Always a thrill to watch the Master at work. I bought his two volume set (photos and text) when I was 17 (1979) for 120.00. I learned most of his coin routines, the 'helicopter' card trick and a few cigarette effects (most of which he had done on his first DC show). Those volumes impressed upon me the creative potential of Magic (sleight of hand)...Slydini could not read (or afford) magic books in his day, so, he decided he would invent his own magic, his own sleight of hand (so much depends upon 'controlling the angles'). Today, there is virtually no table magician that does not incorporate one of more of Slydini's moves.
Lucky man! It sounds like he was a great teacher! His coins thru table is still one of my favorites to perform, just so fun, so satisfying. I can't make it sound like a gunshot like he does, without arm movement. He must have had very strong hands
I don't remember the loud sound. I do remember him showing the imp pass. I said to Slydini, "I know what you are doing, but I don't see the switch."@@johnhein2539
I know it is a trick, slight of hand etc. But it is so perfectly done, even if you follow his hands carefully, he still deceives the viewer. But more than that, he is performing so close to Cher, yet she cannot see what he is doing. That is not just magic. It is an art form!
Slydini's flavor of sleight of hand was so unique and beautiful, that it very often survived the scrutiny of a zoomed in camera, which can't be misdirected unlike the spectators.
It's been almost a year since your last reply to this. I couldn't agree more. That beautiful feeling when somebody performs a trick and the impossible happens in front of your eyes. He he dedicated himself to a difficult craft and brought joy to so many people. I wish I had the discipline and skill to achieve 1% of what he and other master magicians are capable of.
@@markyeagermastermagician I am curious why he has Cher hold her hand palm down instead of palm up like most magicians I've seen. I am sure he has a reason. Even though I personally think the reveal is better palm up that may also give away small clues to the secret. Palm down somewhat hides that.
This is a wonderful 6 minute clip of a Slydini performance highlighting his One Coin and Sponge Ball routines on his 1975 first appearance on the Dick Cavett show .Note Steve Allen in the plaid jacket sitting on Cavett's left.
I tried Slydini's sponge ball routine. Sometimes a sponge ball would fall on the floor. So I never did it for anyone. I saw Slydini do his sponge routine and one ball fell on the floor, but Slydini kept going. I was probably the only person that noticed a sponge ball was missing.
@@markyeagermastermagicianOh wow. I wonder what he was like on stage. I thought he only did closeup at tables. Would have loved to see how he adapted to platform style.
Do you happen to know which year this took place in? Slydini seems younger and even more agile than in his other appearances on the Dick Cavett show (at least the ones on youtube). It's a simply amazing performance. If you also happen to have any more videos of him you'd like to share, they'd be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much either way.
No. I had the actual Slydini books by Lewis Ganson with the detailed instructions years ago. I studied the lessons in detail. I mastered them. I performed them for audiences. There are NO confederates used. When Cher opened her hand and the explosion of the sponges occurred a couple may have hit the inside of her sleeve then tumbled back out, but she was NOT retaining them in the sleeve pre-opening her hand. It would have been impossible for her to keep them from falling out prematurely unless she held her arm and hand in a vertical position! Her open sleeve was touching the table for several seconds before the explosion! Nothing rolled out! The last one where all the balls explode from her hand? I had a young lady volunteer on stage. (Never met her before. She was straight from the audience, unrehearsed.) ‘ When the sponges exploded from her hand, she let out an ear piercing scream that I will never forget to this day, decades later. It was the most extreme reaction I had ever received to any magic trick I ever performed. ‘ Ahhh, memories, memories! Anyway, she was not a stooge. Slydini didn’t need them.
I've watched too much fool us. The loads and switches are so obvious. Not that he isn't good and it isn't fun to watch the of the originals, but his sleight of hand is just ok at best by today's standards.
