Parlor Material

Discuss your favorite platform magic and illusions.
Brad A._dup1
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Parlor Material

Postby Brad A._dup1 » August 6th, 2001, 3:49 pm

Hello All,

Do any of you know where I might be able to locate some effects to use in a Parlor situation?

Books, videos, magazines? I'm going to be going through a few dozen old Genii and Magic Magazines, along with rummaging through a few Tarbells.

I found an effect in Carneycopia that can be used in Parlor, not to mention the one's in "The Uncanny Scot."

Perhaps with the use of this forum, and all the minds on it, I might be able to uncover a source I hadn't thought of.

-Brad
Former Vonnegut Character

pduffie
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Re: Parlor Material

Postby pduffie » August 6th, 2001, 5:11 pm

Hi Brad

I highly recommend the two Alan Shaxon books - "My Kind of Magic" & "Practical Sorcery" (Goofliffe publications).

Best Wishes

Peter

pduffie
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Re: Parlor Material

Postby pduffie » August 6th, 2001, 5:13 pm

GOOFliffe = Goodliffe! Nice goof, eh?...

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Steve Bryant
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Re: Parlor Material

Postby Steve Bryant » August 6th, 2001, 5:55 pm

Obviously, Brad, the classics apply. The Miser's Dream (scrounge the Charlie Miller routine from an old Genii) and the Chinese Linking Rings are great starting points. L&L is selling Vernon's routine, and I consider it the best. The Elmsley newspaper tear in the Ron Wilson book is awesome. If you want something different that will make a big impact among your friends and is great fun to do, try my Card on Belly Button Ring. Find this in "Drawn and Quartered" in the Little Egypt Book of Numbers on Joe Stevens' Gemini. (Or e-mail me -- Brad only -- for another location.)

Tom Dobrowolski
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Re: Parlor Material

Postby Tom Dobrowolski » August 6th, 2001, 5:59 pm

There is some stand up material that's a bit different in "Newspaper Magic" by Gene Anderson and published by and available available from Magic Inc. in Chicago.If you can get your hands on any Jim Steinmeyer lecture notes and books. Also a wealth of good stand up material is in "The Magic Of Alan Wakeling" written by Jim Steinmeyer.

David Acer
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Re: Parlor Material

Postby David Acer » August 6th, 2001, 10:24 pm

Hi Brad - Guy Camirand tells me he's releasing a video by Mehdi Talbi next month entitled The Cabaret Act, which is devoted entirely to Parlor-style magic. I haven't seen the video as yet, so this is not an endorsement, but it does seem to be in the vein of what you're looking for. Also, unless I'm mistaken, there's a video by Pavel in the Videonics series (re-released by L&L) on parlor magic.
Now tweeting daily from @David_Acer

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Re: Parlor Material

Postby Guest » August 9th, 2001, 4:40 pm

As confirmed by this thread, there is a very small collection of stand-up/parlour material avaliable in print. I figure this is due to two facts:

1. Stage routines, for the most part, are much more personal to the performer than the average close-up routine. The focus is on the performer more than the props. Thus, it makes it harder to perform somebody else's routine, becasue it is so much of them. Also, most people developing these routines use them as "workers" and aren't too anxious to tip them.

2. Stand-up routines are often much more simple than close-up as well. They often use much less sleights, gimmicks and props, and rely more on the "bits of business". Thus, they are harder to market. If you receive a package with a hunk of rope and a sheet full of gags your reaction may be "That's it?!?!" when the creator entertains audiences nightly with just that.

Personally, I would love to see a magazine much like the Magic Menu dedicated to stand-up magic. I imagine this is a project I will take on myself, eventually. However, I've kept myself busy enough with Half-Baked magazine. Also, for now I don't have the contacts to solicit material.

Perhaps this is something Genii could consider?

-Ryan Pilling

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Re: Parlor Material

Postby Guest » September 10th, 2001, 11:52 pm

Check into books by guys who specialize in that type of act..Martin Lewis, Billy McComb (McComb's Magic is out of print, but I found a copy on e-bay..one of my favorite books), Max Maven, Ron Wilson..I could go on and on.
Obviously you're doing the right thing. Go to the classics, take an old idea and rework it. I'm working on one right now from Tarbell 1 that is going into my parlor act as soon as I've got it finished. What I'm doing isn't exactly like the version from the book, but the basic idea is there.
Rick

Bill Duncan
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Re: Parlor Material

Postby Bill Duncan » September 11th, 2001, 1:09 am

Originally posted by bradmagic:

Do any of you know where I might be able to locate some effects to use in a Parlor situation?

-Brad


I seem to recall that the borrowed bills in cigarette pack that Harry Anderson used to do in his platform act was the last item in "Willane's Methods For Miracles"


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