Ring 76 Chartered by the Internationa! Brotherhood of Magicians in 1948

MagiCurrentsSon Diego, California

Recipient of the IBM's Quality Ring Award Honest Sid GerharRing 76

Honest Sid Gerhart Ring 76Website

www.ring76.com Volume XX 4 April 2006

Bob Sngafls to seek2nd term as Ring 76President

At the March Board of Director's meeting, BobIngalls announced he would seek a second term as

president ofRing 76. Inmaking theannouncementBob and theboard beganthe processof puttingtogether aslate ofofficers forthe comingyear 2006 &2007. Thoserecommenda-tions will be

, g^en to aIn9alls nominating

committee made up of volunteers from the generalmembership who will canvas members and ask ifthey would like to become a member of the Ring 76executive committee.

President Ingalls was interviewing the variousmembers of the current board to see which memberswould continue to serve and if there were any peopleto replace. There is currently a member at largeposition open on the board. Terry Lunceford,Richard Ustick, Jack White, and Kenny Shelton saidthey would continue to serve on the board and seekre-election. Diane Lane remains the immediatepast president and will continue to serve. Twomembers, Jacques Lord and Sal Barajas, did notattend the meeting and, at this writing, have notannounced whether they will seek re-election.

(Continued on page 5)

Ring 76 Swap MeetMonday, Aprii 10th

Monday evening, April 10th, one of the most talkedabout and anticipated meetings of the year for manymembers of Ring 76 will take place; it is our annualmagic swap meet. This meeting is an opportunityfor members to sell their unwanted magic and buysomeone else's magic treasures. If you are a buyer,this is a time to dig through a lot of other people'smagic videotapes, DVDs, books, tricks, seldom seenapparatus, and props of all kinds.

If you have some magic and would like to sell it atthe swap meet, here are some things you shouldknow. Tables are available for $10 for a 6-foot-longtable or you can share half a table with someoneelse for $5. Sellers are the only people allowed intothe hall until we officially open for business at 7 p.m.The room will be open to sellers from 3:30 p.m. tounload and set up for the swap meet.

Ring 76 Treasurer Richard Ustick is in charge ofassigning tables to our sellers. Do not wait until thelast minute to make your reservation for a table.Contact Richard early because there is always moredemand for tables than there is space available. Ifyou are a seller, we urge you to get in early and setup for the opening buyers. Richard Ustick can bereached by phone at (619) 589-1913 or by e-mail atrustick@fiash.net.

We remind everyone that the swap meet does notinclude an auction; the magic auction will be held inJune. This is just a swap meet, and you will not becompeting with an auction of magic props andbooks. You keep all of the proceeds from yoursales; your only cost, as a seller, is the ten or fivedollar fee for a table.

If you have a friend who is interested in magic and isnot a member, this is the perfect evening to bring

(Continued on page 7)

Page 2 MagiCurrents

J.C. Wagner gives his magic iecture atthe March Ring meeting

-—

There was a very large turnout for our Marchmeeting with some faces we have not seen at a Ring76 meeting in a longtime. Many turned out for ourspecial guest of the evening, former Ring 76president and active member J.C. Wagner.Wagner gave a lecture and in his opening remarkstold the members as a teenager he joined Ring 76,has attended many of their events but this was hisfirst opportunity to give a lecture to his home Ring,and he was excited to be the featured entertainer forthe evening.

job keeping the lens of the camera trained on theaction as the lecture moved along.

J.C. explains every move of each trick he teaches;one of this first effects offered a different twist onthings by finding a selected card with your foot. Iguess this could be called sleight of foot. Therewere a number of card routines, a session with coinsand one of the slickest coins across you will eversee and a nice little session with dice stacking.

President Bob Ingalls, whoasked for volunteers toform a committee for ourannual Installation andAwards Banquet to be heldin July, called the meetingto order at 7 p.m.. Bobthen asked for anyannouncements and therewere several from thegeneral membership.

President Ingalls then readthe names of all the newmembers who have joinedRing 76 in the past year.They were invited to thestage where they all tookan I.B.M. oath to preservethe art of magic. Theywere given their officialmembership certificate inRing 76 and welcomed as j c Wagner close-upmembers in good standing. |egend ln magiCj giving

a lecture at Ring 76Ring 76 inducts its newmembers once each year;we had intended to have our ceremony in Januarybut because of the press of unscheduled businessthe induction ceremony was postponed until March.

There were books and a setof lecture notes for sale onthe dealer's table along withone of the greatest close-uppads you will ever see andsome dice stacking cupsand other gimmicks andprops. If you never do anyof the magic J.C. Wagnerteaches it's wonderful justto have a little insight intowhat he goes through tomake his mini-illusions workand entertain the public.

When the lecture was over,Sal Barajas opened up theRing library for about 30minutes. There were somephoto opportunities withJ.C., and we called it anight. Our next meeting,March 10th'will be theannual swap meet.

Then first Vice president Terry Lunceford introducedhis friend J.C. Wagner who began the featuredportion of the evening.

Because Wagner specializes in close-up magic, theRing set up a big screen and video camera so thateveryone in the audience could see close up all ofthe action of the lecture. Kenny Shelton did a good

Our May meeting is theannual Ring 76 stagecompetition; get your act

together and plan to take part in that program. Thisis your opportunity to show off your skills and youract. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top threewinners. The awards will be announced at ourInstallation and Awards Banquet in July. This isyour opportunity to shine as a performer and showoff that magic act you have been working so hard toperfect. See Terry Lunceford if you would like totake part in the stage competition in May.

MagiCurrents Page 3

Meeting Photos

Ring librarian Sal Barajas andJose Sanchez didn't want to missany of the meeting, so they broughtdinner and ate at the bar.

Diane Lane, membershipchair for Ring 76

Joel Moskowitz and KennyShelton behind the camera.

New members Jose Sanchezand Lou Heck.

Bob Ingafis, extreme right, giving the oath to new members, includingLifetime Achievement honoree Vi Freeland.

Page 4 MagiCurrents

Magic notes from:

Because of my recent illness, I did not have a write up lastmonth on this year's "World Magic Seminar" at theOrleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, February 19th to the22nd. Rich Bloch and Bob Rossi always put on a greatshow; 2006, was one of their best efforts to date. Thisyear's event was aimed at the close-up artist and a numberof top names in close-up magic were on hand to deliverlectures and close-up magic demonstrations. MichaelGallo, Geoff Latta, David Roth, and Michael Rubinsteinwere but a few of the names taking part.

The World Magic Seminar dedicated this year's seminarto Tomsoni and Company, Johnny and Pam Thompson,for bringing magic and laughter to millions with their on-stage antics.

The highlight of the four-day event was the appearance ofRoy Horn, who actually walked out on the stage andspoke a few words to the audience. Siegfried & Roy,Lance Burton, Johnny Thompson, Les Arnold & Dazzle,Dana Daniels, Mark Kornhauser, and Ali Bongo appearedon the afternoon shows.

I had an opportunity to have a few minuteswith the president elect of the I.B.M.,Fred Casto.

The dealer's room was very large with 27 dealersdisplaying their wares. The room had tables and chairsfor people to sit and talk among themselves and show off

some of thek "e «H erf items they

purchased,which is alwaysa nice touch atany magicconvention.

There was alarge contingentfrom San Diegoand Ring 76attending thisyear thatincluded: BobIngalls, JackWhite, DianeLane, KennyShelton, Tom

LaChance, Joe Mystic, Ken Ball, Jose Sanchez, JoelWard, and Len Cardoza.

Bob Ingalls in the dealersroom with Tom Jones atthe Wild Magic booth.

Roy Horn walking on stageat the 2006 World MagicSeminar with Siegfried.

There was never a dull moment with lots of magic andrenewing of old friendships. Kenny Shelton took part inthe close-up contest at this event. In a future issue ofMagiCurrents, I will do a feature story on Kenny'simpressions' of taking part in a major magic conventioncontest.

MagiCurrents Page 5

Ring 76 memberBin Solomon Dies

We received word from Territorial Vice president JeffMarcus that longtime Ring 76 member Bill Solomondied onMarch 3rd; hewas 82.Solomon wasactive in Ring76 in the late1970s and80s andremained amember ofthe I.B.M. intothe 1990s.Though heseldomattended ourmeetings inrecent years,he remainedactive inmagic.

A publicity photo of Bill SolomonBill was from in the 1950s.New YorkCity, and spoke with a "thick" New York accent,giving his character on stage a special charm. Hehad a great passion for writing and created materialfor comedian Phyllis Diller, among others. He wrotepoetry, short stories, and gags. He authored oneserious book on "Ice Point Therapy." Bill served inthe U.S. Airforce and was a pilot in World War II.

l

"MagiToon"

A recent photo of Billas most Ring 76members rememberhim.

Election story Cont from page oneAny member can run for any office or seek electionto the board. If you are interested in one of theboard positions, see a member of the nominatingcommittee and have your name placed innomination. There is a commitment to being amember of the Ring 76 Board of Directors. You areexpected to attend our general meetings and oureleven board meetings each year. That is a total of23 meetings each year or two meetings a month.Because the I.B.M. is an all-volunteer organization,you have to pay your own way on all events.

President Ingafls will be asking for volunteers for thenominating committee at our next meeting. If youwould like to serve on that committee, please let himknow.

Page 6 MagtCurrents

View from the Cheap Seats

By Jon A. Hand

A Slydini Classic for Standup Use — PartOne

The late Tony Slydini had a reputation formind-boggling magic with simple objects. Paperballs, cigarettes, sponge balls, rope, cards, andcoins all fell under his disarmingly simple-appearingspell. His use of misdirection was legendary, and hiseffects appeared to be impossible miracles oflegerdemain.

Few find Slydini a worthy study today, whichis sad. There is much to be learned from masterslike Slydini, but his magic was so ideally suited to hisperformance character that modern magicians oftenfind the magic awkward. Also, Slydini's magicdepended heavily upon a seated performing stance,which is not as available to the average magician asit once was. Seated close-up has been largelyreplaced by walk-around, table-hopping, andplatform magic. The bulk of Slydini's material couldnot be performed under such circumstances, but hismisdirection concepts are essential studies for thesleight-of-hand performer.

Slydini had an effect called Paper Balls inthe Hat, in which four balled napkins vanished singlyfrom his hands and were found all together at theend of the routine inside an upturned hat.Sometimes Slydini would use a square cardboardbox with no top or bottom, but the effect would bethe same. The original routine requires muchlapping and some of Slydini's peculiar (and veryeffective) steals from the lap. Enjoying classicsleight-of-hand as I do, I often challenge myself tofind ways to adapt seated magic to a wider platformaudience. I do not call any of my ideasimprovements, as Slydini was the master, and I ammerely a lifelong hobbyist. I do feel that my ideascan adapt Slydini's classic seated plots for largeraudiences who would otherwise never experiencethem, and so I humbly offer them for yourexamination and possible use or adaptation.

My primary motivator was to seek ways tomake the routine more visible. This meant morecolor, more size, and more elevation. Of course,each deviation from the original routine potentiallyweakens the final effect, but I feel that the choicesmade to increase the visibility more than offset anyweaknesses induced by alteration of the effect.Remember, the audience will not know the Slydinioriginal, and so this routine will be taken on its ownmerits. The routine below encompasses theseaspects in the choices made.

First, I dropped the number of ballstransported from four to three. Three is a magicalnumber in religion, in music, in decor, in sports, andmany other fields as well. View it this way: once isan anomaly, twice is a coincidence, but three is adeliberate event. Four is then boring, predictable,and anti-climactic (wow, I can hear the howling of theSlydini devotees way over here!). Secondly, Ielevated the balls with a clear receptacle, increasingtheir visibility from the stage. Thirdly, I added adifferent color to each of the balls so that the finaldisplay was obvious to the distant viewer.

Materials needed: [1.] Six sponge balls inthree different colors, either 1.5 or 2.0 inches indiameter. I chose red, yellow, and green, all ofwhich will show up well against dark clothing. [2.] Aclear glass brandy snifter. [3.] A piece of buff or tancard stock of sufficient size to be formed into a tubefor covering the snifter when turned into "landscape"position (i.e., wider than it is tall). [4.] Two largepaperclips, or small spring clips with folding handles(often called "bulldog clips"). Don't forget topurchase backups for the above items if you plan todo this routine on a regular basis. [5.] A stock magictable with a sen/ante, and optional black art well.

Setup: Place one sponge ball of each colorinto your right jacket pocket. Place two paperclips orbulldog clips on top of the balls, or in the ticketpocket that is inside the jacket pocket. Place thesnifter where it can be retrieved quickly and easily,and place the buff/tan card stock near that.

Routine: Place the brandy snifter on yourtable, to your right of a black art well if you have one,and slightly off center toward your right side of theservante. Produce the three sponge balls magically,or simply place them on your table to your left of thesnifter (and to the audience side of the optional blackart well). Reach into your case and bring forth thebuff/tan card stock. Rotate it back and forth to showboth sides, and then turn so that the longest sidesare the top and bottom ("landscape" position). Forminto a tube with short ends overlapping a bit on theaudience side, and hold in this position with your leftfingers. Reach into your right pocket and remove apaperclip or bulldog clip with the thumb and

MagiCurrents Page?

forefinger. Emerge from the pocket with the lastthree fingers curled, and place the clip over theoverlapped joint. If using a bulldog clip (moresecure), fold the handles down over the paper, oneoutside the tube and one inside the tube.

Turn the tube upside down and hold theoverlap with the left hand. Reach into the rightpocket, and crush the three sponge balls betweenthe last three fingers and the palm. Then grip theother clip between the thumb and forefinger andemerge from the pocket as before. Place thesecond dip over the overlapped ends. If using abulldog clip, fold down the handles as before.Holding the tube by the second clip/overlap, placethe tube over the brandy snifter. Lower the righthand a bit into the tube and release the threesponge balls, which fall into the snifter in necessarilyrandom order. You are now three ahead, and theaudience has seen mere introduction of the props.

I have opted for three different vanishes forthe balls. I feel that this keeps the audience interestup, especially since no climax is seen until the endof the effect. For the first ball, a modified dumpvanish with a Slydini lapping move will be used toditch the ball in the servante. Pick up the red ballfrom the left of the table with the left hand. Displayat the fingertips, and turn slightly left. Allow the ballto sit in the palm of the left hand, and approach withthe right hand. Position the right hand below the lefthand, and curl the right fingers to receive the ball.Turn over the left hand as if to dump the ball into theright hand, but curl the left fingers gently to retain theball. The key to this dump vanish is the response ofthe right hand, which should dip slightly as it"receives" the ball, and then close. The left handstays still, and the right hand curls loosely tosimulate the girth of the mythical ball. Using thethumb as a hinge, rotate the right hand away fromthe left hand (outward and toward the audience, asyou are facing somewhat left) to turn it face down.Don't just turn the wrist/forearm, but move the rightelbow outward and to the audience as well. Look atthe audience as you execute the dump, and they willmeet your gaze, attaching even less importance tothe dump. Turn back toward the table (facing theaudience straight on), the right hand rising to a footor so above the tube, holding its mythical ball in afist. The left hand simultaneously moves in an arc,downward and to the right, setting up the Slydinilapping move by bringing the left hand to the rearedge of the table. Follow the mythical ball in theright hand with your eyes as the left hand dumps theball into the servante. With some practice, you couldeven arrange the left hand to fall behind the snifter/tube as it dumps, but this is not necessary if youexecute a good dump vanish, follow correctly with

your eyes, and the hands move simultaneously tothe right, one up and one down. Do a crumplevanish over the tube with the right hand, and openthe fingers from pinky to thumb. Raise the left hand,and signal, 'That's one," with your forefinger and aknowing smile.

Next month: The routine continues, with vanishesfor the second and third balls. In the meantime,gather the materials needed and see if you candetermine why I chose a brandy snifter instead ofthe wineglass used in the modified Benson Bowlroutine (February, 2006). Your feedback on this orany other of my columns is welcome, so feel free todrop me a line at P.O. Box 1300, Pulaski, TN, or ane-mail at magicbyhand@charter.net .

Swap Meet Story Continuedfrom page one

them along as a guest. The swap meet evening isopen to all members and non-members with manyattending from the North County and from Ringsoutside of San Diego County.

Items we know will be available for sale include ahuge collection of used magic books, videotapes,small magic and at least one sensational illusion-aportable sawing a woman in two effect. Here is youropportunity to sell that magic that has been sittingidle in your magic trunk or magic cabinet. This isalso a great time to purchase something new to workon for the summer season ahead. Last year's swapmeet offered many fine props at greatly discountedprices. This year's event promises to be even better.

A word to the wise if you are a seller: keep yourprices as low as you can without giving away youritems. Buyers are looking for bargains and if youdon't want to pack up the goods you bring to theswap meet, keep your prices low and they will sell.

We have found that swap meet evenings usually endsomewhat earlier than a usual meeting, so be ontime because the early birds are the ones that getthe great bargains and the hard-to-find magic.There will be a lot of different and unusual magicand related items for sale at this event, so plan toattend and look it all over before making yourpurchase. Please remember if you are going tobring things to sell, call Richard Ustick in advanceand reserve a table. As usual at all of our meetingsthere will be hot popcorn, hot chocolate, and softdrinks available for everyone. See you Mondayevening, April 10th.

PageS MagiCurrents

I have been busy for a week goingthrough my magic locker lookingfor all of those tricks that I nolonger do and getting them readyfor the Ring 76 Swap Meet nextMonday evening. I have founddozens of wonderful items I havenever performed and severalvideotapes that are still in theiroriginal wrappers that will all beon my table for sale at greatlyreduced prices. This is onemeeting you don't want to miss ifyou are looking for a bargain.

There will be lots of good deals,and this meeting itself is always alot of fun. Jack White has writtena story that appears on the frontpage of this issue of MagiCurrentsthat has all the rules for the swapmeet, so read it over and get all ofyour used magic together andtrade it in for someone else's usedmagic. It is important you reservea table or half table for the swapmeet. Richard Ustick is theperson to call to reserve yourtable; his number is (619) 589-1913.

It looks as though this year'sInstallation and Awards Banquetwill be very special. TerryLunceford is going to host theevent at his house on Sundayevening, July 9th. Terry will havethe dinner catered and theprogram will follow. Terry hashosted several parties at hishouse in the past. Perhaps themost memorable was the eveningbefore the opening of the 2002

I.B.M. Convention in San Diego.That party is still being talkedabout by I.B.M. members.

We will be keeping you informedon the Installation and AwardsBanquet as we get closer to theevent itself. We might want toform car pools so that we canarrive in groups because parkingcan be a bit of a problem. Wewill have more on that later, butfor now I want to thank TerryLunceford for allowing us to usehis home for this event.

I want to thank all of our banquetcommittee members for comingtogether and making this year'sInstallation and Awards Banquet avery special event. I hope youwill mark your calendars for thatevening and plan to attend, July9th.

We are looking for members whowould like to serve on theexecutive committee for Ring 76.We will be appointing anominating committee this month;if you would like to be a candidatefor an office in the Ring let me orJack White know, and we will seethat the committee includes yourname.

See you at the swap meetMonday evening.

76

Ring 76Board

of Directors2005-2006

PresidentBob Ingalls

1st Vice PresidentTerry Lunceford

2nd Vice PresidentKenny Shelton

SecretaryJack White*

TreasurerRichard Ustick

Sgt at ArmsSal Barajas

Member at LargeJacques Lord

immediate Past PresidentDiane Lane*

Territorial Vice PresidentJeff Marcus*

*denotes Past Ring President

For information onmembership, orRing events, contactJack White, Ring 76Secretary by e-mailprestoone@cox.netor by phone at619-299-9037

MagiCurrents Page 9

News

Big Variety Show Friday, April 7th

featuring the Magic of Joel Ward,World Champion Juggler ScottyCavanaugh and HypnotistMichael Swensen. The showwill be at the King Middle School,1290 Ivey Ranch Road, inOceanside. Tickets are $10 pre-sale or $12.50 at the door. Forinformation, call Joel WardProductions (760) 436-1055. Bythe way, Joel will be appearing onan A&E TV special that was tapedat the Magic Castle in Hollywood.The show is called "Magic Castleafter Dark" and will air this spring;watch your TV guide for moreinformation on the exact time andday it will be broadcast.

More sad news; ChanningPollock died of cancer in Marchat a Las Vegas hospital. Amemorial service was heldSunday, April 2nd at the MagicCastle in Hollywood; a secondmemorial service will be held inLas Vegas, May 13, at the MonteCarlo Hotel and Casino. PaulDaniels of England summed upChanning Pollock best in AlanWatson's e-zine when Paul said:"He was one of the mostinfluential magicians of our time.Channing was a great magicalperformer and I consider myselfso very lucky to have seen his act.This was perfection, and so fewever get close to that. Above all,he was a really nice guy."

Milt Larsen, editor of the MagicCastle newsletter, was soimpressed byBob Ingalls card trick with thechosen card appearing on someM&M Candy that Milt wrote aboutthe trick in a current Castlenewsletter. Bob was also the hitof the recent World MagicSeminar in Las Vegas with the

Briefs

M&M trick. If you have not seenBob do the trick ask him and you,too, will be impressed.

J.P. Jackson and Marcus Dayhave a very busy schedule thesedays. They just returned fromWashington D.C., where they hada dealer's table with used booksand magic at the Magic Collectorsmeet. They are re-packing forthe Magic Castle Swap Meet thisSaturday, April 8th in Hollywood;then they will return to re-packagain for the Ring 76 Swap Meeton Monday, April 10th. J.P. sayshe will be happy when the SwapMeet session is over.

Brad Burt ,who is still very muchin the magic business with anonline magic store, turned up atJ.P. Jackson's house with theparts to a very complex andinteresting shooting a ribbonthrough a girl illusion. Bradreceived part of an estate from amagician in Arizona who died.Brad has the mechanism formaking the ribbon go through thegirl but has no instructions.Anyone think they can help himout with how this effect works?

Sid Gerhart, the namesake forRing 76, had two sensational acts- one was his "Medicine Show"act and his 'Taming Wild Fleas"routine. Recently Fritz Lotze, aclose friend of Gerharts presentedthe Ring with a copy of the"Taming Wild Fleas" act. It is allwritten in longhand by Sid

Gerhart. Jack White hopes toset it down on paper, typed out,and publish it in a future issue ofMagiCurrents.

It must be spring because TerryGodfrey has started his CountyFair dates. Terry appears at theYuma County Fair, April 6th to the8th. Then returns to San Diegoand will appear at Seaport Villagein mid-April.

Michael E. Johnson will be thefeatured performer for theCalifornia Federation of Women'sClubs at their 50th Anniversarymeeting April 7th in SanBernardino. Michael will alsobegin his fourth year as a teacherfor a special after-school magicclass at Carrillo ElementarySchool in Carlsbad. The eight-week course teaches youngstersa variety of magic effects. At theend of the course, the studentsput on a magic show for theirparents.

J.P. Seirica has moved his"Grand Magic Shop" to 130 E.Grand Avenue in Escondido andhe says; "The move was the bestthing I could do for the future ofthe shop." He has tripled the sizeof the shop and doubled hisinventory. He has several newillusions coming in this month thathe is selling on consignment.Veteran performer Bob Elliott isgiving informal lessons for close-up workers on Saturday morningsfrom 11 to 1 p.m. Drop by andtake part.

Terry Lunceford recently won theregional championship of hissmall car racing class. He nowgoes on to the championshipfinals in Topika, Kansas, thissummer.

Page 10 MagiCurrents

Coming Attractions ^

April 10, 2006, Ring 76 Swop Meet. A chance to sell your unwantedmagic. See Terry Lunceford or Richard Ustick to reserve a seller'stable.

May 8, 2006, Ring 76 Stand-up contest. Get your stage act ready andsign up for the contest. Cash awards to the winners.

June 12, Ring 76 magic auction. You will have the opporuntfty to bid ona wide range of magic from close-up to illusions.

July 9th Ring 76 Installation and Awards Banquet at Terry Luncef ord*shouse, dinner, awards, and installation of new officers.

The next Ring 76 board meeting will be Monday, April 24th, at Jack'sMagic Place; all interested members are invited to attend.

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MagiCurrents is published monthly by Ring 76 and is edited by Jack White; Associate Editor isJim Riley. We encourage articles, stories, and news items. All material should be submitted toJack White by e-mail at prestoone@cox.net or written manuscripts may be submitted toJack White, 4288 Arguello St., San Diego, CA. 92103.