Magic Poster Auction Makes Chicago Newscast

Potter and Potter Auctions are preparing to sell an enormous collection of vintage magic posters on Saturday, March 26th in Chicago. After spending the last forty-odd years in a vacuum cleaner box in a basement, the posters were unearthed by the wife of a recently deceased collector. There are quite a few rare pieces, and most are in very fine condition. The Houdini poster on the cover of the auction catalog seems to be the most valuable, estimated in the $20,000.00 range.

For more information or a catalog, CLICK HERE. To view lots available for online bidding, go to www.liveauctioneers.com. Nothing up as of this posting, but I assume they will be posted soon. The local ABC affiliate in Chicago covered the upcoming event, watch it below.

Hat Trick - Three Goals or One Rabbit

A friend asked me who invented the trick of pulling a rabbit from a hat after the Pixar cartoon post. Though it was probably first performed by Louis Comte in the earliest part of the 19th century, it was certainly perfected and popularized by John Henry Anderson, a.k.a. The Great Wizard of the North.

Anderson (1814–1874) was a Scottish magician and a contemporary of Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin and the Great Herrmann. He's credited with being one of the first magicians to move performance conjuring from the streets into theaters early in his career. He was also one of (if not) the first magicians to publicly expose the Spiritualist movement and the Davenport Brothers as a hoax.

Harry Houdini was born the same year that Anderson died, 1874. In 1909, Houdini made arrangements for the upkeep of Anderson's gravesite in Aberdeen, citing him as a major inspiration.

Presto! Smarter Than The Average Bunny

Requested by Alicia, here is Pixar's 2008 animated short, Presto! Director Doug Sweetland's homage to vintage magic and magicians, this wonderful cartoon played in theaters with WALL-E. It's available on the WALL-E DVD as well, but why not just watch it below for free?




There are some great sight-gags in the credits; my favorite is an ad for The Civil War, re-enacted by poodles!

Grab A Stick And Start Shaking - More Houdini On The Way

Just when you thought there could not POSSIBLY be more Houdini coming your way, Summit Entertainment announces a film adaptation of William Kalush's and Larry Sloman's book The Secret Life of Houdini, The Making of America's First Superhero.

The film joins Dreamworks' "Voices of the Dead" and the Syfy Channel's "Among the Spirits" in exploiting the ubiquitous escape artist in the coming onslaught of Victoriana and steampunk set to assault screens in 2012.

Click Here for the full story from The Hollywood Reporter.

The Two Harrys - Houdini and Kellar

The excellent Carnegie: Magic Detective blog has a post about the friendship of two of the greatest magicians of the 20th Century. Click here to read about Houdini and Kellar.

The story continues on Carnegie's personal blog, here.

The Divided Woman

P.T. Selbit was one of the most creative magicians of the Edwardian age. Born Percy Thomas Tibbles in Hampstead, London, Selbit invented many classic illusions still used by performers to day. Wrestling Cheese (1912), Walking through a Wall (1914), Sawing through a Woman (1921), Girl without a Middle (1924), Through the Eye of a Needle (1924) were all his creations, though some of contemporaries would claim otherwise, most loudly American Horace Goldin.

Goldin improved upon the trick by allowing a method for the subjects head, feet, and hands to remain in view for the duration of the trick, and registered many names for the illusion with Vaudeville Managers' Protective Agency which forced Selbit to call his trick The Divided Woman when he toured the states.
Mark Kalin and Jinger Lee perform a version of the original illusion.




Below, Howard Thurston performs the illusion, which he bought from Selbit for his own act. This illusion became so ubiquitous that it may well be the most recognizable stage magic trick ever.

More Thurston Lore from Jim Steinmeyer

Here's a little promotional video featuring Jim Steinmeyer talking about Howard Thurston, the subject of his latest book. I'm enjoying reading The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston versus Houdini & the Battles of the American Wizard and will post a review in the next week or so. If you just can't wait to buy it, click below to find it on Amazon.com.