Who invented Bowling Ball from Briefcase ?

[Guest]

I think the bowling ball was part of the Garbage Can act from what I've heard. I never the peasure of seeing him do that act. It wouldn't surprise me if he did sell it in his later years after he moved to Las Vegas.

[sleightly]

Those who have access to the S.A.M. Film library can find footage of Don performing the Garbage Can act at a convention. It is unfortunately missing the first couple of minutes and has no sound, but is funny to watch even so.

The bowling ball production Don performed as part of the act was made from a collection of hankerchiefs Don had produced (a pretty standard load idea). Don's elegant (and apparently effortless) handling of the hankerchiefs and delay of the production made for a thoroughly strong conclusion to the routine (particularly when he dropped it on the stage). While thoroughly unlike the Doty/Flint method (which emphasizes the impossibility of the production and is very surprising), the use of such a substantial object hearkens back well into the past (think Cannon balls in Modern Magic and back further still)...

What is important to audiences (who are the ultimate arbiter). The ultimate impact (and choice of method) depends on what the performer is trying to communicate. The specific method is only relevant insofar as it supports the impossibility while communicating character and context.

ajp

[Guest]

I just caught up with this thread and have a couple more pieces of the puzzle to add.

First, I agree with Pete Biro that the important concept is to produce a bowling ball. Don Alan's steal was absolutely brilliant, and if anybody wants, I'll describe the routine in detail. Again: BRILLIANT.

Two things about the origins of Don's Routine. I worked a show with him at the annual Knight's of Galion Convention in Galion, Ohio. (The entire line up was Don Alan, Bob Downey, and Dennis Loomis and Bonnie.) Don offered to sell me the garbage can act. I probably don't have to mention that I've kicked myself repeatedly over the years for not buying it. In conversation, he revealed two things about the bowling ball production. The idea of using a bowling ball as a production item was not Don's. He got it from Howard Bammen in a brainstorming session. Secondly, the steal was based on a concept of Jack Gwynne's. Jack used it to produce the stack of fish bowls. There are differences, of course, but basically it's Gwynne's steal. Don added a GREAT presentation which added a time delay so that the ball appears quite a while after the steal.

[Pete Biro]

Howard Bamman was a genius. He created, and made, most of Don Alan's props. Bamman made a poker and jumbo Devano deck for me, which after 30 years still work like new.

He also created a silk to egg to silk that is unbelievable, for Don, that I now have.

[Guest]

Pete,
Yes, Howard was a genius and a hell of a nice guy to boot. I always loved the site of him locked into Don Alan's French Guillotine. Another classic Don Alan routine.
Denny

[Guest]

Hi,

I red this thread with great interest, I really appreciate all the historical inputs...

If you don't mind I would have a question to ask: Would it be possible to adapt the principle to something else than a briefcase, as to match with the particular style of performance one would present?
For eg., a briefcase would hardly match a medieval act.

Thanks for responses,

[Guest]

When I saw Howard Flint do the bowling ball production at the IBM convention in Houston in 1979, I was amazed and pleased. I walked up to him after the show and said, "I haven't seen anyone use the Inexhaustible Portfolio principle in a long time." He was amazed that anyone recognized the basis of it.

He then mentioned that Doty had been the person who made it work. I discussed this with Doty at Magic LIVE a couple of years ago, and mentioned the same thing.

Yes, there are differences, but that is the basis of the trick.

[Guest]

As a side note, I made a shell for my own bowling ball by taking strips of fiberglass mesh and gluing them around the ball like a paper mache project. It was messy and took 9 hours, because you have to wait between each application for the previous one to firm-up then mix a new batch of resin, but when the ball is "split" the looks on the faces of the audience are worth it.

[Hank Miller]

I would suggest getting in touch with Giovanni Livera. He has used the bowling ball from brief case for many years in his corporate stage act.

[Robert Paul]

The young man who purchased the act was John Garner, who worked the Castle for many years and served on its audition committee. John toured with cruise lines and did Vegas as well. John achieved legendary Castle status one evening when he told a heckler "sir, would you mind standing? we are going to fill your seat with dough and make [censored] cookies."
John was amazing and funny, would love to know where he got to.

[Philippe Billot]

When I saw Howard Flint do the bowling ball production at the IBM convention in Houston in 1979, I was amazed and pleased. I walked up to him after the show and said, "I haven't seen anyone use the Inexhaustible Portfolio principle in a long time." He was amazed that anyone recognized the basis of it.

He then mentioned that Doty had been the person who made it work. I discussed this with Doty at Magic LIVE a couple of years ago, and mentioned the same thing.

Yes, there are differences, but that is the basis of the trick.

...and thanks to Robert-Houdin

[Andrew Pinard]

Since this has come back, I did an extensive interview with Johnny Thompson for Reel Magic Magazine and we discussed this at length. I don't wish to speak for Johnny on this, but his detailed story surrounding this speaks volumes to the differences on this issue... I can't recall whether this topic was in Issue 5 or 6, but the entire interview is well worth the cost of the discs...

(On a side note: while Howard Flint might have been a wonderful, warm, creative magician, my wife will never volunteer to be a participant in a magic show again after his treatment of her and another "guest" during the close-up show at one of Hank Lee's Conclaves back in the early nineties. Perhaps it was towards the end of his life and he was in a "crochety ol' man" phase, but the "handling" of his helpers and the way he treated them left a lasting negative impact.)

[Jonathan Townsend]

How close is this to the Robert-Houdin Portfolio item?

Also to Jeff Sheridan's production of the chess set on the board?

[mountebanc]

Dick Oslund here with a few comments...I'm fairly sure that the young man's name was Jim Gardiner. He bought the garbage can from Don Alan. Jim was from Chicago. This would have been about 1978 or 79.when I was a "regular inhabitant of the Charlie Miller Suite at Magic Inc. Don had done the can at the SAM conv.in Chicago He used the organ pipes principle. with the tubes decorated like tin cans. He stole the ball from the garbage can,and I seem to recall that he rolled the ball offstage and a sound effect came on with a strike sound. I think he got the garbage can "idea" fromVicTorsberg. I first saw the attache case bowling ball done by my old friend Howard Flint at Abbotts. I didn't know about Doty until I read this thread. I saw Danny Orleans produce a gallon jug of milk from an attache case in a school show a few years ago. I believe whoever said INEXHAUSTIBLE PORTFOLIO is correct. It's a very old principle. I really like what Steve Bryant has said. Pete Biro, too. Pete put me on to ESOTERIC back in the mid '70s, and I can't thank him enough! I think Johnny's bowling ball is the best I've seen--his time misdirection is superb.I had better shut up before I run out of space...........

[mountebanc]

Hi Max! I only met "Mr. Fingers" once (college show in Michigan). He was GREAT! Wish I had seen him do the cups from the jewelers case. Yr's, Dick Oslund

[Q. Kumber]

Hello Dick, What a surprise to see you here, and to see that you still talk as fast as you did when we met at the Abbott's Get Together in 1980. Your #1 rule for professional magicians GUAN, is embedded in my mind, especially since the time I ignored it.
Warmest regards,
Quentin Reynolds

[Michael Kamen]

Bowling ball or basketball from briefcase -- same effect as impossibly large final loads for the chop cup. Same effect as producing an elephant from whatever have you on stage, or a brick from under a hat. These things are only a matter of scale. Substituting an elephant for a tiger has technical hurdles which require problem solving, but does not change the effect. Nobody owns the effect, i.e., the appearance of an object that appears impossibly massive for the production context. Elegant and unique method simply has got to be credit-worthy in this craft.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Not all production items can follow the path of the spring/silk flowers that became birdcages and then tables too as bright folks applied themselves to that approach. There's gotta be some recognition for finding the middle way between table based loads and the costume dependent body loads as done by the guy who astonished crowds producing fishbowls.

[mountebanc]

Hey Jonathan! Ed Reno died (1945,I believe)as I was getting started (I was 13)but the late Joe Palen (Chicago) told me that he saw Ed produce FOUR bowls of water from a foulard (all body loads)and absolutely "kill" an audience. Ed once told a magician that he always bought a coat several sizes big. Ed also used to say as he opened his show: "You will notice that I will appear to grow slimmer as the show goes along!" Ed called himself the "THURSTON OF THE STICKS". I just thought I would toss in a bit of m'bilia to add some humor to the discussion! Dick Oslund

[mountebanc]

Hey Quentin! Yes! "Gas Up At Night" is stuck in my mind, too! In fact,I wrote up the anecdote in "The Diary of a Road Scholar" (Jon Racherbaumer is "making me do it".)I'm retired--I'm entitled--I'm an OCTOGENARIAN. (For years I was a FRISBEEtarian.)I do miss the road,though. My prop case is still packed. If I press the silks, I could hit the road tomorrow!

[Richard Kaufman]

If you're a FRISBEEtarian, then you're up on the garage roof with Bob Read.

[nico26]

Actually as I remember it Don did (rather strangely (Or in a slight fit of pique) give John Garner permission to use it when John bought the Garbage Can, and act, from him.

[Richard Kaufman]

Don Alan produced a bowling ball. Johnny Thompson does it now (and with permission).

J.C. Doty invented the bowling ball from briefcase, which is now widely done.

[Steve Bryant]

David Kaplan has some of the best bowling ball production bits and gags ever. Check out his brilliant act here .

[Oddly Bent]

I saw Don Alan at the Playboy club in New Orleans early 60s. Memebers of the IBM and SAM went as a group. I forgot exactly what silk trick he used for the bowling ball appearance, might have been the fountain of silks. In any case, the effect is described in Modern Magic by Hoffmann,as the Cannonball from hat. Don't know if that is how he did it but why would someone need permission to produce a bowling ball via the Hoffman method?