I've seen Vernon's ten count with two balls demonstrated on a couple of videos. Does anyone know if this appears in print?

Many Thanks,
Jack Shalom

You can find it in:

"The Magic Book" by Harry Lorayne

One of the "Art of Close Up Magic" volumes

The Blackstone Book of Magic and Illusion by Harry Blackstone Jr (very good description in this one)

I'm sure there are many others...

Bob

You'll find it also in:
"Handbuch der Magie" by Jochen Zmeck (German book)

yfirum

Sankeymagic.com has a dvd called ear plugs this has the 10 count in it

Agreed..."The Blackstone Book of Magic and Illusion" by Harry Blackstone, Jr has a great description.

You can probably find this in your public library.

Im afraid to ask, but are yo talking about the sponge ball 'ten' count with two sponge balls and different hand sequences- or a different count using two balls?

MM

A related query....Is the "Spongeball 10 Count" just another name for Martin Gardner's "Passe Trick", (The Sponge Book - 1960 + reprints, Magic Inc.) As I understood it, the counting was only meant to assist learning, yet the count seems to have developed a life of it's own. Personally I find it unnecessary!
Rgds - Bruce

I've done the 10 count for years...learned it straight out of the Blackstone book in the library.

The count is "unnecessary" certainly, but it adds just the right amount of magic to the effect...though you can do it without the count it is like a play with no music. Counting out loud adds much emotionally, and the logical ones get caught between 5 and 6 as they notice the extra count (Blackstone version).

The 10 count (and 2 pennies on the leg, straight out of Bobo's Modern Coin Magic)have been what I go to when I have to do a magic trick.

Several of us were doing strolling magic at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston last week. We worked in pairs. When we got back to the main administration room, Dick Hatch said, "Steve performed in Japanese for one of his audiences." We were impressed.

Turns out that Steve Shain had done the ten count for a Japanese child. And since he knew how to count to ten in Japanese....

It also appears in Frank Garcia's Encyclopedia of Sponge Ball Magic.

Yes. It appears in the VHS tape of Spirit of Magic (Herb Zarrow performs it!) and I've also seen Johnny Thompson perform it on Commercial Classics as a prelude to the Benson Bowl routine.

Jack Shalom

I've always loved Johnny Thompson's Benson Bowl Routine, specifically the name of his wand which is funny when translated to Thai. But when he uses the 10 count to start off the routine, I wonder if he is foreshadowing/giving away a strong moment to come and whether it's a good thing or not. Especially since that moment is crucial to setting the final load. What say y'all?

Any of you recall Johnny Carson breaking one of his pencils in two and performing the "10 count" on his Tonight Show desk to one of his young guests?

Just wondering....

I know that Johnny Carson was an amateur magician, but never heard that he preformed anything on his show. Dick Cavett was also an amateur magician; he made comments numerous times about being taught coin work from Slydini on just about each show that Slydini was on. He mentioned about perhaps doing some of his own magic some time, but I don't think that he ever did.

While I have a good amount of footage of Slydini on Cavett's show, I don't have any material of Carson's when he had magician’s on. Anyone have a listing of magic on Johnny Carson? The only magicians that I recall being on J.C.’s show was Ammar, and Gertner, and maybe Doug Henning but I can’t remember. (I was pretty young at the end of Carson’s career)

Sorry for altering this thread, but Pete caught my interest with the Carson Trivia. If anyone has such a listing, please PM me- I'd love to have the info.

MM

Very interesting, nobody mentioned, that the *10 count* is a Martin Gardner move..

Edited:
Oh sorry, just saw BrucUK did so..YES..it is Martin Gardners *invention*.
And BrucUK is correct..one shouldn't use the *10 count* as even DV did..but that's a matter of personal opinion...
Well done BrucUK, I second your opinion!

Garcia stated in his sponge magic book that he learned the count from Vernon in the early 50’s. I also remember reading that the effect is of Chinese origin (according to legend), and that there are actually 3 versions of it. Garcia also stated that you should count to yourself mentally because this vital step helps the magician keep his tempo.

On a side note, I think that people often don’t realize that you can do the effect with much more than sponge balls. Any small item under the right circumstances will work.

MM

I've seen this demonstrated on the Patrick Page, sponge ball video, I can be sure but he does credit it to someone else.
I have used it from time to time, I always count out loud and try and get a bit of participation going...it is very deceptive and I have always found it effective.

Mr. Muggle,

On the best of Johnny Carson, he does a basic coin trick for a little boy. The DVD's also contain Steve Martin's "Flydini" routine. That thing kills me, especially the flowers.

I just saw an advertisement for "The best of Johnny Carson" on some old TV magic show's that I just re-recorded onto DVD; your timing was great rawdawg, thanks allot.

MM

Getting back to the ten count in the sponge ball routine. I was watching Patrick Page's sponge ball video and he credited the 10 count to Martin Gardner. He also said that he prefers the count-aloud with audience participation just to get the audience involved.

Manoj

Bill,

That's a great story !

It's a good thing to keep in mind for similar situations.

Joe