Vol. 12 Issue 9 Page 1

Visit our Web Site at HTTP://www.ibmring81.com

Vol. 12 Issue 9 September 2015

We meet the first Thursday of the month at Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Ave. Sarasota FL. 34237 Workshop at 6:00 pm. Officers meeting 6:30 pm. General meeting and presentation 7:00 pm.

Hofzinser was famous for posing “Card Problems” with specific effects and conditions, challenging himself and his contempo-raries to arrive at solution. For our September meeting, the challenge for each member would be to conceive of their favor-ite solution to any/each of the following common “problems”. Methods false transfer of a small object Control of a card to the top of the deck Forcing a card Secretly obtaining information Effects Card to Impossible Location Coin to Impossible Location Drawing Duplication Mind Reading a Word During the meeting, members will share their ideas and will have a chance to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to these building blocks. We also would have the opportunity for another feedback ses-sion if a volunteer is interested in performing a single routine. (email s.hertrick@gmail.com).

Vol. 12 Issue 9 Page 2

From the

President

“Stevie “Dee” Parties, Conventions,

Graduations. You name it, He does it.

Steve can be reached at: 941-752-9123 or

FAX 941-727-7410

CIGAM HOUSE OF MAGIC

1834 14St. West Bradenton FL 34205

JONTI Head Magician Slight of hand, DVDs,

Lessons Phone: 941-746-3200

Email: jontimagic@tampabay.rr.com

Sept. 3rd Solving Problems October1st TBD November 5th TBD December 3rd TBD

Support Our

Members

See you soon.

If any of you missed Kostya Kimlet on Penn & Teller here’s another chance.

http://magicclassroom.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Vol. 12 Issue 9 Page 3

Trick of the Month.

SWEET SIXTEEN Michael De Marco This effect was developed by Michael after reading “Three Heaps,” from Blackstone’s Modern Card Tricks, page 81. EFFECT: A selected card is found by the spectator himself which he does all the operations! PERFORMANCE: Have the spectator shuffle the deck, no Jokers, then deal out three cards face up to the table, forming a row from left to right. Let us say, for example, that he dealt the 5S, the 7H and the JD. Tell him that next to each card he has to deal a number of cards, starting from the value of the face-up card, to a total of the mystic value of sixteen. For example, next to the 5S, he would deal a total of eleven cards face down from the top of the face-down deck into a pile, counting aloud as he deals. Next to the 7H, he would deal nine cards. Next to the JD, Jack being eleven, he would deal a total of five cards. Tell him to remove any card from the reminder of the deck in his hands, look at it without showing it to you, then drop it face down on top of any of the three face-down piles he created on the table. He is to cut the cards left in his hands a complete cut, and drop them on top of his selection. He then is to pick up this combined pile and drop it onto either of the other two face down piles. Again he picks up the combined pile, and drops it onto the last face-down pile. He squares the entire deck. Ask him to add the values of the three face-up cards on the table. In this example it would add 5 + 7 + 11 = 23. He deals down a number of cards from the top of the deck equal to the sum of the three face-up cards. In our example he would deal twenty three cards. Ask him to drop the remaining cards in his hand onto the dealt pile. Ask him the name of his selection and have him turn over the top card and show that he has found his chosen card.

Vol. 12 Issue 9 Page 4

Fred Kaps In his later years, the great Cardini was once asked which of the newer magi-

cians he most admired. Without hesitation he mentioned two names: Channing

Pollock and Fred Kaps.

To many of us today, Kaps may not be too familiar, but he was an elegant

performer and built a solid reputation until his most untimely death at the age of

54. Born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on June 8, 1926, as Abraham Pieter

Adrianus Bongers, he first learned magic from a book of simple tricks he got by

collecting coupons from oatmeal packets. He first performed at the age of 14,

calling himself "Valdini." He also used the name "Mystica" but ultimately found

the name Kaps in a phone book and that's the name he chose.

He honed his skills over the years under the tutelage of Henk Vermeyden and soon

was winning magic contests in Europe. It didn't take too long before he was being booked in nightspots

throughout Europe and appeared on television. Kaps taught himself English by listening to recordings

of Victor Borge (the Danish comedian and pianist.) His patter always seemed to have the comic inflec-

tion of Borge. Just as Borge seemed a bit confused as he sat at the piano, Fred Kaps constantly

seemed surprised as magic happened around him as with the appearing cane, multiplying candles and

his amazing Long Salt Pour. Sometimes at the end as the salt cascaded from his hand, the curtains

would close, then his hand would extend from the gap in the curtains with even more salt pouring from

it! He had his own show on the BBC in England and was booked to appear on the "Ed Sullivan Show"

in the U.S.

On one of the two shows he did for Sullivan he had to share the show with a very hard act to fol-

low: it was February 9, 1964, the same night the Beatles made their first U.S. appearance! On that

night he performed for an estimated audience of 73 million TV viewers.

Kaps was most elegant as a performer, especially in his close up work with the cups and balls and

chop cup. In many ways, he was a perfectionist, incessantly practicing and working on his material to

get it just right. Dai Vernon called him "the greatest exponent of sleight of hand I have known." Slydini

said that Kaps was "the best magician I have ever seen." The British performer Michael Vincent said

that Kaps "blurred" the edges between his brilliance and his humanity." Fred Kaps is the only magi-

cian to have won the FISM Grand Prix with a silent act three times: Barcelona, 1950; Amsterdam,

1955; and Liege, 1961.

Fred Kaps became a genuine celebrity in Holland and was even given a lifetime pass

for free travel on Royal Dutch Airlines to compensate him for all the shows he had done for that com-

pany. Starting with his Floating Cork, he created a new era of thread work for

close up performers, popularizing a genre that continues today. I only saw him

in person one time, and until then I had never seen a performer doing close

up in a tuxedo.

His death in 1980 left a tragic void in magic. There has not been anyone

of such elegance and style since.

Edited & abridged by Gale Molovinsky, from The Greats of Magic, by Gerald Schiller

Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tveHNlIUpBk to see his act.

Vol. 12 Issue 9 Page 5

During a Newsletter lull

Vol. 12 Issue 9 Page 6

Want More Magic? Tuesday evening’s magical get

together is held at

Applebees

1991 Main Street, Sarasota

Next to Hollywood 20 Theater

For more information contact:

Dave Pitchford dlpitch49@gmail.com

Arnieism of the Month

Your suggestions and submissions are not only ap-preciated they are sought. Share a trick, an event or

anything that’s relevant to Ring 81.

Officers Ring 81

Joe Floersheimer 5814 Fairwoods Circle Sarasota FL 34243

Arniebaby wants you to know…When Noah sailed

the waters blue…He had his troubles, same as you…For forty days he drove the Ark, before he found

a place to park..

President, Arnie Kropf Secretary, Scott Hertrick GreatArnoldo@deearn.com. s.hertrick@gmail.com Vice Presidents, Gary Roberts Treasurer, Mike Sedita gary@robertsgary.com mrsedita@comcast.net Past President, Gale Molovinsky Newsletter Joe Floersheimer gamolo@aol.com Joe.shoes@verizon.net

Before the reader turns the pages I would like to ask a question. Why does " practice '•' frighten so many people ? Practice can and should be thor-oughly enjoyable because it brings the pleasure and satisfaction of achievement. Achievement is a universally gratifying thing, and, by practicing, one ends up with something of value to one's self—and others. If skill and cleverness could be acquired for the asking, there would be little to profit anyone. Will my readers conduct an experiment ? Sometime, when alone, start trying to improve some move or sleight that has already been learnt. Experi-ment with it, strive to improve it by incorporating your own ideas—keep trying—it is surprising how the time will fly by, but when headway has been made a most sat-isfactory feeling of delight will be experienced. Even a very minor achievement is most gratifying, and, as the result has been brought about by practice, it makes practice enjoyable. If people just cannot derive pleasure and satisfaction from prac-tice and are not prepared to expend the time and thought and energy required be-cause they find it irksome, then magic is not for them— they should turn to a dif-ferent hobby.. Dai Vernon, From Dai Vernon Book of Magic by Lewis Ganson