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00:00 [Music]
00:02 [Music]
00:04 [Music]
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00:36 Hello.
00:38 Levitation, that we're going to talk about now,
00:41 is the ability to magicians to make most anything float in the air.
00:46 Now, great magicians of the past featured levitations in their shows.
00:50 Keller, Thurston, Dante, all made beautiful young ladies float in the air.
00:56 And now to help us today,
00:58 I have the young lady who has been helping me for many, many years,
01:02 floating in the air in just about every way possible,
01:05 the lovely Nannie Darnell.
01:07 I thank you, Mark.
01:09 Is this the book you were looking for?
01:11 That's it. Thank you.
01:12 Hello.
01:13 Levitation can be divided into three categories.
01:18 The first category is suspension.
01:22 Now, a suspension is when an object floats in space but doesn't move.
01:28 It's suspended in the air.
01:30 That's where the name comes from.
01:32 The second category involves the ability of the magician
01:36 to make the object float up or down,
01:40 but it will always be under his control.
01:43 Now, we're going to call that the aga category.
01:46 The third category involves an additional magic trick.
01:51 The object that's floating can be covered with a diaphanous cloth.
01:56 The cloth is removed and the object is gone.
02:00 Now, we're going to call that the asra category.
02:03 But let's start now with suspension.
02:07 The first widely known levitation, of which we have any illustration,
02:12 was the aerial suspension of an ancient Brahmin magician in India.
02:17 Now, as you see, he sits cross-legged, suspended in the air,
02:20 above this wooden stool.
02:23 His hand is on this piece of rolled-up hide that extends out here,
02:28 and that rests on the bamboo pole, which extends down to the stool.
02:35 Now, he was a street performer,
02:37 so there were audience on all sides when he did this.
02:40 And how did he do it?
02:43 Here is the metal framework that was holding the fake air up in the air.
02:48 You see, it was a series of metal pipes.
02:50 The first one ran up from the stool, inside the bamboo pole,
02:55 then turned and went through that piece of hide.
02:58 His hand touches the piece of hide,
03:01 and the metal pipe runs up his sleeve, like so.
03:05 In addition, there was another part that ran down like this,
03:09 underneath him, concealed by his costume, on which he sat.
03:13 Now, he assumed and removed himself from his position,
03:16 behind blankets held up by assistants,
03:20 so the crowd could not see how he performed this miracle.
03:26 Now, that was the first suspension.
03:29 But how does a modern-day suspension work?
03:32 Well, let me show you.
03:33 Now, you need several things.
03:35 First, you need a beautiful young lady to float in the air.
03:38 And we are very fortunate to have the lovely Candy, who is here.
03:41 Say, "Hi, Candy."
03:43 Thank you.
03:44 She will float in the air.
03:46 She is resting at this moment on a board.
03:49 The board has two supports, one at each end,
03:52 and there is a cloth that hangs down like this.
03:55 Now, we are ready to do the trick.
03:58 So, the first thing that is good to do is to hypnotize your assistant,
04:01 and I will tell you why that is important in a little bit.
04:05 Candy, hypnotize, sleep, deep sleep.
04:10 Good.
04:12 And now, watch. The cloth is removed.
04:18 Like so.
04:20 There is no magic yet.
04:22 But remember, here is the hypnotized lady,
04:26 and here comes the magic. Watch.
04:28 One of the supports is removed from one end,
04:32 from under the board.
04:35 And there it is.
04:37 And look, the board does not fall.
04:41 Candy is supported as if by magic.
04:44 But it gets even better. Look.
04:46 We will take the support away from this end.
04:50 Watch this.
04:53 Because she remains suspended in the air.
05:01 She is floating, and there is no wires,
05:04 no strings, no ropes, no mirrors, nothing.
05:08 Here she is.
05:10 And yet there is more. Look at this.
05:12 A hoop.
05:13 Now, this is a solid hoop.
05:16 I am going to pass this solid hoop,
05:19 and it really is solid, no breaks, no cuts.
05:22 I am going to pass this over Candy. Watch.
05:35 Look, it passed completely over her.
05:37 Over her feet, over her head.
05:40 And if you like that, I will do it again.
05:42 Watch closely.
05:50 Completely over the floating young lady.
05:54 Over her feet, over her head, everything.
05:58 So you have really suspended someone in space.
06:02 And in the effect, here is what happens.
06:04 The two supports come out.
06:06 One goes under the head.
06:12 And the other support, of course,
06:14 goes over under the feet.
06:21 And the young lady is hypnotized.
06:23 But, now the suspension is over.
06:28 The young lady is awakened.
06:30 Hi, Candy, wake up.
06:31 Feeling fine. Good.
06:32 See? It worked fine.
06:35 And like most magic tricks,
06:37 the secret is very simple, if you know how.
06:46 Now, you can see almost everything
06:49 that is needed for this trick.
06:51 There is the board that the girl reclines on.
06:54 It is held up by a support on each end.
06:56 And there is a cloth across the front, like this.
06:59 Ah, but there is one more prop.
07:01 One more thing that the audience never sees
07:04 when you do this trick.
07:05 Now, if you remove that front cloth,
07:08 now you will see it.
07:09 It is this metal brace right here,
07:12 which is holding up the board.
07:13 Now, the supports, in this case,
07:16 are not really holding the board up at all.
07:18 And the supports, in some presentations,
07:20 they can be ladders, they can be chairs.
07:22 But there is something that holds the board up,
07:25 as you will see.
07:26 But the board is really held up,
07:28 thank you, take that cloth away,
07:30 on the metal brace.
07:31 This is the metal brace.
07:33 Now, the metal brace is connected
07:36 to the bottom of the board here.
07:39 Then it goes down and out to the base,
07:43 like so.
07:44 Now, you will notice that the base
07:47 extends under the board, like this.
07:49 That is to support the girl's weight
07:52 when she is on the board, like so.
07:55 Okay?
07:56 So, that is the trick,
07:57 all dependent upon this metal brace.
07:59 Now, why doesn't the audience see it
08:02 during the trick?
08:03 Well, that is because of the routine.
08:05 And the routine works like this.
08:08 So, everything is here that you need,
08:12 except the assistant, who reclines on the board.
08:15 Now, there is that one part,
08:17 one thing that the audience does not know about,
08:20 if you do it correctly,
08:22 and that is right here.
08:23 Nannie, would you remove the cloth in front?
08:26 Very good, thank you.
08:28 Now you can see, this is a piece of metal,
08:32 a metal support.
08:34 Now, what we have done,
08:35 in order to make this show up better,
08:37 is we have put white tape on it, like this,
08:39 so that you can see the way it works.
08:42 Now, when the young lady lays down on the board,
08:46 and the magician assumes his position
08:48 behind the board, here is what happens.
08:51 The magician's leg hides the metal support.
08:57 That is the sneaky sorcerer, that is me,
09:00 hides the support from the audience, like so.
09:04 Now, the supports on the end
09:07 are not really important to the mechanics of the trick.
09:11 You have to do it for the routine, however.
09:13 So, Nannie, if you take the supports away,
09:15 because you see the board is actually held up
09:18 by that piece of metal,
09:19 and again, the supports can be something that works for you,
09:22 they can be ladders, they can be chairs,
09:24 they can be painted silhouettes
09:26 of somebody holding up the board, whatever you want.
09:28 Now, the lady is floating in the air, as you see,
09:32 because you haven't really added anything to the trick,
09:35 as far as the audience is concerned,
09:37 except the magician, who is necessary to do the magic.
09:40 So, it's the magician's leg that hides the support.
09:43 See how nice that is?
09:45 Ah, but remember, there is something else.
09:47 There is that hoop that passed over the floating lady.
09:50 Now, if I can have the hoop, please, thank you.
09:53 Now, notice that the hoop is big.
09:55 It is solid, and there is a reason that it's big.
09:58 And that's because, suppose the girl's feet are here.
10:02 The hoop comes over like this,
10:05 goes down, and goes over her head.
10:07 But notice that I am pivoting the hoop around, like so,
10:12 and now the hoop is back with me, back here,
10:16 behind the floating girl.
10:18 Her head is here, her feet is here,
10:20 now watch, her feet are here, watch.
10:23 I go over the feet, and off this way, pivoting again,
10:28 see the metal support is right here.
10:30 I pivot around this way, for that second pass,
10:34 and the hoop goes off over here.
10:36 So, the hoop entered on this side,
10:38 went off on this side, and passed over the floating lady.
10:42 Ah, so that's the secret to the trick.
10:45 At the end, the basic secret,
10:47 at the end, the supports are replaced,
10:49 the cloth is put back here,
10:51 you can walk away, help the lady up,
10:54 and you have done the suspension illusion.
10:58 Let me explain and show you again
11:01 exactly how that hoop pass works,
11:03 because it's an important part of the illusion.
11:06 Now this is a backstage view of the levitation passing the hoop.
11:11 Now you notice that my leg is in front of the support,
11:15 the audience is out here, okay?
11:17 Now I'm going to remove my leg to show you
11:19 how the hoop goes over,
11:21 but the magician's leg would remain in front
11:23 during this entire hoop pass.
11:25 The hoop comes on from the left, like this,
11:27 and passes over the young lady's feet, like so.
11:31 Now when it's this far, you see it can't go any farther
11:34 because the support is here.
11:36 So, the hoop pivots around like this, over her head,
11:41 and comes back here.
11:43 The hoop is passed completely over the young lady,
11:46 but it is not passed over the support.
11:48 In fact, the support is through the hoop, here.
11:51 Now watch, the second part,
11:53 the hoop pivots around this way,
11:56 over the floating young lady,
11:58 goes off over here,
12:01 and you have passed the hoop completely over
12:04 the levitatee, like this,
12:07 but you have not gotten in the way of the support.
12:10 Now let me give you a close-up of the hoop pass again.
12:16 Remember, the bar is here, supporting the girl.
12:18 Your leg is here, hiding the view from the audience.
12:22 Here comes the hoop.
12:23 The hoop passes over the girl's feet, like this.
12:26 Now it cannot continue here because of the support,
12:29 so it pivots around her head like that,
12:32 and comes back like so.
12:34 Now the hoop is passed over the girl,
12:36 except not really, because the support is right here,
12:39 through the middle of the hoop.
12:41 But now you could emphasize,
12:42 you say that you're going to pass it a second time,
12:44 if you wish, or you just do it,
12:46 and don't say anything about it.
12:47 You pivot around her feet like this.
12:49 It goes off over here, over her head,
12:52 and now the hoop has come on from one side of the stage,
12:54 and actually can go off on the other side,
12:57 as if it has passed completely over the floating lady.
13:00 Now there are several reasons why this is a mystifying,
13:09 floating someone in the air,
13:10 and practical illusion,
13:12 because you can do it in almost any venue.
13:15 You see, you don't use any wires or threads,
13:17 so you don't have any special lighting conditions,
13:20 and no special stage setting,
13:23 except that the audience must be so,
13:25 so that when the bar is behind your leg,
13:28 the audience is not spread out too far,
13:30 so they could see around your leg and see the bar.
13:33 That's why the bar is black.
13:34 Remember, we painted it white here,
13:36 just for you, for these shots.
13:38 But it's black.
13:39 The magician usually wears black pants,
13:41 so if for some reason this were not quite correct,
13:44 the audience wouldn't really notice the fact
13:47 that the black bar was down there,
13:49 even if you weren't perfect with the placement of your leg.
13:52 But there is one problem here that you could have.
13:55 We've done this trick a lot,
13:57 and there's a lot of problems that can happen that you can solve.
14:00 For instance, if the audience is too high,
14:02 they can see the bar back here,
14:04 over the top of the board.
14:07 If that happens, here's what you do.
14:09 You place something, it can be anything,
14:11 we'll use this pillow as an example,
14:13 here on top of the board.
14:15 Now, as you see, the audience's view from overhead
14:19 is hidden by whatever this is.
14:20 You get a bigger object, they're farther up, right?
14:23 Now, the girl comes out.
14:25 When the girl sits down here,
14:27 the object is removed, thank you, Nani,
14:29 at the same time so that her body hides the bar from the overhead viewers.
14:33 When she lays down, the same thing.
14:35 The bar is hidden back here behind her body.
14:38 Then the magician comes up,
14:40 assumes the position here with the leg in front of the bar,
14:43 the cloth is removed, and there you go.
14:45 Okay.
14:46 That's one way that you can handle that overhead problem
14:50 with this object.
14:51 Now, let me show you something else.
14:53 Now, I believe that hypnotism,
14:58 theatrical hypnotism,
15:00 not the real stuff,
15:02 but it can be a great help
15:04 in making this effect even stronger.
15:06 Let me show you why I say that.
15:09 Now, I've got another assistant to help me out,
15:12 and I must warn you
15:15 so you'll be aware that this assistant is going to be a little bear.
15:20 Hi, little bear. There she is.
15:24 All right, good.
15:25 Now, if you're going to hypnotize the girl
15:29 that's going to float,
15:31 there's two ways you can do it.
15:32 One is to have the girl standing,
15:34 and you do the hypnotism like this.
15:36 The girl becomes rigid,
15:38 and then falls back
15:40 where she is caught by your assistant.
15:43 So you must have another assistant
15:44 if you're going to hypnotize the girl when she's standing up.
15:47 Then you place her down upon the board.
15:49 Or you can do it yourself
15:51 without another assistant
15:53 by having the girl come on,
15:55 recline on the board,
15:56 and then hypnotize the bear like that.
16:03 Or the girl.
16:05 Now, the reason for the hypnotism is this.
16:08 I think this effect is so strong
16:11 that you need to have all of your magical powers
16:14 must be concentrated on making the girl
16:18 or the bear or whatever it is float.
16:21 So, hypnotism is a way to do that.
16:24 If the girl is floating here,
16:26 and now you take the cloth away,
16:28 we'll just leave the supports in,
16:29 but you get the idea.
16:31 If the girl is floating here,
16:33 you must constantly direct your magical powers
16:37 to keep that board floating in the air.
16:40 And hypnotism, I think, is a good way to do that.
16:43 You can do it in many other ways,
16:45 but I like hypnotism.
16:48 Now, another thing while we're in this situation,
16:51 and my leg is hiding the bar as you see,
16:55 and the base is under here,
16:56 under the rug, the cloth that's beneath.
17:00 And the thing you want to do is not call attention to that cloth.
17:03 Don't worry about it. It's just there.
17:05 It's just a piece of cloth.
17:07 So, don't make it a strong theatrical piece of cloth
17:10 with all kinds of glitter and stripes and stars and things.
17:13 It's just something that's there.
17:14 It can be coordinated with the theme of your show
17:17 or where you're performing.
17:19 And then, for instance,
17:21 you can run this down into a base.
17:24 If you carry a base and have it under there,
17:27 then there's no cloth needed.
17:28 It's just the base is underneath the tree.
17:30 Or if you're performing on location,
17:32 suppose you're performing this illusion on the beach.
17:35 You've probably seen pictures of magicians
17:37 floating a girl on the beach.
17:39 The lovely thing here is that the base can be covered
17:42 with a little bit of sand.
17:44 So, there is no base.
17:45 It's only the magician, the girl who's floating.
17:49 There's the ocean in the background.
17:51 You're on the beach or wherever you happen to be
17:53 to strengthen the levitation illusion.
17:58 Now, here's another hint of something that you can do
18:01 when you perform the illusion.
18:03 It helps to conceal the secrecy of the method
18:06 and it adds to the number of places
18:08 that you can perform this levitation.
18:13 Now, that is to cover the entire prop
18:15 with a cloth of some kind.
18:18 That way, you protect the method
18:20 from anyone who happens to be on stage
18:22 to help you with the trick.
18:23 Or perhaps they're backstage before or after the show.
18:27 And if you even have that line of sight problem
18:30 from overhead, under here, Nanny,
18:34 thank you, can be the pillow.
18:36 There it is.
18:37 Or whatever you're having
18:39 to protect the line of sight from above.
18:42 Okay?
18:43 That's another little tip.
18:45 [chimes]
18:50 Here's something else that can help you with this illusion.
18:53 Here, if the girl is floating in the air
18:55 and the audience is too far around on the side,
18:58 they could see the support hidden behind your leg.
19:02 Here's something you can do.
19:04 So you could perform the illusion surrounded, if you like.
19:07 Look.
19:08 It's a long robe.
19:11 Wear a long robe or a long cape.
19:14 Now you'll notice when I stand in here,
19:20 the support is hidden by my leg,
19:21 but also by the robe that comes totally around on all sides.
19:25 So the audience can be completely around you
19:29 and you still perform the effect.
19:31 So let me show you from backstage how this would look.
19:34 Remember, the audience is out here.
19:36 The magician is standing here.
19:38 But the bar is visible to all the people
19:41 who are sitting back here.
19:43 Here's what you do.
19:44 Remember, you put on that robe.
19:48 It's a long one.
19:50 It goes all the way down to the floor.
19:52 And now the girl is floating in the air
19:56 and the bar is completely hidden from the audience.
20:05 Now this suspension illusion can be made in many different ways.
20:09 It has been produced all in metal, all in wood.
20:13 And this particular version that we have here
20:15 is our modification of the super-X illusion
20:19 made by the Abbott Magic Company.
20:27 Now this version has a solid piece of metal as the base
20:30 and a square metal rod that runs up as the support
20:34 to be hidden by the magician's leg.
20:40 A number of years ago we had a terrific publicity opportunity.
20:44 And that was to float the mayor of Los Angeles, Sam Yorty,
20:49 at the City Hall on the steps,
20:52 the steps in front of City Hall.
20:54 We knew we'd have a great turnout.
20:55 There were newspaper reporters, radio and television as well.
20:59 But we wanted to protect the secret.
21:01 Now what were we going to do?
21:03 Well, here's what happened.
21:06 What they saw was only the board supported on two chairs.
21:11 Now the mayor came out of City Hall,
21:14 reclined upon the board, and watch what happened.
21:17 Remember, I could walk away from this at any time.
21:21 And here's how we did it.
21:23 Here you see Mayor Sam Yorty floating in the air.
21:30 Look, the two chairs have been removed.
21:34 And there he is.
21:37 The reporters, the public were all around.
21:40 And I could walk away and did several times
21:44 while he is in this suspension.
21:47 Now how did we do it?
21:54 As you can see, I had two female assistants.
21:57 One here, one here.
21:58 They're both wearing long skirts that extend all the way to the ground.
22:02 And that is the secret because the support rod
22:05 is running down inside this girl's skirt
22:08 to the special platform that we had constructed
22:11 for this particular presentation.
22:15 So, after the mayor had floated for a couple of minutes in the air,
22:19 everybody had gotten pictures,
22:21 the chairs were replaced, the mayor exited,
22:24 then they brought the screens out.
22:26 You see, as I continued interviews off on the side,
22:29 all the equipment was struck and the whole thing worked beautifully.
22:33 And there were no exposes in any of the media.
22:38 Here is a version of the suspension illusion
22:40 that we created for the magic land of Alakazam.
22:43 It was good for children and family audiences as well.
22:53 Now you're going to see one of the strangest forms of travel.
22:56 Many people have heard of it, but few have seen it.
22:58 It's called a flying carpet.
23:01 And a young man from our studio audience is going to help us.
23:03 Here we go.
23:10 Now to help us with this trick,
23:11 here comes a gentleman from our studio audience.
23:13 Here he is.
23:17 What is this gentleman's name?
23:20 You forgot it. What is it?
23:22 I hope you remember. Steve, I do.
23:24 Okay, thank you, Mike.
23:26 Okay, Steve, we're going to do something now
23:30 that I'll bet you didn't expect to do today.
23:33 Have you ever seen a flying carpet?
23:35 Uh-uh.
23:36 Uh-uh. All right, I've got one right here.
23:38 This is the new portable flying carpet.
23:40 You see, it folds up like this.
23:42 You can just roll it up,
23:44 and when you want to see it, you just unroll it like that,
23:47 and there it is.
23:48 And there's the flying carpet.
23:50 Would you sort of make a magical gesture at this carpet for me?
23:53 Kind of go like that.
23:54 Right?
23:55 Yeah.
23:57 Terrific!
23:58 And now watch.
24:01 The carpet becomes rigid.
24:05 That's the first part of a flying carpet.
24:08 And now watch.
24:13 Oh, Rebo, what are you doing with the bicycle?
24:15 This is a flying carpet trick.
24:17 Rebo.
24:18 Well, that works fine, doesn't it?
24:20 That's a nice bicycle.
24:21 Now you've got it all fixed.
24:23 Oh, what you've got it fixed.
24:25 Now be careful now, Rebo.
24:26 Whenever you ride a bicycle, you always want to be very careful.
24:28 Watch out!
24:35 Well, I told Rebo to be careful.
24:37 You always want to be careful when you ride a bicycle,
24:39 don't you, Steve?
24:40 Uh-huh.
24:41 Good. Now, how would you like to--
24:42 What's this? Rebo, what did you do?
24:44 Oh!
24:46 I told you to be careful, didn't I?
24:51 Hey, Rebo, get out of here.
24:52 We're going to do a trick.
24:53 Steve, how would you like to fly on a flying carpet?
24:57 Would you?
24:58 Well, then come with me.
25:03 Here's the flying carpet, Steve.
25:06 Now, you must get on the flying carpet, Nanny.
25:11 I want you to help Steve right up here on the carpet.
25:14 Here we are.
25:19 Cross your legs. That's right.
25:21 That's the way they do on flying carpets.
25:23 Here's an Arabian crash helmet here for you.
25:27 Very good, Steve.
25:29 Now, you ready to fly?
25:30 Yeah.
25:31 Okay.
25:32 Steve, I want you to think light thoughts
25:35 because I want you to go right up in the air on this flying carpet.
25:38 You ready?
25:39 Yeah.
25:40 All right. Are you thinking?
25:41 Yeah.
25:42 Are you thinking that you're floating?
25:45 Well, nothing seems to be happening.
25:48 I don't know. Maybe--
25:50 Oh, here's the book on how to make the carpet float.
25:52 Let's look at the book, Nanny.
25:54 Let's see. Maybe we can figure out how to work this.
25:57 Let's see.
26:01 Steve, I just happen to think you are sitting on the flying carpet.
26:06 The carpet was sitting on the book.
26:08 The book is gone.
26:09 Let's see. Do you see anything under there? Look.
26:14 Steve, are there any wires?
26:16 I don't see any. Do you?
26:17 Or threads or anything?
26:19 You're floating on the floating flying carpet.
26:23 It's working, Steve.
26:25 Do you feel any different?
26:27 No.
26:28 No?
26:30 Have you had a long enough flight?
26:32 Yes.
26:33 All right. Well, let's put the book back now.
26:36 Here we go.
26:37 And the book comes back.
26:41 Now the carpet rests on the book.
26:44 And sure enough, the crash helmet is off.
26:46 Steve, did you have a good flight on the flying carpet?
26:48 Yes.
26:50 Well, thank you very much. Here's a gift for you, Steve.
26:55 Thanks for helping us in the magic land of Alakazam.
26:58 And now our trip.
27:01 As you see, it's the same magic principle.
27:04 Let's go over the routine.
27:06 Have you ever seen a flying carpet?
27:09 Now one of the advantages of this version is that you do not have to have a special assistant when you're going to float.
27:15 This is a young man from our audience who doesn't know how the trick works, is not set up ahead of time.
27:20 And there is the carpet.
27:22 Inside of that cloth carpet is a screen which rolls up in one direction but does not roll up in the other direction.
27:30 So that after he makes the magical gesture which gets him involved, then I can hold it out like this.
27:36 Now I have the screen rigged in the same way you would do a table suspension.
27:41 In that there's a piece of thread that goes across the top and I put my hand under the thread and you see the carpet magically is suspended in the air on my hand.
27:50 Rebo comes back on his unicycle with the bicycle front.
27:55 This is just to add a little comedy to what we're doing.
27:59 So Rebo goes off and as he goes off we hear the crash and we wonder what's happened to Rebo.
28:06 But now the young man and I go back to performing the trick.
28:09 Alright, Rebo comes back out with his bicycle in not very good shape which adds a little humor to the show.
28:18 So Rebo goes off and now we get ready to do the trick.
28:21 Now this could be done, these props do not have to be a screen and a carpet.
28:25 They could be anything that you want.
28:27 But we have it with the flying carpet on the book, not the screen but the book.
28:32 So here we go and now for the first time he is seeing the illusion.
28:36 Now notice that on top there I have two things.
28:39 There is a pillow and on the pillow is a turban.
28:42 And the reason those are sitting on the carpet as you see is in order to hide the possibility of exposing the gimmick to anyone in the audience or to the young man who is coming up.
28:53 Because he is placed onto the carpet at the same time those objects were removed.
28:58 So there is no way for him or anyone to have seen the gimmick ahead of time.
29:03 Now there is the reason for the turban and it adds a little bit to the show.
29:07 Now we start to do the semi floating in the air.
29:11 Notice that I have assumed my position behind which looks very natural.
29:17 That's the place if you were really going to make this carpet float that's where you'd have to be.
29:22 So, whoops, can't seem to make it work.
29:25 Tell you what we'll do, Nanny will come out and remove the book.
29:28 Look how easily she removes that book.
29:30 You see the book wasn't actually holding the flying carpet up at all.
29:34 It's actually the metal brace which of course is now hidden by my leg.
29:38 But remember in doing this nothing has been added here except the magician who hides the gimmick.
29:45 And that's the good part.
29:47 And now the young man sees that he is floating in the air.
29:50 Wow, how about that.
29:52 Underneath, nothing.
29:53 And for the audience as well.
29:55 Now, notice that I am keeping the boy's attention so he does not turn around.
29:59 If he turned completely around and looked he could see that gimmick going around my leg.
30:04 But he doesn't because I keep his attention to me and to the front.
30:08 So, there we go.
30:10 Now Nanny comes back and look as she puts the book it slides under easily because again the flying carpet is not really on that book.
30:18 Now comes the pillow and the turban.
30:21 Again hiding the gimmick that you see from the young man.
30:24 Now he can turn around and look and there's nothing to see.
30:27 Nanny comes out.
30:28 Or rather, I beg your pardon, Mike comes out and we give the kid a gift.
30:31 And there you have seen the flying carpet illusion.
30:35 [Applause]
30:40 What is going on out here?
30:43 Nanny, don't you sweep me.
30:45 And Rebo, you're trying to hula hoop.
30:47 Get your dustpan.
30:48 You've got your hula hoop.
30:49 Rebo, you can't hula hoop.
30:51 You're a very poor hula hooper.
30:53 Would you like to be a good hula hooper?
30:55 I can make you the world's greatest hula hooper.
30:57 Yes, I can.
30:58 By magic.
30:59 You know how to do it?
31:00 I'll have to hypnotize you.
31:02 Yes.
31:03 No, come back here.
31:04 I will hypnotize you.
31:06 You will be the world's greatest hula hooper.
31:10 I can do it.
31:12 Now you must concentrate.
31:15 Yes.
31:17 I want you to gaze into my eyes.
31:19 Not so close.
31:21 I want you to gaze into my eyes.
31:23 You are the world's greatest hula hooper.
31:27 Me.
31:28 Look at me.
31:29 You are the world's greatest hula hooper.
31:32 Yes.
31:33 You are the world's greatest hula hooper.
31:34 Gaze into my eyes.
31:37 Now close your eyes and think of sleep.
31:42 Think that you are the world's greatest hula hooper.
31:47 Now.
31:50 I got two.
31:52 Nanny Darnell is asleep.
31:53 Wait a minute, Reba.
31:54 Wake up.
31:55 Wake up.
31:56 Nanny Darnell, she's asleep.
31:57 [music]
32:09 [applause]
32:16 [music]
32:30 [applause]
32:38 [music]
32:47 Wake up.
32:48 Hey, and there she is.
32:50 [applause]
32:53 [applause]
32:59 [music]
33:08 As you see from this still picture, Nanny is suspended on the broom.
33:14 Ah, but it's not a regular broom.
33:16 This is a special broom, quite heavy, because this is a metal pipe, not a wooden handle.
33:23 And that pipe extends right up through the broom where it connects right here to the special harness that Nanny is wearing.
33:32 Now here, from one of the oldest books in our library, Modern Magic by Professor Hoffman, is exactly how the broom suspension works.
33:41 You see the young lady is wearing the harness.
33:44 The broom goes down to the special base that is underneath.
33:48 Now watch this. We'll do it again and I'll explain exactly how that works.
33:53 As you see, this was from one of the Magic Land of Alakazam shows.
33:56 As a matter of fact, this was one of the first Alakazam shows that we did.
34:00 Rebo is working with the hula hoop.
34:02 Nanny has a regular broom.
34:04 That's a regular broom that matches the special broom.
34:06 She takes the regular broom off.
34:09 I'm talking to Rebo. Rebo is using the hula hoop.
34:12 And notice the platform.
34:13 That's a very special platform that Rebo is standing on.
34:17 It's going to really help with this illusion.
34:19 Now Nanny comes back and that broom that she has now is the special broom.
34:24 It's much heavier. It has the metal handle.
34:26 She sets down a dustpan which she stands on.
34:29 We specially designed that to work with the illusion.
34:32 And now, as I'm talking to Rebo, Nanny is putting the special broom into the slot in that platform that holds the broom up straight.
34:42 Now, as I am apparently hypnotizing Rebo, Nanny is doing all of the dirty work upstage behind us.
34:49 She is leaning over the broom and putting her arm over the top of the broom.
34:55 Now, she has on that metal harness and there's a metal pin that comes down from the harness that goes into that pipe that extends up through the broom.
35:04 Now, when I'm hypnotizing Rebo, I'm also hypnotizing Nanny.
35:09 As you see, Rebo and I go back and we prove that Nanny is really hypnotized.
35:13 But she is in position now for the levitation or the suspension.
35:18 Now watch. I hinge Nanny's feet up.
35:20 There's a catch in the harness, a ratchet that clicks to hold Nanny up in the air.
35:26 Now, there she is in the harness resting on that metal broom.
35:30 Now, the hula hoop, remember we've got an excuse for the hula hoop in this routine.
35:35 The hula hoop is brought by Rebo and I place it around Nanny.
35:38 No magic here for you and I because, of course, this is the way it works.
35:43 You show to the audience that there's nothing holding Nanny up in the air.
35:47 Now, I spin the hoop around Nanny, which you may or may not want to do.
35:51 Now, there she is suspended in the air.
35:54 Now, there's a catch under her costume on that harness that I pulled that with my hand as I lowered her down, which released the ratchet.
36:01 Now, Rebo is going to take that metal broom off so we won't even notice that it's gone.
36:06 Nanny awakes and there she is and at work and that is the broom suspension.
36:13 There are two kinds of suspension.
36:16 One is where the object is, or person, is in the air and just floating without any visible means of support.
36:25 The other kind is where the person is touching something else.
36:30 As an example, the Indian magician that you saw a few minutes ago was holding on to a part of the apparatus and that's what helped them do the suspension.
36:40 And when you add something touching something else, all the rules are changed.
36:46 Now, let me give you an example with the chair suspension.
36:50 Here it is. Look.
36:52 There's one chair here, there's one chair here and the board rests on top.
36:57 Now, you must have someone or something to float and I must warn you that my assistant now is going to be a little bear.
37:07 And here she is. Hi there, little bear. Nice to see you.
37:10 Okay. Recline upon the board.
37:14 We'll use the bear to explain this. This could be a child in this particular one, but you'll do just fine.
37:20 Alright, now, the cloth is draped over the person on which the magic will be performed.
37:30 And now watch. Here it comes, the magic.
37:34 One of the chairs is removed and look, suspended on only one chair, but there's more.
37:43 Watch this. Here's the board.
37:46 I will remove the board and now the bear is in the air.
37:53 You're an air bear, alright? You're floating.
37:56 Well, you're not floating, you're suspended on the chair.
37:58 That's why we call it a suspension, folks, but there's more.
38:01 Remember that hoop pass that you can do? Watch this.
38:05 The hoop passes right over the bear, there's no tricky moves.
38:10 And down here, showing the audience that there's nothing suspended up here to hold the bear from the chair and the board or whatever.
38:19 Anyway, that's it. That's the chair, basic chair suspension.
38:23 And let me show you exactly how it works.
38:31 So here it is. And the person who's going to be suspended is placed on the board.
38:35 And the cloth on the front and the back are folded up around the person.
38:39 There's a particular reason for the cloth, which you'll see in a moment.
38:42 Alright, the first part of the magic is you take one of the chairs away.
38:46 And the person is suspended, but on the board.
38:50 Now in this particular version here that we have, the magician takes the board away as well.
38:56 And now the person is floating all by themselves out here suspended by the chair.
39:02 But you see there is a secret board.
39:05 There's another board, a smaller board inside this red cloth.
39:08 I'm going to show you how this board clips to the chair in just a moment.
39:12 But here, we'll take the cloth off, which you don't do in a regular show.
39:19 Yeah, from the end. Okay, thank you.
39:24 Alright, now here on the secret board you see there is a piece of metal.
39:28 It runs down here all the way to support the weight of the person who is floating or suspended in the air.
39:35 And here's the clip that goes on the chair.
39:39 And this is not a regular chair either.
39:42 The clip goes right here, like so.
39:47 And is set up that way originally when the person gets on.
39:52 So it's like so.
39:54 That is the secret of the board.
39:56 Oh, by the way, of course when you pass the hoop, it's an ordinary hoop.
39:59 It just goes completely over because the secret source of support for the suspension is here where the board clips to the chair.
40:09 The chair suspension.
40:12 Now here's another suspension, one to which we have added some danger.
40:17 Because Nani is suspended above the blades of three sharp swords.
40:22 As you will see from one of our magic circus shows where we perform the sword suspension.
40:30 [applause]
40:47 [music]
40:57 [music]
41:07 [music]
41:17 [music]
41:27 [music]
41:37 [music]
41:47 [music]
41:57 [music]
42:07 [music]
42:17 [music]
42:27 [music]
42:37 [applause]
42:47 [music]
42:57 [music]
43:07 [music]
43:17 [music]
43:27 [music]
43:34 [applause]
43:47 [music]
43:57 [music]
44:07 [music]
44:17 [music]
44:27 [music]
44:37 [music]
44:47 [music]
44:51 [applause]
45:04 Now here is the secret to the sword suspension.
45:08 Not an easy trick to do, as a matter of fact.
45:11 Nani was wearing this very heavy...
45:15 [laughter]
45:17 Very heavy.
45:18 Metal harness strapped to her body.
45:21 Tell us what went where, Nani.
45:23 Well, my head was up here.
45:25 This was behind my neck, behind my shoulders, my waist, and my hips.
45:32 And it goes on down here to fasten around my thigh.
45:35 This strap around your thigh.
45:36 That's right, around my legs.
45:37 On your back.
45:38 And you're standing there saying, "Let's do this fast. I want to get it all."
45:42 Yes, I've had enough of this.
45:44 Okay.
45:45 Now let's show one more very important part of the harness.
45:48 This is the place in which the point of the sword is inserted when we do the trick.
45:54 Right.
45:55 And you see all these straps?
45:57 There are two at the top going over my shoulder here and here,
46:01 and then the strap around my waist, and the strap around my hips, et cetera.
46:05 Okay.
46:06 So let's look at...
46:07 Do you need help?
46:08 Yeah.
46:09 Let's look at the sword suspension again and explain exactly how all this worked.
46:13 This is the sword going in right here.
46:15 Okay.
46:17 Here from one of our magic circus shows is the sword suspension.
46:22 And as you see, we used two plastic stands for Nani to be rested upon in addition to the three swords.
46:31 Now I did this because on the television show,
46:34 I think it would appear to be impossible for her to be resting just on the three swords when she first gets up there.
46:41 I think it adds to the presentation to have the plastic stands in this case.
46:46 The three swords, of course, are placed in the base in the special holes that they go in.
46:51 And then this is one of the main reasons that I say hypnotism is good for levitations.
46:57 Not only does it concentrate my power to make her float in the air,
47:01 but also the hypnotism gives the audience a reason for why she can maintain her body in the rigid state as it is during the whole illusion.
47:13 Now, when she's placed on, notice that the special sword up there at the top on the right side is going right into a clip in the harness.
47:22 It's right below her neck.
47:24 The hair hanging down and the costume itself hide the total harness and particularly that clip before she goes on.
47:31 Now, she's hooked to that sword.
47:35 The rest of these things aren't actually holding up anything,
47:38 so it's very easy for me to slide the two plastic sides out, as you see.
47:44 Now, she's on the three swords.
47:46 Wow, okay.
47:48 Now, watch closely now. Here comes the real magic as I reach under and remove one of those swords.
47:55 And there she is on only two swords.
47:58 Now, watch. Here comes the real magic as I remove that next to last sword.
48:06 Actually, she's up on one sword, but it really looks impossible, as you see.
48:10 Now, I use that sword in my hand to pass over and above the hypnotized mind.
48:17 I will actually walk around, and as you see, for those people watching, this is truly an impossible effect,
48:24 because there's nothing up there holding her up in the air.
48:27 How in the world can she stay up there?
48:30 There she is.
48:31 Now, watch what happens, because we've added something particularly special to this trick,
48:38 which was created by Alan Wakeling for us for this show.
48:42 And that is the fact that with my magical powers, I will be able to gesture, and watch what happens.
48:53 Nani actually rotates in the air and goes 90 degrees around, and of course, it's actually the sword that is moving.
49:04 And there's a motor, a secret motor in that base, which actually rotates the sword,
49:11 and there's someone offstage that turns that motor on, coordinated with my gesture.
49:17 So now there she is, and she's actually rotated, and watch, I do it again,
49:22 and this time she rotates far enough so that she's not even above the platform.
49:27 Look, her feet, her body, are out above the stage, which is wonderful.
49:34 And now this last rotation, I think, is particularly good, and I'll tell you why.
49:38 See, I gesture like this, then I move around to the back, and she actually rotates over my head,
49:45 which I think is a terrific addition to this illusion.
49:49 And there she goes back as she was before.
49:52 Remember, nothing is supporting her.
49:54 And now watch what happens.
49:56 She's back, now the sword's actually-- because the effect has been done,
50:00 now you want to get it over with, I think.
50:02 I just put the one sword back in. See how her costume hides the fact that she's not actually resting on the sword.
50:08 Now watch, she's removed that metal gimmick.
50:11 We have to lift up her feet a bit in order to undo the catch, to lift her down, and there she is.
50:18 All back from the swords, and she turns around, and remember, she's so glad that this is over with
50:24 that she smiles a lot, and she can get that harness off right away.
50:28 [audience applause]
50:32 [click]
50:33 Suspension.
50:38 One of the best uses of suspension is in still photographs.
50:43 Now when you think about it, magic effects such as vanish, appear, transpose, cut and restore, whatever,
50:51 cannot be shown in one photograph.
50:54 There are effects that you can show in one still photograph.
50:58 One is dismemberment, disbodiment, whatever.
51:01 That's where, here you see Nanny Darnell divided into two parts in our train illusion.
51:08 Absolutely impossible, eh?
51:10 And the other is levitation, or suspension, because you move in a suspension,
51:17 but that's okay because it's a still photograph.
51:20 That is an effect that you can show in one still photograph.
51:24 Here's some examples.
51:26 When you see someone floating in the air, it is obviously magic.
51:31 Probably the most dramatic and effective use of levitation is in still photographs.
51:39 The great advantages of a levitation photograph is that it can be easily personalized.
51:46 For instance, here's the reporter for the Chicago Tribune interviewing me as I float her in the air.
51:57 Many of our most successful publicity shots involved some form of levitation.
52:03 Now here, Nanny floats in the air outside of CBS Television City in Los Angeles.
52:08 That's where we shot the first two years of The Magic Land of Alakazam.
52:14 He did double page spread in a major magazine.