Friday, January 15, 2010

Save With The Magic Of The Month Club!

Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. I hope that you are all staying warm during this wicked cold-snap. I spoke with Aron, the elder son, in Gainesville, Florida, and it was 31 degrees! They are just not prepared for that kind of cold. Here in Boston, it’s been in the teens. But, we have winter coats. I know there’s a joke there somewhere, but I’m too cold to go looking for it.

This week was Aron’s 23rd birthday, in a row. Every time the kids have a birthday, I am amazed at how old they are. Then, I look in the mirror, and it all becomes clear. Happy Birthday to you, Aron. Try and stay warm.

Bonnie and I snuck off last weekend for a couple of days on Martha’s Vineyard. The island is so beautiful in winter. The water is so blue. And, with the leaves gone from the trees, you can see water everywhere. It’s so quiet. Hardly any tourists. The roads are empty. At night the sky is so clear that you can see a zillion stars. I counted them. With the TV and internet service shut off for the winter, we had a very relaxing couple of days.

Those of you who pre-ordered John Kennedy’s Mojoe will be pleased to know that all of the orders have been shipped, and yours will be along in just a few days. The method is so very cool, and the effect is terrific! We have them in stock and can ship immediately.

You have probably noticed that there have not been any major sales events this year. After listening to the screams of our accountant and looking at last year’s bottom line, we have come to the conclusion that, if we want to be in business for years to come, we just can’t give everything away. The numbers don’t lie. Unlike those who operate from the spare bedroom of their parents’ home, we are a real honest-to-goodness business and have what is called in the business world “overhead.” Lights. Heat. Insurance. Employee Wages. Telephone. Telegraph. Tell Bonnie. Those bills all get paid from the, and I use this word humorously, profit on the items we sell. If we give away the profit, we can’t pay the bills. So, you will see far less sales events in the coming year. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are lots of ways to save every day here at Hank Lee’s. Every week, I will list one of the ways to save. Hopefully you will take advantage of them!

Magic Of The Month Club. A great way to save every day. Each month, we hand-pick 15 brand new items and list them in the MOMC. The items are on sale for 30 days, then 15 more items are selected. Joining the MOMC is as easy as pie. If you click on the Magic Of The Month Club Button at www.magicfact.com, you will see just how easy it is. Once you join, make sure you are registered as a customer in the Online Catalog. You will then automatically get the special prices. There is no cost to you for joining. And, the savings are substantial. It’s a win-win, so hop to it!

And, that’s all the news from here. Now, check out the ongoing Excitement!

FREE SHIPPING EXTENDED: Until Friday, the 29th of January at midnight, we are offering free ground shipping on any order over $30.00 to anywhere in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii! Just enter the special code SHIPMEFREE in the Discount Coupon Box at the bottom of the first page of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com. We will happily pick up the ground shipping charges on your order. Of course, if you want your order sent Fedex Three Day (Express Saver), Second Day or Next Day, you will just have to pay the difference.
Note: Your email confirmation from our online system will still list the shipping as free, but we will charge the difference when we ship your order.
Overseas customers will save as well! We will pay one-half of the Air Post shipping charges on your orders until the 29th! Just remember to enter the special code SHIPMEFREE in the Discount Coupon Box, or let the person taking your phone order know when you place your order at 800 874 7400.

Now, let’s take a look at this week’s Hotlist

(1) Street Wise DVD – Gazzo: An invaluable tool for any performer. Whether you work the streets or not, you will become a better performer after watching Gazzo, both outdoors and indoors. Learn how to turn a few simple tricks into a show worthy of a standing ovation.
Gazzo, widely recognized as one of the greatest street performers in the world, gives you an in depth view into the noble, yet much maligned world of the street performer.
In a candid interview filled with insights, advice, suggestions and of course humor, Gazzo sheds light on the life of the street performer; the world's second oldest profession!
See Gazzo in action in his world famous, or should we say infamous, Street Show performed at NYC's famed South Street Seaport. Watch the master as he insults, prods, pushes and cajoles his audience with irreverent, sometimes caustic, often sarcastic, but mostly good-natured humor, to everyone's delight.
Learn from this guru of the streets how to draw an audience, how to keep them watching, how to get them to give you money and how to avoid mishaps while working the concrete jungle.
• Gazzo teaches his world famous version of "Three Card Monte"- great for any indoor parlor show
• Learn "A Gentleman's Game" a fun, easy & very good card con!
• A candid interview; Gazzo pulls no punches!
• Watch Gazzo's World Famous Street Show at the South Street Seaport in New York City
• Bonus: Hilarious clips of Gazzo having fun with his audience. His patter lines are priceless!
$29.95 (DVD01090)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1273&cat=0&page=1)

(2) Cardini: The Suave Deceiver - John Fisher:
At last! Perhaps the greatest sleight-of-hand artist of all time, Cardini finally receives the wonderful book he deserves. A master of sleight-of-hand, a show-business success, a classic act that changed the course of his art, and a builder of intricate miracles, Cardini is here unveiled in depth and with great insight by John Fisher, a wizard of words.
Granted access to the personal notebooks, scrapbooks, and memorabilia of Cardini, John Fisher has crafted not only a revelatory biography but also a fine piece of magical literature.
Cardini's legendary act is explained in detail, moment by moment, for the first time in print, but his amazing life story is also revealed in this fascinating work.
Generously illustrated with hundreds of photos and mementos of this master's career, including a beautiful color frontispiece and color section.
To top it all off, the book begins with Lance Burton paying tribute to Cardini in a heartfelt, inspiring preface.
• A complete biography of magic's master!
• Step-by-step analysis of Cardini's act
• Almost 600 pages
• Over 800 illustrations
• 350 frame-by-frame shots of his act
• Beautiful color section
Hardbound, with top-quality satin-finish paper, smyth-sewn for added durability, with a heavy full-color glossy dust jacket. $150.00 (BK01691)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1249&cat=0&page=1)

"Cardini was one of the greatest performing magicians of all time, and this volume is guaranteed to cast his spell the instant you enter its magical pages...a truly wonderful production...the bounty of images reproduced in this volume is nothing short of astounding. This long-awaited and well-deserved testament to one of the most important magicians of the twentieth century is an inordinately welcome addition to magic's historical literature." - Jamy Ian Swiss, Genii magazine

(3) Westgate Bowl Production: The production of a large goldfish bowl filled with water has always been a favorite with audiences -- young and old. Now, here's a way you can do it surrounded, with no false moves or bulky body or table loads. You show a tray, about 1" thick, on top of which is a four-sided box. Both the box and the tray are shown to be empty and apparently devoid of trickery. Then, the box is lifted up and, there on the tray, is a large bowl filled with water and goldfish! The working is completely automatic and requires little skill. Beautiful props and a terrific effect. $120.00 (60.160)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=2934&cat=0&page=1)

(4) Event Horizon: Andrew Mayne, creator of Gut Buster and In Half presents a stunning new illusion.
Is it an escape, a penetration or a teleportation?
Members of the audience are asked onstage to inspect a 24” metal plate with a 7” hole cut in the center. After they've inspected it to their satisfaction they're invited to sit down. The illusionist then sticks one arm through the center of the hole and grasps the edge of a curtain with the metal plate trapping his arm and separating him from the front of the stage. In one violent motion the magician is now standing in front of the metal plate apparently having either passed through it or teleported from one side to the other.
This new twist on Andrew Mayne's A-Frame illusion is a super-compact effect that can be built quickly using off the shelf parts from a hardware store and fit inside a suitcase.
Event Horizon can be adapted to perform in most every performing environment. No assistants required. $20.00 (60.1645)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1479&cat=0&page=1)

(5) Any Time Any Place Any Book Book Test: From the creator of Deep comes The AAA Book Test. The book test has been around for years, but finally there is a book test that can be done with modern and popular books your friends already have.
What does AAA stand for?
Any Time:
This wonderful book test can be performed at any time - 24/7.
Any Place:
You can perform this trick wherever there are books.
Any Book:
This is the most important A in the Triple A Book Test. When we say any book we mean any book. Other book tests require a "special book" this one does not.
The book test will have your family and friends in utter shock and disbelief.
It is the one magic trick you can't leave home without, but you can, since everyone has books!
What You Get:
DVD, notebook, and personal cheat sheets! $40.00 (40.704)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1586&cat=0&page=1)

(6) Appearing Four Foot Cigarette: The new Appearing Cigarette is a perfect sight gag for comedy magicians! Made in the same material as our high-quality Appearing Pole, Wand, and Straw, this four-foot-long cigarette is a must for the stage performer. $24.95 (60.1646)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1682&cat=0&page=1)

(7) Sound Reading Training CD – Will Brierly: Hand a pen and a piece of paper to a member of the audience. Ask them to write a word, number or name on the piece of paper. As they are writing, you instantly know what they have written. Your back is turned. You never see the paper. There are no peeks, no gimmicks, no sleights. You do this purely with your own skill.
How is it possible?
Sound Reading!
Sound Reading is the secret technique of listening to how a word or number sounds as it is being written, and instantly knowing what it is. This program will help you learn and practice the technique.
Once you have learned the technique, the possibilities are endless.
The Sound Reading Training CD offers two modes.
The Practice Mode in which you learn and practice “reading” the alphabet, numbers, common words and common names. Simply click on individual buttons to play the sound you want to hear. The more you hear the sounds, the better you get.
The Game Mode in which you get to test your skills on the categories you have learned in the Practice Mode. The higher your score, the better you are doing.
We cannot over-emphasize how valuable this technique is. Remember, it’s all you. There are no props or gimmicks. This put you as close to real mentalism as is humanly possible.
Sound Reading Training CD works with either PC or Mac. $79.95 (40.703)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=1253&cat=0&page=1)

(8) Wanna Flash: This could very well be the best flash gimmick Rick Haslett has produced. And he has come up with some doozies in the past. Wanna Flash is sleek and well made and produces a huge flash whenever you want! Wanna Flash is designed to produce a flash from anything. Your favorite production box; A Coin purse; A deck of cards. All you need to do is mount the gimmick using double sided foam tape.
You can also use Wanna Flash to produce a flash from your bare hand or from a silk!
The gimmick is tiny. Less than two inches long and about 3/8" thick. It uses one AAA battery and Flash Cotton.
100% reliable and guaranteed by Rick.
Use it any time you Wanna Flash! $27.95 (60.827)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=3647&cat=0&page=1)

And that’s this week’s short but fabulous Hotlist. We are really being super-selective with the new items we add to our Online Catalog. A return to the good old days!
As always, we really appreciate your taking time from your busy schedules to spent with us either online at www.magicfact.com or in person at 102 North Street in Medford, where we always shovel the snow so parking is a breeze!
Hank Lee