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illusions & reality Special user Saskatoon, SK, CANADA 883 Posts 
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Mark Kalin’s vanish is beautiful! Thanks for posting!
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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On Jan 25, 2024, FrankFindley wrote: Jonathan Pendragon vanishes the cage with origami bird:  |
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hugmagic Inner circle 7753 Posts
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Dell O'Dell did it in a sleeveless evening dress. One of the spectators holding the cage helped a bit
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Richard E. Hughes, Hughes Magic Inc., 352 N. Prospect St., Ravenna, OH 44266 (330)296-4023
www.hughesmagic.com email-hugmagic@raex.com Write direct as I will be turning off my PM's. |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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On Oct 9, 2024, hugmagic wrote: Clever idea. That and the presentation that Bob Haskell worked out for Vincent Price in the film 'The Mad Magician' remind me of the anecdote related by Harlan Tarbell (and repeated in Henning Nelms' book 'Magic and Showmanship') about the group of magicians going to see the play 'The Charlatan', starring Frederick Tiden as Cagliostro the magician.  (screenshot from 'Magic and Showmanship' by Henning Nelms. NOTE that the book has a typo where actor Frederick Tiden's last name is given incorrectly as "Tilden" .) . |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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On Oct 8, 2024, illusions & reality wrote: Yes,it's very clean and beautiful. With the traditional visibly-vanishes-in-a-flash bird cage effect , it's hard to top Jonathan Neal's handling. So fast, so smooth. And then that kicker when he removes his jacket! (and keep in mind this is a rehearsal video ... when he posted it on Facebook ,Jonathan wrote: "OK, this is something of a work in progress. No presentation per se, no sound... just checking to see if the idea has merit."  . |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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On Oct 9, 2024, hugmagic wrote: I was looking for references to Dell O'Dell's performance of the vanishing bird cage in the 'Ask Alexander' database when I came across numerous references to another lady magician named "Del" -- Rita Del Gardi, who was apparently a very popular and highly regarded magician performing in the late 1920's, throughout the 1930's to the early 1940's (I find no contemporary mentions of her performing after around 1942.) I wonder if it is actually Rita Del Gardi who originated the performance of the vanishing bird cage in a sleeveless evening gown? The Sphinx , Vol. 30 No. 5,July 20, 1931 - "Rita Del Gardi's act was one of those that can only be described by superlatives; perfect, beautiful and mysterious. Imagine, among other things, a girl in evening dress doing the bird cage —and how she does the needles. You must see this act to appreciate it." Werner Dornfield reminiscing in his column in The New Tops (January 1967) writes: "One of the most outstanding feminine performers of recent times was Rita Del Gardi who, amongst other clever tricks, did the Vanishing Bird Cage. In her act she wore a formal gown without sleeves. The way she did this trick was a real masterpiece of deception." So there are two references to Rita Del Gardi performing the vanishing bird cage in a sleeveless evening dress. It's somewhat amusing when Dorny writes "of recent times" with reference to Rita Del Gardi. He must have been flashing back to the 1930's, because by 1967 it seems that Rita Del Gardi had long since retired from show business (or at least from magic) because I can't find any other references to her as a performer after around 1942. In another, earlier, column of Dorny's from The Sphinx in 1952 , he recalls a show he produced in 1931 as a testimonial to the great magician Frederick Eugene Powell, at which Rita Del Gardi performed. Dornfield includes a photo taken after this testimonial show for Frederick Eugene Powell in which Rita Del Gardi appears, but frustratingly the photo caption doesn't positively ID her in the photo , simply saying: "Others pictured in the front row are Rita Del Gardi and Marie Dornfield." , but Dorny doesn't positively ID which of the women in the front row is Rita Del Gardi (probably in Dorny's frame of mind in the early 1950's Rita Del Gardi is/was so well-known that he didn't need to point her out specifically, assuming that most of his readers would recognize her on sight)  Here's the only other photo I can find of Rita Del Gardi , from The Sphinx, "Who's Who In Magic" August, 1933:   In an account of the Powell Testimonial show written in The Sphinx, April 20, 1931, the reviewer writes: "One of the highlights of the show was Rita Del Gardi, the lady magician, in a colorful and mystifying turn of unusual entertainment value, presented with admirable savoir faire and commendable presence of mind. This dainty lady, assisted by two charming members of the fair sex, offered several big effects, and in encore presented the Vanishing Bird Cage in sleeveless costume with breath-taking adroitness." This brief article from the Genii Magazine 'Magicpedia' -- https://www.geniimagazine.com/wiki/index......el_Gardi -- mentions that Rita Del Gardi married magician Charles Prevette , who after retiring from performing becoming the manager of theaters in New Jersey for Fabian Theater Corporation, managing the Butler and Colonial Theaters in Pompton Lakes for many years. She seems to have been very highly regarded by all the columnists and reviewers of the major magic magazines, but sadly I can't find any feature stories or interviews with Rita Del Gardi. |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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Some information about the vanishing bird cage that is rarely discussed:
Tips on Lubricating and Maintaining a Lindhorst-style Vanishing Bird Cage: A compilation of Tips that were posted on a Facebook discussion thread that included Jim Riser, Daniel Summers, and Jonathan Neal. Jim Riser pointed out that this topic is never mentioned in the literature (books, magazine articles , instruction sheets) but is usually “a backroom conversation topic” among vanishing bird cage cognoscenti. Oiling the Cage (once a year) - The importance of oiling the cage is never mentioned anywhere in the literature. Use Singer brand sewing machine oil on Lindhorst-style cages. This type of sewing machine oil is clear and will not stain clothing like many oils. Needle/syringe applicators can be found in better hobby shops that sell electric trains or online. Fill the needle applicator from the Singer oil bottle. A lubed cage is a happy cage. Do not over oil as it will just run out. Apply the oil with a hypodermic needle type of applicator to one joint at a time. Just a small drop, no more. Oiling the cage once a year prevents unwanted wear, allowing your cage decades of trouble-free use. Wrap a soft paper towel around a wooden paint stick to wipe off any excess oil that seeps out between the bars.  Cleaning a Cage which is tarnished - Hand apply Mothers Wheel and Rim Polish with a soft cotton cloth. Wipe and rub until tarnish is gone. Then buff it with a Microfiber Jewelry Cleaning Cloth. Others have mentioned using Flitz Multi-Purpose Polish and Cleaner Liquid for Metal.   Protecting the Cage with a coat of Wax - Sometimes old cages will be almost eaten away by perspiration. This could have been prevented with a periodic waxing of the cage using Renaissance Wax. Apply with a soft cotton cloth and then buff it with a Microfiber Jewelry Cleaning Cloth.  |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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For anyone interested in the topic of the Vanishing Bird Cage, here is a gallery of images and short video clips I set up:
The Elusive Canary: Vanishing Bird Cage Gallery - https://photos.app.goo.gl/WHkkh9d4UM68Hwk79 |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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I also uploaded the collected photos and video clips (gifs)from my Google Photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WHkkh9d4UM68Hwk79 to this blog: https://vanishingbirdcage.blogspot.com .I will continue to update those pages as I find additional photos and videos.
Here are a few of the video clips: Tommy Wonder vanishes his bird cage under a sheer scarf. (an idea first suggested by Alan Wakeling in The Linking Ring in 1947, but which was also used by Billy McComb and Cecil Keech).  The full routine may be seen here: https://youtu.be/YzYNvZKXVOU In these next two clips Tommy Wonder vanishes the cage (a modified Milson-Worth cage) barehanded, with his sleeves rolled up.   Full routine here: https://youtu.be/Lwz7iqPyz-s |
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Don Loyal user 215 Posts
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Thanks for the information!
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JNeal Inner circle I used to have 999 posts, now I have 1700 Posts
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On Jan 30, 2025, David Todd wrote: Just an excellent compendium of information you have gathered! Now I can throw out my files!! And thanks for the mentions of my handling and the parakeets! |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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On Feb 15, 2025, JNeal wrote: No,no, you'll need your files for when you're writing the book on The Vanishing Bird Cage ! (if Jim Riser is not going to publish his, someone needs to write a monograph on how to perform it properly, with a nice historical summary from Buatier De Kolta to the present day). By the way, do you have parakeets in stock? - |
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JNeal Inner circle I used to have 999 posts, now I have 1700 Posts
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"By the way, do you have parakeets in stock?"
Actually, no... but I can make them up in a few hours... Let me know I'll send you my email. |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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On Feb 15, 2025, JNeal wrote: I now have two of Jonathan Neal's beautiful parakeets. Thank you, Jonathan ! The level of craftsmanship is excellent. At some point I'll buy at least one more to have a back-up.  |
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Wravyn Inner circle 4249 Posts
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On Feb 28, 2025, David Todd wrote: WOW... That is incredibly gorgeous! Beautiful work |
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JNeal Inner circle I used to have 999 posts, now I have 1700 Posts
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On Feb 28, 2025, David Todd wrote:
"I now have two of Jonathan Neal's beautiful parakeets. Thank you, Jonathan ! The level of craftsmanship is excellent. At some point I'll buy at least one more to have a back-up." Now that is a great picture! If you don't mind,I'd like to post it on my Facebook page!? |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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On Mar 1, 2025, JNeal wrote: Yes, that would be fine. |
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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On Mar 1, 2025, David Todd wrote: I'll send you a higher-resolution version of the photo to post on FB. (will send it via FB Messenger). -DN - |
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JNeal Inner circle I used to have 999 posts, now I have 1700 Posts
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Thank you!
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David Todd Inner circle 2857 Posts
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Quote:
On Jan 16, 2024, Magic Mark wrote: Regarding the JM Craft version of the "Tommy Wonder Bird Cage": I've been intrigued with Tommy Wonder's detailed reworking of the Milson Worth cage ever since I read about it in The Books of Wonder (Vol. 2). I noticed there is one listed on eBay at the moment (as of June 2, 2025) for a starting bid of approx. $200 U.S.D. which caught my attention (for that price I would take a chance on it), but then I realized they are only selling the cage, but not all the other items that came in the JM Craft kit. (which do not seem to have been properly made to Tommy Wonder's specifications; see the earlier post regarding the reported problems with the first run of the JM Craft cages.) Looking at the photos of the JM Craft cage and comparing to the drawings in the Tommy Wonder book (vol. 2), I can see there are a few points on the cage that are not done correctly (as Louie Foxx had mentioned). Also , as I take a longer look at the photos of the JM Craft cage it seems to me the proportions of the side bars are all wrong (I'm talking about the three side bars that are held by rings at the top and bottom of the back-to-front cross bars) The rings are way too large for no good reason that I can imagine. If you compare this to the original Milson Worth bird cage (the cage that Tommy Wonder used , but practically re-built by taking it apart , re-tooling many of the parts , and adding several parts) you can see that the side bar rings are much smaller and less obtrusive on the MW cage than on the JM Craft cage. The JM Craft cage also seems slightly smaller than the original Milson Worth cage (which in it's time was one of the smaller vanishing bird cages made). The more I look at it , the more I believe that JM Craft really missed the mark on this cage. The JM Craft cage that is currently available on eBay -  Another photo of the JM Craft cage compared side by side to an original Milson Worth cage -  |
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Posted: Oct 8, 2024 11:35 pm 
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