Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. This year’s Conclave is over, and what a great time we had! And by we, I mean everyone who was there. I will not review the entire weekend, as that is best left to others who have, shall we say, a more objective view. I will, however, give you some of my personal highlights. First of all, the weather was amazing. After suffering through almost two weeks of solid rain, suddenly the skies cleared and it was sunny and warm for the entire Conclave weekend. Seeing Helder Guimares arrive on his first visit to the United States along with his father and then seeing Tim Wright arrive with his daughter was just plain nice. David Regal’s show opening speech on Friday night had me in stitches. In fact, I have the original to be framed and hung in my office. Dirk Losander’s Floating Table looked as much like real magic as anything I have ever seen. Johnny Thompson killed on the Friday night show, then on Sunday took us all for a marvelous trip down memory lane. The Sunday morning event alone was worth the price of admission. Chris Capehart’s performance on Saturday night was a lesson in audience management and turned what would otherwise be considered an off-the-shelf catalog trick into a phenomenal piece of entertainment. Of course, James Dimmare was, well, James Dimmare. There was so much more, but I promised I would just stick to a few highlights. If you missed the Conclave this year, you should really mark your calendar for next year. The dates are April 4th-th, 2008. Don’t miss it!
Now, for this week’s excitement.
Starting right now and running through Thursday, May 3rd at midnight, we are having another Buy More Get More event. And, here is how it works. For each order you place during the event, you will get a coupon which you can use towards any future purchase here at Hank Lee’s. The value of the coupon depends entirely on the size of your order. Here is the breakdown:
• Order between $25.00 and $100.00: Coupon is for 10% of the merchandise total. (Orders less than $25.00 get our sincere thanks, but sadly no coupon)
• Order between $100.00 and $200.00: Coupon is for 15% of the merchandise total.
• Order between 200.00 and $300.00: Coupon is for 20% of the merchandise total.
• Order over $300.00: Coupon is for 25% of the merchandise total.
When you place your order online at www.magicfact.com, please put the secret phrase BUY MORE GET MORE in the Customer Notes Box of the online checkout. If you place your order by email or FAX, just include the secret phrase with your order. And, if you place your order by phone, toll free at 800 874 7400, please mention the secret phrase to get your coupon. The coupon will be sent along with your order and can be used whenever you wish, no expiration date. You will get a coupon for every order you place during the event. Just don’t lose the coupons, please. Unlike other sales events where certain items are not included, the Buy More Get More event includes every item we carry! This is your chance to, as they say, “Make out like a bandit!” So, get your order together and save for the future.
Now, let’s take a look at this week’s Hotlist:
Porper Billet Knife: Disguised as a beautiful brass letter opener, Joe Porper’s new Billet Knife is a mentalist’s dream come true!
In the past, billet knives were “off the rack” letter openers or knives that had the “works” added. So, they always looked a little “klugey” and they never worked the way they should.
Those days are gone.
Joe’s Billet Knife was designed from the ground up. It is made of solid brass and measures almost six and a half inches long. The billet rides along a specially designed channel, so the delivery is smooth as silk. Exactly what you would expect from Joe Porper.
If you perform mental magic and have been on the lookout for a beautifully designed and machined billet knife, this is it. $199.95 (40.564)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8803&cat=0&page=1)
Astor Mental: Uses a transparent plexiglas board, five ESP cards with blue backs and five ESP cards with red backs, each with matching symbols. Slip the blue cards into their slots on the board in an order known only to you.
The spectator chooses, one by one, into which slot the red cards should go, but he only sees the back of the cards.
When you turn the board around, the blue back and red back cards are in the same order (top to bottom).
You can show the trick twice and the order of the cards will be different. The cards are not specially prepared. A totally new idea, unlike anything on the market today. And, remember the board is totally transparent! $225.00 (40.565)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8805&cat=0&page=1)
Voodoo I: More than a decade ago, an alleged voodoo priest showed tricks on one of Europe’s most popular television shows. Some weeks later the methods of these tricks were explained to millions of viewers. A magician had given away the secrets for a few bucks and for his own image-cultivation. Werry was upset about this exposure. Being one of the leading trick inventors in Europe he came up with a totally new concept for a well known voodoo theme. With this new principle, he was able to blow away even those who thought they knew it all. Only a very limited number of this trick was manufactured in those days. Now, Werry’s Voodoo I is available again!
A member of the audience examines a sketch pad and a felt-tip pen. The spectator is then asked to write his name in large letters across the top sheet of the pad. This sheet is torn into two pieces. One of the pieces is given to the member of the audience, who crumples it up and holds it in his closed hand. The magician draws, for example, a large eye on the second half and crumples it up as well. As if by voodoo magic, the image the magician drew on his paper appears on the backside of the half that the audience member is holding!
Lovers of ingenious mysteries will delight at this effect. Werry’s concept is a mental masterpiece, designed to become a classic!
The advantages of Werry's method:
1. No Swami gimmick or thumb/ nail/ boon writer are used!
2. You don't need a secret stooge.
3. The marked paper does not have to be switched! Only one sheet of paper is used!
4. You do not have to write something secretly while performing!
5. There is no duplication writer or carbon paper involved!
6. The drawing that appears on the spectator's paper is clearly drawn with a felt tip pen!
7. Any drawing, word or number can appear on the spectator’s paper!
Comes complete with the special notepad, gimmick and detailed instructions. $39.95 (40.567)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8808&cat=0&page=1)
Bad To The Balloon DVD – Mark Byrne: Follow a renegade biker balloon artist (Mark Byrne) as he teaches how to make balloons cool. His goal in creating balloon hats is to make them fast and make them great. Most hats take 45 seconds to 2 minutes to create. There is a detailed twist menu for beginners.
If you can make a decent teddy bear, you can do most of the balloons on this DVD!!
Intermediate and advanced twisters will love the flow and ease of this learning style. Unlike any other balloon DVD filmed, it has original music and location shots for each figure.
Filmmaker Jason Jeter (Devotion Pictures) & Mark Byrne (Funny Money Productions) have done the impossible, a balloon DVD you won’t fall asleep watching! From the opening sequence to the last sculpture, they guarantee you will be impressed.
Includes instructions to make:
Shark • Dolphin • Mermaid • Surfer • Tiki • Duck • Gator • One-Eyed Monster • Pirate • Tower • Swan • Dragon
$24.95 (DVD00695)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8806&cat=0&page=1)
Model Bottle: Take your magic to the next level with Alex Lourido’s Model Bottle!
Imagine an invisible device that would allow you to easily flatten many brands of bottles within your bare hands; followed by the ability to hand the flattened bottle out for examination! What would your routines look like if you could take one brand of beer or soda and instantly change it for another: A green bottle morphs into a brown one and is then immediately handed out for examination!
The Model Bottle easily delivers all of these routines! Expertly designed, machined, and manufactured by Alex Lourido to achieve a professional level of magic, at an affordable price.
Whether your performance platform is stage, parlor, or close-up, the Model Bottle easily adapts. You will always end clean! No bulky apparatus or flashy box. All of the incredible magic occurs within your very own hands! And most impressive of all, you are handling real glass!
You will to easily perform the flattening of a bottle while standing in the center of a room, completely surrounded! In the accompanying instructional DVD, Alex Lourido demonstrates all of the ways you can use this device to achieve spectacular feats of magic. This device does not rely on a jacket or any article of clothing! The Model Bottleis a must-have for any serious practitioner of magic.
Includes DVD. $89.95 (60.1432)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8807&cat=0&page=1)
Thimble Dexterity DVD – Joe Mogar: Considered by many to be the world’s leading authority on thimble magic, Joe Mogar has finally tipped 50 years of moves and routines on this near-encylopedic DVD. You’ll learn techniques never before taught on video, such as the Explosion and Implosion moves, as well as three full routines for stage and close-up:
• The Presidential Opener: A practical, magical way to introduce the thimbles.
• The Powerhouse Routine: An extraordinary demonstration of digital dexterity, and it’s easier than you think!
• The Twelve Thimble Production: The name says it all, and no holders are used.
Also included are 19 vanishes, 7 productions, 5 color changes, 4 fluorishes, 6 miscellaneous items, 15 thimble-magic tips, practice drills and more. All taught with a combination of frontal shots, over-the shoulder-angles and slow motion.
A landmark work on magic with regular thimbles, and a must-have for any serious student of sleight of hand. $34.95 (DVD00693)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8802&cat=0&page=1)
Black Box Cinema – Bob Cassidy: Bob Cassidy is one of the leading mentalists in the field. When he speaks, mentalists listen. On this DVD he gives a crash course in mentalism techniques. You will learn techniques using clever subtlety and subterfuge as well as advanced sleight-of-hand.
Techniques covered include: The Medium’s Switch (2 methods), The Al Baker Switch (2 methods), Annemann Switch (2 methods), The Squeeze, The Moldavian Switch, Switch Blade Switch, Microphone Switch, The Impossible Envelope Switch, The Cajones Shuffle, Henry Hay’s False Waterfall Riffle, Gambler’s Palm Add-On, Erdnase Bottom Deal, and The Putty Switch.
You will also learn Bob Cassidy’s ESP Envelope Switch which Bob considers the most undetectable switch he ever devised. It is devious, versatile and practically works itself.
Among the highlights of this stylistically produced DVD are the important tips and advice Bob shares about how to perform mentalism. Bob also discusses the stagecraft and psychology used to convince audiences you can read their minds. $29.95 (DVD00694)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8801&cat=0&page=1)
Green Backs: Take a trip to Las Vegas with this clever, poker themed packet trick. Four of a kind which flip over, one at a time, revealing that they have green backs. As quick as a wink all four backs change to red and, just when you thought it was safe, the magician leaves you with a piece of advice. "Watch yourself or you'll lose more than you had bargained for." The cards are flipped to show real green backs - each card is backed by a printed dollar bill.
This super-visual packet trick has it all
* Comic Patter which taps into the current poker craze.
* Fully developed routine and handling with clever play on words and lots of action.
* Superb, custom printed Bicycle Poker cards.
* Fully searchable DVD with explanation of the moves, routine, handling tips.
* Easy to do and ready to go straight into your walk-around repertoire.
$20.00 (30.1234)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8804&cat=0&page=1)
Bisection Unlimited DVD – Andrew Mayne: In the blink of an eye half the magician's body vanishes.
A stage illusion small enough to fit in a briefcase - Astounding enough to be performed on world-wide television.
Now on DVD, Andrew Mayne presents his incredible one-man illusion that's been on stage and television around the world. For the first time Andrew presents several Bisection variations for different situations, including Bisection 360 - a totally surrounded presentation of Bisection.
Basic: The original incredible one-man illusion
360: The surrounded presentation
Trench coat: A spooky presentation using a long coat
Bisecting a Friend: An alternate presentation using an assistant
Includes video plans that show you how to put together Bisection using simple materials in under 30 minutes.
Shot in HD
Presented in anamorphic widescreen (16:9)
Running time 28 minutes $20.00 (DVD00696)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8809&cat=0&page=1)
Double Coincidence – Devin Knight & Al Mann: Before the show a dictionary is given to a lady who is asked to circle one word on a page, without letting the mentalist see what she does. She seals the dictionary in a large envelope. It remains in her possession and the mentalist never touches it again.
When it’s time to perform this effect, the mentalist calls two people on stage.
The sealed envelope with dictionary is retrieved by one of the
spectators who holds it in full view. The mentalist picks up a
300 page book and, turning his head away, riffles the pages to have one spectator select a page. The book is opened at that place and given to the spectator. No page number is called out at any time.
With his back still turned, the mentalist asks the spectator to silently read the first few lines on the left page. Immediately, with no fishing, the performer describes what the person just read.
This is pretty amazing, but the mentalist is ready for more, much more. He asks the person to read the first sentence on the right page. He tells the person to choose any object from the sentence and form a picture of it in his mind. The person has more than one choice of objects. The mentalist proceeds to accurately describe the spectator’s thought-of object. Again he does this with no fishing.
Now, for the big finale. The spectator is asked to call out any word on that line. The sealed envelope is opened and the other spectator removes the dictionary. There is a note stuck on the dictionary; that note tells which page number has the circled word on it.
The spectator opens the dictionary to that page (and yes, he can riffle the dictionary to check that this is the only circled page) and shows the audience the circled word. The word is read and seen to be the same word just called out! An unbelievable coincidence.
No secret cueing.
No force of the word; any word can be called from the line.
No stooges of any kind.
Spectators on stage are completely fooled.
No duplicate pages in the novel.
Complete with 300 Page Novel, Erasable Board, Marker, Dictionary and secret gimmick. $89.95 (40.567)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8810&cat=0&page=1)
Caller I.D. – Larry Becker & Lee Earle: Caller I.D. sets you apart from everyone else out there! Don't be like every other mentalist who pulls out a phone book from the hotel room. Been there, done that. They've all seen that one. Toss out a collection of business cards and use anyone's phone? Now that's different!
Every piece of information seen on every card, by anyone who wants to look, is different.
The selection process is open, fair, and uncomplicated.
Each business card is different: information, papers, colors, fonts, graphics, sophistication of design, and even businesses and industries are in area codes across the country.
This one-man routine is so easy you can focus on entertaining your audience; no mental gymnastics.
There are multiple revelations with no pumping, peeking, or procrastinating.
The finish is perfect in every way; and it's different if repeated an hour later.
Start with a deluxe, zippered, personal planner and binder - the 'DayRunner' type that has pages retained with snap-open rings. Inside are a dozen clear vinyl pages, each holding six business cards in three pockets, back to back, for a total of 72 cards. Every card is unique - no two have similar businesses, names, images, logos, addresses, etc. Hand the binder to a participant who is encouraged to browse through the impressive variety of top quality business cards. You don't touch the binder again until the routine is over. Then, out of your view and from anywhere in the binder, he removes two cards, looks at them and hands one to a person close-by. The binder is then tossed to a third, completely random person of his choice.
That individual opens the binder, again, while you cannot possibly see, and takes out any full page, removes all six business cards from the page, and looks them over to satisfy himself that each is unique - no duplicate information. Then he discards all but two, using his own, unannounced criteria. You truly have no clue about his process of elimination; you don't even know which cards he holds.
To avoid 'dead time' as he is narrowing his selection, you turn to work with the first two persons, each of whom holds a single, freely and randomly selected business card that has been kept hidden the entire time. One of them concentrates on his card's telephone number, digit by digit, including the area code. You openly write numbers on a drawing pad and then ask him to read aloud the phone number on that card. The audience can clearly see that you have successfully identified all ten digits!
Turning to a fresh page in your drawing pad, you request the second helper to visualize the graphic elements on his card - colors, shapes, photos, etc. - while you doodle on your pad Then he tells everyone what's printed on the card and your sketch matches his description of the card he holds - in explicit detail!
Finally you ask anyone with a cell phone to dial the number on either business card that the third participant has randomly selected - his choice. He is to repeat whatever the individual on the other end of the call says. As the connection is being made on his own cell phone, you write furiously on your pad - turning pages like a whirling dervish as you fill up each sheet with words, sketches, and numbers. When the call is answered - the participant repeats everything he hears from the other end of the connection.
Simultaneously, you show page after page on your pad - detailing an almost word-for-word precognition of names, replies, comments...and even if the call is automatically answered you can still reveal info from that number's voice mail announcement!
Caller I.D. comes with a quality, DayRunner-style zippered binder, the pages to hold more than six dozen professionally designed and printed business cards, full DVD instructions, and the awesome 'secret something' that makes it possible. You supply the pad, pen, & audience - they supply the standing ovation.
Because Caller I.D. uses U.S. phone technology; this product is not recommended for use outside of the U.S. and Canada. $299.50 (40. 568)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8811&cat=0&page=1)
And that’s the latest and greatest in the world of magic. I don’t know about you, but I am planning to spend a lot of time this weekend catching up on sleep. As always, I hope you will find some time to spend with us online at www.magicfact.com
We do love the company,
Hank Lee
