Miniature Haunted House: EXPLAINED plus Bonus

[Art Begun]

Wrong. When I was just a lad I saw Mark Wilson do this on
the original Magic Land of Allakazam. No cloth involved.
Maybe you should order the plans. I used to have a copy. I
don't think you could get 30 minutes out of it today.

"Mitchell Leary" <Mitch...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:14339-39...@storefull-288.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
> From the Magic Inc. catalog #19 (circa 1967) comes the
folowing ad.
> This is for a Miniature Haunted House which sets on a
table top. It
> could be constructed quite easily from cardboard or even a
modified
> Barbie-type small house. The magician stands behind the
house, with
> hands in full view the entire time, and it comes to life.
Partial
> contents of the ad read as follows (followed by the secret
explanation).
>
> Invented and designed by the Great Leon. 7 times a trophy
winner!
> Original price $298.00. Act can run up to 30 minutes. No
assistants,
> use anywhere. Performers hands are FREE; yet he operates
the action with
> a single control.
>
> The patter theme is a ghost story, a female ghost looking
for a lost
> love gets involvd in magic. In full view, with apparently
no human aid,
> doors and windows open and close, bells ring, milk
vanishes, tables
> float, ropes are knotted, cut and restored? Hammers rap,
chain links
> join, bottle rises and fill glass with milk, a card trick
is done, a
> slate is written upon, and finally the spirit is caught
and materializes
> in a glass jar! Plus many other weird and wonderful
happenings!
>
>
> Method:
>
> This trick uses the Spirit Cloth principle. The magician
standing
> behind the house has one hand on each side of the house,
in full view.
> In reality one of his hands is a fake rubber hand. I
recently bought a
> very realistic rubber hand from a magic dealer for $14 to
make my own
> Spirit Cloth. I have also noticed some outstanding rubber
hands in
> costume shops and even in stores like PetsMart (dogs love
them as chew
> toys).
>
> The rest of the trick is self-explanatory. The magician
cases all the
> 'happenings' with his free (hidden) hand inside the house.
The linking
> of various ropes and chains is done with simple switches.
I brought the
> captured spook in the bottle up to date by placing a
handkerchief inside
> a 2-litre bottle and manipulating it with a wire through
the bottom side
> (kind of like a small Zombie). A small foam ball is
placed in the
> center of the hank and affixed with a white rubber band.
The wire
> connects directly to it underneath the hank and remains
hidden.
>
>
> .........BONUS...........
>
>
> LEARY'S SPOOKS IN A SACK
>
> This is something I invented to pass the time and keep the
mexican
> children away from El Gringo Loco's 'secret' garden. Out
here on the
> Arizona-Nevada border theres not much to do between ufo
sightings.
>
> Anyway, I applied the Spirit Cloth principle (fake hand)
to a large
> brown grocery sack. The back is cut out so I can
manipulate (throw
> and/or float) objects from inside the sack (beer bottles
and empty packs
> of cigarettes). Both hands appear to be in view the
entire time. I sit
> in my lawn chair and have the sack on a table beside me
with my arm
> around it. They see the fake hand and their tiny brown
minds fill in
> the rest of the illusion. My back is against a wall (my
half-buried
> double-wide) so no one can sneak up behind me.
>
>
> LEARY'S BURLGER DETERRENT
>
> The fake rubber hand also makes for a unique burgler
deterrent. Place
> the hand on a door inside your home so it looks like
someone is standing
> behind it. A bathroom door is perfect.
>
> Its my back-up in case the incendiary devices fail.
>
>
> Its Halloween and I'm off to destroy my brain with these
new spores and
> a bottle of J&B's finest.
>
>
> -Leary-
>

[Supreme Being]

Before you post again you might consider actually reading what Mitch, or
anyone else for that matter, has written. He never mentioned a "cloth"
except that the "Spirit Cloth" principles were applied....ala a rubber
hand. AND he ins't talking about Mark Wilson's version so the only
"wrong" here is your comprehension of the post in general. Many methods
exist for the same effect and we all know this so no method is "wrong"
in a magician's eyes...just different and maybe easier, cheaper, better,
whatever.

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[Jason Peirson]

Hey Mitch , That is very interesting info. I'm into haunted houses.
You're a funny guy . :) I'm just a newbie to this site. I'm into magic ,
still learning. I preformed a few times with my friends on stage. I have
a question......do you know of any other magic web sites I could look
up?

Sincerely,
Jason Peirson

[Mitchell Leary]

Art,

I've had the plans for 35 years and have the in front of me right now.
Everything in my post stands. It does use the spirit cloth principle,
i.e. a falso rubber hand.

Mitch

[PathFind11]

Mitch:
I have the plans in front of me
and there is no spirit cloth used
path

[Eric H.]

Damn, do I hafta tell everyone this? He said it uses the *principles*
from the spirit cloth, not the cloth itself. Sheesh, maybe there should
be a literacy and comprehension requirement before someeone can logon to
the Net...:) No offense Path...just seen the same response twice now..

--

[magic...@webtv.net]

i think ART is just bored and wants to have fun with ya :)Welcome to the
Billy Gilman Web Site
Address:http://www.billygilman.com/ Changed:4:15 PM on Friday, October
6, 2000

this will take ya to all my websites in one complete camra shot :)
http://community.webtv.net/magic-bill

have you shook hands with a duck before? you still haven't thats his
foot.

[Art Begun]

He mentions a specific version. I used to have a copy. Did
not involve a rubber hand.
"Supreme Being" <bur...@heathers.stdio.com> wrote in
message news:3A038F8F...@heathers.stdio.com...

[Art Begun]

Apparently there is more then 1 version.

"Mitchell Leary" <Mitch...@webtv.net> wrote in message

news:2700-3A...@storefull-281.iap.bryant.webtv.net...

[diggum]

great. since you don't use a spirit cloth to perform this little
illusion, it won't be getting in the way =)

diggum

On 04 Nov 2000 19:38:22 GMT, pathf...@aol.comnospam (PathFind11)

[ldl1017]

To set the record straight on this, it does not use a rubber hand. I
purchased and built the original Leon's Haunted House that was advertised in
Magic Inc.'s catalog. It was a lot of work, but worth it in the end. It used
a string method and all the props had to be gimmicked individually for them
to work.
"Art Begun" <beg...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:8u2j2c$t9i$1...@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net...

[magic...@webtv.net]

lol diggum is beeing comical cute:)

[Mitchell Leary]

I've got to buy a NEW set of these plans.

[Paul Rothchild]

On Tuesday, November 7, 2000 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-5, Mitchell Leary wrote:
> I've got to buy a NEW set of these plans.

Ummmm....there is absolutely NO rubber hands involved with this effect, the original version of Leon's is not based on the Spirit Seance method as the above gentleman is stating. It is important to get your facts straight, if you do not know what you are talking about it is best not to post anything. You can see the Great Leon's Haunted House in action at www.houseoftheunusual.com
Scroll down to the video section and you will see a gentleman perform this table top illusion masterfully and at no time is he behind the house holding up a cloth with a fake hand as suggested above.