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DECEMBER 2013 JOLLY ROGER Page 36 MAGIC - UNITY - MIGHT Editor Michael Close Editor Emeritus David Goodsell Associate Editor W.S. Duncan Proofreader & Copy Editor Lindsay Smith Art Director Lisa Close Publisher Society of American Magicians, 6838 N. Alpine Dr. Parker, CO 80134 Copyright © 2012 Subscription is through membership in the Society and annual dues of $65, of which $40 is for 12 issues of M-U-M. All inquiries concerning membership, change of address, and missing or replacement issues should be addressed to: Manon Rodriguez, National Administrator P.O. Box 505, Parker, CO 80134 [email protected] Skype: manonadmin Phone: 303-362-0575 Fax: 303-362-0424 Send assembly reports to: [email protected] For advertising information, reservations, and placement contact: Cinde Sanders M-U-M Advertising Manager Email: [email protected] Telephone: 214-902-9200 Editorial contributions and correspondence concerning all content and advertising should be addressed to the editor: Michael Close - Email: [email protected] Phone: 317-456-7234 Submissions for the magazine will only be accepted by email or fax. VISIT THE S.A.M. WEB SITE www.magicsam.com To access “Members Only” pages: Enter your Name and Membership number exactly as it appears on your membership card. 4 M-U-M Magazine - DECEMBER 2013 M-U-M DECEMBER 2013 MAGAZINE Volume 103 • Number 7 COVER STORY PAGE 36 S.A.M. NEWS 6 From the Editor’s Desk 8 From the President’s Desk 11 M-U-M Assembly News 23 Good Cheer List 26 Newsworthy 47 S.A.M. Spotlight 69 Our Advertisers THIS MONTH’S FEATURES 22 22 Remembering John Calvert • by Ray Goulet 24 Nielsen Gallery • by Tom Ewing 28 Building a Show • by Larry Hass 32 Stage 101 • by Levent 34 Illusions of Grandeur • by David Seebach 36 COVER STORY • by James Munton 70 40 Focus on Funny • by Norm Barnhart 42 The High Road • by Mick Ayres 44 On the Shoulders of Giants • by Scott Alexander 50 Ebook Nook: The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings 56 I Left My Cards at Home • by Steve Marshall 58 Informed Opinion • New Product Reviews 67 Tech Tricks • Bruce Kalver 68 Salon de Magie • by Ken Klosterman 70 The Dean’s Diary • by George Schindler 70 Basil the Baffling • by Alan Wassilak 68 34 56 24 M-U-M (ISSN 00475300 USPS 323580) is published monthly for $40 per year by The Society of American Magicians, 6838 N. Alpine Dr., Parker, CO 80134 . Periodical postage paid at Parker, CO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to M-U-M, c/o Manon Rodriguez, P.O. Box 505, Parker, CO 80134. DECEMBER 2013 - M-U-M Magazine 5 Thank you Scott and Denny. Steve Marshall is wrapping up his “celebrity edition” of I Left My Cards at Home this month with a trick from Penn & Teller. Steve writes, “I would like to personally thank all of the great Editor’s Desk magicians who so graciously gave their material and their time to Photo by fivebyphotography.com appear in these pages. Doing this has really changed my thinking Michael Close over the year. I have decided to support ‘Smile Train,’ a charity that provides free operations to children with cleft palates in de- veloping countries. It’s an amazing feeling when you step outside In the January 2013 issue of M-U-M, we ran the final column yourself and do something for someone else. I wish you all a most of the three-year run of Roger “Jolly Roger” Blakiston’s excellent wonderful and magical season filled with love, laughter, charity, Unlimited Possibilities column. In my editor’s column of that and lots of gigs!” issue I mentioned that we would be featuring Roger on the cover Matt Field was kind enough to identify the “unknown” man later in the year. Well, that time is now. on the lower right in the photo of Doc Swan on page 39 of the Roger Blakiston has had great success in various fields of October M-U-M. It is escape artist Thomas Solomon. show business, including acting, stage magic, cruise ship magic, This wraps up another year. There are lots of surprises ahead kid show magic, and entertainment booking. He has made his in the year to come, which I will tell you about in the next issue. home in both the UK and the United States, and his magic From all us here at M-U-M, have a safe and happy holiday performances have taken him around the world (many times). season. James Munton (who was also an M-U-M columnist) interviews Roger this month, and their conversation reveals how Roger has sustained his energy and passion for magic throughout a long, Need to Write an Assembly Report? busy career. We Made Your Job a Little Easier With this issue, we wrap up another year’s worth of M-U-M magazine. As often happens at the end of the year, I have to say goodbye to a few of our regular columnists. This is never easy, Go to www.mum-magazine.com and click on and this year in particular, several columns are wrapping up that “Easy Report Submission.” You’ll be taken to a I am really going to miss. page with a form that makes submitting your Levent’s Stage 101 column ends this month. In the fall of assembly report a breeze. Simply fill in the 2011, as Ian Kendall’s Basic Training column was coming to required fields and paste in your report from an end, I knew I wanted to provide the same type of founda- your word processor. Upload a photo and a tional instruction for stage magicians as Ian was offering for close-up magicians. I had been rereading Levent’s fantastic caption if are submitting one. Then hit “Submit book Roy Benson by Starlight, and I asked Levent if he would Form.” You’re done, and your report comes to tackle a column on the basics of stage magic. Happily, he said us in format that makes our job a lot easier, too. yes. Rather than focusing on specific manipulative techniques, Levent discussed the general principles that are at the core of artistic, deceptive stage magic. At my suggestion, this past year Levent expanded on his Fundamental Rules Statement of Ownership — Publication #0323-5800 of Stage Magic, which had originally Title: M-U-M. Issues published annually: 12. Annual subscription: $40. Extent and nature of appeared in the Benson book. The circulation: The membership of Society of American Magicians. Owned and published by Society of twenty-four columns of Stage 101 American Magicians, National Administrator Manon Rodriguez, 6838 N. Alpine Dr., Parker, provide essential information for any CO 80134. Editor Michael Close, 6838 N. Alpine Dr., Parker, CO 80134. magician, whether or not you plan on doing a stage act. Thanks, Levent, for Issue Date for circulation data: Avg. copies each issue No. copies published your great contribution. October 2013 during preceding 12 months nearest to filing date Also ending this month is On the Net press run 3547 3407 Shoulders of Giants, Scott Alexan- der’s examination of the stand-up Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions 3154 3072 repertoire of Denny Haney. Getting Mailed in-county paid subs per PS Form 3541 0 0 Denny’s routines recorded for Paid distribution outside Mails through carriers 215 212 posterity was an important project to Paid distribution through other classes USPS 4 3 me, and I am very grateful to Scott Total paid distribution 3373 3287 and Denny for putting in the many Total free or Nominal Rate distribution 0 0 hours required to produce these Copies not distributed 174 120 twelve columns. Combine Stage 101 Total distribution 3547 3407 and On the Shoulders of Giants and Percentage paid 100% 100% the budding stand-up/stage magician has more practical, commercial, and USPS Form 3526 Filed 10/29/13 essential information than can be found in a hundred one-trick DVDs. 6 M-U-M Magazine - DECEMBER 2013 DECEMBER 2013 - M-U-M Magazine 7 is to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and to maintain and improve ethical standards in the field of magic. It is clear that if we are going to do this, we must stand President’s Desk against cyber bullying. This resolution was passed unanimously. The National Council also voted to finance the maintenance Dal Sanders of gravesite of Past National President Harry Houdini. While the S.A.M. had financed the upkeep of the site in the past, that had funding had been discontinued. Dorothy This month I have made our editor very nervous. Dietrich and Dick Brookz took on the re- I have pushed the deadline for this issue to the very sponsibility of maintaining the site with last minute so I can tell you about a couple of the the help of local assemblies. important resolutions and decisions The Society Harry Houdini is an icon as revered of American Magicians made at the fall National as Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe. He Council meeting. I want to thank Michael Close for is not only a magical icon; his gravesite his patience. bears the seal of The Society of American Before we discuss the resolutions, I want to thank Magicians. That seal is our brand and we the members of the National Council who joined me as a Society should be proud to protect it. at The Club at Boca Pointe in Boca Raton, Florida, This gravesite is clearly our responsibility for a sold out performance.