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The Spirit’s Magic Teachers:


Whit "Pop" Haydn, Richard Turner, Johnny "Ace" Palmer

Last night at the Magic Castle, the magic teachers of DC comic’s The Spirit got together.

In the December issue of The Spirit, 2008, the Spirit shows some card tricks and explains that magic is his hobby and that he had three magic teachers, Whit Haydn, Richard Turner and Johnny Ace Palmer. Also in the same magazine, our friend and fellow Magic Castle member, the lovely Misty Lee appears in the story as a character.

All of us are old friends, but none knew what had brought us together like this.  It turns out that Mark Evanier, a writer for the comics, was a Castle member, and we were his favorite magicians. He had attended lectures and classes by all of us, and considered us teachers, so he just wrote us into the story with the Spirit.

It is  a wonderful honor.

My life seems to continue to become more and more fictionalized…

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Richard Turner at the Magic Castle this week:


Richard Turner

My friend, Richard Turner is working this week at the Magic Castle. He is the foremost card expert in the world today, even though he is legally blind. His discipline and perfection is stunning. These photos show him in 1986 when he received his first black belt, and then in 2012 when he is 58 years old. There is only four ounces difference in his weight.

As a measure of the type of skill Richard displays in his work, let me quote Jon Raucherbaumer, an internationally recognized expert who is writing a biography of Richard Turner:

“The action of perfectly alternating playing cards, 26 and 26, is not easily named if the goal is accuracy. Even the noun “shuffle” seems inexact because it suggests clumsy randomness and asymmetrical mixing. Sure, the relative positions of the cards change, but the changes are cyclically predictable and in this regard, perfect…

“…But there are two types of this kind of Interlace: The Faro Shuffle and what can be called a Volitional Faro Shuffle. The physics of the Volitional Faro Shuffle in terms of what happens with and to the cards is identical, but the means of making this happen is different. The Faro Shuffle is semi-automatic because the two 26-card sections are butted together in precise ways and the cards will then automatically alternate. The Volitional Faro Shuffle depends on the operator’s volition. He must will his thumbs to precisely and alternately release cards until all 52 of them are interlaced. This is not automatic. It is a matter of pure dexterity and unerring timing.

“Richard’s high-lift, soft interlace table Faro Shuffles are done in less than one second. Formerly a fantasy in MacDouggal’s mind, Richard can execute a Volitional Faro Shuffle in 8.1 seconds.  

“If you think this is easy, try making love while standing up in a hammock and juggling seven ice-cream cones.”

Richard Turner, my good friend Johnny Ace Palmer and I were all named in the comic book the Spirit as magic teachers to the Spirit. It was very cool to be included in such incredible company:

Richard Turner is performing in the Close-Up Gallery at the Magic Castle in Hollywood until Sunday.  It is worth your time to make an effort to see this incredible and unique talent.

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Magic Castle Back!


Magic Castle Main Dining Room

 

I went to the Magic Castle Sunday night with Magill and John Collins of Weird Review. Everything is looking great, and everything but the Hat and Hare and Museum was open. That will open on February 6, Burns Night.

The recovery from the Halloween fire at the Magic Castle is moving along well. As you can see by this photo, the place looks even more beautiful than before.

This photo is by my friend and house photographer, Najee Muwwakkil Williams of Hocus Pocus Focus.

Lots more still to be done, but everything looks great. Things are more open and welcoming, and much brighter.

Great job by the staff and by the BoD and BoT!

Special thanks to Neil Patrick Harris, Erika Larsen, West McDonough, Jim Bentley, and also to the maintenance staff.

I look forward to working in the Palace of Mystery Jan 30th–Feb 5th.

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School for Scoundrels at Magic Castle Sunday!


Bob Sheets at School for Scoundrels

Despite the recent Halloween fire, the Magic Castle is planning to be open by this weekend, and our School for Scoundrels class will begin on Sunday night, November 6th, as planned.

There is still room for you to join this exciting class, but you must register by Friday.

It is open to both members and non-members of the Magic Castle, and no prior experience, skills or knowledge is required.

This course teaches the basic sleight of hand, psychology, history and importance to magic of the three basic street swindles: Three-Card Monte, the Shell Game, and the various games of Fast and Loose.

We believe that the street hustler makes a better role-model for the modern close-up magician than the card cheat which has been the model since the turn of the century.

We believe that street hustlers have much to teach that is of huge benefit to magicians, especially those who work corporate walk around, trade-shows, or private parties where they need to gather a crowd, hold their attention, control their thinking, and get them to do what they want them to do.

School for Scoundrels at the Magic Castle in Hollywood will begin on Sunday, November 6, and continue on Nov 13, 20, 27, and also on Mondays, November 7, 14, 21, 28. School for Scoundrels is a course taught at the Magic Castle every November since 1996.

Pop Haydn and Chef Anton (two-time national trick-shot champion at pool), teach the class together, with guests such as Bob Sheets and Doc Eason.

The course attracts lawyers and law-enforcement personnel, as well as magicians, students of gambling and history, and many who just find the subject fascinating–you don’t need to be a member of the Magic Castle to sign up for this course, and no previous knowledge or skills are required.

The course is $160 for the eight hours–two hours a night, once a week, for four weeks.

You can switch nights from Monday to Sunday or vice-versa–each week the same lesson is taught on both Sun and Mon at 7:00 pm.

Contact Magic University, and talk to Mark or Nani Wilson at (800) 367-8749 to sign up for the course.

$160 for all four nights.

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Magic Castle Fire Press Conference


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Fire at the Magic Castle!


Sophie Evans

The Magic Castle will be closed tonight, Halloween, because of a fire in the attic.

The fire started at 12:35 pm this afternoon, and was put out in just over an hour. No one was hurt, and the fire is out. The Magic Castle is okay with only superficial and water damage to the attic. The Castle will be closed tonight until the damage can be assessed. It will re-0pen as soon as possible.

More information is available here: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/10/magic-castle-fire-damage.html

Sophie Evans has been performing all this past week with her amazing fire magic act and fire-eating in the Palace of Mystery–part of our Inferno at the Magic Castle Halloween week theme, and unfortunately will not be able to perform her last shows tonight.

Sophie, of course, denies any involvement in this unfortunate affair, and she looks perfectly innocent to me…

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Tony Curtis Straightjacket Escape


Tony Curtis as The Great Houdini

Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz, later Ehrich Weiss; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926)

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Sophie Evans at the Magic Castle


Video of Sophie Evans’ Fire Act

Sophie Evans will be performing all week in the Palace of Mystery beginning Monday, October 24th, and on until Halloween Night, October 31st.

She will be doing her very sexy fire magic act. She has some wonderful new bits in it, which she performed tonight at Erika Larsen’s Brookledge Follies.

Also on the Palace show are Bruce Block and Sylvester the Jester. It is a special Halloween Week at the Magic Castle and should be a whole lot of fun.

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Pop Haydn in the Close-Up Gallery


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Suzanne the Magician


Suzanne the Magician

Suzanne the Magician

My dear friend Suzanne the Magician is back in town. She did a performance in San Diego, last night, and is now here in Los Angeles to star in the early Close-Up Gallery beginning tonight through Sunday.

Suzanne is a wonderful performer, and an all-around splendid lady. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband Louis, and son Ian. She is a full-time magician, and a busy one at that. Her mentor is a great magician and magical creator, Al Schneider.

The members of Hollywood’s world-famous Magic Castle and the Academy of Magical Arts have honored Suzanne by choosing her as Close-Up Magician of the Year for 2010.  The award ceremony was held on April 10, 2011 at the Avalon Theater in Hollywood. Suzanne is the first woman magician ever to be nominated for this award, and also the first to win it.

She has recently been on the cover of two international magic magazines.

 

Suzanne the Magician
Suzanne on the cover of Genii

Suzanne’s website is: suzmagic.com

You can see video of Suzanne’s magic here:

http://www.suzmagic.com/videos.htm

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