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Drawing on June 1st, 2024
Details

Price$20.00
Media TypeTrick
CategoryMentalism
Date AddedMay 12, 2021

Houdini's Pets

Wayne Dobson

Alan Wong

(Based on 1 review)
Houdini's Pets by Wayne Dobson in association with Alan Wong

"Houdini and his wife Bess did not ever have children. Instead they showered their affection on each other, and on the collection of pets they built up. Houdini particularly treasured this photo of him holding several of his beloved pets."

This is a deceptive quickie that has several hidden layers. It started life as little more than a sight gag, but gradually Wayne has added to it to give you a multi-layered, close-up, comedy prediction effect.

You introduce a picture in a frame, of Harry Houdini clutching a bunch of his different pet animals to his chest. The spectator chooses any one of these animals from a list they make on a card or piece of paper - it is a genuine choice, no equivoque, Hot Rod sequence or any such nonsense.

When the photo is taken from the frame and displayed, it now depicts Houdini holding just the chosen animal with the pet's name is written on it. The routine relies upon a clever Dobbo variation on his mentor Roy Johnson's switch frame, that Roy designed specifically for Vic Pinto's wonderful Society of International Magicians routine that was all the rage in the mid-1970's. Roy didn't ever put the frame into print as far as we know, although it has been purloined by several dealers over the years. We call it 'The No-Switch Switch Frame'.

It also offers for the first time Wayne Dobson's simple-but-clever impromptu and diabolical FG Force that will have you chuckling with glee as you do it, along with some neat scripting.

Reviews

Stephan Sloan

Official Reviewer

Sep 12, 2023

Overview

Houdini’s Pets is another release by Wayne Dobson and Alan Wong in the Houdini’s fill in the blank series. In an attempt to bring interesting plots and unique props to the novice performer, this one fell short of delivering a usable product. Although the concept is a good one for beginner performers, the lack of quality control prevents this release from being anything but a waste of money.

Effect

You display a photo of Houdini and several of his pets. Because Houdini and his wife didn’t have children they showered all of their affection on the various pets depicted in the photo. A spectator is given a pad and is asked to write numbers 1 – 5 in a vertical column. They are then asked to list the pets in the order the performer dictates. As this is happening, there are corny jokes are told throughput the process. Eventually the spectator is asked think of a number between one and five. Whichever number is mentioned it is used to count. As a finale, the performer pulls the photo out of the frame and instead of the photo of Houdini and all of his pets, he is now alone with his favorite.

Method

The method uses a frame, a slightly gimmicked photo, a regular photo and a counting force. The spectator is allowed to make a free choice of a number but the counting sequence used will always bring them to the desired outcome. The “magic” happens when the photo changes. The method is simple and doable by the most novice performers.

Product Quality

What is included in the set are the two photos and a plastic frame. Also included is a PDF instruction sheet with the handling, dialogue and counting sequence. The instructions claim that the dialogue is integral to the effect but I can’t see anyone telling these jokes without appearing like a fool. The most glaring fault in the entire package is the incredibly poor photo provided. The photo supplied is so muddy that you cannot tell the dog, from the cat if you can see them at all. I cannot understand how anyone can package this as a saleable product.

Ad Copy Integrity

Although the effect is mediocre at best, the ad copy would have been accurate if one was able to actually see the animals in the photo. This is definitely one to avoid.
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