magic in beer commercial

[Pepka]

At a gig friday night, a spectator told me of an old beer commercial that featured a card trick. I think it was Schneider's beer, (I've neither drank nor heard of it.) I believe the trick he described is Scarne's. One card is placed face down on table, a glass on top of it, and another card on top of the glass, they change places. He says that the beer was poured into the glass before the card was set on top, and the foam spilled out and that's what "caused the magic." To me, the funniest part of this story was the slogan for the brewery. "It's the one beer to have when you're having more than one."
Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[Guest]

Yep! It was John Scarne, the beer was Schlitz, I believe, and the method was simplicity - DL's and a dupe. One of the tricks that inspired me to learn slieght of hand. I can tell you this, when that commercial was on, and I could duplicate the effect "live", people went nuts! "I thought that was a camera trick!", etc.

Best, PSC

[John LeBlanc]

Originally posted by pchosse:
Yep! It was John Scarne, the beer was Schlitz, I believe, and the method was simplicity - DL's and a dupe. One of the tricks that inspired me to learn slieght of hand. I can tell you this, when that commercial was on, and I could duplicate the effect "live", people went nuts! "I thought that was a camera trick!", etc.

Best, PSC

"When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer." Ah, the power of marketing. I remember that jingle as if it were yesterday.

And, thanks to the Internet, it's yesterday once more:
http://www.geocities.com/foodedge/sounds/schlitz.ram

John LeBlanc

[Pepka]

Thanks guys,
You're right on the method Paul. I've never seen it in print, but saw it perfomed on the Vernon biography that was put out a few years ago. Anyone ever taste the beer?

[Mr. Stickley]

I think Simon Lovell has a great effect that is similar called either Fingered #2 or The two card and a glass juggle. Great trick, no duplicates. Published somewhere in the Magic Menu First Five Years.

Stickley

[Dave Egleston]

Though I've not drank a beer in over 30 years - The beer in question was Schaefer

"Scheafer is the one beer to have when you're having more than one"

Schlitz had the talking beer steins "Schlitzie and Maltzie"

Dave

[Guest]

Don't remmber the commercial -- did not watch TV in those days. But I have in my time drunk both beers mentioned. That was in the days when my taste in beer was less discriminating than it is now. I would drink almost any beer -- and both of those qualify as almost anything. Good Heavens, I even drank Burger at a time when it was ten cents a bottle -- and enjoyed it. Schlitz and Shaeffers were at that time fifteen cents a bottle -- enough to make one feel very up-town when drinking one. But not as good as Burger. "Vas You ever in Zinzinatti?"

10/3/04 3L11 PM

[Chris Aguilar]

David Regal mentions the ad as an inspiration for a two card transpo (using a different methodology) in one of his books.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Dave Egleston:
Though I've not drank a beer in over 30 years - The beer in question was Schaefer

"Scheafer is the one beer to have when you're having more than one"

Schlitz had the talking beer steins "Schlitzie and Maltzie"

Dave

Right you are Dave - I knew it began with an "S" though, do I get points for that?

Best, PSC

[Guest]

Originally posted by Chris Aguilar:
David Regal mentions the ad as an inspiration for a two card transpo (using a different methodology) in one of his books.

When caught unprepared I did the same trick with DL's and a Curry Turnover Change - works well. I altered the presentation at one time because the distance from the top to the bottom of the glass gave you very little time to get set for the change, so I would drop one card to the floor, put the other in the spectators hand, then make them transpose. Spectator turned over the card in his hand, and as they were gasping at that I bent over to retrieve the card under my foot, doing the turnover change as I stood to display it. Looks pretty good...

Best, PSC

[Carl Mercurio]

Like Pchosse, the Schaeffer Beer commercial with Scarne in which he performs the two-card transpo and also does a pressure fan was the reason I wanted to learn card magic.

I believe there was also a Schlitz commercial involving Schulein in which he and his son produce bottles of beer. I'll have to look it up tonight in the Magic of Matt Schulein.

I too use the Curry Turnover Change if I don't have a duplicate. Just use the Marlo Breakless version and you have plenty of time to get ready, i.e., turn the top card over and put it face-up back on top of the glass. Then lift both glass and card away with palm-down right hand and perform change on tabled card with left hand.

You have added misdirection because once you turn over the card on top of the glass, the trick is effectively over for the spectator. They relax. In their mind, the card on the table has to be other card. Turning it over only reveals a foregone conclusion and thus is anti-climatic.

The trick has been a mainstay of my bar magic repertoire for years.

P.S., after "drinking responsibly" came into vogue (at least in theory if not practice), Schaeffer changed the slogan to "the one beer to have when you're out to have some fun." Unfortunately, some things just don't work after you PC them up.

[Kevin Connolly]

Originally posted by Carl Mercurio:


P.S., after "drinking responsibly" came into vogue (at least in theory if not practice), Schaeffer changed the slogan to "the one beer to have when you're out to have some fun." Unfortunately, some things just don't work after you PC them up.

I think that was in the original jingle too, or something similar. Like "For people who are having fun". Either way today it would be called sexist etc. Oh Well.