motion to have him or her step back and away from the tied-up kids). This is so the ribbons are pulled quickly and directly coming through the kid’s bodies happens with a “snap”. I give the command to, “Pull”.

After the ribbons penetrate their bodies, I give about three seconds for the effect to register with the audience. I then yell to the three kids, “Wait. . . . . don’t take your hands off of your hips! You could be cut apart in half but don’t know it yet!” This usually gets a laugh from the littlest assistant who often looks down at their waist. I continue, “We really should be careful now. Keep your hands on your hips until you get home today. You need time to heal. We don’t want you waking up on one side of the bed and the other side tomorrow morning!”

I then start to hand out some form of prizes to the kids. As I hand my assistants their prizes, usually they will take one hand off of their hips to grab their prize. I stop and yell, “Don’t take your hands off your hips!” This will get another laugh. I say, “Say ahhhhhhh” as I bring the prize to their mouths so that they grip the prize between their teeth. I say “Ahhhhhhh” to each of the kids as I place the prize in their mouths. “Now march back to your seats and keep your hands on your hips!” If you give this presentation some energy and a fun spirit, you’ll have yourself a great closer to your show. By the way, it’s not a bad idea to have your business card or a sticker with your contact information on it as part of the prize package!

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Jeff Hobson offers a FREE Magic Video Theater where he posts rare and vintage videos, interviews and has great lectures available. To access this private video page, just sign up at:http://www.HobsonsChoiceMagic.com   and click on “Special Offers”

Hobson also has a NEW professional magic lecture available as a streaming, online rental.  See the trailer at:  http://www.HobsonsChoiceMagic.com

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TRICKS WITHOUT NAMES –  Another Mathemagical Medley of Semi-Automatic Tricks

Werner Miller

(Editors note: Anyone reading the Roadshow for more than the past year will certainly remember all the wonderful mathematically based effects by our friend Werner Miller. Werner entertained us with an extended series of effects, published herein over a period of about 16 months. He has graciously agreed to share another parade of effects, titled  TRICKS WITHOUT NAMES ..)

 Trick #1

Openly sort out the thirteen Spades, and set the rest of the deck aside. Keep the Queen and the King for yourself, and hand the remaining eleven cards to a spectator.

Ask the spectator to shuffle these cards. Then instruct the spectator to deal them singly back and forth into two piles until only one card is left, to note and remember this last card, to place it on either pile, and finally to drop the other pile on top of it.

Take the combined pile and square the cards (the spectator’s card is sixth from the top down). If you can, give the packet a convincing false cut.

Point to your Queen. Spell aloud “Q-U-E-E-N”, with each letter dealing off the top a single card down to the table, into a new pile. Then drop the remaining cards onto this new pile, as a block.

Continue by spelling the same way “O-F” dealing out two cards, and put all the in-hand on top of this pair after wards as you did before. Finally spell similarly “S-P-A-D-E-S”, but before placing the remaining cards on top of the 6-card packet insert your Queen, face up. (Fig. 1)

 

Point to your other card. Repeat the spelling/dealing procedure with its name: Deal four cards (“KI-N-G”), place rest on top of them; deal two cards (“O-F”), place rest on top of them; deal six cards (“S-P-A-D-E-S”), insert face-up King, place rest on top of all. (Fig. 2)

Ribbon spread the cards. Draw attention to the fact, that the Queen and the King are only one face-down card apart. Have the chosen card named by the spectator, then slide out the trapped card and turn it face up: It is the spectator’s card.

Alternative Version

Use the thirteen Clubs only. Separate the Queen and the King from the other Clubs, then turn your back. Ask the spectator to leave the Queen and the King face up on the table and to pick up the remaining cards. Give instructions to turn these eleven cards face down, to shuffle them, to square them, and to note and remember the final top card leaving it on top.

Now it’s time to add the royal couple, first the Queen, then the King. (Fig. 3)

Ask the spectator to spell “Q-U-E-E-N” with each letter dealing off the top a card down into a new pile, then to drop the face-up Queen on top of that pile, and finally all the remaining cards on top of all. The King is to be positioned similarly: The spectator is instructed to spell “K-I-N-G” dealing out four cards reversing their order, to place the face-up King on top of them and the remainder of the packet on top of all.

Turn to the table and pick up the combined packet. Announce that you are going to complete the names of the royal couple. Spell “O-F” (deal out two cards, put rest on top of them), then spell “CL-U-B-S” (deal out five cards, put rest on top of them). Have the packet completely cut by the spectator, then ribbon spread the cards to show the spectator’s card trapped.

(To Be Continued.)

For more (and more elaborate) math-based magic by Werner Miller visit:

http://www.lybrary.com/werner-miller-m-7881.html

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Bloods Thicker than Water – A Simple 4 Ace Assembly

Rick Carruth

Here is another Ace assembly that can be accomplished quickly and effectively, and with the right panache, will totally fool your spectator. My patter is designed to make all my politically oriented and sports oriented friends mad with me. They’ll get over it…

All that necessary is a slight bit of deception. Tell your spectator that you need to find the four Aces. Flip through the deck and casually take out the Aces, and two odd cards as well. Hold the Aces and the odd cards so you can show/fan the four Aces to the spectator, while keeping the two odd cards secreted behind the Aces.

Close up the fan and put the packet face down on top of the deck. The two odd cards, having been behind the Aces, should now be on top of the deck.

Another easy method of getting the cards into position is to look through the deck and remove the Aces one by one, laying each on a table in front of the spectator. Holding the deck faces up in the left hand, ‘introduce’ each Ace to the spectator with your right hand.. while catching a break under the second card on the top of the deck with your left. Pick up each Ace, introduce it as Willie, Anthony, Peyton, or Eli, and lay it face up on top of the deck. Once all four are on top, pick up the top six cards above the break, flip the deck, and lay the six face down on top of the face down deck. Everything is now set to perform.

You can patter something like this…

“Four brothers from New York, having never lived apart, decided to each strike out on their own.. with the goal of fulfilling their lifelong dreams.

The first brother, Bill, otherwise known among his friends as Willie, was a great admirer of politicians. His goal was to travel to Washington DC, learn the in’s and out’s of politics, and become famous, electable, and very rich. He met a crooked politician his second day in town who promised to make him both wealthy and electable”.

Take the top card (actually an odd card the spectator assumes is an Ace) and stick it in the deck about a third of the way down.

“..The second brother, Peyton, wanted to become a famous football player. He went to Denver where he met an agent who promised to get him a try-out with the Broncos.”

Take the second odd card, assumed to be an Ace, and stick it in the deck about two thirds of the way down.

“The third brother, Anthony, longed for a beautiful girlfriend. He traveled to Las Vegas where he met a stunning show girl, via Twitter, who promised him great affection”.

Take the top card, an Ace, and put it on the bottom of the deck. You can flash it slightly if you want…

“The last brother, Eli, wanted to go anywhere other than New York. Unfortunately, he missed the turn to the Lincoln Tunnel, became frustrated, and decided to stay in New York”.

Flash the top card, an Ace, and leave it face down on top . At this point, you have one Ace on bottom of the deck and three Aces on top.

“Seven months passed”. Quickly cut the deck seven times as you count.. “one, two, three, four, five, six, seven…. and, as fate would have it, each of the three brothers were persuaded to return to New York.

“ Anthony, it seems, got in hot water with his fancy-do girlfriend after posting some, uh, inappropriate pictures on Twitter. She kicked him out.. and he hopped a train back to NYC.”

Flip the top card over to reveal an Ace..

“Peyton got his big chance in Denver, but, after losing a playoff game to a seemingly lesser team, management decided it was time for him to ‘retire’. Peyton took the next flight out of Denver and headed home. “

Flip the next card over to reveal another Ace..

“Willie, who by this time had earned the moniker ‘Slick Willie’, decided it was time to get the heck out of DC after a federal prosecutor began digging into his affairs, both personal and professional, and threatened him with a federal indictment. Willie hitched a ride with Govenor Christie, but, after encountering a whale of a traffic jam at the George Washington Bridge, Willie decided to walk the rest of the way.”

Show the third Ace..

“Eli, who was manager of an apartment complex in the Bronx, was so excited to see his brothers he helped each one lease an apartment. Each brother eventually married nice Jewish girls, except for Willie, got jobs with the local union, and lived long and fruitful lives.. proving that, in the end, blood IS thicker than water. “

Flip the last Ace, completing the reveal..

You can crimp the left, bottom edge of the Ace on bottom of the deck if you want to conclude with the four Aces on top. Another method is to place either a Short Card or one with a Breather Crimp on bottom to begin the routine. This can make it easy to cut to the top Ace on the seventh cut.

A self-working card effect that will impress if done quickly.

Rick Carruth – Revised From MAGIC TIPS & TRICKS

http://www.createspace.com/3605025

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False Cuts and Fancy Flourishes – Video Tutorials

Nothing sets a good card trick up better than a nice false cut. The public wants to be entertained.. but they also want to catch you trying to pull the wool over their eyes. False Cuts help eliminate suspicion and give you the edge. Naturally, some of these videos are better than others. Pay attention to the technique and not so much the performer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-C8e-LP1H0

Best beginners Fancy False Cut REVEALED / Tutorial /

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY8gPfDHhfs

Best beginners Fancy False Cut REVEALED / falseness/Tutorial /

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ninb-8gA1WY

190 Helix Cut Completely False Cut tutorial, Step by Step

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ED8wp1Advo

The Swivel Cut Flourish Tutorial – ( Probably my favorite )

A nice swivel cut that maintains the deck order. Easy enough for most beginners.. yet impressive.

http://Carruth.org

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On The Table False Cuts….

Larry Jennings False Cut – An On-The-Table Tutorial

This is a fluid and deceptive false cut devised by Larry Jennings. The cut uses no breaks and is great for when you are at a card table. Tutorial by 52kards

http://youtu.be/e8wo7Tt85kI

Up the Ladder False Card Shuffle – Another Table False Shuffle

Simple and convincing. Tutorial by 52kards.

http://youtu.be/ZGHd-iYJyMk?list=PL18A812E430769FD4

False Cut Tutorial – Vernon Cold Deck Cut

The Vernon Cold Deck Cut is a simple looking series of cuts to the table. It has a nice and logical rhythm to it that makes it look very convincing. Learn it well!

http://youtu.be/ZBW6jIvkrlw

Erdnase Fancy Blind FALSE Cut Tutorial  ( My Personal Favorite)

Erdnase Fancy Blind False Cut that is a relatively easy cut that is done on the surface of a table.

http://youtu.be/mujlOFtX5KQ

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The Cardini Change Tutorial –  Video

An in-depth tutorial on the card trick called “The Cardini Change

http://www.etricks.info

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The Magic Session – Underground Notes #1

This Magic Session PDF was published under the CoinMagicTricksBlog.com url. Best I can tell, they are not currently an active blog, but the Underground Notes are still available. The lead article is by the highly respected Eric Jones..

The PDF was published by Irvin Quant, Luke Dancy, and Josh Norris..

http://www.coinmagictricksblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/TMS-Underground-1.pdf

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A Visit to the Underground – Courtesy of SAM and  M-U-M

Frequently, while researching something or the other in the search engines, I’ll run across URLs for past issues of M-U-M magazine. As a member of the Society of American Magicians, I truly appreciate their monthly magazine.. M-U-M. I can’t help but to flip through them once again, sometimes finding something I missed the first time. In this case, I didn’t miss ‘A Visit to the Underground’.. but I was glad to re-read it, and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

Five young performers, among the best in the country regardless of age, each furnished an effect for the  August 2013 issue.  Eric Jones, Tony Chang, Dan Hauss, Chris Mayhew, and Ben Train shine with these five effects, consisting of  three card effects and two close-up effects.

http://magicsam.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/201305MUM.pdf

( PS.. before someone gets mad with me for publishing links to past issues of M-U-M, I found these links in Google, available to anyone, anywhere. One could easily prevent these URLs from appearing in the search results by using the “nofollow” value in the hyperlink.. Just saying….).

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Magic Squares for the Mathematically Challenged –  Free PDF and Videos

Scott Cram has published one of my very favorite blogs, GREY MATTERS, for a number of years. I have featured several effects in the Roadshow garnered from his work. Not only do I read Grey Matters, but I search back through the posts of years past in case I missed something, or in case something that I once read now strikes me in a different way.

I have been a long-time fan of properly performed Magic Squares. I think that, performed with skill and confidence, the Magic Square can amaze a room of reasonably intelligent adults. In fact, the smarter your audience, the more impressed they will be..

Perhaps my one problem with the magic square is it can look awkward at times, depending on the number chosen. If you include the four required numbers, which may be something like 31, 32, 33, and 34, and the remainder of the numbers are single digit numbers.. it’s not hard to gleam the method.

Bill Fritz, author of the PDF offered by Scott, says he likes a ‘balanced’ square where each of the numbers in the square are in the same range. Although some magic square utilize a partially pre-filled grid to achieve this look, Bill doesn’t like that either. And he particularly doesn’t like making mistakes in front of an audience…

One day I was contemplating this dilemma, when a though popped into my head. ‘What if I did all of the cumbersome math ahead of time, so that I could be confident it’s correct?’ That’s when Magic Squares for the Mathematically Challenged was born.”

Scroll down the post, look for the Scribd PDF, click on the ‘fullscreen’ link at the top, and enjoy. The links to the videos are below the PDF.

http://headinside.blogspot.com/2010/11/magic-squares-for-mathematically.html

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Never Miss Another Radio Show Again.. Listen and Record Any Show From Any Where – Free

Until you have the freedom to record ANY radio show in the country, you have no way of knowing exactly what you’re missing.  Anything, from anywhere in the country, can be recorded once.. or daily. Political comment. Sports Talk from any city. Ambient, Country, Rock, Progressive, Blues, Jazz… you name it.

Record it and listen whenever convenient. (I use the paid version of DAR every week to record a couple of blues shows from Louisiana and Texas, as well as a daily local sports talk show that comes on in the middle of the afternoon when I’m usually too busy to listen.)

Check it out FREE   –   http://dar.fm/new/9100625178

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Attention All Entertainers!!!  — From my friend Tait Harbaugh

If you live in, or are planning a trip to, the Lancaster Pa. area in the near future, I have the perfect way for you to spend the day on Saturday, March 28th. Our friends, Tait and Michelle Harbaugh, are sponsoring a flea market just for entertainers.

This is not a convention or an auction. The point of this event is to give everyone an easy outlet for selling unneeded supplies.

Admission is free. The event is hosted by Steps to Success, a non profit early learning center. A donation jar & concessions to benefit Steps to Success will be available. Tables can be reserved with a $5 donation. Please send your donation and contact information to Steps to Success, 56 Hillcrest Ave., Leola PA 17540 if you wish to reserve a table prior to the event.

Everyone is welcome to buy, sell, or trade. We do ask that you stick to performance equipment. (This is not a garage sale.) Magic, Juggling, Puppets, Face Painting, Balloon Twisting, Books and equipment. Anything that would be used as an entertainer. Oh, socializing is also encouraged.

Means of payment will be up to the seller. Please come prepared.

Feel free to post any feature items on this event page.

We would like to get an idea of how many to expect. If you have information on upcoming events, groups or anything else performance related, please bring the material to hand out. If we have room, we’ll try to have a table for this information.

Event schedule:

7:30am to 9:00am = Set up. If you are selling, this is the time to set up. The event is in an old school cafeteria. The fold down tables are still in the walls. We are planning on putting those down so they can be used. These tables are on a first come, first served basis as $5 donations arrive.

9:00am to 1:00pm = Swap meet. That’s 4 hours of fun. Steps to Success will have concessions set up as part of their fund raiser.

1:00pm to 2:00pm = Tear down and clean up.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1552872708267136/

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Tom Thum: The Orchestra in my Mouth

In a highly entertaining performance, beatboxer Tom Thum slings beats, comedy and a mouthful of instrumental impersonations into 11 minutes of creativity and fun that will make you smile. (Filmed at TEDxSydney.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFjIi2hxxf0&list=PL454A0274C1223C90

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TEDxWarwick – Owen Daniel – Mathemagic: Combining my Passions for Math and Magic

Owen Daniel is a performer, entertainer and mathematician. At a young age he developed a passion for magic, leading him to be a finalist in the Magic Circle’s Junior Close Up Competition at the age of 13. At 17 he set up Magico Theatre Company and directed two plays which went on to have sell out runs at the Edinburgh Festival in 2007 and 2008. For the last 4 years he has been studying mathematics at the University of Warwick during which his theatre career has been on hold, however he has been known to come out of hiding to do occasional shows and talks. He was most recently seen talking for Warwick’s IATL group, on the subject of teaching mathematics in a creative environment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUU45dBFWOM

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Free eBooks For Subscribers….

Here’s a link where you can download a variety of free ebooks, including Erdnase’ Expert At The Card Table… If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up HERE.. http://MagicRoadshow.com

http://streetmagic.info/cbmall3.html

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LIKE us on FaceBook..

http://www.facebook.com/magicroadshow

http://www.facebook.com/themagicnews

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Some of my Other Sites..

Las Vegas Magic Shows – updated monthly

http://lasvegasmagicshows.info

NewsGrowth – Constantly changing news from around the World. Updated hourly.

http://NewsGrowth.com

Magic News – The #1 site in the world for ever-changing magic news. Updated daily.

http://MagicNews.org

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That does it for this issue. I hope you found something to help your magic studies along. Remember, if you have something you would like to share with the magic community, send it to:  Rick@MagicRoadshow.com

“May my next issue find you well..” 

 

Rick Carruth / Editor 

 

Senior Professor – Camelard College of Conjuring of Chemmis, Egypt

“Magic’s Only Worldwide Honor Society”

http://www.camelardcollege.org/ 

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A NEW Magic Roadshow is Online. Read it Free..

A NEW Magic Roadshow is Online. Read it Free..

A new Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic has published online. Although published for subscribers, I often make it available for anyone to read. All you need is a true interest in magic. This issue can be read entirely online -or- downloaded as a PDF and read on your device.. at your convenience. Also, this issue is 45 pages in length and 15,000 words. That’s a LOT of magic for FREE.!   In this Issue:

  • Gestalt  – A Card Effect from  Paul A. Lelekis
  • The Lost Peek  –  Paul A. Lelekis
  • The Value of Magic as a Teaching Tool  –  Free PDF Teaching Tool
  • Lost City Magic  vs. Las Vegas! – A Magical Journal
  • At The Table  –  Chris Randall    (A Review)
  • Morgan Strebler on Quora –  An Interview
  • 3 Effects From David Solomon –   Card Effects
  • Restaurant Magic and Children  –  An Opinion & An Effect –  Rick Carruth
  • The Collected Essays of Eugene Burger.  –  Downloadable PDF
  • How I Made Toronto’s CN Tower Vanish – Complete Episode from Jay Sankey
  • 3 Full Length Jay Sankey Ebooks  –  Great Free Resource
  • The Thirteen Paths –  Free PDF from R.Paul Wilson
  • TheatreCrafts Entertainment Technology Resources
  • Interview with Dusty Summers: Las Vegas’ First Nude Magician..
  • Warped and Restored  –  Vinny Marini’s Classic Card Trick –  Video Tutorial
  • How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking –  Video
  • Double lift – How to lift two cards – One Hand Double Flip
  • ‘Predict The Switch" Card Trick Revealed..  Tutorial
  • Understanding Misdirection –  Free PDF from Merchant of Magic
  • 1089 And All That   –  Resource and Effects
  • Mathematical Magic –  Tutorials
  • Very Satisfying Math Magic Video..
  • Hexahexaflexagons Galore.. Build Your Own..
  • Bizarre Magic – Websites and Resources
  • Magic and Parlor Tricks – Tutorials
  • Prop Tricks –  Tutorials
  • Important Information…

https://magicroadshow.com/177.php

Magic Roadshow #161

Magic Roadshow #161

MAGIC ROADSHOW  #161

 December 2014

Welcome to a new issue of the Magic Roadshow. I hope you find something in this issue that strikes your fancy and makes you want to grab a deck of cards, or a couple of coins, or a corn cob… or whatever makes your magic special.. and furiously practice with unabashed joy.

The Christmas season is almost upon us. and I want to sincerely wish each of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I know some of you prefer to call it the Holiday season.. and that’s perfectly OK, but I’m sticking with what I know. I hope every single one of you has a Blessed December, and all your wishes come true. I wish I could print out thousands of copies of the Roadshow and knock knock knock at your door.. hand delivering your copy, getting to know you, whilst sitting a spell and talking magic. That, for me, would be the Best Christmas of all.. ( Oh, I hope you don’t mind if I bring my family. Naturally, they would have to be a part of my trek.. My wife, Carolyn, our six children, our sixteen grandchildren, our five great-grandchildren, and our spoiled cat..)

2015 will be a brand new year, and with that comes the hope of fresh resolutions and new beginnings. I don’t know about you guys, but my wish next year is to actually watch the almost 40 dvds I’ve stockpiled the past couple years. They are a reflection of time itself… making me aware of all the ‘good intentions’ I’ve had, and proof of the tasks left undone. I truly admire those of you who can put the outside world aside and ‘make’ yourselves sit down and work on your magic.

Look for something special in this issue from my buddy, Paul Lelekis, and our benefactor, Jeff Hobson. Both have generously shared magic from their repertoire, and I hope you like it as much as I did..

Let me know if I can assist you with your magic.. Questions? Comments?  EMAIL ME

PDF Version..  Roadshow 161

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IN THIS ISSUE:    

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– Red’s Card Trick –  Jeff Hobson

– The Trick That Can’t Be Explained – Video Tutorial

– Paul Lelekis’ Red/Black Separation Shuffle – Video Tutorial

– What is the Art of Magic ? –  TEDx Talk by Dr. Lawrence Hass

– Disappear Any Card As It’s Shuffled – Tutorial

– Duct Tape Wallet – Video Tutorial

– TIPS & TRICKS –  Monthly Feature

TIP #1 … Chapstick

Tip # 2  –  Nest of Coins –  A Useful Tip

– How the Grinch Stole Christmas — Scott Well’s “The Magic Word” Podcast

– Skeptic Michael Shermer Shows You How to Bend Spoons with Your Mind

– Marco Tempest’s Cyber Card Trick  –   video

– 3 of the Top Card Tricks in Magic Revealed –  Video Tutorials..

– The Fellowship of Christian Magicians  –  Free Effects and Resources

– Energized Aces –  Video Tutorial

– The Bulletproof Musician Blog –  Why Magicians Should Read This Blog..

– Customer Service for Magicians – Podcast

– The Business of Online Magic Shops – Podcast with Dominic Reyes

– Latest Issue of VANISH Magazine Ready to Download

– Pamela Meyer: How to Spot a Liar  – A TED Talk

– Merry Christmas ! – A Little Something to Keep You Busy in 2015

– MOST….

– MAGIC NEWS  –  A  Few of the Stories This Week….

– Free eBooks For Subscribers…

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There’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.”

Jim Hightower

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Red’s Card Trick

Jeff Hobson

I remember growing up in Detroit.  A time where you could walk down the street any afternoon and visit with most everybody.  Folks would often sit on their porches and wait for someone to pass by to have a chat with them.  Two houses down from where I lived was an old man named Red.  Apparently, in his younger days, he had had bright-red hair hence his name.  My father and I would take in a stroll many times during the week and visit with Red.  He was always very gracious and he loved to show me card tricks.  I think I’m the only one he ever revealed his secrets to since he knew I was interested in performing magic even at my tender age of 8.

There is only one of his card tricks that I have remembered and, since then, I’ve realized he was teaching me more of basic principle than a presentation.  He presented the trick as a blindfold, poker demonstration but with no real patter other than to simply explain his movements during the trick – a very common problem among amateurs today who seem to feel that the trick is everything rather than needing a presentation to make it magical.  He also didn’t have a blindfold, a common addition to many effects of this genre. He just didn’t look at his hands as he was doing the effect. It was almost as if the cards didn’t exist.

However, I realized that his presentation, or lack thereof, was one of the points that made this simple trick so amazing.  You really didn’t expect anything great to happen!  He just did it casually and the effect had to sink in.  It must have sunk in quite a bit for me to remember this after so many years!

This trick is based upon the simple principle that a stack of playing cards keeps the same running order even after the cards are cut.  Again, the casualness of the presentation and subsequent downplay of the cutting of the cards makes this seem like you’re a master of sleight of hand.  I will leave it to you to get to the starting point on your own since there are many different ways to begin.

Using only the 10’s through Ace’s set up the cards so that all are in the same suit order. (photo R1) If the 10’s are in CHSD order, then do the Jack’s, Queen’s, King’s and Aces in this same order. This is the only important part.  Assemble the cards for display not mentioning the suit order to your audience.  This could be the only “tell” when the spectators try to re-create the effect.  Remember being casual is the key to this effect.  I simply state, “I’m only going to use the high cards for this demonstration . . . 10’s through Aces.”   I give the audience a “casual” glance at the cards, close the spread, and place them on the table.  “Have you ever played poker?” I ask one of the spectators.  This was the only “patter” that Red used to begin this trick.  Regardless of the answer, I ask him or her to give the deck a “straight cut”.  I mirror a hand motion of cutting the cards as I say this. I want to establish to the spectator to cut the cards just once, without actually stating it, which might cause suspicion.

I have had some “smart” folks try to triple cut the cards.  This, of course, would ruin the trick.  If I think that I could have a problem with someone, I simply keep the cards in my hand and extend my arm toward the spectator asking them to “cut some cards off of the pack and place them on to the table”.  After they do, I then place the rest of my cards on top of the cut cards on the table. This establishes what I want to happen to the others who will now assist.  I don’t say much at this point other than to pass the cards to the next spectator.  I look them in the eyes. They should get the idea that they are supposed to cut the cards.  If not, I simply say, “And you?”  This minimal patter builds a bit of suspense and anticipation and I’m sure Red is smiling right now as I relive the memory of his effect.

After I have had the cards cut three or four times, I look around and say, “Anybody else?”  If I don’t get a response, I say to the first person who cut the cards, “Do you want to cut again?”  Again, this is said very casually as if to give the impression that we could do this all day long.  I never state that the cards are mixed.  That would defeat the tone set for the effect.

After everyone is settled, I take the cards and put them under the table to do the “dirty work”.  The action of putting the cards under the table should immediately cause suspicion but again, is sidetracked by the casual – or minimal – presentation.  I don’t look at my hands as they go beneath the table or say anything about what I have just done but continue the trick with a few simple questions directed toward the spectators.  Immediately, I look at the second spectator who cut the cards and say, “Did I ask you if you played poker?. . . No? . . Well do you?”  To another spectator I ask, “Do you know what makes up a good hand in the game?”  During these questions I execute the following moves to separate the cards.

The packet of cards is held in dealing position in the left hand. The first card is gripped or pinched between the first finger tip and thumb of the right hand. The left hand then pushes three cards between the right first finger and middle finger tips. (photo R2)  The left hand then comes back to the top to push off more one card and is pinched, again, between the first finger and thumb of the right hand. (photo R3)  Now the left hand goes back underneath to push three more cards to be pinched between the right first and second fingers. (photo R4)

This process is repeated three more times until the cards are exhausted.

When you are finished, you should have five cards pinched between the first finger and thumb of the right hand and the balance of the cards below being pinched between the first and second fingers.  With your left hand, grab the balance of the cards.  If you are practicing this for the first time, look at the five cards remaining in your right-hand fingers.  If you are easily entertained, you’ll be surprised to find you have a royal flush.  To continue the performance explanation, you will now bring only your right hand with these five cards, face down, up from underneath the table.  Do not look at the cards but simply place them on the table in front of the first person that cut the cards saying, “Here. . . this hand is for you. . .don’t look yet.”  Now, dip the right hand beneath the table again to join the left hand with the balance of the cards.

Repeat the whole process of separating cards except you will pinch only two cards between the right first and second fingers.   Then, bring the next, separated stack of five cards above the table, as before, and put these cards in front of another spectator.  Once again, the right hand goes below the table to perform the final separation of the cards simply pushing only one card between the thumb and first finger and then between the first and second fingers.

You can now take the two, separated stacks, one into each hand, and bring them to the tabletop.  Put these stacks in front of two more spectators. This process is lengthy to explain in words but only takes a few seconds when executed in a real time and with some practice.  The end result is that you have quickly separated the ‘mixed-up’ cards into four piles that now lay in front of four spectators.  You have done this without any apparent work or thought.

I now ask one the spectators, “Do you know what the best hand in poker is?”  Regardless of the answer, I say, “Turn over your cards,” while motioning to do so to all four people.  After a few moments of awe from the card holders, I “casually” say, “Hmmm, it looks like you’re all winners”.

A few additional tips:  You’ll find, with practice, that you can keep the “noise” from the cards to a minimum so that little or nothing will be heard from under the table that may indicate you’re counting the cards.   I have also done this effect while strolling and tablehopping if the conditions are so that you can do the counting behind your back without attention being focused from casual passerby’s. You can also, if standing, put your hands behind your back under your jacket if at all paranoid..

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Jeff Hobson offers a FREE Magic Video Theater where he posts rare and vintage videos, interviews and has great lectures available. To access this private video page, just sign up at:http://www.HobsonsChoiceMagic.com   and click on “Special Offers”

Hobson also has a NEW professional magic lecture available as a streaming, online rental.  See the trailer at:

http://www.HobsonsChoiceMagic.com

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Two from Paul Lelekis – Video Tutorials

One of my best friends in all of magic is the prolific Paul Lelekis. Paul and I regularly ‘chat’ and share our magic, although I’m usually the one chatting and Paul’s the one doing all the sharing. I use the description ‘prolific’ mildly, as Paul is far more than prolific. He is the author of 18 ebooks, all sold on Lybrary.com, and is a very busy consultant, reviewer, and writer for The Linking Ring.

Paul has agreed to share two amazing videos with Roadshow readers. One is a technique, and the other is a tutorial for one of the most popular effects ever published in The Linking Ring.

** Special Note: I have published both videos to the Youtube platform. I have also published both as ‘unlisted’, meaning they will not show up in search engines or a search of Youtube. They are intended to be shared with Magic Roadshow readers and not republished on other sites without Paul’s permission.

The Trick That Can’t Be Explained – Video Tutorial

When Paul and I were discussing publishing this video in the Roadshow he told me…  “My trick is self-working and caused more stir in The Linking Ring magazine than any trick before it as was told to me by editor Samuel Patrick Smith.  There have been 6 articles written on this in TLR and a seventh is coming out next month!  Also Stephen Tucker, editor of The Budget, a European, magician’s e-zine asked me a couple of years ago if he could have permission to print it in his magic publication!  It published in August of 2012 of The Budget.”

This is basically a self-working card trick. Anyone who knows Paul knows that he is not a practitioner of self working card tricks!  So, if this one has remained one of his favorites for many years, then it must be quite special… ( Editors note – It is…you guys will like this one. )

http://youtu.be/sBSdyR8dS-Y

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Paul Lelekis’ Red/Black Separation Shuffle – Video Tutorial

Paul told me the back story behind the Red/Black Separation Shuffle, and, although he didn’t develop this, he did create a subtlety that makes the shuffle both easier and faster…

“One can’t understand how STRONG this shuffle is until you perform it for either laymen or magicians.  I’ve performed this shuffle many times for magicians, whenever I do lectures – AFTER my lecture!  Then it always causes a big stir!  In the late 1990s I was lecturing at a club in (I think) St. Pete, and there was one young magician (maybe 21 or 22) who acted like a heckler!  He “knew” everything!

He made a bunch of unnecessary comments about what he thought was a “better sleight” to use here and there – but I ignored him.  Then I performed the Red/Black Shuffle at dinner after the lecture and he JUMPED UP and yelled “No Way!!  How did you do that?”  I didn’t tell him…”

http://youtu.be/bp20lQrkJm8

You can view ALL of Paul’s ebooks, all 18, at Lybrary.com .. They are, undoubtebly, one of the best values in all of magic..  Many are now considered underground classics…

http://lybrary.com/paul-a-lelekis-m-163788.html

Be sure to check out Paul’s definitive work on the Business of Table Hopping. Maybe my favorite of all his many ebooks. If you want to earn a steady income with your magic, this is the ebook for you….

http://www.lybrary.com/the-business-of-table-hopping-p-408936.html

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Merry Christmas from Rick, Carolyn, and Santa

            Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas – from Rick, Carolyn, and Santa himself…

ThingsYouNeverKnewExisted.com

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What is the Art of Magic ? –  TEDx Talk by Dr. Lawrence Hass

Lawrence Hass, magician and philosophy professor, recently gave a TEDx Talk on magic at the prestigious TEDxSMU event in Dallas. Titled “What is the Art of Magic?”  It also features him performing two of his signature effects.

Dr. Hass is the Associate Dean of Jeff McBride’s Magic & Mystery School, an award-winning author of essays and books for magicians, and the Founder and Publisher of Theory and Art of Magic Press. To learn more

about him, please go to: http://www.LawrenceHass.com.

His talk is now available for viewing at:

http://youtu.be/MFuYf19C6IM

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Disappear Any Card As It’s Shuffled – Tutorial 

Have trouble palming a card? Does FEAR prevent you from using this astonishingly simple sleight to freak your spectator? Does your FTP (failure to palm) render your 70 dollar himber wallet useless ?

Fear no more. Watch the video. Learn to palm a playing card like a pro…

http://etricks.info

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Duct Tape Wallet – Video Tutorial

I first published this video, or one similar, about six or seven years ago. During the time since, I’ve published hundreds of videos. It’s unusual for me to remember specific videos from that far back, particularly since I can seldom remember what I did last week..

The duct tape wallet is not particularly handsome. Nor is it re-sellable on ebay or at your local flea market. But I STILL like it. Maybe it takes me back to my childhood.. when crafting was an integral part of my school day. Or, maybe it reminds me of endless hours spent in my workshop, doing the DIY thing.

Maybe it simply reminds me that time spent making something with my hands is time well spent… I’m sure with a little engineering you can convert your wallet to a Himber wallet, or something similar. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you….

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Duct-Tape-Wallet

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TIPS & TRICKS –  Monthly Feature

OK Folks, I mentioned in the last Roadshow that I want to begin a column of magic tips and tricks. I want YOU to furnish the material. You don’t have to furnish the material publication ready.. just send what you want in any form you want and I’ll do the rest. It’s the IDEA that matters.

This can be in the form of the handling of a particular move or sleight – something you do that makes the handling easier, less visible, more convincing, etc… You can write it up or send a video. If you send a video, I’m going to convert it to something that’s accessible via a link. I don’t want to ask the readership to download a video file if I have other options. I may upload it as an unlisted Youtube video or upload it to Divshare.

I share everything of importance to me with you guys, and all I asks is that you guys be willing to share some little something with fellow magicians. Don’t worry about your style, spelling, grammar, or substance. If it’s something of importance to you, it’ll find a place in the routine of fellow performers. You and I will make it work.

TIP #1 … Chapstick

This is one of my favorite little tips. Although known to some, I know from the looks I get when I apply chapstick to my hand(s) it’s not occurred to many of you. Yes, I keep a tube of CHAP STICK Classic in my pocket just for those moments when I need a little extra ‘something’ on my hand to help complete a sequence of moves.

For instance, if I need to perform a Erdnase Color Change as part of an effect, I’ll put a light rub of ChapStick on my right hand finger tips and another rub on that portion of the pad of my hand that pulls the second card from underneath the top card. You don’t need much – just enough to get the job done. And you’ll find it’s good for several minutes of sensitive handling.

Aside from being odorless, the Classic flavor is clear, cheap, and has yet to stain my cards. You can buy a generic brand for about a dollar at most drug stores.. I know many card sharps use lotion specifically designed for this purpose, and that’s fine and dandy, but this quick fix works just fine for me…

Rick C.

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Tip# 2  –  Nest of Coins –  A Useful Tip

Michael Lyth enjoys using a Nest of Coins when performing for a birthday person. Unfortunately, coins can become dislodged. Here is a unique solution that employs four inexpensive holders and adds an additional twist to the reveal. I’ve converted the document to a PDF for ease of viewing and saving.

Thanks again to Michael for sharing with Roadshow readers. Now, if I could only persuade the other 7999 of you to do the same.. (smile)

Click Here

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas — Scott Well’s “The Magic Word” Podcast

Scott Wells is rightfully proud of his latest podcast, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Not just because of the timely subject matter.. but because this is podcast #200.  As a publisher who has grudged through 161 issues of the Roadshow, I can surely appreciate all the time, dedication, and hard work that goes in to each of these modules.

Aside from being issue# 200, this is a very special podcast.. especially if you consider the uh.. talent.. that Scott compiled to produce it. How about Eugene Burger as the Grinch..  How about a star-studded lineup to make things truly interesting… Richard Osterlind, Marc Salem, Rick Merrill, George Tait, Steven Bargatze, Ice McDonald, Mandy Farrell, Eric DeCamps, Rocco Silano, Boris Wild, Bob Cassidy, Docc Hilford, Tim Ellis, and Tim Trono.

Get your Christmas Holidays off to a truly MAGICAL start, thanks to Scott and the Magic Word…..

http://themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/grinch

( Look for the black box below the pictures and click the Arrow button to immediately access the 18+       minute podcast… Nothing to download, unless you want to download and save… )

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Skeptic Michael Shermer Shows You How to Bend Spoons with Your Mind

Ever want to know how to bend spoons like Uri Geller? There are quite a few ways, apparently. But according to Geller’s arch-nemesis, skeptic and magician James Randi, “if Geller bends spoons with divine powers, then he’s doing it the hard way.” 

In this video, editor-in-chief of Skeptic magazine, Michael Shermer, shows us how to do it the easy way, and still make it look like magic.

Click Here

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Marco Tempest’s Cyber Card Trick  –   video

This is not a tutorial. This is a demonstration of the unique talents of Marco Tempest. Filmed as part of a TED convention, watch as Marco explains what about a deck of cards makes it so special.

This is ‘Sam the Bellhop’ with a decidedly cyber twist. I trust you’ll enjoy this video…

http://Carruth.org

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3 of the Top Card Tricks in Magic Revealed –  Video Tutorials..

Three card tricks revealed! The Godfather of Magic, aka Vinny Marini, teaches you how to perform 3 classic card tricks.. This is a full tutorial about 15 minutes in length. One good thing about Vinny – there’s never a slow moment. I love the way he keeps everything moving and never slows down for more than a second or two. He accomplishes more in 15 minutes than many magicians do in twice the time !

.

http://califaces.com/blog/video/3-magics-biggest-card-tricks-revealed/

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The Fellowship of Christian Magicians  –  Free Effects and Resources

I don’t get the opportunity to publish Christian Magic as often as I would like. It seems most of the better resources are not free, and I like free… The United Kingdom branch of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians has a free resource page where everything on the page, including templates and pdfs, are 100% free. There are a number of REALLY good resources here.. whether you practice and perform Christian magic or conventional magic. Check it out…

Risk Assessment for Magical Entertainment  –  Talks for school assemblies and family services

Three Routines for Christmas  –   Free Christian PowerPoint templates

Free Christian graphics animations and photos  –  How to make balloon models and balloon animals

The Toymaker a Gospel story for children  –   Gospel Routines With Standard Props

How to make and use Story Sticks (PDF) file right click to download

Gospel Cascade card routine  –   Colour Forcing Card  –   Simple Chain Escape

Slightly more advanced chain escape routine  –   Spring Paper Fans

Puppets, puppet heads, puppet scripts and theatres  –   The Three Chord Trick Guitar system

The Omnipresence of Jesus  –   Renovation of old magic props  –   Bible Clippo routine

Card stacks which illustrate Bible stories  –   How to Make a Jacob’s Ladder  –   Nail Balancing Puzzle

Electronic Pass The Parcel Game  –   Bible Tracts and Words of Wisdom  –   The Billet Doux Utility Cone

Hearts template with hearts for Billet Doux Utility Cone PDF file  –   The Jumping Elastic Band Trick

FCM Screensaver  –   Bottle labels  –  Christian Poems  –   Simple Scenery Painting Technique

Knife through jacket target template PDF file  –   FCMUK Logo for publicity material and T Shirt printing

Card stacks which illustrate Bible stories  –   Bunco dice game

http://www.fcmuk.org/freebies.htm

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Energized Aces –  Video Tutorial

FernandoP1 Art Zone Productions

Here’s another nice tutorial from Fernando, detailing what is essentially Bro John Hammon’s Signed Card and  Alex Elmsley’s Between your Palms. The sleights are well within the ability of the strong beginner to intermediate level magician.. The effect itself is a stunner, particularly to magicians who may not be familiar with the originals.

Be sure to click the ‘Show More’ button located just below the description, as there are additional tutorials available to assist with sleights.

http://youtu.be/yWVJ7yhbVSs

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The Bulletproof Musician Blog –  Why Magicians Should Read This Blog…

Performance psychologist and Juilliard graduate Dr. Noa Kageyama teaches musicians how to do their best under pressure. What does this have to do with magicians.?  In the total scheme of things.. a whole lot actually.

Practice is practice. And practice is what separates the amateur from the advanced magician.. and the semi-pro from the pro. It’s the ability to learn and achieve success through practice that takes performers from one level to the next. Those performers who never learn HOW to practice never learn the proper advance skills. They become mired in their own mediocrity.

Dr. Kageyama’s blog delves into the science of practice.. and what you can do to vastly improve your practice habits. Also, the good Dr. has published a number of posts on overcoming performance anxiety, which has stymied many a talented magicians.

“The purpose of this website is to teach musicians how to overcome stage fright, performance anxiety, and other blocks to peak performance. The specific mental skills you develop will allow you to experience the satisfaction of performing up to your abilities – even when the lights are brightest. Wait, let me rephrase that. Especially when the lights are brightest.”

A few of the more recent posts include:

A Simple Way to Keep Music in Your Fingers When Practicing More Isn’t an Option

Why a Little Reflection Should Be a Regular Part of Your Practice Routine

Two Things Experts Do Differently Than Non-Experts When Practicing

Why Is It So Important to Record Yourself?

How Can I Become More Enthusiastic About Practicing?

4 Signs You May Be Practicing Too Hard

Why I’d Spend a Lot More Time Practicing Scales If I Could Do It All Over Again

http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/

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Customer Service for Magicians – Podcast

James Songster Explains How Disney Has Made Looking After Their Guests An Art Form

Our friends, Ken and Julian from MagicianBusiness, have gone above and beyond with this podcast. James Songster, the subject of this special edition, visited Disney World.. and was so impressed with the  ‘Disney Philosophy’.he didn’t leave for 23 years.

James goes in depth to discuss the value of storytelling, the importance of showmanship, building an emotional connection with your audience, how to create magical moments, and why Disney doesn’t have jobs.. it creates ‘roles’ for its employees…  Listen and Learn…

Click Here

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The Business of Online Magic Shops – Podcast with Dominic Reyes

Dominic Reyes, known for being both a first-class performer and the Merchant of Magic, talks at length with MagicianBusiness about working as both a performer and running a successful magic business online.

“Dominic Reyes set out to help people improve their magic performing skills and to earn a little money on the side. Sales took off and the all consuming work of fulfilling orders and getting them out the door squashed his immediate dreams of helping other magicians. After 14 years in the magic shop business he has found ways to create a good balance between giving and providing security for his family. There is so much we can all implement contained within this interview with Dominic Reyes” … 53 minutes..

http://www.magicianbusiness.com/mb-30-online-magic-shops-with-dominic-reyes/

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Latest Issue of VANISH Magazine Ready to Download

Our buddy, Paul Romhany, writes to tell us the latest issue of VANISH is online and ready to be downloaded. I really like the Magic Roadshow.. but we can’t quite compare to their 170+ pages and slick design. Paul writes..

Edition 17 – our NEW edition is now ready, and it’s a huge 170 + pages with exclusive interviews, magic tricks, business information, news, essays and reviews of the latest products and books that you won’t find in any other trade publication. AND IT’S FREE !!!! You can also download all past issues if you haven’t already.

NOW AVAILABLE at the iTunes Store and GooglePlay.

http://VanishMagazine.com

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Pamela Meyer: How to Spot a Liar  – A TED Talk

Pamela Meyer explains, in 18 minutes, how to spot a liar. She first asks you to look to your left, and see the liar. Then, look to your right, and see the liar. Lastly, look in a mirror.. and see the liar. Her contention is all of us lie at some time or another.. some for nefarious reasons, and others for legitimate reasons. With that in mind, wouldn’t it be nice to KNOW when you are being lied to? Wouldn’t it be nice to know the tell-tale signs that give away the deceivers amongst us?

“On any given day we’re lied to from 10 to 200 times, and the clues to detect those lie can be subtle and counter-intuitive. Pamela Meyer, author of Liespotting, shows the manners and “hotspots” used by those trained to recognize deception — and she argues honesty is a value worth preserving.”

http://youtu.be/P_6vDLq64gE

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Merry Christmas ! – A Little Something to Keep You Busy in 2015

Here is my Christmas gift to you guys and gals. I’ve scoured the web for something I felt would be of real value to you folks. Everything listed below is either a full length movie or a full length documentary. The great thing is you do not have to download ANYTHING. All you do is click the link and watch the movie. Everything will stream online just as a Youtube video would… in fact, some are hosted on Youtube.

The Story of the Guitar – Free – A three part documentary reveals how the guitar came to “dominate the soundtrack of our lives.” (2008)

http://www.openculture.com/2012/08/story_of_the_guitar.html

The Confessions of Robert Crumb – Free – A portrait of the artist scripted by the underground comics legend himself (1987)

http://www.openculture.com/2013/03/the_confessions_of_robert_crumb.html

Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii – Free – Director’s cut. Features Pink Floyd performing six songs in the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy. (1972)

http://www.openculture.com/2012/04/pink_floyd_live_in_pompeii.html

Johnny Cash: The Last Great American – Free – Documentary profiling the life of legendary country music star, who died in 2003. (2004)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xjxFdTTy1hU

Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud – Free – Documentary on the inventor/visionary/thinker R. Buckminster Fuller, produced and directed by four time Academy Award nominees Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon. (1996)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8NGNhDxzzw&feature=youtu.be&t=17s

It’s Good to be Alive – Free – The story of former Brooklyn Dodger catcher Roy Campanella. Directed by Michael Landon, starring Louis Gossett Jr. (1974)

https://archive.org/details/Its_Good_To_Be_Alive

My Best Friend’s Birthday – Free – First film directed by Quentin Tarantino. Some good rockabilly fun. (1987)

Click Here

The Short Films of Louis CK – Free – A collection of nine short films created by the comedian between 1993 and 1999.

http://www.openculture.com/2013/04/the_surreal_short_films_of_louis_ck_1993-1999.html

Freaks – Free – Todd Browning’s famous pre-code horror film about sideshow performers. Cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers. (1932)

https://archive.org/details/freaks1932

Night of the Living Dead – Free – George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is the urtext of the modern zombie movie. (1968)

Click Here

Metropolis – Free – Fritz Lang’s fable of good and evil fighting it out in a futuristic urban dystopia. An important classic. An alternate version can be found here. (1927)

Click Here

Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine – Free –  About the famous match between chess legend Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue, a chess-playing computer created by IBM. (2003)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBzI7y8VNCA

The Land Where the Blues Began – Free – Alan Lomax takes you into the Mississippi Delta, into to the heart of the Blues. (1978)

http://www.folkstreams.net/film,109

The Dream of a Ridiculous – Free – Wonderful animation of Dostoevsky’s story by Oscar-winning Russian animator Alexander Petrov. (1992)

Click Here

And if these aren’t enough, I’m giving you a link below where you can watch over 700 additional movies free online. You’ll find classics, indies, film noir, documentaries and other films, including Oscar winning films, created by some of the greatest actors, actresses and directors ever. The collection features films by Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, Andrei Tarkovksy, John Huston, plus some early short films by Tarantino, Kubrick and Truffaut. You will also find masterful performances by Humphrey Bogart, Laurence Olivier, Audrey Hepburn, Edward G. Robinson, John Wayne and Charlie Chaplin.

Again, you DO NOT have to download these movies. They will stream online, in full length, and some in HD. The documentaries alone are worth the visit..

http://www.openculture.com/freemoviesonline

You can also download:

550 free Audio Books – (Asimov, Bradbury, Philip K.Dick, T.S. Eliot)

700 Free eBooks for iPad, Kindle & Other Devices ( Arthur C. Clark, C.S. Lewis )

1000 Free Online Courses from Top Universities

200 Free Textbooks

300 Free Language Lessons

150 Free Business Courses

http://www.openculture.com

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MOST….

Imagine any and every field possible. There are so many brands, so many choices, so many claims, so much clutter, that the central challenge is for an organization or an individual is to rise above the fray. It’s not good enough anymore to be “pretty good” at everything. You have to be the most of something: the most elegant, the most colorful, the most responsive, the most accessible.

For decades, organizations and their leaders were comfortable with strategies and practices that kept them in the middle of the road—that’s where the customers were, so that’s what felt safe and secure.

Today, with so much change and uncertainty, so much pressure and new ways to do things, the middle of the road is the road to nowhere.

As Jim Hightower, the colorful Texas populist, is fond of saying, “There’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.” 

William C. Taylor is a cofounder of Fast Company magazine..

( From WHAT MATTERS NOW, by our friend, Seth Godin. This work is full of similar short stories by many   leaders in their fields. Download FREE at:  http://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/what-matters-now-2.pdf )

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MAGIC NEWS  –  A  Few of the Stories This Week….

In case you’ve not visited Magic News recently.. this is a few of the stories you missed:

– The man behind the magic: Mac King and his comedy magic show

– The Illusionists: Jeff Hobson, aka “The Trickster”, Brings the Magic

– Despite protests, Dirk Arthur debuting his own production of cats..

– Paul Cosentino: Inside the world of the Magic Man

– Magicians Stage Effort to Restore Houdini’s Grave..

– The Supernaturalists… coming next Summer

– ‘EXTREME ESCAPES’ now on REELZ TV

– Q+A: Murray Sawchuck’s blind drive leads to 21 escapes, TV appearances galore..

– Keith Barry’s coming home for Christmas..

– Art and Science Team Up To Steal Your Attention With Magic..

– Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Masters of Illusion Renewed..

http://MagicNews.org

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Free eBooks For Subscribers….

Here’s a link where you can download a variety of free ebooks, including Erdnase’ Expert At The Card Table… If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up HERE.. http://MagicRoadshow.com

 

http://streetmagic.info/cbmall3.html

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LIKE us on FaceBook..

http://www.facebook.com/magicroadshow

http://www.facebook.com/themagicnews

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Some of my Other Sites..

Las Vegas Magic Shows – updated monthly

http://lasvegasmagicshows.info

NewsGrowth – Constantly changing news from around the World. Updated hourly.

http://NewsGrowth.com

Magic News – The #1 site in the world for ever-changing magic news. Updated daily.

http://MagicNews.org

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That does it for this issue. I hope you found something to help your magic studies along. Remember, if you have something you would like to share with the magic community, send it to:  Rick@MagicRoadshow.com

“May my next issue find you well..” 

 

 Rick Carruth / Editor 

 

Senior Professor – Camelard College of Conjuring of Chemmis, Egypt

“Magic’s Only Worldwide Honor Society”

http://www.camelardcollege.org/

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