Meir’s Muses
MyMagic eNewsletter #957
August 21, 2021
If I asked you, who was the magician with the most Ed Sullivan Show appearances, who would you guess it was? I was very surprised when I found out it was Roy Benson with 24 appearances. [Turns out he had much fewer than 24 appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show but he did have at least one appearance on The Tonight Show.]
I never saw Roy perform live, but I knew many of his friends who always raved about him being the best comedy magician.
Growing up in magic I was familiar with his Bowl Routine, everyone is! I saw Al Goshman perform it dozens of times. It was an ingenious routine. I was also familiar with some of his other routines that some of the best pros used. Like his Salt Pour and his Chinese Sticks Routine both of which became Fred Kaps staples.
In 2006 Levent and Todd Karr released the ultimate Roy Benson book with 800 pages and more than 1,200 photographs. It featured more that 50 of his routines, many of which never saw print.
The book became an instant classic and sold out very fast. Since that time copies of the book have been selling for up to six times what the original retail price was.
But there was a small stash of books unaccounted for. They have been in storage for more than 15 years.
A little background. When Roy Benson died in 1977 his wife Connie, who was a star contortionist, sold all his magic to Larry Weeks. Larry kept it in storage for many years until he was approached to release Roy’s unpublished book, photos, and notes. His deal with Todd Karr and Levent was a supply of regular books and a few collector’s presentation editions. After Larry passed, his friend Fred Pittella acquired the estate and those books moved to another storage facility… until now. Fred is allowing me to offer you these books at a very reasonable (actually low) price. And the collector’s presentation copies available have never been offered for sale before.
Oh! Fred also found some of the original Rhinestones Roy used to make his Multiplying Billiard Balls and add sparkle to other props. Every purchase of a book from me will get some of those stones and a signed note verifying their authenticity.
►Roy Benson By Starlight:
This is a monumental book that looks at Roy Benson’s life, his career, his magic, his comedy, and so much more. In addition to the new unearthed information and essays the book reprints the very rare “Benson On Magic” booklet and his previously unpublished book “The Second Oldest Profession.” There are more than fifty effects, routines and sleights explained in detail.
It is a great investment (not only financial), but for anyone who wants to become a great parlor magician, comedy magician, and even an entertaining close-up magician. Highly recommended.
Watch and buy: HERE
►Indian Wood Wand:
This is a very nice magic wand made of wood with brass tips. It is a little shorter than many magic wands (around eleven inches long), which makes it much easier to handle and looks more proportional to the props that wands are used for.
Does not have any magical powers… you will have to supply those.
Get one: HERE
Stay happy, Meir
PS: These collectible books are being introduced while many collectors are attending their convention in Las Vegas. This will give everyone else a chance to grab a copy at a great price.
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