All the Right Moves at Assembly #31

Indianapolis, Indiana

The theme for our March 1 meeting was â??All the Right Movesâ??â??different presentations or different moves used to perform the same trick.  As a bonus, a second theme was â??Off the Shelf--that Magic Book I Just Readâ??. It turned out to be a fascinating evening with great tricks performed, educational discussions about â??movesâ??, and interesting presentations regarding magic books.

Barry Rice, with his entertaining stage presence, performed Jay Sankeyâ??s â??I Have a Hunchâ??.  He also performed a Simon Lovell effect from Million Dollar Miracles.  Jim Croop stumped us all with Paul Hallisâ?? â??One for Roviâ??. Jay Newby shared with us his original cups and balls set along with his routine from his youth (a long time ago, by the way).  Jay also performed a mind control mystery and a surprising color changing CDâ??s routine. Don Miller shared his Mikame Ball Con and, at his request, received good input from the group regarding presentation ideas.  Dee Saul shared his â??contrarianâ?? version of two different card manipulationsâ??the glide and the three card push off.

As is his custom, Taylor Martin provided fascinating historical snippets, this time sharing with us Breslewâ??s Last Legacy published in 1811.  Along with the book Taylor produced a deck of cards from the fifteen hundreds and proceeded to change four aces into four knaves.  He then discussed, and demonstrated, the props from the Discoverie of Witchcraft set.  Before he finished we all knew the original meanings of hocus pocus and abracadabra!

Two other â??off the shelfâ?? presentations were shared by Don Miller and Phil Dubbs.  Don had a prepublication copy of Campfire Magic by Mac King.  Phil passed around his copy of Magic for Everyone by Heseward Currington, copyright 1920.

To top off the evening, at least for Don Miller, this monthâ??s door prize, a Real Magic DVD, was won by Don Miller!

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

March 2010

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at the Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon Road,  Indianapolis.

Assembly #31â??s â?? Night at the Moviesâ??

Indianapolis, Indiana

It was a â??night at the moviesâ?? for Assembly 31 in February.  The idea was to bring video clips of magic in movies or to bring tricks that the members had seen performed in movies.  It turned out to be a fun and interesting evening, even though, with a decided lack of â??geeksâ?? in our audience, figuring out how to hook up the video projector turned out to be a big time project.  We needed a bit of technical magic which, unfortunately, was not forthcoming.

Chris Henderson did a nice precognition routine utilizing the introduction to Star Wars.â??  Tom Winterrowd then described Danteâ??s magic performance in Laurel and Hardyâ??s A Hunting We Will Go.  Steve Spence shared excerpts from Doug Henningâ??s The Magic Show.  Taylor Martin then played a portion of the first television special of magic in 1957.  It included the only live performance by Cardini ever recorded.  Robert Harbin was also on the show.

The second half of the evening was for our members to perform.  Tom Winterrowd, dressed with top hat and cigar,  performed The Lazy Magician.  First he provided a detailed and fascinating historical account of his favorite magicianâ??Harry A. Jansen (Dante) who was, by the way, a partner of Howard Thurston.  Dante traveled with more than twenty backdrops for his show.  Tom first saw Dante at the English Theatre (which no longer exists) in Indianapolis in 1941.  Tom was 14 years old at the time!  Steve Spence talked about Kreskin and the great Buck Howard and then concluded our evening of magic by expertly performing Dean Dillâ??s The Revelation.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

February 2010

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at the Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon Road,  Indianapolis.

Assembly #31â??s â??Out of the Boxâ?? Night

Indianapolis, Indiana

It was â??out of the boxâ?? night at our October Assembly 31 night.  The idea was to bring a new trick, give it a try, and receive tips and feedback from the members regarding presentation and technique.  There was much discussion and many excellent pointers for each of the tricks presented throughout the evening.

Sid Griffiths asked for input regarding his version of 21.  Taylor Martin demonstrated both the Okido box and the Coin from the Top of the Hand.  He also discussed Four coins and a Card---a Paul Harris trick from the Magical Arts Journal.  Chris Henderson did a â??Tarbell Card Nightâ?? with a very well done series of card sleights.  Neither Taylor nor Chris needed any help, as their performances were excellent.  Such was not the case for immediate past president, Steve Spence, who brought his Boston Box.  The group was kind though, and gave him a number of pointers.  The final performer for the evening was Joe Scott, who did Bubby Kneelâ??s Psychic Card trick found in The Scribe column in the October issue of the MUM.  He told us it was one of the first tricks he ever learned decades ago.

Many thought provoking tips were scattered throughout the performances.  Here are several:  â??Donâ??t overproduce a trick. Avoid tendency to over talk.  Patter needs to be compelling for tricks without a surprise ending.  Make eye contact when doing the secret move.  If you are left handed, it is helpful to read the instructions and practice the trick in front of a mirror.  We need to find things that are not magical and make them magic.â??

Taylor Martin even confessed to standing in the bathtub with the shower curtain pulled when he practices his coin magic.  It helps to keep the stray coins more accessible.

The evening turned out to be an educational session for all.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

October 2009

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at the Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon Road,  Indianapolis.

Assembly #31â??s Night of Tribute to Harry Riser

Indianapolis, Indiana

Our August Assembly #31 meeting was a very special event.  As you may have heard, our Assembly namesake, Harry Riser, suffered a stroke six months ago.  Although his spirit is great, and he is recovering, he has been unable to attend our Assembly meetings.  And so, we went to Harry.  We held our monthly meeting in the lounge of the Forum Retirement Community on the north side of Indianapolis.

The turnout for the meeting was outstanding.  Everyone wanted the opportunity to participate in a tribute to Harry.   Harry was there in his motorized chair with stories to tell and thoughtful reflections to share.

Our president, Chris Wilcox, in a moving ceremony, presented a framed â??Lifetime Membership Certificateâ?? to Harry.  Harry responded that he always tried to help people who came to him.  He mentioned specifically such names as Johnny Thompson and Mike Close.  He concluded his response by saying, â??I have tried to be as good for magic as magic has been for me.â??

Later in the evening Harry shared a fascinating account about one of his early encounters with Cardini.  He was introduced to Cardini by Charlie Miller.  This led to an interesting story of Cardiniâ??s rising card effect which he liked to do on cruise ships.

A number of members then performed tricks which Harry had either taught them or helped them with.  Immediate past president, Steve Spence, did the Malini Egg Bag described in one of Harryâ??s books.  He started out by announcing that Harry had helped him work on this trick.

Dee Saul then performed his streamlined version of Alex Elmsleyâ??s CollinSpell Four Ace trick.  He acknowledged Harry Riserâ??s mentoring of his Faro shuffling skills.

Shawn Hull informed us that the first really great ball and vase routine that he had seen was Harry Riserâ??s version.  Shawn then introduced us to his entire ball and vase collectionâ??many of which were created in other countries.

Three bonuses for the evening were Taylor Martin with his story and demonstration about how the light and heavy chest phenomenon helped prevent a revolution, John West doing some astounding coin magic and a fun two deck card mystery loosely based on Pit Hartlingâ??s Two Deck Prediction, and Barry Rice demonstrating how to make a card trick interesting by regurgitating the selected card.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

August 2009

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at Mystic Tie Lodge (2^nd floor), corner of Illinois and North Street, Indianapolis.

A Routining Night at Assembly #31

Indianapolis, Indiana

It was a busy evening at our June Harry Riser Assembly #31 meeting.  We elected and installed officers for the coming year, inducted four new members into our Assembly, and invested a fascinating hour discussing the art of routining. 

Newly elected officers include Chris Wilcox, President; Mike Engle, Vice President; Dale Benson, Secretary; Jay Newby, Treasurer; and Ulises Galeano, Sergeant-at-Arms.  Our officers were dutifully sworn in with the prescribed number of â??I wills.â??

We then proceeded to induct four new membersâ??Ulises Galeano, Karen Oâ??Connor, Dan Devine and Dale Benson.  In addition to the induction ceremony, each was asked to perform a trick or give a brief historical report.  Ulises Galeano did a very nice coin routine which he said was inspired by Homer Liwagâ??s â??Coin in Twoâ?? routine.  Karen Oâ??Conner shared a very sweet story of a

motherâ??s love for three daughters while smoothly performing the Professorâ??s Nightmare.  And Dan Devine combined his magic effect (straight out of Martinâ??s Miracles by Eric C. Lewis) with a nice bit of origami.  Dale Benson was accepted by virtue of presenting an extensive history of the Torn and Restored Newspaper at the previous monthâ??s meeting. 

As a bonus, member Chris Henderson performed Sid Fleishmanâ??s â??You Too Can Have X-ray Eyesâ?? from his book, The Charlatanâ??s Handbook.

What followed was a fascinating conversation regarding routining by what became a panel of several of our most experienced membersâ??Don Miller, Taylor Martin and Tom Winterrowd.  Retiring President, Steve Spence, facilitated the discussion.  Tom Winterrowd drew from his 65 years of magic experience.  Taylor Martin provided a number of tips including deciding who your character is before you do your routine and constantly tightening your show.  Don Miller shared his list of â??pet peevesâ?? regarding routining, turning each pet peeve into a significant piece of learning.

We concluded the evening with a surprise gift from the Executive Committee. We just completed our Year of the Classic.  Throughout the year, one of our members had been preparing a fourteen page, spiral bound, full color booklet with photos and narrative from each of our classic meetings.  It was a well  received souvenir of a fun and educational year.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

June 2009

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at Mystic Tie Lodge (2^nd floor), corner of Illinois and North Street, Indianapolis.

The Torn is Restored at Assembly #31

Indianapolis, Indiana

Concluding our â??Year of the Classicâ?? at the Harry Riser Assembly #31, the theme for our May meeting was the Torn and Restored Newspaper. A lot of newspapers were sacrificed throughout the evening.  Fortunately, they were all restored!

We began by watching Al Pacino flawlessly perform the torn and restored newspaper in the movie, â??The Recruit.â??  We noted with interest that immediately upon completing the effect, he ordered a martini!

Jay Newby, Mike Engle and Dale Benson then did a pantomime skit where they occupied seats A, B, and C in a crowded airliner.  Dale, in the middle seat, was trying to read his newspaper.  As you can imagine, Jay and Mike were annoyed by the newspaper in front of their faces. The solutionâ??tear the newspaper into pieces.  When Mike and Jay eventually left their seats, Dale was able to restore the newspaper to its full size and continue perusing the news undisturbed.  The skit was based upon a Robert Harbin idea from seventy years ago!

What followed was a brief history of the effect with quick visits to eighteen men who over the past century have originated and then refined the basic ideas and methods.  Interspersed with the history, SAM #31 members Chris Henderson performed the Richard Osterlind version and Jay Newby performed the Commando version.  We also enjoyed and discussed several DVD and You Tube downloaded versions of the effect.  Of course, much of the focus of the evening was on Gene Anderson, his method and his book, Newspaper Magic.

We concluded the evening with three more members performing variations on the theme.  Mike Engle did the No Tear.  Jim Croop did Farquharâ??s Torn 2 Pieces, and Taylor Martin did Clippo, Torn and Restored Bill, and Broken and Restored Coins.

Our Year of the Classic turned out to be a great experience.  We learned a lot and had a lot of fun.  More importantly, we gained renewed respect for the magicians who have developed these classics over the years and then made them available for our generation to enjoy and to perform.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

May 2009

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at Mystic Tie Lodge (2^nd floor), corner of Illinois and North Street, Indianapolis.

Assembly #31 Studies Classic Illusions

Indianapolis, Indiana

Continuing our year of classics at the Harry Riser Assembly #31, the theme for our April meeting was Classic Illusions, presented by Don Miller.  First, though,  Tom Winterrowd presented the final of his three part  â??MUM Mysteriesâ?? series. 

The â??Third Mysteryâ?? is the PALM--our secret handshake.  This grip has symbolic meaningâ??the fingers closed about the thumb remind us of Magic, the junction of the two hands symbolizes Unity, and the pressure of the hands denotes Might.  Tom also discussed the Silent Challenge and the Sign of Salutation, which is made to the â??Most Illustriousâ?? when entering or leaving the room during a meeting.  The Assembly appreciates Tomâ??s efforts to keep us connected with our roots.

The next ninety minutes were stimulating, educational and fun, as Don Miller shared with us his knowledge of and experience with stage illusions and then walked us through a number of them including the Chair Suspension, Murder Inc, the Arabian Tent, the Tip Over Trunk, the Tool Locker, Twister, Through a One Inch Hole, and for the finale, Sawing a Girl in Half.  With each he provided tips for staging (and â??stoogingâ??), talked about how they workâ??and how they donâ??t work (!)â??and entertained us with stories of memorable moments (mostly funny) encountered while performing these illusions over the years.

We learned about the history of illusions in the 18^th and 19^th centuries and the critical importance of presentation when doing illusions.  â??Most illusions if not presented well, are absolutely boring and terribly ineffective.â??  We heard Harry Blackstone stories and talked about how misdirection is even more important in illusions.  Finally, we were impressed with Donâ??s thoughts regarding why illusions work so well.  â??Illusions are powerful because they, almost without exception, include humans.  Illusions involve people doing things they should not be able to doâ??appear and disappear, twist 360 degrees, float without visible support and be sawed in halfâ??to name a few.  And when that happens to a human, it is all the more astonishing!â??    Thanks to Don Miller for a great evening.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

April 2009

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at Mystic Tie Lodge (2^nd floor), corner of Illinois and North Street, Indianapolis.

Assembly #31 Encounters The Matrix

Indianapolis, Indiana

Continuing the theme of the Classics in Magic, the Harry Riser Assembly #31 spent the evening disassembling and then reassembling the Matrix.  The host for the evening was club president, Steve Spence.  Steve provided a very interesting brief history of the Matrix.  We heard illustrations from J.B. Boboâ??s The New Modern Coin Magic. We heard about the Sympathetic Coin, and, of course, the story of Al Schneider, who â??tried to figure out a better wayâ?? and started working on his â??coins and cardsâ?? routine while sitting on his bed at age 17.  Eventually this physics major coined the term, Matrix, and published his â??better wayâ?? in Genii Magazine in 1970.

We enjoyed three very excellent and very informative demonstrations of individual variations of the Matrix by three of our members.  Each demonstration was followed by enlightening group discussion.

President Steve Spence demonstrated the usefulness of great patter with the Matrix.  He did two versions.  The first tale responded to the question, â??What if a magician had created the universe?â??  The four planets and the clouds mysteriously disappeared and reappeared.  The second was a little known tale of the four mischievous Kennedy brothers. 

Treasurer Jay Newby then provided a wonderful educational session discussing how magicians like to use their creativity to enhance basic effects.  After showing us a number of examples as they related to the Matrix, Jay concluded that from the standpoint of the audience, the basic is just fine.  The enhanced effect is more important to the magician than it is to the audience.

Another highlight of the evening was Chris Hendersonâ??s Black Hole Matrix.  The cards were the black holesâ??and they looked like it.  The Kennedy half dollars were the astronauts.  Black holes have never been so astounding!

On a different, but equally important subject, the evening began with Tom Winterrowd presenting the â??Second Mysteryâ??â??the symbolic meaning of our Emblem or Jewel, which we call THE AMULET.  The Assembly appreciates Tomâ??s efforts to keep us connected with our roots.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

March 2009

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at Mystic Tie Lodge (2^nd floor), corner of Illinois and North Street, Indianapolis.

Horror Stories at Assembly #31

Indianapolis, Indiana

Winter was in the air, twelve new inches of snow was on the ground, the wind was blowing, the thermometer was hovering below freezing.  The leadership of SAM #31 made the decision to postpone the planned evening of Illusions because of the difficulty of transporting the Illusions to the meeting site.  Instead, fourteen hardy SAM #31 members spent the evening helping each other with the  tricks they were working up and sharing â??horrorâ?? stories of their performing adventures.

Tom Winterroud, Taylor Martin, and Don Miller shared their stories of performance moments they would just as soon forget.  The stories generated both empathy and amusement.  They also generated some memorable learnings--such as Don Millerâ??s, â??Sometimes you have got to tell them the truth.â??  Or another one of his observations, â??The worst horror stories are when you find out later that you messed up, and you never knew it happened at the time.â?? 

Club President, Steve Spence, requested some help with the use of the thumb tip for a John Carney illusion.  He received a number of very excellent suggestions.

As a bonus for the evening, Chris Henderson expertly performed two card mysteries.  The first was Dr. Billâ??s Impossible Stop Trick from the Collectors Workshop.  The second was â??Attaployâ??, from Mind, Myth or Magic.  Attaploy is  TA Waters version of Jack Hughes â??Attaboyâ??.

A highlight of the evening occurred when club historian, Mike Engle, presented and discussed several items from the clubâ??s historical archives.  Included among them was the original club charter dated April 6, 1940. (The original charter  actually looked better preserved than a number of us who originated in that same decade!!)

Among the charter signers was J.Elder Blackledge, a well established professional magician during the 1930' and 40's. Blackledge was a world traveler and magic historian, who was a founding member and first president of the Indiana Society of Magicians. During 1945 he served as National Vice President of the SAM.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

February 2009

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7 pm at Mystic Tie Lodge (2^nd floor), corner of Illinois and North Street, Indianapolis.

Linking Rings at Assembly #31

Indianapolis, Indiana

Continuing The Classics in Magic theme at their January meeting, the Harry Riser Assembly focused on the Linking Rings, which according to legend, is a Chinese invention brought to the west by no less than Marco Polo.  It turned out to be a wonderful, educational and inspiring evening. 

SAM #31 Treasurer, Jay Newby, was the host for the evening.  He did a masterful job of providing history and context for one of the oldest and finest tricks in magic, sharing readings from Blackstone Jr., John Fisherâ??s book on Cardini, Vernon, and excerpts from an entire chapter on the rings from the Tarbell Course in Magic, Volume IV. 

Don Miller started out the performances by doing his version of Shoot Ogawaâ??s  Ninja Rings.  It was entertaining, comical, and great for kids and adults. (Later in the evening Don showed us a variation which he developed using standard size rings and which he calls the â??throw out.â??)  Jack Weigle then did his â??do as I doâ??ta  da!â?? version using 8â?? rings. He said that he got the idea, but not the trick, from watching David Copperfield.  And finally, Taylor Martin demonstrated his â??Chinese Linking Rings of Death!â??  He used steel Italian rings given to him by his father that were at least 50 years old and weigh nearly five pounds!  (His Father never told him how much he paid for them!) During his seven part routine he created a number of geometric designs including a purse, a chair and the Ace of Clubs. 

What followed was a great discussion regarding the magical phenomenon of the linking rings. The discussion included the notion of Dai Vernonâ??s â??the symphony of ringsâ?? which was created in part or whole by Cardini. Who really knows! The simple circular look of the rings punctuated by the characteristic metallic sounds of the trick offer multiple possibilities for individual creativity in presentation. A variety of tips regarding how to handle the key ring (including the various types of key rings) were also shared.

As is his custom, and as a bonus for the evening, Chris Henderson expertly performed another card mystery.  This one he calls the â??Two Deck Coincidenceâ?? which included a flawless rendition of the faro shuffle.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary

January 2009

Harry E. Riser Assembly No. 31, usually meets the first Monday of the month at 7pm at Mystic Tie Lodge (2^nd floor), corner of Illinois and North Street, Indianapolis.