Friday, October 28, 2011

Crystal Casket 1970/Net Vanish


This was a beautiful prop my Father made in the garage at the house we rented on Pine Valley Drive in Alhambra. The two years we lived there were very busy times in his career. We did The IBM Convention, Built the Portable stage he used in the shopping center shows, created a Santa Illusion for Kids to see Santa at the North Pole, and he and my older brother Chris ran away with the Circus for several months. This shot is taken on the driveway of the house. Our neighbor to the north was the busybody who called the cops every time he ran any machinery. Technically, all you are supposed to do in the garage is park your car. So he moved all of his project out on the drive-way to work. It made more noise and irritated the neighbor lady even more. I'm sure she was glad we did not buy the house. I think this prop was traded with a guy named Don Nordoff. He was the ringmaster of the circus and he had several props my Dad wanted for some shows, including a light bulb suspension that he improved immeasurably.

This shot is of a Net Vanish that he built for a magician named Peter Reveen. The traditional vanish is done on a large stage in front of a curtain. This was designed to be done where there was no Fly Gallery but there was still a backdrop. This shot is taken on the same driveway above from a slightly different angle. That is my younger brother Kirk with Dad in the picture (Yes, my parents used his stage name to name my little brother). You can also see our Australian Shepard "Blue" on the stair platform on the left.
at

2 comments:

  1. Belmont Magic ShowJanuary 14, 2015 at 5:05 PM

    I met your Dad around 1985. Lynn Townsend from Milson Worth introduced us. We had a wonderful afternoon together. He regaled me with info about he and your Mom's career and lots of other great magicians including Orson Welles. He took me to the storage space and showed me his illusion. I especially remember the Radio Teleportation Cabinets from the Will Rock Show. Do you still have his Crystal Casket? Magically, Al Belmont, belmontmagic@verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard KirkhamJuly 12, 2015 at 10:47 AM

      Six months late in replying. I have not been keeping up at all, and I've developed some bad habits as a result. My sincere apology for this late response. I unfortunately have very few of his props. Most of the equipment he sold before my Mom died and what was left after he came to live with us was parceled out to various collectors. I can't say who ended up with the Crystal Casket. Thanks for coming by and leaving a message. My Dashboard was not set for this site and I did not notice your comment until today. My Dad loved to talk to everyone about Magic, I'm glad your memory was a good one.

      Delete