Ring NO. 46, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Seymour Davis Ring
Meets 7:00 pm, 1st Monday of the month at the New Beginning Fellowship Church, 15601 S. Pennsylvania in OKC
LEE WOODSIDE, Secretary. Email: WoodsideLee@hotmail.com.
We presented our annual “Pandemonium of Magic” show the Saturday before Father’s Day. Cassidy Smith acted as emcee and opened the show with his Michael Ammar style cups and balls routine, climaxing with the production of a lemon, a lime, a potato and a turnip. In act two, Cassidy amazed us with his “Cowboy Cassidy” lasso spinning. The climax was when he jumped back and forth through a vertically spinning lasso.
Brian and Michelle Tabor presented a card trick where, once a card was selected, signed, and returned to the deck, Brian placed the deck in his mouth and lowered the deck onto an animal trap. When the trap snapped shut on the deck, Brian removed the folded, signed card from his mouth. He then presented a bank night routine using a paper shredder to add drama.
David Teeman and his lovely, young assistant Byrnna performed a routine using silk scarves, climaxing in the production of a beautiful butterfly scarf. In act two, David performed a book test using three Time magazines, allowing his volunteer the free choice of any one of the three. The word selected by the volunteer proved to be missing from the dictionary David provided. The page was found, with the freely-chosen word circled, in an envelope handed out at the beginning of the routine.
Michael King performed his ever-popular “One-Man Circus” routine. After demonstrating his juggling and plate-spinning skills, he amazed us by juggling clubs while riding a unicycle.
Lee Woodside confessed to having a secret desire to be a game show host. Volunteers Brynna and her dad, Daryl took turns keeping their eyes on three tree frogs as Lee mixed them monte style. Brynna won all the candy bars and Daryl received a consolation prize of a jumping frog toy and had to endure Lee’s terrible puns. As the frog said, “Time’s fun when you’re having flies.”
Mike Stelzer, decked out in his martial arts regalia, invited an audience member to select a card. After much posturing with two swords, the table holding a watermelon gave way, smashing the watermelon and revealing a jumbo card matching the selected one.
We all had a lot of fun and cleared a profit for the ring, so we considered it a success. Best of all, we got to experience the joy of performing magic for the public in a stage setting.
Vice President Justin Teeman introduced Shaun Clark as our featured performer for the July meeting. Shaun asked for volunteers and Brian Tabor and Jay Relkin stepped forward. Shaun openly shuffled a deck and then turned half the deck over and shuffled the face up and face down cards together. He invited his volunteers to each take a turn further randomizing the deck. He now had each select a card and return it to the deck. When Shaun spread the deck, we were amazed that all the cards were now face down, with the exception of the Ace of Diamonds and the Eight of Clubs chosen by Brian and Jay.
Shaun now asked for a volunteer with Instagram on his phone. Jeremy Stillwell stepped forward to assist. Shaun asked three different audience members to name a color, a rank, and a suit, thereby designating a playing card. Shaun now asked Jeremy to check Shaun’s Instagram page, where he found a photo of a face-down deck spread on a table. When Jeremy scrolled to the right, he found that the selected card was face up in the spread. Shaun said that this effect could also be done using Facebook.
Our theme for July was “Card Effects that Play Well on Stage.” Justin Teeman led a discussion on what effects might meet that criterion. Lee Woodside testified that the “Thought Transmitter” routine that he learned years ago from the “Linking Ring” plays very well for a larger audience. He also suggested Harry Anderson’s “Three Card Monarch” and card manipulations, such as those done by Jeff McBride. Jim Green said that the giant zig-zag card fram that Rick Martin made for him plays very well. David Teeman showed us his monte routine made with huge cards.
Lee Woodside said that he was going to attempt to use verbal control to persuade Michelle Tabor to pick the same card as he did. He first showed the audience a number of jumbo playing cards. He selected one (Seven of Spades), showing it to the audience, but not Michelle, and placed it back-out on a small easel. He then fanned another packet of jumbo cards for the audience to see (all sevens of spades) and claimed that he would have Michelle select the same card as he did. He now asked Michelle if she would like the top card of the packet, saying, “No one ever picks the top card, but do not let that influence your choice in any way.” He continued moving cards from the top to the bottom until Michelle made her choice, which he handed to her and asked her to not show the audience. He now asked her to name the card she selected. When she said, “The two of diamonds,” Lee did a double-take and looked worried. However, when he turned around the card on the easel, it proved to also be the two of diamonds. The spirit of Billy McComb lives!
Gary Trosper showed a game that his father used to play with him to get Gary to do his chores. After showing three deuces and a king and setting the king aside, the king showed up among the deuces and the set-aside card proved to be a deuce. As a climax, the king vanished and Gary was left with four deuces.
David Teeman brought out a bag and pulled the tip of a silk scarf out of it. He had Jay Relkin pick a card, show it to the audience, and return it to the deck. When David divined the wrong card, he pulled out his magician’s insurance policy. There was a loose card in the folded policy, the jack of clubs, and it too proved to be the wrong card. When the insurance policy was fully unfolded, a giant king of hearts was displayed. When David pulled the silk scarf completely out of the bag, it had a large image of a King of Hearts. David said that he routinely performs this effect as a gospel routine.
Brian Tabor brought out ten jumbo playing cards. He had Jerry Bowzer pick cards to be included in Brian’s poker hand and also his own poker hand. Jerry ended up with a full house, but Brian bested him with a straight flush.
Paul Nightingale asked the audience what a pirate’s favorite letter is. When everyone shouted out “R,” Paul said that no, his favorite letter is “C” (sea). He had Brian Tabor select a card and return it to the deck. He handed the deck to Brian, and while he was looking for his card, Paul placed the edge of the card in his mouth. Paul also performed an ambitious card routine and a color change.
Michael King asked Paul to select a card from a fanned deck. He picked the Jack of Spades. After Michael shuffled the deck some more, he had Paul select another card – again a jack. Michael then took out a jumbo deck of playing cards and related the story of Jack Spade, new age detective. As he told the story, he turned over playing cards that matched the narrative, with lots of puns involved.
The names of all the evening’s performers were placed into a hat and Jay Relkin’s name was drawn. He was the lucky winner of STANDUP CARD MAGIC, by Roberto Giobbi, which was very appropriate for the night’s theme.
Lee Woodside