Sunday, January 12, 2014

Supernatural Magic Secrets

The past few weeks have been full of magic for me. First I ran into a collection of old magic posters on Pinterest: Sim Sala Bim

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Zan_Zig_performing_with_rabbit_and_roses,_magician_poster,_1899-2.jpg

The poster above is one of my favorites, probably because of how mysterious it is. The magician isn't named on the poster, although I read on Pinterest that his stage name was Zan Zig. He's surrounded by flying objects like the classic flowers and doves. I wonder what the significance of the steaming pan is.

Not long after discovering the old magic posters, I watched a David Blaine TV special: David Blaine Real or Magic? You might remember David Blaine as the guy who survived being frozen in a block of ice for over 60 hours. Or you might remember how he  somehow lived through being suspended above London in a plexiglass box for 44 days. With no food! He gets through some amazing feats in the TV special too. Here it is for those who missed it:




Most of the acts David performs in this video are done in front of celebrities. They give him a mix of reactions from laughing to crying to running away. I wasn't used to seeing some of these people act so freaked out. Wait until you see Harrison Ford. The show is worth watching for these reactions, no matter what you think of magic.

It's hard to make sense of what you're seeing. I think Ricky Gervais sums it up pretty well at the end of the show. In essence, we wonders what he just witnessed. Was that a trick? It has to be a trick! But how could he have done this? But it can't be real! Back and forth. In the end, he decides that whatever he witnessed was very well done.

http://www.shockmansion.com/wp-content/myimages/2013/11/David.jpg

Something amazing about David Blaine, aside from his magic tricks, is his attitude. He's very self assured and serious. He always has a confidence that he won't kill himself with these stunts even if everyone around him is cringing. There's a darkness to some of what he does. I can't explain why, maybe it's how he makes things appear on video. Or maybe it's how he doesn't seem to feel any pain or spill blood the way a normal human would. It seems supernatural.

I was reminded of that series of magic posters again during this show, because many of them had a supernatural element. Most of the illustrations on that page showed a little devil or an imp giving the magician their secrets. I could imagine one of these little critters whispering to David Blaine. "Psst... This is how you stick an ice pick through your arm."

Thurston, world's famous magician.

I love all the action going on in this picture. It looks like that one little devil is getting its foot and ear ripped off! I just noticed all the little ones propping up the magician's book. I guess those little guys at the bottom are imps, fairies, or leprechauns. 

Sometimes the devil is seen as more of an assistant.


 
http://www.portaldemagia.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/richiardi-jr.jpg




http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/fra-diavolo-the-great-magician-unknown.jpg

That wizard is kind of bored looking considering what just popped out of his cauldron.

This one covered all the bases with devils, imps, and several kinds of birds:
Blackstone -
No devils or imps here, but it's plenty spooky. How do you think he pulled off this trick? Mirrors and a head on a string?




Would this sort of devil/imp/floating head imagery make you want to see a magician in person or scare you away? I'd like to get in a time machine and go see Blackstone, because it looks like he'd put on quite a show with all those critters running around. If the posters are any indication, a Kellar show was probably pretty classy.

I was curious to learn more about the men behind these posters. I found some videos that give a short history of Kellar and Thurston. It's amazing what some people go through on their way to the top. Talk about perseverance! Kellar must have been one tough, smart, charismatic man.

KELLAR



THURSTON



I watched some old clips of Thurston performing, but they were pretty grainy. Luckily, the man you just heard from (Jim Steinmeyer) has made another video showing one of Thurston's signature tricks. He also shares a "confidence game" that is a variation of a Thurston trick. Thurston was a con man before he was a magician, so he had a wealth of con knowledge he could apply to his magic. This is pretty cool.

19 comments:

  1. I knew a couple of Great "stage illusionists" as well...
    .... wish you well dear Lady.....

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    1. Dr. Theda ~ Cool! I find magic really interesting, but haven't seen a lot of it being performed live onstage. Actually, the only time that's coming to mind is a magic show I saw on Halloween around 10 years ago. Luckily, there's plenty of great magic to be seen on YouTube!

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  2. First, thanks for that Pinterest link! A couple years ago I had a desk calendar that was all magician posters.I think these traveling magic shows are how the spook shows got started. They eventually started showing movies with the performances and some of the magicians began making their acts more "supernatural" to cater to the horror crowd.

    Regarding the smoking pan, it's a pretty common illusion and one I recall seeing a few times. An empty pan is shown and the wizard puts in some accelerant and lights it on fire. He then puts a cover on it (possibly falling away in the poster) to put the fire out and when he lifts the cover, there is some small animal there.

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    1. Cool! I've never seen a calendar like that. There's a large selection of vintage magic posters to choose from out there. Enjoy that Pinterest page! There's a lot to look at. Those posters give us about the only impression we can have of these magicians. I found only a few very fuzzy videos of them on YouTube. It's weird to think of a world with limited photos and videos.

      Your comment reminds me of the old Phantasmagoria shows. Those are probably the ultimate in old time ghost tricks. I've always wished that I could experience one of those presentations. Someone should try to recreate one. I'll have to do a little searching and see if someone is still doing this locally.

      Thanks for the answer to my smoking pan question! So you've actually seen this trick in person? I'm going to look on YouTube for an example of it. There are a lot of people performing magic on YouTube, so I'm sure to find the smoking pan trick!

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  3. I absolutely LOVE old magic posters! Just something about the artwork and the mystery that is alluded to in each. I can remember seeing magicians on tv variety shows growing up. I was so in awe.
    Hubby is an amateur magician and I have helped him with some shows he did years back at a local community center. Lots of fun. We also saw David Copperfield many years ago - wasn't nearly as impressive as seeing the magicians on tv when I was a child. Guess knowing the 'trick' makes the show loose some of its mysticism.

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    1. Jeanne ~ Me too! I love them in the same way that I love vintage circus posters. I like the mystery and bright colors. I'd like to see more modern poster art, but I only see the occasional movie poster outside a theater.

      Do you remember who the TV magicians were? That's so cool that your husband is into magic! And you got to be the fancy magician's assistant! What kind of tricks does he do?

      I bet David Copperfield would be a fun act to catch. Did you see him in Vegas? He has that man of mystery thing going on. I know what you mean about knowing the tricks. I watched a show a few years ago where a masked magician showed how some famous tricks are done. It was fascinating, but it took some of the fun out of it. I'm not sure if I'm better off for having watched how it's done! In any event, I still appreciate the inventiveness behind the tricks. I guess that's why a lot of modern magic is so extreme. If people know how the old tricks are done, you have to constantly come up with something new and shocking!

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    2. I don't remember who the TV Magicians were. That was many decades ago! :0) Hubby & I saw David Copperfield in Denver during a tour that he did - I think that was back in the 90's. Quite the showman!
      Hubby's repertoire consisted of the 'standard' magic tricks. But he did do a Monster in a box trick which was fun with kids. He had a large box with a hatch in the top. A monster would pop out of the hatch but when Hubby opened the box, the box was empty.

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    3. Jeanne ~ A magician that I'm sure was on TV some time back, but I've just gotten into watching now, is Lance Burton. I'm getting addicted to watching YouTube clips of him performing! He has a fun act. I should look up some David Copperfield routines on YouTube too. It's been a while since I've watched his work.

      The monster in a box trick sounds fun! I'm sure the kids loved it.

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  4. Really interesting! I don't know why I'm so enamoured with vintage now, I never was growing up. But when I downloaded Sherlock Holmes a couple of years ago it sparked a fascination with old stuff. I really like the posters!

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    1. Matt ~ Thanks! Wouldn't it be cool to see a bunch of these old posters hanging in a gallery? I wonder how large they were. Some circus posters/tarps were huge. I also wonder where these used to be displayed. Maybe outside of a theater or magic shop? Some of these magic acts are older than the Sherlock movies you downloaded!

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    2. Last night I downloaded an episode of the Sherlock Holmes radio program w/ Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce and was shock when it was about a murderess who was a magicians assistant! Wow! What a coincidence! -Matt

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    3. Matt ~ Somehow I just got your comment in my email. That was a little bit of a late delivery by gmail! So by now we've already chatted about this. I saved the link you sent and I look forward to listening to the show!

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  5. This is a great post Justine. I think magic is something that draws people like us for various reasons...the mystique and the unknown is just irresistable. I love the old posters! I have a few friends who are magicians and they still astound me.

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    1. Midnyte Reader ~ Thank you! I agree. It's interesting how a lot of the people I chat with online have a connection to magic. I've noticed this with Pinterest too. If I run into another Halloween person, they usually have some other interests in common with me. It's not uncommon for me to see Victorian things, Sherlock Holmes, Batman, or pirates on their boards as well. It's getting kind of uncanny. If a person is interested in Halloween, they probably are going to be interested in a lot of mysterious and spooky things.

      I love those old posters too. The artists sure knew how to make the magician look even more mysterious. Great marketing! I wonder if any modern magicians have posters made to advertise their act?

      That's cool that you have some magician friends! I'm sure they provide you with a lot of entertainment. I haven't been friends with any magicians as far as I know. I've known a few people who look and dress like they're magicians though! I wouldn't be surprised if I found out they were performing magic. The black trench coat/top hat/skull jewelry combination takes a person halfway there! :)

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  6. I love the posters. The first one is my favorite too. I hope to have a magical week soon. That would be wonderful. I saw David Blaine's special and cringed when he stuck things through his arm and hand. I found it fascinating but hard to watch.

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    1. Julie ~ Me too! I hope you have a magical week as well. :) Yeah, that David Blaine special was fairly cringeworthy. He's so calm while he's poking things in his arm. I wonder how he does it. Maybe he uses some kind of fake theatrical skin? At least he doesn't bleed when he punctures his skin with an ice pick, etc. That would just be too gross! I wondered as I watched that how I would react if I was there in person. He got some pretty strong reactions from people! Do you have any favorite tricks from the show? One that stands out in my mind is when that playing card showed up on Jaden Smith's phone. It was like a ghost card! This one:

      David Blaine 'Real or Magic' with Jaden Smith

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    2. Yeah, his card tricks were pretty amazing.

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  7. I never saw this David Blaine vid, thanks! He is by far my favorite magician- performer although I hadn't seen any of his specials in awhile. Something more ominous about a magician that does that on the spot street magic as opposed to the stage magic, and his stuff is so intense I think people's superstitions or supernatural beliefs kick in. Nice find on the vintage posters too!

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    1. Mark ~ Isn't that video great? I totally agree about the street magic vs. stage magic. Street magic done in people's homes feels less like a theatrical performance and more like something real. Some of the people in that video were definitely acting superstitious. Harrison Ford was acting like David Blaine was some evil sorcerer. His reaction was so strong that at first I thought he was kidding!

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