BOOK REVIEW BY DAVID SUTHERLAND THE UNCANNY SCOT RON WILSON BY RICHARD KAUFMAN

Mar 31

A consistent lesson gleaned from almost every lecture I attend is: READ YOUR BOOKS.

I’ll return from these lectures, immediately begin searching through my library and invariably discover much of this great material was already in my possession!

We all know there’s good stuff hidden throughout the works of Hilliard, Stanyon and Tarbell. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some titles that aren’t always top of mind and have been sitting on my shelves for years without even a glance - to my disadvantage. Hopefully, we can all learn from my mistakes…

THE UNCANNY SCOT RON WILSON BY RICHARD KAUFMAN

BOOK DETAILS: 160 pages (Hardcover), Publisher: Kaufman and Greenberg, Published in 1987. Written, illustrated and photographed by Richard Kaufman. Out of print.

The Foreward is by Johnny Thompson. It makes sense that a GP would write the Foreward for another GP. A GP is a General Practitioner. GPs have a large amount of experience in all facets of magic. At the time of this book’s publication, if you needed an answer about anything magic related, you would seek out Ron Wilson, Johnny Thompson, Jay Marshall, Billy McComb, Patrick Page or Ali Bongo, depending upon which side of the pond you were living. Needless to say, their writings, advice and material are worthy of study.

Ron was one of the pioneer dove workers during the early fifties along with Cantu, Pollack and Thompson. In Thompson’s words, Ron’s book contains “audience tested magic of a high caliber, honed to a super-fine edge through thousands of performances.

Ron was a cruise ship entertainer and has given as many as seven shows, each thirty minutes long, on a single cruise without repeating a trick! In a Lake Tahoe engagement at Harrah’s he presented three, forty-five minute shows each night. He was also a magical consultant and technical advisor for various films and TV companies. He even taught Lindsay Wagner card moves for one of the episodes of The Bionic Woman.

Following the Foreward is an entry from John Booth who is the one responsible for encouraging Ron to publish his extensive array of professional material.

John informs us that Ron was elected as Vice-President of the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood for eleven consecutive years and for sixteen years as a director. Wow. If this wasn’t enough, he received the Magician of the Year award in 1972 and that same year was voted Best Close-Up Magician of the Year. He was also a member of the Inner Magic Circle (Gold Star) in London, England. At age seven, Ron saw Dante’s show and mastered the pocket tricks explained in the show’s program. Ron eventually emigrated to Windsor, Ontario. Being so close to Detroit enabled him to become friends with Milk Kort, Karrell Fox and his lifelong friend-to-be, Larry Jennings. We have Ron to thank for getting Larry into magic by showing him a couple of card tricks. Ron eventually landed in Los Angeles due to the lure of The Magic Castle. He died in 2010 at the age of 84.

The Introduction is a conversation between Ron and Richard Kaufman. In it, Richard clearly states that it is “the bits of offhand advice that take an amateur and make him a professional. The real work. That’s what this book is about.”

Their conversation covers such topics as the best way to approach a table or group doing walk-around magic; the importance of tricks that reset instantly; Ron’s opener during a close-up set and his presentation for the Ultra-Mental deck. They also talk about a Portable Servante. You would think that I first heard about this from this book which has resided on my shelf for at least a decade. Nope. I heard Jason England mention it while sitting at a table watching him demonstrate false deals at the 2021 Collector’s Expo in Vegas. Okito was the first person Ron ever heard talk about this device, but apparently Herrmann used it and it is mentioned in both Sach’s and The Jinx.

Ron and Richard then converse about two staples of Ron’s act: 1) Bagpipes is Ron’s take on the Chinese Sticks. Take a moment and watch his clever routine on The Magic Palace* and; 2) The Multiplying Bottles.** Each of these was honed through numerous performances and you can see the masterful touch Ron bestowed on these classics.

Close-Up Card Magic

Many notable magicians said that every trick in Ron’s close-up act was a closer. Have a look and see what you think.

The Highland Hop was given the Best Trick Award by The Magic Castle in 1968 (and can be found in the May 1968 issue of Genii). Richard writes that “this trick is guaranteed to fool.” (his emphasis). You separate the red cards from the black cards and spread the black cards face up on the table. A person is asked to select of one of the red cards and sign its face. It is then cut into the packet of red cards. The black cards are gathered and squared. A magic gesture is made, and the magician asks the spectator if they saw their card travel to the packet of black cards which are now spread face up revealing the signed, red card in the centre of the spread. The version just described can be done impromptu, but another version is included wherein the signed card has a different coloured back when it is found amongst the black cards.

Way Out of This World is Ron’s answer to the challenge of making it appear as if you’re doing Paul Curry’s Out of This World with a deck that is shuffled by the spectator. There are some mistakes made by the spectator and you predict these in advance. An earlier version of this routine can be found in The New Tops (April 1965). An impromptu version can be found in The Commercial Magic of J.C. Wagner by Mike Maxwell.

To Pay the Price*** initially appeared in The Talisman (January 22, 1971). The performer shuffles the deck and deals out four Poker hands to four spectators. The performer says that they are going to play with a hand kept in their wallet. Five cards are removed and shown to be four Jokers and an Ace of Spades. The performer says that to be fair they will exchange each of the Jokers with each of the spectators. When this is done, the performer is seen to be holding a Royal Flush in spades. Incidentally, “to pay the price” was one of Dr. Jacob Daley’s favourite sayings when referring to changing methods or the handling of a trick.

Memphis Marvel originally appeared in Charlie Miller’s Magicana column in Genii (July 1969). Although Charlie didn’t like to publish card tricks he mentioned that Ron’s effect is “exceptionally clean in handling and the effect is unbelievable.”

This will be a lengthy description; stay with me:

The deck is shuffled and divided into halves, one of which is turned face up. A spectator shuffles the packets together, face up into face down. The deck is ribbon spread and half the cards are seen to be face-up, the other half face down, and all mixed together.
The performer turns his back and asks the spectator to remove any three of the face-down cards and place them in his pocket without looking at them. The spectator gathers the remainder of the deck and shuffles it again.
The performer faces forward and takes the deck, deals through all the cards, righting them so they all face the same direction.
Leaving the deck on the table, the performer turns around, his back to the audience. He asks the spectator to reach into his pocket and select any one of the three cards. This is handed to the performer behind his back.
The performer turns around and with the card still behind his back divines its identity! The card is shown.
The performer takes a marker and writes a prediction on the first card. He asks the spectator to reach into his pocket and bring out either of the remaining cards. The card is shown and the prediction matches!
To conclude, the performer simply announces the name of the third card that is still in the spectator’s pocket! It is taken out and shown to end.

If you know half a Juan or Simon etc., give this one a try!

Riffle-Up Lift is something Ron created in the 1940s and used for the rest of his life. It involves no get-ready and is easy to do. You’ll want to learn this if you’re feeling ambitious.

The Color-Changing Silk

This was Ron’s opening trick. There is over fifty years of knowledge, showmanship and technique distilled into the two routines offered here (i.e. standing and seated). You can see Ron perform the seated version on The Magic Palace.*

The Castle Act

Miracle Micro-Macro is Ron’s take on the Bro. John Hamman effect. You can also see Ron perform this on The Magic Palace.* In the Foreward, Johnny mentions being “beaten” twice by Ron’s misdirection on this one. You can also see Lance Burton perform this on his first special. (It used to be on YouTube under Lance Burton: The Legend Begins (1996)).

Whispering Queen is one that stumped Marlo, Fechter and Jennings at an IBM convention in Cincinnati. The deck is handed to someone with the request that they put it under the table. Then the deck is cut anywhere and the top card is put in the spectator’s pocket. Ron asked that a Queen be removed and handed to him. Ron holds the Queen up to his ear and it whispers the name to Ron and he successfully names the card in the person’s pocket.

The Scot’s Card in Wallet can also be seen on The Magic Palace.* Richard mentions that the thing to pay attention to in Ron’s working of the effect is the way he does what has to be done. “Subtle touches, proper presentation, prepared contingencies, misdirection – all these things are what make Ron Wilson’s professional routine for the “Card in Wallet” worthy of your study.”

Just Look at a Card reminds me of some of the tricks using estimation described in my review of the aforementioned Wagner book. You spread the deck in front of someone, ask them to think of a card and then name the card they thought of. Simple. Direct. Powerful.

A Vanishing Deck first appeared in The Talisman in 1970. In this case the deck vanishes from inside the box and you tear up the box to show that it’s empty. A minor amount of arts and crafts is required each time you wish to perform the trick, but according to Ron the response is always tremendous. Ron uses his Portable Servante, mentioned earlier, for this effect.

Next is a description of The Uncanny Chop Cup. According to Johnny Thompson, Ron’s version set the standard for Chop Cup routines and was Johnny’s favourite handling of the effect. High praise. Ron’s routine involves a cardboard coffee cup and at the end of the routine a large rubber ball and snifter of brandy are produced. This also involves the sequence with a handkerchief and shot glass.

STAND-UP MENTAL MAGIC

I really like Second Sight (and recently fooled some of our club members with it). The performer shows a blue-backed deck of cards then, takes a red-backed card and shuffles it amongst the blue deck. A spectator is handed the deck and is asked to spread through the deck and name any card they see. The card they name turns out to be the red-backed card! I believe I saw Max Maven perform this in his one-man show Thinking in Person when it came to Toronto in 2006. Can someone please let me know if it was in fact this trick?

Hoy’s Legacy is Ron’s version of The Tossed Out Deck popularized by David Hoy in the 1950s.

Psychic Bandleader is great if you ever have a live band on stage with you the next time you perform at a nightclub. You write down a number of songs suggested by members of the audience and one is selected. The band instantly begins to play the song! (This trick does play big, but it does not pack small.)

Conversely, Confabulous! does pack small and play big and is Ron’s take on Alan Shaxon’s classic mental effect with all of the subtle touches, misdirection and presentational details you would expect from a pro who performed this commercial routine countless times on the high seas.

FINGER RING MAGIC

On Koran’s Ring Flight is a “common sense, nuts and bolts handling” of this highly popular trick. Ron’s version is better suited to parlour performances than it is to hospitality suites and restaurants.

Technicolour Ring Flight was another handling that Ron used which involved different coloured keys. In this, the spectator’s ring transposes with the colour of key they selected at the outset. Ron preferred simplicity so the other version was the one he performed the most.

The Finger Rings that Link is Ron’s handling of this classic effect. His handling comes across as particularly clean and fair. Occasionally, Ron used to add a final phase where one of the rings is passed onto the stem of a wineglass which has to be broken to remove the ring.

Flight of the Phoenix was created because Ron wanted to find a different way to perform the Nest of Boxes. This trick became his closer and is a very strong routine. A ring and a dollar bill are borrowed and, after the bill’s corner is torn off, both are sealed in an envelope. After the envelope is burned to a crisp, an audience member brings a locked box onstage. This box has been in full view of the audience the entire show. Inside, the spectator finds a smaller box and inside that box is a dollar bill with a ring around it. The piece confirms it is the same bill and the owner verifies it is their ring!

RESTORATIONS

Double Restoration Rope is one of the first pieces of magic that Ron created. He contributed it to The Linking Ring in August 1956. Watch Ron perform this on The Magic Palace.*

Next are Ron’s masterful touches for the Torn and Restored Cigarette Paper.

The Slow-Motion Newspaper Tear was often used to close Ron’s show and it is the final piece in the book. It is his version of Alex Elmsley’s Torn and Restored Newspaper. Richard Kaufman writes, “I can think of no other item in this book more worthy of your time than this, the finest newspaper tear in the world.” See it for yourself on The Magic Palace.*

As you can see, Ron likes classic effects that are straightforward and powerful.

This book reminds me of Stars of Magic in that it contains classic, direct, solid effects that will serve you well throughout your career in magic.

In addition to The Uncanny Scot, you can also look for Tales from The Uncanny Scot by Ron Wilson and Steve Mitchell (2010).

Until next time… read your books.

*Watch Ron perform the following tricks at www.magicana.com (the Exhibition section showing The Magic Palace): Bagpipes, Seated Colour Changing Handkerchief, Miracle Micro-Macro, Scot’s Card in Wallet, Double Restoration Rope and the Slow-Motion Newspaper tear.

** Search “Ron Wilson Multiplying Bottles” on YouTube.

***To Pay the Price also appears in Ultra Cervon (Cervon & Minch, 1990). In that book, it is mentioned that Ron posed a problem based on a Jack Avis plot in The Talisman. Solutions for the trick were submitted by several magicians including Allan Slaight. Other notables such as Nash, Hartman and Krenzel have also worked on this effect.

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Well that’s it!

A year of book reviews.

I hope you’ve enjoyed them and I hope they have inspired you to seek out the treasures that await you in your own collection of magic books.

I think it’s important to distill tricks down to their essence. For example, a signed object appearing inside another object. It doesn’t have to be a card or a bill and they don’t have to appear inside a box. Always ask yourself, “what else could be used instead?”

Look at the tricks you already perform and see if there are any obvious connections (e.g. they use the same props or have effects that complement each other). And, if none are apparent, try to force some connections. Maybe there’s a trick hiding in your books that could be the connective tissue and now you’re on your way to creating a more robust routine.

I must confess, my ulterior motive for writing these reviews was to force myself to delve into my own collection of books and create an online index of which tricks could be found in which books. I was pleasantly surprised when the process taught me so much more.

Maybe the next time you see a show or a lecture you’ll realize like I have many times that you already had access to those same tricks somewhere nearby.

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