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The first order of business this month must be to acknowledge the letters I've received since resuming these monthly ramblings. Merlin Williams of Vincennes, Indiana has written twice and I was happy to answer his specific illusion questions in my reply. I also heard from "The Polish Wiserd", Rod Danilewicz of South Bend, Indiana. Rod owns a funeral home as his vocation; magic is his avocation. He shared with me some of the problems he has overcome with the utilization of his favorite 'club size1 illusions: Super-X Levitation, Dagger Chest, Visible Sawing Illusion and the Chopper Guillotine. I'm saving his letter as possible subject matter for an upcoming column. Another reader who dropped me a note is the very well known Paul Osborne. He assures me that after he has every 1986 theme park show running smoothly, he will get Volume Four of his excellent illusion series to
completion. (Note: See the
advertisement in this issue of The NEW TOPS.) I'm looking forward to it although modesty prevents me from telling you who one of the contributors is!
Last month, you'll remember, we discussed theme park magic acts.
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For the record, Circus World is closed now until the big Florida season next December. Their new owners, publishing conglomerate Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, also owns Sea World and Cypress Gardens. They re-vitalized the latter attraction, increasing attendance and adding new features (although the magic show, as I reported, wasn't a beneficiary of this largess while I was there). It will re-open with the unlikely name of Boardwalk and Baseball. They paid $18 million for the 135 acre park and will spend another $6 to $7 million during the next few months to make it a winner.
And now, with the facts and names taken care of, we can turn our attention to the instrument named after Messr. J. Guillotin in 18th century France. First of all, Guillotin did not invent the beheading device named after him. It was, however, his impassioned plea to execute the condemned in a more humane fashion than the then popular robed and hooded figure with an axe method, that led to the importing of the device from Germany, where it had already been perfected. I've heard that during the French Revolution our Messr.
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