Until.

As a fan  of Jeff Hobson I once saw him do a 30 minute spot in a London West End theatre and get a standing ovation with just two tricks – one of which was the egg bag. It was then I realised that it was what the magician could add to the effect that made it a classic effect and with Hobson ’s unique camp patter and mannerisms it became an outstanding piece of entertainment.

Following that I saw Johnny Thompson achieve solid success with the prop but using the Malini version of the bag with its superior design, smooth fabric and careful needlework and of course Thomson’s handling and humour. Then a good friend, Tom Whitestone who presents the bag close-up at the table showed it to me  and made it very convincing and magical. He said he was influenced the day he saw Fred Kaps do the routine informally in Ken Brooke place with minimal patter but very convincing handling as you would expect from Kaps. Tom was so struck with how mysterious this age old prop could be made that he adopted it and today works the Malini design bag. A magician for whom I have a very high regard is Wayne Dobson and I saw a recording of one of his TV spectaculars before he was clobbered with M.S. doing the bag sitting quietly alongside a lady from the audience. No  endless crash banging the bag to prove its emptiness but a sheer piece of magic that used just three phases climaxing with the spectator making the egg reappear herself after proving that the bag was empty. It is a  real mystery and easy now to understand why it has been a classic for centuries…..when in the hands of a real artiste.

What’s this all about. It’s about taking a backward look at some of the magic we all met and passed by on our way to being a contemporary performer. It’s why some of the great entertainers who worked for big bucks like Al Flosso did Miser’s Dream, Cards Across, Paper Hat Trick and other considered hoary old tricks with big success. It ain’t what you do …………

I was reminded of this when speaking recently with Roy Walton, he told me of one Saturday morning when we were all assembled in Davenports when someone told of a new, unknown (to us)  magician appearing at the London Palladium. A certain Jay Marshall.

Moments later Jay Marshall walked in and introduced himself to George Davenport. The conversation turned to us and we expressed our intention to visit and see him at this famous London theatre. We had never seen this visitor from the U.S. but a billing at the London Palladium certainly indicated an act worth seeing.

Someone in our group said to Jay “We sadly haven’t seen your act but what do you do?” He smiled ruefully and said  “Well I tie a knot in a handkerchief and it unties itself. Then I link a number of steel rings together and I finish by putting on a glove and talking to it!” On the face of it it didn’t sound too exciting but we thanked him and looked forward to the show.

Imagine our faces when we witnessed in number three spot on the bill, one of America’s finest, funniest entertainers with magic, closing with his unique and quite brilliant “Lefty” vent routine that became world-famous.

Similarly, in my business years away from magic I never got to see Al Flosso although I did manage to get hold of some tapes of his act at a later date. I spoke to Pat Page who knew him well and said “Did he ever get any of the top bookings in his hometown New York” Pat said “He played them all - the Waldorf Astoria, The Plaza, the St. Regis, he did all the best corporate dates and got top money”

I said “He must have been good – what did he do?”

Pat replied “He did the miser’s dream, cards across, 20th century silks, paper tear to hat etc. It wasn’t the tricks they booked him for – they booked Al Flosso!”

Surely these two examples of  top,  successful magicians prove the validity of the claim – It’s not what you do………..!

It would have been invaluable to see Nate Leipzig actually performing  and Max Malini whereas we have the descriptions that were written by some of their contemporaries, but the nuances of performance, subtleties and misdirection really had to be seen.

 I knew Johnny Ramsay quite well and other than a few clips of amateur 8mm film showing him throwing a thimble into the air and making vanish and his legendary four coins hung in the air, I don’t think there is any other evidence. His protege Andy Galloway who studied with Ramsay for seven years has some of these clips and Andy’s own performance of Ramsay’s routine closely echo the masters style and luckily have been recorded for future generations courtesy of Martin MacMillan

We have had a few scattered clips turning up around the world. I’ve seen Roy Benson’s TV act with the Chinese Sticks and the Salt Pour also his stunning Billiard Ball routine (taught to him by Leipzig!) but it’s his unique personality and style that is so valuable in studying magic presentation. And his voice and style of humour isn’t a bit like I imagined before seeing the film.It’s better.

I never saw Al Flosso but someone sold me a clip of his famous act and his wonderful Miser’s Dream and then you realise why he was so unique and good. Don Alan, another idol of mine appeared on TV and fortunately there are some recordings available notably the Magic Ranch TV series where he had many  guests of the 50’s and 60’s. Clarke Crandall, Richard Himber, Johnny Platt and many other names of that period.

If you pull up You Tube on the Internet and insert Cardini you can see a clip of his act – cigarettes, cards, billiard balls and realise why he was so good and everyone raved about him. And to back up your interest in this icon of the last century somehow get a copy of John Fisher’s fabulous book “Cardini – the Suave Deceiver”. It’s worth every penny of the near £100.00  it’ll  cost you to secure a copy in the U.K.

With the mainstream of magic performance today being close-up, I think that the study of the performance style of some of the greats of the last century is valuable and could lift some close-up performers to much higher levels of entertainment. Pat Page once said to me that some of our best close-up workers are magicians who have worked on stage. He said it shows in presentation.

For a long time I begged Jack Avis, one of Britain’s top card and close-up magicians,  who was not a performer, to let me privately  film some of his unique work on a camcorder but self-effacing man that he was he never said no but never got round to it before he died four years ago. This saddens me.

Fortunately Alex Elmsley was not so shy and his unique work has been recorded by L&L Publishing in the U.S. by The Magic Circle during their centenary celebrations and by Colin Rose of Five of Hearts Productions who has two discs of Alex in session in their studio. Effects and casual talk and demonstrations to a private group of magicians at Colin Rose’s studio. It’s priceless and preserves the legacy of one of the last century’s greatest magician’s.

And lastly the third member of the great triumvirate – Jack Avis and Alex Elmsley is famed card magician hiding in Scotland - Roy Walton. I’ve known Roy since we were teenagers and again I’ve implored him to put some of his work on film or tape perhaps in the company of his close magic friends Gordon Bruce and Peter Duffie. Again a slightly self-effacing individual and whilst I have pestered him many times fearing that we would lose a permanent record of his magic, he told me recently that it is being done within the Davenport family and will be available through that source at some time in the future.

I am delighted and relieved at this news as I am passionate about preserving the performances of some of the greatest magicians of our time.

( Steps down from the soap box).