(Hank) Moorehouse 1934 – 2011 - The Society of American Magicians

a beautiful but mysterious Russian woman to who tries to smuggle
gun-running information, an on-the-run overseer who awoke to
find his wife murdered, and a local control war between native
terrorists and the Red Army. And then there is the enigmatic
Asian who carries a tiny deadly bird in his bare hands.
I reviewed a prepublication edition – the actual book will be
available in August – but there is little to suggest the final product
will not be exactly the same as my copy. And aside from a typo
or two, there is little to change: in one volume, two short stories,
written and sold to pulp magazines back in 1953 and 1954. There
are exotic ports of call, mysterious women, danger around every
corner, and several well-plotted twists in the tales. I loved the
intrigue, the mystery, the romance, and the nostalgic look at
what used to pass for common literature. But then, I’m a Maltese
Falcon kind of guy.
You probably already know whether you like pulp fiction or
not, but if you have never read the genre, this is a great place to
start. The characters are well-defined and things move quickly.
Surprises and adventures pop up as quickly as in an Indiana Jones
film. People are shot and stabbed in the back. Jock’s best friend
leaves town and his wife tries to seduce Jock. Gun-runners stage a
gun battle against island natives. A widow who inherited a plantation
drives around in an armored car. There is a rich American in
a white suit who kills everyone that gets in his way. Jeff falls in
love quickly, discovers his lover is deceitful, and falls in love with
someone else.
The Fleischman stories would make great beach reading. Or
save them for a lonesome winter night by the fire. Which almost
brings me to closing, except for a possible mystery of our own.
Why is M-U-M, the magazine for magicians, reviewing a book of
fiction with no magician characters or magic settings? Well, if by
now you have not recognized the name of the author and his connection
with our world, maybe you should buy this to find out. Sid
Fleischman, besides being a terrific magician and writer of great
magic books, both fiction and non-fiction, is a great writer, period.
If you have to have magicians in your reading, then the fine introduction
about Fleischman’s life and writing provides a concise
biography of the man and his magic. Or, look up the great 2006
book with the two stories mentioned in the opening paragraph.
For a great read and a fine example of a particular genre, this is a
fine publication by a fine writer. As for Danger in Paradise and
Malay Woman, there is no magician in these stories, but there is
magic.
pockeTs Full oF miracles dVd
by diamond Jim Tyler
Distributed by Murphy’s Magic Supplies
Retail Price $34.95
revieW by Jamie salinas
This DVD contains close-up routines from Diamond Jim
Tyler’s repertoire. Jim is an accomplished performer who provides
you with many effects that he has created or varied. The routines
are easy to follow and easy to master. There is a ton of material
on this DVD.
The first effect is called Baseball Diamond. A deck of playing
cards with baseball players on the faces is shuffled. A spectator
selects a card at random and Jim explains that he has a prediction
card in the box that was lying on the table from the very
beginning. The box is tipped down and out of the box falls a fullsized
baseball. The selected card is shown to have Juan Gonzales
on the face, and the baseball is signed by Juan Gonzales.
62 M-U-M Magazine
Next up are Nimble Thimbles and Three Burnt Matches. The
routine starts out with two corks on a table. Using just two fingers
like a pair of scissors, Jim lifts the corks that are side by side
and turns them over three times. A
spectator is offered a chance to
try to repeat the effect. The
spectator fails. Jim offers
a dollar if a spectator
can do it and lets him
try again. In the performance,
one spectator
is able to duplicate the
stunt and wins the dollar.
Jim offers another stunt
to win his dollar back. Three
paper matches are removed
from a match book; they are lit
and extinguished. Jim explains that the
spectator is to respond “three burnt matches” to
a series of three questions. The spectator fails and Jim gets his
dollar back. These are bar stunts as opposed to magic, but in the
correct venue they are interesting and are a nice interlude between
magical effects.
Following this interlude is the FBI Trick, a classic thumb cuff
escape. Jim demonstrates the thumb cuffs by placing them on an
audience member. Jim is then cuffed and a handkerchief is used
to cover his hands; he is able to quickly make his escape. There is
some nice byplay with the audience as he is able to escape with a
surprise finish. There is nothing new here in the escape but Jim’s
surprise finish is a nice touch to a classic.
Soaring Straw is the next effect using a straw that seems to
move on its own and levitate. This is a very quick, visual routine.
Following the straw effect is Invisible Thumbscrews. This is an
old classic stunt with a spectator using nothing more than his
clasped hands and extended forefingers. The Animated Card Box
is Jim’s adaptation of the animated match box using a card box.
The box rotates, stands up, and opens. It looks very good and at
the end, the box can be examined. Following the animated card
box is a routine with cards called One-armed Aces. The premise
of this effect is that using only one hand, Jim is able to produce the
first three Aces with a series of one-handed cuts. The last Ace is
missed; the card produced is a Joker. The Joker is turned into the
final Ace. This looks great and it demonstrates your dexterity with
a pack of cards. This routine is for the intermediate to advanced
card worker.
The first coin routine is called Trapdoor Coins. Three coins
are passed through the solid table one at a time. The effect is short
and straight to the point, using just three coins. There is nothing
new here, but it is a nice routine. Returning to cards, Jim presents
Diamond Dazzler. A spectator selects a card at random. The card
is approximately near the middle of the deck as the cards are held
face down. The deck is opened by Jim from the front as he lifts
approximately half of the pack, and the selected card shoots out of
the pack. This is a nice production of a selected card.
In Cat and Mouse a spectator selects a card to represent a
mouse. The mouse card is shuffled back into the pack and a mouse
trap is brought out and set. The cards are removed from the top of
the pack one by one and held near the trap. After several cards go
by, the trap catches one card. The card is the selected mouse-card.
The trap is turned over and on the bottom is a message that has
a warning about the selected card. The trap creates tension in the
routine and is a novel card revelation. Thankfully, Jim includes
tips to present the routine safely.