Pete-
After reading many of your posts singing the praises of the "Fresh Fish Sold Here Today" tear, I finally got a set - boy, does it play well! So thanks for the nudge in the right direction, and I guess it's another great example of why some classics are, well, classics. And it can be economical, too - since it's on regular paper rather than tissue paper, I've found that I can re-use the restored signs and can get 18 performances out of the dozen.

Shhhhhhhhhhh... now everybody will be doing it

I am still using the grocery bag full of them I got from Burling Hull when he went to the nursing home.

It's a fantastic trick.

The box of homemade gimmicks made from PA tobacco cans etc. are still mysteries.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I read a book on "book magic" for library shows this week and it had a write-up of "Fresh Fish" in it. The routine was all intact: tearing off each word in turn because various people tell the sign maker that it's not needed, etc.

The only problem is... it didn't seem to do justice to the ending. The "punch line" before restoring the sign was simply described as... the owner comes back and says, "What happened to the sign I paid for?" And then you show the restored sign. This book stated that the effect was based on an old joke told in Europe, so I imagine there MUST be more to the punchline. It just doesn't seem at all funny as it was outlined in that book.

The effect of restoring the paper is good, but it seems that, without a humorous accompanying punchline, it would fall flat. So can someone help me out with how this is supposed to end?

It's been a year since any post, so I'm reactivating this thread...

Magicbob116 has a valid point. Fresh-Fish is a great routine which really brings the smiles and chuckles during the the tearing-up phase of the routine... but is a little weak at the restoration without good ending patter.

Anybody have any ideas for verbally ending Fresh-Fish?

Thanks-
Bruce

I used to end it by restoring the paper, then bunching it up and saying "And you can even wrap fish in the paper when you are all through with it. What's that funny smell?" and then I would open up the bundle and pull out a rubber fish. But that was years ago before they started wrapping fish in plastic bags, so I don't know if it would add anything to the ending or not for today's audience.

For me, the restoration seemed to be a strong enough ending to the story and it didn't need a huge punch line or any verbal "The End". My impression was that the appeal of the routine was the journey itself rather than just the ending, and when the sign is restored, we all had arrived at our destination.

I understand your point drhackenbush...
However as you perform this, generally you're telling a story which has a cute element to it. To me it seems a little abrupt to just restore it while saying something like: "So I magically fixed / restored the sign".
I'm just looking for a couple of good ideas that aren't so "plain vanilla" if you know what I mean. Thanks

Well, you could try a reverse fish story... "Well, you know how people lie about the size of the fish they caught? So, the sign was this big" showing the still-folded restored packet..."I mean, it was this big" opening up the packet and slowly stretching it out, etc.

The original joke did not have much of a finish. Here is one that I got on line.

In a certain village a man opened a fish shop with a big sign: Fresh Fish Sold Here.

The very first day a man came into the shop and read, "Fresh Fish Sold Here". He laughed. "Fresh Fish'? Are stale fish sold anywhere? What is the point of writing "fresh' fish?"

The shopkeeper decided he was right; besides. "Fresh" gave the idea of stale to the customers. He deleted "Fresh" from the signboard. The board now read, "Fish Sold Here".

An old lady, visiting the shop the next day, read aloud, "'Fish Sold Here'. Do you also sell fish somewhere else?"

"Here" was erased. Now the board read, "Fish sold".

The third day yet another customer came to the shop and said "'Fish Sold'" Does anybody give fish for free?"

The word "Sold" was deleted. Only "Fish" was left now.

An aged man came and said to the shopkeeper, "'Fish'? A blind man, even at a distance, could tell from the smell that fish are sold here."

"Fish" was removed. The board was now blank.

A passer-by asked, "Why a blank board?"

The board was also removed. Nothing remained after the process of elimination; every word had been removed, one by one. And what was left behind was nothing, and emptiness.

The Washington Times is still around, if you are looking for a good fish wrapper.

I do this effect.

One rather horrible line I added was "even a blind man could smell you sold fish unless he thought he was walking past a cheap brothel". Not really my style, but I adlibbed it one day and it got a laugh.

I also kind of liked
"Who gives away free fish, the fish fairy?" and
"Where else would you sell fish, Ebay?"

My line for the restoration is along the lines of the fishmonger complaing the reply being
"Well you obviously haven't been listening let's start again"
It's still a bit weak, though.

I mentioned on another thread that this might be a fun premiss for a torn and restored routine. Only one person agreed but I'll mention it again if only to amuse old Hugo hack-in-a-puss, there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulwl_pYLUOE

George

The pahty of the foist paht shall be know as the pahty of the foist paht. George, you do a fantastic "Gookie" - Harpo would be proud!

You can't fool me, there ain't no sanity clause...

The Marx Bros. bit would be a good idea for the Fresh Fish. The party of the first part will be known as the party of the first part. Great stuff. I forgot how funny this was.

Punx had a great routine for this.

I haven't seen this effect done in many years it is a good one. Many years ago I had actually seen Arnold Furst perform this. Please don't ask how many years ago that was! LOL!!

Punx's ending was a bit different. Here is the idea. You have the normal Fresh Fish signs. The restoration packet says "Eat More Fish. Fish is Brain Food."

Instead of making the signs up so that they are a long strip, make them up so they read

Fresh
Fish
Sold
Here
Today

and

Eat More
Fish
Fish is
Brain
Food

Now, work the story so you tell the fishmonger that his sign is stupid and redundant. Tear it up. Then ask him why he wanted the sign in the first place.

He replies "Well, to sell more fish, of course!"

"Well, sir -- you need a marketing strategy. You have to make fish into something special. Try this new sign"

Then open the sign up.