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Hi,
Im interested in putting together a routine which starts with either a card trick, or One coin routine, where it ends up that i steal the persons watch or wallet etc. Im not too familiar with Watch Stealing, Where would be a good place to start? Ive been looking for a DVD called 'Stealing the Show by James freedman" as i hear its the best, but its since been discontinued.
Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

I'm not one for pickpocketing effects myself, although those that are say that James Brown is the go-to man. I know he does lectures etc. for groups and has no doubt got a DVD or two out on the subject, probably worth a look.

James Brown for sure.

there is a basic watch steel here: [Sorry, the link was to an exposure video which is against the rules so has been removed]

Sorry about the link. It can be found [Mod Edit]Once more, please do NOT point folks to sites or pages which expose; there is plenty of great commercial material on the subject, so - by all means - recommend a purchase, and support the authors. Thanks

There is an ebook on lybrary.com that is quite good value and it covers some pickpocketing.

I think the best pickpocketing book is the one by Ricky Dunn. I recommend it even if you never pick a pocket or do a watch steal in your life. There are some very good lessons about all sorts of things there.

Here is the man that I think was the greatest pickpocket of them all. And I bet none of you have ever heard of him. He was George Kovari's original mentor back in Hungary. I first saw him on television about 50 years ago. I hope you can all understand Hungarian:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjSHIQbGJlk

Learn on the streets. You may end up in jail the first few times but stick with it and you will get the hang of it.

Seriously though I've found almost all the dvd's and books are pretty much the same, so I would go with one of the recommendations given by others.

I too am not a fan of the whole pick pocket thing. Unless you are doing a complete pick pocket act I've never thought it added anything to a magic act.

But that is just me.

Oh, I think it adds a lot to a magic act. Paul Potassy is an outstanding example. He is billed purely as a magician and never as a pickpocket but his pickpocketing sequence is one of the most effective parts of his show. Interestingly enough he uses some elements of the techniques used by Rodolfo in that video I posted. Since Potassy spent a lot of time in Hungary I would not be surprised if there was a connection somewhere.

mark lewis wrote:I think the best pickpocketing book is the one by Ricky Dunn. I recommend it even if you never pick a pocket or do a watch steal in your life. There are some very good lessons about all sorts of things there.

Here is the man that I think was the greatest pickpocket of them all. And I bet none of you have ever heard of him. He was George Kovari's original mentor back in Hungary. I first saw him on television about 50 years ago. I hope you can all understand Hungarian:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjSHIQbGJlk" target="_blank

Ok, I now officially have a new magic hero!

Thank you for bringing this to our attention Mr Lewis

Oh, I have known about Rodolfo for decades. I first saw him on British television about 50 years ago doing the pickpocketing and I was electrifed by him. I think I am the only non Hungarian who has ever heard of him although I suspect he was a household name in Hungary. I only saw him the once and his name and performance stuck in my mind all these years. I suppose he must have done the show in English or at least broken English on TV because it was definitely a British programme. I have never heard a single magician mention him over the years except George Kovari who is also from Hungary.

A couple of months ago on a whim I thought I would do a You Tube search for him but I didn't expect to find a thing. I was highly delighted when I found a whole bunch of clips of his TV work and was therefore reunited with him after 50 years. But of course as with most TV magicians their shows before a live audience are always the best ones. I think the above was filmed in a circus and there is another clip which shows him doing the Linking Rings, also in a circus, and I would have suspected it was part of the same performance if it weren't for the fact that he seems to be wearing a different jacket. Here it is. I think the circus sequence is on the second half of the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU9CAsb ... sults_main

Having watched, with an open mind the video in question. I stand by my original assesment. The act is great and I enjoyed it. And too that end I don't have a problem. I happen to like pickpocketing acts, (as long as I am not on the stage) However the pickpocketing does not add to the magic, that is not to say it doesn't have entertainment value, that is to say it doesn't add to the magic. In fact I find it detracts from the magic. For the audience where is the magic? There isn't it is a very good pickpocket. His magic is also way above standard and I enjoyed that too. I even like watching the two together. But again in no way (for me) did the pickpocketing aspect add anything to the magic.

Well it adds to the entertainment and that is vastly more important. I think it makes you an all round mystery man in the view of the public. I remember David Berglas used to finish his act with it. He did magic, mentalism and pickpocketing.

However, I do like the way Potassy does the pickpocketing . In virtually every other performer I have seen, including Rodolfo, they flash the items so the audience see that something is taken. Potassy doesn't do this. Nobody on stage or in the audience knows anything has gone until he returns the items so that is sort of magical in itself since the surprise element is there.