INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA [Assembly Report for June 2006]
Harry Riser Assembly No. 31
President: Steven A. Spence
Secretary: Dale Benson
Meets the first Monday, 7 PM at Mystic Tai Lodge, SE corner of Illinois & North St.

McDonald's Aces at Asembly 31

Continuing The Classics in Magic theme at the November meeting, the Harry Riser Assembly focused on McDonaldâ??s Aces.

Master teacher Harry Riser was the main event. A number of times during the teaching session, he emphasized â??the use of subtlety in card magic.â?? He then proceeded to give us examples of the subtlety concept.

Harry briefed us on the history of the effect. We heard about McDonald, the one-armed magician, and his $100 routine. Harry traced the history back to 1931 when the trick was first published in German by Johann Hofzinser. He brought along his first edition copy of Dai Vernonâ??s More Inner Secrets of Card Magic and showed us the original description of McDonaldâ??s $100 routine. He talked about McDonaldâ??s Aces as performed by Vernon, Lewis Ganson, Charlie Miller, Stewart Judah, Richard Kaufman, and others.

Harry shared that over the years he has learned or invented 15 to 20 ways to vanish the aces. He taught us six of his favoritesâ??three that are fairly simple, and three that are more complicated and require considerable practice. Harry also demonstrated the â??No Lay Down Acesâ?? version that he developed.

As a humorous aside, Harry told us that he once paid $50 to a magician in Coeur dâ??Alene, Idaho, to teach him how to cut the Ace of Spades out of the deck. Harry did it so well that we began to believe that maybe he actually did shell out the fifty bucks for the lesson!

Vice President Chris Wilcox served as host for the evening. In addition to the learning session with Harry Riser, two other members demonstrated their version of similar card effects. Jack Weigle entertained us with his rendering of the â??Spell of Gathering.â?? We were spellbound! And Chris Henderson flawlessly performed Alex Emsleyâ??s Atomic Aces as found in the Collected Works of Alex Emsley.

The Linking Rings will be featured at the next â??classic eveningâ?? scheduled for January 5, 2009.

Submitted by: Dale Benson, Secretary
November 13, 2008

The Harry Riser Assembly has chosen The Classics in Magic as its theme for the year.  At our September meeting we focused on the Cups and Balls.  Our October classic was the Professorâ??s Nightmare.

President Steve Spence acted as host for the evening.  He began by briefing us on the history of the Professorâ??s Nightmare with which Bob Carver won the IBM Originality Trophy in 1957.  He is credited with having invented Professorâ??s Nightmare several years earlier, probably around 1952.  The nightmare has to do with the professor trying to teach his student that the sum of three unequals will always be unequal.  And with this trick it never is!  Steve then demonstrated his version based on the handling of Our Most Illustrious, Bruce Kalver.  Steve accompanied his presentation with a sweet story of the three â??unequalâ?? brothers.

Harry Riser Assembly Focuses On a Classic

Indianapolis, Indiana

The Harry Riser Assembly has chosen The Classics in Magic as its theme for the year.  At our September meeting we focused on our first classic, and one of historyâ??s first documented  magic tricks, the Cups and Balls.  Each month we plan to spotlight a different classic effect and learn about its history and the multiple variations that have been developed over the years.

Chris Wilcox acted as host for the evening.  He began by sharing with us some amazing videos of several of the worldâ??s great magicians doing their version of the cups and balls.  First was a Dan Rider cups and balls cartoon.  Very funny!  The cartoon was followed by Ricky Jay presenting a cups and balls history lesson along with his version of the illusion.  We also had the opportunity  to see variations on the theme by  Dai Vernon, Penn and Teller, and Jason Latimer.  Jason Latimerâ??s clear cup routine was mind blowing!

Following the videos, Chris introduced Assembly 31 member, Taylor Martin, who demonstrated his cups and balls routine, which he learned from the Mark Wilson Complete Course in Magic.  Taylor included interesting conversation about a 1605 version of leather cups and balls (described in Hocus Pocus, Junior), the use of magnets in the cups and balls routine, and his Fatherâ??s chop cup.

As always, the highlight of the evening was when Harry Riser was introduced.   Harry shared a number of interesting stories relating to cups and balls and then showed us his version which he developed in conjunction with Charlie Miller.  He called his version the Bosco routine. As a bonus, Harry demonstrated, and then taught the members present, the famous walnut trick. We were all very impressed.

We then had the opportunity to tune up our cups and balls techniques by working  one on one with Taylor Martin and Harry Riser.

Next monthâ??s classic:  the Professorâ??s Nightmare.

Submitted by:  Dale Benson, Secretary

September 18, 2008

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.

Harry Riser Assembly Dabbles in Mentalism

Indianapolis, Indiana

Our July 2008 meeting included initiation of new officers, announcement of our theme for the coming year, some mentalism, and another amazing â??teach a trickâ?? compliments of Harry Riser.  The meeting was held at the home of our President, Steve Spence.

The officers for this year include three new facesâ??Chris Wilcox, Vice President, Dale Benson, Secretary, and Jay Newby, Treasurer.  Chris Wilcox owns Circle City Magic (an on-line magic store), Dale Benson is a retired physician executive, and Jay Newby is a logistics expert at the local Veterans Hospital.  Steve Spence, an attorney who specializes in mediation, was re-elected to his third term as President, and Don Miller, professional magician and owner of Family Time Entertainment, was re-elected as Sergeant at Arms.  Frank Dailey led the initiation ceremony.

President Spence announced that the Executive Committee has determined that our theme for this coming year will be â??The Classics in Magic.â??  Each month we will focus on a classic effect and learn about its history and the multiple variations that have been developed over the years.

The program for the evening was on the subject of mentalism.  Five of the members presented their favorite â??mind readingâ?? effect.  This was followed by viewing of excerpts from a Richard Osterlind Mind Mysteries DVD, including his â??Bank Nightâ?? and his â??Surrounded Slow Motion Center Tear.â??

As always, the highlight of the evening was when Harry Riser was introduced.  He demonstrated, and then taught the members present, the Shuffle Poker card illusion.  We were all very impressed.

Submitted by:  Dale Benson, Secretary

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.

Theme: Your favorite trick/illusion

Everyone is invited to bring their favorite trick or illusion to the
meeting at to share it with your Compeers.  Harry Riser will be presenting
his world famous 'Teach-a-Trick' involving a chop cup routine.  Don't miss
all the fun.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA [Assembly Report for June 2006]
Harry Riser Assembly No. 31
President: Steven A. Spence
Secretary: Mike Engle
Meets the first Monday, 7 PM at Mystic Tai Lodge, SE corner of Illinois & North St.

New Officers Elected â?? Exciting Magic Auction

Assembly 31 elected new officers for the 2006-7 periods. Elected by acclamation were the following: Steven A. Spence President, Harry Riser Vice President, Mike Engle Secretary, Dee Saul Treasurer, and Don Miller Sergeant at Arms. We wish to thank the outgoing officers, President Ken Kern, V. Pres. Harry Riser, Treasurer Dee Saul, Secretary Paul Harnishfeger, Sgt. at Arms Bill Branson Jr., and Scribe Robert Vasileff for their commitment and excellent work.

We also wish to thank Ted Baer, Frank Dailey, Dave Oesterreich, and Karl Wagner for bringing magic to the auction. We especially thank Mr. Oesterreich, as his magic was donated to the Assembly for the auction. The following served to make the auction run smoothly; Ken Kern auctioneer, Dee Saul cashier, Cheryl Kern auction secretary, and Bob Vasileff for handling the items in the pit.

Bob Vasileff, Scribe

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA [Assembly Report for May 2006]
Harry Riser Assembly No. 31
Meets the first Monday, 7 PM at Mystic Tai Lodge, SE corner of Illinois & North St.

Taylor Martin, Impressive As The Glamorous Andrea Merlyn

Taylor Martin AKA The Glamourous Andrea Merlyn, the hit of the 2005 Indy Fringe Festival, presented a dress rehearsal for Assembly 31 and Ring 10. Taylor will be performing this May at the International Fringe Festival in Orlando, Florida. Taylor opened with an assortment of rope magic, that included a single piece of rope that when tied was converted to a piece of rope looped on the rope and Professorâ??s Nightmare. He was assisted by Mark Grabhorn. Carl the Cockroach, a hand puppet, became the butt of excellent puns as the roach morphed into a bunny. Andrea made a subtle change of costume and became a child. This was the motivation for the wonderfully humorous magic Pom-Pom trick. Volunteer David Fordâ??s health was checked as he tried to make the magic imp bottle stay up and was found lacking. A rope was placed around his middle with an entry and exit tube inserted. Andrea then cleansed the humors and returned David to good health with this superb Ali Bongo trick. Next Andrea performed an excellent comedy Asra levitation with a small doll and musical accompaniment of a Kazoo. A magic show is not complete without a card trick. Andrea, assisted by Randy Middleton, performed Banned in Boston, where a selected card is signed, vanished, and interlaced with a ton of comedy is then found in a deodorant container. A real treat for all was the appearance of a Thayer Die Box in the next comedy magic trick. Dee and Paula Saul assisted Andrea in another excellent comedy Linking Ring performance. Andrea concluded with a comedy sponge ball assisted by Mark Grabhorn. All enjoyed Taylorâ??s entertaining professional show. We wished him great success as his career in magic continues to soar.

Bob Vasileff, Scribe

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA [Assembly Report for April 2006]
Harry Riser Assembly No. 31
President: Ken Kern
Secretary: Paul Harnishfeger
Meets the first Monday, 7 PM at Mystic Tai Lodge, SE corner of Illinois & North St.

Harry Riser Honored At Book Signing Event

Harry Riser, Assembly 31 namesake, was honored by local magicians on the occasion of the release of his second book, Secrets of an Escamoteur. Mr. Riser presented a 2 hour lecture using material from his book. Chapter 1 of the book begins with â??Travels with Charlieâ??, that is Charlie Miller. An important topic was the Malini-Miller Egg Bag. Harry acknowledged that his wife Margy probably had as much to do with the construction of the egg bag as Charlie and Harry did with the routine. The plans to make an egg bag and Harryâ??s presentation are included in the book. We were treated to a live performance of Harryâ??s egg bag routine.

Harry discussed card handling techniques. These are brilliantly discussed in his book. Some mentioned include carrying a break, second dealing, gauging and estimating, using a corner short card, the double lift, clever cuts, card controls, and spectator management.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA [Assembly Report for March 2006]
Harry Riser Assembly No. 31
Meets the first Monday, 7 PM at Mystic Tai Lodge, SE corner of Illinois & North St.

Steve Taylor Entertains Two Magic Clubs

Steve Taylor presented a lecture to Assembly 31 and Ring 10. Jim Croop, Ring 10 President, introduced Mr. Taylor. Steve has performed 9 times at the Magic Castle and lectured there 5 times. He has performed or lectured in all the states except Alaska. The lecture emphasis was on Promoting, Marketing, and Motivation using magic. Lecture notes were available that included creating and writing educational magic programs.

Steve stressed that it is important to incorporate the message into the magic and not have the message separated from the effect. Libraries, Schools, Trade Shows and Corporations are willing to pay much more for a program with a motivational message, such as (Say No to Drugs, Anti-Bully, Read More, Teamwork, etc...). Each theme should be appropriate for the venue.

His methods were introduced using easy to remember letters, "C", "I", "A". The letter "C" should bring to mind the word â??combineâ??; that is, taking two or more effects to present a message changing the effect from a trick to a meaningful routine. The second letter, "I", causes one to think of the word â??illustrate.â?? This means that one should not use the standard magical patter associated with the effect but one should adjust the patter to promote the desired message. The last letter, "A", is for the word â??changeâ??, meaning one should change the effect to enhance the message.

He then introduced these concepts for Family Audiences: if you fool the audience they will remember the trick, if you make them laugh they will remember the show, but if you touch their heart/emotions they will remember you. When possible always make the spectator the "Hero." If you want to get rehired, you want to play to the adults, principals, librarians in addition to the younger set. One third of all the humor should be directed at the adults. Steve presented many combined magic tricks that were used to illustrate an assortment of motivational messages. He used these examples to show how these routines were used to play to an assortment of venues. Poor weather did not deter attendance for a very successful evening.

Bob Vasileff, Scribe

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA [Assembly Report for February 2006]
Harry Riser Assembly No. 31
Meets the first Monday, 7 PM at Mystic Tai Lodge, SE corner of Illinois & North St.

Yes - I Use Gaffed Cards (original)

Ken Kern opened our meeting with a warm welcome to new S.A.M. and Assembly member, James Croop. Your Best Gaffed Card trick was the theme for tonight. Ken Kern, assisted by Mike Engle, gave Mike half of a packet of cards. Ken turned his cards face up and asked Mike to mentally select two. Kenâ??s packet was combined again and turned over again. Ken asked Mike if his selected cards were there. Mike stated that they had vanished. When Mike looked at his packet, the selected cards were there. Jerry Cassel presented three tricks using apparatus made by Anverdi. David Ford assisted by selecting a card and returning it to the pack. The cards were placed into a box and when the selected card was placed in the box, the lid magically closed. The remaining two devices, one where a hand drops on the selected card and the other where a dog barks and dances when the selected card is laid down suffered mechanical failures. Just seeing these treasures was a treat. Taylor Martin stepped forward and asked Mike Engle to select and sign a card; this card was then torn, vanished, and mysteriously appeared inside a container of Ban deodorant as Taylor performed a comedy presentation of Banned in Boston. Chris Henderson asked Mike Engle to select and sign a card. This card was returned to the deck, and then appeared to vanish, only to be found in an envelope lying on the table as Chris performed Solid Gold Card in the Envelope. Mike Engle asked Tony Watson to select a card, write its value on a piece of paper, and lay it face down. Mike was now going to read his mind. Failing to do this Tony selected another card, but Mike failed again. Mike asked for one more chance, but this time Mike will use his trusted toucan puppet, Beaker. They not only divine the third card; but, correctly identify the first two cards. Bob Vasileff stepped up with a deck of cards that were cut into two packets. One packet was selected by an audience member and Bob removed five cards. Three cards were turned face up, the packet closed, and then pushed the packet through his hand making all of the cards to magically turn the same way. Bob continued with Three Card Monte. Bob concluded by showing a four card packet riveted together. The cards shown were R, B, R, and B. Under the cover of a silk the center cards trade places in a flash. Tony Watson performed an original comedy effect he called the Red Deck with the Blues. A deck of cards appeared to morph into a harmonica upon which Tony played a tune. Harry Riser gave a brief discussion on one way cards and double faced cards and showed how they might be used. Harry then displayed a red backed and a blue backed deck. Paul Harnishfeger selected the red deck. Harry was going to make a prediction using the selected deck and removed one card. Harry opened the blue back deck and asked Paul to name any card, this card was removed, and when the prediction card was shown, it matched the selected card. Harry continued with 5 Card Monte described in his first book, The Feints and Temps of Harry Riser, where an Ace is part of a five card packet. Harry asked everyone to watch carefully as the Ace magically disappeared only to be replaced by a Joker. Harry continued with a Paul Curry trick described in Greater Magic where Harry wrote two predictions on two cards that were placed face down. Jared Sherlock selected a card as did Bob Vasileff. The predictions matched the selected cards. Harry continued by making a written prediction on a slip of paper and then asked Harold Barnes to name any card that came to mind. A comedy routine followed as Harry said that there were many ways to name cards. Cards were shown and different names were written on the back, such as Mark, Jim, and Sally. The card Harold selected was named Edna that matched Harryâ??s written prediction. Harry concluded with No Lay Down Aces, a full description appeared in M.U.M., where three aces plus three cards are culled to form three four card packets. The ace of spades is the master ace and is placed in the remainder of cards and tabled. Each packet is handled and the ace in each vanishes only to have migrated to the ace of spades in the tabled deck.

Tonight was a terrific meeting where some excellent card magic was presented for the enjoyment of all.

Bob Vasileff, Scribe