Month: November 2005

Wonderful Tommy!

I only recently started looking at Tommy Wonder’s beautiful magic and this is one of the first effects that really caught my eye from his 3 DVD set. There will be more that I tackle, but they all take time!

The premise is wonderful: instead of the Magician getting all the Glory wouldn’t it be nice if the Spectator could get some Glory? You betcha! The idea is that you are going to place a card down on the table and the spectator is to guess what the card is. If he is correct he gets the Glory, if not the Shame!

But to make it a bit easier on the Spectator you give them the choice of two cards and a booby prize of $40 if he fails. Now it is getting interesting. They then proceed to name the card, get the Glory, and you keep the money! Every element of this effect is beautifully routined and it is certainly in the reach of mere mortals. Of course it is a wonder in Tommy’s hands but even in normal hands this effect is a real fooler. It is very clean and very entertaining.

Stunning, Clean and Easy reset too!

Click here for more information.

Comedy and Quality!

If you are familiar with the books published by Todd Karr’s Miracle Factory then you will not be surprised by the quality of this effect from Black Rabbit Magic. Black Rabbit Magic is a division of Miracle Factory and I hope that this first effect out of their stable is just one of many. The paintings are beautiful, the instruction booklet is clear and very well produced and the portfolio brings it all together. This is very much a quality job from start to finish. For this particular effect having such a good production really helps sell it.

Now of course where would we be without some Comedy too? The standard McCombical Deck has always been a riot in the right hands, and this effect has all the same potential as the normal deck. It is perfect for stage as the size of the paintings is a whopping 11×14 inches. One of the things that makes this play so well is that due to the classy production of the props the audience is more likely to believe that the Magician has actually made a mistake, which of course makes the climax so much more fun!

The method is different from the standard McCombical Deck, and works really well. Set-up is a snap and you’re always ready to pull out the portfolio. Due to the size of the paintings this is best suited for parlour or stage work as opposed to close-up.

If you want to add some class and comedy to your act then this is certainly the prop for you!

Click here for more information.

My favorite Mind Blowing Card Effect!

When Paul Richard’s over at Elmwood Magic first told me about Doc Dixon’s effect: Carpe Cajones, I was very impressed. The idea was one of the best I had ever heard of, very clever – but so simple too! Unfortunately, I got hung up on the mechanics a bit, and it took me some time to really come to terms with how easy it really was.

After, more coaching from Paul and rereading the effect in Doc Dixon’s amazing book: Everything is Funnier with Monkeys, it finally dawned on me that I was way too worried about the one move that is needed. Once, I changed my performance to account for this, everything fell into place. Now, this is easily my favorite card effect and it is so mind blowing it hurts. The effect becomes almost self-working if you use Jerry O’Connell’s No-Palm Wallet, which is a wonderful utility item too!

The basic effect is one of a triple prediction but it is so strong and clean you really will believe in miracles. The idea also has very real potential to be used for other types of predictions. If you like things like Paul Harris’s Deep Astonishment you really will love Carpe Cajones.

Carpe Cajones – not just a great name – an incredible reputation making miracle! Highly, Highly, Recommended!

Click here for more information.