Has anybody ever used them and does it go over well as an opening effect? Advice much welcomed.

It's ok. Personally I don't think it is a very flashy opening. I think a vanishing cane or a flash apperance of a silk is much better.

Wearing white gloves is about as passe as wearing tails, as is the notion that neon colored tissue paper will be mistaken for flowers.

If you're coming in out of the winter cold and you remove some substantial looking real-life-real-wear gloves and you comment on how cold it is and how you can't wait for the coming of the flowers of spring and you end up with a bouquet of realistic silk (or even real) flowers... then you've got something.

Can it be done? Certainly, by combining a Topit with a "put" like Eleazar Goodenough's "Step On It" from Wizards' Journal #9 (on my site).

Design your opening around how the magician character that you see yourself portraying would make his entrance, and then search for ways of accomplishing it. Just my opinion.

Good suggests Darkwing and Spellbinder, thank you very much.

Have you looked at Tony Clark's zebra stripe silk production from gloves? Spring flowers are fine but often leave you with nothing to do next! Being left with a zebra streamer is an opportunity to do something else.

Scheme!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

That is very true Bob, thankx for the advice, by the way was a pleasure to meet you at the Unconventional.

It was good meeting you at the Unconventional too. Hopefully I'll get up into Ohio some in 2007 and see you again.

I have also sent you a PM to avoid exposure of a trick here on the public part of The Café.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I use the Clark gloves to streamer but only as part of the "hand magic" manipulation segment, or the gloves are kind of goofy and out of place. It's a very nice effect and yes, steal away once that thing is unfurled!

Gloves don't fit every routine. I have avoided them for years because of an unfortunate accident in a TV magic special in which the magician unfortunately exposed a parakeet production in prime time. (No it wasn't me!) An out-take would have helped. Post-production has become the rule in TV magic. When I was taking PhD. courses in film and TV production we didn't call it magic. We called it FX. Art frequently gives way to technology to make it cheaper and easier for the masses.

However, gloves are also very appropriate in some circumstances. (Not every venue is ambush truck-stop magic.) When they are in the right places for the right audiences use them. There are even venues in which failing to have them would make you a marked man too. (Like rubber shoes and a tux!)

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

This is very true. It is just a choice of that entertainer for that show. I like the idea because I use it as I am walking to my center stage mark, to take my opening bow, as I walk there I take off the gloves and threw them into the air. And they turn into spring flowers, then my asst. comes out and takes the flowers from me. Then I welcome my audience to the show. But that is just me. LOL.

Pat,

Nothing wrong with that. When I do torn and restored newspapers without dove productions I go to spring flowers too. It helps give a reason for my assistant to (also) carry off the newspaper so my hands are empty again.

Bob

I first started out using gloves to spring flowers and found that the effect lacks something, then I saw Tony clark's glove to Zebra stimer and changed it to white gloves to white streamers but using the same stael as Tony Clark uses, just I don't steal a dove.I just looks better to have 8 to 10 streamers than 1 streamer.

Best,
Jeff

Jeff,

Streamers can solve a lot of problems. Not many people realize that a streamer 4"x36" takes the same space as a 12" square silk but looks huge. Of course you can get 4" wide streamers up to 30 feet long.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I'm slowly making an opening routine that will be apprx 6 min.. and it starts with producing a colour changing streamer.. turinging it colour.. putting it around ur neck then doing the gloves to flowers.. then theres more

I hate to be the bearer of bad news.. but no audience member in the 21st century will ever mistake spring flowers for real flowers.. and will immdeiately know they fold up. I've heard it in audience grumblings... and I've even been asked if I have those fold up flowers, and then was asked to not use them if I had them..

I almost couldn't beleive my ears..

Michael,

I thought that your were a theater pro. What on stage is real?

Reality TV is "contrived" reality. An "encounter group" is contrived concern. In many cases, public education is a total joke. The only success the US Small Business Administration ever had "building" a business was only successful because it was acquired by Coca-Cola. Many of the over the counter health and beauty aids are a placebo at best and actually harmful at worst. Many over the counter "organic" vitamins don't contain anything that gets digested. Fake is very American!

You are into makeup. Remember that the sign over Revlon's door says, "We don't sell makeup, we sell hope!"

Paper flowers skillfully produced are as effective as fake eyelashes at getting an act noticed. From there on, it is up to presentation and what you have to offer that pleases the audience. Being fake was a given in both cases. No one is fooled by them.

In forty-eight years as a professional entertainer, I've never known anyone to confuse spring flowers with real ones. I've seen thousands of surprised audience members enjoy them.

Their enjoyment is totally what this is about. It's too late to talk to Walt Disney about reality. But I wish you could have. The essence of the entertainment business ignors it.

You are too creative to defend this trap.

If reality were your objective, as the makeupguy, you would be unemployed. Your skill at redefining reality (even temporarily) is a skill that makes you valuable to others. Not everyone can do that well. Some people can do that with paper flowers, balloons, rope, water, coins, cards, silks, etc.

Enjoy!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

PS --- A temporary defeat is not a permanent failure.

I suggest you flaming torch to appraring cane,it's very flashy opening

It's a flash throwaway trick. Like Milbourne Christopher's version where you come out and read a telegram that says "Flowers to follow" fold up the telegram toss in the air and change to flowers.

Only trouble now is nobody sends telegrams anymore.

So you can maybe do the following. Walk on with white gloves on and do a satire bit of a mime... it doesn't work so you take off the gloves and toss them to a lady assistant and they turn to flowers, she grabs 'em and walks off. Nobody has time to figure if they are flowers or paper...

OR... You walk on, cell phone rings, bring out phone, you say, "FLowers? I didn't order flowers..." toss phone up and it changes to flowers.

Think more...

When trying to put something into a small space (hat, egg bag, change bag, box, card wallet, etc.) notice it won't fit. Then pull out the spring flowers to make room!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Now that's a good idea.