Hello,

I am writing a dissertation on illusion and visuality in the late 19th, early twentieth century. In my introduction I am currently quoting Doug Henning's Performance of the torn and restored newspaper routine,
"The only thing a magician ever really does is to ask one question; what is real and what is illusion." I know the origin of the routine is with Gene Anderson but is the patter as well?
I would just like to accredit the correct person, so if anyone knows its origin it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Leo

I'm sure Jim Steinmeyer could answer that question.

Gerry

Have you purchased the trick and read Gene's instructions? It may give you the answer.

I have a related question. Who was the magician that routined the newspaper tear around being on a train? As the train compartment got more crowded, he kept on tearing up the newspaper he was reading because he didn't have room to spread it out. When all the other passengers left, voila, he spread it out again fully restored.

I think it's a great routine and I'd love to know who came up with it.

Frank

Robert Harbin. It was/is brilliant.

ajp

Dear ajp,

Thanks so much. I was able to find it on YouTube and it is even better than I remembered it.

Frank

I know this is an old post, but if you still need the info, I got it off of “Newspaper Magic” by Gene Anderson and Frances Marshall.

Anderson starts the routine with these words, “Ladies and Gentlemen. Tonight I am going to present the illusion of the Torn and Restored Newspaper. In this effect I tear a newspaper into shreds and then, by the sheer magic of mental concentration, I restore the newspaper to its original one piece.”

I won’t go into the rest. You get the idea.

Henning starts off the routine with this set of patter, “You know the only thing a magician really does is to ask one question. ‘What’s real and what’s illusion?’ For instance, what can be more real than a newspaper? You all know that everything you read in the newspaper is true.” Laugh.

“Well, look… here is a newspaper. Very solid, very real. Now if I was to tear this newspaper into shreds, it would become a torn newspaper now wouldn’t it? It would be impossible to put the paper back into it’s original one piece. “

Doug smiles at the audience.

“Or would it?”

Then he goes into Anderson’s routine almost word for word. He changes it a bit near the end, but it’s almost the same patter as Anderson’s at this point.

Hope this helps.

I just saw Gene at Abbott's 75th.

Yep......he's a legend, a great guy, and I LOVE and do his routine!