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leondo Special user Las Vegas 759 Posts |
Where and when was this first published?
Ted (Leondo) |
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Joe M. Turner Loyal user Atlanta, Georgia 248 Posts |
This effect was created by Bob Carver of Georgia in the early 1950s and won the IBM Originality award in 1951. Dan Garrett says it was based on a 2-rope routine by Hen Fetsch. Gene Gordon marketed the effect later with the title, "The Professor's Nightmare."
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leondo Special user Las Vegas 759 Posts |
Joe,
Thanks for the education. It seems that there are so many "versions", I got confused as to it's real origins... seems to happen a lot in magic. Ted (Leondo) |
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RayBanks Special user Nassau Bay, TX 533 Posts |
I do Carver's Ropes or PN often. But I have never seen or heard the original patter for PN. Why is it called professor's nightmare?
Great trick. It always gets a good reaction.
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Pick a card, any card...No. not THAT one...THIS one Ray Banks |
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Scott F. Guinn Inner circle "Great Scott!" aka "Palms of Putty" & "Poof Daddy G" 6586 Posts |
It's called the PN because of Gordon's patter line, relating to a math professor and three ropes. The Gordon version is still available from some dealers.
"Love God, laugh more, spend more time with the ones you love, play with children, do good to those in need, and eat more ice cream. There is more to life than magic tricks." - Scott F. Guinn
My Lybrary Page |
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RayBanks Special user Nassau Bay, TX 533 Posts |
Thanks for the info Scott.
That makes a lot of sense when I think about it.
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Pick a card, any card...No. not THAT one...THIS one Ray Banks |
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James Fortune Special user UK 509 Posts |
Out of interest, in the UK, the trick has always been known as Equally Unequal Ropes.
Warmest regards
James James Fortune MIMC www.comedymagiciansurrey.co.uk www.bestweddingmagician.co.uk |
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leondo Special user Las Vegas 759 Posts |
James,
Equally Unequal Ropes... haven't heard it called that. That was one of the problems that originally prompted me to ask the question in the first place. I've heard it called soo many things, I wondered about it's origin. Thanks. Ted (Leondo) |
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James Fortune Special user UK 509 Posts |
You all may be interested in this link ...
http://www.ring2100.org/ropes.html It gives ideas for various patter themes for PN including our own dear Peter... "Peter Marucci uses a routine in which rope is identified as a 'bean.' The long one is a 'string bean;' the middle one is a 'human bean;' and the little one is a 'has bean.' From this flow a long list of puns."
Warmest regards
James James Fortune MIMC www.comedymagiciansurrey.co.uk www.bestweddingmagician.co.uk |
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Megatherion Regular user 146 Posts |
Hi
"Dan Garrett says it was based on a 2-rope routine by Hen Fetsch." I think it was a 3-rope routine. It is in one of the vol. of the Encyclopedia of Rope magic. Yours faithfully Dan Kirsch |
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Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
Hen Fetsch's original routine was a two-rope effect, as Dan Garrett says.
The third rope was added by Bob Carver, I believe, to complete and extend the handling. And, as has been pointed out, Gene Gordon did the original "professor's nightmare" patter. It holds the dubious distinction, possibly along with Ray Walton's Card Warp, as being the "most ripped-off trick in magic." No matter; it's still my absolute, all-time favorite trick. (It had better be! I've been doing it since the Dead Sea was only sick!) cheers, Peter Marucci |
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MattSedlak Regular user 162 Posts |
I think Professor's Nightmare is a unique effect in that it is one that has been tipped to laymen in many different magic sets and giveaways but still fools them. Maybe it is because they can't understand the directions?
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Dennis Michael Inner circle Southern, NJ 5821 Posts |
I just picked up Professor's Dream. It is very similar to Professors nightmare except the ending, one drops all three ropes and they are connected into one long rope.
In practice, I took the long rope "cut it" into three ropes, small, medium, and long. I did the end count, made them equal, then dropped them to the floor. Looks good. I couldn't do the typical count of each rope at because of the gimmicks "strong attraction". Another method needs to be worked it if one wants to do it. My best critic "my 8 year old son" absoultely loved it.
Dennis Michael
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leondo Special user Las Vegas 759 Posts |
To all,
Wow, what a great board. I ask a question back in February and answers and education still come forth. Thanks! Ted (Leondo) |
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johngaydon New user JHB, SA 9 Posts |
I have worked a similar ending to the one described by Dennis above. I thought it was quite original, but I would imagine that just about anything has been done by someone somewhere at some time.
Anyhow ... here it is. After showing the 3 ropes equal, knot the short rope, and then the one end of the medium rope to the long rope. This gives you a long rope with 3 knots and one of them slides you can play quite nicely with this if you have a nice patter line (any suggestions from the experts?). Then the ropes go into a changing bag with some knot dissolving powder, but it doesn't seem to work as the rope comes out with knots intact. It has been switched for a long rope with 2 fakes. Either cut these off, or slide 'em off and palm them. The ending is good, as the single rope can be examined, just as the three were examined at the start. I need some ideas on patter for this, including a good reason why the rope would need to go in the bag! Any ideas from the experts? cheers John |
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
There has been some more information about this published in the May 2005 Linking Ring in Bev Bergeron's column.
Hen Fetch's "Quad-Rope-Lets" was the inspiration for Bob Carver's trick. Bev did Quad Rope Lets, and when he saw Bob do Professor's Nightmare at the IBM Convention in Houston in 1957, he got Gene (who owned the rights to Quad Rope Lets) together with Bob to produce the nightmare. Bev reailized that the three rope routine that Bob did was the answer to some rough handling in the beginning of Quad Rope Lets. Phil Willmarth acquired the rights to both tricks from Gene Gordon.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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Hobie the Magical Hobo Clown New user Niagara, Ontario 68 Posts |
The PN is the best rope trick I do.
One Mustn't study a magician to closely,
Never look up his sleeve, Never look under his hat, Just sit back and let him do his act. |
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drkptrs1975 Elite user North Eastern PA 452 Posts |
I am not sure of this is how it started, but I do believe this is how it got its name, a College Student showed this trick to his professor, and the professor was not only impressed, but in such shocked, that he actaully had dreams about it, which it gave the name ,the Professor's Nightmare.
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tbaer Inner circle Pennsylvania 2003 Posts |
I liked James Lewis's routine on his million dollar mysteries video.
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
The PN, and CMH tricks are sooooo perfect, sooooo special that I will never reveal their secrets to anyone, not even my wife.
Al
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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