Greatest Opening Lines in Magic

[Carl Mercurio]

I recently saw Whit Hadyn at the Magic Castle and loved his opening line, which is something like, "Magic is the world's second-oldest profession, and like the world's oldest profession it is being ruined by amateurs." Sorry if I didn't get that exactly right, Whit.
Then there's Maven, who opens with "Boo!"

What's your favorite opening line...???

[Pete Biro]

Hey, How's it goin'? Anybody here for the first time? :D :D :D

[Carl Mercurio]

Pete, I said YOUR favorite line, not EVERYBODY'S favorite line. My opening line, btw is, "Good Evening, and may I take this opportunity to say it is a pleasure to be here." It's lame, but it's me...hey that doesn't sound good!!!

[Adam Brooks]

I gotta go with Maven's "Boo!" In one word, he says "I know I may look scary and fiendish, but trust me, I am a professional, and I am here to entertain you and make you laugh. Oh, and I can also laugh at myself for looking kinda weird."

[Guest]

The greatest magic show in the world starts off with...

"Howdy... I'm Mac King"

Apparently some dork in Vegas uses that one too. ;)

-Ryan Pilling

[Pete Biro]

When I worked the spook shows, Francisco used to say something like,

"Tonight we will entertain you with a little prestidigitation... Prestidigitation is the art of taking the impossible, adding to it a few possibilites, and doing something that can't be done."

When I work, I often talk about the fact that today's generation has grown up watching TV and they don't know how to react to live performers.

One important way is with applause... I'll show you how... hold your hands out in front of you like this (I demonstrate) now move them together fast and hit them together a number of times... that's applause...

Now that you have your hands out in front of you, just lower them slowly and put them on the thigh of the person sitting next to you... (aside) That'll warm 'em up. (etc. etc.)

[Guest]

:sleep:

[Tom Dobrowolski]

Of course the all time great...

"Hi. I'm Jay Marshall. One of the better cheaper acts."

[Guest]

Albert Goshman: "I'm going to magish for you..."

[Carl Mercurio]

Actually, wasn't Goshman's opening line, "That's me!" Said after his tape recorder announced his name....

[Guest]

I like Trevor Lewis'. I have suffered dearly for my art.....and now it's your turn.

[Van]

Dr. Faust(David Hoy)
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am Dr. Faust ... A Mentalist (pause) and a fake!"

Van McGee

[Guest]

After all these years in the business I have heard them all,,,,but reallly now,,isnt Jay Marshalls opening line just the greatest,,every time I work I have to have a serious talk with myself just before I walk out not ot use Jays line,,,(O.K. I admit it,,once in a while when I am sure there are no magicians in the audience I do use it,,,,sorry Jay),,,"Hi, I'm Stan Kramien, aren't you glad I'm here?

[Stefan Nilsson]

Victor Borge's opening is my favorite. His first line wasn't a line at all; he opened his mouth and out came a cloud of smoke. His second line was "Holy smoke!".

I know that Borge didn't do a magic act. But he did a good act. Take a look at

http://www.kor.dk/borge/borge.htm

The sound clips are particularly interesting. Listen to his setup for the "Phonetic Punctuation". It's sheer genius.

[Pete Biro]

When I was 18 years old, in the Army, I used to do the Victor Borga Phonetic Punctuation routine (as an impression of "The Great Dane" -- being half Danish myself).
Pffffffffffttttttttttttt!

[Pete Biro]

Was it not Jackie Mason, who purportedly? gave Ed Sullivan the digit salute?

Anyway, I loved one of his opening lines...

"I'd like to welcome myself to _____ and it's a real treat for you to see me here tonight." :D

Jackie Vernon line, "Hi there fun seekers." :D

Both classic lines. :D

[Guest]

When Jackie Mason was enjoying his comeback in the late !980's, on "20/20", he said his gesture, out of camera frame, was not as perceived, after Sullivan and others suggested it was. Mason threatened to sue Sullivan and he backed off,meanwhile not booking him again. He ran into Mason at an airport and said he was sorry for all the misunderstanding, and would like him to appear again...which he did, with Sullivan introducing him as "My friend, Jackie Mason..."...and Mason didn't resuface on a national level, much after that, until his one-man show in the 80's.

[Guest]

Hey,
That's not how I remember it. Sullivan, a real son of a bitch who used his power to get acts cheaply or doom them to oblivion, neverf forgave Mason. He deep sixed him; his power was demod by the fact tha Mason did literallly (mostly )vainsh til the one man shows.

[Guest]

Michael Finney:

He comes out with one of those cane and top hat
tables; he shakes the cane and the little tripod
base comes out of the bottom of the cane; he looks
up at the audience and says " 400 friggin dollars"
Then when he puts the top hat on the top of the
cane he looks up and says "another hundred
dollars!"

[Andrew Martin Portala]

L.L.Henri who was well known for his card fan act and being kicked out of magicians homes.(something that he was proud of)Did not do a talking act.I hear many great thing s about his act and the first time I saw him.He came out and said,"Who and hell been fooling around with my lights"!!That's the best opening line.What a way to start your act. :D

[Guest]

Here is a good little kids approach line for table hopping.

Hello, the last time I saw you you were only this tall. Magician holds his hand way below the childs height. This gets the parents laughing softens up the audience.
or
"Oh, I haven't seen you in a long time, I see your arm has grown back. No,I didn't do that arm trick last time?" Ok, we will do it later are you brave? Oh you have never seen me before well your in for some big surprises.

Or Hi whats your name? Carol. That was my name when I was your age...

Or Hi how old are you? That how old I was when I was your age...

youdomagic.com

[Brisbin]

Originally posted by andrew martin:
L.L.Henri who was well known for his card fan act and being kicked out of magicians homes.(something that he was proud of) :D

I have to ask...what did Henri do to get kicked out? I've known several magicians who never knew when to go home, and a couple who were "professional guests," who were welcome to stay as long as they liked.

[Guest]

Here are a few:
"Good evening, my name is............. I expect you know yours."

or

"are you all enjoying yourselves? Well-we'll soon put a stop to that!"

or:

"good evening. My name is .............Still, we all have our problems."

[Guest]

I forgot this one:

Good evening. My name is ........... There will now be a brief pause while you turn to each other and say so what?" (alternatively "who?")

Here are a couple of closing lines-one funny and one not so funny.

"good health, good luck and goodbye"

or here is something that I use:

"That is the end of the show. If you have enjoyed it tell all your friends. If you haven't enjoyed it then don't tell anyone. May God bless and keep you because I can't afford it and if you are driving home please make sure you have a car."

[Guest]

Psychic lines reminds me of my "closing Line" from my touring shows of 14 years...

"...If you have been drinking, and you must drive home, PLEASE, Drive someone ELSES car!"
I used this as my closing line for YEARS.

The only trouble I had was in Omaha, Nebraska.

I came back to the same club to do my show (I played there 3 and 4 times each year), I was told by the D.J. of the club that the owner had asked I NOT say my closing line!?! They were currently in court over it!?!
I asked why and he told me HE had started using my line after I had last performed there.
(See.. Not only MAGICIANS "steal" material...)

As he would close the club each night (and he told me this very PROUDLY!) He would use my line BUT, he had CHANGED it so it was not "stealing" my material...

He would say...
"We are now closed, If you have been drinking, and you must drive home, PLEASE, Drive someone ELSES F*#!ing car!" (He felt adding the "F*#!ing" to it, made it "different"...)

Seems a young lady had had a few to many and her and her boyfriend got into a drunken fight. She left the building after the DJ announced this, climbed into a car sitting out front of the club with car keys in it, drove it down the street into an intersection where she was struck and killed.


Even though it was not my fault,it affected me...

I have not used that line in a night club since.
Tiny

[Brian Marks]

I think its time to get a pen and paper out and write some new opening lines.

[Brian Marks]

I think its time to get a pen and paper out and write some new opening lines.