Where can I find Illusion plans for a flash production box. I know they are probably in the Osborne books somewhere... anyone know specially?

Do you want a Flash Appearance (like a doorway; http://www.tilfordillusions.com/chameleon.html), or something more like a Blammo Box ( http://www.dennymagic.com/cgi-bin/hazel.......m=005086 ), or a fire cage ( http://home.att.net/~harlinmagic/firecage.html ), or somethign else?

Amos McCormick

Like this one...without the zombie part

thanks

What one ...without the Zombie part. A Zombie is a floating ball or the walking undead.

Forgot the link

http://www.tilfordillusions.com/zombieVanish.html

This type of box trick is not considered an illusion. An illusion is a large perfoming appratus that uses a person (human being). I suggest you contact Tilford and see if he carries the plans, but honestly, there are usually no plans available for box tricks (illusionettes) under a $1000.

Something similiar was in the 'Tony Marks' book by Bev Bergron. Available from your favorite dealer. You will spend much more then the $395 in time and materials trying to re-create this illusionette to look as nice as this one.

Bill hit the nail on the head on this one. This is a copy of the Tony Marks trick. Tony used the trick as his finale for years. As Bill states, the prop is explained in the Bev Bergeron book “Tony Marks, Aristocrat of Deception”. If you have any DYI skills you could probably build a version from the drawings in the book. However the prop that Tilford is selling is comparatively inexpensive and you probably would not save all that much trying to duplicate it yourself.

However, I am confused by your request. You ask about a flash production and link to a prop on the Tilford site that is a vanish not a production.

I believe that what you are looking for is a Blamo box. With a Blamo box prop you show an empty box that has a cage front, you lift the top and the sides fall and instantly a rabbit (or whatever livestock you are producing) appears. Add a flash pot and you have a flash production.

The Blamo box is super easy to build even with the most modest of DYI skills.

I have a nice, home-made version that holds a small to medium size rabbit for sale if interested.

What everyone calls the Blamo Box, I know as the Duck to Doves. Osborne did publish the this in Genii magazine many years ago. It is now in a book of all those Genii plans published in the magazine.

I built his version. It does post some building hurdles as far as finding the hardware.

Mak-Magic sells a version as does Abbott's Magic Co.

Correction the Duck to Doves does not have an open front. That is the difference, I guess.

He

The Chameleon Flash Production Combo does both: A person appears and then at end of performance the person can vanish. Perfect for Santa Clause.

We also offer model where person just appears: The Chameleon Flash Appearance.

The Chameleon Combo is best deal as it isn t that much more than just The Chameleob Flash Appearance

Thank You, Doug

illustiontilford@webtv.net

http://www.tilfordillusions.com

Harry,
I know it seems confusing but here is the description from the Tilford site on this vanish I posted. It seem to be a flash appearance then a vanish later on with a zombie effect.

EFFECT: An attractive cage is shown to be ABSOLUTELY EMPTY. In a FLASH a LIVE RABBIT or DOVE appears INSTANTLY and VISIBLY within the cage. Next, the rabbit or dove is placed on top of the cage and a small cloth is placed over the animal. The rabbit or dove immediately ARISES and FLOATS ALL OVER THE STAGE (A La Zombie) with the animal finally VANISHING WITH CLOTH FLUTTER TO THE GROUND!! The rabbit or dove
VANISHED INTO THIN AIR!

This box looks really nice... and it is resonable priced too. I was just looking to get my hands dirty on a building project for the fun of it... to see what I can do. More for fun than anything else.

I don't use live animals or an assistant in my show. I am looking to just appear a rocky raccoon or other small puppet.

thanks you guys for the help.

Duh! That’s on me for not learning to read the words and just looking at the pretty pictures! Sorry….

You know the whole routine, appearance, levitation, and vanish could be funny with your puppet!

If you want to get your hands dirty you could probably meld a couple of different but standard ideas (flash appearance and later the vanish) into a very workable prop. Man you could make a very small load chamber for a spring animal. The spring in the little beastie would be the motor to trip the load flap.

Frankly as I type this I am starting to like this idea a lot! The prop could be made very small and be very deceptive! AND it’s not hard to do if you are not going to use livestock. I might just have to build a fiberboard or cardboard mockup to see what I can do.

The prop on Tilford’s site is very inexpensive, looks nice, and probably well made. I have an example Fairchild’s work and it is solid (I think this prop is a Fairchild piece).

Harry,
Your idea sounds great! I also like the prop on the tilford site. I might have to invest in it.

something esle I have been think about is how to incorporate more magic in conjunction with the puppets. Here is the biggest obsticle when performing vent and magic together on or with puppets. The puppets need to be moving throughout the routine. So it is impossible to take your hand out of the puppet (unless you a use radio controlled device to active the puppet from back stage). I am not really wanting to retro fit my puppets with animatronics so I am trying to think of things to do...

One Idea I had was to try and do a zombie routine with a full size vent dummy as the prop and still make it move... but I guess it really wouldn't be to magicial since they know you have to be using your hand and arm to hold the puppet and make it talk....

just a rambling brain storm.. thanks

It takes a rambling brain to come up with the idea of a lifetime. The only thing you could do with the restrictions you have is a selled card discovery as the routine for the rabbit in hat or use a spectator to help you. Find self working tricks to use.

Then you could do a mental act, there was a vaudville act with a dummy that did mentalism act. I was very funny as I remember being told. I am not that old. It was along the basis of the 2 person acts. Blindfold the dummy, and have someone hold up an item. The vent doll devines the item. It was played kind of stright.

Great idea Bill, In fact the puppet can be blindfolded, then have a bag pulled over his head to further prevent him form seeing. That way Jimmy can actually walk away from the puppet and into the audience. I suspect that Jimmy is good with a distant or muffled voice which would be needed to pull the gag off!

Sticking to the Zombie theme. Why not build an Asra the same size as one of your puppets and float it up, pull the cloth away and it’s vanished!

You could do a version of the Sword Box – puppet inside and complaining, yelling ouch, etc. as you push in swords. Pull the puppet out and have him full of holes!

Pull out a couple of head choppers and put the puppet in one (complaining, acting afraid, etc) and a spectator in the other. Say that you are going to do the only double danger act in the history of show business. Push the blade down on the puppet and have his head fall off. You know the rest.

Make a sub trunk (and tip over trunk in one). Use two puppets and have them change places. The one inside comes out with a costume change.

Think of a trick that uses an assistant and use a puppet. But watch out, they may ask for more money!

DO you think the Voodoo box by Andrew Mayne would work for a dummy/sword box routine??

I think that the routine posted above with the spec. holding a card up and the dummy blind folded with a bag over his head could be pretty comical... I could bill the dummy metalist in history. Play it strait and have several spec hold up cards and the dummy continues to get it right. Then as the big finale I could use something like an Osterlings Stainless steel blindfold and then still get the pridiction right. what do you think?

I have also been thinking of doing a vent rouitne with the dummy in the french arm chopper.

I think you are over thinking the mental act. Just wait till the audience catches on it is the dummy that is discribing the items. Don't overkill it. You could do the 180 head turn after he is blind folded to make sure he cannot see the item.

Yes, play it straight with all the jokes you can from the dummy toward you. You play the staight man.

The French arm chopper may present handling problems.

Ha ! I think I remember this bit being very funny from the 1930's-era film "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man" starring W.C. Fields and Edgar Bergen , with Charlie McCarthy .
Charlie McCarthy was put inside the sword box with much comedy byplay.
In the movie Bergen plays a sideshow magician employed by Fields . In real life Bergen was an accomplished magician (and "Friend of Magic") , though the majority of his professional show business life was as a ventriloquist . What a great performer . I love listening to old radio broadcasts by Edgar Bergen . Who would have ever thought " a ventriloquist on the radio" would have been successful ?

I don’t know anything about Mayne’s “Voodoo Box”. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Plus it’s pretty cheap to buy and build (according to Mayne).

I also think that the arm chopper or head chopper could be very funny with a puppet as the victim. You could even gimmick the hand so that it fell off for real and you had to put a hook on the puppet!

Dia, never saw the movie but can visualize the scene. I was not much of a W.C. Fields or an Edgar Bergen fan. I must admit that I enjoy Edgar’s daughter’s work.

Only goes to prove that great minds think alike!

I’ll have to see if Blockbusters can get the film for me on DVD and watch it.

I don't beileve it is on DVD but I have it on video. YOu can buy it from amazon for $15 bucks or somehting.

Harry,

How about this as a funny head chopper Idea!
You use a puppet that is muppet style, where you arm goes into the head to operate the mouth. THen you put the puppets head in the chopper...

The puppet is saying all the little things like are you sure you want to do this!... Ahhhh this is gonna hurt you way more than its gonna hurt me...

Do the actual chopping part of the bit in a slow motion routine to the music Chariots of Fire. I saw a sponge ball routine done like this and it was hysterical.

Humm... Now we need a chopper that would work for that in the style where it looks like the head actually chops off and falls into the bastket... then reach into the basket and instead of pulling out the puppets head you pull out a fake hand and scream!

Could be funny!

Would be funny! A version of the French arm chopper would do the trick!

Thanks for the tip on getting the film.