Vol. 11 Issue 3 March Visit our Web Site at

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1 Vol. 11 Issue 3 March 2014 We meet the first Thursday of the month at Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Ave. Sarasota FL Workshop at 6:00 pm. Officers meeting 6:30 pm. General meeting and presentation 7:00 pm. Visit our Web Site at We want to see your favorite magic effect. Makes no difference if you bought it or developed it, we want to see it. We also want to hear why it s your favorite. Once again you have the opportunity to hone your skills in front of a group of supportive members. That s why it s called a Brotherhood or in some instances a Sisterhood. (Have to be politically correct) It matters not what you do. All is fair game. Be it cards, coins, silks, ropes, mentalism or anything. else. I never imagined that I would have to include this in a monthly newsletter. My friend and I m sure yours Aldo Colombini passed away on February 12th after having suffered a massive stroke days earlier. He brought us laughter combined with his talent and enthusiasm. His love for magic was unequalled. I will miss him. I m positive that the feeling is mutual in all of the magic community. The outpouring of love and prayers being forwarded to Rachel on the Social Media is endless. Vol. 11 Issue 3 Page 1

2 From the President I was performing some card effects the other day and happened to think fondly on an old friend from my days in Washington, DC...Brother John Hamman. We made an odd pair whenever he visited DC or we met at conventions on the road, paling around together, because everyone knew my "politics" were at odds with some Catholic social teachings. We shared a love of magic and never discussed dogma per se, but, would discuss the impact on society that various (non dogma) social teachings had, issues such as rationalizations for 'just wars," abortion, birth control, women's rights, etc., etc. That comprised about ten percent of our bull sessions; the other ninety percent was all about magic & magicians from the 1960's era right up until the time of his passing. I had the privilege of seeing some of his prototype hand made gaff card effects before they were delivered to vendors for printing and released to the magic fraternity. Brother John Hamman Although the name John Hamman may not ring a bell for many younger magicians, if you do card effects and do some sleights, you may well be using moves developed by Brother John Hamman. Among these are the Hamman Count and the very popular "Flushtration Move." Continued on page 3 Stevie Dee Parties, Conventions, Graduations. You name it, He does it. Steve can be reached at: or FAX March 6th March 9th April 3rd Support Our Members Member s Nite Ring 81 Picnic TBD CIGAM HOUSE OF MAGIC th St. West Bradenton FL JONTI Head Magician Slight of hand, DVDs, Lessons Phone: jontimagic@tampabay.rr.com Vol. 11 Issue 3 Page 2

3 Continued from page 2 Born in St. Louis September 3, 1927, John Charles Hamman attended Catholic schools. In 1942 he became a postulate of the Marianists (a Catholic order). He received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Dayton and later an MA from St. Louis University. He taught English at various Catholic high schools. In October of 1952 he was diagnosed with a severe case of polio. As a child Brother Hamman had started doing magic and as a teacher he frequently performed for his students. As he recovered from polio, he spent many hours developing numerous card tricks and a variety of moves and sleights. He collected much of his original thinking in a book that was published in 1958 called "The Card Magic of Brother John Hamman, S.M." The book was published by Paul LePaul and quickly became a popular primer for card workers. In the Forward to the book LePaul wrote: "Brother John Hamman leads you down the garden path to the exact spot where he wants you, then he turns on the sprinkler." Brother Hamman continued writing and developing novel effects, ultimately creating more than 100 card tricks as well as refining many other basic moves. He often used the effects in his classroom to teach aspects of the Catholic Catechism. His reputation among magicians grew and he was invited to lecture and perform at many magic conventions and get-togethers, including the prestigious FISM. In 1995 he received the first St. Louis Heritage Award. In his acceptance speech he provided some sage words to the magic fraternity: "The object of magic is misdirection. Audiences are more apt to believe what they hear than what they see, and intelligent people are the easiest to fool because they don't expect me to use some childish gimmick to deceive them. On the other hand, children are hard to fool because they watch closely and don't listen." Among the many card tricks he is responsible for are Double Deal Aces, the Diminishing Card to Dollar, the Fabulous Expanding Card, the Homing Card, the Phoenix Four, a version of the Second Deal, Thought Cards Across, and many, many others. Brother Hamman retired from teaching in 1986 but continued doing magic. He died on December 5, 2000 at the age of 73. But, the many card effects he developed live on in the hands of magicians everywhere. "Magic happens not in the hands of the performer but in the minds of the spectators." (Adapted from The Greats of Magic by Gerald Schiller) Vol. 11 Issue 3 Page 3

4 It may not be the oldest profession in the world, but it's got to be close to it! Researchers have found evidence of magic being performed many centuries ago, and it doesn't take much imagination to realize that magicians in those days were seen as being very powerful. Medieval royalty had jesters and conjurers to entertain, and it was around that time that playing cards may have been invented. In fact the fashion of the day remains; as today's court cards (King, Queen, Jack) are dressed in clothes representative of when playing cards first came in to being during the 1300's! However, the entertainment value of magic was sometimes overlooked and a more dangerous mood sometimes gripped the audience. More than a few witches were killed in the old days, even when they didn't do magic (fortunately this isn't something you'll need to worry about today!) Naturally it didn't take long for magic to also be used to swindle people. Three-card Monte and its variants soon became a classic scam that cost plenty of victims plenty of money. As long as there's gambling, there's probably someone looking to cheat the system and someone else who is looking to deceive the punters - both parties relying on card slights and moves, some of which are adapted for use in modern close up magic. These days magic is found in every culture around the world, for audiences it's an entertaining experience, and for many performers it proves to be a rewarding career. Broadly, magic can be grouped into one of four types - and these categories are in many ways driven by the size of your audience; a group of 2000 people can't easily watch you perform some coin tricks, but make an elephant disappear, and they'll all notice that! Illusions - a stage show using large props. Typical effects include people being sawn in half, made to vanish, or swap places with caged animals. These kinds of effects are often accompanied by dry ice, spooky lighting and music, bad costumes, and an overly dramatic flourish by the performer. There's no denying the appeal of this kind of magic (many sharp acts have run for years in Las Vegas), but the audience know the trickery is in the props; therefore illusion magic can sometimes lack the "knock their socks off" appeal of close up magic. Continued on page 5. Vol. 11 Issue 3 Page 4

5 Continued from page 4 Small stage/stand-up - generally using smaller props than illusion based magic, stage work is the staple of many professional and advanced amateurs. Rabbits from hats and doves from pockets are the TV image of stand-up magic, but these days much of stage magic is based on some very natural looking props and slights. This style of magic needn't be expensive, and it's fun to learn, and even more fun to perform! Close-up - also known as "Walk around" magic. This type of magic uses everyday props such as playing cards, business cards, pens, matches, rubber bands, coins, cigarettes and bank notes. TV has popularized David Blaine and other experts in this field, and being able to do this kind of magic in pubs and on the street (right under the spectators eyes) means that close-up magic packs a very powerful punch. Children's magic - There's some great magic designed just for entertaining children. Performing to a juvenile audience can be very rewarding, after all kids will interact with your show without hesitation, this means you can get some big effects and some big laughs (and hey, their parents enjoy the break too!) This can also be a profitable part-time job for experienced amateurs. Within each style of magic you'll find many variations and specialties. For example, there's a great range of magic that uses small brass props such as coin vaults, rings, nuts & bolts, and so on, and some people like to focus on these. For others it might be ropes and silks, and for others it might be card magic - or even the fine art of stealing people's watches! Old routines are constantly being revised, and new magic is invented by clever minds all the time - something that makes the world of magic so interesting. Therefore, whatever your area of interest, Speak to other members of the club for ideas, suggestions, etc. That s what Ring 81 is all about. There are no secrets. That can t be spared Just ask! Vol. 11 Issue 3 Page 5

6 Additional details to follow. Vol. 11 Issue 3 Page 6

7 Arnieism of the Month Arniebaby--wants you to know that--what an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to strange land, eagerly abandoning all the comforts of home, and then expend vast quantities of time and money in a largely futile attempt--to recapture the comforts that you wouldn't have lost if you hadn't left home in the first place. Your suggestions and submissions are not only appreciated they are sought. Share a trick, an event or anything that s relevant to Ring 81. Want More Magic? Tuesday evening s magical get together is held at Applebees 1991 Main Street, Sarasota Next to Hollywood 20 Theater For more information contact: Dave Pitchford dapo@comcast.net President, Gale Molovinsky gamolo@aol.com Vice Presidents, Michael Kent and Dave Pitchford dapo@comcast.net Officers Ring 81 Secretary Presently unfilled Treasurer, Ed Kaczmarek edsmagic@aol.com Past President Al Loeffler Newsletter Joe Floersheimer Joe.shoes@verizon.net Joe Floersheimer 5814 Fairwoods Circle Sarasota FL Aldo Colombini March 19, 1951 February 12, 2014 He will be missed. Vol. 11 Issue 3 Page 7