Dear group

Please advise if the angle for
ZANEY BLANEY ladder suspension is bad for house parties.....how about ZANEY BLANEY SUSPENSION 3001 ?

Must this 2 illusions strictly perform on stage...?

I am now deciding between the above 2 version or Hot Air....is the angle for this 3 same as the Floating carpet..?

Many thanks for any advice

The ZB Ladder suspension is pricey but, is an awesome illusion. The Suspension 3001 is nice but, not as great as the Ladder.

Both tricks have angle issues. I set my Ladder in the corner of the room. Make sure and dim the house lights to discourage the "wise-ackers" from walking around you.
These are definitely not close up illusions.

Hi Kendrix

From your expertise, is the angle worse that the updated 'Flying Carpet PLUS'(Jim Sommer)...?

Thanks
JY

The ladder suspension is not suitable for house parties. There needs to be a distance between the illusion and the audience or they will see something they shouldn't on the base. The angles are 45 degrees on each side. From my research it needs a deep stage to do the effect justice. I don't own the illusion and haven't seen it, but thought about getting it for my stage shows, so found out all I could about it.

Phil is corrrect.

Performing the pricey Blaney ladder effect anywhere, but on a stage or platform that has been carefully calculated will result in your wasting your money. I have worked with this effect, helping a local magician determine how to do it properly. It is not very forgiving. He had, unwisely, performed it, at his home for a room full of friends and kids. Every single person figured it out. He had wasted thousands and, to that group, it looked like a large, not very deceiving, bunch of wood and metal. They would have been more impressed with a floating bill, which would have been suitable.

This prop MUST be higher than the audience, unless you are talking on a big stage from the balcony, where the distance helps. It is very obvious what is going on if they can see the top of the base board. Also, the swinging of the ladders is not convincing closeup. They are pivoted, not removed normally, as in pulled out. Even on stage I think it looks a bit odd but it is pretty transparent closer and if you can see the pattern track on the base.

Save your money on this and get something practical. For most magicians the Super X, Chair Suspension and Magic Carpet has a much higher chance of being used and fooling people. If one has a big stage show, this works, but not for you from what you describe.

also, this thing weighs a ton, takes lots of space, and is not very portable. Copperfield has a crew.
quack

As long as we're on levi's, I use a modified SuperX, with a platform on wheels. Double board (so as to give illusion of no support, board is removed, leaving the chick wrapped in sheet with no support)

The supports are two 2-fold screens, hinged on the bottom to the platform so they can fall down and come back up in the right position.

My problem is the immovable leg. It's difficult to get the 2-fold screens back into position without looking unnaturally peg-legged. Any and all suggestions for new supports GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Thanks so much

Nathan
nathanallenmagic@hotmail.com

Hi Nathan,
You might find something of use in the third Paul Osborne book. It's called the Hade-e-Table Levitation and is a suspension with a screen which drops to the floor to reveal the suspension, then lifts back up "automatically". Sounds kind of similar to your suspension with the screens hinged at the bottom. I've not seen this illusion done, but it could perhaps be adapted to your purposes as you can just hold your position in front of the gimmick until the screen has raised back into place.
Chris.

I loved those plans (Hade-e-Table), however, the plans, so I've been told, do not work for getting the table to rise back up again.

Really? Don't you hate that! I've never built it myself or even looked at it in much detail, but I always held some vague hope for the idea because he says he has actually used the prop "for a number of years" in the description.

Then again, what plan is ever exactly right? I don't think I've ever seen a "perfect" plan where everything is exactly right, there's always some detail missing or incorrect - often on purpose I suspect! - and that could just be the case here. Often you don't discover this until you're in the workshop too. As with a lot of this stuff, it might need a bit of "fiddling" to gain the necessary advantage to make it work. A rough mock-up would show what's needed, I'm sure.

Chris.

One day I'll make a mini version and see if it works.

Now days with hydrolics and motorized parts more avaliable it shouldn't be that hard to convert from the good old spring hinge. ~TIm

Absolutely. But, there's just something I love about low-tech at times too, particularly for a simple action such as this. I'm getting keen to try it myself now!

Chris.

Problems of the no return support may be from using too low a guage spring.

The Blaney Levitation is one of the best levitations out there. Although as stated above, its angle problems can be tricky. It can be performed in someone's house, but I would not recommend it. I still chuckle when I think about the story of when Copperfield bought his. Walter delivered the illusion directly to David's then apartment (it was pretty small). Walter set the illusion up and performed it for David and a few friends that were there in the living room. David was probably no more then 10 feet away, and he said something like, "I don't believe it. I own this, and I have no clue how it's done."

So yes, it can be performed in a house, but even Walter will tell you it's not recommended.

If you're looking for something to do in a house atmosphere, I'd recommend a super-x.

I have known Walter Blaney for about 40 years, and I have seen him perform the Ladder Levitation on many occasions. If you MUST perform it in a house party situation, you MUST set it up in a corner. The same thing is true for his other suspension. Both of them are very angly. But they are really great illusions. I'm sure when Walter set it up in Copperfield's apartment, he did more than just put it in a corner. I'm sure he fiddled with the lighting a bit, too.

For the average person, I would recommend a version of the Harbin Super-X plus or Walkaway suspension. I have used one for about 20 years now, and it is far less angly.

Thanks for the help guys.

Bill, could you please descibe the two suspensions you mentioned? (just effect)

A spring action type hinge might be what I need, but The supports are down for a length of time while I do the hoop and everything like that, so they can't bounce right back up again.

My new idea (and perhaps its been done before) is to get rid of the 2-fold supports and use luggage; suitcases sitting on their edges. This way I'll be free to move, but will it be deceptive?

Has anybody ever tried this before?

Thanks!

Nathan

Nathan:

This forum is too open for me to discuss the workings of the Harbin Walk Away suspension (which is also called Super-X Plus)

I'll PM you with more info.

Nathan,

Jim Steinmeyer, in Device and Illusion, has an excellent suspension. It is much like super X, a bit like magic carpet however when he "pulls" the supports it really looks like they are GONE.

quack

There was also a method in an old Tops magazine that used a super x method in an apparent table. You use the the table duing the act and and then use it as a suspension. It was an idea by Ren Fetzer.

The ladder or any of the mentioned suspensions have angles. If that is your major concern, the Harbin chair levitation is a good option.

Quack,
what do you mean they look "gone?" Do the supports sort of blend in the background and hence out of sight out of mind type effect psychologically?

Jim