The Magic of Sam Schwartz

The reality of aging may be an immutable fact, but the perception of age seems infinitely fluid. I will never for-get seeing the late Chuck Jones, whose intellectual and artistic influence upon me through the medium of his work directing Warner Brothers "Loony Tunes" cartoons was profound, when he presented an award at the annual Magic Castle banquet some years ago. More than 80 years old at the time, he closed his remarks thusly: "People ask me what it feels like to be old. I tell them, I don't feel old, I feel young. It's just ... there's something wrong with me."

The observation drew a huge laugh, but it also struck me as brilliantly insightful. From within, we view age in many different ways, not necessarily with much connection with reality. I was somehow reminded of this last summer at the S.A.M. centenary convention in New York City. Standing in the Genii booth, I suddenly recognized an unforgettable face walking toward us. It was the visage of the inimitable Sam Schwartz.

Mr. Schwartz had been a constant benign and guiding presence in the culture of Tannen's Magic Shop when I was growing up. Always there with a smile, a word of guidance, a recommendation for a book, an introduction to some living legend standing nearby, and of course, a trick, often capped with the exchange, "Do you think this is a good trick?" "Sure." "Good? It's perfect!"

It had probably been 20 years or more since I had last seen him. And I had the oddest sensation as I approached to say hello. Despite Chuck Jones's commentary, sometimes these days I do feel old. Well, certainly ... older. But as I stepped up to be greeted with Mr. Schwartz's ever-present, eyes-a-twinkle smile, I suddenly felt transported back to my adolescence. There I was, a youth again, shyly approaching a great elder, soliciting a moment of his attention. It was an instant of time travel so powerful and evocative that the feeling was vertiginous. I was a boy again, a boy in the magic shop.

I hope I age half as gracefully as Sam Schwartz. He seemed as spry a personality as ever, as charming and warm and remarkably unchanged, save the addition of the walking stick he gently leaned on. It was thrilling to talk with him, to thank him for his years of influence, his guidance, his presence in my development in the culture of magic.

One of the good pieces of news about aging is that it’s never too late to learn, never too late to seek counsel and move forward. The artist, Pablo Casals, at the age of 92, said, "At any given moment, you can learn." And now, you too can be touched by the teaching hand of Sam Schwartz, in the pages of the delightful new book of his material and thoughts.

Sam Schwartz came late to magic, as Stephen Minch recounts in his graceful introduction to this volume, but he more than made up for that by his brilliant grasp of its principles, and its intellectual and artistic opportunities. Possessed of an inventive and infinitely curious mind, Mr. Schwartz, an attorney by profession, mixed and matched with the cognoscenti of the New York magic scene, and made his mark among giants. His interests ran far afield, ranging from card magic to general dose-up to mentalism and mathematical mysteries. He published extensively, primarily through the journals of his long-time friend, Karl Fulves. He marketed tricks through Tannen's, many of which had indelible influence in their day. Although this is not a complete compendium of his work, it includes many of those seminal items, along with much that is also unpublished. I daresay there is something in these pages for everyone.

And that begins with a few words of advice Mr. Schwartz offers in the opening pages. In my youth I was always amazed when magicians said that they often skipped the introduction to books, because for me that's where the real information was: not the tricks. but the real advice and insights about theory and performance. Mr. Schwartz presents, in a mere 22 lines, some extremely cogent and timely advice that should serve as invaluable counsel to relatively new students, and as valuable reminders to those of us who may have heard some of it before but may sometimes forget to pay attention.

On to the magic, divided into 14 chapters containing 63 items reflecting the breadth of Mr. Schwartz's interests and contributions. The opening routine, "Tops," is a snappy take on the two-in-the-hand-one-in-the-pocket plot, done with bottle caps and concluding with a novel ending. The second trick, "Working Against Time," is a commercial card mystery that is assured to please and amaze any audience. These are perfect examples of Mr. Schwartz's tastes, reflected throughout the text, in that the emphasis is on subtle thinking, clear and simple effects, and in most cases, minimal technical demands. This is the rare book that will present you with useable, commercial, magical, entertaining material that is not intended for the hard-core card worker or finger-flinger. These facts render this book a welcome resource for many readers who are looking for things they can really do and use. If you're looking for complex plots and challenging lessons in advanced sleight-of-hand, this is not the book for you (although there are a few useful and original card sleights included).

The second and third chapters contain material generally referred to as packet tricks. Mr. Schwartz was around during the early packet craze, and his routine, "Backflip," was an important breakthrough and influence, incorporating into the mix the use of gaffed cards which, combined with innovative counting displays, achieved numbers of effects out of pro-portion to the simple methodological ingredients. You will find many more examples here, and while packet tricks may seem passé to many, I would be surprised if readers don't select at least one item from this section that pleases both themselves and their audiences with the surprising effects achieved.

The opening routine of the coin section is entitled "Bottled" and brought back fond memories. This marketed item was a staple of my repertoire when I was still a boy, and it would be every bit as reliable—and effortless!—in use today. A series of transpositions occurs between a quarter and a penny (courtesy of a simple homemade gimmick first created by Milbourne Christopher), which concludes with the surprising appearance of the penny in a tiny glass bottle. Don't overlook this charmer. I remember at the time I also purchased a matching empty bottle from Lou Tannen. The idea was that as you first reached into your pocket to retrieve the necessary coins, you also brought along the empty bottle. Noticing it in your hand and allowing the audience to briefly see it, without comment you return the empty to your pocket, then proceed with the routine.

A chapter on the "Incredi-Box" details another of Mr. Schwartz's creations, a super-gaffed Okito-style coin box which combined a Boston Box design with what is now known as the J.G. Thompson gimmick, along with a magnetic shim. First marketed in 1969, it had been created some years before, inspired by the work of Bob Swadling. Fred Lowe was also making a variety of gaffed boxes and coins at that time, but when Johnson Products later exploded on the scene, magicians were exhilarated by the ready supply of gaffs that had previously only been available from master craftsmen like Himber and Connie Haden, and the Incredi-Box became a part of this revolution in coin magic technology. Indeed, I had a custom version made for me by Johnson Products in silver dollar size at the time, the first one they made in such size other than, I think, one that Mr. Schwartz quietly had done for himself. All this history aside, the lncredi-Box elements can readily be assembled today, and Mr. Schwartz provides variation in this description combining the "slotted box" feature as well. The results that can be achieved are remarkable and also fun to experiment with, and while the clever gaffs will eliminate a lot of the heavy lifting, when combined with some subtle sleight-of-hand the results can be impenetrably deceptive.

The routine entitled "Mystery Mix" presents a different kind of presentation for an Oil-and-Water-type effect that ultimately changes the plot itself. Elsewhere we learn that what we know as the Himber Wallet was in fact suggested to Himber by none other than Mr. Schwartz. "Any Card Any Wallet" reads like an impossible dealer ad and in fact could be a monster deal demo. You show the back of the card in a wallet, and leave the wallet in view. The spectator selects any card there is no force from a face-up spread deck. The card is shown to be the card in the wallet. And there is only one sleight required, and it's not a palm!

"F.I.E." is a demonstration of close-up clairvoyance, in which the spectator places three different coins, each from a different country, in three different envelopes, and the magician reveals what coin is where. That bald description belies a clever and mystifying effect. In "Mind X," Mr. Schwartz (in collaboration with his friend, the late Ed Balducci), applies the principles of the "Princess Card Trick" to ESP symbol cards, with terrific results. There is something about this effect and these props that to me seem a perfect combination. Of course, double-ended indexes will not work here, but Mr. Schwartz provides a clever solution and easy handling.

There is much more, including a clever and useful book test, rings-and-ropes, linking ropes, mathematical mysteries, and still more than that. Most valuable however is that the author, despite a rather straightforward writing style, has managed to infuse the work with a flavor of Sam Schwartz himself, the man and his thinking. Hence the time spent with this book becomes a visit with a distinctive personality and point of view, which is often the mark of a great magic reading experience—and one that will never feel old.