Three Fly?

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
SIX
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Three Fly?

Postby SIX » June 1st, 2004, 3:54 pm

I bought a few books/videos containing three fly i really like the effect but they either use a shell or flipper coin or involve place your hand in your pocket.Does any one mind teaching me three fly using no gimmicks and everying thing must be in sight no pocket movement.
thanks
six

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 1st, 2004, 7:41 pm

Find a copy of Chris Kenner's book Out of Control.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Scott Fridinger
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Scott Fridinger » June 1st, 2004, 8:19 pm

R. P. Wilson has a very nice Three Fly effect on the first volume of his DVD set. It is readily available at any magic store, Out of Control will be very hard to find. I would definately check out the Wilson video, it is the only coins accross, Three Fly I have really wanted to learn.

Scott

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Chris Aguilar » June 1st, 2004, 8:56 pm

Originally posted by Scott Fridinger:
I would definately check out the Wilson video, it is the only coins accross, Three Fly I have really wanted to learn.

Scott
RK also printed this routine in an issue of Genii a few years back under the name "Scottish Fly" I believe.

Guest

Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » June 1st, 2004, 8:58 pm

Here is a bibliography I posted on another forum for "3 Fly" routines:

I have also purposely not included "international versions" to keep the plot line pure.

I have included whether or not they are gaffed, and who they credit for inspiration.

Chris Kenner's Menage Et Trios or Threefly from "Totally Out of Control" book or "Magic Man Examiner Vol. 1." magazine respectively. (Ungaffed). Credits: Townsend.

Paul Wilson's Crowded Coins from his video or DVD "Knock Em' Dead" or from his web manuscript. (Ungaffed). Credits: Townsend, Kenner.

Troy Hooser's Redirection Coins Across, Three Fly Simplified, 3 Fly One, 3 Fly Two from his "Destroyer's" book and "Total Destruction" DVDs. (First two ungaffed, second two gaffed I believe). Credits: Townsend, Kenner.

Doug Brewers Three Across the Fly from his book "The Unexpected Visitor" (and I assume on his upcoming same titled DVD) (Ungaffed). Credits: Townsend, Kenner.

Curtis Kam's from "Palms of Steel 1" as part of his Silver Circle routine. (Ungaffed). Credits: Townsend, Kurtz, Kenner.

Daryl's manuscript "3 Fly III" (Ungaffed). Credits: Townsend, Kenner, Kurtz, and others.

Gary Kurtz' from his book "Unexplainable Acts" and video "Creating Magic" as part of his Trio and Misty Like a Dream routines respectively. (Gaffed).

Bob Kohler's Ultimate 3 Fly which comes with the coin set and video probably DVD in the future. (Gaffed). Credits: Townsend, Kenner, Kurtz.

David Neighbors' "Super Fly" from his Las Vegas Lecture Notes. (Gaffed). Credits: Kenner, Kurtz.

Mike Rubinsteins Retro Fly from his Coinvention Lecture Notes. (Ungaffed). Credits: Townsend, Kenner, others mentioned.

Kainoa Harbottles Another Flipping Three Fly from his Coins on Edge manuscript. (Ungaffed). Mentions Kurtz and G. Thomas for influence.

Reed McClintocks Scream Fly from his Coin Ovations DVD and Freedom Flight (Gaffed) from The Coin Patriot DVD. (Ungaffed). (I don't have Coin Patriot for credits).

Garrett Thomas GT 3-Fly from his video Any Questions? (Gaffed).

Jon Townsends' "Visible Coins Across" - Unpublished as of yet, but this routine is what inspired Chris Kenner's version. Kenner and Kurtz were the earliest publications. Kenner's version was the one that popularized the effect.

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby pduffie » June 2nd, 2004, 2:31 am

Hi Dan

A bit of info to add to the Paul Wilson reference: "Crowded Coins" first appeared in his book "Chaos Theories" (1995).

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Ian Kendall » June 2nd, 2004, 4:28 am

The Genii issue with Scottish Fly is the one with Ricky Dunn on the cover. Can't remember the year, though.

Troy Hooser's Three Fly Simplify was also printed in Magic around the same time. Check with their online index.

Take care, Ian

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Larry Barnowsky » June 4th, 2004, 9:32 am

And then there is the unpublished (soon to be released on DVD?) effect of Mickey Silver called Spitfly using 3 ungaffed silver dollars. I've watched him do it many times and it is the most magical looking of all the "3Flys" I've seen.
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Pete Biro » June 4th, 2004, 10:30 am

Daryl marketed a version in a booklet. PM me and make me an offer for my copy. (I can't do those moves any more since my hand surgery). That's why I sold my Lassen set too.
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Brian Marks » June 5th, 2004, 4:43 pm

Paul Wilson's routine is a MUST! Get the Knock EM Dead DVD asap if you want to learn an ungaffed version

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Michael Edwards » June 6th, 2004, 3:47 pm

Originally posted by Ian Kendall:
The Genii issue with Scottish Fly is the one with Ricky Dunn on the cover. Can't remember the year, though.
That would have been Genii, Volume 62, Number 7, July 15, 1999, pages 44-48

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » June 24th, 2004, 4:27 pm

Why no gimmicks? Can you explain your need to look beyond the routines you are already familiar with?

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » June 24th, 2004, 9:06 pm

Having played with several versions including Bob Kohler's U3F, I actually have come to prefer the no-gimmick visual coins across. I've been using a slight variation on Curtis Kam's routine (in the Deceptions in Paradise video). I think the main reason I've settled on it is that it's got a nice pace to it and I like the little joke to get the 2nd coin across. Guess it's just a matter of personal taste.

-- Frank

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » June 25th, 2004, 2:07 pm

Dan Watkins...

THANK YOU for contributing the awesome bibliography. YOURE THE MAN!

SIX
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby SIX » June 28th, 2004, 12:44 pm

I have finally setteled on one three fly Paul Wilson crowded coins.I also started doing three fly does any one know a good source to learn how to turn three silver coins into three chinese coinse without a table?

SIX
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby SIX » June 28th, 2004, 12:45 pm

I have finally setteled on one three fly Paul Wilson crowded coins.I also started doing Chinese charming challenge does any one know a good source to learn how to turn three silver coins into three chinese coinse without a table?

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Jonathan Townsend » June 28th, 2004, 2:42 pm

Have you considered doing the 'fly' onto the ribbon ... ie using the chinese coins?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » June 29th, 2004, 7:57 am

does any one know a good source to learn how to turn three silver coins into three chinese coinse without a table?
Check out Gary Kurtz' Creating Magic Video...

In addition to a wonderful "VCA" routine, you'll find a few methods for the (chinese coin) transformation and some other wonderful 3 coin moments (his glitter finale is beautiful.)

His "Full Frontal Assualt" manuscript also has some 'work' on the subject.

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Pepka » June 29th, 2004, 2:00 pm

I'm not sure of the name of routine, or magician, but there was a version in Genii a few years ago utilizing the muscle-pass. Jet coins something? This looked and read incredible. RK can probably shed some light on this.
Pepka

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Jim Maloney_dup1 » June 29th, 2004, 3:41 pm

Originally posted by pepka:
I'm not sure of the name of routine, or magician, but there was a version in Genii a few years ago utilizing the muscle-pass. Jet coins something? This looked and read incredible. RK can probably shed some light on this.
Pepka
Jet Coins is correct, I believe, but from what I remember it wasn't a visual coins across, but rather a standard one with the hands closed.

-Jim

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Jonathan Townsend » June 29th, 2004, 6:24 pm

Is the Jet the thing from 5x5 japan where a coin goes FLYING from hand to hand? If so, It's a utility move and came here before my VCA stuff got popular.

I'm starting to like the idea of doing the 'Fly' onto the ribbon. If I had a way to make the knots appear around the coins... might try the trick.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Raj Madhok » June 29th, 2004, 8:26 pm

Rumor has it that Akira Fuji's "Jet Coins" as published in Genii was originally titled, "Coins Akiras". Say it with me out loud...

Raj

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » July 1st, 2004, 8:47 am

I often use Reed McClintock's version called "Scream Fly" from his DVD "Coin Ovations"...Although the original routine used gaffs, i just use an extra coin and sleeve it at the end...
Also check out Kainoa's trick mentioned above, this is brilliant but will take a long time to learn. From my experience this is the most technically demanding Three Fly routine i have used...This is partly because no gaffs are used and the coin only ever goes into edge grip. The book it is in "Coin On Edge" is really worth the money.
owen

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby John Bodine » July 1st, 2004, 9:39 am

Keep in mind that Kenner's handling of Townsend's effect was never meant to be a standalone piece. Although most people now perform 3Fly (and its variations) as a single effect, it works much better in the course of a full routine. I have put together a larger routine that involves the production, some backfire/whiplash elements, 3 fly, and a vanish to impossible location as a full routine which plays at about 4 minutes (I think).

johnbodine

Steve Mills
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Steve Mills » July 13th, 2004, 2:13 pm

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
Find a copy of Chris Kenner's book Out of Control.
Believe me - MUCH easier said than done.

I'll keep looking, though. I'm told it's worth the hunt.

Steve

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » July 13th, 2004, 7:09 pm

You can also check with Dan Garret and see if he still sells the Kenner 3 fly manuscript.

Mike

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 13th, 2004, 10:04 pm

Dan Garrett had some of the Kenner booklets on his dealer table at the IBM convention recently.
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Frank Starsinic » July 14th, 2004, 1:03 am

Originally posted by Steve Mills:
Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
[b] Find a copy of Chris Kenner's book Out of Control.
Believe me - MUCH easier said than done.

I'll keep looking, though. I'm told it's worth the hunt.

Steve [/b]
I got mine right off ebay for cheap. Something like $25 just last year. Maybe I lucked out. I got the kurtz book right about the same time for about the same price.

I'm going over to the bookshelf right now just to smell them.

Frank

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 14th, 2004, 4:58 am

Originally posted by frank starsinic:
...I'm going over to the bookshelf right now just to smell them...
A properly annotated version of TOOC, where the material is properly credited and the sources and inventors cited might be interesting.

As it stands, the book can probably be found on the shelf by smell.

On the visual side, the book is quite impressive. Kudos to the design team.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » July 14th, 2004, 1:13 pm

IMO: TOOC has PLENTY of credits... plenty.
Most of the routines open with prefatory comments crediting inspirations. There's many credits throughout each effect (regarding sleights, etc.) and at the end of many effects, there are more credits. By 'reasonable' standards, I think he did a good job (a great job, considering the 'tone' of this book.)

Alas; whether or not these routines should have seen print is another story ('the never-ending story' apparently.)

As it stands, the book can probably be found on the shelf by smell.
Ouch.

Joking/Jabs aside, my copy probably could be located by smell... it's one of the most well worn books on my shelf. Over the last decade, I've consistently (& professionally) performed eleven routines from TOOC (by my standards, that's an amazing amount of useable material.)

2 cents spent.

Getting back to topic (kinda/sorta) If anyone wants to see the hottest version of "V.C.A" extant head over to www.sleightgeek.com and check out Spoontang's submission in the 3 Fly contest:

Andy Gordon (Spoontang) doing his 3 coin stuff on <a href="http://http://http://www.sleightgeek.com " target="_blank">www.sleightgeek.com</a>

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 14th, 2004, 2:12 pm

Originally posted by D. Conn:
IMO: TOOC has PLENTY of credits
Please find the credit for Geoff Latta's move 'French Pop' therein.

The history on that packet switch and the cannibal cards routine itself is a bit lacking as well.

Good thing we have folks like JonR and Wesley James around to catch some of these things...

We can discuss why such things are published another time.

I will look at the latest offering on the VCA. Who knows, this one might look more magical than clever. Heres hoping for the best... opening new browser window. :cool: Thanks for the link.
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 14th, 2004, 4:55 pm

I don't know about any missing credit for a Latta move in Out of Control, but we did screw things up royally by missing the credit in Sybil to Troy Hooser (and this was my fault as much as Chris's).
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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » July 15th, 2004, 12:56 am

Originally posted by Jonathan Townsend:
Originally posted by D. Conn:
[b] IMO: TOOC has PLENTY of credits
[...]
I will look at the latest offering on the VCA. Who knows, this one might look more magical than clever. [...][/b]
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, so - regarding revisionist history - here's mine...

I think the ongoing (to the point of annoyance) effort to name/rename "3Fly" as "V.C.A. may be a little off track. Jonathan, it's my understanding - from those who long ago witnessed your original routine first hand - that your VCA used open palms and back clips and other various things that make it VERY different from Kenner's hands-up coins-at-fingertips "3Fly" - and most of the ensuing offspring (naturally, since your original VCA is not yet published I must rely on the opinions of early eye-witnesses for my information).

Of course if my understanding in this matter is correct, then perhaps it would be more accurate to create yet ANOTHER name for 3Fly (et al), such as F.C.A. (Fingertip Coins Across). Reasonably, any offspring of your VCA that actually resemble that original routine could fall under the "VCA" moniker.

As for "FCA" (and its descendents) we could just call it "3Fly", which I think is probably the most sensible thing to do.

Regards,
Thomas Wayne

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 15th, 2004, 4:46 am

Originally posted by Thomas Wayne:
Everyone is entitled to a... revisionist history - here's mine...
I'm sure everyone has both a perspective on history and some ability to delete, distort and generalize from their perceptions to suit their interests.

Curtis Kam suggested the term VCA for the generic effect. This way, variations of Three Fly and some open handed coins across routines have a subcategory of coins across for further exploration.

As it happens, the first coin transit in my routine looks like what Chris published. Which is understandable as I showed him both the trick and its mechanics. The one handed vanish at the end of the trick also has its origins there. I use a sleight of my own development and not the Geoff Latta move, which IMHO is more appropriate to 'hanging a coin on a skyhook' which is how he showed it to me in '77.

History aside, and moving ahead into the present... the videos posted on the site show folks are working on the VCA in one form or another. So far, the Kurtz presentation from his 'Misty...' is the best I've heard about. I hold the opinion that presentation is fundamental and more important than specific sleights in a performance.

Going back to Six's question. The original trick, and the Kenner version as published do not use any gaffs. Chris wrote up his version of the trick (minus the mechanics for the last vanish) in his magazine Magic Man Examiner and the book Totally Out Of Control under the title Menage et Trois. I'm told there are several more non-gaffed routines available, including work by Daryl Martinez, Reed McClintock and R. Paul Wilson.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » July 15th, 2004, 8:09 am

The history on that packet switch and the cannibal cards routine itself is a bit lacking as well.
If you're speaking of "for 4 for" Kenner dates the switch back to Charles Jordan (is there a problem there?)

Regarding Cannibals... The last paragraph of that description states; "The original Cannibal Cards was devised by Lin Searles in the 1950's and the "eights" comes to us courtesy of Don England."

If there's something wrong with those credits, please enlighten me.

Granted the Latta ("french pop") move isn't mentioned...

Speaking of which: I disagree with your skyhook statement. I think the vanish works great with the tossing action. The extra "space" makes the vanish more effective as does using it in a transition context.

Guest

Re: Three Fly?

Postby Guest » July 15th, 2004, 11:37 am

1) Picky Picky...

I stand by my original statement on this:

By 'reasonable'standards, I think he did a good job (a great job, considering the 'tone' of this book.)

2)I was agreeing with you... While I appreciate the clever repartee (& with all due respect to Latta) there's no need to bring this up everytime someone discusses "3 Fly."

3) To date, when performed by others it pretty much looks like a cramped hand moving oddly and suddenly into an awkward position. Again... my perception.

3) Theoretically, that's true... alas... A magician's perception is the lowest denomiator of what 'counts.' To make this vanish work (or any palming/tossing vanish for that matter) If you simply follow the tossing motion with your eyes... you'll naturally lead the spex away from the guilty hand (at least that's what those-thar misdirection books say.) Regardless, it's certainly no worse than drawing attention to the move in the one foot radius of a "Skyhook" effect.)

Note: I think there's (plenty of) room for an improved vanish for the last coin. Kenner apparently has a good solution & the formentioned Andy Gordon (Spoontang) clip (on sleightgeek.com) also has a nice final vanish (an oldie, but a goodie.)

On more postitive note:
Has anyone here seen the forementioned Spoontang/Gordon clip? If not... you should... it's one of the best net-clips... ever.

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 15th, 2004, 12:17 pm

I also liked the gag clip someone posted where they do the trick with their fingers.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Bill Duncan » July 15th, 2004, 10:57 pm

It will be very interesting to see what people think when they see the original handling in print.

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Steve Vaught » July 31st, 2004, 8:30 pm

I am enjoying reading this thread, so I have a question. The only "3fly" that I know is what I learned off of Greg Wilson's video "On The Spot". I perform this at the restaurant and it works well. All of the other references, are those better?...and in what way? The routine that I am currently doing doesn't have angle problems, no gimmicks, instant reset, seems very visual and direct. Are there advantages to some of the other routines...like Chris,Paul, or Troy's routines?

Steve V (the other one)

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Re: Three Fly?

Postby Adam Brooks » August 1st, 2004, 9:16 am

The only "3fly" that I know is what I learned off of Greg Wilson's video "On The Spot". I perform this at the restaurant and it works well.
I think the routine you are refering to is 3/4 Across. This is not a 3-fly routine per se, more of your standard, "closed-fist" coins across. An excellent one, no doubt, though I personally prefer Sankey's Mr. Clean Coins Across. The two routines are markedly similar, but I think Sankey's touches make it better.

Refer to Dan Watkin's post earlier in the thread for the major published handling of 3-fly.


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