Search found 110 matches

by Eric Fry
October 15th, 2014, 1:13 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Torn and Restored Homeless Man's Sign
Replies: 16
Views: 4776

Re: Torn and Restored Homeless Man's Sign

Yes and no. If a charity uses a lot of its contributions for its own salaries, it is exploitive. In this case, the magician garnered publicity for himself, aggrandizing his career. The stunt is exploitive even though the homeless man benefited from it. It's unfortunate that a benefit performance wou...
by Eric Fry
October 15th, 2014, 11:19 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Torn and Restored Homeless Man's Sign
Replies: 16
Views: 4776

Re: Torn and Restored Homeless Man's Sign

If it was prearranged, it was with some kind of consent. Even then, it's exploitive. The whole thing shows the extremely strange, random nature of charity when a society isn't well-organized to provide social services but is well-organized to record everything on camera for large audiences. This man...
by Eric Fry
September 2nd, 2014, 12:17 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In
Replies: 42
Views: 15280

Re: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In

Funny you asked. They did the Pendragons' presentation of Metamorphosis. And for that matter, they did Doug Hennings' presentation of the Water Torture Cell.
by Eric Fry
September 1st, 2014, 8:31 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Help with The Fine Art of Magic
Replies: 9
Views: 5352

Re: Help with The Fine Art of Magic

The trick "Card, Crystal Ball, and Panties" includes the memorable instruction "Finally, shake hands with him and give him the panties to keep as a souvenir of the occasion."
by Eric Fry
September 1st, 2014, 3:26 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In
Replies: 42
Views: 15280

Re: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In

I thought Keitel was good. I think Keitel talked to Dorothy Young, who knew Houdini offstage and worked with him on stage. Keitel probably did other research as well. The movie in general was well done. Because Keitel's character interacts with children, the movie shows a kinder side of Houdini. Kin...
by Eric Fry
September 1st, 2014, 1:01 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In
Replies: 42
Views: 15280

Re: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In

Screenwriter Meyer's father wrote the psychoanalytic book, so we're stuck with a lot of those ideas conveyed by a voiceover from Houdini, of all people. But in real life Houdini was an unreflective person. Paradoxically, that gave him the strength to be himself, a force of nature with no doubts. Rut...
by Eric Fry
June 26th, 2014, 2:56 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: The Oldest Trick in the Book by Bob Read
Replies: 36
Views: 10631

Re: The Oldest Trick in the Book by Bob Read

It sounds like the format and content are similar to art museums' catalogues of their collections.
by Eric Fry
May 31st, 2014, 3:30 pm
Forum: Tenyo
Topic: The Haunting
Replies: 20
Views: 6982

Re: The Haunting

The movie is based on Shirley Jackson's novel "The Haunting of Hill House."
by Eric Fry
November 22nd, 2013, 7:11 pm
Forum: Light From the Lamp
Topic: Excusing bad writing?
Replies: 41
Views: 36939

Re: Excusing bad writing?

For me, the keys to good explanatory writing are anticipating what the reader needs to know, putting the information in the right order for best comprehension, and anticipating how readers will understand your sentences so you can avoid confusion. And, of course, extensive knowlege of the subject. I...
by Eric Fry
September 12th, 2013, 8:10 pm
Forum: Light from the Lamp ONLINE.
Topic: Help Us!
Replies: 66
Views: 25315

Re: Help Us!

The Metamorphosis. It removes $50 from your wallet and replaces it with a playing card.
by Eric Fry
September 8th, 2013, 1:47 pm
Forum: Link Watch
Topic: Prakash Puru in NY
Replies: 2
Views: 1422

Re: Prakash Puru in NY

The sponsored nature of the article explains the puffery in the sub-headline. Still, it's nice that the gin company thinks it's cool to associate itself with a magician.
by Eric Fry
August 17th, 2013, 11:32 pm
Forum: Link Watch
Topic: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
Replies: 18
Views: 6404

Re: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss

Does that mean you understood what Jonathan said? What did he say?
by Eric Fry
August 17th, 2013, 2:41 pm
Forum: Link Watch
Topic: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
Replies: 18
Views: 6404

Re: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss

Houdini always made a distinction between religious beliefs, such as belief in the afterlife, and mediums, who used trickery to deceive bereaved people. He didn't quarrel with spiritualism, even, as a religion; only with mediums. And I think he recognized that some people who claimed to contact the ...
by Eric Fry
August 16th, 2013, 6:49 pm
Forum: Link Watch
Topic: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
Replies: 18
Views: 6404

Re: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss

OK, the title was censored. Just go to http://www.thedailybeast.com
by Eric Fry
July 17th, 2013, 12:15 pm
Forum: Alternative Media
Topic: Magic 1400s-1950s
Replies: 17
Views: 6991

Re: Magic 1400s-1950s

Thank you for the detailed comparsion of the two editions. If only the publisher could be so helpful.

I would say that in an illustrated book the illustrations are part of the content, so to me the content of the two editions is not the same.
by Eric Fry
June 8th, 2013, 12:34 pm
Forum: Alternative Media
Topic: Magic 1400s-1950s
Replies: 17
Views: 6991

Re: Magic 1400s-1950s

That's interesting, John. It sounds like Taschen gave me the wrong info, and my original supposition was correct.
by Eric Fry
June 6th, 2013, 10:57 pm
Forum: Alternative Media
Topic: Magic 1400s-1950s
Replies: 17
Views: 6991

Re: Magic 1400s-1950s

Well, I did hear from Taschen. They said there is no difference in content between the original edition and the new one. They said there are fewer pages in the new one because pages were re-formatted.
by Eric Fry
June 4th, 2013, 2:24 pm
Forum: Alternative Media
Topic: Now you (can) see first few minutes
Replies: 26
Views: 8682

Re: Now you (can) see first few minutes

It's not so bad. It's an action movie. A bit long. Mediocre script. No characterization except what Woody Harrelson can create out of nothing. Maybe his acting is the only magic here. Nice to see a very old technique put to good use in the card trick. I'll bet a lot of people in the theater mentally...
by Eric Fry
June 3rd, 2013, 2:54 am
Forum: Alternative Media
Topic: Magic 1400s-1950s
Replies: 17
Views: 6991

Re: Magic 1400s-1950s

Take a look at Taschen's own web page. It shows pictures of some pages in the book and refers to the edition as multi-lingual. It looks like the text in all three languages is in the less-expensive edition. Also, if you have the original edition, you can see that the layouts are the same but the pag...
by Eric Fry
April 12th, 2013, 6:12 pm
Forum: Collector's Marketplace
Topic: Houdini real?
Replies: 5
Views: 1426

Re: Houdini real?

I wonder if "Lindorst" is Will L. Lindhorst, aka Chandu. Houdini wasn't a great speller.

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/chandu-reveals-his-magic-secrets/#more
by Eric Fry
March 26th, 2013, 3:10 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Dolts in the Media and Royal Road to Card Magic
Replies: 10
Views: 2426

Re: Dolts in the Media and Royal Road to Card Magic

What kind of person? The kind who thinks Royal Road has overly long explanations.
by Eric Fry
March 18th, 2013, 12:50 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Magic as Theatre: An Academic Struggle
Replies: 14
Views: 3532

Re: Magic as Theatre: An Academic Struggle

Given that Matthew's proposed thesis was precisely to examine whether magic is theater, you'd think the professor would allow it as a legitimate thesis. A thesis is supposed to be about an open question. The professor seems to have peremptorily closed the question. It's a good thing he doesn't teach...
by Eric Fry
March 7th, 2013, 3:09 am
Forum: Magicana
Topic: Card to case
Replies: 9
Views: 11765

Re: Card to case

In The Commercial Magic of Roger Crosthwaite, he uses the Kelly/Ovette move to put a card into a rear palm in his right hand. The card is then slid into the case as his right hand approaches to open the case, which his left hand holds. The case can then be opened cleanly.
by Eric Fry
March 1st, 2013, 4:28 pm
Forum: General
Topic: ERDNASE
Replies: 8153
Views: 12258235

Re: ERDNASE

The drawings for the Hoffmann and Roterberg books are examples of the clutter of too much information.
by Eric Fry
February 28th, 2013, 10:58 pm
Forum: General
Topic: ERDNASE
Replies: 8153
Views: 12258235

Re: ERDNASE

I agree that the drawing of the Bee ace of spades shows that Erdnase was using a Bee deck. But there would be no need to draw the backs with accuracy. That kind of detail is not relevant to conveying hand positions on a deck of cards. It would muddy the drawings, as Chris said. It has nothing to do ...
by Eric Fry
February 28th, 2013, 2:25 pm
Forum: General
Topic: ERDNASE
Replies: 8153
Views: 12258235

Re: ERDNASE

Right. I made my comment because some posters seem to be discussing whether the illustrations are of this or that back design. My point is the illustration doesn't represent any back design at all.
by Eric Fry
February 28th, 2013, 12:49 pm
Forum: General
Topic: ERDNASE
Replies: 8153
Views: 12258235

Re: ERDNASE

I don't think the illustrator is portraying a back design. I think he's found a very efficient way of showing a surface in perspective.
by Eric Fry
December 30th, 2012, 12:11 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Roy Walton Books REPRINTED!
Replies: 36
Views: 9266

Re: Roy Walton Books REPRINTED!

The numbers in my set are on the first title page, which is the first page to have printing on it. The other side of this page has a portrait of Walton. Then there follows a full title page with author, illustrator, copyright, edition, and publisher. I noticed this is the same format of title pages ...
by Eric Fry
December 3rd, 2012, 1:29 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Big Book of Magic by Caveney & Steinmeyer next April
Replies: 16
Views: 2995

Re: Big Book of Magic by Caveney & Steinmeyer next April

I haven't seen Taschen's small circus book that sells for about $45, but I looked it up on Amazon. It's about 15 X 10 X 2 inches. 544 pages. Maybe it reproduces everything from the giant book but smaller and on cheaper paper. These editions sound like a good price for nice books.
by Eric Fry
October 23rd, 2012, 6:41 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: "too perfect" theory
Replies: 72
Views: 10631

Re: "too perfect" theory

Some language mavens will accept degrees of perfection under the principle that nothing is truly perfect. Jefferson referred to a "more perfect union." Also, they'll accept the human tendency to hyperbole and emotional expression. "That looks so perfect on you," for example, has ...
by Eric Fry
October 16th, 2012, 7:37 pm
Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
Topic: The Chinese Water Torture Cell at 100
Replies: 61
Views: 23285

Re: The Chinese Water Torture Cell at 100

The guy with the horns is clearly intended to be Chinese. It matches cliched images of pigtails, eyes, moustaches, robes. It conveys a devilish person, not a nonhuman.

Also, I think the blue figure isn't blue. It's dark-skinned. The blue represents highlights on dark skin.
by Eric Fry
October 15th, 2012, 12:43 pm
Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
Topic: The Chinese Water Torture Cell at 100
Replies: 61
Views: 23285

Re: The Water Torture Cell at 100

I always figured that Houdini had heard the phrase "Chinese water torture" and either didn't know what it referred to or didn't care. It is odd that he used the phrase for his trick, given that he made no effort to decorate the cell as a Chinese object or present the trick in a Chinese-ori...
by Eric Fry
August 31st, 2012, 1:25 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Jumping Gemini Trouble
Replies: 9
Views: 2085

Re: Jumping Gemini Trouble

Sent a PM

Go to advanced search