Search found 274 matches

by David Ben
February 3rd, 2024, 4:37 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Unknown Life of Karl Fulves
Replies: 46
Views: 4329

Re: The Unknown Life of Karl Fulves

You’re welcome. It is really moving forward in a lovely way, and there will be lots of surprises. At least they have certainly been so for me. It has been a real privilege for me to be involved with this project.
by David Ben
February 3rd, 2024, 4:05 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Unknown Life of Karl Fulves
Replies: 46
Views: 4329

Re: The Unknown Life of Karl Fulves

Well, I can assure you that there were lots of people over the years who wrote to Karl, and who received replies. I was one of them. At this time I can also say that we are working with his family to make sure it is a fitting tribute to his life and work. That’s all for now.
by David Ben
February 3rd, 2024, 3:37 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Unknown Life of Karl Fulves
Replies: 46
Views: 4329

Re: The Unknown Life of Karl Fulves

Issue No. 200 of Magicol - No. 199 will roll out shortly - will feature, among other things, the definitive biography of Karl Fulves. It is an amazing story.
by David Ben
January 25th, 2024, 8:39 am
Forum: General
Topic: ERDNASE
Replies: 8153
Views: 11979655

Re: ERDNASE

Jim On page 23 of The Expert at the Card Table, Erdnase wrote, “Excessive vanity proves the undoing of many experts.” And on page 10, he wrote, “The professional rarely “squeals” when he gets the worst of it; the man who has other means of livelihood is the hardest loser.” So I suppose that my respo...
by David Ben
January 23rd, 2024, 7:55 pm
Forum: General
Topic: ERDNASE
Replies: 8153
Views: 11979655

Re: ERDNASE

Well Jack, I don’t normally respond to such open questions because I could write a thousand words on why it is such a terrible piece of filmmaking. Judging from your response to Dustin’s post, however, your question seems asked in earnest so I will give a truncated reply. First, those interviewed we...
by David Ben
January 22nd, 2024, 8:07 pm
Forum: General
Topic: ERDNASE
Replies: 8153
Views: 11979655

Re: ERDNASE

I am surprised there has been no commentary on this film on this forum. https://youtu.be/KTVpY3ZPoIk I’ll start. A terrible piece of filmmaking that is still worth watching. (Full disclosure: I am in it.) I imagine that the only reason it was posted in its current state was to comply with crowdfundi...
by David Ben
November 16th, 2023, 9:17 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Ibidem #20
Replies: 7
Views: 2328

Re: Ibidem #20

Richard reached out to me about your predicament. I can provide you with a replacement copy of Volume 2 of Ibidem.

Please send me your contact info at david@davidben.com so I can follow up. (I’m not very responsive to the PM component on the Forum.)
by David Ben
July 2nd, 2023, 8:10 am
Forum: Feature Articles
Topic: Vernon's silhouettes
Replies: 102
Views: 78663

Re: Vernon's silhouettes

For those interested in this topic, you will find Larry Horowitz and Steve Schlanger’s article, “The Evolution of Dai Vernon’s Autograph”, in Magicol, No. 187, the May 2014 issue, of interest.
by David Ben
July 1st, 2023, 1:21 pm
Forum: Feature Articles
Topic: Vernon's silhouettes
Replies: 102
Views: 78663

Re: Vernon's silhouettes

I believe the second one is genuine.
by David Ben
June 30th, 2023, 8:36 am
Forum: Feature Articles
Topic: Vernon's silhouettes
Replies: 102
Views: 78663

Re: Vernon's silhouettes

I’m not sure that I’m the expert either, but I’ve looked at hundreds of Vernon’s silhouettes from different decades, and I agree with Bill.
by David Ben
March 18th, 2023, 6:17 pm
Forum: Feature Articles
Topic: Card Counting
Replies: 44
Views: 18820

Re: Card Counting

A great book.

Like the break-through album of a new band.
by David Ben
March 18th, 2023, 6:23 am
Forum: Feature Articles
Topic: Card Counting
Replies: 44
Views: 18820

Re: Card Counting

Barry Allen’s post reminded me of another faux-counting sequence I used to do some 35 or 40 years ago. It was by Ed Marlo (and I can’t recall from which publication or source.) It was a way of performing without performing. You are handed a deck, start to shuffle it, and exclaim that something doesn...
by David Ben
March 14th, 2023, 8:47 pm
Forum: Light From the Lamp
Topic: Warning - The Rich Cabinet Collection
Replies: 3
Views: 3798

Warning - The Rich Cabinet Collection

While we are pleased to announce that Vol. 3 and 4 in the series are now being shipped, subscribers to the series must be careful. Magicana went overboard on the packing to make sure that both volumes arrive in pristine condition. This means there are many layers of packing to unwrap. Please resist ...
by David Ben
February 1st, 2023, 8:21 am
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Schwarzman Demo
Replies: 29
Views: 2663

Re: Schwarzman Demo

I’m sorry but I can’t let that one go by without a response. I know Bill Malone, and he is indeed a very fine magician, with cards - and without cards. But so was Howie Schwarzman. The comparison to Howie being a good high school soccer player is offensive. Howie, seeing me perform something twenty-...
by David Ben
January 26th, 2023, 7:27 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Who said ‘you should be able to describe a trick in a single sentence?’
Replies: 35
Views: 7003

Re: Who said ‘you should be able to describe a trick in a single sentence?’

Where, of course, is Max Maven when you need him?
by David Ben
January 26th, 2023, 7:23 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: RIP Max Maven
Replies: 69
Views: 11148

Re: RIP Max Maven

I love Bob, and Bob knows that, but… I was the President of the club at the time who asked Max to do the theory lecture. Bob’s description of the member was only partially correct. I am surprised that Bob did not use one of his previous turns of phrase, “the guy swore he was Austrian, but forgot the...
by David Ben
August 9th, 2022, 7:02 pm
Forum: General
Topic: ERDNASE
Replies: 8153
Views: 11979655

Re: ERDNASE

You’re right, Richard. Shifting the type on the title page would have been ever so dramatic. Nice to know that your years with Stella Adler paid off :)
by David Ben
July 31st, 2022, 4:42 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: FISM 2022 Day 6
Replies: 9
Views: 2154

Re: FISM 2022 Day 6

Craig Frankly, I am not surprised that there was no after party. (I left Saturday morning for another obligation.) It should be evident to anyone who has ever produced an event that the organizers would have been hemorrhaging cash throughout the event, and that decisions would have to be made. There...
by David Ben
July 25th, 2022, 4:45 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Merlin award scam - an article by Tom Stone
Replies: 62
Views: 6295

Re: Merlin award scam - an article by Tom Stone

Tom - a great article. It has the stuff for a wonderful screenplay. Funny, poignant and pathetic, with an extraordinary cast of characters. I suggest you get right on it.
by David Ben
July 20th, 2022, 2:52 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Acting
Replies: 2
Views: 1810

Re: Acting

Good to hear the viewpoint from someone who studied there. It is amazing that the book and film retrospective is getting such traction. It is a very interesting topic and I hope that others with experience and viewpoint will also chip in - not just here - but in the greater arts, film, theatre and a...
by David Ben
July 20th, 2022, 6:37 am
Forum: General
Topic: Acting
Replies: 2
Views: 1810

Acting

As there has been a discussion of what is or is not considered acting on the Forum, here is a link to an interview that came out today related to the history of Method Acting that I found illuminating. (I’m going to order the book for sure.) https://hyperallergic.com/748733/the-method-on-film-bam-in...
by David Ben
March 24th, 2022, 9:08 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Use of Depth Illusion in Triumph Routine Credit Question
Replies: 13
Views: 2511

Re: Use of Depth Illusion in Triumph Routine Credit Question

For what it is worth, I developed an in-the hands false Faro shuffle - a sort of an in-the-hands Zarrow shuffle that used the Depth of Illusion principle - for a routine called Invisible Triumph that appeared in my book Tricks. I had published it much earlier, however, in Apocalypse under the name R...
by David Ben
January 12th, 2022, 6:44 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Ricky Jay - his legacy in the world of magic
Replies: 80
Views: 6377

Re: Ricky Jay - his legacy in the world of magic

I am probably going to regret saying this but… Respectfully, what makes you think that Ricky had secrets, meaning material he learned from people like Vernon and Miller, to share? Having studied Vernon a great deal, and having copies of much of Miller’s correspondence (coming in and going out), and ...
by David Ben
January 1st, 2022, 4:03 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: 2021 In Review
Replies: 10
Views: 1921

Re: 2021 In Review

As always, Dustin, you make difficult look routine. Well done! One aside: The Ramsay footage cited in February as Three Minutes Well Spent was originally put out on a DVD as a free insert in Genii in 2008. I can’t recall the month but I imagine it was a Ramsay issue. Richard talked me into to it. (N...
by David Ben
December 24th, 2021, 3:41 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Where to perform on a rectangular table
Replies: 7
Views: 888

Re: Where to perform on a rectangular table

From my experience, I suggest you perform some of the material at one end, and shift to the other end during the course of the performance. You are not on a stage. You can move freely from one point, to another, or in the middle of it if places you for a particular effect beside the person you belie...
by David Ben
November 30th, 2021, 2:04 am
Forum: Collector's Marketplace
Topic: Wanted: Non Plus Ultra Vol 1 & 2
Replies: 18
Views: 2581

Re: Wanted: Non Plus Ultra Vol 1 & 2

Wow! Thank you for all the interest. I’ll report back tomorrow if it is still on the shelf, and take it from there.
by David Ben
November 27th, 2021, 5:09 pm
Forum: Collector's Marketplace
Topic: Wanted: Non Plus Ultra Vol 1 & 2
Replies: 18
Views: 2581

Re: Wanted: Non Plus Ultra Vol 1 & 2

I believe I can source a set in a collection I am dealing with. I can confirm on Tuesday. Shipping will, however, be expensive as the books are heavy and they will be coming from Canada.
by David Ben
November 5th, 2021, 10:01 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: The March Issue of Genii is Out and Jamy Swiss Returns
Replies: 40
Views: 6406

Re: The March Issue of Genii is Out and Jamy Swiss Returns

Writing this from an airplane. I have never doubted that Scott was once a cheat. Whether he was a good one is open to debate. I do not believe McGuire had any intention of slighting Vernon. I do not believe Baker switched decks. I believe the pre-punched/marked decks were placed in a drawer as reque...
by David Ben
November 5th, 2021, 5:52 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: The March Issue of Genii is Out and Jamy Swiss Returns
Replies: 40
Views: 6406

Re: The March Issue of Genii is Out and Jamy Swiss Returns

Bob This requires such a long response, and this thread is not the most appropriate forum, so to speak, to address all that has been raised, that it will have wait until another time. (And it doesn’t help that I will be in transit shortly.) Forgive me for suggesting you were in collusion with Bill K...
by David Ben
November 4th, 2021, 8:28 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: The March Issue of Genii is Out and Jamy Swiss Returns
Replies: 40
Views: 6406

Re: The March Issue of Genii is Out and Jamy Swiss Returns

Or not. Bob’s commentary has fabrications, most likely fed to him directly by Mr. Kalush and Mr. Crist. Unless he can provide citations, for example, of what Persi Diaconis believes, other than by Jeff Busby, I would take them all with a grain of salt. Persi relayed to me in a personal letter that w...
by David Ben
October 20th, 2021, 5:17 am
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: ZOMBIE Hand-Little Hand New Version
Replies: 47
Views: 8128

Re: ZOMBIE Hand-Little Hand New Version

This exchange has brought back many fine memories. It turns out my little bank routine - and I am not sure it deserves a wider audience - was developed on August 5th, 1982. I only know this because I was in a Marlo phase and dated all my write ups at the time. I published it initially in Magical Mis...
by David Ben
October 18th, 2021, 6:54 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: ZOMBIE Hand-Little Hand New Version
Replies: 47
Views: 8128

Re: ZOMBIE Hand-Little Hand New Version

In my first lecture, The Fringe, circa 1984 (?), I used one of those mechanical banks as a mind reading assistant. Person selected a card. I asked that the person inside the box tell us the name of the card. Forgot that they were “union”, (sorry), inserted the quarter in the slot. Hand emerged holdi...
by David Ben
August 28th, 2021, 2:24 pm
Forum: Platform & Stage Magic
Topic: Instructions for Paul Fox candy bowl
Replies: 15
Views: 5435

Re: Instructions for Paul Fox candy bowl

The instructions provided with the apparatus issued by Danny Dew are rather sparse. A full presentation and handling, with a photograph and illustrations is described on pages 66 to 69 of Magic With Faucett Ross, written by Lewis Ganson. It is a terrific book, with lots of great magic, and well wort...
by David Ben
August 23rd, 2021, 5:25 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The best book I have read in a long, long time!
Replies: 1
Views: 2177

The best book I have read in a long, long time!

I can't recall ever posting an unsolicited testimonial for a book related to magic. But here goes. James Hagy, well-known in magic history circles, has just written the best book I have ever read related to the performance of magic as it relates to actually making a living. It is, in essence, all th...
by David Ben
April 12th, 2021, 6:43 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Magic in Theater Plays
Replies: 17
Views: 4204

Re: Magic in Theater Plays

Stoppard, like many playwrights, has dreamt up magic-related sequences, and added them into a play as a line of text without any instructions or methodology in the notes. In Rosencrantz, there is a scene where the main characters are betting repeatedly on the flip of a coin. Eventually the coin vani...
by David Ben
April 12th, 2021, 5:45 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Magic in Theater Plays
Replies: 17
Views: 4204

Re: Magic in Theater Plays

Pippin is an excellent choice. Peter Samelson was the magic consultant for it, I believe, both on Broadway and on Tour.
by David Ben
April 10th, 2021, 5:25 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Magic in Theater Plays
Replies: 17
Views: 4204

Re: Magic in Theater Plays

Sorry, the dates are for the year of the specific production, not when the works were written.
by David Ben
April 10th, 2021, 5:23 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Magic in Theater Plays
Replies: 17
Views: 4204

Re: Magic in Theater Plays

Not counting the six or so productions such as The Conjuror which I co-wrote for the theatre, I have consulted or created magic for the following plays or musicals: Sisters (2018), Rosencrantz and Guilderstern Are Dead (2015), Of Human Bondage (2014), Travesties (2009), School for Scandal (2002); Th...
by David Ben
March 30th, 2021, 8:04 am
Forum: Alternative Media
Topic: New Yorker cartoon caption
Replies: 24
Views: 8489

Re: New Yorker cartoon caption

“Skip the ham”

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