Pitching svengali decks

Post topics about the business side of magic.
Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » October 7th, 2003, 3:52 pm

I'll give you the patter for the mouse. You may be able to figure out the moves for yourself. On the other hand you may not be.
I like to torture people

"This is Marmaduke the wonder mouse. Strange little creature. Just like my mother in law. Strange little creature. Give him a wave. Say "hello, Marmaduke!" Oh! He doesn't like YOU does he?
"I'll show you how it's done if you come in close.That's it. One foot in front of the other -it's known as walking. Come in sir, Just move your legs forward-you'll find that your body will follow automatically. Come in dear, you're very slow. Do you work for the post office?
This is the secret. It's the magic motor that makes him move. He won't work without his motor. Pop the motor in and away he goes. A hundred miles an hour down the freeway. Right Turn, left turn. Oops!(make cranking noise) Sometimes he gets stuck and you have to crank him up! If you want him to roll over say "roll over little mouse" and he does. Very nicely.

Now the next time you are in a restaurant leave a coin for the waitress. You'll scare the poor woman to death!

Or how about a pencil? Make sure it's a wooden pencil. After all it wouldn't be wooden if it wouldn't be wooden, would it? Pop the magic motor on, a few seconds to warm up and away it goes,it travels along the hand, it goes from one side of the hand to the other, pop it in a bottle and out it comes.
But the best way is still that little mouse, Time for your exercises, Marmaduke. He is going to hop from one deck of cards to another, Hup, one,two, three! Hup, one, two, three!
This is where he lives, ladies and gentlemen, he lives in the glass.Say "come on out, little mouse." You are as crazy as I am!

Anyway that's the magic mouse it comes with the good mousekeeping seal of approval and has been written up in Rodent magazine. Buy a male and a female and you can raise your own."

And so on and so forth. There is more to it yet. You still have to take the money. Unfortunately, I have now run out of breath.

You will have to figure the rest out yourself. I expect you will now be able to sell 5 at your next outing instead of 4.
Good luck!

Bob Farmer
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Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Bob Farmer » October 7th, 2003, 6:15 pm

"I like to torture people"

I've seen this phrase used before in Mark Lewis posts.

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Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Steve V » October 7th, 2003, 11:42 pm

Wait now.... same terminology, an extremely Irish name, Dublin, and Mark is the Irish Psychic... Bob, by golly, you may be on to something.
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Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Steve Hook » October 8th, 2003, 6:33 am

Originally posted by Paul Alberstat:
Seamus O'Connell = Mark Lewis, amazing isn't it? Perhaps he will continue to post positive threads and contribute without resorting to causing trouble while he is here as an alter ego. Let's hope so.
PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat
AB Stagecraft
http://www.mindguy.com/store
Supplying unique magic and Mentalism World-wide
Maybe you missed this post a couple of days ago.

Steve H

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » October 8th, 2003, 10:03 am

Originally posted by Seamus 0'Connell:
Not me, Paul.
Sorry.
And perhaps YOU missed this one.

Furthermore, how much useful information have YOU given to this forum recently?

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » October 8th, 2003, 10:08 am

Incidentally I missed out a very important part of the mouse demonstration. This gets quite a big laugh.

"don't do what a lady did last week. She put the motor on the wrong end of the mouse and the poor thing went backwards"

And it does.

I don't have the space or the patience to describe the actual moves. You will have to wait until the book comes out.

If it ever does. I am overcome with inertia at the moment.

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » October 9th, 2003, 1:33 am

belated reply to a few points that have been raised to my last visit;
Joe Stuthard died several years ago. He was respected and admired by all that met him or saw him work as far as I know. His second wife, a lovely lady, died a couple of years later.
I don't know of Joe doing magic performances in Australia. In England, I believe that he worked major theatres, don't know if he worked the pitches there.
The Ken Brooke book that Edwin published (great value, I believe) was a collection of the instructions and extra routines that Ken wrote when he worked for Harry Stanley. Edwin bought rights to the Unique books from Harry Stanley, probably the tricks as well, and then the book was compiled.
Brian Flora sold a video about the "worm". I believe that Jan, Brian's widow, is still running the business through floraco.com and you can check it out there.

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Matthew Field
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Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Matthew Field » October 9th, 2003, 7:17 am

Thanks for the Mouse patter, Seamus. Or Mark. Or whoever.

Matt Field

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » October 9th, 2003, 10:25 am

Bejasus, Matt-me name is Seamus.
It is a good Irish name and I do not pretend to be Italian like that chap Venetti whose real name is Brady. Or so I have been told. I don't know the man.

Brady, stop pretending that you are Italian. Be proud that you are a bogtrotter as I am meself,bejasus and bejabbers.

I am now going across to Australia to speak to Mr.Ezymagic who although he also has a strange name is not pretending to be Italian.
I envy you that you have actually met Joe Stuthard. I asked him a question once but that is about it I am afraid.

He certainly did pitch the cards in England. I watched him and was agog for two hours. Just like Mr Linett I hung around for ages and ages and never bought anything.Mind you I was a 14 year old kid and not a rich lawyer so I had an excuse.

He was the greatest card magician that I have ever seen.I was bewitched and bedazzled by him. He didn't even use a regular deck although I am well aware that he could.

He did do some British theatres in the dying days of the music halls (vaudeville). He did a hilarious act with stooges and even wrote a little book about it. He then went on to do a more sophisticated silent act for the night clubs.

However he made throughout his life more money with the svengali deck than he ever did with showbusiness. He paid more income tax in Australia in the first 6 months he was there than he earned the previous year in the UK.

He brought the svengali deck to Britain and formed a company with Harry Baron which is there to this day. Kaymar Magic. Harry is long gone now and I knew him pretty well. The "Kay" part of Kaymar was Joe's wife's name and the "Mar" was short for Margaret, Harry's wife.

Harry was associated in a business way with Ron Macmillan of International Magic fame. Ron took up the svengali deck because I suspect of Joe Stuthard. He built International Magic in the beginning mainly on the Svengali importing grosses and grosses of the damn things from Czechoslovakia of all places.

Ron did things his own way but a lot of the Stuthard moves and tehniques were used. Ron then spawned a whole bunch of svengali workers the most prominent being a Scotsman who lived in London who went to live in Ireland and then Canada. Sometimes this fellow stiffed people for rent and did not pay his bills. His name eludes me.

I do know that David Ben called him "one of the greatest svengali pitchmen of all time" and "the Canadian Eddie Fields". At least this is what I was told by the president of a Winnipeg magic club who put all this on a flyer for a lecture by the said gentleman. I was at that lecture and can
confirm that the fellow was wonderful.

I wish I could remember his name.

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » October 9th, 2003, 10:33 am

Oh,Incidentally the Flora video does NOT describe the worm.
Brian knew nothing about the worm and invented a very poor substitute. No pitchman in his right mind would even try to sell such an inferior substitute.

I am reluctant to say it because Brian has passed away and did indeed put out some wonderful products. However, I cannot recommend the Pitch Video. It is bloody awful.

Far, far better is "Expert at the Pitch Table" even though I don't like the svengali routine on it. It shows the American way of doing the svengali which I have never liked. Too long and to my mind ineffective.

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 6th, 2003, 10:04 pm

We obviously have not been in the business of selling magic for long, but we've been playing with magic for a combined 45+ years about 33 years for me and 14 for my son... When we released our "Opposite Corner Deck" we found it sold best when we did a series of effects, the reason being (I think)is because it makes the deck seem less prepared with the opposite corner deck we start out by doing a quick prediction type effect followed by a card selection/location and then a cutting to the aces. After and during each effect we allow the spectator to cut and complete the cuts numerous times this makes each effect seem a little more impossible, in fact we point out that they can cut the deck then later we say, "you can cut the deck again...", and later we say, "you can cut the deck... again", until when we say, "you know what you can do if you want?" and they say, cut the deck again it becomes almost a running gag... a gag that serves two purposes... first it lets them become more involved... second it makes them remember that they kept cutting the deck... that is one of the reasons we moved the card selection/location to the middle... it serves to strengthen the cutting to the aces as they know they cut the cards a bunch of times.

So basically I guess what I am saying is set up your routine to involve your spectator force them to remember what you want them to remember Arrange you effects for maximum effect we go with a silly yet effect prediction then to the selection/location.. then to what seems like total skill of cutting to the aces it sells our deck for us.

We think the same thing would work for the Svengali do something simple yet silly... then include the audience... then do something that looks like pure skill...

Now come the most important part of actually selling the deck... remember you are not there to leave them thinking you are a magician with great skills... The thing you have to do is sell the trick... so now you have to let them know that they could do what you just did within two minutes of buying the deck... you see this is different from what we normally do... we normally want them to think we have tremendous skills... here we want them to know they don't really need skill, or at least tremendous skill

Also remember you have two types of customers, performers and curious observers performers wont buy a trick just to see how its done the curious observer might... with that in mind you have to realize that sometimes tipping the deck will help sell it better then pitching it and putting it away.

I am not a high pressure salesman I figure if you want it, youll buy it and no matter how simple the trick... if you think you cant do it you may never buy it... so sometimes tipping a trick will help you sell it... if a customer dont buy the trick it should be because they didnt want not because you suck as a salesman

I would rather have someone not buy a trick they dont really want, than to buy something only to end up in the proverbial magic drawer that said, if you show them how to use it and that they can use it they might buy it and use it... I also don't really want to jsut sell secrets... I would like to know when someone buys something it is because they are going to use it

One last thing... if you sell something to someone... you should take the time to let them show it you... that is when they have worked with it and want to see how well they are doing at be their mirror, and be honest if they are doing something wrong point it out to them... they will respect you more for it in the long run


I hope that helps a little

Ken

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 7th, 2003, 12:21 pm

There actually IS a svengali routine with a running gag sequence. It is buried away in one of the Hugard Magic Monthly's. I think the routine was by Tom Bowyer.
Quite good but naturally not in the same class as the Mark Lewis Svengali Routine.
I have written a wondrous book about the svengali deck which can be seen on my website. I am a very modest person and am loath to inform everyone that the book contains the best svengali routine of all time.

I am also loath to inform you that in this literary masterpiece there are moves with the deck that have hitherto been kept secret and hardly any magician knows about them except the inventors who have now left this mortal coil and are in no position to complain about the matter.

Ken is right in most of what he says from a magic shop point of view. However, grafters have no time to worry about the welfare of the customer. I certainly don't.

I have never liked the idea of "tipping" the secret to people who have not spent money. It is the magician in me. What I do is give the illusion that I have revealed the secret but I never do. I won't even tell them how it's done AFTER they buy it. Ethics you know. I don't like to reveal the secrets of magic to laymen even if they have paid for it. Serves them right for being nosey.

I let them try the deck out in their own hands. I also tell them that "the secret is the way you press the cards. Flip them one way and they are all different, flip them the other way and they are all the same. Try it in your own hands, sir"

And they do.

I have had no complaints yet about the book and I must say that this is a novel experience for me because I am much more at home selling defective merchandise.

In fact several members of this august forum have purchased the said tome and seem to like it.

The only complaint I have had about the price was from the editor of the book. She said something along the lines of "$25!Are you insane??"
She has had a sheltered life I am afraid.

The routine described therein has earned me a great deal more than $25 (and her too, I might add) so I have no idea what she is blathering about.

The routine itself can be viewed on a video clip somewhere or other. I have forgotten where. Senility is beginning to set in.

Mark Lewis
www.marklewisentertainment.com

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 13th, 2003, 5:08 am

Originally posted by Paul Alberstat:
Nice to see that once again Mark Lewis shows up without trying to tip who he is. Angelic this time?
PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat
AB Stagecraft
http://www.mindguy.com/store
Suppliers of professional mentalism
Yep, he could probably change the color of his eyes easier than his writing style. :D

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 13th, 2003, 5:12 am

Originally posted by John Smetana:
Too bad that Angelics (Mark Lewis') posts have been deleted. I, for one, would really like to know more about the nuts and bolts of the Svengali biz. Ahh well,

Best thoughts,
John Smetana
Do a Google search on alt.magic, you'll find [tons] of posts from him and references to his webpage where he hawks his "book." (I don't know how useful it is.)

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Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Steve V » November 13th, 2003, 7:40 am

Marks routine is outstanding.
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Dustin Stinett
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Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Dustin Stinett » November 13th, 2003, 8:50 am

Yes, Mark's book and routine are excellent, but it must be noted that the book does not cover the pitch.

Dustin

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 13th, 2003, 9:35 am

I have no intention of giving away the secrets of the pitchman in a book. I would be cutting my own throat.
There are enough people around already who want to cut my throat without me adding to the total.

Sometimes I give snippets away here and elsewhere when I am in a talkative mood which I usually am.

My book is essentially a magic book. The svengali deck is a fine magic trick in itself. Magicians underestimate it. Not Ron MacMillan of International Magic though. I well remember he used to say the svengali deck was just as good a card trick as anything else that anyone did.

And it is. It is a stunner when done properly. I have used it in entertainmment situations as well as selling situations. People gasp with astonishment.

The key to the svengali deck as entertainment is to ignore all the blather by the uniformed that you must never show the cards to be identical and then all different. Some twits in magic seem to think that by doing this you give the game away that you are using a trick deck.

Tommyrot and fiddlesticks. There are ways to counter this problem. You do have to know something about magic, of course.

No. You MUST show the deck to be all different and then all the same and then back again. If you don't do this you may as well not bother with the deck. Just use a regular deck.The change is the only thing with the svengali deck that cannot be duplicated in such a spectacular way.

The deck change is the bit that gets screams and reactions. Even people that own the deck have no idea what they are watching if it is done right.

If you don't believe me then read the review by Bill Nagler MD on my website.Go to "for magicians only". He showed the thing to some office workers and they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

It is a wonderful trick in it's own right and magicians have underestimated it for years. They either use it as a forcing deck (because they have no skill to force cards with a regular deck) or dismiss it as something that magic shops sell to beginners.

It is fast, it is visual, it is funny in concept, and above all it is stunning.

Please don't think that I like the trick, though.
Svengali decks?
I hate the bloody things.

Mark Lewis

www.marklewisentertainment.com

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 13th, 2003, 11:41 am

It appears to me that Mr.Lewis is not liked around here..Happens I found him amusing and a breath of fresh air..long live free speech.
gregory.

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 13th, 2003, 11:46 am

Scousers (Liverpudlians) love free speech. I have never been able to get any money out of them.
Is T.J.Hughes and Company still there?
I think I still owe them money.
Their fault for overpaying me.

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 15th, 2003, 10:19 am

Hi,
TJ's is still there, doing well..I'll go and collect your money....keep up the good work mate...gregory

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 15th, 2003, 10:24 am

oops you owe them...get a nice pair of strides in TJ's...I might go down there and sell some stripper decks...Do you remember the Wizards Den?
gregory.

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 15th, 2003, 11:01 am

I think I do remember the Wizard's Den. I only went there once. Very small magic shop if I remember correctly.

I am not sure if the shop I visited was in Liverpool but now that you have reminded me I think it was.

Long time ago, though.

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 15th, 2003, 6:06 pm

Hi,
Wizards Den (The original) was in Moorfields off Dale Street...I used to go when I was a kid...The owner was Gerry..He's still about and doing well...Tommy Cooper used to go in when he was in town and entertain...I'm off to a small convention in the morning in Barton I'll let you know how it went ...bye for now...gregory.

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 16th, 2003, 10:31 am

Psychic, I am posting this t agree with you about the value of the svengali deck as entertainment.I was surprised recentlt to read in Routine Manipulation Finale by Lewis Ganson a trick by Bobby Bernard called the Educated Frog. It's like the pecking bird bur with a clockwork jumping frog.I'm sure with all this retro stuff around you can still find one. But the neat part is they choose a card from the svengale deck and then the deck is delt into two piles. They choose one pile and the non force pile is spread and you say, see if your card is here,of course it isn't and then you bring out the frog and let him find it. Very clever...look it up guys......Mike

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 16th, 2003, 5:08 pm

There is also an Al Baker trick where the deck is dealt into two piles in a similar manner.

It automatically switches the key cards for half a deck of regular cards that are placed beforehand in the left hand pocket.This half a deck is made up of the indifferent cards that are missing in the Svengali deck.

After you finish the trick you end up with a regular deck.

It is a substitute for switching the deck. You do end up clean.

I have explained this trick in my svengali book. Naturally I contacted Mr. Baker in my capacity as a psychic medium to ask his permission. I can assure you that it was granted very readily.

Mark Lewis
www.marklewisentertainment.com

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2003, 5:39 pm

Mark,

For $25 (American), you should at least throw in a bicycle svengali deck with each book(let) you sell. You hinted that the price was reasonable because you had made so much money off the routine. You SELL svengalis. Your book(let) doesn't cover sales techniques, so I would imagine that most who purchase the book(let) aren't looking to make any money off your routine.

You include a bicycle svengali deck and postage to Japan, and I'll make the order tommorrow.

Humbly Yours,
Fraser

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2003, 8:49 am

We appear to have a tight fisted Canadian here who is pretending to be Japanese.

Bicycle decks are good quality merchandise. I haven't got the slightest intention of giving away good quality merchandise. It goes completely against a lifetime philosophy. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I gave people value for money.

It did cross my mind to give away a deck with every book but I decided against it on the commendable grounds that I wouldn't make as much money.

Furthermore it would be a bloody nuisance for me and it would make the postage more expensive. I figured that every magician on the planet has a deck stuffed in a drawer somewhere or if they haven't they can always find some grumpy magic dealer to sell them one. All magic dealers are grumpy.

If I were to make an exception for you then all the people who have already bought the book would be highly displeased that they did not get a free deck also. When I scam people I like to do so in the fairest manner possible. Everybody gets scammed equally.

Anyway, if you live in Japan it costs a fortune anyway. $25 would probably buy you a cup of coffee there and that is about it.You won't get a free bicycle deck with the coffee either.

However, I will indeed pay the postage. I do that for everybody no matter where they live.

When I sell my amazing book on the Wonder Mouse (which is written but I cannot summon up the energy to have it illustrated and printed) I will indeed give a free mouse with the book. Mice are far harder for magicians to obtain than svengali decks unless you happen to be Matthew Field who has a gross or so. Since he only sells about 4 in a day he should have plenty left.

Mark Lewis
www.marklewisentertainment.com

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2003, 10:23 am

he only sells about 4 in a day . . .
Not after he reads your book!

0pus

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2003, 10:31 am

Oh! I am not going to tell him. I never expose grafting secrets in books. You have to watch me slip up here when I am in a talkative mood which I usually am.

Mind you, you are probably right. The routine and moves alone will certainly help.

The book is written. I just have no energy to do anything about it.

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2003, 5:33 pm

Mark,

You posted that you wouldn't be able to sleep at night if you gave people value for their money.

Do you believe that your svengali routine is not worth the $25?.... Not the best of advertising strategies to go posting that on the net.

I am one of those (few?) magicians who do not own a svengali deck. Never have. Whenever I'm in the mood to buy a gaffed deck, I want something I'll end up showing to people....the svengali never fit that description. Too many people know about it.

If your routine is as fine as you say, my mind might be changed. However, I'm not going to pay $25 for the book(let) and shell out another $20 for the deck (approximately what a bike svengali deck costs at my local magic shop) to find out.

Not yet anyway.

Humbly yours,
A tight fisted Canadian pretending to be Japanese

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2003, 8:09 pm

Since you are so tight fisted to pay out $20 for a svengali deck I suggest you go out on the street with a begging bowl.

Alternatively get some tender hearted magician here to send you one.

I am not tender hearted. And pray tell me why I should give you a free deck when I haven't given anyone else one?

You are quite right about me not wanting to give value for money. That is why I priced the book so high despite the silly mutterings of my editor. I am not sure I want to sell the book anyway. I will probably find some starving magician setting up next to me trying to sell the decks in competitions so that I can starve along with him.

The unnerving thing is that everyone is telling me how great the book is and that it IS worth the money. I find this most unnerving.

Since you want to see the routine go to mey website, click on to the trade show page and there will be a video clip showing me working the svengali deck in all my wondrous glory.

After the trick is over I show what is known as a "rehash" This is extra material that you use when the verminous public do not get their money out. You will see me lose my memory between the routine proper and the rehash. That is what happens when you get old.

When you are wandering the streets of Japan you may come across a youngish girl who is selling what is known as the dancing doll. It works on a thread principle. She speaks English and spent some time in Canada. She knows me. Tell her you know me and that you are Canadian. Study that doll thing. It can make you a lot of money if you are that way inclined.

Talking about money if you send me an extra $20 I will include a poor quality svengali deck.Postage to Japan costs a bloody fortune so I shall need the extra money to cover that and for all the aggravation you are giving me.

Mark Lewis
www.marklewisentertainment.com

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 19th, 2003, 4:53 am

teehee.

Am I aggravating you?

I've seen the "dancing doll" being sold on the streets in several places in Japan. A two person operation usually, right? The first time I saw it, it took me several minutes to figure out the hook-up. The guys doing it had very good crowd control going on, and the second guy did a very good job playing the part as an onlooker.

Your friend certainly isn't the only one selling the dolls over here. The duos I've seen were all Israeli (I think), with the exception of one Japanese couple I saw working it in Hiroshima.

I do (sort of) apologize if you've been aggravated by my posts, Mark. My intention was not to try and needle a discount out of you for myself, but to get a reason for the set price of the routine. You've provided one. I'll accept it.

Truce.

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Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Ian Kendall » November 19th, 2003, 5:38 am

Hello all,

With respect to the dancing dolls; I made a set up for this in Sydney in the early nineties...

I was working Sydney Harbour and my Kiwi friend Rob bought the plates for a couple of dancing dolls. One night we sat in the hostel and rigged up a one man setup for him. We got a cheap double tape deck portable stereo from a second hand store and pulled it apart. I changed the gearing on the left hand drive so it moved a wee bit more slowly when the play button was pushed and disabled the latch that stopped both tapes playing at the same time.

Then we drilled a hole in the left side of the casing and passed the thread through this and tied it to the spindle on the tape deck. Now, when the left tape was playing the thread would be pulled slightly in a repeating pattern. Lastly I fixed the play button so it could be raised while it was playing (so that it did not look like the drive was active.

Rob carried everything in a small rucksack, and we used this as the anchor point. When he set up on the site, the end of the thread was attached to a small piece of elastic and then tied to the sack which was placed on the left side of the pitch. The tape deck was placed about five feet to the right, and the dolls were hooked onto the thread. A music tape was put in the right hand drive, and both sides were set to play. This meant he could leave the dolls dancing while he worked the edge pitching the dolls.

A fun evening :)

Take care, Ian

Guest

Re: Pitching svengali decks

Postby Guest » November 19th, 2003, 2:09 pm

Fraser. There is no need for a truce since there wasn't a war in the first place.
The best way to handle me is not to take anything I say seriously. I am amazed that this hasn't dawned on anyone yet.
Or perhaps it has. Perhaps it is only a few dodos who haven't quite got it yet.

With regard to the dancing doll I have never worked it. The tape recorder idea sounds good.

There was an old grafter who lived in Glasgow who knew all about the "Dancing Charlie" as the grafters called it. His name was "Windbag Joe". He wasn't a windbag but he used to work something called the "Windbag". I have never seen it but it was some kind of 3 shell game thing using envelopes and you put a gift in the envelope. I am not sure on the details of the "Windbag"

Anyway Joe told me "Ronnie, you should work the Dancing Charlie. You will give up those cards and never work them again once you work Charlie. The money you will take will be phenomenal in comparison. I will teach you it."

I never did learn to do it but I remember that Joe said it was worked with a two way mirror. The girl behind the mirror could see the crowd and what was going on. She would work the thread from behind the mirror. Music was used. Record Player or tape recorder. The main problem is that customers would come back in droves asking for their money back. This is always the case when you sell something that uses a thread. You have to give really good instructions to keep the "nauses" (complainers) away.

When the punters find out that a thread is used they often get quite disappointed and in some cases annoyed.


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