The Genii Forum

Rick Franceschin

I was once at a party where a fellow picked up a deck of cards that was laying around and asked, "who wants to see a card trick?" He was young, affable, and handsome. Folks gathered round. He did the 21 Card Trick, with a Magician's Choice type ending. He was committed to the effect, smile...

Rick Franceschin

A performer who falsely misrepresents him / herself, uses magic as a ruse in which to unwittingly sell somebody something or put across some agenda always runs the risk of upsetting the unfortunate souls generous enough to share their time. I would strongly agree that a performer should come to his ...

Rick Franceschin

He had a transposition between a reversed card in the deck and one in the pocket in More Card Manipulations - 3 (Hugard, 1940.) It resembles the second one in "Stars," but with less detail. Same effect is referenced in his notebook as Reverso - Transpaso, the description is terse, though h...

Rick Franceschin

Keeping an effect simple certainly helps you maintain clarity and leaves lots of room for theatrical requirements. It's also the safe route to take when your audiences vary in age and taste. The TV show Law and Order (mystery / drama) is still a popular TV show. You can watch it and play games on yo...

Rick Franceschin

In 1914, Stanley Collins published, "Another Four Ace Trick." The four Aces vanish, one at a time, and assemble in a spectator "selected" pile (magician deals five rounds of cards after the vanishes.) If you will allow that "The Four Ace Trick" was what today we call &q...

Rick Franceschin

Setting the everpresent controversies aside, there's plenty of Charlie Miller material in Expert Card Technique. Charie Miller Aces, Predestined Choice (a really great no gaff Brainwave piece,) Mental Selectivity, and Danbury Deviler (fools everybody!) are among other wonderful pieces. Sometimes we ...

Rick Franceschin

I ran across this in a December 1949 issue of The Phoenix: From The Back Room : “The Marlo – D’Amico material reminds us that Ed’s twenty-five-dollar card routine has been upped to fifty clams. Must be good for an unprecedented move like that. Haven’t seen it ourself, but Bill Simon who has seen bit...

Rick Franceschin

TJD: If someone is relating something interesting to me and I am momentarily distracted by my feelings on the matter (I am "freaked out"), then reconnecting with that person after the momentary pause may require processing on my part. Being into what's happening I may return to the convers...

Rick Franceschin

Charles Jordan, Ted Annemann, Dai Vernon, Al Leech, Ed Marlo, Paul Harris and Arturo Ascanio can each have their own family tree of artist who followed their process. I think that the 20th century was such a trans-formative period in card magic that it's unfair to give most of the credit to one pers...

Rick Franceschin

That was pretty wonderful. I really enjoyed the elegant handling and how much that was accomplished from so little.

Rick Franceschin

That was pretty wonderful. I really enjoyed the elegant handling and how much that was accomplished from so little.

Rick Franceschin

I'm not sure that Card College replaces ECT, but rather it eclipses the Royal Road to Card magic. Through ECT you experience Miller, Zingone, Rosini, among many others. It offers a survey of early 20th century Card magic as well as the prevailing mindset at the time. Anyone who has traveled Card Col...

Rick Franceschin

The CARD MANIPULATION SERIES, MIRACLE METHODS SERIES, ROYAL ROAD TO MAGIC, EXPERT CARD TECHNIQUE, and SHOW STOPPERS WITH CARDS together offer a dynamic record of the trends and accomplishments of early twentieth century card magic. While some of the work in EXPERT CARD TECHNIQUE has been overshadowe...

Rick Franceschin

Wow! Thanks

Rick Franceschin

I've taken to thinking about effects in the following way and am starting to wonder if this thinking is flawed or narrow: If in the course of an effect a spectator makes all the assumptions we wish them to make, and do not make assumptions that we do not wish them to make, then ultimately they are f...

Rick Franceschin

Perhaps a jog shuffle to centralize, one riffle force for both cards at once, Elias Multiple shift to apparently lose (pause after the insertion) and cut to the top, finish as per your procedure, only you won't need the centralizing cut before the finish as the EMS does that for you.

Rick Franceschin

Lovell's second deal is a very good push off method, one of the best in so far as using it for magic goes. I think that the Expert Card Technique Strike second is a very fine approach and very well described. Bill Simon, Erdnase, and the Marlo methods in his Revolutionary Card Series are often cited...

Rick Franceschin

There's no question, in my mind at least, that if you want to pursue a solid foundation in magic your going to have to rely upon print resources. There is a historical progression in magic literature that one must experience in order to truly appreciate our art. Personally, I especially love books l...

Rick Franceschin

Select Secrets, by Dai Vernon and John Crimmons Jr.

Rick Franceschin

I think that Vernon’s greatest attribute, ultimately, was that he was the greatest catalyst in an era where magic was undergoing a crucial evolution. While he eclipsed his mentors and heroes, he always held them in great esteem. Though he was clearly the leader of his peer group, he embraced and pro...

Rick Franceschin

I gave it a pretty decent look over and couldn't find the reference you are looking for; I even read over the piece with a woman's panties. No luck.

Rick Franceschin

The Slydini catalog is a very interesting one. The most regarded pieces tend to be highly stylized versions of already established premises or at least concepts. The coins, silks, and the sponge balls being examples. The Helicopter Card, Prediction in Red, and his second deal are notable exceptions....

Rick Franceschin

Start small. Magicians choice with just a few cards or objects. Self working card tricks of a mentalism nature. Concentrate on presentations where the objective of the piece is clear to the audience and is rendered in a fair and open way. Try to limit your talking to salient points and strive to be ...

Rick Franceschin

I think you answered your own question. Pick a card is overexposed as is making coins vanish and linking rings together. Ultimately, a lay audience will go for a deceptive and dynamically performed piece. I was once part of a show with several magicians performing. There were three cut and restored ...

Rick Franceschin

A piece of mentalist may lead a spectator to wonder how the mentalist knew, while a piece of magic tends to leave a spectator guessing how the magician did it. How did he know I'd pick the number 77 versus, he must chuck them up his sleeve. Leaving a spectator wondering is far more desirable than th...

Rick Franceschin

Marlo gives January 1949 as the date for Simple Shift in The Cardician . Given Braue's association with Jack McMillan, he was certainly familiar with the plunger principle. Towards the end run of Hugard's you get the sense that his team had a large file of material on file, making it tough to determ...

Rick Franceschin

If you really dig the guy's work and have very specific goals it's likely worth the time and money. I'd go for things that despite 30 years still elude you. I once attended a convention just to learn capping the deck from Howie Schwartzman. I pestered the man for three days. He was really sweet and ...

Rick Franceschin

Sometimes. In some cases the combination is strong because the two pieces work well off of each other. In other cases, the artist is simply seeking a way to build climactic impact because they can't make the first piece stand well on its own. As in the Ambitious Card example that was sited, I've see...

Rick Franceschin

It doesn't matter what tricks you use, it' all about entertaining the audience.

Rick Franceschin

That's terrific, can't wait to read it.

Rick Franceschin

I assume your looking for tips or oppinions, so... The wedge cull used in this thing is very good, certainly worth the time it takes to aquire and master. Few would argue the value in that. In so far as the routine goes, it's sure to impress other card magicians (if done well;) I'm not sure that a l...

Rick Franceschin

That's good! That works quite well. The top packet is snaking just the tinniest bit as it makes it's way back and over. I feel less inclined to dip the hands. Thank you Jim.

Rick Franceschin

I'm trying to learn Vernon's handling of the classic pass in Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic. I'm having some trouble interpreting the description which seems terse and perhaps a bit omissive. Here's the problem: "the lower packet is immediately shifted foward by pushing with the right thumb tip...

Rick Franceschin

I've recently come across a booklet (really five or six stapled pages in a purple paper cover) written by Hilliard on the Chinese Linking Rings. Does anyone know what it might be worth? It's a used book store and he's priced it at $50.00.

Thanks.

Rick Franceschin

Sorry Richard, I meant the plain old garden variety glide. Which I guess I haven't mastered!

Rick Franceschin

It might have been Vernon who said that there were only a small handful of magicians who can flawlessly do a french glide. I think the point is that a great deal of thought and work must go into the mastery of even the simplest sleights. I think that by and large most of us aquire moves, but never q...

Rick Franceschin

I don't see the Ammar / Stars of Magic marketing connection. Stars of Magic was marketed much the way Henry Hardin, Charles Jordon, and Ted Annemann stuff was. Single treatments that were thoroughly explained. The top of pocket dodge in the "Homing Card" was actually a Henry Hardin manuscr...

Rick Franceschin

The Stars of Magic layed out a foundation of learning for me. It led me to study the works of Vernon, Leipzig, Daley, Carlyle, Slidini, and Horowitz. The best Carlyle material is actually in past Genni Magazines. I sure wish Kaufman would dedicate an issue to Carlyle, it would surely be fascinating....

Rick Franceschin

Dear Gino, I'm glad that it's what you were looking for. I agree with you, that shuffle sequence is quite amazing. There are a great many packet effects that could greatly benefit from that shuffle sequence. The two genuine shuffles are clearly proof enough that the packets themselves must be mixed....

Rick Franceschin

I strongly suspect that the reference point for the above information is, "Hull's "Joker" Spelling Trick." It can be found in a booklet compiled by Ruffus Steele entitled, "Card Tricks That are Easy to Learn Easy to Do...", it's on page 5 of the 1946 edition. While the ...

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