The Magazine of Hull Magicians’ Circle • Vol. 11.1 Jan - July 2009 Summer Edition! Featuring: Introducing Joe Hustler In Town tonight - Virgil In The Spotlight - Debbie Griffiths Hull Magicians’ Circle Founded 1933 Contents: Editorial www.magician.org.uk/hmc 3 Editorial Jon Marshall President: E.A. Dawes [email protected] Magic competitions are strange Jack and Joe’s emailed judges’ 5 Coming Soon Vice-President: beasts. Recently Jack Gleadow and comments presumably were intended Ray Hall young HMC member, Joe Harper to be helpful. They only mentioned Honorary Vice-President: 6 Presidential were unsuccessful in the heats of negative points. To give a balanced A.Dawes The Magic Circle’s Young Magician judgement, especially to young Honorary Secretary: of The Year Competition in London. magicians, positive elements should be J.M. Harrop In Town Tonight [email protected] 8 Both were eliminated under Rule 3 highlighted as well, unless the judges Virgil - not suitable for family entertainment felt that there were no parts of their Honorary Treasurer: D. Hand – clearly Jack’s cheeky approach did presentation worth encouraging. [email protected] In The Spotlight - Debbie Griffiths not impress the judges – and Joe was Sometimes we think old friends Honorary Membership Secretary 10 severely censured for his use of a will just go on and on forever Ali Ray Burrell [email protected] Bikini. I helped Jack prepare his act Bongo was a friend to so many in News & Views Honorary Minutes Secretary: 12 (and advised Joe on part of his) sadly I magic – every ready to chat and give D.Griffiths clearly failed to spot that Jack’s act was help and advice to anyone – young [email protected] Missed a Meeting? so risqué. or experienced. We at HMC have Honorary Librarian: 14 B. Wilson We have all seen magic competitions enjoyed his company over the years as Tel: (01482) 355411 where the results are a complete a performer, lecturer and as guest of Honorary Editor of Oracle: 20 Bob Moore Comedy Cup surprise to others who saw the same honour at our Annual Dinner. As most J.Marshall performances; there is nothing new know, Ali died following a stroke that [email protected] in this. The decisions are always most hoped he would recover from. Committee: 22 Annual Supper 2009 report R. Tuplin, C. Vize subjective, entirely reliant on a judge’s Our Dinner this year was held on the [email protected] personal opinions, feelings and magical same day as Ali’s funeral – just a year [email protected] 24 Connolly Shield 2009 report experience. since Ali appeared at our 2008 Dinner. H.M.C. Website manager: R. Morrell Joe commented – “I was disqualified In the same week it was reported on the [email protected] for being too rude. I do a gag where Internet that Abracadabra magazine, 28 E-Magic Oracle copy and news to: I have a man and woman on stage. I edited by our member Walt Lees, was say to the woman, ‘normally I have to close after continuous publication, Editor: Jon Marshall, 18 Church Street. 30 Setteringtons swindles a beautiful assistant to help me with weekly, since 1946. Sadly Walt was Sutton on Hull, HU7 4TS my tricks, and she wears one of these. given no time to prepare an issue Email: (A bikini is produced from my case). befitting such a record. Walt has done [email protected] 32 Hustler Rides Again Tel: 01482 709939 But don’t worry; we’re not going a tremendous job in reinvigorating Fax: 01482 787362 to make you wear it tonight. So Sir, Abra. A last minute take-over was Assistant Editor: 34 Deception Point would you mind if you slip it on?’ planned but for economic reasons did Richard Morrell [email protected] (Man puts it on to the music You Sexy not proceed. There are internet forums Thing and to thunderous applause and and web sites but there is nothing to Design & Artwork 36 From Bert’s Scrapbook Domanic Li laughter by everyone, including the replace the weekly Abra with its mix of [email protected] volunteer). Apparently that was highly tricks, advertising, letters, independent inappropriate for a family audience.” reports and editorial based on good 3 Coming Soon.... Tyler Wilson journalism from an experienced writer. initiation show. Richard Morrell knew I really miss it popping through the Philip since they were both youngsters. letter box every Friday – although it’s Philip was a junior leader in the Boys interesting that the last issue arrived on Brigade and was affectionately known the Saturday, just after our Dinner. as Inspector… HMC were represented We have two new contributors in this at the funeral by Brian Wilson and Brian issue – Walt has let us have one of his Waltham. Speaking to David after the tricks to publish in Deception Point and Joe Hustler commences a new series service he told them that Philip was of tricks. So with Arthur’s Swindle we looking forward to doing his initiation have a three trick issue – well it is a show and had incorporated some magic club magazine! electronic gadgetry into a book test he was going to perform. I’m sure that we all were shocked to hear about the sudden loss of member David We must give our congratulations to Cookson’s son Philip. Many members Eddie and Amy who were guests of have known Philip for years and got to honour last month in the USA at the know him better more recently when Yankee Gathering. And to Derren Litten Philip drove David in from Withernsea who writes the comedy series, Benidorm, to attend HMC meetings. Although broadcast on ITV. At the 2008 National Philip has had, with David, a long Television Awards, Benidorm was voted association with magic it was through Most Popular Comedy Programme his more recent regular visits that his beating the other nominations, Harry interest reached the stage where he Hill’s TV Burb, Ugly Betty and My was looking forward to performing his Family. 4 5 board and a pen and invited secretly to ‘to mix them’, sugar cubes followed, Presidential draw a simple image. The boards were thrown in the air behind his back and Eddie Dawes collected, shuffled and placed face down. caught in the cup, finally throwing Aye Jaye showed each card in turn to the the cup full of coffee off the hoop and These lines bring greetings from the familiar faces present including David five who were instructed to say “No” to catching it. USA where Amy and I are currently Blaine, David Kaye, Roger Dreyer of his query “Did you draw this?” and, in There was the ‘magic paper’ (toilet the time-honoured manner, he correctly enjoying ourselves and, as Editor Jon is Fantasma Magic and Simon Lovell. paper), individual pieces of which were identified the perpetrator of each pressing for his deadline, we’ll mention The MC was Todd Robbins who is a distributed to the audience. Gathered drawing. He retired to a good hand. some of our magical experiences over featured performer with Sideshows by up, they were restored into their former here. the Seashore at Coney Island (seemingly The next to appear was the black undetached condition. There followed We spent a few days in North Carolina the last remaining sideshow in America). performer Chris Capehart, who started Mike’s hilarious chosen, marked card visiting Bill and LaRose Spooner, Bill His training as an actor and familiarity as a street performer in NYC before being our Guest Lecturer on President’s with the carny business was readily travelling the USA with his skilled returned midway into the deck and to be Night last year when he presented talks apparent and during the course of the sleight of hand and quick repartee. shot at with bow and arrow, penetrating on his Wands and Lota Vase collections, evening, besides items with rope and He is a wonderful entertainer and to the precise depth to locate the card and it was a great pleasure to view not the growing tie, we were treated to a his interaction with both adult and while the deck is held by the spectator. only all of these items but also the six-inch nail hammered up his nose and children was a delight to see. A live The unexpected climax brought much extensive other interesting material he an amusing interlude with a partially- rabbit participated in his Miser’s Dream applause. There was also his famous possesses. He is knowledgeable with inflated sausage balloon which he routine that also involved a girl from juggling sequence with two and then the audience who likewise helped in his electronics and I saw some remarkable pushed up a nostril, retrieving the end three arms, the handling of which during Losander Floating Table sequence by effects derived from the repertoire of the from his mouth while leaving the other his patter causes much laughter, and to sitting on the stage so that she could see legendary Del Ray, and naturally there end dangling from the nostril. Then, by close we had the Knife Through Jacket. was much magic discussion during our alternate squeezing of each end of the under the table and later by holding one Just as the late Bob Read extracted stay. balloon, he produced the very comical side of the tablecloth. Chris closed with We were also guests of Bill Kalush, effect of a balloon popping out of each his famous 3-Ring Linking Ring routine the maximum comedy from this effect supremo of the Conjuring Arts orifice in turn, to howls of laughter from which is featured in the Stars of Magic by apparently pulling the lining out of Research Center in New York City and the audience.