The History of Dove Magic

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Michael Pascoe
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The History of Dove Magic

Postby Michael Pascoe » January 8th, 2021, 3:43 am

I am collecting information on the history of dove magic. I have come to the conclusion that there are two parts to it. One, tricks using doves. The second is the Dove Manipulation Act started possibly by Abraham Cantu, but made famous by Channing Pollock.

I have collected much info, but I would like to hear from others who might have inside knowledge on this scarce subject.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: The History of Dove Magic

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 8th, 2021, 12:34 pm

Is it generally accepted that the first person to produce doves without the use of apparatus was Cantu, from his sarape?
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Michael Pascoe
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Re: The History of Dove Magic

Postby Michael Pascoe » January 8th, 2021, 1:17 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:Is it generally accepted that the first person to produce doves without the use of apparatus was Cantu, from his sarape?


That's what was reported. But, I am finding so much conflicts on this. Levent has shared with me that Laurant and Powell did a Gloves to Dove effect. And so did Dai Vernon when he did his Harlequin act.

The serape was just a method of hiding the doves. He did produce them from a silk.

Tony Kardyro claimed he was the first magician to produce a dove from silk. But, he also said that he was friends with Cantu. He went on to say that they conversed often about how they both came up with producing doves. He was very vague on who was the first one.

I do have newspaper clippings of Cantu with a serape in 1940, but not been able to verify if that means that he was producing doves from then. Even though Tony Kardyro claimed he invented it in the late 30s, I was only able to verify in print of a performance in 1943. And I also verified Cantu doing his dove act in 1944. If I can get a hold of the actual article in the Fresno Bee, then I can put that to rest.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: The History of Dove Magic

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 8th, 2021, 1:20 pm

Do a free 7 day trial at newspapers.com
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Michael Pascoe
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Re: The History of Dove Magic

Postby Michael Pascoe » January 9th, 2021, 5:45 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:Do a free 7 day trial at newspapers.com


I'm defiantly going to do that. I am going to collect a bunch of them I want to look up and then make it a busy week.

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Re: The History of Dove Magic

Postby Bill Mullins » January 9th, 2021, 8:01 pm

I find a reference to Signor Boz producing doves in Wales in 1877.

After Cantu’s death, his friend L. O. Gunn said in Billboard (11/5/1949) “We spent hours and hours together working out tricks, and the secret of the dove production we got from a Will Goldstone locked book which we purchased together about 1927.”

From the Atlanta Constitution, 8/29/1905
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Michael Pascoe
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Re: The History of Dove Magic

Postby Michael Pascoe » October 23rd, 2022, 4:41 pm

[quote="Bill Mullins"]I find a reference to Signor Boz producing doves in Wales in 1877.

Do you know where this is mentioned about Signor Blitz? I think he produced a dove from a hat.

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Re: The History of Dove Magic

Postby Michael Pascoe » October 24th, 2023, 3:39 am

In Channing Pollock - Master of Magic, I give a complete history of dove magic up to Channing Pollock in my new book about the debonair deceiver. In the first three chapters I provide a detail list of who first used doves in their magic show and how it all led up to a manipulator taking a silk and producing the feathery creature.

It was kind of difficult being that a lot of the information shared in most magic periodicals were not very accurate. Some gilded the lily, others used heresy accounts, while still others out an out lied to pump up their own standing into their place in history.

Even though Channing didn't invent the basic dove act, he did create the mold that everyone afterwards used as a standard for how bird acts should look.

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Re: The History of Dove Magic

Postby Philippe Billot » October 24th, 2023, 4:41 am

Michael, if you read french, I can spend you our article (Mr. Guedin and me) about the use of dove in magic.


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