talkmagic.co.uk

This may be a tough one, but one of my favorite tricks, (that i never perform) is Doug Bennett's Fire Trapped or Trapped. I got it after seeing DH perform it on the Johnny Carson show many years ago. The payoff is powerfull and i would do it a lot more with one exception. I need a better vanish of the coin in the paper. The folding of the paper is very basic - every little kid has learned this growing up. (at least the kids i knew). And using Flash paper is also a bit flimsy and not necessarily the most realistic. - However, i have ordered some Black and Red Flash paper to see how that works (on a realistic/believeability level).

But the reason I'm posting here is to see if anyone might have that segment from the Johnny Carson show in their archives? I only saw it that once on tv and really want to study his performance again.

Any leads would be great.

Thanks.
stevo

That segment will forever be a reminder of how hard I must kick myself on a steady basis... it caused me to pay $40.00.00 for a fifty-cent trick found in every kids' magic kit.

But Damn is it a clever application to said idea

Craig, you a Umass student/Alum?

I'm glad at least one person remembers that trick. I have never seen anyone perform it again or know anyone whose heard of it. And your right, but its usually never about the cost of the gimmick, its about the concept/invention.

Stevo
(from Marblehead, MA)

I was living in L.A. when that show aired and it drove me bonkers... I then spent the rest of the summer kicking myself

I love it and have used the principle in a few other bits, including some of the Psychic & Bizarre things I've done... what makes me love it even more is the fact that most magicians are too dang lazy to go to all that trouble for what the final results are.

The last time I did it I was exceptionally cruel... we had a portrait of a very well known "Pirate" of the 1700s... it was a Seance type situation in which I had a silver coin properly dated, etc. that belonged to one of his treasures... it was said that he swore upon his on death that he'd retrieve all the silver stolen from him by his cohorts...

Long story short, the coin vanishes from the hand of a spectator and to everyone's chagrin... it was found wedged within the portrait...

Ok... same effect but on a much larger scale... but it really disturbed folks.... we'd just run a metal detector over the portrait and inspected the thing looking for clues or a possible map... it would have been impossible for such a hunk of metal to allude us...

I so love this job sometimes...

I use this efffect as well, and have struggled with what I feel is a week vanish as well.....

I have always wondered about the idea of using a dark colour flash paper, cut into the shape/size of the coin......palm it into the tissue with the coin. Allow the spec to feel the coin in the paper, then subltly "drop" the coin and lift the small packet of paper up....light a match and put it behind the paper to show the what appears to be the shadow of the real coin in the paper.......pause for effect, light it and boom it is gone instantly!

Has anyone tried this.....will it give off the correct illusion of a coin shadow.....????? I am interested in this and will mess around with it myself.....but would like some others opinions on what they see.

I use another .50 Cent trick...

Many years ago I had a trick in a magic kit that I down right loved... I've used it ever since.

The arrangement is simple... you talk about how the mage uses the 4 elements; earth, air, fire, and water... a borrowed coin represents the in that it is a carnal thing... a glass of water... well, that should be obvious... then there is an opaque cloth -- air; you place the coin into the folds of an opaque scarf/hank and ask a participant to hold it over a glass of water (through the cloth)... you then light a candle... I've done the next bit several ways but the most fun is with a piece of flash string... you touch the coin nearest their fingers so they know you haven't gone into the cloth... the other end of the string is wrapped about the matchbook and hold it up to the side away from your helper... you then light the string with the candles and allow it to burn across and as soon as it goes you ask the spec to drop the coin they were holding... a very audible clink is heard as it falls into the clear glass of water... you remove the cloth... the glass is very much empty... you can even dump the water out... it's empty!

Then of course,you recap and move over to the matchbook... reveal the signed coin, etc.

This is a very fun bit that drives them crazy because they know they have the coin, they know they hear the coin drop into the glass.

interesting Craig. Any chance you'd like to video tape it and post it here? I'd be curious to see the whole effect.

Thanks.

steve

stevo4 wrote:interesting Craig. Any chance you'd like to video tape it and post it here? I'd be curious to see the whole effect.

Thanks.

steve

I've not done "magic" in many years... strictly Mentalism... I doubt I even known where everything is for doing it and then there's the fact that Video seems to hate me... I live in a world where 12 year olds have camcorders and yet, I can't borrow or steal one (that works) and when I do get stuff on tape it gets botched or some other strange oddity

I'm cursed I tell ya! CURSED!