I have a survey question. 1.Of those that do sponge balls and a Benson bowl routine,do you keep them totally separate or do you mix your sponge ball routine in with the bowl routine? 2. Of those that keep them separate, do you ever perform them both at the same venue or show?

I've done the Benson bowl routine. I don't do it now, but I have done it. I found it more effective to do a very short sponge ball sequence in the spectator's hand a la Don Alan, because it provides the time misdirection needed for the revelation of the load.

I don't do them separately. The bowl sequences in Johnny Thompson's routine has all the sponge ball in spectator's hand elements.

I'm with Pete and Bill. I do a 3-ball version of the Benson/Thompson routine that includes the "Chinese Count" and a brief in-the-hands bit with a spectator that covers the final load.

If it were me, I wouldn't include a separate spongeball routine in the same set. If I were table hopping, I might do the bowl routine at one table, and a spongeball routine at another. I think (but I'm not certain) Lance Pierce does just that.

Totally separate. If I'm doing my bowl routine, I'll do 3d bunnies for strolling. Although my bowl routine has no "in the hands" and no (GASP!) final load.

No final load?

Interesting... What's the climax?

There is a routine out there that combines the benson bowl routine with a previously signed bill in a lemon as a final load, and I personally think it is brilliant.

That's Lance Pierce's routine.

Like Pete I'm using a lot of the Johnny Tompson's approach to the effect. Johnny is so knowledgeable and such a nice person. Fred Kaps lecture notes and Shigeo Takagi were also a source of inspiration. So was the Hungarian magician who did a routine on VHS in Magic from Hungaria Vol 2 (and I'm ashamed to have forgotten his name: if someone knows it please post on that as he deserves being duely credited).

As I didn't have the idea of using a rubber plunger as Pete does, so after having tried all kinds of bowls, tea cups, Japanese Ocha Cups, I settled for a nice fairly large barber bowl and a wet shaving brush as wand (the "involuntary" water sprinkling is a nice source of gags for christians).

The basic plot is that afer doing some effects with make up sponges (semi flat sponge balls) including in spectator's hand, to prevent any possible manipulations I cover the feminine sponges with a masculin barber bowl (adult patter all along the routine) and I use my mobile phone s large load: it almost became a trade mark for me as it is oversized enough and like a potatoe or an onion in a C&Bs routine, it's an every day object. It also blends in nicely as it refers to the communication between men and women.

I always had the idea to switch the bowls by covering the one used with a larger one (chop one) and adapting the technique for the glass through the table for the switch(another classic for which Johnny Thomson has a superb take).

The idea is to switch the bowl for another one full of shaving foam and use a finger to put some foam on the assisting spectator's nose before revealing that the bowl is full of it, but I never put enough working time in designing that part of the routine.

I just thought that covering the cover, allegedly to prevent further sleight of hand was, when underlined, ridiculous enough to be funny and that it was in the meantime opening the way to great adult lines. Sorry, but I was born French... and it leaves traces

Mssr. O: Sounds like a great routine. If you do get to WMS, perhaps you could bring it and we could have some fun comparing ideas. Have you seen reference to my version using a musician's tambourine? It is great in that the tambourine itself makes noise, so you can load hard objects on a hard surface. Pat Page loaded a huge fistfull of silver dollars on a glass counter top and you couldn't hear anything of the coins thanks to the tamourine's noise.

I'll have to check with Joe Stevens to find out the name of the fellow Hungarian magician (and get the Magic of France tape).

There's a beautiful routine (not a benson bowl routine tho) I just watched yesterday.

great ideas. reminds me of Slydini's "paper balls to box" routine.

I'll be doing this one for sure. Wish I'd thought of it.

Frank... what what what?????????//

Posted: Nov 7, 2008 1:32pm
Anyone ever see Dick Zimmerman do the Rezvani Tomoto Trick (a great very early bowl routine). Or Shigeo Takagi's?

Pete, the routine is on the new "sanada gimmick" DVD.
Don't tell anyone. I don't want everybody doing it. Even though I shouldn't care.

Some things I like to keep to myself.
The DVD is not that good, really, except for this trick.

All you need is a a sanada gimmick, 4 super soft 1.5" balls and a little cardboard box. if you want the DVD let me know and I'll get you a friendly price.

http://theambitiouscard.com/details.cfm?id=7610



Nothing. I didn't say anything.

Nothing. If you have a YouTube account, PM me and I'll show you.

John Cornelius had a great Benson Bowl idea, which is in his Creative Magic book. He used a Revere candy bowl. The final load was a cake covered in white icing. The whole thing was very clever. He worked way ahead of the whole audience.

I remember Pat Page briefly showing the tambourine with the coins in his "Trick A Tape" series which now exist in DVD form.
However I do not recall of your work with the tambourine. This is the problem with your work. You came up with so many brilliant ideas over the years that it's hard to remember them all.
It would be nice if you could tell us a little more about the effect you designed or if you can give a bibliographical reference. I'd love to know more about it. I know that the tambourine idea is a great idea for noise management. I'm sure that there is also a way to make it a chop tambourine with a few side mag***s

I had the tambourine with me on a trip to London and showed it (and gave it) to Pat Page. The next day, at Davenports, he showed me a little routine he came up with.

He was working on the glass counter top of the showcase. He did the final load (I didn't know what it was) and said, "Lift it." When I did, it was a huge pile of coins. No apparent noise, even on the glass top, proving my idea of the tambourine's natural noise covered it. I had used hard bagels, etc. on a hard table but not coins. Pat put it into the Trik-A-Tape and forgot to tell me. I don't have the tape and I assume (hope) he credited me.

Oh, one of the gags was, after producing the bagel, I would say, "Now we need LOX" (and would lift the tamobourine and there would be two padlocks linked together).

I don't recall where I actually got the small tambourines, probably a music store in San Francisco when I was a regular performer at the Carter Magic Cellar. I know I was always looking for odd bowls, etc. and when I saw the tambourine it dawned on me that its natural sound might be good cover for a noisy load.

I then rattled the tambourine and held it out saying, "Your tips are my pay." Or sometimes "Alms for the love of Allah... and I'm Allah."

We have a wonderful lady close up performer here in Los Angeles, Jillian Gotlib, known as "The Good Gypsy" and I gave her one to work with.

I do a version of the Bensen Bowl and spongeballs. I do a shortened version of the 10 count with a variation of Sylvestor Pitch and multiple ball production with the balls appearing in the spectators hands under an assorted nut cup. I give the spectator all the credit for the magic happening.

I mix, byt the way I use the sponge balls only when I'm use the bowl...in other situation I only use the Sponge Rabbits!

1.- I mix it.
Benson Bowl in only a short part of my large sponge balls routine.