Tagged magic
The Magic Behind The Apple Watch
As Tim Cook stood on stage this week and announced that the new Apple Watch would be able to make and receive phone calls, you could hear the excitement in his voice. The Apple CEO smiled as he told the crowd, “I’ve been wanting to do this since I was 5 years old, the day is finally here.”
Tim Cook was referring to the famous Dick Tracy 2-Way Wrist Radio, an idea that only existed in the imagination when it first appeared in a 1946 comic strip.
“Time continued to pass – the oldest trick in the world, and maybe the only one that really is magic.” – Stephen King
From shadows on a sundial to sand flowing through an hourglass, people have long been fascinated by devices that measure time.
In the mid-1800s, French magician and clockmaker Robert-Houdin combined illusion and time when creating his ornate mystery clocks. Robert-Houdin used a variety of clever techniques to hide the gears and other workings of the clocks. Although the hands of the clock appeared to float on glass, they somehow managed to move and keep perfect time. While the glass made the illusion seem more innocent and fair, it was its transparency that actually aided in the deception. Robert-Houdin’s mystery clocks remain amazing works of engineering, even when compared to today’s technology.
While writing this article, Michael Mode had a conversation about mystery clocks with Gabe Fajuri from Potter & Potter Auctions. Fajuri had this to say on the subject:
“Considered by many to be a ‘holy grail’ object, Robert-Houdin’s mystery clocks are a combination of elements anyone who collects can appreciate and understand. You need not be a magician to appreciate them. The clocks are beautiful, fascinating, magical, and rare. Our auction house receives calls about them regularly, and for good reason. I only wish we had enough supply to meet the demand. Not many collectibles in the magic field are as cross collectible as Robert-Houdin’s clocks.”
Robert-Houdin was a clockmaker who became interested in magic after a bookshop accidentally sent him home with magic books instead of the clockmaking books he had purchased. The literary mix-up started Robert-Houdin in magic and he went on to become a pioneer in the field, eventually becoming known as the Father of Modern Magic.
In 1890, a young magician and escape artist named Ehrich Weiss read a book on Robert-Houdin. Weiss wanted to be like the famous illusionist, so he added an “i” to the end of his idol’s name. It was that day that Ehrich Weiss became Harry Houdini.
Robert-Houdin may have created magical timepieces nearly 200 years ago but today the wizards at Apple are the ones who have us marveling at their latest invention. How will the Apple Watch change our lives? Time will tell.
“What good were the rules of time when the rules of magic contradicted them.”
– Orson Scott Card
What You Probably Didn’t Know About Houdini
Harry Houdini’s name is synonymous with escapes, but you probably didn’t know the master showman was also recognized as an inventor. Today is the 94th anniversary of Houdini receiving his first and most notable patent. On March 1, 1921, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued Houdini a patent for a diving suit that he created. The suit could split apart in the middle, allowing for a quick underwater escape if a diver got into a dangerous situation. Houdini was an expert at freeing himself from difficult situations and called upon his experience with underwater near-death escapes when designing his invention.
Houdini is just one of the dozens of magicians who have been issued patents for non-magic inventions. Magic is all about problem solving and making something that seems impossible a reality. More and more companies are now realizing that Thinking Like a Magician and using a Magic Mindset can lead to new ways of thinking and innovative solutions.
In addition to magic and escapes, Houdini was also an expert at outsmarting his competition. As Houdini’s fame grew, countless imitators tried copying his act to ride on the coat tails of his success. Houdini stayed in the lead by continuing to innovate and develop headline generating stunts that drew record crowds around the world. Houdini’s name remains just as popular today as it was in 1926 when he died on Halloween night in Detroit, Michigan.
It was Houdini’s ability to innovate that created and sustained his legendary success. As Houdini himself alluded, his way of thinking was the real secret to his escapes:
“My brain is the key that sets me free.” – Harry Houdini
12 Amazing Facts About Magicians & Movies
Here’s a list of 12 Amazing Facts that you probably didn’t know about magicians & their contributions to movies.
12. The horror film genre was created by French illusionist and filmmaker George Melies when he made the 1896 movie Le Manor du Diable (The House of the Devil.) Melies became known as the Father of Special Effects for his pioneering inventions in the world of film, including stop trick photography, the dissolve and multiple exposure.
The Father of Special Effect – French illusionist George Melies
11. Fred Astaire’s signature look of a tuxedo with tails was inspired after Astaire saw a performance of the legendary sleight of hand magician Cardini.
10. Citizen Kane director Orson Welles became interested in magic after Houdini taught him a card trick when he was a child. In 1943, Welles starred as Orson The Great in The Mercury Wonder Show, a production created by Welles to entertain members of the U.S. Armed Services while also raising funds for the troops. Orson’s wife, actress Rita Hayworth, was his lovely assistant.
9. Director Sam Raimi (Spiderman, Oz The Great and Powerful, Evil Dead) performed magic shows as a teenager while growing up in a suburb of Detroit. Raimi later edited his cult classic film Evil Dead in the Renaissance Pictures studio that he founded with Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert. The studio was right across the hall from Romig Magic Shop in nearby Ferndale, Michigan. Sam’s brother, actor Ted Raimi, took magic lessons at Romig’s during the filming and shop owner Mike Foydel donated a box of theatrical smoke bombs that were used while filming Evil Dead.
8. While writing The Wizard of Oz, author L. Frank Baum modeled The Wizard after Harry Kellar, the most famous magician of the time.
7. Director & writer JJ Abrams (LOST, Star Trek, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) credits a box of magic tricks he got as a child on a trip with his grandfather to Tannen’s Magic Shop in NY as being the inspiration for the power of mystery in much of his work. In his TED Talk, Abrams talked about how he’s never opened the box because the mystery of not knowing what’s inside is more powerful than knowing.
6. Actor and talk show host Johnny Carson began his performing career as a magician. Carson performed as The Great Carsoni and would order magic tricks through the mail from Abbott’s Magic Co. which is located in Colon, Michigan, The Magic Capital of The World. Johnny Carson was a big fan of magic and helped launch the careers of many magicians by having them appear on The Tonight Show.
5. Woody Allen aspired to be a magician. Several of Allen’s movies have a magic theme, including the recent Magic In The Moonlight.
4. Neil Patrick Harris is an accomplished magician and past President of The Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in Hollywood.
3. Cary Grant, Jackie Gleason, Jimmy Stewart and Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) were all magicians. Dick Cavett and Jason Alexander are also magicians.
2. Steve Martin was a demonstrator at the Disneyland Magic Shop and continues to study and perform magic.
1. David Copperfield recently founded a movie and television production company called Red Safe. David is a big fan of movies and often mentions them as a source of inspiration for his incredible magic.
