A few years ago I had a ventriloquist puppet made for me that was in the show for a season.
The man that made it for me was Clinton Detweiler of Maher Studios. I just heard that he passed away on the 22nd. This is from his website:
It is with heavy hearts we inform you that Clinton Detweiler passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on January 22, 2013.
His love for ventriloquism and the many ways it allowed him to not just create objects but to connect with people was evident in all that he did.
Thank-you for being a part of his life…he enjoyed posting on the blog and trying to help those that had questions. We are so sad that this blog will no longer continue.
We loved this man, husband, father, grandfather, friend.
Sincerely, Joy Detweiler Scheuerman
The couple of times I talked to him on the phone he was very nice and helpful! He’ll be missed!
I’ve uploaded another video in the Tricks and Stunts in a Hotel Room series. What I do when I travel is I look around at things in my hotel room and try to think of little magic tricks, juggling stunts or something cool to do with whatever I can find.
I started making some little videos of me doing little magic tricks or juggling stunts with things normally found in a hotel room. The first one used a cup of water and a couple other things:
The second one uses something so rare it can only be found in a hotel room…a phone book! You can watch the video below:
The other day I ordered some stickers to give away during my One-Man Side Show to people that help me out onstage. They are inspired by the oval county stickers you see on cars:
They should be arrive some time in early January, so be on the look out for them in my magic and comedy shows in the near future!
I love that modern audiences still appreciate classic comedy principles. Here’s the second spit take that’s been in my show in the last year. I only a maximum of one per show:
Yes I’m aware that this isn’t technically a spit take…but I’m giving it a pass.
Today is Halloween and it’s also National Magic Day! October 31st was chosen for National Magic Day because it’s the same day that Harry Houdini died.
Every year after Houdini’s death his wife held a seance to try to contact him. Here’s a little description from the 1936 (10th anniversary of his death) Houdini Seance:
The final Halloween Houdini seance was October 31, 1936 (the tenth anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death), on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood.
This was the greatest attempt to contact a spirit.
Houdini’s widow made her final effort to reach her husband, Harry Houdini, after his death, according to an elaborate plan that they had agreed to, that whichever of them died first would try for ten years to get in touch with the other, on the other (living) side. Although Harry Houdini was known as an antagonist to the spiritualists, he seems to have wanted to believe that it was possible for the living and the dead to communicate, but he demanded proof.
Some 300 invited guests formed the outer circle, with 13 scientists, specialists in the occult, reporters, magicians, and spiritual leaders joining Mrs. Houdini in an inner circle.
This morning I was on the TV show New Day NW on King 5 in Seattle. I was there promoting the Evergreen State Fair which I’m currently performing at and will be again on 8/30 and 9/1.
It is with heavy hearts we inform you that Clinton Detweiler passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on January 22, 2013.
