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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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676: Ed Alonzo - In The Library

While I was in Los Angeles to work on “Masters of Illusion” TV series, Ed Alonzo found time to sit in the library of the Magic Castle to chat about his career. As a former member of the Long Beach Mystics and the Magic Castle Junior group, Ed launched successful careers as both a magician and an actor having major roles in many television series including “Saved By The Bell.” He also went on to work with Britney Spears on her worldwide concert tour where he interacted with her on stage in his character as a magician.

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In this week’s episode, Ed covers a lot of territory in a short hour podcast. He talks extensively about the Magic Castle and his love and dedication to the clubhouse. He also talks about his time as a youth as he was trying to “find his character” when he was a member of the Long Beach Mystics and the Magic Castle Juniors. He tells how he transitioned into acting but never lost his love for performing magic, which he still does to this day having just completed the taping of Season Nine of “Masters of Illusion.” By the way, he talked about running for office on the Academy of Magical Arts: he won the election and is now on the Board of Directors. Congratulations, Ed.

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 or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here..If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Towards the end of the episode, Ed talks about being on “The American Life” podcast with Ira Glass and David Kestenbaum as they talked about “The Lady Vanishes” or, David Copperfield’s vanish of the Statue of Liberty. Ed was part of the team that worked with David on this illusion and this episode goes into detail about the effect. The podcast website for this episode is HERE. “The Lady Vanishes” is the second part of this episode entitled “The Magic Show” and Ed Alonzo’s part comes very near the end at around time stamp 00:53:00.

Tagged with Ed Alonzo, The Magic Castle, Doug Henning, Owens Magic Supreme, Dirk Arthur, Long Beach Mystics, Kevin James, comedy magic, Siegfried and Roy, Saved By The Bell, Britney Spears, Statue of Liberty, David Copperfield, Neil Patrick Harris.

April 21, 2022 by Scott Wells.
  • April 21, 2022
  • Scott Wells
  • Ed Alonzo
  • The Magic Castle
  • Doug Henning
  • Owens Magic Supreme
  • Dirk Arthur
  • Long Beach Mystics
  • Kevin James
  • comedy magic
  • Siegfried and Roy
  • Saved By The Bell
  • Britney Spears
  • Statue of Liberty
  • David Copperfield
  • Neil Patrick Harris
  • Post a comment
Comment
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385: Saratoga Ballantine - My Father

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While I was performing at the Magic Castle in 2017, I had the opportunity to sit down for a visit with Saratoga "Sara" Ballantine, the daughter of one of our "magical legends", Carl Ballantine. Carl was a treasure who was known not only throughout the magic community but also to the general populace in many television roles. His most notable role was as "Lester Gruber" on the popular TV show, "McHale's Navy". He appeared in many television shows and movies in the 1960's and 1970's. Billed as "Ballantine - The World's Greatest Magician", Carl had a comedy magic act that landed him in MAGIC Magazine's Top 10 Funniest Acts in Magic.

Carl Ballantine in his prime and at his best. "Come out flying."
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Time stamps for this podcast:

00:04:12 - Great stories about Carl Ballantine whose three top loves were horse racing, cigars, and magic (but he also loved his family, of course). Sara was named after the horse track, Saratoga, and his other daughter was named after another racetrack, Molly Caliente (who was born on a hot day) Sara also talks about many of her father's friends who used to come by the house like Ernest Borgnine and Estelle Getty., This conversation was recorded in the offices of The Magic Castle in Hollywood. In the background and you can hear the occasional laughter and contributions by Trish Alaskey, who was present during our conversation.

Sara also talks about  documentary she was involved with and is available to view online for free. It is called "Troupers" and can be viewed on SnagFilms.com by following this link: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/troupers

01:00:45 - Product Review: The Full Monty by Liam Montier from Big Blind Media is a DVD with the "necessary cards" to perform this effect. Recommended.

01:05:55 - Product Review: Tac-Tic-Al by WorldMagic.co.uk is a gimmick that allows you to change a "Tic Tac box" or a "deck of miniature Bicycle cards" into a full size deck of cards. Very visual but I reserve a hearty recommendation.

Click the graphic above to view the film "Troupers" for free.

Click the graphic above to view the film "Troupers" for free.

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

Special Flash Sale with up to 50% off thousands of selected items for Friends of The Magic Word. Please visit the website of our sponsor, The Great American Magic Company. Click the banner above for fantastic deals on your magic!

Special Flash Sale with up to 50% off thousands of selected items for Friends of The Magic Word. Please visit the website of our sponsor, The Great American Magic Company. Click the banner above for fantastic deals on your magic!

Tagged with Saratoga Ballantine, Carl Ballentine, Ernest Borgnine, McHale's Navy, Dan Tana's, Musso and Frank, Hollywood Fringe Festivel, Aye Jaye, Carl Reiner, Billy Crystal, Elvis Presley, Christian Scientist, The Magic Castle, Academy of Magical Arts, comedy magic, Bill Cosby, Don Lawton.

September 21, 2017 by Scott Wells.
  • September 21, 2017
  • Scott Wells
  • Saratoga Ballantine
  • Carl Ballentine
  • Ernest Borgnine
  • McHale's Navy
  • Dan Tana's
  • Musso and Frank
  • Hollywood Fringe Festivel
  • Aye Jaye
  • Carl Reiner
  • Billy Crystal
  • Elvis Presley
  • Christian Scientist
  • The Magic Castle
  • Academy of Magical Arts
  • comedy magic
  • Bill Cosby
  • Don Lawton
  • Post a comment
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364: My Week At The Magic Castle - 2017: Part Three

This podcast runs a little shorter than normal but provides a little local "color" surrounding the Castle. We first travel to Santa Monica to visit with Steve Spill and his "Magicopolis" (video tour below) then back to downtown Hollywood to Musso & Frank Grill which is known for their famous martinis. While there, we uncovered a lot of interesting stories about old (and new) Hollywood celebrities who frequent the bar/restaurant.

Since the conversations are shorter than normal, we have time to review John Bannon's "Move Zero" three DVD set which is for beginners and highly recommended.

Steve Spill, owner and performer at Magicopolis in Santa Monica, CA takes us on a guided tour of the building. For more information on his book, "I Lie for Money", be sure to listen to The Magic Word Podcast episode 218 at https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/steve-spill To hear the latest chat with Steve, live from Magicopolis, then visit: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/364-my-week-at-the-magic-castle-2017-part-three available after 9:00 a.m. July 6, 2017

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Time stamps for this podcast:

00:03:36 - Steve Spill drives us to lunch so we chat with him while he is driving from his theater, Magicopolis, in Santa Monica.

00:13:46 - Ruben Rueda has been a bartender at Musso & Frank Grill for 50 years and has quite a reputation.

00:23:10 - Sonny Bones, one of the servers at Musso and Frank Grill tells us some stories about the iconic restaurant.

00:28:33 - Bobby Caravella, AGM of Musso and Frank Grill expounds on several classic stories about Old Hollywood and those celebrities who have frequented and are frequenting the restaurant.

00:42:27 - Move Zero Vol. One DVD by John Bannon. Click Here for details.

00:50:34 - Move Zero Vol. Two DVD by John Bannon. Click Here for details.

00: 54:05 - Move Zeto Vol. Three DVD by John Bannon - Click Here for details

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

Tagged with The Magic Castle, Steve Spill, Musso and Frank, Ruben Rueda, Sonny Bones, Bobby Caravella, Magicopolis, Santa Monica, Storage Wars, First Look, Walt Turner.

July 6, 2017 by Scott Wells.
  • July 6, 2017
  • Scott Wells
  • The Magic Castle
  • Steve Spill
  • Musso and Frank
  • Ruben Rueda
  • Sonny Bones
  • Bobby Caravella
  • Magicopolis
  • Santa Monica
  • Storage Wars
  • First Look
  • Walt Turner
  • Post a comment
Comment

The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

This podcast is totally free for everyone to enjoy. This is provided to you out of love and respect for our art of magic. If you enjoy the podcasts and other material on The Magic Word, then your financial support will be greatly appreciated and help offset the monthly hosting service fee as well as the hardware and software to produce this podcast. Just click on the "Donate " button at the top of this page to make a one time donation through PayPal.

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In May 2024, Scott Wells had the distinguished honor of receiving a “Special Fellowship” from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) for the Magic Word Podcast which promotes “not only personal stories of fascinating individuals, but also fellowship amongst our extended family of artists and entertainers everywhere.”

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FISM 2025 Daily Reports from Turin, Italy We are in the middle of the World Championship of Magic in Turin, Italy. Join us and/or catch up on the daily podcast updates on FISM 2025.
#fism2025
#fismturin
#turinitaly
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FISM 2025 Daily Reports from Turin, Italy We are in the middle of the World Championship of Magic in Turin, Italy. Join us and/or catch up on the daily podcast updates on FISM 2025.
#fism2025
#fismturin
#turinitaly
#italy
#magic
#worldchampionshipofm
We departed for Turin and arrived in time for FISM registration, street magic, and dinner. #turino #FISM2025
Our most amazing day yet! So full of surprises, good food, great wine, and amazing magic artifacts. #cherascoitaly #museodellamagia #cherasco
A most delightful tour of the most amazing magic museum in the world. #MagicMuseum #DonSilvio #cherasco
From Milan to a hazelnut farm then to the Piedmont region for drinks and BBQ as the sun set. Beautiful! #hazelnut #italy
So much history, so much beauty, so much good food, so much fashion, and so little time. #milanitaly #milano
So much history, so much beauty, so much fashion, and too little time to take it all in.

The Magic Word Has been recognized by FeedSpot as the # 1 magician podcast in the world. Thank you all for your support and for listening throughout the years.

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