Tyler Verner - As a young man, just turned 18, I got a job at Disneyland in the Frontierland Operations Department as a ride operator. Each day I would go to work early and I would stop by the Main Street Magic Shop to watch the Lead Magician, Steve Schreiner, perform for the guests in the magic shop. We became friends and when I turned 21, he invited me to go with him to the Magic Castle in Hollywood where your great-grandfather, Dai, was the Magician-In-Residence and headliner in the Close-Up Room. Through my friend Steve, who’s was closer in age to Dai than to me, I got to sit at a private table for magicians only. I was actively studying magic by that point. Dai was at the table along with Al Goshman and Jimmy Ravel. Mr. Ravel was a magician and the developer/vendor of the Ravel Chop Cup, which are still available in magic shops today, and Al Goshman (Magic by Gosh) was there with his sponge ball routine. Anyway, your great-grandfather was very gracious and even though I was not a member of the Castle, he treated me as an apprentice magician and gave me a private showing, along with Jimmy Ravel and Al Goshman, of their talents. To this day, and I am nearing 70, that remains a bright memory of my youth. Today, in a local paper called The Paper, they printed a large article done by a local writer on The Magic Castle. It made me think of that night and I went to RU-vid to see if Dai was featured and was happy to see him. I saw the very same routine while sitting with him at a table. Great memory. Your great-grandfather was a very nice man and someone to be proud of.
In -theory- I know how he's doing it. In -practice-, for the life of me, I can NOT see the sleights! Magnificently smooth! And I love his patter, too. As the previous poster said - it's like he's just sitting there shooting the BS with you and not performing at all. Brilliant!
vernonclassic you got to meet him and you fool him with a trick , that's awesome , was the trick original ( I'm curious as to what you fooled him with ) 👍
He was easily the greatest magician of the 20th Century. Today's magicians will eventually be even greater because they have the video example of his technique to work from instead of written description. Its a shame he never got the recognition he really deserved when people like Chris Angel and so on are much much famous but haven't one tenth the ability.
There have been a lot of professional magicians I have had the pleasure of watching live in performance, and many who gave lectures teaching their methods. But there was only ONE Professor of Magic, and I had the distinct pleasure of seeing him lecture for FOUR hours in Hartford Connecticut back in the 70s. He was in his EIGHTIES at that time, and he could still do some of the hardest sleight of hand techniques. Among other things, he blew us all away with his one handed top palm.
Thanks for posting this clear version. There are so few opportunities to see The Professor actually perform live. Thanks for giving us that opportunity.
His greatest routine...the cups and balls. This is one of his very best performances on television and worthy of lengthy study. Even then no one will come even close. Brilliant. Awesome. Awe inspiring. Makes you want to give up.
He certainly did have family. His son is quoted as saying, "As a father, Dai, made a great magician." It could be apocryphal but that is the quote in the magic community.
He was the guy who rediscovered and perfected so many tricks and swindles all kinds of never-do-wells had employed and made them legitimate, well-structured craft. No need to scam people out of their money if you can just show that you can do that and show it with great level of humor and skill.
I'm not entirely sure if any from outside the UK has heard of a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer, and sceptic called Derren Brown. Although his talents are very diverse he's one of the best performers today and definitely worth a watch. Derren's the reason I'm watching Dai and he also mentions many other Magicians (mostly Victorian) throughout his special shows on channel 4.
Dai Vernon is a Legend, the fact that young Magicians are doing his routines (especially Triumph) without even knowing the Name Dai Vernon is just awesome and the fact that every Cups and Balls Routine Ive seen over the Years has most of Dai Vernons Cups and Balls (if not the whole Routine) RIP Professor
I totally agree about the Triumph bit, but Vernons Cups and balls routine is largely Max malinis. Dai states this fact on Revelations. That aside, it's a damn shame modern aspiring magicians are gravitating less to essentially who was the greatest.
Only after several close examinations could I see him placing the big balls in the cups....he was very smooth and obviously very skilled at this illusion.
