Alan Alan

[Jack Shalom]

Color footage of burning rope strait jacket escape
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/burn ... y/magician

[Tarotist]

I knew Alan. A good showman but the rudest man I ever met.

[Richard Kaufman]

He loved being rude! Hahahaha.

[Tarotist]

I once did a gig at a US army base in London. In the dressing room the MC asked me, "Do you know Alan Alan?" I replied, "Oh yes! I do!" The guy then responded "He is so bloody rude to people". I then asked, "Yes, he is. I wonder why he is that way". He then responded, "Well the reason is that he has never gotten anywhere in showbusiness and it has made him bitter"

Mind you this was before he had a very good run in the circus for about ten years or so. So I suppose he got there in the end. Having said that he didn't change his ways and remained obnoxious to the end. Still, I did speak to someone who knew him well and was told that Alan had a kind heart beneath it all. I never noticed it though................

[hugmagic]

I have one of his straightjackets that did not get burnt up. It was part of the Klosterman collection.

[Robert77]

Note how he whipped the burning rope at the nearby guy on the ground after he escaped

[nmcd78]

When I was a kid traveling around Europe I spent a couple of stimulating days at Alan's "Magic Spot" getting tips and tricks from Alan. He had a great subtlety for Ring Flite. He felt you had to make it look difficult to get the key off the key ring to sell the trick. And he also sold me the trick.

He was pretty gruff, but he sure did spend a lot of time with me even though I didn't have much money to spend in his shop.

He actually offered to sell me his burning rope escape act for 30k, but I still had student loans to pay off and didn't think I would have room in my backpack for it. Although that act, playing big as it did, it probably would have fit.

There was a young teenager who hung out there and embarrassed me by trying to teach me card sleights I couldn't get the hang of. This was the early 80's, and my memory is somewhat dim, but looking back, I think the kid might have been Michael Vincent.

Was Alan one of his mentors?

[Richard Kaufman]

Yes, Alan was Michael's mentor. I spent a lot of time with Alan. He was a lot of fun once you got past the facade.

[Tarotist]

In my younger days I was working in quite well known night clubs in London. I would be running from one to the other in the middle of the night either on the subway system or more likely by walking. A lot of the clubs were within walking distance of each other. Some of the venues would do two floor shows so as a result I could be doing 5 to 7 shows a night. As a result of this I could be wandering the streets of the West End between shows at 1am in the morning.

At one point on New Year's Eve I was busy in this activity and who should appear in front of me but Alan Alan who seemed to be prowling the streets in the middle of the night for some reason or other. At this point in his career he really wasn't doing much in the way of shows at all except the odd magic convention. His best days were over although later on he did manage to get a run in the circus for about ten years or so. I think it made him a bit bitter. He was stuck working in magic shops owned by Harry Stanley and Tommy Cooper.

He asked me what I was doing running around the West End in the middle of the night. I should have asked him the same thing but I didn't. I told him that I was working at various night clubs and I told him which ones which seemed to irritate him especially since he had always talked down to me as if I were a nobody in showbusiness. I could tell he was green with envy and he snarled, "I never work on New Year's Eve!" I remember thinking "That is because you don't work anywhere on any other day either" but I never said it out loud.

Later on he retired from the circus and I got wind from one of my suppliers that he was about to open a magic shop. I believe it was a very successful magic shop too because of its location rather than Alan's rude customer service. I strongly suspect he made far more money from his magic shop than he ever did from show business.

[BarryAllen]

Back in the day, I can't remember a New Year's Eve when I didn't work!

The simple reason being that you could demand, at the minimum, 'double bubble' wage-wise for your efforts. As most decent venues charged an extortionate price for admission tickets, venues/bookers were willing to pay it. Moreover, as January became generally quieter for shows, I always looked upon New Year's Eve bookings as 'the storm before calm'.

Just to add that there's already a thread on this forum about Alan Alan - this was one of my first ever posts on here, back in 2012:

_________________________________________________
Alan Alan - wow what can you say about this man.......and his shop. First and foremost, as a magical demonstrator, I'd actually put him on par with Ken Brooke.

I must have got on his good side pretty early on - as he was always polite and exceptionally helpful - even when I was young. He'd be willing to discuss magic for hours and, as pointed out above, any non-magicians/tourists were abruptly told "look in the window, everything's in there" if he was engrossed in a magic-related conversation.

His demo skills put a lot of other dealers to shame. His handling of small items such as various routines with a shell 2p, the 'Dual Control' gimmick and an Okito Box were truly magical. Two other items I remember him demming so well were the 'Baffler Box' and 'Coin Thru Glass' (Ching Ling Coin Box?). The coin pull as mentioned above was called the 'Go Come Pull' if memory serves me correctly - and was much better (and silent!) than the horrendous plastic Universal Pull by Vernet. He also made the Cigarette Pull look so convincing - his timing was immaculate and the lit cig just appeared to melt away at his fingertips.

Of course Alan had learnt to dem magic correctly over many years; I believe that he once worked in a magic shop owned by Dick Chavel; before opening his own shop. prior to that of course, Alan was an escapologist as seen in this old British Pathe footage:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/burni ... capologist

Getting back to Alan Alan's shop. Being located in Holborn, he was quite nearby to Shaftesbury Avenue and the West End's theatre land. Sometimes, he'd be visited by a theatre's prop buyer that wanted to buy magic tricks - such as a set of Chinese Linking Rings, or a brightly coloured mirror box, etc. - either for some amateur part, or simply for stage dressing. Do you think that he ever sold these props to a non-magician? Not a chance. Alan was from the old school that believed in protecting the secrets of the Art of Magic. If only the same could be said for magic today - with the plethora of internet 'magic shops' that sell props to anyone; coupled with dire exposures on YouTube.

Alan was always immaculately dressed - usually in a three piece suit. In complete contrast, he'd usually have a punk-rock safety pin through his nose and theatrical fake blood covering the back of his hand. Then when he next turned around, he'd have fake snot dripping from his nostril and a knife through his head. Then he'd sit on his stool; throwing a never-ending stream of those little paper exploding bangs at people as they walked in. It was worth being in the shop just to witness the unbelievable looks he'd get from customers - that just couldn't make out exactly what they'd walked into; and how this guy that looked just like a bank manager, had not been certified and taken away by the men in white coats.

The shop itself - I'd never seen anywhere like it. I don't think that there was a single space left untapped within his shop window; all sorts of items from fake body-parts, masks and jokes; whilst in the side window, next to the door, actual magic tricks (many of which were Tenyo items). Upon entering the shop, there were two massive wall cabinets on the left - absolutely crammed with all types of magic props. Straight ahead was a display of books and booklets and a long counter on the right. On the counter itself, it personified the expression 'utter chaos' - complete with a rubber bell (actually a rubber female breast) with the sign 'Tush Pit For Service'. Could you get away with this in today's politically correct World without complaint? I would guess not.

Alan was the guy that got me hooked on Harry Lorayne and Harry's material. And here is the reason why I put him on par with Brookie. Alan Alan was the ONLY magical demonstrator that wouldn't only recommend a book, he would actually show you material from it. How refreshing that was. Sales people working in the other London-based magic shops at the time (two of which are still operating) would hype a particular title - without having the first idea of it's actual content. Alan was different. I remember him going into great detail about Harry Lorayne's Ultra Move; and spending ages showing me the technique once I'd purchased 'Afterthoughts' from him. I adore magic books even to this day yet, as previously mentioned, have never known any magic dealer to possess such an in-depth knowledge of each title's content. Alan was also an admirer of the author Lewis Ganson, and I bought a copy of every title on Alan's bookshelf over the years. I also remember (I must have been about 17 at the time) asking for a copy of Corinda's 13 Steps. Alan (possibly correctly) stated that not only was I too young but also that I didn't look nor sound like a mentalist. However, he recommended the book for some of the techniques and methods within. 30 years down the line and I still don't look like a mentalist but do you know what? The Centre Tear and a Swami have both come in useful on more than one occasion. Sound advice from a guy that truly knew this business inside out.

I think I first went into Alan's shop around 1979 when I was 15, then throughout the early to mid 1980's. I can honestly say, hand on heart, that nowhere since has had the same appeal. A counter in such a mess with jokes, novelties and magic scattered all over the place. A magic demmer using a square carpet tile instead of a close-up mat; a magic demmer constantly chain smoking Dunhill Internationals as he showed you the latest miracles (as well as miracles from years gone by).

No magic shop that I've visited since has ever held a light to Alan Alan's - and do you know what? I don't think that any EVER will.

[Dave Le Fevre]

the 'Dual Control' gimmick

I bought one from him. It's still fitted in one of my suits.

It was forty (or more) years ago, and I knew hardly anything about magic. When I asked about some little box that vanished a coin, he told me that I didn't need it 'cos I could do a coin vanish. So he talked himself out of a sale.

I remember that a coin was glued to the desk.

I bought a Tenyo item from him, the Super Phanto Block. I liked it so much that I later bought a spare. Decades later, I sold the as-yet-unopened spare to the Head Genii. If only we'd known how much Tenyo items would appreciate in value ...

[BarryAllen]

the 'Dual Control' gimmick

I bought one from him. It's still fitted in oene of my suits.

It was forty (or more) years ago, and I knew hardly anything about magic. When I asked about some little box that vanished a coin, he told me that I didn't need it 'cos I could do a coin vanish. So he talked himself out of a sale.

I remember that a coin was glued to the desk.

I bought a Tenyo item from him, the Super Phanto Block. I liked it so much that I later bought a spare. Decades later, I sold the as-yet-unopened spare to the Head Genii. If only we'd known how much Tenyo items would appreciate in value ...

Hi David,

You are fortunate to have purchased a Dual Control from Alan, because it would have been constructed properly, with the correct gauge of nylon line.

The version released by Alakazam a few years back, was an absolute insult to this superb, utility gimmick. I purchased it primarily through laziness in making up the item again. What was supplied was a something with a nylon line wide enough to go whaling with.

I also thought at the time that it was a bit cheap of Alakazam to only include one gimmick - for what is, afterall, something that can be constructed for pennies. That said, given the woeful gimmick that Alakazam supplied with their release, it was probably no loss. I truly can't imagine that many people who bought it, ever bothered to use it. I can't blame them to be fair - under close-up conditions, you'd have needed gonads of steel.

Disappointing also, was that there was nothing contained upon the DVD instruction that wasn't already clearly outlined by the brilliant author, Lewis Ganson - within The Art of Close-up Magic (Vol 1).

Lest we forget that the gimmick itself was primarily based upon an idea by G W Hunter; and Alan acknowledged the moves and ideas for its usage were also the brainchild of Harry Hickson.

Turning to Tenyo - who indeed could have predicted their rise in popularity.....and value!

I think I've probably related elsewhere on here, when I worked at weekends in a Joke/Magic shop in Greenwich back in 79/80. Packs of Svens; along with most of the Paul Daniels Dubreq range and other smaller items; all sold extremely well. Sadly, the Tenyo items just sat on the shelf gathering dust - Squeeze Play, Wandering Hole and Sandwich Platter. It wasn't through a lack of effort demming them. I even remember coming up with a much cleaner handling of Sandwich Platter, for one of the cards (can't remember which). The instructions outlined for that phase just appeared unnatural.

However, it did teach me an important lesson, even back then as a kid. What was often clever eye-candy for Magicians (and myself!), can often fall flat on its arse with laymen.

That said, I'd be more than happy to dust those boxes off now!

[nmcd78]

Thanks Richard. That question has been in the back of my mind for years.

It is warming to hear so many different memories of the man. A true character.

[Richard Kaufman]

Alan's handling for the Dual Control gimmick is explained in Tarbell 7.

[Tarotist]

Turning to Tenyo - who indeed could have predicted their rise in popularity.....and value!

I think I've probably related elsewhere on here, when I worked at weekends in a Joke/Magic shop in Greenwich back in 79/80. Packs of Svens; along with most of the Paul Daniels Dubreq range and other smaller items; all sold extremely well. Sadly, the Tenyo items just sat on the shelf gathering dust - Squeeze Play, Wandering Hole and Sandwich Platter. It wasn't through a lack of effort demming them. I even remember coming up with a much cleaner handling of Sandwich Platter, for one of the cards (can't remember which). The instructions outlined for that phase just appeared unnatural.

On occasions I have sold Tenyo items and I found them very useful. Not from a sales point of view but from what we grafters call a "Flash" point of view. For those of you who have led innocent and sheltered lives the word "Flash" as used by both pitchmen and grafters means "attractive display". The old saying is "Flash is cash". In other words a nice display will bring people over and helps you sell more stuff.
I would never demonstrate the Tenyo items even though I knew how to do a few of them. There just wasn't the profit margin to take up time demonstrating them. If someone asked me about them I would just say, "Oh, that's a terrific trick!" even if I had no idea what the hell it was.
However it was the colourful display I had of them in back of me which was so useful. And of course I would sell the odd one from time to time from the flash of the item alone.

Same thing with the Paul Daniels Dubreq tricks. I never demonstrated them but they made a good flash on the table and I sold a lot of them because of course everyone knew who Paul Daniels was.

My rule was never to demonstrate an item unless it has a high mark up. I would simply let them lie there and if anyone wanted to purchase it I would of course take their money. However, demonstrating the item takes up far too much time unless it is what we, in the business, call a "high bunce line". In other words a high mark up. There are only about half a dozen or so magic tricks that have this feature. Those are the ones that should be demonstrated all day and the other crap ignored. In the case of a magic shop who sells mainly to the public if they don't follow this policy they will go out of business very quickly.

[BarryAllen]

[/b]

Same thing with the Paul Daniels Dubreq tricks. I never demonstrated them but they made a good flash on the table and I sold a lot of them because of course everyone knew who Paul Daniels was.

That's such a poignant remark actually Mark.

The Dubreq range came in eye-catching, brightly coloured boxes; and you could display the complete range (1-20) upon swivelling display stands, that didn't take up much space whatsoever. We had the full range - albeit it was the Cups & Balls and the Dynamic Coins that got the punters salivating and removing their wallets - so that's what we pushed. Heaven above knows how many cartons of those two tricks that I sold over 2 years.

We also had hundreds of Paul Daniels publicity photographs (they were actually postcards) delivered in a large box - I remember them now - Paul was wearing a white three piece suit, against a day-glo orange background. Maybe this was arranged purely to promote the Dubreq range?

Suffice to say that during quiter periods in the shop, I had Paul's signature off to a tee - helped by the fact it was included upon the various Dubreq instructions.

For an extra 10p, people could buy a signed photo of Paul. Note I said 'a signed photo OF Paul', not 'a signed photo BY Paul'. It made Dave Falcon (the owner) laugh at the time. I got told that "I'd never starve". As I was a kid and lived at home with my parents at the time, I didn't quite know what he meant.

I think that the penny actually dropped in later years.

[Tarotist]

Selling the Dubreq range was a wonderful market research tool as to how popular Paul Daniels was! Obviously the punters would talk about him when they saw the range displayed. I should have offered my findings for sale to his management! Briefly this is what I found. Kids LOVED Paul! Women (in general anyway) HATED him! And men were 50/50 about him. Some liked him and some didn't.

I always found the survey that the TV Times in the UK made to be fascinating. They asked readers to vote on the ten most popular TV personalities in the UK and the ten most unpopular. Paul was on both lists!

I rather liked him especially since he mentioned me on Twitter saying my advice was "Gold for magicians!" He was certainly very, very strong when performing to a live audience.

[BarryAllen]

I don't want to take things off track. Suffice to say that I first met Paul when I was 15. We were waiting outside International Magic, back around 1979. In those days, it didn't open until around 10.30pm - well not the downstairs studio anyway.

He said "shall we go to the cafe for a cup of tea"? Could I refuse?!

Explaing to Paul that my favourite books were Edward Victor's 'Magic of the Hands' series and not plastic flim-flam, it was in a quiet, grotty(ish) Leather Lane workers Cafe that I got a personal lesson on coins through table and flying eagles - all using normal 2p and 10p coins, taken from his pockets. It was a true eye-opener and remains one of the highlights of my life.

On stage, as you rightly say, Paul was such an accomplished, professional performer.

Bringing this back on track, as previously mentioned, Alan was always extremely kind and helpful (as was Bobby Bernard). Maybe this help was always given because they knew I enjoyed studying books - or perhaps, more importantly, kept my trap shut and just listened.

[Richard Kaufman]

Paul could be delightful company and very generous. Or the opposite. Depending on the day.