Postby Guest » November 19th, 2007, 8:50 pm
I have thought about sharing my notes, and did not. A close friend wants to share them with others therfore I am submitting them here in the Genii Forum completely, for that is how I intended to keep them for myself for reading years later....Saturday Night, November 3rd,2007 Beverly Garland Holiday Inn, North Hollywood, Ca. 7:30 pm. The Hooker Card Rise performance of Dr. Samuel Cox Hookers "Impossibilities & Miltiades III". The Fransican Room, small in area had 50 seats. Front row had 8 seats, three rows, then along the back of the room were probably 20 high stools with backs.
The back wall had many letters from famous magicians and scientists who were witness to the demostration when Dr. Hooker was alive and performed this himself. I arrived early, seeing the actual Hooker family decendants after a private showing leaving the room. I met and spoke then visited with a man whom had not seen any magic performed befor. He was clearly overwhelmed with what he witnessed, shocked and completly mystified. The family still talking, having cheese & crackers, coffee and so forth started leaving. I had seen a guest book on the registration table and signed it. The group of people to see the 7:30 pm show had started to arrive and the guest book was not left on the table, it must have been for family only and I am not a family member.
While sitting on a bench next to this table outside, Mike Caveney gave me my copy of the 10th Los Angeles Conference on Magic History. Entering the Franciscan room, my seat was A-2, second from the left end in the front row. The room was full and the presentation began on time. I was probably as close as 8' away from the stage and I could see very clearly.
The stage was on a 12" riser and the curtains were the original one's Dr. Hooker had in his own house when he performed. The stage was small, what looked like maybe 10' across and only about 6'/7' deep. The back curtain was ornate in pattern and multi-colored in soft tones in what looked like a floral design.
The front most curtain was a dark brown and looked like cordaroy material. There were a couple curtains over the stage that had a shelf behind the 1st one were the ribbons for the swinging effect were tossed back up on to when done. These curtains were a forest green color.
On stage there were only 4 tables all with round tops about 12" in diameter and only about 1/2" thick, no fringe material from edge and all tables were felt covered. On the far right a crank model Victrola music player sat on yet another table (5) total. Just to the left on another table was Miltiades III a bears head, dark brown fur, big eyes, extended mouth jaws and a frill collar. The eyes moved up, down, and side to side. Being completly animated, the head moved side to side and nooded up and down, the jaws opened quickly like talking but no sound or clicking or any other noise came out of it being completly silent.
A table against the back curtain had the glass bell jar like a wedding clock cover but much larger, about 10"/11" in diameter and 20"/24" tall. On this table there were also 3 or 4 3" tall small clear glass pedistals about 1/2" to 3/4" diameter each. The table for the houlette was just left of center stage and only about 2' or 3' back from the stages front edge. The remaining table held additional props used during the performance, this was located further to the left and from my seat covered slightly by the front most brown curtain.
Jim Steinmeyer began telling us about Dr. Samuel Hooker and his life, where he was born and lived, his education in Chemistry and also mentioned Dr. Hooker recieved his PHD in only (1) year. John Gaughan presented the Hooker Card Rise and an expert job he did! John is not a typical magic performer, his specialty is restoring antique magic apparatus, automatons, clocks, Houdini's Water Torture Cell ect...John did not showboat himself and performed very casualy.
No sound system was necessary at all due to the room being small as it was. 1st effect began when John picked up a pack of cards from the far left table, removing cards from the box, he placed the box upon Miltiades's table and instantly the bear's eyes rolled down and to the right looking at the box, just laid, then looked at John and its mouth started moving as if speaking but no words came out. John acted like he understood the problem the bear had and removed the box from it's table and placed the empty card box on the prop table to the far left. Then John handed the top 1/3rd of the deck to the person on my far right end of the front row, handed the 2nd third to a person in the middle of our row, then handed the remainder of the pack to me for shuffling. I overhand shuffled my cards briefly. John asked the 3 of us to do this.
He then collected these cards and holding them, he brought forward the houlette to the front row and I touched it, seeing it clearly, it had glass on both sides, was open through the front and back. Made of what looked like brass and had what looked like a solid bottom. Also had small rings at the top of both sides. He then put the deck into the houlette and carefully placed it on the table. He then wound up the victrola, which had the word "Stella" in decal on its inside cover and soft music played.
He asked Miltiades to make a card rise as a poem started to be read aloud. The Queen of Hearts rose slowly and lowered back down. All through out this demonstration Miltiades was animated and a one sided conversation took place between John Gaughan and Miltiades. Next were the marching cards, they all rose one at a time quickly, the Queen of Hearts was removed and stood next to the houlette as this was done. All the while John Gaughan is still reading this poem. The Kings all rose one at a time, then the Joker rises and the Queen of Hearts falls forward face down, poem over.
John Gaughan then asked the audience for a single digit number "7" was called then John asked Miltiades to make them rise, 7 cards rose exactly! Another number of cards was asked for and "4" was called out, again Miltiades made exactly 4 cards rise from the deck in the houlette. Both sets of cards were handed out to the audience to verify. Next effect: Audience shuffles deck, the Joker is removed and with scissors, cut in half width wise, one half was placed over the inside bottom of the houlette from the front to rear the remainder of the deck was placed in the houlette over the Joker half piece, then the entire deck rose with in the houlette and lowered, the Queen of Hearts rises again.
John asked the audience member to call out a card, the 10 of Clubs was called and it rose, this card John Gaughan gave to the audience member to keep as a souvenir. Again audience is asked to call out a card, the Jack of Spades was called and it rises. Then John asked Miltiades to make the very front card rise which was the 3 of Spades and it then rose from the houlette. Then the 7 of Diamonds was called, this was from a man in the front row. And then John asked him to raise his hand and the card rose just as his hand rose, stopped, rose again and lowered, back and forth as his hand/arm was moved up and down, the card responded at the same speed!
Next effect: A borrowed deck from audience, John Gaughan did not touch it, audience member asked to pick a card between 1 and 15, 5 of Hearts was selected and signed, then reversed and both adjacent cards befor and after were also noted. The reversed 5 of Hearts was counted from the face , to be "11" cards in. While in the houlette quickly the 5 of Hearts rose and is shown to be the 11th card and the cards next to it were the same cards.
Next effect: A 2nd borrowed deck from the audience is used and shuffled, the head of Miltiades is now covered with a handkerchief and the houlette is also blocked from view with the folding two panel poem placed in front. The 3 of Diamonds was noted to be the 21st card from the back of the deck, John Gaughan asked Miltiades to mentally think about where the 3 of Diamonds is. Miltiades kept shakeing its head no, under 5,10,15,20,25 then Miltiades nodded yes, on down to "21". John then came off the stage to me and asked me to count out loud in a clear voice to 21. I did and placed the cards in a silver bowl held my John, handing the 21st card to John, it was the correct card! The 2 of Hearts was then called out and it rose also.
Next effect: Then three of the Jacks jumped out fast and cleared the deck as John caught them. Then the bell jar was placed over the houlette's table top and the Jack of Hearts rose 15" to 20" inside the bell jar! No wobble, smooth and silent and so very clean! Then it lowered onto the top of the deck slowly and cleanly. All the while Miltiades is animated and then the bell jar is placed over Miltiades's table top and slowly he rises and keeps moving its eyes and mouth and turns slightly, it raised 15" slowly and it was just as clean and smooth! The bell jar was removed while Miltiades was still 4" off the table top! Clean, slow, smooth, silent, Magical, very very Magical and still animated all the while.
Now the 3" short clear glass pedistals are placed upon the houlette table, and an old magic book, 1/2" thick is placed on top of the pedistals. (3) cards are asked for and called out by the audience, choosen were the 2 of Hearts, 7 of Spades and the 8 of Diamonds. The houlette is placed upon the book, clearly above the table top, then the 2 of Hearts rises. Then the houlette is suspended from two ribbons from above the stage and using the two small rings on the sides of the houlette. This looks to be about head high to John Gaughan, and the 7 of Spades rises. Now the hanging houlette is left swinging back and forth and the 8 of Diamonds rises.
Finally the houlette is placed back on its table, covered once again by the bell jar and now many cards are shot up out of the houlette and just left inside the bell jar all over the table top, not all the cards flew up just several of them. Finished!
Excellent show, $100.00 per ticket.
Totally worth every penny!
It was awesome to experience and witness this extrordinary piece of magic with a capital "M"! :-)
[Edited adding line spaces only: DS]