New York Times Exposure
Gary Brown
On December 27, the New York Times ran an "investigative" piece which
purportedly tried to expose the secrets behind David Copperfield's
illusions. Though the writer spent much of the article musing about how
magicians refused to explain the workings of the illusions to him, he did
manage to expose the Himber Ring, Black Art, a levitation and several
other magic principles. I've sent the letter printed below to the editor
-- whether they'll run it is yet to be seen.
Gary Brown
**************
To the Editor:
As a magician and magic enthusiast, I object to your attempt to
expose the workings of David Copperfield's magnificent illusions ("Poof!
Quick as Smoke," December 27).
In the 1930s, illusionist Horace Goldin, creator of Sawing a Woman
in Half, sued a tobacco company, trying to prevent the exposure of his
illusion in the company's print ads. At that time, the Times denounced
"the ancient menace that has plagued [conjuring] from time immemorial -
the telling of 'how it is done.'" ("Magicians Fight to Keep Secrets," The
New York Times, Nov. 30, 1937 25:8). Sadly, Goldin failed. "We have long
suspected this and now we know it," the Times lamented in an editorial.
"The lady is not really sawed in two. But the damage has been done. An
illusion is merely an illusion." ("The Hand is Quicker," Dec. 7, 1937,
24:2).
Regrettably, the Times seems to have forgotten something it knew
sixty years ago. Peeking into the magician's hat is neither fun nor
interesting. It's simply mean-spirited.
Very Truly Yours,
Gary R. Brown
magi...@aol.com
Can anyone help me? I mainly need information about the "curse" of the
bullet-catching trick and about Houdini. I remember hearing somewhere that
Houdini once considered attempting the feat, but one of his friends told
him not to. That's all that I remember.
Any and all help would be appreciated, even if it's nothing but
references. Replying through personal e-mail is preferred.
Thankyou for your help!
Sean Michael
Magi...@aol.com
Gary Brown
Houdini considered performing the bullet catch -- particularly, as noted
by Silverman in the recent biography, following the death of Will "Chung
Ling Soo" Robinson. But it was Harry Kellar who dissuaded Houdini from
attempting the trick.
"No matter what precautions are taken with the bullet-catching trick,"
Kellar wrote in a letter, "it's a damn-fool trick, and the chances for an
accident or a 'job' are always present."
Houdini resisted the suggestion, telling his friend Kellar that he had
faced bigger risks.
"Now my dear boy," Kellar implored, "This is advice from the heart. DON'T
TRY THE BULLET-CATCHING TRICK. [W]e can't afford to lose Houdini. Harry,
listen to your friend Kellar, who loves you as his own son, and DON'T DO
IT."
That, as they say, did the trick. Houdini abandoned his plans, and never
attempted the bullet catch.
Gary Brown
nea...@aol.com
In article <5ahugf$k...@nnrp3.farm.idt.net>, Gary Brown
<gbr...@tribeca.ios.com> writes:
>"No matter what precautions are taken with the bullet-catching trick,"
>Kellar wrote in a letter, "it's a damn-fool trick, and the chances for an
>accident or a 'job' are always present."
>"Now my dear boy," Kellar implored, "This is advice from the heart.
DON'T
>TRY THE BULLET-CATCHING TRICK. [W]e can't afford to lose Houdini.
Harry,
>listen to your friend Kellar, who loves you as his own son, and DON'T DO
>IT."
Kellar's warning to Houdini underscored his fear the "there is always the
biggest kind of risk that some dog will "job" you." This fear was not
unwarranted. Aside from the danger inherent in any trick using firearms,
the Bullet Catch has always been paricularly dangerous because the weapon
is usually out of the magician's control when it is fired. Perhaps the
most successful exponent of The Gun Trick in the last century was the
Great Wizard of the North, John Henry Anderson. But Anderson -- like
Kellar -- was well aware of its dangers. He had been apprenticed to a
magician who had been terribly scarred when a spectator secretly dropped a
button into the barrel of the gun used in his act. Anderson, himself,
came close to death when the audience member (who happened to be an
amateur magician) selected for the trick prevented the final stage of
preparation. Knowing what he had done, this spectator could not bring
himself to fire the weapon. Had he done so, it might well have been the
last time the Great Wizard of the North performed the Bullet Catch.
Michael Edwards
nea...@aol.com
In a previous posting magi...@aol.com (Sean Michael) wrote:
> Can anyone help me? I mainly need information about the "curse" of the
>bullet-catching trick and about Houdini. I remember hearing somewhere
that
>Houdini once considered attempting the feat, but one of his friends told
>him not to. That's all that I remember.
Sean:
For those readers who are unfamiliar with the Bullet Catch, it generally
goes something like this: A gun -- in previous times a musket, a dueling
pistol, a military rifle; in recent handlings like Penn and Teller's case,
a 357 magnum -- is loaded with a bullet that has been selected and marked
by a spectator. The gun is fired at the magician who intercepts the
bullet on a plate (as Chung Ling Soo performed it) or catches it in
his/her teeth as Penn does. When accomplished, it can be a gripping,
heartpounding, spectacular effect; when something goes wrong, it can be
deadly.
The illusion itself can be dated back almost four hundred years. Various
exposures of the methods for accomplishing this feat go back almost as
far. In fact, it is reported that Rev. Beard had exposed the secret of
“the gun trick” in his Threats to God’s Judgements in 1631. While these
reports are unfounded, they point to the long history of this illusion. It
has been performed by scores of magicians, including Comus, Adelaide
Herrmann, John Henry Anderson, Dante, Jean Hugard, Milbourne Christopher,
Theo Annemann, Peter Warlock, Paul Daniels and Harry Anderson. Many
others considered its performance, but chose to heed the advice that
Kellar did indeed give to Houdini not to perform the trick (see Gary
Brown's previous posting).
As for the "curse," it is in reference to those who fell victim to its
danger...magicians or their assistants who died performing the feat: Kia
Khan Kruse, DeLinsky’s wife, Dr. Epstein, Michael Hatal, Blumenfeld (one
of the many who went by the name Bosco), De Line, H.T. Sartell, and of
course Chung Ling Soo (William Ellsworth Robinson) whose death on the
stage of the Wood Green Empire theatre while performing his Defying the
Bullets routine created much of the lore around The Bullet Catch.
Countless other magicians and their aides have been hurt and wounded. Even
magicians who have successfully added it to their repetoire have often
found it frightening. Back in 1972 Harry Anderson -- who wanted to add an
Annemann style bullet catch to his act at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
-- rigged up a .44 caliber, single-shot black powder dueling pistol for a
routine he would eventually call "The Ballad of Aristoltle Couvert." The
first time he tried it, it blew a walnut sized hole through the middle of
a wooden gate.
Penn & Teller’s televised performance of the trick on television last year
demonstrated why performers have so long included this effect in their
acts. It has enormous emotional power. But their performance also
revealed the strength of magic’s past...and how an illusion three and a
half centuries old can still transfix an audience of today.
Michael Edwards
.
magi...@aol.com
>That, as they say, did the trick. Houdini abandoned his plans, and never
>attempted the bullet catch.
>
>Gary Brown
Thankyou for your help, Gary. That is the exact information that I was
looking for.
Sean Michael
Magi...@aol.com
magi...@aol.com
In article <19970104130...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, nea...@aol.com
writes:
>Penn & Teller’s televised performance of the trick on television last
year
>demonstrated why performers have so long included this effect in their
>acts. It has enormous emotional power. But their performance also
>revealed the strength of magic’s past...and how an illusion three and a
>half centuries old can still transfix an audience of today.
>
>Michael Edwards
Thanks for your help, Michael. I received the "Catch 22" bullet catch from
Stevens Emporium a while ago, and I was wanting to know a little more
about the history of the effect before creating a routine for it.
Thanks again!
Sean Michael
Gary Brown
Just a few additional thoughts -- in addition to catching the bullet on a
plate (ala Chung Ling Soo), or in their hands or teeth, magicians have
come up with a number of presentations for the interception of the bullet.
Several performers have caught the bullet on the point of a dagger,
allowed it to sink into an apple (using a William Tell-type presentation)
or captured the bullet on a piece of cloth. The last presentation,
featured by Annemann among others, has been supplemented by using a piece
of velvet or satin, spread across the performer's chest, with a heart
painted on the fabric.
And as to the Reverend Beard reference, Michael is quite correct that
it has been falsely reported that this 17th Century cleric printed the
secret to the illusion in 1631. However, Reverend Beard's book does print
an account of seeing the trick performed by a magician who was killed by
an angry servant, making his the first published record of the trick being
performed.
Finally, if anyone is actually considering performing the bullet catch,
the advice of this magic historian is to listen carefully to the advice of
Harry Kellar. It's a damn fool trick.
Gary Brown
nea...@aol.com
Gary Brown <gbr...@tribeca.ios.com> writes:
>Just a few additional thoughts -- in addition to catching the bullet on a
>plate (ala Chung Ling Soo), or in their hands or teeth, magicians have
>come up with a number of presentations for the interception of the
bullet.
>Several performers have caught the bullet on the point of a dagger,
>allowed it to sink into an apple (using a William Tell-type presentation)
>or captured the bullet on a piece of cloth. The last presentation,
>featured by Annemann among others, has been supplemented by using a piece
>of velvet or satin, spread across the performer's chest, with a heart
>painted on the fabric.
Indeed, one of the earliest written descriptions of the Gun Trick -- that
by Philip Astley in his 1785 largely plagiarized work Natural Magic: or,
Physical Amusements Revealed -- describes receiving the pistol ball on the
point of a knife or sword. His contemporary, Gustavus Katterfelto, caught
the bullet in a glass bottle. John Brenon would catch the slug in a silk
handkerchief -- while he balanced himself of a slack wire. Kia Khan
Khruse (who is reported to have been killed during the trick in 1818 yet
there is some dispute to this) would snatch the bullet out of the air with
his hand as did John Henry Anderson, the Great Wizard of the North;
Alexander and Adelaide Herrmann, and many, many others.
>And as to the Reverend Beard reference, Michael is quite correct that
>it has been falsely reported that this 17th Century cleric printed the
>secret to the illusion in 1631. However, Reverend Beard's book does
print
>an account of seeing the trick performed by a magician who was killed by
>an angry servant, making his the first published record of the trick
being
>performed.
As Gary notes, even though Rev. Thomas Beard did not "expose" Catching the
Bullets, his 1631 Threats of God's Judgements does appear to be the first
written record of the feat. I should note that while the magician Coulew
to whom Rev. Beard referred was able to withstand the discharges of
harquebusses and pistols, it was a pistol that got him in the end. The
angry servant Gary mentions hit Coulew over the head with one, causing the
magician's demise. Which brings us back to Gary's concluding point:
>Finally, if anyone is actually considering performing the bullet catch,
>the advice of this magic historian is to listen carefully to the advice
of
>Harry Kellar. It's a damn fool trick.
Michael Edwards
Gary Brown
NEAMDE <nea...@aol.com> wrote:
: There's always been one aspect to this story that I've found a bit
: peculiar.
: What is often overlooked in accounts of this
: episode is that also on the Hippodrome bill was Adelaide Herrmann...who
: gained enormous notoriety by performing her husband's sensational bullet
: catching effect just nine months after his death. In Mrs. Herrmann's
: heartpounding version of the feat, she faced six local militiamen, never
: touched or handled their ammunition, yet caught all six previously marked
: bullets in her hand and returned each of them to those who marked them.
: And yes, the bullets were "still warm from the barrels of the rifles."
There's something slightly different about this that I've found somewhat
puzzling as well. Alexander Herrmann, well aware of the risks inherent
in the bullet catch, limited his performance of the trick to very special
occassions (including charitable events) and performed it only five or six
times during his entire life. Reportedly, on each occassion, Adelaide was
so shaken up that she would hide in the dressing room, refusing to come
out until she had been assured that the trick had been completed, and that
Herrmann had not been harmed. Yet after his death (from natural causes)
she performed the bullet catch with relative frequency.
Something doesn't add up here. Just another mysterious facet of the
history of the bullet catch.
Gary Brown
NEAMDE
In a previous posting, Gary Brown <gbr...@tribeca.ios.com> wrote:
>>Houdini considered performing the bullet catch -- particularly, as noted
by Silverman in the recent biography, following the death of Will "Chung
Ling Soo" Robinson. But it was Harry Kellar who dissuaded Houdini from
attempting the trick. <<
Gary:
There's always been one aspect to this story that I've found a bit
peculiar. The story -- as recounted by Silverman and others -- is that
Houdini had announced that he would perform the Bullet Catch at a mammoth
benefit he was producing at the Hippodrome on April 21, 1918 to aid the
Society of American Magicians' hospital fund and the Showmen's League of
America. This announcement, in typical Houdini style, was well timed for
dramatic impact. Chung Ling Soo had fallen victim to the trick at the
Wood Green Empire on March 24. Ultimately, as Gary noted, Houdini
acquiesced to Kellar's plea and substituted the Upside Down (Water Torture
cell) for the Bullet Catch. What is often overlooked in accounts of this
episode is that also on the Hippodrome bill was Adelaide Herrmann...who
gained enormous notoriety by performing her husband's sensational bullet
catching effect just nine months after his death. In Mrs. Herrmann's
heartpounding version of the feat, she faced six local militiamen, never
touched or handled their ammunition, yet caught all six previously marked
bullets in her hand and returned each of them to those who marked them.
And yes, the bullets were "still warm from the barrels of the rifles."
Granted a lot of time had passed between that night at the Chicago Grand
Opera House in 1897 and the Houdini benefit and certainly the publicity
value after Chung Ling Soo's death was enormous, but it always struck me
as just a little a bit odd that Houdini -- who wanted to be the first and
only at everything -- would embark down this road having asked Mrs.
Herrmann to share the very same stage.
Michael Edwards
Gary Brown
[ Article reposted from alt.magic ]
[ Author was Bob Loomis <loo...@aims-magic.org> ]
[ Posted on Mon, 06 Jan 1997 02:22:35 GMT ]
Gary Brown <gbr...@tribeca.ios.com> wrote:
>.......That, as they say, did the trick. Houdini abandoned his plans, and never
>attempted the bullet catch.
Sorry to disagree with you Gary but Houdini DID do the bullet
catch!!!! As we pointed out in issue No. 3 of our newsletter, The
Magical Spectator, Houdini did the trick back in his museum days
before 1900. In our issue No. 5 we also described the research by
Annemann and Walter B. Gibson's into whether Houdini did it or not.
If you want to know what Houdini's routine was like, just look at his
article in Vol. 35 No. 8 of The Sphinx. That was just one of the many
refs we gave in our newsletter.
This would appear to be yet another example of what David Price said
about the history of magic - It is replete with error!
P.S Thanks for the tip about seeing alt.magic.history in Deja News.
I've finally been able to find out what you connoisseurs are up to.
--
Bob Loomis
Pres, Sec, Treas, Scribe and Tea boy.
Association of International Magical Spectators ( A.I.M.S.)
http://www.aims-magic.org/aims/