Best Illusion ever!!

Discuss your favorite platform magic and illusions.
webbmaster
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby webbmaster » February 27th, 2020, 3:47 pm

Can you describe the effect of Table Top Illusion ?

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Zig Zagger
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Zig Zagger » February 27th, 2020, 4:48 pm

It's basically two plain tables of the same size, each containing a big wedge to hide old threads inside so you hopefully won't find all of them... ;)
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Brad Jeffers
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Brad Jeffers » February 28th, 2020, 1:09 am

Brad Henderson wrote:I believe you are thinking of an illusion which used Jarrett’s ingenious pedestal.
Mark Wilson is auctioning off many of his props and illusions this weekend.
A John Gaughan built Jarrett Tube is among the items for sale.
Here's the catalog.

webbmaster
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby webbmaster » March 5th, 2020, 1:46 pm

Charles Reynolds recreated the Mascot Moth for Doug Henning's Merlin show and you can see the illusion ( originally by David Devant ) if you google Doug Henning's Merlin and find the ad for it or else try Youtube. It is definitely available and is pure magic.

webbmaster
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby webbmaster » March 22nd, 2020, 12:35 pm

The Mascot Moth is right at the end of the commercial for Merlin. It goes by fast but well worth many views.

Jack Shalom
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Jack Shalom » March 22nd, 2020, 3:26 pm


Tom Moore
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Tom Moore » March 22nd, 2020, 4:16 pm

Paul Daniels recreated this in one of his tv specials and did a Remarkably good job of it
"Ingenious" - Ben Brantley: New York Times

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Tom Moore
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Tom Moore » March 22nd, 2020, 4:17 pm

"Ingenious" - Ben Brantley: New York Times

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Richard Kaufman » March 22nd, 2020, 7:15 pm

webbmaster wrote:Charles Reynolds recreated the Mascot Moth for Doug Henning's Merlin show and you can see the illusion ( originally by David Devant ) if you google Doug Henning's Merlin and find the ad for it or else try Youtube. It is definitely available and is pure magic.


Steinmeyer for the Mascot Moth, I believe.
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Von Hensdorf
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Von Hensdorf » August 6th, 2020, 8:21 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:
webbmaster wrote:Charles Reynolds recreated the Mascot Moth for Doug Henning's Merlin show and you can see the illusion ( originally by David Devant ) if you google Doug Henning's Merlin and find the ad for it or else try Youtube. It is definitely available and is pure magic.


Steinmeyer for the Mascot Moth, I believe.

Yep, the whole fabulous adventure of Jim Steinmeyer and John Gaughan resurrecting The Mascot Moth for Merlin is documented in Jim's book "Art and Artifice...".

Von Hensdorf
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Von Hensdorf » August 7th, 2020, 8:54 am

A bit of a tangent here - The Mascot Moth had me thinking... In 1883 De Kolta had developed the illusion Le Cocon in Paris and presented it at the Egyptian Hall in 1887 from May to October comfortably fitting the time Devant discovered the venue - predating Devant's Mascot Moth, presented in 1905. It is interesting to think, that De Kolta's Le Cocon and his other illusions, if at all, may have influenced Devant.

While I was digging around trying work this out, I discovered that Georges Méliès 1901 short film The Brahmin and the Butterfly (https://youtu.be/c-pvM7ItozE) was based on Le Cocon. Nice.

Chris Randal2
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Chris Randal2 » August 17th, 2020, 9:18 pm

Dustin Stinett wrote:My favorite illusion is still Doug Hennings Things That Go Bump in the Night. It is based on the Million Dollar Mystery, but I didnt know that all those years ago when I saw it for the first time. It completely floored me, especially when he produced a tiger out of that little box at the end. Lance Burton is doing a version with an American Indian theme.

Another one I like is Franz Hararys Aqua. Its an impossible looking walking through a woman effect. I saw him perform it at the Castle and its a good thing: if I had seen it on the TV I would have sworn it was a camera trick.

And David Copperfield does this little thing where he makes the middle of his arm disappear. I dont know what its called, but I think it might be the best illusion he does and its just a short hunk done between the big productions.

I have no idea how this or Aqua is done, and I dont think I want to know. Seeing them gives me that feeling I had all those years ago when I saw Henning. And I love that feeling!
Dustin



I’m with Dustin Aqua fooled the crap out of me ! I have had people who worked with Franz tell me how it worked and I still don’t get it. He has a new version with just his jacket and it’s even better.

I also want to put out there piece by piece by Michael Giles and Stacy Jones it’s their version of the barrels illusion that Stacys father Chuck Jones did for decades and is also a killer illusion.

Chris Randal2
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Re: Best Illusion ever!!

Postby Chris Randal2 » August 17th, 2020, 10:03 pm

Some mentions in no order

Kevin James The Operation
Steve Fearson Splitting Image (which was later purchased later by Mr Copperfield)
And and illusion I don’t know the name of but was created by Andre Kole and performed by Tim Kole on Champions of Magic on ABC that Copperfield would purchase years later where David goes through a steel plate with spandex.

I think the entire Kevin James catalogue could be on this list as well


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