715: Paul Stone - No Stone Unturned

Paul Stone has been a mainstay in the world of magic without gaining the true notoriety he deserves because of his work behind the scenes. Paul is the driving force behind his company, SHOWSTEALERS LLC. Paul is an experienced Producer of hundreds of Corporate Events and Shows, amongst them in the UK include shows at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Her Majesty’s Theatre and 18 shows at the world famous London Palladium Theatre, including the widely acclaimed ‘Tribute to Siegfried & Roy at the London Palladium’ in 2008. Paul has produced Shows in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, Mirage, Harrahs, Orleans and the Suncoast Hotel & Casino.

The working pros know him and go to him when they need help producing a gala event. Not only a producer, Paul is also a trade show performer and creator of magic tricks such as “Overboard” which is a quality prop with endless possibilities and is in my personal trade show.

In this episode, Paul tells one story after another about Ken Brooke, Paul Daniels, Fred Kaps, Hans Moretti, John Fisher, Wayne Dobson, and so many others. As a producer who works behind the scenes on big events, he has all the great stories. From a young man in Liverpool to a grown man in Las Vegas, Paul has met and worked with all of the top magic names from one side of the pond to the other.

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300: Day Two - 2016 I.B.M. Convention

Today began the first day of the the "Triple Treat" so named because each day the registrants are broken into three groups (by color) and attend an hour and a half of performances and lectures by three different magicians, one in each of three rooms each day: Richard Turner, Paul Vigil, and Brian Gillis. After the General Board Meeting, the second day of stage contests were held (which yielded a few finalists for Monday night's show). The afternoon lecture by Michael Ammar was another outstanding (and packed) event. The evening's "Magic Foolers Show" left something to be desired in that there were audio and visual problems. Plus the show would have been better received in a smaller venue probably back at the hotel ballroom. The final night's activity was a discussion with Jeff McBride and Eugene Burger talking about the 25 years of the Mystery School.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:13 - Dealer Chairman, Terry Richison, talks about some of the cool things in the dealers' room.

00:08:34 - Past International President, Jep Hostetler, talks about attending the Richard Turner experience as part of the "Triple Treat"

00:10:28 - Attendee Greg Lancaster gives us his take on the Paul Vigil performance/lecture in the "Triple Treat".

00:12:08 - Jeff McBride and Eugene Burger talk about the many years they have taught the youth as part of the I.B.M. youth group activities each year.

00:16:55 - Harriet Jacobson and Gay Blackstone chat about their specialized magic jewelry sold through BJW Magical Jewelers which is one of the many dealers in the dealers' room this year.

00:22:24 - Past President of the British Ring, Brian Miller, talks about the upcoming British Ring convention.

00:26:45 - S.A.M. National President, David Bowers, talks about his year as President of that organization and some stories from the road. He is later joined by The Linking Ring Editor, Sammy Patrick Smith, and together they talk about the two organizations' journals, The Linking Ring and M.U.M. and the possible future of the magazines, joint conventions, and organizations.

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120: John Calvert - Centurian of the World

John Calvert was a featured performer on more than one occasion for the Texas Association of Magicians in Corpus Christi, Texas. Dan Garret was his emcee one time and introduced John as magician, adventurer, actor and legend who's "address is the world." I thought there has never been anyone who so embodied that "mailing address" as John and Tammy Calvert as they traversed the globe in their yacht, called The Magic Castle". Every week they were docked at some exotic destination and made friends wherever they went.

John and Tammy Calvert spread joy and mystery all over the world for so many years until it finally came to an end on September 27, 2013. John was 102 years young. He never stopped giving and loving people and magic. He was passionate about our art. There are many tributes posted elsewhere on the Internet as well as his complete (and summarized) biography. But nothing can come close to the complete life story of John Calvert that was written and published by William Rauscher entitled, John Calvert - Magic and Adventures Around the World.

When John and Tammy came through Houston, Texas in 2009 on one of their lecture tours, they spent a few nights in our home. They were such splendid guests. While here, John sat down with me to record a short account of some of the thing that were outside of his biography, John Calvert - Magic and Adventures Around the World. I edited the video to comply with the then required time constraints of YouTube. I posted a second, more candid, video interview with John where he talked about his family and the secret to his longevity. These videos are linked below, but the audio portion is captured in this week's podcast.

Also included with this podcast is my chat with John's "Boswell", William Rauscher. This was my interview with Bill during the 2011 M.A.E.S. convention.

John Calvert shares some insight on his many years in magic in a brief interview with Scott Wells.

Scott Wells talks with John Calvert who turned 100 years old on August 5, 2011 and talks about his secrets to longevity. Plus a look at him filling in as a stunt double for Clark Gable. These are some out takes from another interview with this incredible man.

When magicians think of the famous magician John Calvert, his wife and assistant, Tammy, comes automatically to mind. The Calverts were inseparable for over 50 years as they traveled the world with the Magicarama illusion show. In recent years they made scores of appearances at magicians’ gatherings, sharing their lifetime of knowledge with others. Although Calvert continued to perform into his 101st year, his health declined in recent months and expenses mounted.

For those who wish to send cards and/or financial gifts to Tammy to help with medical and funeral expenses, she is currently staying with John’s nephew, Fred Calvert, at 4399 Irvine Avenue, Studio City, California 91604.

Friends have also set up a PayPal account for her, ready to receive donations. You don’t have to have a PayPal account to send funds to her. Go to www.PayPal.com. Click on "Send Money.” Enter the following e-mail address “EpicProductions@Juno.com.” Enter the donation amount and click to send to "Family and Friends"..

I understand that the following link will make it easy to send a financial gift to her: https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/send-money-online.

What else can you do? Visit www.johncalvertmagic.com and www.johncalvertmagician.com to purchase the video about Calvert’s life and other unique collectors’ items.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:07:05 - John Calvert talks about his magical life

00:16:27 - John talks about his private side: his family and the secret to his longevity

00:21:27 - William Rauscher tells us some great stories about John that were not in the book.

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Magic & Martinis Thursday

Though John Calvert was a teetotaler, that does not preclude me from toasting to his life and legacy. He said he was once approached by the Calvert whiskey distillery about promoting their brand. Despite the financial incentive, John had higher morals and refused the sponsorship. And although he was well-known for his cigarette manipulation act, he never smoked either. He always made a point of saying to his audience after his manip act that he did not advocate smoking and admonished the youth from ever starting the habit.

John Calvert "floated" a Coca Cola bottle with nothing but a straw and so impressed the management of Coke that they agreed to sponsor his tour. He shared that secret with me when he visited in 2009. Being the teetotaler he was, I will have my vodka… — John Calvert "floated" a Coca Cola bottle with nothing but a straw and so impressed the management of Coke that they agreed to sponsor his tour. He shared that secret with me when he visited in 2009. Being the teetotaler he was, I will have my vodka martini but lift a bottle of Coca Cola to John. Cheers!

715: Paul Stone - No Stone Unturned

300: Day Two - 2016 I.B.M. Convention

120: John Calvert - Centurian of the World

Magic & Martinis Thursday

The Magic Word