I didn't know Houdini but Vernon did, and I knew several people who knew Vernon well. And so, a story circulates of something Houdini said about the Cups and Balls. He felt each magician should make up their own routine that showed their own theories of magic and showed their own innovativeness with the trick. Most magicians seem to misunderstand the assignment. Most think it means to pick one of either the Vernon, or the Charlie Miller or the Al Baker and on and on.

That is not the same thing. Coming up with your own "original" version takes years, but you learn your own understanding of the trick.

The same thing holds true with any trick you can name. People will learn so-and-so's version of the 4 Aces trick. They'll learn so-and-so's version of oil-and-water trick. They'll learn Roth's version of coins-across. Etc. Etc.

Sure there are a few people who create their own material, but my point is that all magicians should be developing their own versions and their own patter stories, of the classics. Just making a minor change on a Shoot Ogawa routine, as an example, isn't enough.

Many magicians know where the good tricks are; what book, what DVD, what dealer item is the ultimate thing of it's kind. Way too few are trying to learn to think for themselves. I would say, in most cases, "You can't do it". By "it" I mean think like a magician, and then learn to think again like a layman.

It isn't just in magic. It goes on in art and music and what all. Think of a piece of music. As a composer works on a piece, if it starts to sound like something already out there, you have to change it until it doesn't.

There's a big difference between "working on learning so-and so's trick", and working on developing your own. But it starts with trying. And according to Houdini, all magicians should be trying it.

I was mentored back in the early 60's that this advice was for study and practice, NOT that one need ever perform C&B publicly.
The subtleties, techniques and timing can support many other routines and effects, so C&B can be like practicing scales on a piano.

There is also a difference between the composer and the musician. Most musicians don't write their music but play what others have written. Even though the audience has heard the same song many times, the musician's skill is still evident, and their passion and personality as it comes out in the music are appreciated. I think the same thing can be true for magic. Not everyone has to be a composer. I think a problem with magic is that many magicians are playing someone else's song but are playing it out of tune.

Excellent point. But it seems as if a lot of magicians don't know it is o.k. to switch stuff around, mix, combine, re-combine, etc. So back to my thought that many aren't trying to come up with even variations. Many do the patter that comes with the instructions. I'm not talking about everybody. Mainly club magicians. But on the web it seems there is a lot of "Which routine/dealer item is best? Where can I buy it?"

My most recent thoughts on this were about that what is good for one person may not be good for a different person - hence my thought that developing one's own routine may fit better than what works for another.

I'm reminded of the consultant Charles Reynolds concerning the "Adding Meaning to Magic" craze. He said "The best way to have meaning in magic is to do it well".

Most magicians do not understand what magic is or where it is manifested. Without a concept of that, they cannot possibly produce truly "magical" experiences.

This said, Vernon's routine, as we know it, is based upon Max Malini's work. And since nobody alive today has actually seen Houdini do the cups and balls in ANY form, there is, in my opinion and the opinion of many others, no evidence that the cups and balls was ever the subject of a discussion between Vernon and Houdini.

I did know Vernon. He gave me some personal feedback on my material, and that helped me immensely.

I didn't say Houdini did the cups. I said I heard that he said people should create their own cups routine. And what I was getting at is that I think more people should develop their own routines for other tricks as well, instead of all imitating some particular popular routine. This version of the line comes from Max Maven R.I.P.

So the point isn't where the story came from or if Houdini talked with Vernon about the cups, but why do so few people try to innovate and are content to follow. Yourself excepted of course. I never implied that nobody could innovate. So, three cheers to you.

Have been experimenting with not using a wand. If I want something in my hand I hold the top small part of an empty cup...mouth towards the audience. The idea being to eliminate some little moves of putting down or picking up the wand. I like what I've done so far with this idea. I can't say I'm the first to try this, but it was my own idea...I didn't see someone do it and then copy them. It is tempting to claim originality only to find someone somewhere already did it. Bobby Baxter taught me to use the word innovate instead of invent.

I don't claim to be a Houdini expert. I'm just curious about where you heard that Houdini said people should create their own cups routine. To be frank about it, I don't claim to be a cups expert either, but I have a lot of them, and I've seen a bunch of routines.

This said, I certainly agree that if you are going to do a cup and ball routine of any kind, there are certain things that you should do. One is to start with a routine you have seen and learn how to do it well, without any alterations. Once you have mastered that routine, then start modifying it to make it your own. Replace various sections of the routine with other bits of business and manipulation. But don't overstuff the routine with useless "side trips" into meaningless perambulation. I know of a fellow who considers himself an ultimate master of the cups and balls, because he knows every move you can think of and insists on performing all of them, with variations and repeats, whenever he performs the cups and balls. Normally, his magic club places his performance at the end of each "show segment" at a meeting. He usually gets a walking ovation with the vanish of the entire audience by the time the routine is over.

Gazzo confided in me nearly 30 years ago that his routine is basically the Vernon routine. But if you watch it closely, you will see that he leaves out certain segments because they don't add to his own version of the routine. In adding the extra oranges and the hat load, he has made the routine his own.

If you want to see a variety of cups and balls routines, look at the works of Aldo Colombini or John Mendoza. Both of these guys were really good at setting up routine premises and then figuring out how to make them happen. The same is true of Al Schneider.

Once you have learned a basic routine, ANY basic routine, you can use it as a foundation to build your own routine upon.

Maybe it wasn't Houdini that said that. I remember reading the line several places and it was an old line. Then there was the Max Maven line. Maybe it was Al Baker or Jean Hugard or John Mulholland. I was pretty sure it was Houdini, but it could have been someone else.

In any case, it is the little finger grip exposure in the Vernon Routine that always bothered me as the way to "get into" the End Loads phase.