If you’re new to the Roadshow, I hope you find a place you want to come back to month after month. We’re certainly not the largest free publication on the web.. but we’re definitely the most comfortable… I’m not sure that’s the best description, but it’ll do. Read this issue and conjure your own narrative.

Here’s a tip for those of you who only read the PDF copy or the Roadshow. I sometimes run across something between the time I publish the PDF and the time I publish the text copy on the web site. No often.. but it does happen. This month I added a podcast on getting restaurant gigs. I just received the podcast and didn’t want to wait a month to publish it.. Ta Da !!

I want to thank EVERYONE who has contributed to this issue. As I mentioned a month or so ago, I need minds more fertile than my own to take the Roadshow to another level.  Thanks a million to my friend and the hardest working man in magic, Mick Ayres; our secret weapon, Francis Menotti; my wizard friend,Werner Miller; star of The Illusionists, Jeff Hobson; compadre and master of the cards, Paul Lelekis; my new friend from Down Under, David John O Connor; and my prolific UK buddy, Michael Lyth…

Another friend I’ll introduce next month is Dr. David Hanselman. David is a retired  professor and a master builder of things magic. I have a pair of custom made solid walnut HotRods David made for me some time back, and they are one of my most treasured props. David asks:

“I’m a woodworker and tinkerer and am always on the lookout for neat magic “things” I can make in the shop.  Are there sufficient numbers in your readership with similar interests to warrant an occasional exchange of “how to make” stuff?  (Example:  how to make a quality small gem stick that won’t flash the underside stones.)”  If you would like to share some ideas with David you can email him direct at: [email protected]

If you would like to contribute to the Magic Roadshow, make suggestions, or comment on anything in this issue  EMAIL ME   ( [email protected] )

/./././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././

______________

IN THIS ISSUE
______________

– FINDING EEYORE  – Propless mentalism by Mick Ayres
– Flipper Revisited  –  An Effect of Sorts
– Nick Trost’s Eight Card Brainwave Tutorial
– Eight Card Brainwave tutorial by Juan Fernando
– The Emperor’s New Sleight  –  Advice from Francis Menotti
– Candle To Ball  –  An Effect by Jeff Hobson
– FAIR PLAY –  A Card Effect by Paul Lelekis
– CHILDRENS MAGIC SHOWS  –   David John O Connor
– THE ENGAGING RING  –   David John O Connor
– Tricks Without Names   –  Werner Miller
– How to Learn Magic  – A  PDF  ( Freeware For the Young Magician )
– New book by Professor Solomon: “Lives of the Conjurers, Volume Two.”
– Brian Brushwood Live Video Q&A with Full Circle Magic
– Johnny Thompson  –  Live Q&A with Full Circle Magic
– Banachek  –  Live Video Q&A with Full Circle Magic
– Harry Anderson’s “Hello, Sucker!”  –  Original Showtime Telecast
– Ricky Jay Plays Poker  –  Video
– 121 Easy To Perform Magic Tricks.. Tutorials Ideal For New Magicians
– An Idea For Jay Sankey’s 3 Free Magic Gimmicks –  Gospel Magic Gaff
– Cardini Performing on the First TV Magic Show -1957
– 10 Things No One Tells You About Being A Magician  –  Article
– How to Book Restaurant Gigs –  Audio Interview
–  A Reminder –  Lu Brent’s Exclusive Card Mysteries   –   Free PDF for Roadshow Readers
– Reminder .. A  Flea Market for Magicians
– Blur –  A Great Little Resource
– Free eBooks For Subscribers….
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune..
Jim Rohn

It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up –
Babe Ruth

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
George Bernard Shaw

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
FINDING EEYORE  – Propless mentalism by Mick Ayres

“I have, and always will have, a creative soul—or as it is called today: Attention Deficit Disorder. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who bounces from one topic to another with all the frequency of a cheap ham radio? Then you have met one of us!

“How does this affect you? Disney movies! I am convinced the folks at Disney and Pixar get all their best ADD people to come up with their most creative stories and characters. Think about it. If you want to look at a story from every possible angle—even the ones you haven’t thought of—who is going to do a better job?

“Triggering the imagination is easier than you think. Even now, just by mentioning “Disney movies”, some of you are already romping with the gang through the Hundred Acre Wood or joining forces with everyone trying to find 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, Australia. Me, too! And that’s the beauty of imagination. Those images link us together on common ground.

“Here, I’ll give you a specific example of how this ‘creative bouncing around’ can bond us. Ma’am, can I borrow your imagination? Thank you.

“Pretend I am handing you an invisible die. It’s a normal six-sided die—it’s just invisible. Give it a roll. Don’t tell me the number but tell me—is your number odd or even? Even? Okay, remember that number and roll the die again until an odd number comes up. Again, do not tell me the number…just remember it. You can put the die in your pocket. It’s a gift. Seriously, it’s nothing.

“In fact, take both numbers in your mind and add them together OR subtract one from the other. It’s your choice. Using your imagination, you have created a random number that no one can know. It’s like I just walked into the room and asked you to think of a number and you have come up with the one in your brain right now.

“Here is an invisible index card. It’s blank. Here’s an invisible pen you can keep, too. Are you scoring like a bandit, or what? Use your imagination and write your number as a word on that card. Don’t draw the actual number—spell the number out.

“That card now has a handful of letters on it that spell out a number. How about this? Go all the way to the right and focus on the last two letters. Now choose either letter and hold it in your mind.

“Your imagination started with a die from a game board, then jumped to numbers, did a little math, converted the result to the alphabet and now you are thinking of one letter specifically. This is ADD Heaven—and we’re still not done bouncing around.

“Take your imagination into another unexpected direction. Think of a popular Disney character whose name begins with that letter. You can choose from the classic animated films or from the Pixar films. The more places you have seen this character, the better. Maybe you have seen this character’s image on clothing or as a plush toy.

“Now that you have a character in mind, turn your card over and draw a picture of that character. Put a few details in the background so your mind has plenty to focus on. Just do your best. I promise, no one will look at it and laugh.”

“This is when we find out if our imaginations are on common ground.”

Pause for a moment; then appear confused and ask, “Does your character have something to do with water?” The guest’s answer determines your response. Most of the time, the answer will be No.

“No? But I always see a dark rain cloud hanging over Eeyore.” Her startled look will confirm you have divined the character accurately. Enjoy the moment—and then build upon the impossibility by adding, “A few months ago a guest got the letter E and chose Elsa. I think she was in Frozen?”

Once in a while, a guest will answer the water-question with a Yes. If so, respond by saying, “Yes? Good. We certainly need it to find Nemo.” Again, enjoy the moment—and then build upon the impossibility by adding, “A few months ago a guest got the letter N and chose Nala. I think she was in The Lion King?”

This brings the presentation to an end.

Your guest will always choose Nemo or Eeyore—more often the latter. By choosing any even number and any odd number from a die and then adding or subtracting those numbers, the result will be one of the following values: one, three, five, seven, nine or eleven. The last two letters in each of these numbers is either an E or an N—and the letter E shows up seven times out of the six possible results. The letter N appears four times. There is one letter V. The script carefully nudges your guest toward the target characters without actually naming them. The Walt Disney Company has marketed Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh) and Nemo (Finding Nemo) intensely through films, plush toys, clothing, and trading pins so their names are popular and quickly recalled. If the guest decides to think of the letter V, the only possible character to consider is Violet, the teenage daughter from The Incredibles. Her name is not easily recalled however because she is a secondary character. In my experience this has never been an issue because when the guest cannot immediately come up with a name, they switch to the other letter and the presentation is back on target.

Do not overlook the final statement and query about the alternate characters. This provides evidence that the choices were indeed considerable. Google it if you wish.

If the whole Disney angle is not really your cup of tea, you can easily rewrite the script so your guest is asked to consider a U. S. President instead. The final question would be, “You didn’t choose one based on a scandal, did you?” The answer will guide you to name Eisenhower or Nixon (thank you, Joshua Quinn).

‘Finding Eeyore’ copyright 2013 by Mick Ayres. For performance use only. ‘Eeyore’ and ‘Nemo’ are trademarked by the Walt Disney Company. All rights reserved. Originally published in MUM magazine; March 2014. Mick enjoys an eclectic career as a conjurer, tunesmith and taleswapper for the Walt Disney Resort on Hilton Head Island. He welcomes input and dialogue and can be reached athttp://www.mickayreswares.com/.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Flipper Revisited  –  An Effect (of Sorts)

You guys know I love a good mathemagic type effect. Well, this is properly discuised as a bit of mentalism, and no one will know the difference if you don’t tell them. I’ve seen this a couple of times through the years, and I’m guessing it was in an issue of Jinx at some point.. after all everything was in Jinx at one time of another. The last time I saw this published was several years ago in a nice little ebook from Lance Norris. I’m not sure to what extent Lance performs magic these days.. I do know he is a highly talented musician and actor. I saw him recently playing one of the jurors in “The Judge”, with Robert Downey and Robert Duvall. What a gig…

Anyway.. begin by taking eight cards from a deck. Any deck will do, including a borrowed deck. Show all eight cards face down and openly turn the top two cards face up.  Put the cards behind your back and turn your back to the spectator.

“All I need you to do is cut the deck like this..” Cut the deck.  Bring the packet around front and show the spec that some of the cards are face up (2) and some are face down (6).

Turn your back to the spectator again and again flip the top two cards and cut the deck.  Turn around again and show the spec that yet another number are face up and face down. If the total up and down is five and three, do it again. You’ll understand in a moment..

Flip all the cards face down and give the packet to the spectator. Tell the spec to place the cards behind his back, flip the top two, and cut. Repeat a few times and bring the packet to the front.

“If you followed my directions correctly, and I’m sure you did,  there should be a random number of cards face up and a random number face down. I have no idea how many times you cut the deck nor where you cut the deck… would you agree?”

Let’s hope the spectator agrees…

“Yet my highly developed sense of predicting the unknown and unseen tells me you have five one way and three the other.. or, as Lance says..” I think you’re a five and three kind of guy..”

When the cards are brought around and counted, you’re absolutely right. Spectator can repeat several times, bring the cards around again, and again they will be five and three.

The Secret…  After turning all the cards face down prior to handing them to the spectator, secretly turn the bottom card face up. That’s it… Flip and cut all you want and it’s still five and three. In all fairness, I must tell you that once every now and again it will be one and seven, but not very often. I’m sure you’ll find a way to cover this minor inconvenience..

Rick Carruth

————————-

Nick Trost’s Eight Card Brainwave Tutorial

If you wanted to create a packet of eight cards to specifically use for Flipper Revisited,  you could easily segue from Nick Trost’s Eight Card Brainwave. I have used the two performing restaurant work when I wanted to perform something with cards but didn’t want to bring out a whole deck. I’m sure most of you are familiar with this classic.. but in case you aren’t, or if you simply want to refresh your memory, have a look at Scam School’s tutorial.

(Just a little tip.. when performing restaurant walk-around I carry a rubberized back mouse pad folded in my pocket to use as a close-up mat. It’s small and waterproof, which is very important when you’re competing for table space..  )

Because of the nature of Eight Card Brainwave, you might want to simply create a packet of eight additional one-colored back cards for Flipper Revisited.

http://www.carruth.org/

————————–

Eight Card Brainwave tutorial by Juan Fernando

“This is my own take on the 8 card brainwave effect. In the beginning of the tutorial I explain the classic method before I explain my own variation. If you can perform the Kiss Count, you can perform this…”

If you take time to watch the Scam School video above, then you owe it to your magic to watch Juan’s version. The handling of the cards is both unique and beautiful.

http://youtu.be/JfsWzXNjELI
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The Emperor’s New Sleight  –  Truth or Fairytales?…
Francis Menotti

Here’s a scenario that you are hopefully not familiar with…
The setting: the monthly meeting of your local magic club…

Amateur Andy is working on his new version of Ambitious Card, that great classic that no one ever gets tired of performing. He shows it to Patronizing Patrick and Snide Sandra. Both put on false faces of wonder and amazement.

“Gee Andy, that’s great!  Is that yours? How long have you been working on that? Well, bye now!”

***Five minutes later and just out of earshot***

“Heaven help him if he tries that on a lay audience,” Snide Sandra sniggered. “He needs to just throw that whole thing out and start over, “ pondered Patronizing Patrick, “Somebody should really tell him.”

If you ask someone what time it is, or what the weather is like outside, you expect and want them to tell you the truth, right? After all, what good is the response if it is false? You are worse off than not knowing the answer at all.

The same goes for analyzing and criticizing someone’s magic. If someone flashes, it is not snide or arrogant for you to tell them. It’s honest, and a friendly thing to do. It is your duty as a magician and a colleague of your fellow performers to cordially advise the demonstrator as to a flaw, no matter how big or small, in the construction of their mysticism. Otherwise, not only are you perpetuating the bad performance of your friend, but you are also damaging your chances of fooling your audience by promoting exposure of magic far worse that any masked magician. (At least the masked magician does so intentionally.)

This also does not mean you must or have the right to tear the performer apart viciously, without offering constructive criticism. This is especially true of performance-based criticism. When it comes to presentation, it is a whole different game of subjective analysis. We’re talking about technique. And if the technique is bad, the performer needs to know.

Most of this is probably obvious and stuff that you already know. But do you practice it? We are sometimes afraid of coming across as the bad guy when we say, “Dude, I saw your pass. What if you try this, instead?”

If we’re polite and correct about such a comment, we’re the hero, not the bad guy. Give it a try.

If your friends or colleagues truly care about their art, they’ll thank you in the long run.

Excerpt from: The Creativity Show
By  Francis Menotti
http://www.francismenotti.com/
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Candle To Ball  –  An Effect
Jeff Hobson

Abbott’s Magic Get-Togethers have a permanent place in my heart. I was 11 years old when I first attended and the very next year I entered the magic competition taking first place with a manipulative act of cards and billiard balls! During the following years, I specialized in just billiard ball manipulation. Frank Radtke, aka Fakini, made all of the billiard balls that I used and even designed a special set just for me. In my opinion he makes the best tools in the business.

It seems that magicians have a compulsion to “play” with manipulation under the guise of practice. Hey, let’s face it brethren. . . . We love to play! We like to look in the mirror and see how good we are and somehow often fall into the foolish trap of trying to fool ourselves! All right then, with a blushing face, I’ll admit that this effect was discovered when I was “playing” with a billiard ball and a Fantasio vanishing candle. I really didn’t think it was that earthshattering until years later when I had magicians tell me how much they were impressed with this one little effect. Again, simplicity is a beautiful thing! This is a perfect opening effect to segue into a billiard ball routine.

To prepare, have a Fantasio vanishing candle set with lighter fluid in it’s chamber. To begin, have a ball palmed in the right hand with the fantasio candle extended and lit in the left hand. I always used this effect as an opening trick so the set up was easy to do before entering the stage. I’ll leave it up to you how you want to get to the beginning position.

Just before the effect, be sure to put the ball in finger-palm position and that your right first finger and thumb can be free to extinguish the flame on the candle. You will face the audience with the lit candle in your left hand. Bring your right hand up to the top of the candle. (photo C1) Quickly pinch the wick between the right thumb and first finger extinguishing the flame. Be careful, it’s hot!

Keep your grip on the top of the candle while “pushing” down with your right hand. (photo C2) Your left hand remains still and steady. An even, slow and steady movement makes this an intriguing sight.

As the hands meet, two things happen. The collapsed candle gets revolved into a finger-palmed position in the left hand and the ball is “rolled” into view between the right and left first fingers. The ball, when revealed, should immediately be “finger-rolled”. (photos C3 – C6)  It is an easy flourish to do for a short amount of time. Just two or three revolutions around the fingers will do the trick – pun intended. The ball is then taken into the right hand to be tossed into the air. This is the time to ditch the candle perhaps by casually putting the left hand into your trouser pocket to get a silk or other object as the right hand tosses the ball. The more adventurous of you may wish to use a Toppit to get rid of the candle. The routining is now up to you. Have a ball!

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/

 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
FAIR PLAY –  A Card Effect
Paul Lelekis
I first bought a copy of Frank Garcia and George Schindler’s excellent book, ‘Magic with Cards’ around 1975. This book contains some terrific card magic!

I never met the brilliant card magician, Frank Garcia, but I have met George Schindler and shared a stage with him in 2001.

George is an amazing performer and one of the funniest people you will ever meet! He is a great MC!

The title above is a play on words of one of the effects in the aforementioned book. The trick is called, Turn-About. This effect always interested me because of how cleverly it is structured. It is also very easy to perform.  The effect I designed below, takes this trick, I believe, to another level. The original effect was not only baffling to laypersons, but also to magicians. My contributions are the methods I use as well as a “kicker” ending. I think you like it!

EFFECT: Mention that you feel a “connection” between yourself and a spectator. I prefer using a female spectator for this effect, as I do with most of my performances.

A card is first selected by the spectator and a second card is selected by the performer. Both cards are memorized and kept hidden on the table.

The spectator then cuts the deck into two piles, one for the spectator and one for the performer. The magician’s card is placed into the spectator’s packet and the spectator’s card is placed into performer’s packet.
The performer then takes the spectator’s packet, turns it face up, and cuts into two more packets.

He then places one of these two face-up packets on top of and in-jogged on the performer’s face-down packet and the other face-up packet is placed on the bottom and out-jogged from the performers face-down packet. Square up the deck.

Do your magic and when the deck is spread out, all of the cards are now facing down – except for the two selections…and they are MATES!

SET UP: Secretly get any two mates on top of the deck. As an example, let’s use the two red sixes, the 6 of Diamonds (6D) on top of deck and the 6 of Hearts (6H), second from the top. Any cards of the same value and color are called “mates”.

PERFORMANCE: Bring out the deck of cards and give it a couple of false shuffles which is very easy and convincing since you only need to keep the two red sixes on the top of the deck.

As you shuffle tell the spectator, “Ma’am…I feel a connection with you! NOT a LOVE connection, but a mental connection…perhaps a personal connection!”

“Ma’am – do you feel it too?” (She will either nod her head for a ‘yes’ or sheepishly shake her head ‘no’.) In either case say, “I knew that!”

The above patter will get giggles. This type of patter also gives you a bit of control – it will help to, passively, put you “in charge”.

While giving the above patter, undercut the 6D to the bottom of the deck. You now have the 6H on the top of the deck and the 6D on the bottom.  Announce that you need to have two cards selected.

Selection #1: Force the 6H on your spectator –

You will begin by forcing the 6H that is on top of the deck by using the Balducci Cut Deeper Force. Have her make both cuts for this force while you explain to her what to do. This will give the impression of a completely free selection.

Have her keep the card hidden from you and place it face down on the table. This force should make the female think that she has control of her own selection.

Selection #2: Forcing an indifferent card on yourself –

The performer will proceed to apparently select his own card using the same process (Balducci Force Cut Deeper Force) – however, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THIS CARD IS!

Pretend to memorize this card, then place it face down on the table – unseen by the spectator. See – no memorization this trick!

Remember…BOTH selections must be kept from each other’s view!

NOTE: You may even have the spectator choose the performer’s card for you! Let her perform the Balducci Force again or just tell her to remove a card (for your selection only!) ‘…from the middle of the deck’ and lay it face down without her seeing it! This will “prey” heavily on her mind after the trick is finished.

If you use the Balducci Force both times, be sure each time, to place the face-up packet back on top of the deck when you reassemble the deck so that the 6D is kept, secretly, on the bottom of the deck!
Situation Check: The 6D will be on the bottom of the deck and the two “selections” will be face down on the table.

Divide the deck into two packets:

Now the performer holds the deck while the spectator cuts the top half for herself.

As soon as she cuts off the top half, have her shuffle her half as you secretly reverse the 6D on the bottom of the deck – I use the Christ Twist.

The 6D is now face-up on the bottom of the deck. Perform the Christ Twist while she is shuffling her packet and then you quickly false shuffle your packet making sure not to expose the reversed 6D.

Have both “selections” returned and reassemble deck: You place the spectator’s card into your packet and the spectator puts your card into her packet.

Give her your card (the fake selection) and have her push it into her packet. MAKE SURE SHE DOESN’T SEE IT!

As she is pushing your card into her packet, TURN YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER SO THAT YOUR PACKET IS NOW FACE UP – except for the face down 6D covering the face-up cards.

It will appear as if your packet is still face down! Take her selection and ask her if she remembers it, then push her face down card into your packet. Now, the only two face-down cards in your packet will be the 6D and the 6H!

Next have her turn her packet face up and divide it into two piles. Take one of these piles and place it on top of your (apparently) face-down packet…but in-jog it so that part of the back of your face-down pile is showing.
Place the other face-up half on the bottom and out-jogged from your packet.

Now square the deck up and turn it over, face down onto the table. Cast your best magic spell and then ask what her selection is. She will answer that her selection is the 6 of Hearts and you respond, “I knew it! My selection was the 6 of Diamonds! I knew we had a connection!”

Then spread the deck to show that the only two face-up cards in the face-down deck are the 6H and 6D!  Properly performed, this is a magician-fooler!
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
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
CHILDRENS MAGIC SHOWS  –
David John O Connor

While the call for a children’s birthday magic show seems to be in decline in some areas, there is still a call for this type of entertainment, for those who offer a good performance.

As a traditional children’s entertainer with over 40 years’ experience in New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, to be successful you must love children and be able to relate to them. Your show must be filled with interactive participation, lots of humour, gags and colourful visual effects.

A typical performance I would present would run for between 30 to 45 minutes depending on the age group. Remember small children have a much shorter attention span, regardless of how good your show is and I follow the ‘Less is more’ rule. A children’s show should be well planned and routined.  Following the advice from Ken Kelly and Julian Mather’s Magicians Business Forum is a sure fire method, as well as the Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic. Scripting your patter is just as important for children’s shows, as for adult shows, because it allows you to ad- lib and to interact more naturally with the children once your patter is learnt. Follow the format with a good visual opener; building throughout up to a strong well remembered finish. I always use pre show and after show music and there is some great Calliope, and Barrel organ music available that is reminiscent of the circus or carnival midway.

Some classic effects I sometimes include are the Egg Bag, Linking Rings, Hippity Hop Rabbits, Dove Pan, Die Box, Colouring Book and Coloured Silk effects. Don’t neglect the often derided thumb tip.  Lots of different effects are possible with this wonderful accessory. I seldom do card tricks for children but I do use jumbo or large pictorial cards depicting, clown, circus, or animal themed effects. A really good large card effect is A B C Stung, highly recommended.  Back Stage is a great sucker effect as well but no more than one sucker trick per show is recommended.

Children love animals, so if you can use a rabbit it’s still wonderful for children and of course the production of a dove will gain you lots of “Ooh’s and Aah’s from the kids and adults also. Always treat your pets with genuine kindness and care. Try and let one trick lead into the next, like after the egg bag, I drop the egg into a change bag where it changes to a live dove, that is then vanished in a tip over box then later reproduced from a drawer box or dove pan. Remember too that you can use guinea pigs and even white mice. I sometimes use baby chickens with my chick pan that draws great excitement.

Above all when you are performing for children be entertaining, and move your show along at a reasonable pace. Too many magicians pad their shows with long drawn out routines that go on forever. Some balloon modelling or balloon antics always goes well, allowing the kids to participate. Another participative routine is plate spinning, using plastic plates and long dowel rods, this has lots of fun interaction. Although I don’t dress the children up in any way, I do use goofy spectacles and face masks that bring the chuckles and laughter out.

Next time I would like to talk to you about how to maintain order during your show and how to manage difficult or boisterous children.  Like to chat about anything to do with kids shows, mail me at mailto:[email protected]

David John O Connor
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
THE ENGAGING RING –  An Effect for Young Girls of All Ages..
David John O Connor

Effect:  The performer invites a young girl up to assist him. Placing a ring on the girls thumb, he covers the ring with a hanky. Then, removing the ring from beneath the hanky, he causes the ring to vanish. Whipping the hanky off the volunteer’s hand, the ring is seen to still be on the little girls thumb.

Required: A Jardine Ellis Ring, a hanky, a gag rose.  (The ring must be the round not flat type)
And a heart shaped balloon.

Preparation: Obtain an inexpensive plastic or silk flower from a novelty or $ shop. Snip off the wire stem leaving about an inch below the flower head. Insert the flower head into a green coloured drinking straw and you have a realistic looking flower on a stem. Inflate your heart balloon to have ready.

Routine: The performer requests a young girl around age 12 or older to assist him or even the birthday child’s elder sister or mother. Ask whether the girl is married, has any children etc. then state that you have chosen her because you’re sure that one day a young man is going to come along and want her hand in marriage and you want to show her what it’s like to become engaged. Introduce the ring, stating that it’s similar to the ring her boyfriend will give her, except the ring from her boyfriend will have a REALLY big diamond. Slip the engagement ring on her thumb and ask her to close her fingers into a fist but leave her thumb sticking up. Placing the ring (and shell) onto the girls thumb, you cover it with a hanky, stating, “I’m going to show you some engagement ring magic.. and magic works much better in the dark”.

Now state that on the count of three the ring will vanish from the girls hand and appear in your closed fist. Invite the children to start counting with you,” One – Two”, here you pause saying that some of the children don’t believe it will work, so you and your assistant will do it differently. The performer removes the ‘ring’ from underneath the hanky, (taking the shell only) leaving the ring proper on the girl’s thumb where it won’t be felt.

Execute the French drop to vanish the ring while pretending to hold it in your closed hand.

Now, invite the girl to tap the back of your hand three times with her empty hand.   Suddenly show your hand empty and that the ring has vanished, pausing while allowing this subterfuge to register.

Then, suddenly whip the hanky from the girls hand to show the ring is still on her thumb.

Call for applause for your assistant and hand her the rose on a stem. As she takes hold of the stem you carry the top of the rose flower moving away looking puzzled, leaving the girl with just the stem. Apologise.. and hand her the red heart balloon (mine is a Qualatex ) as you lead your assistant off stage with a big thank you…

This is a fun interlude that suits any age girl or lady and there are LOTS of bits of business you can add to the routine for laughs and children love it.

David J.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Tricks Without Names   Another Mathemagical Medley of Semi-Automatic Tricks
Werner Miller

Trick #3

Use a standard ESP deck, with the cards being cyclically stacked as usual.
Ask the spectator to give the deck two or three complete cuts, then have the final top card
removed by the spectator as his/her chosen symbol. (Because of the symbols’ rotation, replicas
of the spectator’s card are now fifth from the top down and fifth from the bottom up, too.)
Explain that you are going to reveal the chosen symbol by means of several random cards from
the deck, taken either from the top or the bottom. “Shall I turn over the deck so that everybody
can see the faces of the cards, or shall I leave the deck face down so that nobody can know for
sure whether a duplicate of the chosen card happens to be among them or not?” Let the
spectator decide.

Case #1: We’ll assume the spectator opts for keeping the deck face down.

Deal the top seven cards “zig-zag” style into three piles (Fig. 1), then pick up the third pile and flip
it onto the second pile (Fig. 2, Fig. 3). Pick up the combined second pile, flip it similarly onto the
first pile (Fig. 4), and turn over the combined pile (Fig. 5). You end up with the top four cards face
up and the bottom three cards face down (Fig. 6).

Repeat the dealing and flipping as described. After the final turnover the cards positioned second,
fourth, sixth and seventh from the top down are the only face-up ones.

Repeat the dealing and flipping once more. After the final turnover the card in the middle of the
pile (fourth from the top down, fourth from the bottom up) is automatically the only face-down
card. Ribbon spread the cards, push that card out of the spread, and turn it over: It matches the
spectator’s selection! (Or, if you prefer, skip the final turnover and end up with the duplicate of the
chosen card as the only face-up card in the spread.)

Case #2:

If the spectator opts for turning the deck face up, also proceed as described. The
outcome will be exactly the other way round, i.e., every face-down card is now face up and vice
versa, so that, at the end, the duplicate of the chosen card is the only reversed card in the spread,
again.   (To Be Continued.)

For more (and more elaborate) math-based magic by Werner Miller visit:
http://www.lybrary.com/werner-miller-m-7881.html

 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
How to Learn Magic  – A Freeware PDF  ( For the Young Magician )

I’ve put together a pdf of about two dozen articles about getting started in magic. These have been sitting in a file for about seven years or so, and I’m ready to either delete them or let someone else work with them.
Take this pdf and use it for whatever purpose suits your need.. There isn’t a copyright, and any part of it can be converted to anything you wish. You are free to:

– Take my name off and add yours
– Re-name it
– Add to it
– Subtract from it
– re-write it for publishing in a club newsletter or whatever..
– Give it away or sell it ..

https://app.box.com/s/f8udw3ixjyfwz0chthwhh9bde3lfzm0t
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
New book by Professor Solomon: “Lives of the Conjurers, Volume Two.”

Biographies of magicians, mindreaders, and fraudulent mediums. I enjoyed the first volume, and when I found the second recently released, I quickly downloaded it. Professor Solomon introduces us to an assortment of familiar characters.. and some not so familiar.  Good read……
• CARDINI He seemed bewildered by his own magic
• BLACKSTONE “The Last of the Great Magicians”
• LEON MANDRAKE He wore a turban or a top hat— depending on the gig
• DUNNINGER Was it true that the renowned mindreader couldn’t read the mind of a gnat?
• DAVENPORT BROTHERS The spirit cabinet brought fame. But were they mediums or magicians?
• PROFESSOR NEUMAN He had misread a mind— and the police hauled him away
• THE GREAT LESTER Did he have the exclusive rights to that name?
• GEORGES MÉLIÈS A magician who transformed himself into a filmmaker
• CHARLIER No one knew where he came from— or where he finally went
• MAX MALINI He learned his trade as a youth, in a bar on the Bowery
• MYRUS THE MENTALIST An ordinary fellow with extraordinary powers?
• JOHN CALVERT At the age of a hundred he was still performing
• DE SARAK Was he a Tibetan adept, with psychic powers, or an egregious fraud?
• THE BANANA MAN From the pockets of his coat he pulled hundreds of bananas
• PROFESSOR SOLOMON As promised, he produced an elephant (or at least its trunk)
• DANTINI THE MAGNIFICENT Magician-in-residence at a Baltimore bar

160 pages. Illustrated.
Free download at:   http://www.professorsolomon.com/conjurers-two-book-page.html
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Brian Brushwood Live Video Q&A with Full Circle Magic
Streamed live on Oct 29, 2014   1 hour 15 minutes.

This video Q&A, taped live on October 29th featured Brian Brushwood of Bizarre Magic and Scam School, and was hosted by Lootah Paytah. To quote Wikipedia…

“Brian Brushwood is an American magician, podcaster, author, lecturer and comedian. Brushwood is known for the series Scam School, a show where he teaches the audience entertaining tricks at bars so they can “scam” a free drink from their friends. In addition to Scam School Brushwood co-hosts the podcasts Weird Things, Too Long Didn’t Listen, Cordkillers and Night Attack. Brushwood is also a regular guest on the This Week in Tech podcast. Brushwood performs his Bizarre Magic stage show across the United States and is the author of six books. Brushwood has appeared on national television numerous times including on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CNN and Food Network..”

Brian is also the host of the National Geographic Channels “Hacking the System”.. a new show I have yet to miss… Brian has been featured a number of times in Magic Roadshow videos as the wit behind Scam School, including a video in this issue.. : ‘Nick Trost’s Eight Card Brainwave’

http://youtu.be/U6HVXhCDMl8

—————————

Johnny Thompson  –  Live Q&A with Full Circle Magic
Streamed Live with legendary consultants, Johnny and Pam Thompson! 1 hour 45 minutes.

What needs to be said about Johnny Thompson? He has consulted with dozens of magic’s biggest names, including Criss Angel, Lance Burton, and Penn and Teller. To quote from Wikipedia:

“Johnny Thompson (born c. 1934) is a  Las Vegas illusionist who performs under the stage name The Great Tomsoni with his wife, Pamela Hayes. They have a comedic slapstick act with the well-dressed Thompson and his gum-popping assistant, Pam, performing illusions while enduring a series of mishaps. Within the magician community, Tomsoni is considered a virtuoso, widely known as a mentor and teacher of magic, and a creator of tricks, as opposed to simply a performer. He has worked behind the scenes with magicians such as Penn and Teller, Lance Burton, and Criss Angel.  In 1999, he was awarded one of the highest honors in the magician community, a Masters Fellowship with the Academy of Magical Arts”

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

________________
Banachek  –  Live Video Q&A with Full Circle Magic
Streamed live on Nov 19, 2014   1 hour 35 minutes

Hosted by Paul Draper, this interesting and informative interview with one of the all-time greats of mentalism, Banachek, will be well worth the time spent, or should I say, time invested, as I know from experience He is one of the best  lecturers in all of magic. To quote from Wikipedia:

“Banachek (born 30 November 1960 as Steven Shaw) is a mentalist. He has written books on mentalism and has invented various magic and mentalism effects, including the Penn & Teller bullet catch and the original “buried alive” stunt. He is the Director of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. Banachek is often sought out by top entertainers and magic TV shows around the world as a consultant. His clients include Penn & Teller, David Blaine, Lance Burton, James Randi and Criss Angel.”
 http://youtu.be/HxT5mwqgqsg
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Harry Anderson’s “Hello, Sucker!”  –  Original Showtime Telecast
From Showtime in 1986.    53 minutes

Every magician worth his salt knows Harry Anderson. From his days as the judge on the TV series “Night Court“, to his recurring role as Harry the Hat, con man, on Cheers, four years as Dave Barry on the sitcom Dave’s World, his eight appearances on Saturday Night Live, twelve appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and several magic/comedy specials on premium cable TV.

To quote from promotional material…

“This is your only opportunity to see Harry at his magic and comedy best. The show was taped in 1985 at the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California and aired on the Showtime cable network.

Watch Harry perform his trademark routines: Buffalo Bill, Cuff Links, Needle Through Arm and Monarch Monte. Watch as Harry The Hat uses popular con games to rip people off. Most importantly be prepared as the self proclaimed, liar, thief, braggart and cheat makes you laugh, smile and be amazed. Contains adult language.”

http://youtu.be/JlthbJTv39U
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Ricky Jay Plays Poker  –  Video

Published on Nov 9, 2012    Almost 30 minutes

“The incredible magician, author and actor demonstrates his skill with cards in “Ricky Jay Plays Poker”. The original release included a variety of poker related music. Please note that this is ONLY the 29 minute video clip where Ricky demonstrates a variety of poker moves, including his famous card throwing..”

http://youtu.be/OTgwAqcKm_s
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
121 Easy To Perform Magic Tricks.. Tutorials Ideal For New Magicians

This page offers a library of easy magic tricks that anyone can learn and perform for their friends. All of the tricks use everyday, common, household materials and require no complicated sleight-of-hand. They also offer clear, step-by-step instructions. Many of these trick use tried and true magic techniques that can be used to perform more complicated effects. Many Thanks to Wayne Kawamoto for his dedicated work at  Magic.About.com … ( Thanks too.. to my friend Michael Lyth for suggesting this link for inclusion in the Roadshow. )

Easy Card Tricks (35)
Bar Bets Tricks That You Can’t Lose (14)
Basic Magic Technique (10)
Easy Prediction Tricks (15)
Easy Magic Tricks Kids (12)
Card Magic Tricks (21)
Science Magic Tricks Magic Tricks Based On Science (14)
http://magic.about.com/od/libraryofsimpletricks/
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
An Idea For Jay Sankey’s 3 Free Magic Gimmicks –  Gospel Magic Gaff
Michael Lyth

Jay’s PDF, featured in Issue 163, included a gaffed card box. If you alter the artwork to suit the card box, the idea can be used for other routines. An example – the King of Hearts is often used by gospel/Christian members of the Fellowship of Christian Magicians to put a message across. The new force card can be added to Jay’s image, with a copy of the performers signature across the card, and a new routine is born. The Christian magician forces the card, unknown to the spectator, ( as if magicians would do that sort of thing ) and he talks about people sometimes  get lost in their walk of faith – as he signs the card…  which vanishes, only to be seen under the cellophane of the card box complete with signature of performer, who then says you are never lost for long with Christ in your heart.This I think makes for a stronger finish for this variation of Jays effect..

This is the method I used, as  I am mainly self taught on computers.  I copied from Jay’s free PDF that one image of the card box and pasted into a new word document.  Next I created the card to be forced using an internet image of king of hearts and saved as a JPG.

I opened with Microsoft Picture It’ express 7.0 and added with the text option a close representation of your signature, although a real signature can be scanned and saved as a JPG   and added.

Once done I went back to my new word document and added a shape from the tool bar section and covered Jay’s 3 of clubs     Then I went to my pictures for the forced king of Clubs with signature and copied the image.

Then, I went back to that shape I added to my new word document. I clicked in the shape and from the tool bar, clicked on add text in the shape. You can now paste the image and position to fit but as I said at the start, there is probably a simpler method   Remember to keep the original size proportions of card box. Hope this helps in some way…

Click for sample…   https://app.box.com/s/3f7307w0hijdvnzz79kh0t2l31nn69mg
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Cardini Performing on the First TV Magic Show -1957

Cardini, born in Britian as Richard Valentine Pitchford, joined the British Army durning WW1 and spent considerable time in the trenches practicing his magic. Due to the extremely cold weather, he learned to manipulate cards while wearing gloves. Cardini eventually left Britian after failing to achieve success with his act. He traveled to Australia, Canada, and eventually the United States. After performing in New York, he became an almost instant sensation with his unique style, routining, and manipulation skills…

“Among his many acclamations was the New England Magic Society’s proclamation of Cardini as the “greatest exponent of pure sleight of hand the world has ever known” (1958). He was honored in 1970 with the title “Master Magician”, which was awarded at the Magic Castle, LA, and presented by Tony Curtis. In 1999 he was named one of Magic Magazine’s Top Magicians of the 20th Century. He was a three time President of the Society of American Magicians. In 1960 The Magic Circle in London honored him with the Silver Wand Award.”  Wikipedia…

http://www.etricks.info/
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
10 Things No One Tells You About Being A Magician  –  Article

Clean fingernails are essential and you will be poor for many years. Troy Von Scheibner explains why the life of a magician is not always magic… This and many other great resources are online at MagicNews.org..

http://magicnews.org/
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
How to Book Restaurant Gigs –  Audio Interview

Ken and Julian at MagiciansBusiness just sent an email about their latest podcast. David Ranalli details how to get restaurant gigs. This is one of the more popular topics I deal with from readers.. so, here you go!

“David Ranalli started young performing magic in restaurants. From age 14 he has been table hopping building up strong work practices and an appreciation of the restaurant industry and how magicians can better position themselves to get the most value from a restaurant gig.”

Listen to this episode on iTunes or Stitcher or follow the link below and listen on our website:

http://www.magicianbusiness.com/ep-42-restaurant-gigs-for-magicians-with-david-ranalli/
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

A Reminder –  Lu Brent’s Exclusive Card Mysteries   –   Free PDF for Roadshow Readers
Frank Moraes

I don’t normally run ‘reminders’.. but this PDF from Frank Moraes was a special treat. No one else, anywhere, has this PDF. You have to get it via the Roadshow, courtesy of Frank.

” 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

Visit Frank’s excellent blog at:   http://franklycurious.com/wp/
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Reminder .. A  Flea Market for Magicians

On Saturday, March 28th, from 9 AM to 1 PM, 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.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1552872708267136/
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Magic Supply Company…

Do you sell magic.?  Do you want to sell magic, earn 10% on everything you sell, and never have to buy a single stock item.. plus… earn 10% commission on your OWN purchases.?

http://www.magicsupply.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=242
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Blur –  A Great Little Resource

Blur is the all-in-one solution for managing your online life and protecting your private information. You can control all your online purchases and payments, your email, and your phone.

** Editors note.. this is an unsolicited, unpaid recommendation. I use BLUR all the time and am glad to share it with you guys. They offer a free and a premium version. Although the premium version shows $39.95, when I clicked the premium link to read the features it offered me the premium service for $19.95 for a short while. Folks, this is a bargain for the control it offers..

With Masked Cards, you can create a new credit card number for EVERY purchase or payment. When a site asks for your credit card number, a small pop up box gives you the choice of filling it with your real number or a one-time use number. This means if your number is stolen from whomever you give it to, they don’t get your REAL number, they get a number that’s unusable. Each Masked Card has a built-in limit, so there’s no risk of hidden charges or data breaches.

Don’t want to give a website your email address? With Blur, you don’t have to. Passwords sync across devices and fill in automatically.. Again, you control your masked numbers through your control panel. You can cancel an abused email with a click. Plus, since each assigned email is different, if you begin receiving emails from a source you’re not familiar with.. you can tell which of your other contacts shared your email. Again, a small, unobtrusive box appears when giving your email, or filling in an email, and gives you a choice of using your real email, which it then fills in for you.. or, masking your email with a super-secure email BLUR tracks for you.

Create phone numbers that route to your real phone. Any time you’re required to give a site, or an individual, your phone number, you can generate a masked number and control it through your control panel. If someone abuses the priviledge, go to your control panel and cancel the number. Simple..

I REALLY like BLUR. I know you can get some of these services individually from other companies, but I thoroughly enjoy having one company control all my services on one control panel.

https://abine.com/index.html
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
I’m Going To Leave You With This……

Fear of success is characterized by these six behaviors; see if you have any of them: (1) Procrastinating. (2) Underperforming. (3) Focusing on those who reject you rather than those who accept you. (4) Allowing yourself to be sidetracked by so many insignificant things that you never get focused on the main thing. (5) Talking about what you plan to do “someday.” (6) Feeling others are worthy of success but not you.

Don’t be afraid of Success.. and, as some of the ‘politically correct’ would have you believe, don’t be afraid of money. Money builds schools, churches, and hospitals. It eradicates poverty and illiteracy; it finances research that cures life-threatening illnesses. But some of us are so focused on heaven’s streets of gold that we no longer see earth’s streets filled with suffering and unmet needs. Understand this: God will reward you based on your service to others. That could be your greatest motivation for wanting to succeed.

http://TheEncouragingWord.org
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
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.. https://magicroadshow.com/

http://streetmagic.info/cbmall3.html

————————-

LIKE us on FaceBook..

(Every time someone likes my pages I take notice..)  

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/

—————————

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:  [email protected]

“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/

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::