Search Results

... initially under own name. Soon turned to teaching and writing booklets on specialized subjects in magic. His first was the 93-page Expert Billiard Ball Magic (1910), an instant success and also the first step-by-step photo-illustrated how-to magic book. Subsequently a prolific author. Invented Svengali Deck (1909), Menetekel Deck (1910), and probably the Floating Lightbulb (by 1931). Retired in Florida. Although an important figure in magic, his often outrageous claims and many empty promises led him to be widely known as 'Hurling Bull'.

Used many pseudonyms, including 'Clif Westfield' (in 1907), 'The White Wizard' (1912-18), 'Gilbert Galt' (pen name of novelettes in pulp magazines...

... Magic and a Scotch and Soda set, Cameron's interest in magic was rekindled. Although this time, instead of being fascinated with ornate boxes and tubes, he became enthralled with sleight of hand magic. This was a big step for him as the only card tricks he previously performed had the words “Svengali” or “Invisible” printed on the box. He would, however, remain a bit of a closeted magician for several years until his wife Beth gave him the encouragement to take it to the next level and start performing magic professionally.

Today Cameron works both as an actor on stage and screen and as a close up magician. He currently lives in North Central Florida with Beth and daughter...

A Svengali deck is a mechanical deck of playing cards comprising 26 ordinary cards, all different, alternating with 26 short cards.

Originally intended for forcing a card, but soon adopted to other magical purposes. The principle was known as early as 1584 when it was applied to the flick book, which Sam Sharpe asserts was the basis of the long-and-short card Svengali Deck. Whatever its inspiration, the Svengali Deck was invented by Burling Hull, patented by him in 1909, and marketed by him in 1910. Pirated by W.D. LeRoy who apparently renamed it Svengali, adopting the name of the fictitious evil hypnotist in George du Maurier's then current best-selling novel, Trilby (1894).

An improved...

(San Jose, California: 13th August 1955 - 24th February 2017)

Inspired by and learned from a family friend's gift of a Svengali deck. Pro close-up since 1972, mainly with the 31 tricks of his own invention such as Ultimate Ambition, Double Dazzling Triumph, Half and Half, Jumping Knot of Pakistan, and Cardboard Chameleons. Aka "Daryl" since 1980. Repeated tours of Europe and Japan. A major performer and lecturer.

1978 IBM 1st place in close-up; AMA Best Close-up Magician, 1980, 1981; 1982 FISM 1st prize in card magic; 1985 Desert Magic Seminar 1st prize; 1988 AMA Best Parlour Magician; 1989 and 1993 AMA Best Lecturer; 1993 Desert Magic Seminar 2nd prize.

Wrote ?Daryl? (1980), Daryl's Lecture...

(Lamesa, Texas: 22nd April 1948 - 21st April 2019)

Learned by working in a San Antonio magic shop. Pro. Worked as "Corny the Clown" c1964 as magic-clown assistant for travelling magician Daniel "Little Red Riley" Combest. In 1968 pitched Svengalis for S. David Walker at the Texas Hemisfair. 1979 FISM 1st prize in close-up; 1985 FISM 1st prize in card magic.

Invented FISM Flash (1973), Cornelius Card System (by 1980), etc, and popularized Terge Nordnes's effect as Fickle Nickel (c1972). Wrote Cornelius Card System (1980) and Magician's Datebook (1981). See Pallbears Review and Mad Magic #42 (1982) for all-Cornelius issues. Other tricks in Epilogue, Magic Manuscript, and MUM. Audio (1986)....

Inspired at age 5 by a Svengali pitchman and gifts of a Svengali deck and Cups-and-Balls. Invented Cardboard Connection (1977), Twilight and many others. Pro close-up until late-1980s when briefly switched to film industry as scriptwriter (initially for Nice Girls Don't Explode). In 1989 again on magic lecture tour in USA and abroad.

Magician, Svengali pitchman, and cold reader.

Don started his magic career in the late 60's working at the Yogi Magic Mart in Baltimore MD, his home town, owned by the notable Phil Thomas. From there he moved to side shows and later he was inducted by David Walker as svengali pitchman. Don has worked as pitchman for more than 30 years and is considered the best svengali pitchman alive today.

The svengali pitch was originally created by Mickey MacDougall in 1935. In the 1940s S. David Walker learned the pitch directly from Mickey. And Don learned the pitch from David. Don is therefore in the direct line of the svengali pitch ancestry.

Chris has created and shared routines with over a dozen magic magazines over the years (including a One Man Parade in The Linking Ring). His first three booklets, Ten Mysteries, Investigating The Mene-Tekel Deck and Beyond Svengali were published by PH Marketing. Magical Wonders published his Zodiac Principle booklet and his largest collection Magic For Everyone was published in 2006 and contained over 60 effects. His book Mathomagic was released generally and aimed at teachers and parents to encourage their children with math. Whilst an enthusiastic and creative magician Chris is a teacher by profession and so was perfectly suited to write the latter book.

He was the magic consultant for...

(USA: 1906 – 17th March 1996)

Learned in 1917 as apprentice to Horace Goldin as Indian boy in rope trick and in 1918 by reading Erdnase. Semi-pro cardman, including working a Svengali pitch cross-country and at 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Sometimes did a nightclub act. Then a gambling investigator and lecturer, competing bitterly with John Scarne in 1940s. Later left magic to be a stamp and coin dealer.

Wrote Gamblers Don't Gamble (1939, 166pp, with J.C. Furnas), Card Mastery (1944, 81pp), MacDougall on Dice and Cards (1944, 90pp), Card Mastery (1944, 81+205pp), Don't Be A Sucker! (1945, 80pp), and MacDougall on Pinochle (1951, 90pp). Memoir is Danger in the Cards (1943, 319pp).

(Canada: 16th September 1911 - 27th April 1992)

Aka "The Canadian Funatic". Learned in the 1930s from books (including Erdnase) and working carnivals, fairs, and streets. Invented Trilby Deck (1949) and Stinger Kliptrik monte trick (1950). Wrote Svengali Subtleties (1948, 19pp) and Stooging Around (1949, 34pp). Moved to Britain.

In 1953 co-founded (with Harry Baron) The Kaymar Magic Company in Billericay, Essex County, England, where he worked briefly. Moved back to Canada and then around 1956 on to Australia where he ran a travelling magic pitch stand in Sydney for several years until retired, leaving the business to Rod Junor.

(USA: 1950 - July 4th, 2013)

Stage name of Ian Sutz. Dealer (Ian's Magic Factory) in Florida. Authored 3 booklets, including The Best Dam Tricks (1980), a monograph on the "dental dam" as magic prop, and books on the stripper and svengali decks.

(USA: 1940-1967) Learned at age 14 from apparatus tricks he bought from dealers. Three years later, bored with these, he turned to sleight-of-hand. Semi-pro close-up artist. Worked a Svengali pitch for Dave Walker. Author and lecturer. Wrote (with Al Aldini) The Best of Benzais (1967, 108pp). Tricks in Pallbearers, Gen, The Bennett Touch (1986), and Magic Afoot (1988).

Gene Marvin flourished during the 1970s and 80s when he was a Las Vegas-based mentalist. He was billed as "The 21st Century Man". He had several TV bits, performed for the Playboy clubs, and did a lot of corporate engagements. He was married to Carmel. In the late 80s he pitched Svengali decks for Don Driver. Wrote Confidential Mental Secrets (~1970, 87 pages).

... (The Wizard's Shop in the 42nd Street Subway Arcade). Invented the Deck on the Ceiling (1958) and Blanka Deck (1959). Invented the process for making spongeballs by machine, later adopted by Goshman.

Wrote 75 Tricks with a Stripper Deck (1957, 48pp; 2nd ed rev, 1962, 40pp) and 75 Tricks with a Svengali Deck (1964, 40pp). Many tricks in Hugard's Magic Monthly.

...

• ...
  • ...
    • ... New presentation
    • Contrary do as I do, Bert Allerton
    • Twenty-sixth location
    • Unwitting magician
    • Magic of nine
    • Certain card trick
• PART 5. MISCELLANY
  • Peeling cards
  • Making double-faced and double-backed cards
  • Shiners
  • The spectator peek
  • One will make six
  • Audacity peek
  • Card to pocket
  • Svengali shuffle
  • Charlier shuffle
  • Matchbook easel
  • Kaufman card stand, Gerald Kaufman
  • Second deal aid
  • False counts and deals
  • - To deal four as three
  • - A false count
  • - False table deal
  • Magic powder v. rabbit's foot
  • - The carbon card
  • - Daub
  • - Set-ups
  • The card at any number
  • - Moistening...

...

1. ... Stunt No. 2
234. System
234. The Knockout
235. A Prearranged Pack That Can Be Shuffled
235. Amazing Memory
236. Six Piles
236. Mephisto's Message
237. Name O' Card
239. New Pack Detection
239. Four Fold Sympathy
239. Telepathic Control
241. Cards and Pockets
242. Count Down Detection
242. The Adventures of Diamond Jack

CHAPTER XIII: MAGIC WITH A SVENGALI PACK OF CARDS

245. The Svengali Deck
245. Various Methods of Handling the Pack
246. Simple Effects
248. Switching Packs (7 methods)
248. The Three Heaps
249. Cutting the Pack With a Knife
249. The Wrapped Pack
249. Any Heap
249. Reversed Card
250. The Unseen Card
250. Think of A Card
250. Card Stabbing
250. Svengali Prediction
251. The Mystery Problem
252. The Cards and the Dice
252. Svengali Clairvoyance
252. The Prize Winner
253. The...

U. F. Grant presents several clever ideas on billet reading or how to use a svengali deck for mentalism. He also has a completely different version of "Grey Elephants in Denmark".

• Bill Reading
• Name Duplication
• Impromptu Test
• Best Digit Test
• Cards Impossible
• In Their Pocket
• Up & Down Test
• Thot of Person
• Card Projection
• Lites Out
• Dunninger Type Act
• Another Dunninger
• Weekly Prediction
• Committee Test
• Thought Projector
• Private Lives
• Lobby Tip-Off
• Directory Test
• Houdini Bill Reading
• Glass Clipboard
• Mental Table
• Flaming Answer
• Fake Questions
• Flower-Color-Animal
• Mass Mind Reading

10...

...

1. ... and appreciated from a distance.
63. CHAPTER SIX. -- APPLICATION OF THE TENKAI PALM.
    The clever magician, Tenkai, has evolved a unique method for palming a card. By employing this method of palming, Dai Vernon has originated two new sleights. One is a startling colour-change which he has called "SVENGALI" because the card seems to change through an hypnotic gesture, and the other is a subtle method for secretly exchanging one card for another. By utilizing the latter sleight, he has built a routine, the basic effect of which is the transposition of two cards. Only two cards are seen the whole...

...

1. ... Clip
60. Vanish from the Left Hand
60. The Tenkai Palm
61. Screens and Music
62. The Unexpected
62. Discard Container
63. The Stacked Deck
64. The Reversed Card
65. Stabatwin
65. Calling the Cards
66. The Six Card Repeat
68. Three Cards Across
70. The Cards to Pocket
72. The Stripper Deck
73. Four Ace Trick
74. The Reds and Blacks
74. The Svengali Deck
75. The Fourteen Fifteen Deck
76. Spectacular Card Effects
76. The Card Sword
78. The Card in Balloon
80. The Card Star
81. The Card Stab
83. The Jumbo Four Ace Trick

85. CHAPTER SIX Ball Manipulation
85. The Multiplying Billiard Balls
86. One to Four Multiplication
90. One to Eight Multiplication
92. The Sponge Ball...

...

... you can PHYSICALLY feel.

This is a collection Dee has kept to himself for a long time, despite many, many requests for release. You'll see why very soon...

Sylla-code: A unique 2 person code anyone can learn.

Morse: A spectator is mind-reader effect utilizing the Sylla-code principal.

Svengali Toss - Remastered: Thoughts on the classic Hoy effect, 3 spectators merely peek a card from the deck in their hands and with no moves you are able to reveal each one with pinpoint accuracy.

Altered - Version One: A marked coin is placed in the spectator's own hands where they physically...

...

• ...
  • ... The Skull & Telephone
  • S. Edward Dexter / How to Hypnotise, Hypnotic Sleep
  • R.C. Ritson / The Literature of Conjuring
• No. 22
  • George Armstrong / Stanley Collins
  • Madame Minar / Flash Addition
  • Peter McDonald / Impromptu Productions
  • Jack Lamonte / Sucker Matchbox
  • George Armstrong / Svengali's Telephone
  • John K. Bays / Bigger Smokes
  • Maurice Hurling / The Concert Ventriloquist Two Voices, one Figure
  • S. Edward Dexter / How to Hypnotise, Awakening the Subject
  • R.C. Ritson / Chats for Cognoscenti, The Literature of Conjuring
• No. 23
  • George Armstrong / Tom and Eileen Harris ...

...

By J.P. Ornson	221
A Novel Way Of Naming A Chosen Card By Harry J. Podmore	221
The Wonderful Intelligence By Carlo Nizzini	222
The Inexhaustible Tumbler by Paul Fuchs	222
The Box And Bowl For Appearing Handkerchief By Russell	223
Fame By George Frederick Schulte	223
NO. 12: FEBRUARY 1915	229
Svengali Bio	231
The Spelling Cards By Clarence T. Hubbard	231
Some Magic By Jos. Dunninger	231
- The Dunninger Production Cabinet	231
The World Of Magic	232
- S.A.M. Francis J. Werner	232
- New York News Queercus	232
- Demons Of Baltimore, MD. Charles Fulton Oursler	232
- St. Louis Notes C. Frederic...