Greetings and Happy St. Patrick's Day from all of us at Hank Lee's Magic Factory. Living here in New England, we have a saying, "If you don't like the weather, move to Florida." That's not the actual saying, but it's close enough for horseshoes. Wednesday started out in the mid 40's. Looked like it was going to be a beautiful, sunny day. Then the snow started. It was classic snow showers. Lots of wind driven snow that didn’t accumulate at all. Just enough to give the grass a light coating. Then, the sun came out and it was over. Today, we are looking at temps in the high 40's and low 50's. Crazy New England weather. That's the weather, now here's the news.
The new Spring Extra is out. I will bet that right now it is in your snail-mail box. Go outside and take a look. If it's not there, it is possible that you are not on our snail-mail list. An easily solved problem. Just send me an email with your full name and address and I will make sure you are added to our list of happy customers.
In other big news, we are looking into a major building project here at Hank Lee Central. It would mean almost doubling our warehouse and office space. Frankly, we need the space. Our warehouse is starting to bulge at the seams. The elves are trying to take over my office for stock shelves, but I have barricaded the door, and so far it is holding. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
As you know, the Conclave is coming up in a little over a month. We are working like crazy on tying up all the loose ends and making sure that everything runs as smooth as silk. If you haven't registered for this year's big event, now is the time! There are still some registrations available, and we would love for you to join us. Get all the info under the Conclave Button at www.magicfact.com.
And now, let's take a peek at this week's Hotlist!
Legless - Derek Rutt’s Legless does not look like a prop. It looks like the real thing. A leather-topped, beautifully-made mahogany stool!
Pick up this apparently ordinary wooden stool, and ask your helper to sit on it while you do something. When you have finished, ask the helper to stand up, pick up the stool, and "put it over there".
As the helper picks up the stool, the legs fall off with a loud band (bingo device), and a loud clattering noise is heard as everything hits the floor. The helper walks away with just the top in his hands.
This is a really surprising and funny sight. The square holes into which the legs lock are reinforced with metal braces, so there is no chance of them breaking (something which has happened in previous models).
This prop is perfect for the comedy performer. Add it to your routine today!
Comes complete with gimmicked stool and detailed instructions explaining how to perform this side-splitting, crowd-collapsing effect!
Stool Dimensions (W x L x H) Approximately 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" x 19 1/4" (34cm x 34cm x 49cm) $150.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8211&cat=&page=1)
Elegant Magic Of Rafael Benatar DVD Set - Rafael Benatar is a Venezuelan working professional magician who lives in Spain and is one of the most active members of the world-renowned Escuela Mágica de Madrid. His classy and elegant magic is explained with such clarity and attention to detail that these DVDs are guaranteed to raise your magic to a new level.
Rafael Benatar is thorough and thoughtful in the way he constructs and presents his magic. On these DVDs he goes into great detail about these philosophies, theories and strategies. If you study and apply his advice you are almost guaranteed to raise the quality of your current repertoire and increase the magical nature of your routines.
Includes close to four and a half hours of Rafael teaching 17 card routines, dozens of card techniques, relatively unknown Ascanio sleights and much more.
Buy all three of Rafael Benatar's DVDs (Elegant Card Magic, More Elegant Card Magic and Elegant Cups & Balls) for one low price. In addition to the many elegant card routines and the beautiful and practical Cups & Balls routine you will learn advanced double card handling techniques that you will be adding to your arsenal of deceptive and devious card sleights. $94.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=5389&cat=&page=1)
20 Ounce Production - New from Michael Lair! Magically produce a 20-oz. bottle of your favorite drink at any time during your close up or stage act!
Show two silk handkerchiefs in an otherwise empty glass. Remove the silks one at a time and show them, absolutely normal. Gather the two silks together and produce a 20 ounce bottle of your favorite drink!
A completely new idea! Special gimmick and two 18" silks included. Featured in Joshua Jay's Talk About Tricks Top 10 of 2005 in MAGIC Magazine! Also, featured in the book Stage Cool. $25.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8210&cat=&page=1)
Trouping With Dante - In the golden age of big illusion shows, his was the most golden of all. He had been born Harry Jansen, but the world knew him as "Dante, The Magician."
He played every continent on earth with one of the most magnificent magic shows of the twentieth century. Sim Sala Bim was a spectacular extravaganza of magic, music and laughter. Every magic-smitten youth from Bangkok to Boston dreamed of being in the show. This is the memoir of one young man whose dream came true.
Marion S. Trikosko spent two seasons as a stage assistant to the great man. Today, while excellent magicians still flourish, such huge and elaborate traveling shows such as Dante's are extinct. What was the show like? How did it operate? What made Dante the celebrated magician he was, and a remarkable human being? What tricks and illusions did he perform, and what were their secrets?
These and many other questions are answered in detail by Trikosko, whose extraordinary powers of observation and rememberance take us vividly behind the scenes. A gifted writer, he guides us revealingly through Dante's magic world and, along the way, gives entertaining and personal glimpses into his own.
Hardbound and copiously illustrated, with a gorgeous full-color dust jacket. Introduction by Lance Burton! $35.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8209&cat=&page=1)
Weather Or Not - The latest brainchild from the Knight and Moyer team. One of the most visual and comical mental effects you will find. Invite any 3 people on stage. These are not stooges and there has been no pre-show work.
Explain that the two most talked about things among strangers are the weather and sports. They go hand in hand, as the weather often affects sports. You then show a CD prediction and place it in a player. State this contains a prediction that will hopefully match a weather forecast the spectators will form at random.
Ask the first person to name one of his favorite sports. Let's say he says: BASEBALL. This is written on a board so the audience can see it. You then call attention to 3 closed paper bags on the table. Tell the second person that each bag contains a different type of weather gear and you'd like him to choose one to hold. Hopefully he will choose the right gear for the pending weather forecast. All this is done before the random weather forecast is made.
Display several cards containing various weather elements (including comedy weather, such as raining cats & dogs), temps, wind speeds, etc. The spectators select elements to form a random weather forecast. Let's say they select Rain, Lightning, Hail, and 25MPH winds. Each of these are written on the board for the audience to see.
You then ask one of the spectators to push the play button. The CD plays and an official sounding NWS Weather Alert is heard. The voice warns of a pending rain storm, with lightning and 25MPH winds. The exact forecast the spectators formed at random. But wait, there is a real kicker coming! The weather alert also warns that this storm could cause baseball size hail! Yes, hail the size of the sports ball the person freely named when he came on stage. This kicker ending will floor any audience. But the best is yet to come. Point out that one the spectators choose a bag before the forecast was formed.
Open the other two bags. One is seen to contain gloves and a ski mask. That doesn't fit the forecast. The other bag is shown to have suntan lotion and sunglasses. That doesn't match the forecast either. Finally the person holding the bag opens it. Inside he finds a heavy duty raincoat suitable for rain and hail storms.
Important Facts
Any 3 People, No Stooges.
No Pre-show Work.
One of the people freely calls out a sport.
No chance of failure.
No Switch of CDs.
No Sleights.
Comes complete with a professional produced CD, weather cards, bags to hold them, paper bags, raincoat and Devin Knight's professional comedy routine. The fact that the named sport also predicts the size of the hail is an unusual twist that your audience will never forget. $69.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8205&cat=&page=1)
Kozak Live - Rare, Raw & Uncensored - For the last 30 years Kozak has been one of the highest paid and most successful comedy club "headliners" in the country. Performing in all of the "top" comedy club venues, casinos and nightclubs from coast to coast. Many appearances on network and cable television, to a "Command Performance" for Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Kozak is known for having one of the most powerful openings in show business, the first five minutes establish him as a world class Magician/Comedian with an electrifying personality. What you are seeing is the culmination of thirty years of practice and experience performing under every conceivable condition and circumstance.
If you have never had the chance to see Kozak perform "live" now is your chance. Kozak has a unique blend of sleight-of-hand magic, stand-up comedy and expert improvisational skills. Jeff McBride has crowned Kozak as "The Talking Manipulator." $35.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8207&cat=&page=1)
Center-Tear Teach In DVD - Lee Earle - The Center Tear technique has been a standard with entertainers for years. Yet, many of the methods are either difficult, illogical or artificial looking.
Lee Earle's Center tear (based on an Al Baker concept) eliminates those problems.
• No bad angles - even if someone stands directly behind you with his chin on your shoulder!
• Bad handwriting is not a concern - your logical premise will get them to print clearly, every time.
• Perfect for working in low lighting because the routine ensures writing will always be clear, bold, and legible.
• Forget about sneaky moves or complicated handling - you will be amazed at how easy this method is.
• Extremely deceptive because you begin to reveal details before you ever touch the folded paper!
• You never look at the paper while you are tearing - a major weakness of most other methods.
• Nor do you ever go to your pocket, turn away from your audience, or use any other prop, pad, or tablet.
Start clean, end clean, and leave 'em with their jaws hanging open. $34.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8206&cat=&page=1)
Book Of Numbers Vol. 1 - Docc Hilford - Contained within this tome are the detailed secrets of six mentalistic miracles. Beyond his original creations, Docc adds new presentations and method variations to the rich ideas of Ted Annemann, Henry Hardin, Orville Meyer, David Berglas and Al Baker. The combinations produce performance pieces that entertain with a 10,000 volt shock.
Bartender’s Nightmare – The mentalist proves his third, or pineal eye can see through human flash and bone as easy as glass.
Crystal Vision – Two numbers, representing the month and day a person was born are written on the back of a business card. The card is folded and torn in half. The participant holds the side with the month in one fist and the day in the other. The mentalist looks into a crystal ball and reveals details about the person’s life, including his birth date!
Ghostotal – A person thinks of a large number. Another person thinks of a small number, then follows the group’s instructions regarding adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing his number. At the end of the random procedures, the mentalist reveals both chosen numbers.
Match-Matical – A completely new slant on a masterpiece. Three people choose a specific number of matches from a matchbook and hide them in their fists. The mentalist reveals all three chosen numbers in different ways.
In-nile-lation – Docc found a new twist in the Nile. A person thinks of a number and without writing anything, keeps it in mind. There’s no force, it’s a free mental selection. People in the audience call out numbers that are recorded and added together. The total from the audience is the same number as the one which the person is thinking! There are no forces.
Newmero! – Members of the audience call out numbers that the mentalist records on a board as a problem in addition. Everyone watches as the numbers are written down. He challenges someone in the audience to try to use a calculator and calculate the sum total faster than he can do it in his mind. Not only is the mentalist faster, but he proves to be more accurate!
None of these effects requires difficult mental calculations. Many tricks have nothing to do with arithmetic of any kind. Those that do are stunningly clever and brilliantly entertaining.
This is the first in three volume set. Volume 2, Qebhsennuf is close-up and parlor mentalism. Volume 3, Tuamautef is devoted to stage mentalism.
$35.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8208&cat=&page=1)
And that's all the news, the weather and the hottest new stuff in magic!
I hope you find some time to visit us at www.magicfact.com. We do love your company, and hope you like ours!
Hank Lee
