Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

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MaxNY
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Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby MaxNY » July 15th, 2017, 12:20 pm

After taking about a year off from Up loading videos, I have decided to start up once again, but this time with watermarked bugs over them...just to keep others from re-claiming, then re-posting.

Today I present to you Frank Garcia on the Dick Cavett Show, (1980) discussing the 3 Card Monte Con.

I heard a story that the kid that does most the reveals was murdered the next day. I have no confirmation of that...

https://youtu.be/OAD4JeWV-Q8

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Jeffrey Cowan » July 15th, 2017, 3:06 pm

Thanks for uploading that, Max. I remember that episode; great that it's available.
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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby MagicbyAlfred » July 15th, 2017, 3:56 pm

Yes, thank you for making that video footage available to us - fascinating!

The 3 Card Monte, as magical entertainment, when performed well, is one of the most entertaining and intriguing routines that can be performed for a layman. I always perform it at bookings whenever there is a table or space at a bar available and sufficient visibility for the spectators (e.g. n centerpiece of flowers). I am not talking about with gaffed cards, but the real deal. I think it is one of the most overlooked routines by magicians.

"But there is not a single card feat in the whole calendar that will give as good returns for the amount of practice required, or that will mystify as greatly, or cause as much amusement, or bear so much repetition, as this little game; and for these reasons we believe it worth of unstinted effort to master it thoroughly." S.W. Erdnase, Expert at the Card Table."

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Tom Gilbert » July 15th, 2017, 9:55 pm

Thanks a lot for that Max, I remember the show. Man, it was a long time ago, but I was asking Frank about the Phantom and he said that he told him being on the show wasn't a great idea, but he insisted. The day after the show he was beaten by some of the other operators and at some point after that came his end.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Leonard Hevia » July 15th, 2017, 9:59 pm

Hi Tom--Frank told the Phantom that it was a bad idea to go on the show and the Phantom insisted? Or was it the other way around?

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Bill Duncan » July 15th, 2017, 11:18 pm

Thanks for your efforts Max.

I found that I couldn't watch it. The endless string of cliche's and banalities is painful.

I did enjoy seeing the man on the street however. Is there any more of that sort of thing in the archives?

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Tom Gilbert » July 16th, 2017, 8:07 am

Leonard, Frank warned the Phantom about going on the show, but the kid insisted.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Leonard Hevia » July 16th, 2017, 10:41 am

Thanks for that clarification Tom! It appeared that the Phantom wanted out of that hustle and get into acting. You can see Cavett wishing him best of luck on his new venture at the end of the program. What a sad ending.

I think I understand what Bill meant about the cliches such as Frank reminding Cavett how the Phantom made the 3 Card Monte appear easy, as all good artists do with their work.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby MaxNY » July 16th, 2017, 12:36 pm

Bill, no more street monte. I think I have a famous Svengali pitch man recorded on the streets of New York.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Leonard Hevia » July 16th, 2017, 5:27 pm

Bill Duncan wrote:Is there any more of that sort of thing in the archives?


There's Vernon doing the 3 Card Monte on the Dick Cavett Show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfyjpvp-ads

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Tom Gilbert » July 16th, 2017, 7:07 pm

Seems to me that there was a mention of the Phantom in some magic column. I was thinking maybe Frank's column in Tannen's Magic Manuscript, but the show aired in 1980 and the Manuscript didn't start until 81. So possibly Genii?

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HimRe: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Leonard Hevia » July 16th, 2017, 9:29 pm

That's an interesting observation Tom. Frank could have mentioned it in his MM column a few years later. Will check my file of MM to see if it's in there. A member of the Conjuring Arts Center could also run a check.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Tom Gilbert » July 16th, 2017, 9:35 pm

I wouldn't work too hard looking, foggy memory at best. I did a search of Genii from 80-81 and no mention.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby MaxNY » July 16th, 2017, 10:28 pm

I heard this story from Doug Edwards, he was very close to Frank Garcia.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Leonard Hevia » July 16th, 2017, 11:16 pm

Tom Gilbert wrote:I wouldn't work too hard looking, foggy memory at best. I did a search of Genii from 80-81 and no mention.


I consider it a pleasure rather than a chore to read through Frank's New York News column in MM.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby performer » July 17th, 2017, 6:35 am

MaxNY wrote:Bill, no more street monte. I think I have a famous Svengali pitch man recorded on the streets of New York.


Naturally I would be interested to see that. As for the Vernon 3 card monte I have been doing it for decades. It is indeed an excellent item. I never ask the spectator where the Queen is except for one point near the end where it doesn't matter whether he gets it right or wrong. It is probably a good idea to avoid that question.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby MagicbyAlfred » July 17th, 2017, 12:21 pm

Performer Wrote: "It is indeed an excellent item. I never ask the spectator where the Queen is except for one point near the end where it doesn't matter whether he gets it right or wrong. It is probably a good idea to avoid that question."

I agree. Proving a spectator wrong is not generally good entertainment. My routine is done not as a demonstration (which invites spectators to start guessing), but as a story in which I was the sucker. This greatly minimizes any challenge aspect and the chances of spectators pointing to or turning over the card they think it is. Although it will inevitably happen from time to time. Occasionally, you will get a shrewd spectator who will intentionally point to the card which should not be the money card, but which in fact is the money card, just to try to trip you up or to prove how clever they are. On those occasions, I do reluctantly show they were mistaken - an easy matter, as all you have to do is pick up the card they pointed to (the money card), place it over one of the indifferent cards and do the hype showing that neither is the money card. I usually say something like, "That's what I thought too," as I show neither is the money card. Then I add: "What I didn't realize was that none of the cards was the money card - he was cheating the pants off me" (turning the third card over to show that that's not the money card either. The reaction to this sequence is wonderful, including from the challenger him or herself.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby Bill Mullins » July 17th, 2017, 1:53 pm

Tom Gilbert wrote:Seems to me that there was a mention of the Phantom in some magic column. I was thinking maybe Frank's column in Tannen's Magic Manuscript, but the show aired in 1980 and the Manuscript didn't start until 81. So possibly Genii?



Sid Lorraine in New Tops, June 1980:

"Frank Garcia's presentation of a young man, called "The Phantom" on a Dick Cavett TV interview, was another lesson in magic. It was the finest demonstration of Three Card Monte I have seen. What a wonderful teaching film it would make for any magical gathering."

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby performer » July 17th, 2017, 2:10 pm

MagicbyAlfred wrote:Performer Wrote: "It is indeed an excellent item. I never ask the spectator where the Queen is except for one point near the end where it doesn't matter whether he gets it right or wrong. It is probably a good idea to avoid that question."

I agree. Proving a spectator wrong is not generally good entertainment. My routine is done not as a demonstration (which invites spectators to start guessing), but as a story in which I was the sucker. This greatly minimizes any challenge aspect and the chances of spectators pointing to or turning over the card they think it is. Although it will inevitably happen from time to time. Occasionally, you will get a shrewd spectator who will intentionally point to the card which should not be the money card, but which in fact is the money card, just to try to trip you up or to prove how clever they are. On those occasions, I do reluctantly show they were mistaken - an easy matter, as all you have to do is pick up the card they pointed to (the money card), place it over one of the indifferent cards and do the hype showing that neither is the money card. I usually say something like, "That's what I thought too," as I show neither is the money card. Then I add: "What I didn't realize was that none of the cards was the money card - he was cheating the pants off me" (turning the third card over to show that that's not the money card either. The reaction to this sequence is wonderful, including from the challenger him or herself.


When I am pitching svengali decks I sell a different type of three card monte called the Dutch Looper. I have three routines depending on what mood I am in and what card is the Royal card. The Royal card often differs depending on which envelope I pick up at random which contains the merchandise. I have a routine if the card is a Jack, another routine if the card is the Queen and still another if the card is the King. But it isn't cast in tablets of stone. Sometimes I use the Jack routine if the card is the Queen or indeed other combinations depending on what mood I am in.

The routine I normally use with the Jacks is one if there are kids around. Here I DO get them to guess which is the correct card and it is very funny as I growl at them as they keep getting it wrong. I work it very fast and don't give the kids time to think and they keep getting it wrong. It gives me a chance to growl at them and snarl, "see--kids don't know everything!" or "don't be silly--how can it be that one?"

Kids LOVE the concept of trying to guess which is the correct card and I think it is worth considering if you do the three card monte. But not with the throw method. I think it is too open to danger if you challenge the kids with this method. The Dutch Looper is much safer if you want to perform the trick for kids. Oddly enough this old fairground method works just as well and the reaction is just as strong (if not stronger) than the Vernon method. However, I only use the Vernon method if I am not grafting somewhere.

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby MagicbyAlfred » July 17th, 2017, 2:36 pm

Performer's approach when doing the monte for kids makes a lot of sense. I rarely perform it for kids, but I can see how they are a distinctly different audience, with a different paradigm from adults, and how the psychological factors are different than when performing it for adults. The only thing is that I would need to adapt to suit my own personality...

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Re: Frank Garcia on Dick Cavett

Postby MaxNY » July 18th, 2017, 8:20 am

The quote from Sid Lorraine made my week!

I am so glad these clips make the magic community enlightened.

When I was deep into restoring videos for Jimi, Warhol, Bowie, and others when...I friended Larry Weeks. As many of you know Larry was sitting on closets, rooms filled with Magic films. I did get to transfer some of his stuff, but one day I ventured into Brooklyn and he presented me with three breadbox sized crates filled with videos...from Charlie Reynolds. These two trusted me with archival tapes from when people only owned $1,500 Betamax machines. Betamax was actually a far superior format than VHS. 20 years ago, the company I was working for still had all of the videotape machines still running by an engineer from "the old school." There was just barely an internet. Recordable DVD's were being pioneered at $400 a machine, with recordable DVD "cassettes" running around $20 a disc. I wanted to jump in..but my old Czech engineer told me to wait a year or two. Most of these gems come from Charlie Reynolds who I met several times, but I was more of an admirer. Years before is death, I presented him with all of his Doug Henning Specials restored and on DVD. Two of them I sent through a million dollar British restoration machine we had the privilege to test drive for a week....Larry and I had a small falling out when he insisted I never returned two films, when I of course did. It was such a bad scene, that after talking with him on a daily basis for ten years...I vowed never to talk to him again. Sadly when Larry passed, I have heard that he had no Will. I can't imagine two apartments filled to the brim with magic junk, was just tossed out, it would have taken five big dumpsters.

I keep trying to bring forth broadcast videos that are from a lost generation. In the mean time, back up your hard drives today, or at least remember that they really need to be connected at least every six months. I have heard that there are some hard drives that provide a longer life, but I am not a computer guy, and I am sure that conversation took place already here at the Funny Forum.

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