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.

SAM Assembly31 and IBM Ring 10 are pleased to announce that on December 7, 2008 we will once again be presenting a magical holiday show and brunch.  Like last year the magical event of the year will be held at the Murat in downtown Indianapolis.  This is a fully catered Sunday all-you-can-eat brunch with choices of foods that the entire family can enjoy.

Tickets for the Brunch are only $15 for persons 12 and older, $8 for kids under 12 and babies/toddlers two and under are free.  The meal will be served from Noon until 1 p.m.  Contact Dale Benson (at dalebenson@sbcglobal.net) or any of your SAM or IBM officers to reserve your place at the magical brunch.

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.

Start time: TBA. Location: TBA. For additional information contact  Jim Croop or call (317) 726-0811 or contact Steve Spence or call (317) 722-0429.

In April or May 2009, Rick Merrill will astound us with his magic.

Start time: TBA. Location: TBA. For additional information contact  Jim Croop or call (317) 726-0811 or contact Steve Spence or call (317) 722-0429.

In March or April 2009, Mark Mason will astound us with his magic.