Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Discuss general aspects of Genii.
Sebastian B
Posts: 83
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 4:00 am
Favorite Magician: Dai Vernon/René Lavand

Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Sebastian B » August 5th, 2014, 4:30 am

Hi,

This is my first post, so an introduction is in order. I have been involved in magic for about fifteen years, I am not a professional magician. Magic is a hobbie for me, by profession I am a teacher.

I have been reading the Royal Road To Card Magic lately and was struck by the crediting, or lack there of. There is a lot of beautifully constructed routines in that book. My question is if someone knows who the creators are, or can point me i the right direction?

PS
English is not my first language so my apologies for the spelling.
Last edited by Sebastian B on August 6th, 2015, 8:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Q. Kumber
Posts: 1851
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Tom Whitestone

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Q. Kumber » August 5th, 2014, 4:51 am

Design For Laughter is basically, The Partagas Sell from Victor Farelli's Card Magic Part Two.

Farelli credits it to the Señor Partagas who had a magic shop in Barcelona. In his book Farelli recommends preceding the trick with another, The Three Packets.

In the latter trick, the participant cuts the deck into three piles, the bottom card from each is shown and placed on the table. None are the chosen card. The magician asks the helper to touch any of the three and it now turns out to be the chosen card.

Sebastian B
Posts: 83
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 4:00 am
Favorite Magician: Dai Vernon/René Lavand

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Sebastian B » August 5th, 2014, 5:08 am

Hi,

Thanks for that information Q.kumber. I will write that down in my copy of the Royal Road. This is just speculation from my side, but i was wondering if Topsy Turvy could be Sid Lorraines? For some reason Do as I do feels like it could be Al Baker.
Last edited by Sebastian B on August 6th, 2015, 8:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

Pete McCabe
Posts: 2332
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Pete McCabe » August 5th, 2014, 8:20 am

The trick called “Tantalizer” in Royal Road was published by L. Vosburgh Lyons as “Last Chance” in Jinx #54 in March of 1939.

Sebastian B
Posts: 83
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 4:00 am
Favorite Magician: Dai Vernon/René Lavand

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Sebastian B » August 5th, 2014, 10:16 am

Thats great Pete! Thank you.

The trick A pocket discovery on page: 32 (Faber&Faber) has previously been published in Secrets Of Conjuring And Magic (J.E Robert-Houdin), under the name Clairvoyance by touch on page: 202 (Cambridge ed).

cardmaster
Posts: 29
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 1:07 pm
Favorite Magician: Rodolfo

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby cardmaster » August 5th, 2014, 1:15 pm

Topsy Turvy Cards is the first trick in the book and was not invented by Sid Lorraine. However, a somewhat similar effect later on in the book entitled "A Tipsy Trick" certainly was. Or at least the shuffle was. I am not sure if the revelation of the selected card was devised by Sid but I expect it was.

A remarkably good card trick which is similar to the Vernon Triumph effect but using the overhand shuffle rather than the riffle shuffle. From a professional's point of view The Tipsy Trick version actually has quite a few advantages over Vernon's Triumph. No space to detail them here.

Sebastian B
Posts: 83
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 4:00 am
Favorite Magician: Dai Vernon/René Lavand

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Sebastian B » August 5th, 2014, 1:50 pm

Hi Cardmaster,

Thats great information thank you, and I agree with you that "A Tipsy Trick" is a beautiful routine. It would be very interesting to read your dissertation regarding "A Tipsy Trick" and "Triumph".

cardmaster
Posts: 29
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 1:07 pm
Favorite Magician: Rodolfo

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby cardmaster » August 10th, 2014, 7:42 am

I don't know about a "dissertation" but I will be happy to give you my take on it. I like both effects. However, I would tend to present Triumph in a quieter more attentive atmosphere. I find Tipsy Trick more practical for general use. Here is where I see that the advantage lies with the Royal Road trick.

First, and very importantly for a professional magician you do not require a table. Not every strolling gig has a table handy to do riffle shuffles on. But even if you only do impromptu magic for friends there isn't always a table handy.

Second, Tipsy Trick is far better for a larger crowd say at a trade show or a large table when you do walk around magic. At a big table not everyone will be able to see Triumph properly. In fact you can actually do Tipsy Trick in a stand up show if the venue is small and well lit. You can't do that with Triumph!

Third, to my mind there is something more amusing about the slop shuffle. (Incidentally, I should apologise for my use of the phrase "overhand shuffle" in my last post. I actually meant to say "slop shuffle") I believe the purpose of doing a card trick is to entertain as well as baffle and I find the slop shuffle although cruder than the riffle shuffle method is inherently more entertaining. And it fits in splendidly with the "drunk man" presentation which is also inherently entertaining.

I like the Vernon effect and as explained would be happy to use it under certain circumstances but for general use I prefer Tipsy Trick. And the latter is certainly a more practical version for a professional magician.

There. This ended up as a "dissertation" after all!

cardmaster
Posts: 29
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 1:07 pm
Favorite Magician: Rodolfo

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby cardmaster » August 10th, 2014, 7:57 am

Oh, and with regard to the original question I have no idea where 99% of the tricks in the Royal Road originate but I do know that Poker Players Picnic was invented by Steve Belchou. The Card to Pocket thing was invented by C. O. Williams from Cardiff, and I am pretty sure that Everywhere and Nowhere came from Hofzinser.

Incidentally, without getting into another dissertation I find that Poker Player's Picnic is a highly underestimated trick among magicians. It seems to be looked down on as a beginner's trick and the secret is often exposed to people it shouldn't be exposed to. I find it to be one of the most effective card tricks in my repertoire.

Sure, there are other more direct versions. However, not one of them has the advantage that the magician does not touch the cards even once. Besides the Royal Road version is easier!

Sebastian B
Posts: 83
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 4:00 am
Favorite Magician: Dai Vernon/René Lavand

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Sebastian B » August 10th, 2014, 10:50 am

Excellent post`s Cardmaster! I enjoyed reading them both and agree with you about the thinking of when and where to perform Triumph and A Tipsy Trick. As you stated, both are excellent routines but they are suited to diffrent performing situations.

Thank you for taking the time to respond I really appreciate it.

PS
The Card To Pocket by C. O. Williams is another beautiful routine in Royal Road.

Sebastian B
Posts: 83
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 4:00 am
Favorite Magician: Dai Vernon/René Lavand

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Sebastian B » August 10th, 2014, 11:25 am

Poker Player´s Picnic is another beautiful routine from Royal Road as you have already stated Cardmaster. I have been thinking about the rearrangement of the cards after the deck has been cut into four piles. My thinking about this is along the lines of me squaring the four piles, then saying to the spectator that he/she may think that it is possible to in that moment control specific cards. In order for me not having any control over the cards I tell the spectator to take one card from the top to the bottom, after the spectator has done that I say take two more, then to put one card on each pile (This Is done with each pile for the trick to come to a successful conclusion).


PS
I wonder who the originator of that routine is?

Max Maven
Posts: 524
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Hollywood, CA
Contact:

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Max Maven » August 10th, 2014, 5:51 pm

It was invented by Steve Belchou, and first appeared in The Dragon in 1939.

Sebastian B
Posts: 83
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 4:00 am
Favorite Magician: Dai Vernon/René Lavand

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Sebastian B » August 11th, 2014, 1:08 pm

Thank you for the information Max. I appreciate you taking the time to anser my question.

cardmaster
Posts: 29
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 1:07 pm
Favorite Magician: Rodolfo

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby cardmaster » September 25th, 2014, 3:17 pm

Yes indeed. I mentioned Steve Belchou myself in my earlier post. Perhaps Sebastian missed it. However, I do thank Mr Maven for confirming it. Incidentally although he was not the inventor I do believe Oscar Weigle first popularised it.

But here is another one that is not credited. The version of the Three Cards Across described in the platform section of the book was virtually identical to the one described by Ponsin in 1853. I think he was probably the inventor although I believe David Devant made a feature of it too.

Sebastian B
Posts: 83
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 4:00 am
Favorite Magician: Dai Vernon/René Lavand

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Sebastian B » September 25th, 2014, 3:23 pm

Sorry about that Cardmaster :) You did indeed mention it in a previous post.

User avatar
mrgoat
Posts: 4242
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brighton, UK
Contact:

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby mrgoat » September 25th, 2014, 3:39 pm

I always do tipsy trick rather than triumph. Both are great but tipsy trick needs no table thus is more useful for me.

El Mystico
Posts: 1087
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Leamington Spa
Contact:

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby El Mystico » October 23rd, 2014, 8:48 am

re: CO Williams Card To Pocket; it is worth tracking down the original write up, in Hoffman's Magical Titbits. Hugard and Braue introduced a few complications, and in trying to cover a palm with misdirection, added an illogicality.
See http://www.geniimagazine.com/magicpedia/Magical_Titbits

User avatar
lybrary
Posts: 1169
Joined: March 31st, 2013, 4:59 pm
Contact:

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby lybrary » October 23rd, 2014, 9:45 am

If you want "Magical Titbits" as PDF download look here http://www.lybrary.com/magical-titbits-p-125.html
Lybrary.com Magic & Gambling
preserving magic one book at a time

User avatar
Vince Hancock
Posts: 13
Joined: May 29th, 2012, 8:10 pm
Location: Bear Lake, Michigan
Contact:

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Vince Hancock » May 26th, 2015, 10:35 am

Hi there,

I have two questions.

1. Who is the performer mentioned in "Do It and Fail?"

...while making an ocean voyage, performed it at the dinner table every night...


2. Who is the inventor of the effect?

Sebastian, thanks for starting this topic. I searched the forum to see if I could find the answer. This looked like a good place to pose the question.

Best,

Vince

Philippe Billot
Posts: 1820
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: PARIS - FRANCE

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Philippe Billot » May 26th, 2015, 3:16 pm

This trick was explained in 1853 in Nouvelle Magie blanche dévoilée, page 65 under the title :

Apprendre un tour à plusieurs personnes qui parviennent de suite à très bien le faire. Ensuite les empêcher de réussir ou les faire réussir à volonté bien qu'éloigné d'elles.

Learn a trick to several people who manage on very well do so. Then prevent them from succeeding or do will succeed though far from them.

User avatar
Bill Marquardt
Posts: 409
Joined: May 4th, 2011, 11:16 am
Favorite Magician: Pop Haydn

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Bill Marquardt » May 26th, 2015, 3:58 pm

Apprendre un tour à plusieurs personnes qui parviennent de suite à très bien le faire. Ensuite les empêcher de réussir ou les faire réussir à volonté bien qu'éloigné d'elles.

Learn a trick to several people who manage on very well do so. Then prevent them from succeeding or do will succeed though far from them.



It has been awhile since I studied French, but I believe the Google translation above is flawed. My translation would be:

"Teach a trick to several people who will then be able to do it very well. Afterwards, prevent them from succeeding or allow them to succeed at will, even though you are nowhere near them."

Philippe Billot
Posts: 1820
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: PARIS - FRANCE

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Philippe Billot » May 26th, 2015, 4:43 pm

You are right. Your translation is better.

I used Google because I'm lazy.

User avatar
Vince Hancock
Posts: 13
Joined: May 29th, 2012, 8:10 pm
Location: Bear Lake, Michigan
Contact:

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Vince Hancock » June 5th, 2015, 3:24 pm

Thank you very much for the information.

Any thoughts on who the performer on the ocean liner was? By 1949 (the edition of RRTCM I have), was performance on such vessels as common or more common than it is today?

There is this mention of Vernon in another post (http://forums.geniimagazine.com/viewtopic.php?p=148169#p148169), which says:

...but Vernon had to leave New York for a cruise ship engagement which delayed work on his four-part series...


And also this mention in this post: (http://forums.geniimagazine.com/viewtopic.php?p=41757#p41757

Another, on a cruise ship at the swimming pool. Vernon had three cards chosen from a jumbo deck.


Or, could it have been Amedeo Vacca (http://www.geniimagazine.com/magicpedia/Amedeo_Vacca)?

I'm not clear what the sources are, but this page (http://www.magictricks.com/biographies-of-magicians-A.html; listed under his first name) says that Vacca was one of the first cruise ship magicians.

Thank you for your time!

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Jonathan Townsend » June 5th, 2015, 3:40 pm

What a trick to make sentiment and meaning evaporate while pouring an expression from one language into another.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Bill Mullins
Posts: 5913
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL
Contact:

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Bill Mullins » June 5th, 2015, 6:08 pm

Vince Hancock wrote:Any thoughts on who the performer on the ocean liner was? By 1949 (the edition of RRTCM I have), was performance on such vessels as common or more common than it is today?


FWIW, I don't read the passage as saying that the performer was working on the ship as a "cruise ship magician", but was simply on a voyage for other reasons, and happened to do the trick to amuse his dinner companions.

Having said that, Jimmy Thompson (performing as Kater) was described as working on cruise ships as early as the Jun 1940 issue of Genii. Tops (Feb 1945) says that Bob Lutz was working on ocean liners in 1938.

But the earliest reference to cruise ship magicians that I have found is from The Sphinx (Jun 1931):
The Cunard and other steamship lines sailing out of New York on four and five day cruises to "nowhere" are featuring magicians in their New York advertising. On the first cruise of the season on the huge Cunarder, The Berengaria, one of the largest vessels afloat, which went to Bermuda, Julien J. Proskauer, business manager of The Sphinx and member of many magical societies was a featured attraction.

According to Proskauer the greatest possible interest in magic is shown by the ocean-goers, and the audience, made up of wealthy tourists, are very receptive. Harry Blackstone has just finished a Bermuda engagement and worked the Furness-Bermuda Line boats en route to the "Isle of Perpetual Summer."

The Thayer Rapping Hand, the Tom Sellers Rising Cards, the Chicago Magic Vanishing Bird Cage Illusion, Max Holden's Moths from the Pocket Book, Thayer's Blue Phantom and Three Card Monte were used by Proskauer at one show and at the other, by request, the Rapping Hand was repeated. Sympathetic Silks, Holden's Card in the Balloon and a compelte small magic routine was featured at the second show.

Proskauer was booked again for a cruise in August to Halifax by Captain E. T. Britten, skipper of the Berengaria. who is quite a magic enthusiast himself, and was a guest at the S. A. M. Banquet in New York.


I don't think Vernon was working cruise ships until the mid-1940s.

Jack Shalom
Posts: 1368
Joined: February 7th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Jack Shalom » June 5th, 2015, 6:34 pm

Best I can tell, this little notice from magician Harrison Davies in The Sphinx indicates that magicians were performing, at least for private parties, on ships as early as July 1904:

"Detroit: I leave for Atlantic City with the Moslem Temple of the
Mystic Shrine July 11th to entertain them on their trip. A
special boat, "The Moslem," takes the party, which will number
about four hundred, from here to Buffalo, leaving there by rail
for the coast. The affair is expected to be a very elaborate
one. The trip is for one week."

Sebastian B
Posts: 83
Joined: August 5th, 2014, 4:00 am
Favorite Magician: Dai Vernon/René Lavand

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Sebastian B » January 2nd, 2016, 11:53 am

Hi,

A lot of the members on this forum contributed to the credits in Royal Road to card Magic, and here is the list - so far - :)

A poker players picnic ( Steve Belchou 1939 in The Dragon)

design for laughter ( Senor Partagas)

Card in pocket ( C.O. Williams)

The Tantalizer ( L Vosburgh Lyons)

A poker Puzzle ( Marlo/Gardner)

A Tipsy Trick ( Sid Lorraine)

Double Reverse ( Walter B Gibson)

Fours of a kind ( Dai Vernon? )

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby performer » January 2nd, 2016, 1:16 pm

I have been doing the tipsy trick for at least 50 years. After doing it for about 20 years I got to know Sid Lorraine but I had no idea he invented
the trick I had done for so long because of the lack of crediting in the Royal Road.

I never found out until after he died. I have always regretted that I was never able to thank
him for the trick which
has been so good to me.
Last edited by performer on January 3rd, 2016, 9:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby performer » January 3rd, 2016, 9:53 pm

As for Vernon working cruise ships I have a feeling that although he may well have done it earlier he may well also have done it later than you think. I base this on a conversation with Tony Corinda in the late sixties. "He said, "Vernon has just started doing cruise shops now"

I don't know where he got his information from and neither am in a position to verify it. All I can confirm is that Corinda said it to me.

Whether it is true or not I have no idea.

MagicbyAlfred
Posts: 2388
Joined: June 7th, 2015, 12:48 pm
Favorite Magician: Bill Malone
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 3rd, 2016, 10:40 pm

I will say this about a Poker Player's Picnic. Many magicians and "card men" may turn up their noses at it because it is self-working (although doing a smooth and convincing false shuffle(s) before presenting it is important and requires some skill). But in the 20 years or so I have been performing it professionally, it has gotten great reactions. I believe this is so for two reasons: (1) It happens in the spectator's own hands, without the magician ever touching the cards; and (2) It puts the spotlight on the spectator and makes him/her the magician, who accomplishes an amazing and surprising effect to his/her sheer delight and that of the onlookers, as opposed to the typical magician, "Look what I can do" card tricks. As such, it is inherently entertaining and has the all-important emotional hook. Incidentally, the Obliging Aces, from the Royal Road, is another winner with laymen because they themselves pick the numbers, and it is a beautiful revelation of the four aces. I like to present it as a test of their psychic abilities, which I find heightens interest, provides meaning, and invests them emotionally in the routine. You can just force the final (non-ace) and let them take the deck and count down to that number.

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby performer » January 4th, 2016, 12:40 am

Poker Player's Picnic is one of my greatest tricks too. I showed it to Prince Phillip when I was 16 years old. I thought I was going to be invited to the palace and knighted by his wife but for some odd reason it didn't happen.

I would say that approximately 50% of my card trick repertoire comes from the Royal Road to Card Magic. It was actually my Bible at one time.

Philippe Noël
Posts: 456
Joined: March 13th, 2008, 10:43 am
Location: Belgium(Liège)
Contact:

Re: Credits in Royal Road To Card Magic

Postby Philippe Noël » February 20th, 2016, 7:11 am

The first trick of the book "Topsy-Turvy Cards" is in fact "Tenkai's Reverse Cards Mystery" which can be found in Tarbell Vol 1 page 215.


Return to “General”