The Genii Forum

I would like to thank David Ben for his wonderful article about Max Malini.
I was wondering if Malini's son Oziar ever performed Magic professionally?
I would also love to read a similar article on Charlie Miller.

"You wait. You wait a week if you have to." --Max Malini

Sometimes Malini vaited veeks and veeks.

I think the brilliance of that advice is lost on many.

Sometimes you have to vait in order to understand.

"[Magicians at a convention] asked [John Ramsay] if he would perform his Cups and Balls routine. He hedged a bit, then finally asked one of them to get his case. John took out the cups and the wand and went straight into the routine. This puzzled the onlookers, because having read his book on the trick, they knew that at the start of the effect one must have [...] balls palmed in the right hand and they did not see him stealing any. The explanation was simple: John had them palmed before his friends asked him to do the trick. In fact he had eaten a meal with the balls concealed in his hand."

- Andrew Galloway, The Ramsay Legend, p. 10

What I had read previously about Malini now seems like putting the outer frame on a jigsaw puzzle. The October article fills up the centre section.

The missing chapter from the English translation of Houdin's 'Secrets' would make an excellent future GENII article.

? which chapter was not translated into English?

There were lots of nuggets in the Malini article that were news to me.

One of them was that Houdin had included a chapter in his book on how to create a sensation doing close-up magic and using that to sell tickets for your show. Malini was an expert at that.

About seven or eight years ago Mandy Farrell from Bath (England) was meeting John Calvert and Tammy at the local train station. John was lecturing for the magic club that evening. As Mandy was looking down the platform at the alighting passengers her eye was caught by a bit of a commotion. A group of businessmen were helping John and Tammy disembark with their luggage. They were laughing and hugging John and Tammy exclaiming that this had been the most interesting and fascinating train journey.

Later Mandy took John and Tammy to a local cafe for lunch. Within minutes John was creating a sensation with magic and watch stealing.

While John Calvert had no need to sell tickets for that night's lecture, he did what he had always done to sell tickets.

Something of a lost art.

Richard, any chance of finding and printing the lost chapter?

RE: "the lost chapters"

I am told by David Ben that the chapters were not lost; rather, they were not translated into English.

However, the omitted English translations are included in "Salutations to Robert-Houdin" by SH Sharpe and also, again reprinted in the Todd Karr compilation - thereby saving Richard from having to reprint them :)

Your post leaves me both delighted and annoyed.

Delighted as I have The Essential Robert-Houdin in my library. Annoyed that I hadn't realised the relevant chapter was there.

Thank you.

Really love the vait for Malini article. The explained tricks are very clever and follow Malini vay of perform and think. Hope David decides to write a book of her Malini.