Hooker Card Rise

Discuss the latest news and rumors in the magic world.
User avatar
Pete Biro
Posts: 7124
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Hollyweird
Contact:

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Pete Biro » November 16th, 2007, 8:50 am

Stevens' new catalog lists Abotts Nu-Power Rising Cards. Well worth looking at.
Also my new run of the Johnny Paul Cups.
Stay tooned.

Brandon Hall
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: North Hollywood, CA
Contact:

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Brandon Hall » November 16th, 2007, 2:58 pm

I would not be surprised if there are "others" in on the method...serving to keep us all off track, what do say RK?
"Hope I Die Before I Get Old"
P. Townshend

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27056
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 16th, 2007, 3:11 pm

As far as I understand it, the only people who know the complete workings are John Gaughan, Jim Steinmeyer, and the secret assistant who helps during the performance. I am not giving anything away by saying that--the information has been printed before.

Those who attended all saw the same thing, but none of them, despite what they may say, can explain more than one aspect (if they can explain anything at all, and that's doubtful).

The little knowledge I have allows me to refute things which people post as possible methods (genuinely, not just to throw people off course), but I would never write out what my theories are.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 16th, 2007, 3:16 pm

The relatives probably shopped it around first before giving/selling it to Johnny...Oui?

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 16th, 2007, 4:09 pm

"As far as I understand it, the only people who know the complete workings are John Gaughan, Jim Steinmeyer, and the secret assistant who helps during the performance"
____________

Richard: I do recall at the (11-10/4pm) showing - that John said something along the lines that He and '3-4 people' helped construct it in his workshop.

Now, whether his 'construction helpers' know ALL of the Hooker aspects, or just the bits that they each helped on, I have no idea.

I think you were at the same showing also.

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 16th, 2007, 4:21 pm

...and surely, Mike Caveney knows???

User avatar
Dustin Stinett
Posts: 7259
Joined: July 22nd, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Sometimes
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Dustin Stinett » November 16th, 2007, 5:40 pm

Mike has told me that he does not know all of the secrets of the Hooker Card Rise. On the last night of the Conference I was looking for John. Mike told me he was taking Hooker apart. I quipped that "he'd probably throw me out if I went in there." Mike said, "He'd throw me out if I went in there; but I'd love to go in."

Dustin

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 16th, 2007, 8:19 pm

Originally posted by J Fox:
Richard: I do recall at the (11-10/4pm) showing - that John said something along the lines that He and '3-4 people' helped construct it in his workshop.
About 20 minutes after the show ended I re-entered the room to take another look at those letters in the back. In the room there was only Jim talking to another guy who was facing the opposite side of the stage. At that moment I saw two people (different than John) coming out of the left part of the stage, one of them carrying a cardboard box with a handle. The room was still open for "visitors".

Carlo

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2007, 3:53 am

Without seeing the illusion, it is hard for me to come up with an explanation, I only have a few paragraphs to go by. I am going to speculate that the complexity of the threads, is the reason this only get shown every ten years...
---Having been the designer of several Rube Goldberg illusions myself, I would like to offer a stab at how I would set up a borrowed deck to levitate in an examined Houlette. This item could be stored in a thin table-top, perhaps palmed off when needed.. Think of 50 fine guitar strings that are set up like the wires on an egg slicer. If you load a deck with the same enthusiasm as a Farro shuffle, you can have 52 cards separated, inside a glass Houlette. Glass gives the illusion of transparency, but you can hide threads through glass if that pane is viewed the long way, (here horizontally), perhaps in the top of the Houlette, (that is, if there was enough glass decoration around the lip).
---This is the stuff that keeps me up at night!

Michael Edwards
Posts: 516
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Michael Edwards » November 17th, 2007, 4:47 am

You should know that the cards never appear to waver, tilt or shimmy on their ascent or descent under the dome...as might be expected if they were being raised by a thread.

Keep in mind that the bear's head levitates as well under a separate glass dome.

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2007, 5:13 am

That is where I think a complex set of threads with pulleys comes in...I have never tried any of this, but someone did say the descent was not completed...If some form of mirrors were used, a descent would have been accomplished.

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 17th, 2007, 5:58 am

Originally posted by MaxNY:
Without seeing the illusion, it is hard for me to come up with an explanation, I only have a few paragraphs to go by. I am going to speculate that the complexity of the threads, is the reason this only get shown every ten years...
---Having been the designer of several Rube Goldberg illusions myself, I would like to offer a stab at how I would set up a borrowed deck to levitate in an examined Houlette. This item could be stored in a thin table-top, perhaps palmed off when needed.. Think of 50 fine guitar strings that are set up like the wires on an egg slicer. If you load a deck with the same enthusiasm as a Farro shuffle, you can have 52 cards separated, inside a glass Houlette. Glass gives the illusion of transparency, but you can hide threads through glass if that pane is viewed the long way, (here horizontally), perhaps in the top of the Houlette, (that is, if there was enough glass decoration around the lip).
---This is the stuff that keeps me up at night!
I should point out that the houlette does not have glass or any other material in the front and in the back. John himself said that there's glass on the sides. Also, with glass in front/back it would be almost impossible to lift the deck out...(which was done precisely using those windows).

My guess is that it was not a device of the sort you describe. I am trying to imagine what would happen if you try to push the deck in such a thing, most likely some cards would go down and some other would stay up and one would be forced to wiggle the deck a few times in order to intertwine wires and cards. I did not notice such hesitation. Just a guess of course...

As far as the 10 years, more like 15, my thought is that beside the complexity of the setup, it's also like a marketing tool. Take any good illusion, show it to small groups of people, do not allow them to see it again, or allow a few to see it again after a long time, and you can raise that illusion to Hooker-like status. It's the combination of complexity of the effects plus the "only seeing it once" aspect that works. Show it to me tomorrow and I'd know exactly what I need to look for.....It may not give me the full solution, but it would definitely confirm or rule out several things.

Carlo

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 17th, 2007, 9:29 am

Originally posted by MaxNY:
... I would like to offer a stab at how I would set up a borrowed deck to levitate in an examined Houlette.
One more piece of information, regarding the extent to which the houlette was "examined". John walked out of the stage with the houlette in his hand, held firmly at a fixed angle. The audience portion of the theater was quite dark, even in front row.

John walked by the folks sitting in front row, while showing the houlette at that angle -- I can't recall what angle that was. I suspect that one small object or mechanism inside the houlette could not have been spotted under those conditions.

Maybe someone else can come out and be a bit more specific as to how the houlette was held?


Carlo

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2007, 10:11 am

I saw the Hooker Card Rise on Saturday Night Nov.3rd. I sat in the front row, 2nd seat from the left, when John came forward with the Houlette in his hands I touched it, very briefly, John was moving quickly and almost seemed as if he did not want anyone to actually touch it. I touched the side panel and the bottom of the frame on the front side, the top was tilted towards me in and held in both of Johns hands and looked like he was being very careful about it as he moved along the front row from my left to the right end of the row. It happend quickly, and I did not notice if anyone else got a little touch on either.

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 17th, 2007, 10:41 am

Could you see inside? Also, if you touched the side panel this probably means that one hand was holding the bottom, almost covering it completely, and the other hand was holding one of the sides, am I correct?

carlo

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2007, 11:23 am

Do the cards only rise within the glass dome? Or is that the "challenge version" after they cleanly rise from an uncovered deck?

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2007, 11:39 am

The cards actually rise under a number of different circumstances and no one is mentioning Miltiades levitation quite extraordinary.......Pete do you think it has anything to do with mass hypnosis...SB

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2007, 11:56 am

Originally posted by scottb:
The cards actually rise under a number of different circumstances ...
Such as?

Michael Edwards
Posts: 516
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Michael Edwards » November 17th, 2007, 12:01 pm

Originally posted by Chris Aguilar:
Do the cards only rise within the glass dome? Or is that the "challenge version" after they cleanly rise from an uncovered deck?
They rise while uncovered by the dome, when the bottom (inside) of the houlette is covered by a playing card, when the houlette is placed above the table on a book, and when the houlette is swinging on two ribbons suspended in air. When the houlette is on the table, it is not always placed at the same spot on the table. The rising cards are -- at times, from a deck shuffled by a spectator, from a newly opened pack of cards, and from decks that belong to members of the audience. By the way, it is not just one card (which is subsequently handed to an audience member for inspection) that rises when the houlette is covered by the bell jar. All the cards shoot out of the houlette at the finale, hitting the top of the dome.

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 17th, 2007, 1:23 pm

Originally posted by Chris Aguilar:
Originally posted by scottb:
[b] The cards actually rise under a number of different circumstances ...
Such as? [/b]
I recall 5 types of card rise (within different effects):

1. One specific card rises 2/3 of the way (give or take) then descends back

2. One specific card rises 2/3 of the way and is picked up, or deck is picked up with raised card

3. A few random cards (less than 9 I recall hearing) rise 2/3 of the way in succession and stay all raised

4. Whole deck rises 2/3 of the way, then descends back

5. One card rises out of the deck under a glass dome and then descends back. Some "historical accounts" of this rise include *called* cards rising under the dome, and cards descending back into the deck. No called cards rose under the dome this time, neither in 1993. No card descended back into the deck this time, and it appears that this was the case in 1993.


Carlo

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2007, 2:14 pm

I did see down into the Houlette, nothing looked out of the ordinary. I saw the bottom from the top down, and did not get to hold it at all, so could not guess its weight, or composition but it did look like antique brass, I don't recall the exact placement of John's fingers holding the Houlette while showing us its supposed simple design. Nothing looked out of place with it, the photographs in the booklet handed out look better than what it looked like out from under the stage lights, of course that is to be expected.

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 17th, 2007, 3:25 pm

If my "theory" is correct then the inner bottom should be there, empty, and the mechanics should be under the houlette (gears) and on the edges, especially upper edges.
If the houlette were as good looking as that in the photos...not a chance.

I suppose you do not recall seeing anything "suspicious" along the edges, or if there was additional brass along the border that was hiding the view of the inner edges. In the photos, the edges of the upper part of the frame are all vertical, but in the real thing there might have been a small horizontal border all around the upper part of the frame. In this case a straight view from top to bottom would completely hide the inner upper edges.


Carlo

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2007, 5:37 pm

Carlo, at one point in the presentation, John while holding the Houlette and going back to it's table to set it down, fummbled with it for just a moment, as it touched the table top, he needed to re-lift the Houlette slightly and under its base I saw what seemed to be a small flap, that was connected to the Houlette from a hinge and it fliped down, then in just a moment, it appeared to be reset, and then lowered back into a position needed for the next effect. This all took just a moment and I was sitting directly infront of the where the Houlette was tabled. It is possible that myself and only a few others could have glimpsed this minor bobble, this leaves me with the knowledge that the Houlette does indeed have one or more moving parts.

User avatar
Pete Biro
Posts: 7124
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Hollyweird
Contact:

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Pete Biro » November 17th, 2007, 5:42 pm

There is no question that there are mechanical aids, etc. but you know I think I want to keep believing it is magic.
Stay tooned.

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 17th, 2007, 5:56 pm

Originally posted by Scott Peterson:
Carlo, at one point in the presentation, John while holding the Houlette and going back to it's table to set it down, fummbled with it for just a moment, as it touched the table top, he needed to re-lift the Houlette slightly and under its base I saw what seemed to be a small flap, that was connected to the Houlette from a hinge and it fliped down, then in just a moment, it appeared to be reset, and then lowered back into a position needed for the next effect.
Let me ask you this: was the flap hanging down from a side hinge or from a front/back hinge?

carlo

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 17th, 2007, 6:04 pm

Originally posted by Pete Biro:
There is no question that there are mechanical aids, etc. but you know I think I want to keep believing it is magic.
I know Pete, I completely understand this. However, it's an illusion, like many others. More than that, even if Hooker's mistery dies, the world of Magic will still go on....

Carlo

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 17th, 2007, 9:14 pm

There is nothing more embarrassing than in trying to get your deck to rise, you first have to fiddle with the flap beneath your Houlette...

User avatar
Steve Bryant
Posts: 1947
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Ballantine
Location: Bloomington IN
Contact:

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Steve Bryant » November 18th, 2007, 11:50 am

Based on this description from Walter Blaney:

"The cards were removed and anyone could bring up their own
deck, shuffle it thoroughly, put it in the tiny houlette and
place it back on the table. Again any card called for would rise
from the deck."

I keep coming back to the idea of stranger cards being shoved up through the houlette. The link below illustrates another route. (The celluloid might also account for the card's floating.)

Check out Goldfish Card Shark Trick .

Again, I wasn't there, so don't comprehend how the room looked relative to the tables. Fun stuff to think about ...

Brad Henderson
Posts: 4547
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: austin, tx

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Brad Henderson » November 18th, 2007, 12:23 pm

My deck was used. I did NOT place the deck into the houlette nor did I "come up." Johnny took the deck from me, walked it to the stage, and placed it inside. The card which I had selected rose back outwards to the audience. It was an uncommon deck. I have no doubt that the card which rose was the exact card from my pack.

The effect which followed was not any card called for. The selected card which I had reversed in the pack rose. Then a chosen NUMBER of cards rose.

My deck was returned and a second borrowed. In this case the bear told us at what position the thought of card was located.

B

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2007, 12:34 pm

I haven't heard anyone specifically mention this, but the top brass piece of the houlette that was facing the audience moved quite a bit during the performance. When John would touch it, I could see it tilting slightly and once when the houlette was on the table and a card was rising, I saw the top brass piece move in a pivoting movement ever so slightly.

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2007, 2:58 pm

"the top brass piece of the houlette that was facing the audience moved quite a bit during the performance".
____________

A friend who attended the Nov. 3rd performance - told me the exact same thing...still, I'm clueless:-0

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 18th, 2007, 3:52 pm

Originally posted by cbusch:
I haven't heard anyone specifically mention this, but the top brass piece of the houlette that was facing the audience moved quite a bit during the performance. When John would touch it, I could see it tilting slightly and once when the houlette was on the table and a card was rising, I saw the top brass piece move in a pivoting movement ever so slightly.
Could you be more specific as to what part of the top brass frame you are referring to? Do you mean the top edge, including the corners? Did it seem somehow not completely connected with the rest of the frame?

Carlo

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2007, 4:06 pm

It looked like a frame on the face of the houlette that was moving it actually did this frequently though I could not see the meaning to this movement.......Perhaps The Black Arts is somehow involved ......The mechanics are to clean ....SB

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2007, 4:14 pm

Is there a pic of the Houlette somewhere on line?

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » November 18th, 2007, 4:36 pm

Originally posted by scottb:
It looked like a frame on the face of the houlette that was moving it actually did this frequently though I could not see the meaning to this movement.......Perhaps The Black Arts is somehow involved ......The mechanics are to clean ....SB
Let me ask one more time: did it look like
the frame in view was somehow not completely conected, i.e. with (top) parts moving independently.
Could the houlette have moved as a whole and you noticing only the top part moving?


Carlo

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2007, 10:59 pm

What I saw was the top horizontal part of the houlette tilting slightly when John touched it and once when it was on the table and a card was rising. The houlette was not moving. The top piece I am referring to was obviously not solidly attached to the two vertical brass pieces on either side. It was able to pivot. I am not sure what this means, but the action of the card rising did cause it to pivot sometimes.

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 18th, 2007, 11:07 pm

I posted a picture of the houlette with the top piece circled in red. See link to view. That's the part I am talking about.

Pbase

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 19th, 2007, 2:49 am

Originally posted by cbusch:
I posted a picture of the houlette with the top piece circled in red. See link to view. That's the part I am talking about.

Pbase
Password?

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 19th, 2007, 4:30 am

Sorry, password is hooker

Guest

Re: Hooker Card Rise

Postby Guest » November 19th, 2007, 5:52 am

I have been handcrafting a routine for the past twenty years, I deal with micro springs, gears, jewler's saws, and blades...I'll tell you this, there isn't much wiggle room in that Houlette.


Return to “Buzz”