Meir’s Muses
MyMagic eNewsletter #1,166
January 3, 2024
I first saw Bob Dorian on the ABC TV magic show in 1976. He was the manipulator on the Magic At The Roxy TV special.
I met him a couple of years later when he was mostly working as an actor and over the years, we became friends. I bet you didn’t know he was in two Woody Allen movies and was the voice on the Room For Doubt magic trick.
Here is a photo he posed for with Dick Cavett. Before selfies became a thing it didn’t occur to me to be in the photos I took.
His big break came when he became the prime-time host on the AMC-TV station where he introduced all the movies. He once told me a funny story. You see, even though he was on TV every day he recorded the intros every few months. One time between tapings he lost a lot of weight. But the audience was shocked when they saw him the next day and he was much thinner. The station got thousands of calls from concerned viewers who thought he was sick and dying.
I just acquired a few of the books that I had when I was a kid. Bob was on the cover, and I remember him being on a TV commercial that was promoting it where he performed a back palm sequence.
I have very few copies and their condition is not great. The contents, however, are great.
►264 Instant Magic Tricks:
Four classic booklets that every beginner should read, to inspire their pursuit in magic, were combined into one hardcover. The book was even made into a television commercial featuring Bob Dorian who was referred to as “The Amazing Dorian.”
The four books were “Practical Magic,” “50 Tricks With A Thumbtip,” “102 Startling Tricks You Can Learn Quickly,” and “84 Card Tricks.” Along with those four books there was a bonus section referred to as “Amazing Dorian Favorites.”
Get a copy: HERE
►Sakkaku Scale Puzzle:
Invented by Toru Suzuki this is by far the most brilliant application of the “Boomerang Illusion (Jastrow Illusion)” ever created. It is an ideal item to carry around in your pocket or wallet and demonstrate for friends and clients during casual occasions.
As you talk about optical illusions you show three plastic strips. Two of the strips have cats printed on them and one has a ruler. Using the ruler, you show that all are the same size. Then the cats appear to get shorter and longer and each time you use the ruler to show that they apparently did change in size. This looks so impossible that you will fool yourself every time you demonstrate it.
Watch and buy: HERE
►BACK IN STOCK:
I ran out of the Sol Stone book last month and it took them a while to reprint it because of the holidays. But I just got the shipment. I continue to include an original, color, pre-illustrative photograph with every purchase.
You can watch a short interview with Sol: HERE
I also received a case of my Stars Of Magic edition which includes a collectible bookmark.
►Essential Sol Stone:
New York magician Sol Stone’s best effects have been amassed into a single volume. Here are more than 50 of Sol’s favorite effects — including some of his most closely-guarded secrets — all completely updated and rewritten, with the full routines and Sol’s newest improvements.
The book details all the sleights and subtleties in Sol’s arsenal, clearly and in isolation, thereby streamlining and simplifying the learning process. Magicians of all skill levels can learn from this master of intimate illusion.
Get a copy: HERE
►Stars Of Magic:
It has often been said that mastering the magic in this book will make you an accomplished close-up and sleight-of-hand artist. In many ways, it contains all the magic you need to build a professional caliber repertoire. Many have earned a living performing these routines and now you can too.
Includes: 41 incredible routines by 11 incredible artists, a historical introduction and a bonus section with private correspondence related to the Stars Of Magic.
Get a copy: HERE
►OUR LATEST RELEASE:
►Quadruple Spellbound:
Originally created in the 1970s and first published in the 1980s, this was one of Simon Aronson’s favorite routines, that he always carried with him and performed often.
The basic effect: You show an American half dollar. You wave your hand over it, and it changes into a Japanese coin with a hole through it. Wave your hand over the Japanese coin and it changes into a copper English penny. Wave your hand over the penny and it changes into an African coin with a hole in it. As a finale, the African coin changes back into the American half dollar.
Watch and buy: HERE
►UPCOMING APPEARANCES:
►Sunday Jan 14: Spinnato’s Comedy Magic Show at Comix @ Mohegan Sun Casino in CT. Tickets: HERE
To view all my upcoming appearances go: HERE
Stay happy, Meir
PS: Practical Magic which is included in the 264 book was one of the first ones I purchased, and I loved it…I still do!
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“It would seem that audiences the world over are just as willing now, as they were thousands of years ago, to suspend their disbelief for a moment of enchantment. They want to believe in Magic.”
…Bob Dorian (Over 264 Instant Magic Tricks, 19??)
