Kindly note : Starting immediately, all back numbers of The
Jinx will cost twenty-five cents each, and not be available at the
subscription rate of five for a dollar as heretofore. The subscription
rate will apply only to advance orders. This is necessary because of
the scarcity of copies, and also because no other regular periodical
will supply back issues at the subscription price.
U.F. Grant opened his New York place at 327 West 42nd Street on March 1st.
Only a block and a half from Times Square, he has located in 2200 square feet
of space, with a very effectively tiled scheme of decoration topped off by a large
fireplace and center floor fountain. It is an ideal setting for a magic shop, and the
fact that “Gen” has taken a five year lease on the place shows that he knows it.
And that $92 order from a N.Y. nitery performer on the first day goes to show the
faith people have in Grant and his ideas.
That Gravatt piracy, called the Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, will be reprinted
in type and book form. No less than four dealers and individuals are trying to
beat each other. However, I’ll wager that Holden’s edition will be the first and
best. It just goes to prove, though, that if a thing sells, the dealers will vend it
to a fare-thee-well, regardless of ethics. However, Max is the first to actually
get written permission from the conceivers of the effects. It would have hurt
Gravatt’s conscience to do a thing like that. Or perhaps he knew he couldn’t. Or
maybe he needed the money, and didn’t have time to think up any tricks of his
own before the sheriff came around.
Burling Hull swore (and wasted a full Jinx page in #25) that he had nothing to
do with the Fairplay edition of the above encyclopedia; the pirated version of
the original piracy, of which only one out of five volumes was produced. Did he
accidentally show a New York dealer the typed and arranged copy for the second
volume, or doesn’t he give a hoot what magi think ?
I hope the I.B.M. runs as smoothly, now that “Uncle Bill” has passed on, as it
did when he had the reins. John Davison has moved up to the presidency, and Dr
Kenneth H. Sheelor has been appointed editor of the Linking Ring. John should
make an excellent president, and I know all the boys will be for him. However,
the High Point Convention this year, will tell the story of how the I.B.M. is
standing the worst shock of its history.
The two programs given in this issue are a direct result of Max Holden’s muchly
praised publication of Magician’s Programmes. The book has been received as a
very necessary adjunct to one’s library of “active” literature. From time to time
I’ll print programmes of this one and that one, and such programmes will be
authentic, up to date, and in exactly the order as presented on the occasion when
reviewed. The exact order of presentation is the most important point.
Incidentally, Glen Pope’s sister has returned to these shores and is back in the
act. The story of her marriage to Tommy (T. Bradley, if you wish) Martin in
Europe turned out to be a bit more than a rumor.
Tom Bowyer is losing his sense of humor, or at least his appreciation of irony.
After witnessing an exhibition of Mogul in Toronto, he was “irked” because it
was “as he feared” only the torn out center gag of reading a billet. Tom wrote
“and he played 14 weeks at the N.Y. Paramount with that, eh ?” I’ve said it many
times before, and no doubt will say it again, but every day someone is taking
some trick or effect that has been kicked around, and making a name with it.
When fellows come to me and “knock” the act of someone else, there’s only one
answer. I ask “Well, they’re working, aren’t they ? Are you ?”
Howard Brooks, the Magical Chatterbox, talked himself out of a four week
contract at the Mac-Fadden-Deauville in Miami Beach so he could play one
week at Ira’s Supper Club for what it would have taken three weeks at the M-D
to earn. With magicians down there looking for work, Brooks had to fight to get
out of four weeks ! I was with him when he booked Ira’s, and still along when
he was sweating to get out from under the other. He’ll never have his name on
two contracts again !
Galli-Galli is also in the south, but seems to have mixed himself up a bit. The
following clip came from the Miami Herald for February 9th.
The worst value in years is Flash Magic by Lindhorst, and now advertised to
the skies at $10.00. I hate to think what Guy Jarrett would say about it. It is
offset printed, with the type so small that even I have difficulty reading it, and the
sketches are borrowed in substance from, to a great extent, magazine exposes of
illusions. Most of the 100 tricks are described amateurishly in one or two lines
only, and the whole thing is stuck into a Woolworth Looseleaf book. There’s
nothing new in it, and there’s no value except for the twenty cent cover. That’s the
worst review I’ve ever given anything, but when I saw it, I couldn’t help going up
in the air. Lindhorst’s piano business must be in a bad way.
Count Orloff, the New York Nite Club Sponge Ball Impresario, can do a Charlier
(one-hand) Pass with a pack of giant cards ! — who was the nobleman of magic
who upset the N.Y. magic shop by coming in too tight to talk about, and wound
up by sticking his head through whose office door window ? — Robert Rinehart
has been doing a Keating, by going half-legitimate in a stage production called
The Meal Ticket. It opened in Philadelphia, earned bad reviews, and is being
rewritten. — Richard Dubois, the S.A.M. Nat’l Sec’y, has signed up for three
years with the Pond agency, and will be offered for the engagements that Harlan
Tarbell is too ill to play. — Robert Parrish rung bells with his Duo-Telepathy
effect in Jinx #29, according to comments received. The item, embracing two
effects, and too clean for words, fits in well with the En Rapport routine. — Dave
Bamberg (Fu Manchu) opens on March 4th at the Teatro Servantes on 116th
Street in New York City. Direct from Cuba and South America, he’ll have the
largest magic show (twelve tons) in the states. — Bebe Stanton, erstwhile wife
and partner of Norman Frescott, is rather on the rocks and wants a partner for
the sending end. Frescott and she were together for 12 years, and played the
best spots available, and Bebe left top spots with her singing and dancing to go
with him. Where in the devil is Martin Sunshine ? Since he and Betty have
called it a day, there might be the makings of a quite perfect combination here.
— Tee-hee Dept. -Sunday papers just ran an ad showing Marvo, the Magician at
a party. He was asked by one to “make our friend Joe’s “B.O.” disappear !” He
has “Joe” take a card from the pack, and when “Joe” looks at the card, he reads
“A kind friend of yours asked me to make your “B.O.” disappear. My magic can’t
do this, but Lifebuoy can !” Even so, the ad is just about as tactful as some magi
I know. — Curiosity Dept. – Why, in the January 1937 Alexandre Herrman
number of the Sphinx, his first name, on the cover, in the recollection article,
in the Chase article, the editorial mentions, and the captions under two other
pictures, was ended ER; while Madam Herrman’s explanation of his favorite
trick consistently spelled it AlexandRE ?
In the mail bag : In regards to the paragraph I used in the February issue about
Jerry Kahler at the Miami Beach Roney-Plaza, Frank Lane sends a postcard
full of humor “Makes no difference to me what they say… I don’t give a good
‘Land Sakes’… But I wonder how Kahler would feel if I took his letter out of the
file and showed where he said for me to be sure and send the book I just wrote,
the one with the bridge exposure in it, and he’d send me the money if I sent a
bill… (which I did) … These guys forget easily… and who… this is a peach… what
sharper would tell some stranger or any other sharper… his own methods of
cheating… Oh Jerry… Oh Mickey… my jaw aches for you… and something else
too… I’m now going to get out my bengue for my neck. (signed) Frank.” — Did
I say humor ? And then I opened another letter and read at the bottom “May I
suggest that you ignore Frank Lane’s insults and publish as little about him as
you can. He gloats over the kind of publicity you have given him.” — Well, dear
reader, you know how it is with some fellows, especially Frank. When you’ve
gotta gloat, you’ve gotta gloat !