|
|
dwcameron 0 Posts |
Greetings from a new discoverer of these forums. Glad to see this community exists!
I'm an amateur/hobbyist who rediscovered card magic and slight-of-hand at age 40 as a more interesting way to do physical therapy after a broken arm. But like many, I first fell in love with magic as a young boy when I got my first magic kit (the kind that all fit inside a plastic top hat) but I had the added benefit of my grandfather being a professional (Mal Cameron - you can see him on the cover of M-U-M Vol. 44 No.14 Sept. 1954). Even though I was very young, I still remember him showing me vanishes, and meeting his friends often meant having sponge balls appear from various parts of my face. He passed away when I was nine years old, and not long after I became more interested in playing drums than magic tricks. I think it took the explosion of internet retailers and YouTube and forums like this to make me realize how much fun it is to learn and practice these skills again. Since I've gotten back into the practice and learning of magic, I've also gained a lot more understanding and appreciation for my grandfather's work and his small place in the magic community. He and his wife, Nell (also his stage assistant), were very active in the Boston, MA region S.A.M. chapter from the mid-1930s through to the early 1960s. He was a regular customer at the old Boston branch of Holden's Magic Shop, and regularly hosted performers like Harry Blackstone Sr. at home when they came through town, though all that's left of that now is a scrapbook of memorabilia and a few short home movies and photos. Unfortunately we lost track of what happened to a lot of the illusions and props he had made for his stage act. Though most were sold to his friends, I don't think we appreciated their potential value at the time. My dad (Mal Jr.) still has some of his smaller props that I've rediscovered, and I've been slowly reading through a lot of his great collection of books, including a complete set of the Tarbell course. All of this to say that rediscovering how much the magic community meant to my grandfather makes me appreciate a magic community like this Magic Café, where people can come together with respect for all levels of interest and experience and skill, and help each other grow and explore and learn how to be better and keep the wonderfully rich diversity of magic going. I already know I'm going to have some questions for a few different forums here to help me solve some problems, and maybe I'll be able to connect with others who knew my grandfather's work. I look forward to learning with you all. Cheers! |
Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
Welcome dwcameron,
Your memories of wonder and fun of your Grandfather's Magic may be more useful to you than his equipment would have been. Having gone through several magic estates I can attest that while some Magic is valuable, most goes for a song and some is just dated and of little use except to collectors. (Heartbreaking really.) What kinds of Magic are of most interest to you? -Mary Mowder |
bilbobaglin New user UK 2 Posts |
Noses run in our family.
Chris Baglin
pp Professor Llusern |
M. Tesla Regular user Coral Springs, Florida 154 Posts |
Hiya...if you're working with an older set of Tarbell you may only have 6 volumes...a 7th was added, edited by Harry Lorayne, and and an 8th, edited by Richard Kaufman...you may want to check them out when you get through reading what you have..."Greater Magic" by J.N. Hilliard is a great place to start too...
While the amount of water has remained static, the amount of Tequila and Triple Sec available for making Margaritas has expanded enormously. So you see, we have made progress after all. ~Anonymous
|
B.W. McCarron Loyal user Seattle, WA USA 262 Posts |
Welcome, dw! Magic is a lot of fun, and as you're no doubt discovering, there are many facets to it. That's cool that there's a family connection to it for you, too.
Hope to see you around. -Brett |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Our new arrivals » » Magic runs in my family (2 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.02 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |