Magic New Zealand® E-zine

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Magic New Zealand®
* Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment Ltd (New Zealand)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Issue Number: #1605
Date: Sunday 7th February 2021
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: editor@magicnewzealand.com
================================
Hi here is the latest news
================================

1. Editor's Message
2. Vanish Magazine Celebrates Ten Years
3. Magician Says Business Is Booming In Lockdown
4. Busker Gets The Sack!
5. Magic Auction - Preview
6. In My Thoughts - John Carey #109
7. Magic Estate Short Sale
8. Magic & Mystery School Events
9. The Inside Story - Chapter 2 - Mark Wilson
10. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
11. E-zine Archives
12. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice

--------------------------------------------
1. Editor's Message
--------------------------------------------

If you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in HTML format
go to: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2021-Jan-to-Dec-2021/1605-Feb07-2021.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

--------------------------------------------
2. Vanish Magazine Celebrates Ten Years
--------------------------------------------
Message by Paul Romhany - Editor Vanish Magazine
www.vanishmagazine.com

This year is the 10th year of Vanish Magic Magazine. Looking back on all the feature stories we have covered in the magazine reminds me of the amazing people out there in the world of magic. My main goal was to make it a truly international magic magazine and we have certainly achieved that ... and more.

When you look at our covers and stories we are possibly the most diverse magazine in magic with the topics we cover. It has always been my goal not to shy away from subjects that are often hid under the rug in this business. I am proud of all we have accomplished and the people involved.

By subscribing you get full access to every single addition published.

Here is a list of cover stories from day one until present. One of the things we started was the double cover - a front and back cover so we can feature more artists.

Note: coming up we have a very special for Valentines Day - stay tuned .... it's been a long time in the making and is well overdue.

Special Editions
Mark Wilson Special
Criss Angel Special Edition
DangerFest Special Edition
Black Lives Matter Special Edition
Chaplin Museum Opening Switzerland Special Edition
Franz Harary Special Edition
Boris Wild/Seigfried
Kevin Bethea/ Bev Bergeron
Malin Nisson/ Walter Blaney
James Galea/Halloween feature
Leah Kyle/Florian Sainvet
Marvin Berglas/Marvin Roy
COVID cover/ Jason Verners
Jason Ladanye/ Ger Copper
Black Lives Matter/Sarah Fields
Craig Diamond/Norm Nielsen
Murray/Roy Horn
Belinda Sinclair
Consentino
The Sentimentalists
Sean Watson
Jeff Christensen
Sean Heydon
Amberylynn
Matt Johnson
The Great Ballantine/Rudy Coby
Ruben Vilagrand
Ray Andreson
Chris Funk
Vanish Awards 2019
Eric Bedard
Chloe Crawford
DMC
Ding Yang
Vitaly Beckman
Anastasia Synn
Mike Michaels
Shin Lim (Wins AGT)
Bob Fitch
Romany - Diva of Magic
John Taylor
Bundy & Morgan
Yigal Mesik
Erica Vanlee
James Cielen
Paul Daniels
Anthony Street
Murray Hatfield and Teresa
Maddox Dixon
The Illusionists
Nick Diffatte
Ehrlich Brothers
Will Tsai
Michael & Melanie Giles
Carisa Hendrix
Uri Geller
Ning Cai
Morgan Strebler
Keith Fields
Anthony Owen
Magus from Japan
Bill Abbott.
Mo Magic from South Africa
Daryl
Wayne Rogers
Paul Romhany
Luis De Matos
Lu Chen
Andrew Gerard
A unique trip to North Korea to perform magic by Hal Myers
Russ Stevens
Marty Putz
Matt Franco
Aurelia Thierree
Stan Allen
Richard Webster
Shin Lim (Wins FISM)
Richard Forget
Steve Spill
Keith Barry
Steve Valentine
Matthew Wright
Mark & Nani Wilson
Alan Watson
Chipper Lowell

-------------------------------------------
3. Magician Says Business Is Booming In Lockdown
-------------------------------------------
Article forward by Peter Phillips (UK)

Evening Express UK

A professional magician who saw his bookings vanish at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic said demand for his online shows has soared during lockdown.

Darren Delaney said the past three months have been his busiest-ever period, despite only being able to perform remotely from his home-made studio in Lewisham, south-east London.

Since April, the 44-year-old has performed more than 200 shows to audiences all over the world through video conferencing platforms like Zoom, with clients including web giant Google and investment banking firm Credit Suisse.

The full-time magician of six years said he made the switch online after the first national lockdown in March caused bookings for his face-to-face shows to "disappear within the space of a few days".

Mr Delaney told the PA news agency: "I was scrambling around at the time, thinking how can I cut my living costs? What have I got in the savings account? Because I had no idea when I would work again.

"Then a friend who works in the telecommunications industry messaged me to say 'Do you think you can do magic on video conferencing?'

"My first response was 'I can't see how that will work'.

"Then shortly after, I had contact from a client of mine, asking if I could do a show over Zoom. It worked surprisingly well, so that was the start of it."

Mr Delaney, whose repertoire includes cabaret-style, close-up and table magic, performs live through Zoom and is able to interact with his online audience in real-time via a laptop.

But he has had to adapt some of his tricks to suit the new format.

The Magic Circle member said: "What I realised very quickly was that there are some things I do in real life that I can't do online, because they rely on me borrowing something from somebody, or there are some tricks that are only impressive if the props can be examined, which isn't possible on Zoom.

"I've had to adapt some tricks. I can't have you pick a card on Zoom, but I can ask you to name a card, for example."

Mr Delaney, who has been performing magic since the age of nine, said bookings had increased significantly during winter as companies looked for Covid-friendly entertainment for their Christmas parties, with clients coming from around the world.

"November, December, January, and now I'm booked up now for February, have been the busiest months I've ever had since I've been doing this," Mr Delaney added.

"In December, I don't think there were any days where I did less than four events, and there were a couple where I did seven in the same day, which wouldn't be possible in real life (pre-lockdown)."

Other magicians who have switched to online performances said the format has allowed them to entertain audiences from all over the world with ease.

Edinburgh-based magician Elliot Bibby said he has performed around 500 shows in the past year.

The 28-year-old said: "It has been everything from family shows to high-end corporate gigs, and I think the power of Zoom is that people from all over the world can watch."

Meanwhile, Nick Einhorn, who has been a full-time magician for 25 years, said it was only in October that he started putting together an online show.

The 45-year-old, from Hertfordshire, said: "I kicked myself into action, knowing that some people had been successful with it, and realised if I couldn't be successful with it, it wasn't because of the market, it was because I wasn't looking hard enough.

"I slowly started putting a show together, and December was great (for bookings). The spillover is that there has been enough work for January and February."

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/uk/magician-says-business-is-booming-in-lockdown/

--------------------------------------------
4. Busker Gets The Sack!
--------------------------------------------
Message by James Hessler

Well, that's what it seems like. As with everyone in the world buskers face a massive change due to how things are. As a busking magician of over 20 years James has now gone into video overdrive and is launching a Brand New YouTube channel. So far, so what I hear you say. And quite rightly too.

However! To support and promote this new channel, James and his team have created a MEGA competition where the prizes are like an Aladins cave. Props that you will use, rare magazines (The Crimp) that will test you, and a smorgasbord of books to have you reading, and learning for many months to come. With more prizes available and being added take a look at their registration page to get on board. There's nothing to buy, so nothing to be sold, and only prizes to be won when it all goes live! Registering now will help you get into pole position to have your choice of prize. Simple!

Go to jameshessler.com to register

--------------------------------------------
5. Magic Auction - Preview
--------------------------------------------

Haversat & Ewing Galleries, LLC
Purveyors of Conjuring Collectibles
Auction Preview

Haversat & Ewing Galleries Auction

-February 12 & 13, 2021-

An epic array of classical conjuring apparatus, books, posters and paper.

The Great Jansen - Rare Poster. Lot 68

Original pencil and charcoal sketch of Doug Henning by Gary Darwin. The sketch is autographed to Gary by Henning. Lot 117

Houdini Owned Leg Irons. Lot 40

Houdini Scrapbook. Lot 41

Houdini's East Indian Needles. Lot 39

Harry Houdini Challenge. Lot 36

David Haversat haversat@gmail.com

-------------------------------------------
6. In My Thoughts - John Carey #109
-------------------------------------------
Message by John Carey (UK)
http://www.johncareymagic.co.uk/

In my thoughts is an extremely direct location of a mentally selected card. In fact there's many ways of handling the final revelation. Totally impromptu and practical. Sound like fun? Read on... Hand out the deck for shuffling and then ask your spectator to cut the deck into two tabled halves. Ask your helper to decide which half they want to use? Take the other half and hold it in left hand dealing grip. Direct your spectator to cut their packet into two halves. "Miriam, in a moment I'm going to ask you to think of a card. But you see, the problem is lots of people think of the same card, like the Ace of Spades and the Queen of Hearts. So to make this totally random, we will have you do this under test conditions."

Comment that a playing card is made up of a value and a suit. Ask the spectator to pick up either packet for the value and peek at the face card of that packet. Encourage them to just think of the value they see and then table the packet. Next ask them to pick up the other packet, peek the face
card and lock the thought of just the suit of that card in their mind before replacing this packet. "So, Miriam, if you take the value and suit you are now thinking of and combine them, you have created a card that merely exists in your mind yes?"

Be crystal clear with the above and take your time. Pick up the suit packet and place it on top of yours securing a left pinky break beneath it. Then pick up the value packet and place that on top of your cards, securing a momentary left third finger break beneath it. We will now turn the
deck face up and ribbon spread it on the table, at the same time getting a secret peek of both value and suit cards. To do this the palm down right hand grips the deck from above, the right thumb at the inner left corner and the right second finger at the outer left corner. Revolve the
deck face up from left to right.

The two packets below your respective breaks will automatically be converted into steps that you can secretly peek. Remember the card at the lower step as a value, say Seven and the card at the upper step as the suit, say Hearts. This is the book break peek of Ed Marlo applied to two cards. Immediately ribbon spread the face-up deck as you comment that they are merely thinking of a card.

Use this opportunity to secretly locate their card and note the card above it as your key card. Close up the deck and hold it face down. "So, Miriam, you have but one card merely in your mind. A card that not a soul in the world knows right? I'm going to try to use my heightened intuitive sense to try to capture that thought." Start dealing cards face up into a packet on the table, pausing and looking at your helper. Continue dealing until you come to and deal your key card. "I'm getting some uncanny feeling to stop right here. What card are you thinking of? Impossible!" The card is turned over dramatically and your work is done.

Notes:
If their card is too near the top or bottom of the deck, simply cut the deck and complete.

-------------------------------------------
7. Magic Estate Short Sale
-------------------------------------------
Message by Steve Varro (USA)

Welcome To Estates Of Magic

So What is a Short Sale and what does that mean?

Well this estate is a small one to help a Christian Magician who is retiring.

Almost everything is $20 or less.

It will only last 2 weeks, and when it's over its over!
Just go to estatesofmagic.com and click on the latest catalog

-------------------------------------------
8. Magic & Mystery School Events
-------------------------------------------
Message by Jeff McBride (US)

February, 2021

7, 14 & 21 - Sunday's Cool - with Nurse Abbi - LIVE Online

20 & 21 - Shaman & Showman - with Jeff McBride, Dr. Larry Hass, and Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz - LIVE ONLINE

23 - Comedy Magic - with Paul Draper & Guests - LIVE Online

March, 2021

2 & 9 - Comedy Magic - with Paul Draper & Guests - LIVE Online

https://shop.magicalwisdom/events

-------------------------------------
9. The Inside Story - Chapter 2 - Mark Wilson
-------------------------------------
From the Magic New Zealand ezine archives ….
Written by the late Mark Wilson (US)

Our very first television series was called Time For Magic. The format was simple. I was the magician, Nani was the beautiful assistant. We had an announcer and an organist, who played ad lib music throughout each show. TIME FOR MAGIC debuted in February, 1954, on WFAA-TV, the ABC station for the Dallas, Fort Worth Area. It aired Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 5:45 pm to 6:00 pm.

We had no idea how our show would be received by viewers, since no one had ever seen a magic show like this before. And then the ratings came into the station. TIME FOR MAGIC was a hit. Not only were the ratings good, they were great! At the end of the first year, ours was the highest rated weekday show in the Dallas, Fort Worth market on the air before 6:00 pm. We even outranked all the network daytime shows including Howdy Doody, Dinah Shore and Perry Como. Yes, magic, our kind of magic, did work on television.

During our second year on the air, it was time for the next step... selling our series in additional markets. I drove to Waco, Texas and presented the show to the owner of the local Dr. Pepper Bottling Company. He had heard of the show's exceptional rating in Dallas. He also knew of the success of our first magic premium, a book of thirteen magic tricks called Sealed Secrets. On each weekly show I would demonstrate a simple magic trick. To get the "Sealed Secrets"
booklet explaining the secrets to these tricks, viewers would send in twelve Dr. Pepper bottlecaps. Dr. Pepper assumed response would be minimal.

To the delight of Dr. Pepper (and Nani and I), thousands of bottlecaps arrived at the television station each week. This spurred the writing of "Sealed Secrets #2." Over a twenty-six week period, more than one quarter million Dr. Pepper Bottle caps were received from the greater Dallas market.

During the time between leaving SMU and selling the first local series I married Nancy Louise Selma Arends, AKA Nani (rhymes with Bonnie) Darnell. Although business was the farthest thing from my mind, this was probably the best career move I ever made. Those few
months were the only time in my entire life when I had not been making my income with magic. I had taken a job as a salesman for my uncle, who owned a "decal" company. (Decals are those pieces of paper with designs on them that you soak in water. Then you can slide the design off onto a piece of glass or whatever.)

I knew that being a decal salesman was not my long range goal, and I think my uncle knew too, but I needed a job. And it's a good thing too, because I'm pretty sure Nani's mother would never have let her marry a magician.

I always felt that Nani's on-camera presence in the Allakazam shows was a definite plus for our ratings. Over the years, many people who were then our young viewers, who are now in their forties and fifties, have told me that, although they liked the magic, the real reason they watched was to see Nani. At a recent magician's convention, one of my fellow wizards asked me to thank Nani for stimulating his then thirteen year old hormones, proving that the Magic Land of Allakazam was not only entertaining, but educational as well!

Over the next three years I sold our television show, now aired thirty minutes once a week and called "The Mark Wilson Magic Club," in other cities. First in Waco, then San Antonio and then Houston. At one time we were on-the-air in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston at the same time. Since this was before video tape recording was available, we had to perform each show "live" with a different announcer, director and organist in each city. We would perform the show at KRLD, the CBS station in Dallas, then drive to San Antonio and perform the show on KONO, then drive to Houston for the half hour on KGUL and do it all over again. Now Nani and I were both as busy as I had been in SMU. I was not sure this was the kind of progress I wanted.

Please understand, making these sales was not easy. In Houston, we were on the local CBS station at 5:00pm. on Sunday afternoon, a more expensive television time-slot. To sell the show and pay for the television time, I had to put together a combination of four sponsors... Dr. Pepper, Imperial Sugar, Frito's, and Nuehoff Brothers Packing, selling each sponsor individually.

And those initial ratings in Dallas were not just some kind of survey fluke. We were leading our time periods in all the cities. And our show at 5:00 pm Sunday in Houston had about an equal number of men, women and children viewers, proving that magic on television appealed to the whole family.

Everything was going well for us in Texas in 1958 when we decided it was time to move to the next step. I would attempt to sell the show in Los Angeles.

Nani and I prepared everything. A written presentation, which included our ratings successes, letters of praise from sponsors for increasing their sales, photos of throngs of people attending our personal appearances, and kinescopes of the show (this was still before video tape), everything we could think of.

I flew to Los Angeles and checked into the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The next day I started making the rounds, eventually calling on every local television station. I couldn't even get past the front desk. I finally had a meeting with the program director of Channel 13, an independent station with no network affiliation.

I wish I could remember the gentleman's name, because he honestly attempted to help me. He explained that just about everyone in LA had an idea for a really great children's television series, which they were all attempting to sell. And there was already Engineer Bill and Hobo Kelly and Romper Room... LA really didn't need another kid's show. I should return to Dallas and continue my career there. And, by the way, "Magic won't work on television anyway. Viewers will think your magic is done the same way they do those camera tricks on I Dream of Jeannie."

Gees... here we go again. Was I going to have to educate the whole world?

On my way back to the hotel I drove by Television City, the gigantic CBS network production facility. Even though no one knew me in Los Angeles, I was a big fish in Dallas and I was not about to go through Television City on a guided tour like some out-of-town tourist. I walked around the outside of the building wondering what was inside. I could see some scenic pieces through the loading dock entrance. I wanted to be there.

My room was on the south side of the hotel. The day was smog free... one of those, "on a clear day you could see Catalina," days... which I could. I looked out at the big city, I was not discouraged, I was angry. "You're not going to get me. I'll get you. I'll do it the same way I did with the local show, I'll sell it to a national sponsor... and while I'm at it, I'll sell it as a network show." Next time, "How to Sell a Network Series."

Happy Magic!
www.markwilsonmagic.com

Continues next week

-------------------------------------
10. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
-------------------------------------
Written by the late Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)

Trevor King - Q S M. 'The Master' - The Legend!

The key figure behind the successful shows of many local and international entertainers touring New Zealand, has been Trevor King, tour manager extraordinary for the Kerridge - Odeon organisation.

If you were living in Christchurch there must surely have been times when you've been slowly edging towards the entrance door to 'His Majesty's' or the town hall amid an expectant throng of theatregoers all eager to enjoy a night of glamorous excitement on stage, when suddenly a voice of anguish from a programme seller or ticket seller summons a tall, efficient looking, saviour! Maybe someone has been double-booked, or the programme seller has run out of change.
Whatever the crisis, it is the job of the tour manager to put it right, in an instant. But these instances are surely minute among the countless duties to which Trevor King has attended throughout his career as New Zealand's most experienced tour manager.

Trevor is a well - known Christchurch identity; he began in theatres as an ice-cream boy and progressed, over the years and through the ranks, to have managed the Christchurch theatre chain for the Kerridge Odeon Organisation. Always approachable, and with a brilliant and dry wit, he makes new friends daily, but never forgets the older acquaintances, often dropping them a line or reminiscing over a polite ale or two. Show people are mysterious people. You never know what to expect of them. Some are the happiest and most enjoyable people imaginable. Others are downright impossible. Either way, they are 'Show Business', and Trevor King knows show business and its people, better than anyone I know, in New Zealand.

He has rubbed shoulders with the Stars, and many of them still correspond with him. The walls of Trevor's home bear mementos of his involvement with innumerable visiting artists. He has toured with performers such as the Beatles, the Vienna Boys Choir, Andy Stewart, Gene Pitney, the Seekers, Rolf Harris, and Frank Ifield, to name a few. (I gave an extensive list back on Page 107). Of the Beatles, he says, "Nice boys - I had no trouble with them".

Entertainment has been in Trevor's blood since his days as a boy in Sydenham when he used to charge his friends a penny to watch 'magic lantern' slides, with a free comic thrown in. He ran a Youth Club for many years, and thousands still know him as 'Uncle Trev' from the days of his 'Saturday Chums Club' at the old Liberty Theatre. As I mentioned earlier, he worked as an ice-cream boy at the Metro Theatre in Sydenham and, before long, he had been promoted to doorman. That duty earned him half-a-crown a night - a sum he took a week to earn - as an ice-cream boy.

Leaving school at 14, he gained full time Theatre work, and was Custodian at the age of 16. Soon he was Publicity man at the old St. James Theatre, where he was responsible for advertising movies in the Newspapers, and the Posters in front of the Theatre. Trevor's
intimate knowledge of the screen world and its workings quickly took him into Theatre management and, by the time he retired, he had managed every Theatre in Christchurch.

A devoted Elvis Presley fan (I bought him a very good book about 'Elvis' myself, as a way of saying 'Thank You' for the rare publicity/photographs/reviews he has sent me - at enormous cost I must add, which must have put a small dent in his wallet - of my own 'personal hero' Franquin), Trevor has every record his 'King' namesake ever made, and met him after a concert in Madison Square Gardens, New York, where Elvis autographed a photograph for him. He has also met boxing great, Muhammad Ali, and is equally proud of the autographed photo with which he was presented.

Trevor has no difficulty in naming the performers with whom he most enjoyed travelling: (The Vienna Boys Choir have that honour). He says, "They were a pleasure to work with - well-mannered, cheerful and friendly." He became a real "Uncle Trev" to the boys on their
visits and, so impressed the touring company that they insisted on returning some of the kindness by this unusual gesture. When he visited Vienna in 1977 during a tour of the United States and
Europe, he was given the VIP Suite, which is maintained by the school that the boys attend.

Continues -

--------------------------------------------
11. E-zine Archives
---------------------------------------------
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)

--------------------------------------------
12. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
--------------------------------------------
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.

The opinions and statements expressed therein are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Magic New Zealand®. Neither Magic New Zealand® nor Alan Watson QSM 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 they will not hold Magic New Zealand® or Alan Watson QSM, jointly or individually liable or responsible in any way for the opinions or statements contained therein.

Magic New Zealand® reserves the right to alter, correct or disregard any articles submitted.

Readers are encouraged to submit timely articles or news items which may be of interest to subscribers. By submitting articles to this e- zine, the authors grant Magic New Zealand® the right to publish such articles and such authors confirm their copyright of the material submitted.

All works published by Magic New Zealand® are protected by international copyright legislation and articles must not be published for profit by anyone other than the individual authors without the written permission of Magic New Zealand®.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, this publication may be freely redistributed, but not sold, to other magicians if copied in its entirety, including the copyright notice below and the above disclaimer.