We’ve been delayed regarding our reply to the daily Jinx inquiries and therefore must move our date for the showdown up to #85.
Back in a 1915 mag we found a picture of Nate Leipsig entitled “The War Lord of Card Tricks.” Nate was entertaining Britishers during the last great fracas.
And from the same source came an effect that could well be brought out again by the dealers. A miniature brass cannon with a plug to be screwed into the open end served as a container for from one to six steel balls. The mystic could immediately tell how many were inside. It would be timely now — 25 years later.
Russell Swann is currently at the Empire Room of the Waldorf-Astoria (N.Y.). His presentation of the snake in the basket is one of the funniest stunts seen around this town in years. Not a columnist or writer who sees his act fails to write plenty chit-chat about “Max” and his vagaries.
Incidentally, there’s no truth, yet, to the newspaper rumor that Russ and the daughter of movie comic Harry Langdon were recently married. We checked with both persons concerned.
For the files you can paste in the note that the frame design for the “headless woman” mirror illusion is not new. Over 25 years ago an Englishman named Wyde built the exact set-up with the reflectors in the same place, but on a larger scale to produce a girl from nowhere. It was called The Woman In The Case.
Bernard Zufall, he of the “photogenic mind”, has just published the first of a series of Memory Trix. The initial offering covers “Magazine Memorizing” and makes it awfully plain and easy sounding as to how one goes about mentally cataloging pertinent facts about any current mag only a few hours before that luncheon or dinner engagement where you can’t carry much apparatus if any.
Mr. Zufall’s library on memory work is undoubtedly one of the largest. It has long passed a thousand books and manuscripts.
Stewart James is leading contender for magical title king and mystical theme prince. The April Tops will contain his latest dream-deviltry The Cup of Tantalus. An odd occurrence with a piece of river.
Eddie Clever sent on a newspaper ad of Will Rock’s attempt to be another Thurston. The latter’s name appears four times in the ad including the large lettered lead-off with picture. Rock gets his name in once as the successor. The ad states “20 people.” Eddie marked it “4.’ The ad states “50 illusions.” Eddie marked it “misleading.” He further said that applause was lacking in enthusiasm, Rock’s personality was almost negative, and that after a weak opening the show failed to work up interest before it closed with the Sawing, the 8th torture illusion out of ten presented. It looks like Rock isn’t doing such a hot job of trying to live up to another man’s reputation. It’s generally a lifetime effort to live up to your own billing.
Bob Nelson’s horoscope dictated the day and the hour so he up and married with Miss Marg Gammon, of Columbus, Ohio. The announcement is a novel “adventure” strip of 4 cartoons depicting “The Sentence” “En Route” “Honeymoon in Miami” “Back Home March 9.” Knowing Bob and his modesty, the opinion around this beehive of activity is that the whole thing is gross understatement. A cute touch in the “At home” scene are the three cocktail glasses.
We haven’t seen mention yet of L. Davenport’s pet Hitler peeve. He had just refurbished his three story store front with a neon sign costing about 500 pounds when blackouts became the order of the night. He is still waiting for a chance to use it !
And until next week, don’t step on or kick any tin cans. It might be somebody’s drum head tube!
