* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #286 Date: Sunday 19th September 2004 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com www.alan-watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor’s Message 2. Tony Clark Honors Bill Andrews 3. Award Winning Historical Magician Robert Olsen 4. IBM International President Tony Wilson’s Magical Adventures 5. Bruce Chadwick's Response To Blaney And Stiff 6. David Ginn’s England Tour Dates 7. Magic At Science World 8. Jack Barrows New General Sales Manager 9. New Book - Living With A Writer 10. New Zealand's Longest Magic Show 11. Niels Sayers At Bourbon Street Hotel In Las Vegas 12. Telepathy Personified - Ron and Nancy Spencer 13. Coke Can Melt - Jamie-G 14. The Amazing Orchante Saga 15. e-zine Archives 16. Subscription Management ------------------ 1. Editors Message ------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One I would like to extend special thanks to both Tommy Orchard and Jamie-G for their regular contributions to the Magic New Zealand e-zine. Also would like to thank all the members who send in regular news items to keep everyone up to date. Keep it coming! --------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ----------------- 2. Tony Clark Honors Bill Andrews ----------------- Message from Alice Stuart (US) The international magic star Tony Clark organized a surprise 85th birthday party for his friend and mentor, Past National S.A.M. President Bill Andrews. Seventy-five people attended the party held on September 12th at Giovanni's II in Darien, Connecticut. Among the magicians who turned out to honor Bill were Past National S.A.M. President Warren Kaps, the current President of the Parent Assembly of the S.A.M. Marvin Putterman and past Presidents of the Parent Assembly Ted Lee and Richard J. Stuart. Richard Stuart is also a Vice President of the DRAGON AWARDS. He and his sister Alice represented the J.Marberger Stuart Foundation at the party. Le Grand David painted a portrait of Bill and his wife Helen in honor of the occasion. Greetings were read from the Magic Circle in London, of which Bill is a member. The evening was topped off by a magic show performed by Peter West, Danny Allen, Ryan Oakes and Tony Clark, all of whom are proteges of Bill Andrews. In addition to serving as President of the S.A.M., Bill Andrews has been honored by the Parent Assembly as Magician of the Year and is the founder of S.Y.M. Assembly 42 for young magicians. Congratulations to Bill and his lovely wife Helen! ----------------- 3. Award Winning Historical Magician Robert Olsen ----------------- Message from Jane Stuart (US) There is a rare opportunity in the New York City area to see the award winning historical magician Robert Olsen. He will be portraying the 19th century magician Richard Potter. Two shows 1 & 2pm on Nov. 14th. He is appearing at the Mt. Vernon Hotel Museum on 421 E. 61st St (between 1st and York) NY, NY 10021. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Tel 212-838-6878 Normally, his show is only seen in Old Sturbridge Village, MA, Don't miss this!!! ----------------- 4. IBM International President Tony Wilson’s Magical Adventures ----------------- Message from Tony Wilson - IBM International President 2004 - 2005 We left Durham on a Monday morning for Edinburgh and had a three hour stopover so Mary could see Edinburgh Castle which I had visited in 1965.We were met in Aberdeen by Ron Gordon, past president of the Aberdeen Magical Society and taken to his home to stay two nights with him and his wife June. Ron and June are great friends of Bill and Marlene Seagraves who immigrated to New Zealand from Aberdeen a few years ago. We were all together at an SAM Convention in Cincinnati not too long ago. Sightseeing in Aberdeen included visiting the gravestone of John Anderson (Wizard of the North) in downtown Aberdeen as well as the Maritime Museum (very impressed), Milton of Crathea and Feugh river falls. My presentation was scheduled for the Tuesday evening and Ron and I set out in some inclement weather for the clubrooms which the Aberdeen Magical Society are fortunate to have available for their regular meetings. A last minute change of room provided a more intimate atmosphere and once again I was first on with my standard 20 minute presentation to approximately 20 plus members and some visitors. After a short 5 minute break, close up magic and a question and answer session, followed before several AMS members entertained including Garry Seagraves, son of Bill Seagraves. Garry is a full time magician working up north and wherever the work is in the UK. To finish the formal side of the evening I presented Ron with a Ring 160 banner and a copy of “Magicana” as well as a copy of a Ring 160 Newsletter. In return, Ron presented me with Honorary Membership of the Aberdeen Magical Society which took me by surprise. As Ron is also a calligrapher he had done all the fancy lettering himself. I also met a visiting German magician Helmut Kautz from Cologne who made a fake lit cigarette from a white and orange pencil balloon that looks more realistic that commercially made ones. The only disadvantage is that it only lasts a few days before withering. As I am using both a digital camera and a normal film camera on this four month trip I hope I have captured how he did it. Time will tell. Next week. Our visit to Glasgow. ----------------- 5. Bruce Chadwick's Response To Blaney And Stiff ----------------- Message from Bruce Chadwick's (US) This whole thing about rip-offs, theft of a person's tricks and ideas, and "plagiarism" in magic will never end. I know a lot of people are coming down hard on Rob Stiff of Magic Makers. Legally however he probably hasn't broken any laws. To my knowledge, the items he has taken are not patented. Therefore they are not protected by law and are as a result legally public domain. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Rob retaliates one day and sues someone for libel. We should be very careful because anti-trust laws are on Rob's side as much as on the side of those who have been offended. I am not an attorney but my attorney has told me that the only way I can protect my creations and intellectual property is to use the patent procedures and other laws already in place for this purpose. Otherwise I should shut up and take my medicine that may come because I chose for whatever the reason not to use the patent procedure that was in place to protect my invention. And even when I do patent an idea or invention, I should come to grips with the reality that the whole system of patent laws was initiated not so much to protect inventions and ideas, but to make an inventor's ideas public so that those who create can build off of the original inventor's ideas, make improvements, and spur creativity. That is a hard pill for me to swallow sometimes because this means that someone can take my ideas even though they are patented, change them slightly ("make improvements"), and put their versions on the market with the law firmly on their side. Of course I know all the arguments when it comes to putting magic on the market. I know magic is about secrets and I know that putting a magic trick into the patent process discloses its secret. I know patents are expensive. I spent $10,000 one time to secure a patent from the United States Patent Office. It is in fact even more expensive when it comes to enforcing the protection of one's patents in the court system. My attorney told me that here in the United States, unless I patent something, the moment I disclose it to another human being, manufacture it, put it on the market, perform it, or even show it to another person, then legally and immediately it becomes public domain. Anyone can legally take my idea at that point, manufacture it, and pursue monetary gain from my original idea because I have released my idea to the public. I am sure there are exceptions and I am sure there are other laws that may come into play. This is what I understand is generally accepted law however. The reason the law is as it is, is because it forms the whole basis of the free enterprise system and market economy. This is the case with any product, magic or otherwise. The goal of manufacturing is generally to build products that people will buy. In addition to the invention proper, profitability of a product deals with prices, quality of the merchandise, and marketing capability of the sellers. All of this encourages competition. If Rob can put out a better set of cups and balls at a better price than a competitor, then so be it. If he takes the original Paul Fox/Danny Dew Cups and Balls design that is public domain, and puts the cups back on the market, then that is great. That is the secret of free market economics. Magic benefits and no person should complain. Simply stated, the problem of ethics in magic is just that, ethics. It is a matter of one voluntarily going along with status quo and honoring creators by giving credit where credit is due. No person, even a large magic organization, can legally force another person to honor an inventor or manufacturer. Honor comes from morality, the status quo, and a person's ability to sway the masses. It seems that for several of the products that Rob and his company distributes, he has chosen not to honor those who created the various effects. That is Rob's prerogative. Rob has chosen to build his version of mousetraps that are legally public domain because they are not patented. In some ways I salute Rob, but in other ways I am sad that he has chosen to thumb his nose at the generally accepted rule in magic to honor those who invent and create. All of his products are very good and I'll bet that is why he has been successful with his sales. I am also very thankful as a magic dealer and illusion manufacturer myself that he has gotten away from the stupid philosophy of locking magic dealers into a 40% mark-up for magic goods and services, something that I believe has restrained the growth and development of magic tricks for almost four decades. Unfortunately because Rob has decided not to honor generally accepted ethics in magic when it comes to invention and proprietorship, he has burned a lot of his bridges and probably this will come back to haunt him. But I have seen virtually all of Rob's products and they are as good as, if not better than, the ones that the originators seem to put out. Also he has better prices. It does hurt when one person "borrows" the ideas of another however, but the only thing inventors can do is to use the laws that are in place and use the methods in place to protect creativity such as the patent system. It is either that or appeal to the morality and ethics of the masses in magic and somehow sway them from buying from those who choose not to honor generally accepted morality in the magic manufacturing business. Do I agree with Rob Stiff's ethical business practices? No, because I tend to be a moral person. I believe credit should be given where credit is due. Can I build the great Walter Blaney Ladder Suspension. No problem. My company has built many other illusions that were much harder to build. But we won't build the Great Walter's prop because he is a friend and I believe he is the one who should get the monetary and aesthetic rewards from his prop. Is Rob Stiff a thief? I think that is harsh. Has he broken any laws? Probably not. Do I agree with his practices of taking another's tricks and manufacturing them without their permission? I wouldn't do it because I have friends and I decided long ago that I don't want "enemies" in magic if I can avoid it. I believe we should honor those who invent, give credit where it is due, and voluntarily submit to the morality generally accepted as proper in magic. Bruce Chadwick Chadwick Illusion Fabrications PO Box 12345 Fort Worth, TX 76110 USA www.brucechadwick.com ----------------- 6. David Ginn’s England Tour Dates ----------------- Message from David Ginn (US) I lecture in PARIS Sept. 21 and then work Magic Valongo in Portugal (with Michael Ammar) Sept 24-27. Here is the UK PART: Starting with an appearance at the Magic Circle in London, in mid-October 2004 I will embark on my longest lecture tour in years . . . eleven cities in England and Scotland! This will be the CRASH COURSE ON KIDSHOWS tour . . . filled with comedy warm-ups, magic to music, and of course audience participation tricks and routines. And I promise that nearly HALF the lecture will consist of items I did NOT show at Blackpool last February. And if you missed me at Blackpool . . . EVERYTHING will be NEW to YOU! I have already shipped merchandise in the form of books, videos (PAL), and tricks ahead to all cities many months ago . . . so there will be plenty of magic items for sale at REASONABLE TO LOW PRICES with no shipping, taxes or duty involved to my knowledge. At least YOU won't pay it, let's put it that way! I accept cash in British pounds or the major credit cards which we must run in USD and they convert to pounds. Here is the schedule: Oct. 11 The Magic Circle, London contact: James Fortune James@magicfun.co.uk Oct. 12 Reading contact: Len Crouch, Wokingham, Berkshire tel 0118 973 2755 Oct. 13 Cotswold, Gloucester contact: Rosemany Sansom tel 01452 618 146 Oct. 14 Bristol contact: Tony Griffith 01275 837 017 Oct. 15 Bradford contact: Ivan Robinson tel 10274 780 859 Oct. 16 .. travel day to Scotland ..... Oct. 17 Glasgow @ 2 pm I think Alex Proctor tel 0141 644 4418 Oct. 18 Newcastle Upon contact: Tyne John Wilkinson tel 0191 268 8618 Oct. 19 Birmingham contact: Derek Robbins 0121 704 9752 Oct. 20 Manchester contact: Paul Morley 0161 6536 626 Oct. 21 Hull Magicians Circle, Hull contact: Rex Stott 01482 869 232 or Michael Harrop 01482 648671 Oct. 22 Ipswich contact: Alison Riley 01473 626 333 PLEASE CONTACT these local club officers for more information on location and times. Also, do me a great favor: please forward this email to all your magic and clown friends in the United Kingdom!!! This tour has been a full year in the planning . . . and THANKS TO TONY GRIFFITH, it is happening! I won't do another tour like this anytime soon! My friend John Doyle (in real life a TV Weatherman), who helped me at Blackpool earlier this year, will accompany me on the entire tour, handling sales and helping me drive on the wrong side of the road. You may wish to stay off the motorways on the days I am near you until late in the afternoon! Here's hoping I see ALL OF YOU at the lectures . . . and we have fun together as I share my LOVE OF CHILDREN in a two hour plus Crash Course on Kidshows!!! Best wishes to all, DAVID GINN myself at home 370 Bay Grove Road, Loganville GA 30052 USA Remember, New Email: ginnmagic@comcast.net ----------------- 7. Magic At Science World ----------------- Message from Lon Mandrake (Canada) The S.A.M. Assembly will be performing at Science World, Vancouver, British Columbia from December 26, 2004 until January 3, 2005 from 12:00 Noon until 4:00 P.M. each day. We will have about 5 performers per day as well as the usual great displays at Science World. Any visitors to Vancouver should take the opportunity to attend as we have some excellent magicians in our group. ----------------- 8. Jack Barrows New General Sales Manager ----------------- Message from Rick Fisher (US) The FAB Magic Company in Colon, Michigan is proud to announce the addition of Jack Barrows to our company as general sales manager. Our growing success has prompted us to add additional staff to serve our increasing customer base. Jack Barrows is well known among magic circles and has contributed to the success of magicians all over the United States. Jack has been a professional magician and worked for the Abbott Magic Company for 8 years along with editing and publishing his own magic magazine called "The Magician". He has a vast knowledge of magic and magicians and The FAB Magic Company feels honored to have him "aboard". Jack assumes his new duties on November 3rd and will "man" the shop Tuesday thru Saturday from 9-5. We are planning an open house in November to welcome him back to Colon. This move allows the rest of us to grow our commitment to magic and to Colon. We have some exciting announcements forthcoming in the next few months so stay tuned! In the meantime please contact Jack at ontrakjack@earthlink.net Please join us in congratulating Jack Barrows as the new sales manager at FAB Magic! www.fabmagic.com ----------------- 9. New Book - Living With A Writer ----------------- Message from Dale Salwak (US) Hi Alan: Although not exactly related to magic, most magicians are avid readers and might find my new book, 'Living with a Writer' (Palgrave Macmillan) of interest. It was published in the U.K. on August 13th and priced at £ 18.99. The U.S. edition will be available November 1st, priced at $24.95. Following is a piece I wrote for the London Guardian, August 23rd, about how and why I came to do this book. You may include it if you think it's something that might interest readers. It's available at a discount from Amazon.com. Writing homes What is it like to live with a writer? In a new book of essays, whose contributors include Margaret Drabble, John Updike, Paul Theroux and Malcolm Bradbury, Dale Salwak gives us a glimpse into the private lives of some of our best-known authors, through the eyes of their loved ones. He explains how the project took shape - and how his own experiences inspired him to undertake it Buy Living with a Writer at Amazon.co.uk  In 1985, I read an interview with John Fowles in which the interviewer put the question: "Elizabeth (Fowles' wife) plays a very important role in your life as wife and critic, doesn't she?" "A writer's wife is vital. Always, without exception .. "Fowles responded. "I wish someone would study novelists' wives - or husbands." The comment touched off a whirl of concerns in my mind, spiraling out from my own experiences as a son and husband, scholar and teacher, editor and author. What does it mean to live with a writer? What makes the arrangement work - or not work - and why? How does life at home contribute to the creative process? What is the cost of a masterpiece or a caring relationship? In one way or another, I suspect that there are few writers who haven't at one time or another asked themselves these questions. Fifteen years passed as other, more pressing, obligations competed for my time and attention. But Fowles' challenge had sparked my interest, and although I filed the idea in a back-burner folder, I didn't forget it. Whenever I came across a related snippet of information - a line in a book review, a passage in a new biography - my original excitement returned. Finally, in 2000, finding myself in limbo between a completed project and no project, between relief and letdown, the time felt right to begin. Having edited and written a number of books myself by this point, as well as having encountered many authors in my work, I had experienced the creative process from inside and out and was eager to find out from others what they perceived to be the pleasures and problems of living with a writer. Selecting the book's contributors was a fairly nebulous process - a blend of instinct and coincidence and luck. I began by contacting those writers with whom I was personally acquainted, then extended my field of enquiry to other novelists I had read as well as to prominent poets and biographers. Sometimes one person led me to another, as John Updike did with his son, David. A chance sighting of Judy Carver's address in the TLS resulted in the rare and wonderful opportunity to learn about a daughter's relation to her famous parents, William and Ann Golding. Husbands and wives, other relations and friends - all were encouraged to have a say about the sometimes volatile, sometimes magical chemistry that drives and shapes the creative process. At first I envisioned having contributions from 25 to 30 seasoned writers, but knowing from experience that some would decline, I wrote to 45. In the event, even the negative responses were revealing. "No matter how I manipulate the calendar," said one, "I just can't seem to squeeze from it the time I would need to turn out an essay. Living with a writer is no cakewalk this year in my household." Another wrote: "I don't want to talk personally. A writer's life is his own affair." Yet another: "My wife certainly wouldn't approve of my writing about her experience of being a writer's wife!" And a fourth: "While I congratulate you on the concept of the book, I think it's one that I should steer away from: it would expose me to just the kind of curiosity I've come to dread." In the end, however, 27 people did accept my invitation, and for each I provided the book's focus and theme and suggested possible approaches, but left them to decide on a direction for their musings about life with a member of a demanding and sometimes daunting profession. Arrangement in a collection like this one can be a real challenge, but in this instance the 27 pieces fell comfortably into two categories - pleasures or problems - and as the essays arrived the book began to take shape. Probably because I grew up surrounded by writers and in a home where the work ethic was alive and well, I identified best with those authors who spoke of similar circumstances. "If your father's happy in his work", my mother once told me, "he's likely to be happy in his home." Was she ever resentful of his devotion to work? "I was proud of what he was doing," she said, "and I was just too busy to even give any thought to being resentful. I never felt neglected, never even gave it a thought. To put it simply, I think I worked along with him, but in a different way." Some friends with whom I have shared this story tell me that my parents were uncommonly lucky. Perhaps so - and yet as I reflect upon the book's stories about Ann and Anthony Thwaite, Margaret Drabble and Michael Holroyd, Malcolm and Elizabeth Bradbury, Julian and Kathleen Symons, and C.P. Snow and Pamela Hansford Johnson, I find resonances to which I connect deeply. But as many of the essays testify, life with a writer can be troubling, too. "No matter how warm, how engaged as a human being," says Amanda Craig, "there is this necessary detachment that does not sit easily with a happy love-life or a well-balanced family." Essays about Nadine Gordimer, Somerset Maugham, Mary Ann Caws, Peter Levi or Betty Fussell, for example, reminded us of the inevitable tug-of-war between solidarity and solitude that writers face every day in their work. Writing is necessarily an intensely solitary activity, which only another author, perhaps, can fully understand or tolerate, yet writers' loved ones are obliged to accept it as part of the wondrous but also burdensome freight that goes with living with a writer. Living with a Writer is published by Palgrave Macmillan priced at £18.99 (U.K. edition) or $24.95 (U.S. edition). ----------------- 10. New Zealand's Longest Magic Show ----------------- Message from Joel Fenton (NZ) In the spirit of Tim Ellis and the World's Longest Magic Show, the members of 'The Palmerston North Magic Circle' just completed what we believe to be New Zealand's Longest Magic Show. We started the day at 9.00 am this Saturday morning, in the Plaza Shopping Centre Complex, Palmerston North, and performed right through till 5.30 pm. A massive Eight-and-a-half hours of non-stop magic. Magicians, both Amateur and Professional, came from all over the Manawatu and surrounding areas to perform in our big event. In addition to the Palmerston North Magic Circle Magicians working non-stop across the day performing Close-Up and Stage Magic, we also had a delightful taste of Palm-Reading, Juggling, Balloon Animals, and Unicycling. The aim of our "Magic-a-thon Magic Show" was to entertain and entertain, and entertain even more. We planned to bring a little magic and mystery to the people of Palmerston North, and we did just that, with huge crowds -both young and old- enjoying the Entertainers throughout the entire day. We also received a huge amount of great press attention before the event, with large articles and photos across the pages of all the local newspapers. Many thanks to all the performers during the day, and all those that helped pull off this mammoth magic event! See you all here in Palmerston North, 2006, for the next New Zealand International Convention of Magicians. ----------------- 11. Niels Sayers At Bourbon Street Hotel In Las Vegas ----------------- Message from Niels Sayers Just to let you know I am going to be the special guest act thru Sept 25 at "Mostly Magic" at the Bourbon street hotel. ----------------- 12. Telepathy Personified - Ron and Nancy Spencer ----------------- Message from Ron and Nancy Spencer Martin Breese is now publishing the book "Telepathy Personified" which describes how we did it. It should be out soon ----------------- 13. Coke Can Melt - Jamie-G ----------------- Message from Jamie-G (Canada) Effect - Magician takes heat from a coin and puts it on the can. This causes the can to shed its metal and leave the mark of the coin on it. Props - Silver foil from the magic foil system, a piece of a can the same diameter of a fifty cent piece, a fifty cent piece and of course a can of coke. Method - Magician tells the spectator that heat from a coin causes magical properties. The magician then takes a fifty cent piece out of his pocket. Blows the heat on the coin and rubs it. He then takes the coin and places it on the can. He then removes the coin from the can and puts it in his pocket. The magician then peels away a layer of the can and behold there is a silver coin mark left on the can. Set-Up - Take your foil and cut out a shape of a fifty cent piece. Then you are going to rub it on the can. Put a layer of clear nail polish on the foil so that it will not come off when you remove the layer of metal. Next you are going to take an empty can of coke and cut out a piece the same size of your foil. You are going to use either silly putty or stick tac and place it right in the middle of the piece you just cut out. Only use a very minute piece of putty or it will take the foil off. You should now have a can of coke with the foil on it and the piece of metal covering the foil so that you can't see it. Note - This effect is great for adult and kid shows. For an adult show you can use a beer can and for the kids any can of pop will do. Also be very careful cutting out the metal because it is very sharp. When you are done you will have a nice looking prop that will last a long time. This is a new and fresh idea and never been seen before by layman or magicians. Special Note - If you need to know more information about the foil system you can either email me or you can go on the main web site of ring 2100. Look for Jaimie-G and click on it. This will explain how to get it and also other ways to use the foil. I am dedicating this trick to the Willmarth family. Thank you very much for all that you have done for me. Enjoy this special prop and have fun with it. Coke Can Melt # 2 By-Jamie-G Effect - The magician takes a normal Coke-Cola can and by using the power of the mind the magician melts the top of the coke can (the silver Aluminium top part of the can.) As for proof for the spectator, the magician asks for him to told out his hand. As the spectator does, the magician then rubs the coke can and the impossible happens. Metal chards falls from the lid of the can. It surely does look as if the magician is melting the coke can. These little chards of metal are now in the spectator’s hand. The spectator is totally dumbfounded by this pure mental effect. Props - A normal coke can. The total magic foil system (silver foil) Set-Up - Before the show you must gimmick the top of the coke can with the silver foil. You will notice that the foil will go on quite easy. You should use a blunt object to put your foil on, it will make things a little easier for you. Magicians that are using the foil system now will understand this set-up. This is very easy and quite simple to use. Method - You explain to your spectator that you can make the impossible possible. You take your can of coke and start to rub the top of the can. You can tell your spectator that by rubbing the top of the can the friction causes to can to heat up. This heat causes to can to start melting. As you are telling this to your spectator you are now scratching the top surface of your can. If you get the spectator to hold out his hands while you are scratching the foil off it will fall into the spectator's hand as proof. Personal Note - This is very explosive magic that has never been seen before and the reaction by the spectator is priceless. I have even done this effect to other magicians and the outcome of their reaction is just awesome. They just cannot believe what they are seeing is real and that they are seeing the impossible. This effect is just one possible thing that you can do with the magic foil system. ----------------- 14. The Amazing Orchante Saga ----------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Page 15 There’s a Magician/Hypnotist in town - Manurewa - the Later Years It’s Sunday January 7th 2001 - and I’m relating events in my life, from 1954 to… Now that’s a little scary! Do you, like me, sometimes feel like it was only yesterday? Word soon got around Manurewa, and I started performing at various Weddings, 21st’s parties, etc. - as you do. Quite often, the local newspapers would report on ‘So and So’s’ wedding, etc., with “…and local young magician, Tommy Orchard, SON OF LOCAL POLICEMAN, performed magic at…and hypnotised a group of people and …” Etc.etc. Always, it was “The Son of Jack Orchard”! One week, it would be a report of, ‘…JACK ORCHARD ARRESTS LOCAL YOBBO’, and the next, ‘Tommy Orchard, the son of…’ It was almost a challenge to see which of us would grab the next, local headlines. Backtrack! Whilst temporarily living in Papakura, I, like most magicians, became interested in Ventriloquism - learnt the art from the book ‘Ventriloquism for Boys and Girls’ - A Complete Set of Lessons in the Art of Voice Magic, written by Douglas Houlden, published 1958. Got a ‘Ventriloquist Doll’ (it was made in Australia) from God knows where, and practised like mad. I have fond memories of riding my bicycle round the streets with ‘Melvin’ (that’s what I called him), on the bar, yelling ‘Hello… How are you? Goodbye’, to all and sundry. That was fun! “Hey, it wasn’t me, it was the little fella; No, No, the other little fella, with the woodenhead!” ‘Waddya mean which one of us with the woodenhead…? I’ve also acquired (probably from the same source I got Melvin), three booklets all written by GEORGE TOLLERTON - New Zealand’s most famous ventriloquist during the ‘40s. He became a household name with his radio show called, ‘Chuckles with Jerry’ (Jerry being his vent. Doll). These booklets, titled respectively ‘Chuckles with Jerry’ pub. 1940 - ‘Jerry Chuckles Again’ pub. 1944, and, ‘Chuckling Jerry’s Micro-fun’ pub. 1946 - are full of scripts from the Radio shows, from which I put an act together, thus adding another string to my bow. It was okay for a while; had some fun, earned a few ‘pennies’ but not really my forte. In the early sixties, another ‘ventriloquist.’ appeared briefly on the scene - Alan Cox -called himself ‘Alleni’- got some good publicity for a short time, then ‘disappeared’ to Australia. I’ve gotten a little ahead of myself. For the first year or two after returning to ‘civilisation’ I felt very much like a ‘fish out of water’, having gotten used to the country way of life, which I loved - since then, city life never has agreed with me - much rather be outside of city or town limits -spoilt, you see, by Raupunga, although THAT was pretty extreme! Finished off my schooling at Papatoetoe High School (a town about 5 miles north of Manurewa), but didn’t enjoy that too much, I was always getting ‘stick’ because I was a ‘cop’s’ son - many of the pupils, like me, came from Manurewa, and my father wasn’t too popular with the local lads - he ‘spoiled all their fun’. The local Dairy (Milk Bar in the U.S.A. and Australia) was the ‘hang-out’ for everyone - it had THE JUKE-BOX -continuously pounding all the latest rock and roll hits of the day - the owner must have made a fortune. My father was always there, either trying to get the volume turned down, or breaking up squabbles/fights, or looking for some yobbo, (they all were as far as Dad was concerned). I wasn’t allowed near the place, so that kind of put me on the outer - apart from the ‘crime’ of being a policeman’s son. Every time one of the ‘lads’ or their father got into strife with ‘THE LAW’, revenge could be had via THE LAW’S son! It took an awful lot of magic tricks and hypnotic ‘stunts’ to save my skin behind the bike-shed, - it’s little things like that, which my Dad knew nothing about, until now. Self-preservation played a large part in my becoming a ‘better’ entertainer and I very quickly learned how to talk my way into, and out of, most situations! Events seemed to move very quickly in 1959/60/61. ------------------ 15. Magic New Zealand e-zine Archives ------------------ Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: magic Password: kiwi When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999) ------------------- 16. Subscription Management ------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand e-zine: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Magic New Zealand e-zine is published weekly, on Sunday. The opinions expressed in this e-zine are those of the individual contributors and not those of Magic New Zealand. Neither Magic New Zealand or Alan Watson can vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via Magic New Zealand e-zine. Subscribers to this publication and authors who contribute to it by doing so agree that they will not hold Magic New Zealand and or Alan Watson liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed herein. We reserve the right to edit, correct or, in our discretion, choose not to publish any submissions provided to Magic New Zealand for potential publication. Magic New Zealand welcomes readers to submit timely articles or news items which appear to be of interest to our readers. Those submitting to this e-zine agree that we have permission to publish their submissions and that they have the full copyright to the material submitted. 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