On 2006-12-31 14:27, DStachowiak wrote:
It's actually an illusion originated by Kevin James, called (I think) "Operation" or some such, and I understand there's been a lot of discontent about Criss Angel using it on TVwithout bothering with permission or credit.

On 2007-01-01 13:12, meauxfeaux wrote:
This was not originated by Kevin James.
This illusion was done in 1937 by Raja Raboid using Johnny Eck and his twin brother, Robert. The difference between the two twins was that Johnny was born with nothing beneath his ribcage, i.e. he consisted of trunk, arms and head.
His twin would be invited onstage and then switched for Johnny and a midget dressed up as the bottom half.

On 2007-01-01 06:32, DStachowiak wrote:
There's probably a long history of this kind of thing, people who have unusual physical anomalies being the basis of bizarre theatre. I know little people have been eployed this way often in the past, and the carnival geek shows were often performed by people who were either born different or maimed.

It's tempting to condemn this as exploitation, but it may just be a way for people to come to terms with, or even benifit from, being unusual or different.

On 2007-01-01 22:27, Tony Iacoviello wrote:
The "Illustrated History of Magic" is a great read, but one should take what it says with a grain of salt, as one should with any book. As writers, personal opinions color what we write, and not everyone has the same standard of research.

Tony