355: Bill Smith - The Man Behind the Illusions

Former Long Beach Mystic, Bill Smith, has been a long time resident on Las Vegas and doesn't consider himself as a creator so much as he is a builder. He has seen a lot of magicians come and go. For ten years, he was a stage hand for Harry Blackstone, Jr. and traveled across the U.S. including his Broadway show. He also has some strong beliefs on building from original plans rather than building rip-offs.

As part of the Las Vegas Chronicles, one of the visits was to the illusion fabrication warehouse of Bill Smith's Magic Ventures where his crew was busy building props for upcoming shows. For more info on Magic Ventures, visit his website at: http://www.magicventures.com/

To hear our chat with Bill Smith, visit: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/bill-smith

Bill Smith talks about his migration to "Sin City" as magic began to flourish. He talks about magic he has been involved with from Caesar's Magic Kingdom to the current big shows on the Strip. He also talks about working with Stan Allen in the magic shop in Los Angeles and his early attempts at building. Bill started out as a performer and gradually moved into building. He also chats about how he met Harry Blackstone, Jr. and how he starting working for him including a lot of behind-the-scene stories with Harry. Some of Bill's best memories are from his attendance at Abbott's Get Together.

We then have a good discussion about rip-offs of illusions, ethics, rights, YouTube, China, lack of creativity, and more. He now laments the lack of new, original illusions coming on the market today.

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322: Kirby VanBurch - From Vegas to Branson

Kirby VanBurch is returning to his roots...Houston, Texas. He was born there when he fell in love with magic at age seven. His interest grew so he moved to Las Vegas where, according to Wikipedia, he was the youngest illusionist to have his own show. From there he moved to Reno then back to Las Vegas where he ran for the U.S. Senate. Then he moved to Branson, Missouri where he stayed for the next 20 years performing in nine separate theaters.

2010 Promo video for show in Branson, Missouri.

Time Stamps for the podcast:

00:04:07 - In this podcast, Kirby talks about his early roots in magic starting in Houston then moving to Las Vegas while in his late teens. It is interesting to hear about his failed attempt to run for political office (U.S. Senate) in Nevada. But perhaps most interestingly, he speaks candidly about an argument with Siegfried and other "behind the scenes" stories with his show in Branson including many "differences of opinion" and lawsuits that swirled around him.

0055:02: - PRODUCT REVIEW: this week we had a little time left to offer a Murphy's Magic Supplies product review. We take a look at the recent At The Table lecture by Kyle Littleton who has a host of commercial ideas for the worker that he has never shared anywhere else.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

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304: Gay Blackstone, First Lady of Magic

Blackstone. An iconic name that means "magic". Well, okay, it may also mean a winery...but for us, it means "magic".

The name conjures up perhaps the last of the big traveling shows from legitimate theaters to Broadway. And Harry Blackstone, Junior's widow, Gay, continues that tradition by taking "Masters of Illusion" on the road and bringing it to an even wider audience each week on the CW television network. After being the wife and assistant for Harry Blackstone, Jr. for many years, she is now a producer, director, consultant, lecturer and author. She has made a mark of her own not only with the "Masters of Illusion" show, but also with the many awards she has earned including being named one of "2007 Hollywood's Women of Distinction" plus being the President of the Academy of Magic Arts.

Along with Harriet Jacobson and Robbie Willmarth, Gay also owns and operates the magic-themed jewelry company, BJW Magical Jewelers, which is often seen in the dealers' rooms at magic conventions.

Gay Blackstone is more than the widow of Harry Blackstone Jr. She is also a television and stage producer, director, consultant, lecturer and author. She was president of the Academy of Magical Arts and was named one of "2007 Hollywood's Women of Distinction" by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

On July 3, 2016, while attending the 88th I.B.M. conveintion in San Antonio, Texas, Gay Blackstone joined Scott Wells on the microphone to record a podcast for The Magic Word.

In our conversation, I learned that Gay was once one of the "Gold-Diggers" dancers on the Dean Martin Show before she met Harry. She also has some great stories about their summer retreats to Blackstone Island in Colon, Michigan and how important Abbott's Get Togethers are to her. She then talks about "Masters of Illusion" and a little about how the acts are selected. If you are interested in being on the TV or touring show, then first listen to this podcast.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Looking for that special item? Perhaps a customized jewelry item might be in your future. Check out BJW Magical Jewelers.