BS: Can you remember this magician ?

Subject: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 11:23 AM

About 35 to 40 years ago, when Dick Cavett had a talk show on American TV (he was like a more cerebral Johnny Carson) he had a magician on one night who was marvelous. I would like to learn his name, and find out about his career.

As I remember, this magician may have been Spanish. His act consisted of bringing one person on stage and sitting them in a chair facing the audience. He then proceeded to do a series of sleight of hand tricks standing very close, and at the side, of the person in the chair. To that person the tricks were amazing - things disappeared, changed shape, etc.

What was unique is that the larger audience watching these two was able to see exactly how the magician was doing the tricks, since most of the deceptive moves were done just above, or behind, the seated person's field of vision. It was an amazing show - imagining how the person in the chair was seeing things, and being able, at the same time, to see what the simple explanations were. It really made you think about showmanship and perception.

Does anyone out there remember this guy, or any other shows like this ?

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 11:52 AM

Was his name, perhaps, Francis Carlyle?

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 12:03 PM

Mark - not sure. He had a very strong accent. I'll search on that name.

How did your gig at the Charley Russell Museum in Great Falls go ? - Les

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 12:25 PM

Damn Les! I remember that show very well....just loved it! No idea on the name though.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 12:35 PM

Was it Slydini? Also mentioned in that article is Dai Vernon in relation to Dick Cavett, whom I've just learned started out as a magician himself!

Here are a couple of other sites of others:

Steve Dacri;

list of magicians on JOhnny Carson.

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 01:12 PM

Kat - yes, both Cavett and Johnny Carson were closet magicians. Carson did a table-top routine one night on his show that was very good. Also Orson Welles was quite a magician.

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 01:19 PM

Kat - it may possibly be Slydini - his face looks familiar, and the Italian/South American connection would explain the heavy accent I remember. Thanks.

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: GUEST,noddy
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 04:53 PM

Les B. No... he has eh ..sort of disappeared!

his best trick perhaps.

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 05:06 PM

LOL w/noddy!

Thanks, Les, I read also that Arsenio Hall started out as a magician. Who knew what talents, eh?:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: GUEST,Jim Dixon
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 07:34 PM

A few years back (hey, I just checked—it was about 20 years ago. Amazing how time flies.), I met a guy named Avner Eisenberg, who performed under the name Avner the Eccentric. He traveled around performing at folk festivals, Renaissance fairs, and so on.
He was a multitalented guy: clown, mime, acrobat, juggler, magician—and used all of those skills in his act. There is a pretty good description of him at his web page: Click here.

The one time I saw his act, it was performed entirely in mime. Part of the humor was that, when he pulled people out of the audience to be his "assistants" he had to communicate by pantomime what he wanted them to do.

He also had a brief movie career: IMDb (click here). He had a speaking role in "Jewel of the Nile." I see he played Carlos the Magnificent in "Brenda Starr," which I didn't see, but I assume Carlos was Hispanic. So maybe he uses a fake accent sometimes?

I see the trick you described is called Slydini's Paper Balls Over the Head.

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 20 Jun 03 - 12:36 PM

Jim - we booked Avner in our performing arts series a few years ago. He was quite entertaining. I don't remember him doing Slydini's paper balls over the head, but that's a good description of the trick I remember seeing on TV. Small world - who knew !!

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 21 Jun 03 - 08:37 AM

I saw Avner in Santa Barbara in 1991. Speaking of how people got started, the well-known magic duo Penn and Teller started out as 2/3 of a group called The Asparagus Valley Cultural Society. I saw them at a few street fairs in Philadelphia during the Bicentennial summer of 1976. Penn Jillette the juggler and Teller the magician and I don't remember the third person, but I recall he was a musician. Anybody else ever see them?

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 21 Jun 03 - 09:57 AM

Are you sure it wasn't Flydini. He performed magic tricks though his fly. But then you would have remembered that. He has also been in several movies using the name Steve Martin.

Subject: RE: BS: Can you remember this magician ?
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 21 Jun 03 - 01:26 PM

Arkie - reminds me of a girl I knew once. She was afraid of flys - until she opened one !