The Genii Forum

Not even Guy's little goddaughter (for whom he invented the trick) could love "Once Upon A Time" more than I do.

Richard had expressed some concern about the length of the presentation, as the three included stories run much longer than a traditional card trick. True enough. But the tone is not at all "card trick," but "story time," and every kid is used to that. I've never had a kid's attention wander for the slightest moment - if anything, they seem to find it quite mesmerizing to hear these very familiar tales related in such an unusual way.

My magical imagination had not run in the direction of cards prior to "Once Upon A Time." It's design for a beginner was perfect for me - I found the explanations of the sleights both clear and inspiring of further study. (Now I love cards and I'm playing with them every day.) Because I'm a mom (and a heavy-duty read-aloud mom at that), the theme of fairytales also suits me in a way that the gambling/deception/gotcha! theme of so many card tricks does not.

The original deck that I got, which I practiced to death, has square corners, so that the cards more resemble the pages of a book. The subsequent deck that I ordered has rounded edges like a traditional deck of cards. I'm not sure if this is a permanent change, or if there are two sorts, and it's "luck of the draw" when you order.

One of the best features of the trick is that the cards end up re-set. When a kid wanders in near the end of the story, I'm able to launch right in again as soon as I wrap it all up. Ingenious.

It would be nice if there was a deluxe edition with a real leather slipcase. The cardboard slipcase looks adorable, but gets worn out surprisingly soon.

The tone of the trick is not "professional magician," but warm, cozy family time. But even if this does not suit your magic persona, the deck is a wonderful specimen of magical thinking, and worth getting to know as an example of how alive magic is in our lucky, lucky times.

Living happily ever after,

Lisa

I greatly endorse this also. Mine has square corners and I certainly want it that way. I finally had the opportunity to do it for a bright 4-year-old and her mom and another adult. All loved it and begged for more stories. (I had only learned The Three Bears at that time and so moved on to other magic.) And it's always fun to play with the stories. "Of course the cottage SMELLED like bears, but Goldilocks has a cold and didn't know that, so she went inside and ..." For a kid, this has to look like real magic, like finding a real Jumanji game. It should stick in their minds forever.

Add me to the list of fans! "Once Upon a Time" is absolutely charming, but then one would expect nothing less from Mr. Hollingworth.

Frank Yuen

I am also a fan of this product. I have eight children, ages 13 through 4. They have all seen a lot of magic. I have never had a trick requested to be repeated more than this one. I think it's the story telling aspect. My kids would always love to hear the same stories over again. It's fun adding voices to the characters, and embellishments as well. I learned all 3 stories, and added some sleights here and there just for fun...(You can do an Ascanio spread at the end of the "three bears" to show Goldilocks gone without displacing any cards). I hope Guy puts out volume 2 with a better slipcase, and an "air cushion" finish like Bicycles instead of the varnish coated cards. They stick together. Despite these little drawbacks, I am thrilled with the deck.

I am just a novice ametuer when it comes to card magic but was intrigued by the idea of this trick. I would echo the above comments, in that it is truly an amazing piece of work. I am dissapointed in the quality of the book-cover and slip case, but I understand the limitations of color printing technology and small-run items like this. Consequently, I am thinking about making a cover and case myself using cloth covered cardboard, but this is really a small criticism. So far I have only learned "The Three Bears" well enough to perform. Last weekend I showed it to a couple small groups of children (ages 4-8) They all were mesmerised by the story and the first thing they asked when it ended was, "is there another story in the book?"
My biggest problem with this trick is my own limitation as a card-handler. I can do a passable double lift. but my double turn-over is very weak and I always hesitate at this point.
I have the Tarbell volumes 1-7, Greater Magic, and I now intend to by The Royal Road to Card Magic, based on what I've read elsewhere in this forum. But would like to know if there is a video anyone would recommend that clearly shows how to "get a break" without telegraphing that i'm doing something funny.
Thanks,
Scott Ocheltree

Scott,

Guy's trick really is excellent, I've had so much fun with it! My favourite is Cinderella... (I'm a sucker for happy endings!)

There was a discussion in the Guy Hollingworth Yahoo! Group about the cover, and someone has had a leather cover made at a bookbinders, which is something I may consider, let us know how your cloth one works out.

As for the double lift, I can highly recommend Greg Wilsons Double Take video which has on it over 25 double lifts plus some excellent tricks.

However, why not try keeping a break when you turn the card over so you don't have to re-take a break...

Have fun with Guys trick!

Richard.

I agree with Rich that Cinderella is the best. The problem with The Three Bears is that too many of the secret moves are used to reset the deck - there is no magical pay-off for the spectator. But pumpkin-into-carriage: KA-POW! I prefer it when magic is used to reveal rather than to conceal.

And count me a sucker for the happy ending, as well.

Lisa

Thank you for the suggestion. I don't have a problem with the 2nd turnover, it 's the first one. For example...
The Fairy Godmother goes to the garden
(move her to bottom)
(false cut)
(double turnover) to show pumpkin

...This is where I have the problem, I do the false cut, pick up the deck and have to fumble to get the break to do the first double turn over.
Turning it back and dealing off the carriage is no problem. It's the initial "false cut - find the break - double turnover" that I fumble on.

-Any pointers?

Lisa - it never occurred to me before that Goldilocks is a tragedy.... frightened little girl running off home, we don't really know that she finds it, she was lost after all. And the poor Bears, their cottage was pretty well trashed by the golden-haired vandel!

I would have thought the term "tragedy" a tad strong, but now that I think about it.... This new way of looking at it will surely add depth to my presentation, as I dab the tears of grief away from my eyes as I wrap up the story.

Has anyone come up with a quality substitute for the word "cafuffle" in the patter for The Three Bears? I just can't say it. It makes me feel like a Brit-wanna-be. But I don't want to say "And then things really got NUTS!" Something All-American, yet dignified?

Oh - and a bit of practical advice on getting the break after the false cut. I pick up the stacks after the false cut in a kind of sloppy way, and keep it sloppy, with several cards on the top loose and out of place. Under these loose cards, I count the two that I need, and have the break before I square the deck.

How about, "Things got a little cockamammie!"

Or will that play in Albuquerque?

I picked up on this deck and story combo as soon as I saw it. Having 7 children and 8 grandchildren, plus all the tots in the neighborhood, this routine opens all kinds of possibilities. (Having a white beard helps.) Robert Neale's approaches are also opening doors of perception. Is a new day dawning?

Also, if you can find Lin Searles' original Cannibal Cards routine (Owen's), you will see that he was also on the "right track."

Title: Neverending Stories for Retiring Cardmen

Onward...

Lisa,

Commotion, brawl, or fuss are all words that can be used in place of cafuffle.

Steve

P.S. Thanks for the great topic!

Does anyone else have aproblem with the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk"? Not the handling, the basic story? I lose the point of it along the way, and I stuggle to find any resaon to tell this story to children. (except that they might find it exciting, if done well)

I mean, what's the point? Jack is poor. Jack gets magic beans for a cow he couldn't sell anyway. The beans give access to someone else's property, which Jack steals whenever he wants, until the homeowner dies trying to protect his property. Happy ending? Shabby metaphor for the violent overthrow of the upper class?

(Actually, it is quite amusing doing this story in the character of Karl Marx, with reference to the Communist manifesto, but the kids don't get it)

I just don't know. Maybe it's me. Does anyone else feel just a little uncomfortable with this story?

Personally, I'm placing my faith in Mr. Holllingworth, and soon expect a adult version to hit the market. I cast my vote for "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare...abridged." Since all the tragedies end with everyone dying, and all the comedies end with everyone geting married, many of the cards could be reused.

Well, it is a Fairy Tale afterall. Of course, we as magicians feel that we can improve on anything...so I guess that gives us the right to mess with children's literature just like we have with every Classic Magic effect known to man.

Of course, one might ask who the target audience is, and assuming it's children, as a parent I'd venture to say that most children know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Though, I must admit, that movie that was on tv last year telling the story from the Giants point of view was interesting.

Just a thought or two.

Mark

Farie Tales are a fascinating form of literature. While most of us think of the Brothers Grimm as the writers of these tales, they were actually the collectors of them. They represent a wonderful oral tradition and the original versions rarely resemble the Disney tales most of us think of. Many of the tales involve mutilation and restoration (a popular theme in magic) and I think many parents would be quite uncomfortable reading many of the classic versions as bedtime tales.
The logic and sense most of us are used to in stories are often absent in these.

Scott,

the Grimm brothers often changed the orally passed down stories to make them more 'juicy' and even more interesting. The more original collector of fairy tales is Bechstein. I am having a copy of his fairy tale collection sitting on my desk right next to me. Bechstein is less known than the Grimm brothers. However, he didn't change the tales he collected and so they represent more closely what has been passed down by the oral tradition.

Chris Wasshuber
Lybrary.com preserving magic one book at a time.

So Chris, when will you be producing Guy's "One Upon a Time" as an e-book? :)

I would love to! But I don't know Guy's position on ebooks.

Chris Wasshuber
Lybrary.com preserving magic one book at a time.

Yeah, I can see it now. You sit down in front of the children and say, "This is a book of Fairy Tales, but it's a magic book in that you don't have to read the stories, they just tell themselves. Now can everyone see the screen of my laptop...."

Originally posted by Curtis Kam:
Yeah, I can see it now. You sit down in front of the children and say, "This is a book of Fairy Tales, but it's a magic book in that you don't have to read the stories, they just tell themselves. Now can everyone see the screen of my laptop...."

Or better yet "can every see the screen on my Palm Pilot."

You could project it on the wall - supersize it. The latest generation DLP projectors weighs only 2 lb and is smaller than a trade paperback book.

Chris Wasshuber
Lybrary.com preserving magic one book at a time.

I dont know this trick, but i wonder if there is some English text on the cards, because i perform for children that dont read English. So can you stil perform the trick ? Thanks for your help.

M.J

There is only text on the backs of the cards, and this text is the same on all the cards. The idea behind the trick is that "the stories tell themselves".
Actually the magician tells the story. In a way you can think of this as a very clever picture book made in the size and shape of a deck of cards. You need good story-telling skills to perform this effectively, but it is an excellent trick to perform for non-readers. I have performed it for multi-aged groups including little ones (3 and 4 year olds) who I usually prefer not to perform magic for as they don't really appreciate the effects. But with this they can enjoy the story while the older children will also appreciate the surprises and magical effects.

I'd like to Refer back to earlier posts about "Jack and the Beanstalk". I work fairly frequently with a director who feels that most (if not all) fairy tales are coming of age stories. He specifically explains "Jack" as being about a boy who comes of age and discovers the treasure at the end of his censored (the beanstalk). You probably don't want to think too much about this while telling the story to the little ones.

Thank you Stefan, for an answer that will be impossible to forget. :confused: I suppose one could present the entire deck from a Freudian perspsective, and be quite entertaining. Well, I know I'd find it impossible not to listen.