Printing the Cup and Ball lessons has stirred up not a little comment. When finished, it will be most thoroughly covered as only Ellis Stanyon could do it. And the side issues, too, such as Thimble Rigging and the Shell Game, will be completely covered. If you're at all interested in this oldest, yet most popular of magic classics (especially for close-up and table workers of the present era), learn it month by month as you would music lessons, and you'll master it from the ground up much easier and much better than if you bought it complete in a…
This poster was in London's Variety bearing the date August 10, 1932 which was a week before Clark sailed first to the U.S.A. Keith did the picture himself while playing on the continent. This photograph of a display board was taken in the lobby of New York's Hollywood Restaurant on July 22nd, 1937. The originality undoubtedly is in the fact that a cigarette has been omitted. Quite a lack of essential notes and news is evident this month, but people of our clan just didn't seem to do things worthy of being recorded for posterity. Jacob Daley sailed off to…
Magical festivities were numerous during the past month. Dr Jacob Daley had a riotous affair at his home with about 30 present for dinner and embellishments. The feature of the show was Dave Bamberg's colored movies of his travels, superb costumes, and of his father, Okito, in action. A week later Frank Dodd had his annual outing on his Babylon estate, and over 100 partook of lunch, dinner, games, and watched the open air performance with a stein in each hand. Four days later the I.B.M. Convention opened at High Point, N.C. with over 300 registered as present. At the…
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…
Big event of the past month was David Bamberg's New York opening at the Teatro Cervantes on March 19th. The name has been changed, because of copyright complications in these states, from Fu Manchu to Fu Chan, a combination of Fu Manchu and Charley Chan. Those who have seen it opine that it is the most beautifully dressed show to hit these shores. The opening ran almost three hours, and the illusions, for the most part worked into sketches, are of a type, and carry an atmosphere totally different from what American audiences have seen. When I talked about the…
Much running around this past month, but not much of news interest. We wonder about such foolish things as "Force" breakfast cereal and guess how many magi eat it. Tip to West Coasters: Go after Pat Marquis, the Glendale, Calif. boy wonder who does a new version of the x-ray eye act. Eastern papers make claims that the faculty is genuine so much publicity could be garnered by a challenge. The Sears-Roebuck catalogue of magic is Abbott's new one, with good paper, lots of cuts, and a beautiful printing job. They're free for a postcard. Mickey MacDougall is peddling a…
We slipped last month, it seems, and the result was an extraordinary issue that contained three exceptionally well plaudited tricks out of four. Looking for one well received mystery has been our practice. When two turn up we growl with glee. When three slip through we are astonished but try to be nonchalant. What the result will be when all four click with everyone I can't say -- yet. The foregoing paragraph is no doubt the result of spring feeling. When this copy gets in the mailbox, we'll be home in Waverly, N.Y. for the first time in fourteen months,…
Not confirmable, is Houdini's speech before the Club of Odd Volumes, in Boston, in 1922, about his having performed the bullet trick. In the Sphinx transcript of the talk is a reproduction of Houdini's margin notation, "This is what I "said"." It seems as if the quotes around the word "said" were appropriate. I called Dunninger, who had first pick of Houdini's private effects, and he stated that nowhere among all the notes, and at no time during many talks, was there any hint of Houdini ever presenting the trick. I'm interested very much in the facts, and will appreciate…
One of the prizes of magic will be published soon. I've promised not to reveal details this month, but this informative book is hand set, hand printed, and hand bound by its author who has been one of the 'behind the scene' masters of magic. Very seldom, if ever, has his name appeared in magic literature, but he has originated and built more illusions for both magical and theatrical productions than any other man. Over one hundred pages have been completed and there will be over twenty pages of illustrations. There is dynamite between those covers to be, especially in…
Let's start off with a not so bad idea for figure magi, and which was forwarded by William Rueskamp. You have 1000 one dollar bills. Put in ten bags so that no matter how much is asked for, from $1 to one thousand, it can be handed over immediately without opening any bag. Most people say it can't be done. Put one dollar in the first bag, then 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256. The ninth bag filled total 511. Subtract this from one thousand and you have 489 in the tenth bag. Now any amount can be…