A great place for this is at a bar, because you can use crumpled napkins, and even if the spectator looks behind them, the napkins are hidden behind the bar!!!!

Greg Wilson's routine with paper napkins from On the Spot videos is a fun impromptu version and shows how strongly it plays.

He doesn't even try to explain the routine - just says 'you can see how it is done'.

By contrast Slydini's description in the Magic of Slydini ( I haven't got the annotated version.... yet) is detailed. However the routine only came to life for me when I finally got to see Slydini perform on an old tape of his appearance on the Dick Cavet show.

Cheers,
Shafique

I'm rather surprised that nobody has yet mentioned Steve Bedwell's routine "In Over Your Head": a combination of "paper balls" and cut-and-restored-rope. I saw him perform it at the Magic Castle and it's hilarious. He had been advised to leave it out of his Castle routine because people would steal it. Please look up his booklet of the same title and buy it; you'll be very happy you did and Steve will get the compensation he deserves.

If you know the routine, you'll appreciate the best patter line, delivered after the "assistent" is given a handful of rope clippings to toss over his shoulder: "Some people call this superstition; I call it 'concealing the evidence'."

I learned paper balls over the head from another performer who has performed it for years. I am always looking to improve it though.
Has anyone seen the Tony Clark video, and if so, how would you compare it to the Slydini write up......

thanks for your input.

- dave s.

I have one word for that routine...BRILLIANT!

I was only able to do it once. I was talking to my wife about seeing Blackstone Jr. doing something and said; "Here, you're going to see what I'm doing because I'm not as good as Blackstone." and did the vanish with a napkin.

She was stunned, she had [no] idea where the napkin went!

But I've never had the nerve to do it in a public setting.

ya... this is an amazing brillant and fun effect to do with a fun crowd. But throwing coffee cups??? LOL.... hmm... no sound?? <grin>....

Hmm, what are some other effects like this that really gets fun crowds involved?

Alex,
I have and perform Powers Of Darkness by Mike Caveney. It is done with large coat hangers, of all things. The audience is in on the effect, but the volunteer has no idea how it's happening. It has the advantage of not being able to be tried by the audience when they get home. I like it quite a lot. But like PBOTH it takes good audience/volunteer management. Check it out.

Bob

Is this effect in "MagiComedy"?

This effect is very funny, I like when Copperfield do it with the eggs, the funny face of the girl kills me


luis

In The Best of Syldini... and More he starts with the selection of the spectator. I know that the first time I performed the effect it was just based on having seen Slydini's performance on Dick Cavett. (This was in the days before VCRs so I only saw it once.) When I performed it I completely fooled my helper. In later performances I did not have as much success. I know now that it was because my first helper fit the Slydini profile to a T.

Call it beginners luck.

I use ropes over the head almost every weekend. I've expanded on the original routine a bit. However, one thing that I've learned about any "over the head" routine, is that you can not do this with any children at all watching. If this is in my set for a show and I notice any children in the audience, I immediately switch to something else. No matter what kind of warning I give, the kids just can't keep it to themselves.

Does anybody worry about not treat the spectator as a victim ? If everybody is laughing of him during the routine, wouldn't it became embarassed ?
What could be a good end to change this situation ?

To answer your first question, I've quite careful about who I choose to do this effect. You're right about the treatment of the victim.

Careful body language before during and after the effect can add greatly to how your "assistant" feels he/she was treated.

I often do everything I can before they sit down to assure them that they have "nothing to worry about", etc.

Afterwards, I'm pat their shoulder, shake their hand, ask for a round of applause.

You are very right to be careful and considerate.

I'm too lazy to answer the second question. It too is a good one. I just need to get back to work.


Frank

I have the Tony Clark video and really like the trick and get great reactions performing It. I just wonder what you guys do as a follow up IF the spectator look behind his schoulder before you are finish? In my routine I have some gags to cover but I know Tony Clark mention a silk "sucker" routine he does with the spectator. But he does not go into detail on this trick on the dvd, has anyone seen It?

Has anyone seen Tony Clarks sucker silk routine if the spectator look behind his schoulder?

What do you guys do if the look behind the schoulder?

Gregory Wilson does a wild version using anything he can get his hands on to throw over their heads!

Good question. What would you do? What comes to mind?

I was at a party one time and a famous race driver, A.J. Foyt, was sitting in front of an open window (4th floor of a hotel) and I tossed all kinds of stuff over his head and out the window!

Another time, in the Army a Sergeant ORDERED me to fool him. We were on the little porch of the barracks and about 100 guys were standing watching. Ther was a coke bottle handy and I just tossed it over his head into the crowd.

He was baffled and P'd off. Next day I spent on KP peeling potatoes.. But it was worth it.

Is there any versions on the market or available in print that incorporate a finale?

It's easy to get that plane in the air, but once it's flown around for a while, how do you land it successfully?

It's one of the chief reasons I think Copperfield's version is so good using the chicken as the kicker.