Magic New Zealand® E-zine

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* Magic New Zealand®
* Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment Ltd (New Zealand)
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Issue Number: #1500
Date: Sunday 17th March 2019
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: editor@magicnewzealand.com
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Hi here is the latest news
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1. Editor's Message
2. Magician Johnny 'The Great Tomsoni' Thompson Dies At 84
3. Magicpedia - Johnny Thompson
4. The Magic Word Podcast - Guy Hollingworth
5. Slow Motion Triumph - John Carey #35
6. Suggested Addition To John Carey's Sleightless Cull
7. Sonny Fontana - Broken Wand
8. Broken Wand - Marshall Brodien
9. 110th Annual Salute to Magic Show
10. Magic Collectors Expo Magic History Event And Convention
11. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
12. E-zine Archives

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1. Editor's Message
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If you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in HTML format
go to: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2019-Jan-to-Dec-2019/1500-Mar17-2019.html

If you would like to write a regular column for Magic New Zealand or
have some magic news drop me a line:
Editor@MagicNewZealand.com

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2. Magician Johnny 'The Great Tomsoni' Thompson Dies At 84
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Variety

By Daniel Nissen

Magician Johnny 'The Great Tomsoni' Thompson Dies at 84

Johnny Thompson, also known as "The Great Tomsoni," died in Las Vegas on March 9. He was 84.

The showman was a versatile performer of music, magic, comedy, and drama throughout his decades long career. Thompson was born to Polish ancestry in Chicago in 1934. He began his career as a musician and musical arranger. As a harmonica player he toured with Jerry Murad's Harmonicats. The performer made his Las Vegas debut with the Harmonicats in 1951.

Afterwards, he joined the comedy team of Lewis and Christie. During this period, he developed his comedy magic act, The Great Tomsoni.

He started his comedy magic career performing as a supporting act in Nevada casinos for performers including Carol Channing, Eddie Fisher, Ed Ames. Thompson's wife, Pamela Hayes, joined his act as the assistant.

The act starred in the Las Vegas productions such as Folies Bergere at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino and the Lido de Paris at the Stardust Hotel and Casino. The couple toured internationally, performing at the London Palladium, the Theatre Princess Grace in Monte Carlo, Le Caberet at the Casino in Monte Carlo, the Casino Ruhl in Nice, France, and the Scala Melia Castilla in Madrid, Spain.

He made multiple appearances on talk shows hosted by Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Dinah Shore, and Dick Cavett.

Thompson was the magic consultant for six seasons of The CW Network's "Penn and Teller: Fool Us!" He also served as magical technical advisor to a variety of television and film productions such as "Hart to Hart" and "Fantasy Island." He wrote and developed material for performers including Siegfried & Roy, Doug Henning, David Blaine and Criss Angel.

In 2016, he was inducted into the Nevada Entertainer's Hall of Fame.

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3. Magicpedia - Johnny Thompson
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Biography

Along with his wife Pamela Hayes, he performs a comic magical act The Great Tomsoni & Company in which he plays the role of a dapper but buffoonish vaudeville gentleman. One of his trademarks is producing pure white doves on stage, which are trained to play along with the act once they have appeared.

He's widely known as a mentor and teacher of magic, and has worked behind the scenes to develop tricks with Penn & Teller, Lance Burton, and Criss Angel, among others.

He has been featured on many episodes of "Criss Angel's Mindfreak", the "Hair" episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit!, and the film "The Aristocrats".

He is also a bass harmonica player.

https://geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php?title=Johnny_Thompson

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4. The Magic Word Podcast - Guy Hollingworth
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Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

One of the classiest magicians and classiest magic acts in show business today is Guy Hollingworth who joins us this week on the podcast. He was the Guest of Honor at the 2019 MagiFest in Columbus, Ohio, which also featured Juan Tamariz as a performer/lecturer which shows how much Guy is respected. In our conversation, Guy talks about the creation of this classic style act that has a feel of magic from the 1920's though the magic itself is certainly not outdated. The effects and methods are original and modern.

He also talks about creativity and his process for coming up with new ideas. And finally, we discuss his one-man show from 2011, "Expert at the Card Table". Although we have spent the past three weeks referring to this classic tome, I promise that this week will be the last we discuss it for a while. And in fact, even though the podcast title is "Guy Hollingworth - Expert At The Card Table", the discussion of that is limited to his development of the show and not the search for the identity of the author…I promise.

You can watch a video of Guy Hollingworth, see some candid photos, read the blog. Listen online and download the MP3 file at: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/479-guy-hollingworth

Be sure to subscribe to the weekly newsletter to keep up with what's happening on the podcast each week. Who knows? You may even have a chance to win prizes as a subscriber!

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5. Slow Motion Triumph - John Carey #35
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Message by John Carey (UK)
https://carey-scene.com/jc-main

Slow Motion Triumph

Here is a fun, progressive approach to the Triumph plot I think you will enjoy using. It's a small packet approach where the magic builds quite nicely.

Take out eight cards from the deck and discard the rest. Have a card selected and upon return control it fourth from top. I simply spread off three cards and extend my left hand and have the card replaced. The three-card spread in the right hand is dropped on top. Execute an optical shuffle or any other false mix you know.

State that you will create chaos with the cards. Spread off the top four cards of the packet into the right hand. Turn the left hands remaining four cards face-up.

Deal off a face-down card to the table and then deal a face-up card on top. Continue this face down/face-up mix until the packet is exhausted.

Pick up the packet and spread it as you comment on how the cards are alternating face-up and face down. As you do this Hofzinser cull the fourth card from top under the spread and send it to the bottom as you square up.

State that you will try and straighten out the mess in slow motion. Spread the cards again and take the top four cards into the right hand and come away with them slightly in a spread condition. Comment on how there are now two face-up cards together. Bring the hands together and cull the fifth card from top under the spread and continue spreading until you get to the lowermost two cards. Come away with them in the left hand to show two face-down cards are now together. Place these back underneath the packet and square up, secretly allowing the culled card to slide to the bottom.

Make the moment and spread the cards once more. This time take the lowermost three cards away in the left hand to show three face-down cards together. Then bring the hands together to show three face-up cards have converged. As you square up the packet secure a little-finger break under the top two cards. Snap your fingers and then execute a double push off, taking two cards as one into the right hand. Then deal the next three face-up cards on top.

Bring both hands away from each other for a moment as you comment on how the face-up cards have now magically separated from the face-down cards. Place the right hands cards on top of the lefts, securing a little-finger break between them. Execute a Christ twist or a standard half pass and a beat later make a one-handed fan. This will show all the cards now facing up except for one stranger in the crowd. Take the face-down card out and dramatically turn it face-up to reveal the selected card.

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6. Suggested Addition To John Carey's Sleightless Cull
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Message by Ian Baxter (Aust)

Ian Baxter from Melbourne Australia here, with a suggested addition to John Carey's Sleightless Cull from last week's edition of Magic New Zealand ezine.

Shuffled deck handed back to you, leaf through and cut first Ace to the top. Instead of raising deck and commencing a three-card bluff, maintain a level spread and locate the first of three remaining Aces. Keep it just out of sight as you LOWER the spread to show card beneath and name it, the first of three. Spectators view this first card called and in raising the spread, you upjog adjoining Ace instead; easily covered in the upward motion. Now proceed with the bluff call of two more cards, the remaining two Aces being upjogged as per John's instructions.

No earth-shattering 'improvement' as such, but I believe it adds a layer of conviction to the bluff procedure. Spectators openly sight this first of three cards, etching a favourable recall pattern.

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7. Sonny Fontana - Broken Wand
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Message by Kevin James published in Facebook

Sonny Fontana - Obituary

Magician and shadow expert, Sonny Fontana passed away in Las Vegas on Feb. 14th, 2019. He was 62 years old. He passed from complications after surgery for the removal of a brain tumor.
He was born in Caracas, Venezuela on February 5th, 1957. His birth name was Ramon Orlando Depablos.

He came from very humble beginnings. He created many unique and amazing acts including the Telephone Act, Hand Shadow Act and the Invisible Man. He was a published origami expert and created many original figures.

He also performed several sideshow/daredevil/eccentric pieces, including a Fire Tee Pee Stunt, Thread from Stomach, and something with a very large needle.

Sonny was a Shadow Consultant for Francis Ford Coppola's film "Dracula". He also invented magic effects including Got it Covered, Bubbles from Empty Hands and many magic effects using Origami.

He was the first Latin American magician to take any award at FISM. These awards were FISM 1979 Special Award the Klingsor Award for his Hand Shadows, and FISM 1997 Dresden 3rd place in General Magic for his Telephone Act.

Sonny was a lovable, funny and eccentric character. His enthusiasm for life and magic were infectious. He was willing to help anyone who asked and even a few that didn't.

He was always full of ideas and had a heart of gold. He had legions of friends around the globe and he will be missed. I was proud to call him my friend and I will remember him forever.

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8. Broken Wand - Marshall Brodien
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Chicago Tribune

Marshall Brodien, magician and Wizzo the Wizard on 'Bozo's Circus,' dies

Bob Goldsborough

Chicago Tribune
Marshall Brodien spent 26 years dazzling daily television audiences with magic tricks as the clown-wizard character Wizzo the Wizard on WGN-Ch. 9's legendary "Bozo's Circus" and its successor program, "The Bozo Show".

Brodien wasn't solely a children's show cast member, however. Sans makeup, Brodien performed magic and stage hypnosis for years at lounges, clubs, county fairs, parties and trade shows. He also ran his own magic and novelty company.

Brodien, 84, died Friday of complications from Alzheimer's disease at the Arden Courts of Geneva memory care facility, said his son, Marshall Jr. He had lived at that facility for the past five years and prior to that lived in Geneva and other west suburbs.

Born and raised in Chicago, Brodien was drawn to magic at the age of 8, when he was entranced by a magician's performance at his school. Brodien never graduated from high school, and at age 14, he took a job selling and demonstrating magic tricks and novelties at the Magic Center in downtown Chicago. He later held a similar position at the National Magic Co.

By age 16, Brodien was performing magic tricks at Riverview Park on Chicago's Northwest Side. A few years later, he was performing magic tricks at the Magic Lounge in Cicero, followed by work at the Beacon Inn on the South Side and at the Boston Nocturne Club in Chicago. He eventually bought the Nocturne Club and renamed it the Club Mystic. He didn't enjoy club
management.

"I couldn't stand running the club," Brodien told the Tribune in 1994. "It gave me so little time to perform. I had to sell it."

Brodien served in the Army during the 1950s and was commissioned to the Special Services entertainment division at Fort Carson, Col., where he performed more than 700 shows at hospitals, non-commissioned officer clubs and private parties.

Later jobs included working at the Cairo Supper Club in the early 1960s and serving as the master of ceremonies for the Ice Royals, even though Brodien did not know how to skate.

Brodien's career-defining move took place when he was booked in 1962 to perform his magic act on "Bozo's Circus," for decades a lunchtime staple for Chicago-area schoolchildren. He continued making regular appearances on the show before he officially joined the cast in 1968. Several years afterward, he developed the Wizzo the Wizard character. It was a role he relished.
"It's been a lot of fun to put on that costume and just act crazy and wild," Brodien told the Tribune in 1994.

With googly eyes and a getup that included a waxed, Rollie Fingers-style handlebar mustache, a long, dark-colored chin patch, a "Stone of Zanzibar" necklace and an Arabian Nights-inspired costume, Brodien - as Wizzo - would utter his trademark, so-called mystical phrase: "Doody do" as he presented magic to his often-befuddled clown castmates.

"There was just something very charming about his Wizzo character, charming and mischievous, that as a boy, I loved," said Dean Richards, WGN-Ch. 9's entertainment reporter and critic, who began work at the station in 1991. "So, when I got to meet him and the other original actors on the show - Bob Bell and Roy Brown and Don Sandburg and Ray Rayner - all the originals, as a lifelong Chicagoan, it was a treat for me. And it was very obvious when you watched the show that they were performing for the kids, but they were also entertaining themselves at the same time. They had natural chemistry."

Richards recalled frequently going out to dinner with Brodien.

"Many times, he'd pull a deck of cards out of his pocket and start doing magic tricks, and before you know it, 10 people were surrounding him and he's levitating himself," Richards said. "He just enjoyed making people laugh."

Brodien's regular role as Wizzo ended in 1994, when WGN retooled "The Bozo Show" and shifted it from a weekday program to an early Sunday-morning-only incarnation. After that, Brodien made only made only one more appearance on "Bozo" - its final show in 2001.

While his Wizzo character on "Bozo" undoubtedly is remembered most fondly by the legions of youngsters who grew up watching WGN's cast of clowns, it wasn't Brodien's only TV persona. A shrewd businessman, Brodien began hawking his TV Magic Cards in 1970 and founded a multimillion-dollar magic and novelty company, Marshall Brodien TV Magic Catalog Co., in 1975.

"I watched magicians pitch decks of cards at fairgrounds where they could stop 100 people and sell 50 decks of cards," Brodien told the Tribune in 1994. "I figured if I went on TV, I could reach enough people to sell a million decks."

Brodien also was a mainstay at local events, including county fairs, sometimes performing with his fellow "Bozo" star Roy "Cooky" Brown. Brodien was a part-owner of the Schaumburg night spot Toto's and the Schaumburg restaurant Lancers, and also owned a magic shop at the Old Chicago Indoor Amusement Park in Bolingbrook, a venue long-since demolished.

Brodien sold his magic distribution company to Harmony Toys in 1992.

"Every job I've ever had throughout my life has involved magic to some degree," Brodien told the Tribune. "I've always enjoyed performing magic and promoting other magicians. It's my work, but it's also my hobby."

A biography of Brodien, "The Magical Life of Marshall Brodien," was published in 2007. He was the recipient of many honors, including being inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts & Science's Silver Circle in 2012 and having the city of Geneva commemorate last July 10 as Marshall Brodien Day.

In his later years, Brodien enjoyed traveling, attending magic gatherings and going to flea markets, his son said.

Brodien was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2007.

A first marriage ended in divorce. A daughter, Christine, died in 2016.

In addition to his son, Brodien is survived by his wife, Mary; another son, John; a daughter, Anita Brazeau; nine grandchildren; one great-grandson; three stepchildren; and four step grandchildren.

Services are pending.

Chicago Tribune's Ben Meyerson contributed.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.

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9. 110th Annual Salute to Magic Show
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Message by George Schindler (US)

Parent Assembly of the Society of American Magicians to Present 110th Annual Salute to Magic Show, March 30th at the Abrons Arts Center's Historic Playhouse Theater.

Four fabulous acts to perform

Asi Wind, Bob Torkova, Lucy Darling & Shawn Farquhar to wow New York audiences

David Kaye Honored as "Magician of the Year".

New York City, March 10,2019. Over the course of more than a century legendary talent of magic have performed in the annual Salute to Magic show presented by the Parent Assembly of the Society of American Magicians. Harry Houdini, Dai Vernon, Joseph Dunninger and Dante are just a few of the acclaimed magicians who have appeared.

This year the 110th Annual Salute to Magic will be held Saturday, March 30, 2019 in the Abrons Arts Center's historic Playhouse Theater. The Salute is the longest-running annual magic show anywhere and has been a consistent source of inspiration and entertainment for generations of magic lovers of all ages.

Magician of the Year

For the last 51 years the Salute to Magic has also been the occasion for the Assembly to honor its Magician of the Year, a notable figure in the field of magic or someone who has substantially contributed to the mission of the organization. This year's honoree is David Kaye, (Silly Billy) who is both an internationally recognized and highly influential professional magician as well as an active and dedicated member of the Assembly who plays an important role in helping it fulfill its mission to support the art of magic.

David is widely known in magic as a leader in the field of children's magic. He performs regularly for children in New York City, appears frequently as a lecturer at magic conferences across the globe, and has published two influential books on children's magic. He has been profiled in The New Yorker magazine, has himself appeared on numerous magazine covers, and writes a regular column for Genii, the world's most widely circulated magic magazine. Among his notable performances are appearances at the White House and Lincoln Center.

David was previously honored with a Performing Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts, in Hollywood which is the highest honor a magician can receive. David currently is the President of the Parent Assembly where he shapes the agenda of the organization, and last year, as its First Vice President, was responsible for producing the 2018 Salute to Magic.

The Abrons Arts Center's Playhouse Theater opened in 1915 and has been home to many groundbreaking productions throughout its history. Today it is part of the Henry Street Settlement, which delivers a wide range of social service, arts, and health care programs to more than 50,000 New Yorkers each year. The Parent Assembly's Salute to Magic will be performed at the Abrons Arts Center as part of the @Abrons program. Tickets www.magicsampa1.com

110th Annual Salute to Magic Show
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Abrons Arts Center, Playhouse Theater
466 Grand Street (at the corner of Pitt Street)

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10. Magic Collectors Expo Magic History Event And Convention
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Message by Lance Rich

I have a few updates regarding the Magic Collectors Expo magic history event and convention this June in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA. Check out The Magic Collectors Expo this year from June 20-22. www.magiccollectorsexpo.com<http://www.magiccollectorsexpo.com>

Because registrants in 2019 have a guaranteed first chance at registration for the 2020 Expo in Las Vegas (which includes the exclusive tour of David Copperfield's International Museum and Library for the Conjuring Arts), we've received a lot of interest and even a few registrations of people who have obligations in 2019, but don't want to miss out on the 2020 Expo.

Also, the host hotel (The Double Tree Park Place) is approaching Limited Remaining Availability. So if you have registered but haven't completed the hotel registration, you might do that soon.

The Magic Collectors Expo is being produced by David Sandy and Bill Smith. It will feature fascinating presentations about magic's history, an expanded dealers room, several surprise events…and the event ends in a recreation of a supper club show…dinner and magic as you might have seen it in the 1940's and 1950's.

The event is limited to 200 registrants.

Again, check out www.magiccollectorsexpo.com

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11. E-zine Archives
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Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e- zine go to:
www.magicnewzealand.com click on the red button centre right "Archives"

When you enter the archive the e- zines are in issue order in folders for each year and are Coded, e.g. 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999)

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12. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
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Our subscriber list is NOT made available to any other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy.

You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand® E- zine at: www.magicnewzealand.com

Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday.

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