Who was J.Ovette?

[Herman Koster]

Hello everyone.
Maybe some of you have noticed that I am helping a friend with selling some of items from the Henk Vermeijden estate.
We came across a (probably unpublished) book by J.Ovette called New Era Magic, dated 1922.
Actually it isn't a book yet, but large cardboards with detailed illustrations and letters with descriptions of effects such as: The mysterious Angel, Reincarnation, Going fishing, Another fishing trick, Rabbit dove production box, Nixon productionframe and many, many more.

I did a google search, but didn't find any book by this title, so that's why I think it has never been published.

If anyone can tell me something about this J.Ovette and this book, I would really appreciate it.

BTW the size of the cardboards is about the same size as the large book in the set of greater illusions, maybe even a littlebit larger.

Thanks for your time.

Herman Koster

[Kent Blackmore]

You'll find plenty of references in Google if you search on "Joseph Ovette magic".

Odds and Ends in Cardology - 1937
Ovette's Golden Mysteries.
Practical Telepathy
Ovette's Tricks and Illusionettes - 1944
The Perfection Flag Trick - 1936
Miraculous Hindu Feats - 1947


One of his books is described this way:-

"Tricks And Illusionettes - The Great Ovette
Ovette was a top ranking magician. He knew what was practical from his own experience as a successful performer. In this excellent book, Ovette gives you the "cream" of many effects used in his own shows. All the tricks can easily be built of any materials you have handy and with the simplest of tools. You will find many tricks in this well illustrated book that will help improve your act, whether you are an amateur or professional. "

[Guest]

One of Ovette's books teaches the Q&A act, very similar to Dunninger used...don't know who came up with it first though.

Ovette also did a crystal gazing act as "Mar-Jah", of which he would state, he was the original...as several other mental acts billed themselves as "Mar-jah" as well.

A real showman, he wrote a lot of real practical material about publicity stunts like being buried alive and blindfold drives.

[Marco Pusterla]

Joseph Ovette (born Jan 20th 1885 in South Italy, real name Giuseppe Olivo) has been a prolific author. Some of the books and pamphlets not listed by Kent are:

- Silk Creations (1931)
- Eggstraordinary Ways of Eggshibiting With Eggs (1932) - this should get a prize for the title!
- Fast Ones (1940)

He lived in Canada and was a very busy professional and very active in Magical Society. The Sphinx and M-U-M had published more than once photographs and articles about him and his magic. He is also the originator of the "Ovette Master Move", which had been published in Genii as "Kelly's Bottom Placement", causing some sort of confusion about the originator.

He died on July 24th 1946.

While I'm not familiar with ALL his publications, I think the booklet that can be closer to the one Herman's got (hi, Herman - don't forget me!) can be "Tricks and Illusionettes", which is still available. I can check its contents (I'm not by my library at the moment) and let you know if there is a similarity with the titles you listed.

Hope this helps, ciao!
---
Marco Pusterla - http://www.mpmagic.co.uk

[John Pezzullo]

In the April 1990 issue of GENII, Bill Larsen published a letter written by Bob Weill about Joe Ovette.

Joe was always good for a laugh - and a gag of some kind of another. Somewhere along the way Joe acquired a descented skunuk which he would produce then everyone would run like hell.

It takes all kinds.

[Guest]

John Booth has some great stories about time spent with Joe.

[Herman Koster]

Thanks for all your replies. I'll take pictures of some of the pages and see if I can show them here.
It's amazing that searching thru all those old items can be so exciting. Finding old pictures, stories etc.

And: Bon giorno Marco. I won't forget. Think we have some other Chefalo.
I'll let you know.

Arriverderci, Goodbye and Tot Ziens :)

[Philippe Billot]

See also in The Linking Ring between 1930 and 1940
There are a lot of tricks and articles by Joe Ovette.

[Marco Pusterla]

Hi!
Table of Contents of "Tricks and Illusionettes":

• The Great Ovette
• A Novel Opening Number (doves and rabbit production from 2 bowls on 2 tables)
• The Waterless Tube (water turns in streamers with rabbit production finale)
• Magic Bunny Rings (a rabbit is produced from 2 stacked rings)
• The Oriental bead Rack (interesting item to force a color)
• The Oriental Tube (a variation of the "Phantom Tube")
• Stack of Fish Bowls (as the title says)
• Bunny Production Box (a "classic" item, with a double bottom)
• The Traveling Silks (Silks disappear from a bag and re-appear in another)
• On Again Off Again (one of four silks tied to a ribbon falls when requested by audience)
• Bird and Cage (A dove and a silk disappear and re-appear in an empty (?) box)
• The Vanishing Lamp (as per title...)
• Bird and Cage Illusion (a bird and a silk, in 2 different cages, change place)
• Candle and Fan (a fan disappears and re-appears where a candle stood!)

I hope this list may be useful to check the contents of your manuscript, which could be an early draft of this booklet.

Many thanks for your attention, ciao!

---
Marco Pusterla - http://www.mpmagic.co.uk