The Osborne Warehouse

Situated in the industrial area of Dallas, our warehouse is in an unmarked building. It’s just under 5,000 square feet with an office in the front and warehousing in the back. We have been there for over 25 years. It’s used mostly for storage, although we have repaired a few props and built a few crates there. Our builders are all freelance and have their own shops. Occasionally, I get in there and paint a few props or sets. Last September a tornado hit the area. I was driving to the warehouse and saw it coming. I braced for the hit when I got there but the twister jumped over our building and hit a few blocks down crushing another building and blowing out the dock doors. We dodged a bullet on that one! The following pictures are of the front office. Although I call it an office it’s really just a front room that is decorated with some of my favorite things. I smile everyday I walk in. Our office and art studio are located in our East Dallas home. OK, here is the front room:

This is what you will first see as you walk in. Perched on the Owen’s Oriental Table is a set of Kuma Tubes that have been in shows (and dropped!) all over the country. Also behind Mickey is a small photo of Bozo, Tiny Tim (the odd singer) and me as the Ringmaster. The larger photo is of the Cyrus Cosmo Illusion Show at Six Flags 1976. On the bottom shelf is the magic kit Mark Wilson gave me on my birthday in 1956. That started it all!

On the far right is the Disembodied Princess from Aubrey’s show. In 1991 we bought his entire show. You can see it performed on You Tube.  He built the prop in shop class and his father, Bud Crabbe, painted it. Bud was an animator with Disney and Walter Lantz cartoons in Hollywood. Aubry went on to be a cinematographer and won an Oscar for his work on the movie “Rocky.”  He also worked on “China Syndrome” and other significant films.

 The saw you see hanging in front of the Doug Henning poster is his saw from The Magic Show on Broadway. I also own his lion cage.

Some classic old magic. The Sand and Sugar cans to the left were Blackstone, Sr.’s. Along with the Aubrey show are some items given  to Aubrey by Blacksone, Sr., who admired the young Aubrey’s work. Aubrey did all the magic on Ralph Edward’s “This is Your Life, Blackstone”  televison broadcast in the 50s.

In this box are all the original Illusion Systems plans, 164 and counting! All are drawn in pencil on thin Vellum sheets. Duplicates for each plan are printed on heavy mylar sheets  and stored in our east Dallas office. It is from these sheets the plans are printed from in that they are more durable.

Vintage magic props. You’ll recognize the P&L Vanishing Alarm Clock along with some Owen props. Also is a Banner Nest of Boxes made by Aubrey, all out of metal. The marionette of Charlie Chaplin was made by Frank Paris, the same craftsman that made Howdy Doody. The puppet is very animated to the point of his moustache moving side to side. We have many marionettes stored in our warehouse that once starred in our theme park shows. Our collection includes puppets fabricated by some of the most notable puppet makers. They sit, or hang, quietly as puppets shows have seen better days.

A few magazine covers on the wall along with 3 frogs crafted by the very flamboyant Sky Highchief, who also built puppets, costumes and wigs for Sid and Marty Krofft. You will also see a small set of hippity hops from Collector’s Workshop and an Okito confetti Bowl.

Have a seat! On the coffee table are a few of the Illusion Systems books. I painted the wicked witch for a Halloween party Michelle and I once had. Below that is Marilyn Monroe’s will. Photos on the wall are of some of our theme park productions. More vintage magic on the side table and hanging above are “the Girls of All Nations”!

Meet Roy Seegfried, a Las Vegas rod puppet crafted by the talented Ray Moore, vintage magic including Aubrey’s floating ball and Yoda from the puppet mold. Roy was one of the characters on our locally produced Club 27 kids’ show. In front of him is a rare Abbott’s Egg, lemon and canary. On the bottom shelf is a Magic Land of Allakazam coloring book along with a Hamilton piece and an Okito prop.

From one of our shows this is “BaBaRum Raisin” along with an Owen prop, an Abbott prop and a drop box that looks like it was painted by the same guy that paints the sides of pin ball machines, and yes, I have a “Merlin”, magic’s best inside joke. Not jokes are my 2 TAOM awards for “Best Club Act”, and “Best Act of Convention” won two months after my Dad died. I wish he could have held them because it was he who really won them for his kid.

Remember Lawrence Welk? Another great rod puppet from the hands of Ray Moore. And behind him a Grant’s Bengal Net. Do people still perform these? Great fun back then though.

Aubrey’s Doll House! Built by him and painted by his Dad, Bud. Aubrey did it the old fashioned way.  Several costumed dolls hung from a rack. A child was handed a rifle and told to shoot at one of the dolls, which they do and a doll drops. Instantly a girl in a matching costume pops up through the roof of the small house. How politically incorrect for our times! To the left is a photo of his performance.

My old dented cups and balls rest on a Merve Talor Tambor ring. Behind that a frame Thurston throw-out card with daughter Jane on the back. It floats in front of a letter to a young Bob Kline (inventor of “Copentro” and the “Swirl it Box”) encouraging him to keep up his magic. To the right is an old Lionel bank that features a small train that travels the circle when a coin is put in. It rests on a Mickey Mouse magic game that I bought from Jackie Flosso just before he closed the shop. On the bottom shelf is the Owen vanishing rice prop. Does anybody vanish rice anymore? 


Stand-up Magic

ON THE HOUSE

If you are familiar with the stage effect, “Hospitality” then you know it’s based on the concept created by “Think a Drink Hoffman” whereby many drinks are poured from a single container. In the case of the Hospitality it’s a milk carton that can be torn up at the end of the presentation. My group built a beautiful version for one of our theme park shows. Because over the Summer a theme park show often runs hundreds of shows over the three month period, we built a self contained crate unit that serviced the prop (see photo #1)  and allowed the serving wagon (see photo # 2) to be locked up after the last show because with the theme parks you never know who is looking around after hours backstage for a secret to be revealed. The crate held hundreds of 10 oz. plastic glasses, milk cartons, the milk pitchers, an ice box and an open-out ledge to mix the formulas. We had a dedicated crew that meticulously prepared the, what appeared to be simple, effect perfectly using this most unusual lockable “bar” before each performance.

Photo #1

Photo #2

 In watching the show many times I began to wonder how the effect could be modified for the weekend performer that doesn’t want to mess with all this “stuff” but loves the effect?

Well, here goes the simplified, modified version called “On the House”. The magician displays a buttermilk carton and explains to the audience that he accidentally bought buttermilk at the store (“Who likes buttermilk?” You know the answer.) So the magician explains that he poured out the buttermilk and made up some chocolate milk and poured that in the carton. (He “pours” chocolate milk out of the milk pitcher into the carton.)  But then the strangest thing happened. When he went to have some chocolate milk he poured out iced tea! The magician drops in some ice cubes from a styrofoam chest and passes out the plastic cup of tea. Then the next day, the magician explains that he poured out lemonade, which he does and adds a few ice cubes from the chest before passing that drink out. Oddly enough the next pour was Coke.  Ice is added to that drink and passed out. Another pour from the milk carton and it’s orange juice.  Ice is added and that drink is passed out. Just when the buttermilk carton should now be empty the magician pours out a glass of milk. He then closes up the ice chest and passes out the milk. Oh, but what about that gimmicked milk carton (or so the audience thinks) with all the compartments? The magician tears that up and throws it out to be examined proving no trickery there.

Secret? Well there is something about that ice chest! Yes, it holds ice and the secret. The milk pitcher is a standard magic milk pitcher trick filled with chocolate milk. The buttermilk carton is pre-filled with water. The  “empty” plastic glasses are resting behind the ice chest. One glass holds  ¼” of powdered tea, one glass holds ¼” of powdered lemonade, another glass holds a few drops of black and red ink or liquid water color to match a cola color. The next glass holds ¼” powdered orange juice and the final glass holds a few drops of white acrylic house paint.

Compartments within the styrofoam ice chest (which can be bought at a “Dollar Store” and modified) are as shown.

During the presentation after the chocolate milk is “poured” from the pitcher into the buttermilk carton, the first glass of tea is held high and a few ice cubes from the chest are dropped in the glass and it is passed out to the audience. Naturally this, like some of the other glasses, allows the powdered version to mix with the water from the carton. (The glasses are held in such a manner to hide the powder or mixture in the bottom. The audience thinks it’s chocolate milk coming from the carton.) The ice chest is validated because you take ice from it and it is a basic small,  typical styrofoam chest with a plastic handle. Next the lemonade is poured, ice added and the drink passed out. The next is a bold move.  The water from the carton is poured into the clear plastic cup containing the inks that resemble coke color. This filled cup is picked up and lowered into the ice chest for a quick switch with the real Coke cup hidden in the chest. It (the real Coke) is then brought up with ice and  passed out. Next is the orange juice, again a powdered drink, ice is added and the drink is passed out. Time for another bold move… The carton is again tipped to pour what appears to be milk into the cup. Actually it is just the paint in the bottom of the cup mixing with the water. At this point the cup is momentarily held behind the ice chest and switched for a real glass of milk as the lid is put back on the ice chest. All that is left to do at this point is to pass out the glass of real switched milk and tear up the milk carton.

A drinkable, magical presentation that can fit in the backseat of your car! I wish I would have thought of this version first before we built Hospitality.  It would have saved hundreds of dollars in construction and shipping.

BUILDER’S CORNER

This month’s Builder’s Corner features Craig Beytien. He has been building magical apparatus for over 20 years and does beautiful work.  In his own words, “I have a shop at my residence and have established relationships with metal, glass and plexiglas vendors in the Midwest.  I have shipped stage and parlor effects worldwide from Kyoto to Belgium,  Maine to Vegas.  I build many classic effects and a few select originals.  I welcome inquires through my website: www.illusionartsmagic.com or by contacting me at 630/926-5761 [cbeytien@hotmail.com] for classic or custom work.  My passion is researching the origin and history of the effect and striving to update and evolve them to serve today’s modern performer”. It’s an honor to have a builder like Craig fabricate props from Illusion System plans! Here are a few of Craig’s latest creations built from our plans:

Aztec Lady

Stocks of Zanzibar

Mini-Kub

Visit our website at www.osborneillusionsystems.com.