Volume 2, Number 12
October 1997

Notice: This issue is for hard-boiled magicians only, the kind who can walk into a pool hall and spit at a cuspidor and come close, or at least not dribble down their chins. Guys who can run up a full house or a fist full of aces without counting out loud. Or babes who can, with exposed bosom heaving, cast a horoscope, knowing that Virgo is more than just something they still were at ten. If you are not this guy, or that babe, then amscray back to your lah-de-dah thimble productions and your ring-on-rope tricks and your mind-reading egg beaters. You have been warned.

The tables in this haunted pool hall are empty and waiting for YOU!

He bent over the pool table and remembered bringing Danny into this pool room one afternoon. The kid stood straight up to shoot. Get your head down, put your eye at the level of the ball, Billy told him. How the hell can you see what you're hitting when you ain't even looking at it? Get that head down and stroke that cue, firm up your bridge, don't let them fingers wobble. The kid leaned over and sank a few. Great kid. Stay out of pool rooms, kid, or all you'll ever have is fun.
-- William Kennedy, Billy Phelan's Greatest Game

For most of his 82 years, Eddie Fields has been having fun in pool halls. You might find him today in Chris's Pool Room, Cuephoria, or The Billiard Cafe. His world paralleled, and could have indeed been the model for, the fictional world of William Kennedy's Billy Phelan, a world of pool hustlers and card sharks, magicians and mind readers. This issue takes a look at Eddie's new book by Jon Racherbaumer, The Greater Artful Dodges of Eddie Fields, along with my favorite trick from that book, an excerpt from Stephen Minch's Fields biography, A Life Among Secrets, and an informative interview with Danny Orleans on Eddie's famous two-man code. As if that weren't enough, this special Halloween issue also features a show review and breakthrough interview with The Amazing Kreskin, plus a photographic look back at Tony Andruzzi's last Invocational, for those who were there or wish they were. All this plus our annual "Haunted Links," the usual "Favorite Links," and a most important "Stirring the Tana Leaves." But first, as always, a look at the news.
MICROSOFT ASCENDING -- Although it may be said that Microsoft never had an original idea, it has finally done a pretty good job of catching up to Netscape with its recently released Internet Explorer 4.0. It's free, so you who have been reading The Little Egypt Gazette and visiting other magic sites on the web have no excuse to not see our offerings in the glorious color and with all the special touches we've built in for you. I am particularly happy that IE4 will now let you view the complete hidden captions that lurk behind every illustration we've run since the June issue.
RANCH GIRL -- For those who have been wondering along with me what's happened to Melinda, she turned up recently in Walter Scott's Personality Parade in Parade magazine, the August 24th issue. A photo of her with a rabbit in hat bore the caption: "Melinda: makes it hard to keep your eye on the bunny." The text revealed that she is currently living on a ranch in Florida with her manager-boyfriend, Steve Zardrick. The ranch also houses her menagerie of horses, dogs and cats, a leopard, a tiger, and a few cougars. Plans for "the 5-foot-7 blonde" include a show in Mexico City and a Christmas show on Broadway.
IF IT LOOKS LIKE A ____ AND SMELLS LIKE A ____ -- I've never been a fan of the tobacco industry and especially its recent zillion-dollar push to make cigars fashionable, but nevertheless picked up a recent copy of Smoke, the fall issue, with Alec Baldwin on the cover (another reason to not pick it up, but that's a more personal reaction). This is a huge glossy, a la the Spiegel catalog, with lots of cigar ads (some are scented) and a few articles. The issue contains an article on Dai Vernon titled "The Professor of Prestidigitaton," by Shawn McMaster and illustrated by Ismael Roldon. Although it leans heavily toward the Professor's cigar-smoking habits (did the author get extra points for mentioning that Vernon died in his sleep at 91?), it's a well-written piece that accurately captures the expertise and the character of Dai Vernon. Readers of EG will be entertained by finding "Zambolini" quoted, from his recent series of Vernon reminiscences. Three "cigar magic tricks" are also included, but they are quite a stretch.
DO YOU HAVE KIDS IN SCHOOL? -- Then you'll need one of deluxe Encyclopedias, the key to learning. Your kid won't make it to Harvard without it. Or something like that: Penn Gillette turned up on the October 9 episode of Friends as an encyclopedia salesman. He managed to sell Joey the V volume for fifty bucks.
THE MOST EXPENSIVE CATALOG IN MAGIC AND DARN WELL WORTH IT -- The long awaited Owen Magic Supreme Catalog No. 12 is now available. Over 300 color illustrations and 200 color photos. $38 pp U.S. from Owen Magic Supreme, 734 North McKeever Avenue, Azusa, CA 91702-2394. If you want a look at the latest from Owen Magic for free, check our "Favorite Links" page for their new web site.
BECOME A WORLD FAMOUS MAGICIAN AND MAKE A KAZILLION DOLLARS AND DATE SUPERMODELS -- You can take the first step toward such fame and fortune by picking up a copy of Rudy Coby's new book, How To Become A World Famous Magician (or just look like one). Just think -- all the patter and building plans for Rudy's greatest creations, such as Nikki Terminator, Puppet Boy, ... NO NO NO. Just kidding! That would just make you a lame imitation of Rudy and not a world famous magician. Instead Rudy teaches you how to carve your own niche via such sections as "How to become famous," "Character," "Originality 101," and "Material." Just $20 pp. from Rudy at 270 North Canon Drive, Suite 1966, Beverly Hills CA 90210. (You mean that's a real zip code?) Rumor is that every 1000th customer at least gets a date with Nikki Terminator.

What am I doing on the internet? Can you play pool here? In 1968 a small, unusual book appeared called The Artful Dodges of Eddie Fields. This book introduced Eddie Fields as a major force in close-up magic and served notice that its young author, Jon Racherbaumer, was a writer to be reckoned with. It's nearly 30 years later, and the stars of both Fields and Racherbaumer have risen. The nineties have been particularly good to Eddie Fields, with a major biography by Stephen Minch in A Life Among Secrets, a major video visit with Eddie in Reminiscing with the Artful Dodger, and, just this month, the updated and expanded The Greater Artful Dodges of Eddie Fields, again by Racherbaumer and published by Richard Kaufman. This issue of the Gazette is pleased to pay homage to Eddie Fields with the following offerings (click for access):

The Greater Artful Dodges of Eddie Fields -- Read the complete review of this fascinating new book of close-up magic.
A Life Among Secrets -- Stephen Minch's 1992 biography of Eddie set the standard for all magic biographies. Enjoy Stephen's thrilling excerpt on how Eddie performed card tricks for Franklin Delano Roosevelt and read the stars for his wife, Eleanor.
The Master Code: The Danny Orleans Interview -- For years Eddie Fields and his partner George Martz performed what is widely regarded as the best two-person code act ever devised. It's now being performed by Chicago's Danny and Jan Orleans. Read the illuminating interview with Danny on what it takes to make a code devised for dime stores in the forties play for corporate America in the nineties.
Fields' Zodiac Card Miracle -- Folks have been burned at the stake for less. This month's card trick is a lovely combination of astrology and card magic, and has long been one of our favorite Eddie Fields effects. As always, the secret is closely guarded. Because Eddie is from Chicago, let's honor Chicago's (and Jon Racherbaumer's) favorite card man, author of such works as the Revolutionary Card Technique series, The Cardician, and the contents of the two-volume L&L M.I.N.T. books, and creator of such moves as ATFUS, the Prayer Cull, and the Olram Subtlety. When prompted for a Userid, enter the word eddie. When prompted for a Password, enter the last name of this famous Chicago cardician. As always, both words must be entered completely in lower case. Hint: it ain't verner.
Check our regular feature, "Stirring the Tana Leaves," for a direct conversation with Eddie Fields, under the heading "Eddie Fields on Line 1." This contains further details on The Unholy Five, the two-man code, and the perfect card tricks for pool halls or cruise ships.

Eight-ball in the corner pocket, off Sagittarius to Virgo.

This pool table is ideal for performing "Fields' Zodiac Card Miracle."

On October 3-4, The Amazing Kreskin appeared here in Indiana for two concerts of his unique brand of mentalism. We were fortunate to be able to contact the amazing one despite his tight and very busy schedule, to wit we offer the following:

Haunted Hootenanny -- Kreskin at Ski World -- Check out a full review of Kreskin's performance in a theater normally reserved for a resident country-western show.
The Amazing Kreskin: The Little Egypt Gazette Interview -- Kreskin speaks out on magic, magicians, and mentalism in what we believe to be the first major interview Kreskin has ever granted a magic journal. Must reading!

I think Rosemary's Baby was born in one of these rooms. This spooky hotel on the left was the home several years ago to Tony Andruzzi's Invocationals, conventions for "bizarrests" that attracted some of the most innovative minds and entertaining performers in magic and the allied arts. These were also some of the friendliest conventions I've ever attended. Turn back the clock and attend Invocational '90, the final Invocational.

Once again, there are enough Haunted Links on the web to draw you to the Dark Side and keep you there. Our usual Favorite Links are still around for the squeamish who prefer white magic to black. Be sure to sample the new web site from Owen Magic Supreme.

Big things are astir with Columbine and Golem, with dark consequence for the future of this journal. Check "Stirring the Tana Leaves" for all the gory details.

We leave you this month with our usual recommendations for holiday giving and receiving:

Virtual Foolery is the new booklet published by Amy Stevens to introduce the world to the columnists who write for GeMiNi, the Greater Magic Network. In addtion to stuff by ourselves, Pete Biro, Aldo Colombini, and other great guys, it contains a dice stacking lesson by this month's Simon Lovell that is worth the price of the book. Now only $11 pp from Steve Bryant, 1639 Sycamore Court, Bloomington IN 47401. And I don't take American Express! (Or any other card -- please send a check.) For overseas addresses, please add $6 for the lecture notes or Virtual Foolery, and $9 for Little Egypt Card Tricks. $9 will suffice for a combined order.

Little Egypt Card Tricks, by Steve Bryant. Ten stunning card tricks, including the impossible "Last Word Card Stab," plus "Views from the Levee" and other thoughts on the presentation of card magic. $22 pp from Steve Bryant.

The Little Egypt Gazette: The Lecture 96, by Steve Bryant. The best of the personal card tricks from Volume 1 of this periodical. Included are "Let George Do It" (a presentation for Paul Harris's "Night Shades"), "Everywhere and Nowhere Goes Hollywood," "From the Casebook of Sherlock Holmes," "Ranch Hand," "Red and Blue Cannibals," "The Great Al Baker Three-Card Mental Test," "Satan's Monte," and "Celebrities." $15 pp from Steve Bryant.

Happy Halloween!