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Harry Lorayne 1926 - 2023 New York City 8558 Posts |
Back in Feb., 2004, I was the guest of honor here. I was asked about my card-on-ceiling story. This is my answer - if you can find that thread, you'll find more remarks about it. Anyway, here goes:
I've told that story in APOCALYPSE, I think. Wish I had the time to look it up and re-type it here. But... Seems like 100 years ago - I was working the Catskill, NY resort hotels every summer in those days, doing the memory act. Phil Sevush, the owner of the Eldorado Hotel, was a friend, and also interested in magic. He booked me every two weeks to do my regular work, but then, he always asked me, after the show, to do some card magic for some of his special guests. I always acquiesced. We'd all go into a special room, sort of a conference room, at the hotel. In those days, I always did the card on ceiling effect. Well, I'd done it in that room many times - every two weeks during the entire summer for oh, I guess, two years, two summers. One time, there was construction work going on in that "conference" room. So, we went into a different room. I paid no particular attention to the room, all I cared about was that there was a decent surface on which I could work. You need to understand that after my memory show I was mentally and physically tired. Well, I did a bunch of card stuff, then came to the coup de grace, the card on ceiling. Built it up, as usual, and went into the "toss" up to the ceiling. And - as I looked up to toss, I saw that this ceiling was made up of heavy wooden beams - it was not a flat ceiling, as in the "usual" room. It happened in one heart-stopping fraction of a second. I saw the ceiling, but it was too late to stop the toss. I let go. Well, the deck went behind one of the beams and out of sight! The deck simply disappeared. I stared up open mouthed, having no idea how I'd get out of this. Well, it seemed like a month, but of course, it was a couple of seconds. And - one card appeared from behind the beam, and fell! I caught it. It was the selected card! Of course, I acted (after watching me do card stuff, my dear friend, Anne Bancroft, always says that I'm the best "natural" actor she's ever seen!) just as if that's exactly what I wanted to happen. End of story. Except that I never could do the card on ceiling there again. No way I could top what happened. I never did. As a matter of fact, I stopped doing that trick not too long after that. I'll end this story by telling you that I was lecturing for a magic group, and talking about the card on ceiling trick. A member of the audience asked, seriously, "How would you do that trick outdoors?"!! HARRY.
[email]harrylorayne@earthlink.net[/email]
http://www.harrylorayne.com http://www.harryloraynemagic.com |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Harry,
That story is the crowning jewel of this thread, as it would be in any story sharing session! Thank you ever so much for taking the time to detail it for us! Best regards, ~michael
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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rockthemike Special user Seattle 695 Posts |
I did an ACR routine which ends with the bent card to top. It was a an on and off again windy day. As the bent card popped up on top of the deck, a small gust of wind passed and the card actually flew up a short distance and was caught by my spec. Talk about a magical looking effect.
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Donnie Buckley V.I.P. Cleveland, Ohio 1123 Posts |
SWEET!
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rockthemike Special user Seattle 695 Posts |
Guys I have an incredible one.
I had my box setup to do a Sankey effect where I have a prewritten prediction of a card on a card box. Without revealing the secret, it has a card that has an "odd" back that matches a card in the pack. I wasn't going to perform it for this set and I had put it in my deck and forgot. I set the box on the table and began shuffling and pattering. I noticed the "odd" back card and so did everyone else, so I put it in my pocket. You probably know where this is going. I was just playing around with a card to pocket using a top palm, really simple. I executed it fine and went to show that there were only 51 cards. I then reveal that her card is in my pocket but notice that it is the King of Clubs, which is also in two other places now LOL. I say rmbr that card we put in my pocket earlier. Boom. And check this out, turn over the card box. Yes. :) |
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Skotster Regular user Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania 109 Posts |
I doubt it would be 100% but a small cr**p in a double would raise your odds.
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Chappo Special user Bris Vegas 754 Posts |
Some fantastic stories in this thread, with some instances I can indentify with (not that many mind you). I'll contribute my own experience...
Not too long ago I was performing at a private party. I had gotten the gig through a friend's connection, so as luck would have it, several of my mates were at the gig. A fatal combination I can assure you, as they have very little respect for card magic even when they're sober. So having just finished a routine with my own deck for a group of guests (including the client), a close friend (their blood alcohol content just a tad over the 'friendly' thresshold) declared that I never do tricks without my own deck. This is itself was a load of ********, as I regularly make a point of asking people for their own decks of cards should they so desire. So the client walks off and returns with HIS deck, shuffles it with a smarmy smile, picks a card from the middle holds it up in front of my face and asks me what the card is. I am at this point about to make some tongue in cheek remark until I notice a nearly imperceptible mark on the card... Don't ask me how or why, but this guy's personal deck was an old, crusty BORIS WILD MARKED DECK. Goodness knows how he came across it... I assume he must have been given it, and never discovered it's secret. I named the card. The bloke nearly choked and my friend shut up for the rest of the evening
The rules of a sleight of hand artist, Are three, and all others are vain,
The 1st & the 2nd are practice... And the 3rd one is practice again - 'Magic of the Hands', Edward Victor (1940) |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Wow! You guys in the southern hemisphere do everything opposite, don't you?? Borrowed spectator decks are marked, but I'd bet those expensive trick decks that magicians have are pretty hard to use, huh??
(funny story!)
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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Chappo Special user Bris Vegas 754 Posts |
HAHAHA!! My thoughts exactly Michael. Down Under, we get spectators to shuffle the decks and ask US to pick a card, any card, and then get paid at the end of the night. The only way to do it
The rules of a sleight of hand artist, Are three, and all others are vain,
The 1st & the 2nd are practice... And the 3rd one is practice again - 'Magic of the Hands', Edward Victor (1940) |
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Donnie Buckley V.I.P. Cleveland, Ohio 1123 Posts |
Wow Chappo, that's a great, once-in-a-lifetime story!
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Chappo Special user Bris Vegas 754 Posts |
Glad you enjoyed it DDecae. I sure as heck did
The rules of a sleight of hand artist, Are three, and all others are vain,
The 1st & the 2nd are practice... And the 3rd one is practice again - 'Magic of the Hands', Edward Victor (1940) |
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