TRADE OF TRICKERY

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 June 1932, Page 4

TRADE OF TRICKERY

SECRETS DELIGHT THE PUBLIC . I. I In New York, Paris, London and Berlin, and in Delhi, Peking and Tokio, ! more magicians peddle their wonders ; at the present time than evejr before in history, for the appeal of the subtle [ art of magic has not been lessened by r the astounding and elaborate mechanisms of the everyday world. Indeed, the very complexity of the electrical and mechanical devices of the home and factory make magic all the more amazing, for those things which are impossible 'to science are seemingly demonstrated by wizards who use only magic words. For exaihple, writes John Mulholland in the “New York Herald Tribune,” science to-day presents radio, with its elaborate mechanism, but hundreds of years ago magicians brought voices out of the air. (The magician of to-day, however, laugh" ingly admits that his spells are merely for effect, that his incantations are simply the lines of his play, and that his only power is the power to entertain.

If the magician limits himself to making things appear and disappear, restoring objects which have been destroyed, making things float in air which, without magic, would not float, he finds that the audiences of the entire world will be amused. Because magicians travel so far and so much, they may miss one another for years. . When several reach a town at the same time there is almost certain to be a party. One such party occurred five years ago in Howard Thurston's home on Long Island. Dinner was announced, and men who had mystified emperors and coolies, men who had confuted sages, offered their arms to ladies who needed nothing more than a softly spoken word to disappear into the thinnest of air. At the head of the table sat the marvellous Thurston, with Adelaide Hermann, widow of the Great Alexander, oil his left. At the table were Houdini, the greatest showman America has known, and Harry Rouclere and his wife, the marvellous Mildred, who knows not only what you think, but what you are going to think. There also were Max Mallini and Charles Carter. And there were others. Before the fish had been served the conversation .got around to royalty. Houdini told of his visit to Czar Nicholas and the three days he spent in the palace. Thurston told how King Edward used to come backstage in the London theatre, sit on a prop, trunk in Thurston’s dressing room and exchange card tricks. His Majesty was a skilful performer, as is his grandson, the present Prince of Wales. Mallini told of the dinner he had had with Queen Liliuokalani, the last of the Hawaiian monarchs, and some of . the other magicians present laughingly asked if it were true that he had said to Queen Mary at a command performance at St. James’ Palace, “Here, Queen, take a card.” Mme. Hermann recalled stories of Alexander 111., Emperor of Russia. I felt as if I really had no right to be present; at that time I never had had a command performance.

By the time coffee and cigars were passed, the conversation had gone from performances before royalty to the ever-fascinating subject of where tricks come from. Of course, magicians find it easier to demonstrate tricks than to describe them. Mallini, for instance, called for a newspaper, and the turbaned East Indian handed him one before he had finished asking for it. Mallini wrapped a tumbler in the paper and placed a walnut under it. The wqlnut changed to a cork; the cork changed to a billiard ball, and the billiard ball changed to a cordial gjass filled with brandy. Mallini accomplished each of these metamorphoses by merely covering the object with the newspaper-wrapped tumbler. When the small glass made its appearance the magician crushed the newspaper and the tumbler had vanished. This was done casually and simply to prove a point that he was making in his talk. Other tricks were shown to prove other theories. We magicians enjoy the mysteries of our fellows. ,

It was a memorable evening. Never did we all meet again. Mallini went to South America, Carter and I toured the Orient. Houdini died.

CONFERENCES OF MAGIC

The national conferences, which are held once a year, are extraordinarily interesting. We meet behind closed doors, for inside are traded the secrets of the magic art. Addresses are given which would make a sales manager take notice, because certain reactions —universal and reliable —are talked about that would make selling radios or real estate child’s play. Models of apparatus are shown and described with respect to their scientific construction, . their transportability, and their appearance. Authorities on the humorous talk, which flows so glibly from the lips of the magician, give demonstrations of how it should ibe done. No one who has not attended one of these meetings has any idea of the number of angles to the profession of mystifier. Several of the sessions are performances where one magician after another performs feats —tricks from the past, specialities of their own, importations or novelties. At these shows we work for our own amusement and the instruction of one another. Many things which a lay audience would regard as tricks of the trade a‘re not even mentioned. Not a single rabbit has been pulled from a high silk hat in the last three conferences, although the trick is still a favourite

The effect of a trick is really all that matters to an audience. A vanishing girl illusion is a vanishing girl illusion, no matter whether’ the girl be a blonde, a brunette or a titian. Whether the magician merely says “Go!” or shoots off a pistol, makes no difference to those who watch, and leaves no mark in their memories. It makes just as little difference whether she is put in a trunk, in a little red box, or in a curtained cabinet, prior to her disappearance. To the audience it is just that the girl vanishes. Therefore, if a magician were to patent his trick it would be possible to contrive an entirely different mechanism that would produce the same effect —and both patent and trick would be valueless. As a matter of fact, any patent is open to the Press or to anyone who cares to bother getting the description through the Patent Office at Washington. In short, patenting a trick releases it for publication, and it then becomes valueless for the stage.

A YEAR FOR EVERY MINUTE Sometimes years of time and thousands of dollars are spent for a trick which takes but a moment to perform. It has to be designed and re-designed,

made and unmade. The magician must not fail, and a trick must not fail, and a trick must be mystifying to every observer. The trick of making a girl float in air cost Kellar and his successor, Thurston some £lO,OOO to perfect. A little trick in my own programme, which takes two minutes during a performance, has cost me £4OO in material and seven years of effort. It seems all right now, though probably by next year I shall scrap it and build it again.

My colleague, Jack Gwynne; and I were together a short time ago, and a layman friend, who had seen Gwynne’s performance, was introduced. “I have seen your act, Mr. Gwynne,” the friend said, “and I think it is perfect.” “Thank you,” Gwynne replied; “I’m glad that you liked it. I feel that it has many flaws, but after all, it should run smoothly, foi* it takes only twelve minutes to do and I have worked twelve years on that act.” A. year’s rehearsal for every minute’s performance. And it is not unusual for a magician to practice a new trick five years before it is added to his performance.

When the cost and time and effort and money are considered, it does not seem strange that the magician tries to safeguard his secrets through his organisation. Magazine and newspaper editors have been astoundingly high-minded and generous in helping the magician keep the mystery of magic. Many editors, I find, believe that their readers are annoyed to discover the means by which they are fooled, just as they are annoyed when a critic discloses a hatred between the hero and heroine of a successful romantic play. Audiences enjoy their illusions and feel disgruntled when the illusions are shattered.

JEALOUSLY GUARDED

Men of other professions are always astonished by the hospitality that the magicians of one land offer those of another. If you announce to a man of magic in a foreign country that you also are a magician he will almost immediately ask if you need money, if you have a place to stay, if you. will not have your next meal with him. I have found, even in countries as far off as India, that when I asked for my hotel bill it already had been paid by a local magician. When one magician no longer has use for a trick he probably will permit others to use it. ’ Certain effects have been common property for centuries, and when it is realised that thousands of magicians have known these secrets and yet they are still mysteries to the layman, it may be seen how carefully everythnig ’is guarded. Watching the impossible has always intrigued people. We magicians shall continue to devise new ways to amaze, and we pledge ourselves that we shall do our utmost never to take away from your amusement by letting you find out just how the impossible is accomplished.