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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts |
Anyone perform the Lester Lake Guillotine? The reason I ask is because the illustration of the effect is always depicted with a girl assistant having one of her legs through the hole.
Naturally, I took from that illustration that it was a little different presentation of the chopper effect. Anyway, I note that many, if not all, presentations I have seen or heard about being performed used it as a head chopper. So my question is, has anyone ever used it as the advertisement depicted, with a ladies leg through the hole? If so was the reaction as effective presenting it this in this manner? Did it still have the shock value the head chopper has, and was there a unique different routine presented? Anyone know, if even Lester Lake originally presented the illusion in this fashion? Looking forward to your expert and knowledgeable comments on this subject. |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Ask John Calvert. If I recall, he told me that he was the first person ever in a Lester Lake chopper (they were friends as young men).
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
wizardpa Inner circle The New Orleans area 1011 Posts |
The Lester Lake Guillotine is a head chopper. I'm not sure what advertisement you had seen, but the best way to perform it is as a head chopper. I'm pretty sure if you do a search on youtube you will see it performed, again, only as a head chopper illusion.
Now what I did to mine, was extend the legs so that my assistant, or a volunteer, would not have to kneel down to put their head in it. I also use mine sometimes as a more comical effect with a vent puppet, so of course I did not want to kneel down to do that. If you search wizardpa while into youtube you can see my performance of it that way, at a cub scout show. There are 2 holes on either side of the head hole and they are for carrots of cucumbers to be placed in those holes. The chopper blade will magically pass through the volunteers head but then it will cut the vegetables in half. Very in-genius. I must say I love this illusion. |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
AllAboutMagic Veteran user California 333 Posts |
That picture is not doing them any favors when it comes to selling a prop....LOL
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keithmagic Veteran user 375 Posts |
The Lester Lake chopper was originally designed for a shapely woman's leg if I remember correctly. Someone like David Charvet may be able to expound a bit, but it was originally a pretty sexy presentation for night club work - a showgirl hiking her skirt up and the focus on the leg, or a guy with his head stuff in there...
Just because "everyone does it that way" doesn't mean it's the "best way". It just means it's the way that we as a community of performers have decided to copy and do it. For those interested, the original Lester Lake chopper is on display at the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, MI. I dunno... I wish more used a lady's nice leg! lol! Keith
Author of "The Festival Entertainer" The Professional Entertainer's Guide to Booking and Working Outdoor Fairs, Festivals, and Events.
Available at http://www.howtobookfestivals.com |
runawayjag Inner circle 1085 Posts |
You are correct. Lsster Lake originally designed the trick for and performed it with a girl's leg.
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jimhlou Inner circle 3698 Posts |
I have a Lester Lake chopper. I've found it's a lot easier to get an ugly guys head in there than an attractive woman's leg.
Jim |
Chezaday Inner circle Naperville, IL 1673 Posts |
I remember seeing early photos of the effect performed with a woman's leg. I'm not really sure you could pull this off these days. It's bad enough with what's going on around the world. I get nervous about adding this to the show list. We did the See Thru Guillotine just a few weeks ago without any complaints.
Many times I have to plan theater gigs months ahead of time and this was on the set list. We have to change things up from year to year and this fit the bill. Steve |
johnmagic Regular user 13419 fitzhugh road austin tx 78736 109 Posts |
I always put the ladies leg in the guillotine. I think it’s in bad taste to have a person get on their knees on stage and put their head in a prop specially a lady
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FrankFindley Inner circle 1028 Posts |
Did a quick look through the literature. The idea of using a leg instead of a head was claimed by Goodliffe and published in his book Simply Wizard in 1946. A whole chapter was devoted to it where he goes over his experiences and provides plans for his own version. The thinking is quite interesting.
"It was some months ago that I first had the idea of using a Guillotine for a girl's leg, and having a presentable leg available (not mine, of course, but my assistant's), I set about designing a suitable piece of apparatus. The numerous Guillotines on the market made use of a variety of different principles, and in addition to this there were a number of alternative presentations. For example : I considered having the girl seated and passing the blade through both legs simultaneously. Another idea was to have the girl kneel on one knee, and to use a small chopper, little larger than the wrist guillotine. Careful consideration of the possibilities eventually brought me to the conclusion that in order to give maximum audience visibility, and to make the effect look as showy as it deserved on the stage, it would be best to have the girl standing, and for greater artistry to have one leg only inserted in the apparatus. Edward Maurice had the bright idea of providing a small platform as a support for the girl's leg, and the manufacturer of the original model, Tubby Allison, had the further bright idea of making the outfit in such a way that it could be used if desired as a neck chopper, in which case the platform provides a handy place for the top-hat or bucket popularly used in conjunction with this effect. The obvious decoration to surround the aperture through which the leg is placed was something which would give the impression of the assistant's undies. This was a little too much strain on the ingenuity of those already concerned in the construction, so I explained to my artist, Dennis, just what was required, and he sent me the drawing which is reproduced. As will be seen from the photograph of the finished article, we followed this faithfully, and the effect was all that could be desired." So apparently people were doing the Lester Lake style guillotine in the traditional head manner for a decade and a half before the leg idea blossomed. I found no record of him doing it in the leg manner. It was head manner from 1931 on. Also, the early Owen material showed it as a head chopper too. |
FrankFindley Inner circle 1028 Posts |
Photo of Goodliffe leg chopper in action:
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ringmaster Inner circle Memphis, Down in Dixie 1974 Posts |
No adult took the thing serious. The act was the crosstalk between Lester and the girl. For the blowoff Lester fainted.
One of the last living 10-in-one performers. I wanted to be in show business the worst way, and that was it.
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ringmaster Inner circle Memphis, Down in Dixie 1974 Posts |
Lake was a burlesque comic.....and it wasn't always a leg the strippers put in it!
One of the last living 10-in-one performers. I wanted to be in show business the worst way, and that was it.
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