As magicians, we are by definition variety
artists. Ring 21 primarily embraces the Art of Magic, but we recognize great performances from other entertainers in
our genre. This page features several great performances from other variety artists that have gained well deserved
attention and merit.
Enjoy them and share them with family and friends.
Fred Kaps, Magician Brilliant
Sleight of Hand Artist, 1961
Fred Kaps (official name Abraham Pieter Adrianus Bongers), (June
8, 1926 – July 22, 1980) was a Dutch magician, famous
for being the only magician to become FISM Grand Prix world champion three times. He was
the creator of numerous original effects including his version of the colour-changing silks. Another
popular effect he often performed was the salt shaker, in which act he poured a little salt on his empty
hand, made the hand into a fist, then poured an "endless" supply of salt from his fist onto the floor, and as part
of his act he would exhibit facial expressions of great surprise and disbelief, as he would, seemingly unsuccessfully, try
to desperately stop the flow.
He appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, and was the guy who had
the unenviable job of following the Beatles when they made their debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show airing February
9, 1964. Some 73 million viewers tuned in to watch Fred Kaps' card and salt-shakers trick and the Beatles.
Fred Kaps performed for the royal families of both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Harry Blackstone, Sr., Magician Last of the Great Stage Magicians
Harry Blackstone (September 27, 1885 - November
16, 1965) was a famed magician. Blackstone was born Harry Boughton, of Jewish parents and was raised in Chicago,
Illinois. He began his career as a magician in his teens and was popular through World War II as a USO entertainer.
He was often billed as The Great Blackstone.
Blackstone was in the mode of courtly elegant predecessor
magicians like Howard Thurston and Harry Kellar. He often wore white tie and tails when performing, and he traveled with large
illusions and a sizable cast of uniformed male and female assistants. For a number of years he toured in the Midwest, often
performing throughout the day between film showings.
Blackstone
remained silent during much of his big stage show, which was presented to the accompaniment of a pit orchestra and such lively
tunes of the time as "Who," "I Know That You Know," and "Chinatown."
Among his lovelier effects was "The Garden of Flowers," in which countless
bouquets of brilliant feather flowers appeared from under a foulard and on tables and stands until the stage was a riot of
color. "The Floating Light Bulb," was perhaps his signature piece. In a darkened theatre, Blackstone would take
a lighted bulb from a lamp and float it, still glowing, through a small hoop. He would then come down from the stage and the
lamp would float out over the heads of the audience.
In
1985, on the 100th anniversary of his father's birth, Harry Blackstone, Jr. donated to the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington D.C. the original floating light bulb - Thomas Edison designed and built it - and the original Casadega Cabinet,
used in the "Dancing Handkerchief" illusion. This was the first ever donation accepted by the Smithsonian in the
field of magic.
Roy Benson, Magician Brilliant
Comedy Magician, 1955
Roy Benson was a legendary performer:
a brilliant magician whose ingenious techniques baffled his peers, a superb manipulator, and a daring
comedy magician considered far ahead of his time.
Al Flosso, Magician and Entertainer The Coney Island Fakir
Al Flosso grew to be a legend in Magic. Of The Coney Island Fakir World
famous entertainer Joseph Dunninger said, "If there is a better all round magician I have yet to discover him!"
Although only 5' 2" tall Flosso became a giant to his audiences as he honed his act in the tough carnival world of
Coney Island.
Flosso was also a master Punch and Judy worker and can be seen in the movie 'A Night at The
Opera' starring the Marx Brothers. Al was at home on any stage however big or small and in 1973 became Magician of the
Year after an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. At his funeral Dr. Arnold Boston said, "From ten performances a day
on the platforms of Luna Park and Dreamland to numerous appearances on national television, he never gave a bad show.
There
are several "tricks" in Jerome Murat's incredible and beautiful piece.
At the beginning, his right
hand is inside the second head and there is a fake arm/hand attached to the staff he seems to be holding. At the point when
he begins shoving the head out of his way (to see more clearly) he cleverly removes his hand from the second head, removes
the fake hand from the staff, and takes the staff with his real hand. He releases the staff very soon thereafter and it appears
as if he has been holding the staff the entire time. (At this point he is manipulating the second head from the outside, with
both hands.) When he opens the lid to the box he slyly attaches a pole to the head, which he uses to show the head trying
to fly away; it extends how far he can push the head away.
Next, when he brings the head close again, he removes
the pole and attaches invisible string/wire from the ceiling to the head, wires controlled by someone in the rafters. Then
the lightning strikes and the lights go out, and he begins to "remove" his own head. At the same he pulls the headpiece
from his own head he pulls a black stocking over his head/face and it appears that he has removed his own head (since the
stocking is the only thing not glowing in the black light). The person in the rafters floats the second head (which is also
a mask) over to him and he pulls it over his stocking-covered head, so it seems as if the second head has replaced his original
head.
It's an absolutely brilliant work of art, a combination of mime, magic, and poetic art and symbolism.
The beauty of the piece is not diminished at all by knowing how he acheived it.
Foster Brooks, Comedian Sammy
Davis, Jr. Roast, Las Vegas
Foster Brooks
(May 11, 1912 – December 20, 2001) was an American actor and comedian most famous for his portrayal of a lovable drunken
man in nightclub performances and television programs.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he was one of eight
sons. His career started in radio as a staff announcer, but his deep baritone voice was well-suited for singing as well.In 1952, Brooks appeared on local television in a short-lived spoof of Gene Autry and his "Singing Cowboys."He later worked in local broadcasting as a radio and TV personality in Buffalo and Rochester, NY before moving to the
West Coast to launch a career as a standup comic and character actor.
On the syndicated Steve Allen show of the
1960s, Allen introduced Brooks as an important movie producer.Brooks stumbled on stage doing his drunk
act, fooling some of the other guests.
Singer Perry Como discovered Brooks in 1969, giving
the comedian his major break. Como chose Brooks to open for him, and when a manager balked at the newcomer, Como refused to
perform. The manager acquiesced, and Brooks was an instant hit.
Brooks regularly appeared
on The Dean Martin Show television program in the 1970s, as well as many sit-coms and talk shows. Although he had only one
basic signature character, he exhibited such extraordinary timing and subtlety that he was instantly recognized as one of
the great comic performers of the time.
As his "Lovable Lush" character, Brooks
drew upon his own battles with alcohol for his act, but during his period of greatest fame, Brooks rarely drank.Of giving up drinking to win a bet in 1964, Brooks said, "Fellow made me a $10 bet I couldn't quit, and I
haven't had a drink since. At the time I needed the $10."
In character, Brooks
asked Dean Martin to join his group “Alcoholics Unanimous,” a play on Alcoholics Anonymous.He
boasted he and Martin were charter members of the DUI Hall of Fame.
Public sensibilities
had changed regarding alcoholics and public drunkenness by the 1980s, so Brooks moved away from his drunk character.Brooks died on December 20, 2001 at his home in Encino, California.He was 89, and was suffering
from heart trouble.
One of the GREATEST variety acts of our time, Tom Mullica has performed all over the world and continues
to confuse and amuse audiences wherever he goes.
Acclaimed as one of the world's greatest comedy magicians,
Tom Mullica is a one-of-a-kind act that has not, or can not, be duplicated!
Here is his FISM award-winning
comedy cigarette act.
Raymond Crowe, Shadow Artist
The Royal Variety Performance
Billed as "Australia’s only Unusualist",
Raymond Crowe's Famous Hand Shadows Act has inspired countless audiences.
This is a relatively short act, but
it is so exquisitely executed through innumerable performances that it has been refined to sheer brilliance in action.
Just watch!
I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo is a song that sometimes come out a bit flat when
heard on a recording, but that is not the case here in this scene from the 1942 movie Orchestra Wives.
The film featured Glenn Miller's band in the background with the real focus being singers
Tex Beneke and Marion Hutton and the vocal group The Modernaires. This version
also features the fabulous tap dancing Nicholas Brothers.
The
Nicholas Brothers were a famous African-American team of dancing brothers, Fayard (1914–2006)
and Harold Nicholas (1921–2000). With their highly acrobatic technique ("flash dancing"), high level
of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many the greatest tap dancers of their day. Growing up surrounded
by Vaudeville acts as children, they became stars of the jazz circuit during the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance and went
on to have successful careers performing on stage, film, and television well into the 1990's.
