Tommy Wonder Entertains: Three Novel Routines Based on the Cups and Balls by Jos Bema by Gene Matsuura
1983, published by Jeff Busby Magic, Inc.
Please note: While this item is new and unused, it has been sitting in storage for decades, so issues such as rusted staples or bowed pages may be present.
From Jeff Busby Magic, Inc. advertisement, November 1983:
Many of the top magicians around the world have been waiting for the publication of this fine book on extremely novel magic by one of the world's foremost close-up workers - Jos Bema of Holland, who performs professionally under the name of Tommy Wonder. Gene Matsuura, a meticulous writer of magic, has painstakingly detailed every move, action, subtlety, and rationale used by Jos Bema in presenting these three different professional routines. The final result is this very comprehensive, thoroughly illustrated book. If you purchase this book, you will be able to perform these routines.
The book is divided into two major sections, the first of which contains two incredible novelty routines. Canned Craziness is a routine with a soup can and a meatball - but it's not a disguised Chop Cup handling. This effect is stunning and different: The performer uses a long-handled can opener to cut the lid off of a can of soup. There's a problem - the can is empty but for one small meatball, which is dumped from the can. The ball is tossed back into the can and is then seen to penetrate the bottom - at one point appearing to be stuck half way through the bottom of the can! The ball is pulled totally through the can and immediately tossed into the air - your hands are empty. (Only one ball is used in the routine.) The can is inverted and the performer tries to slap the ball through the can - instead the ball vanishes. The performer discovers that the ball is stuck inside the can and tries to work it free by poking around the inside of the can with the can opener. Levering it loose, the ball pops out, but when it does, it has expanded to a giant meatball. The climax is a killer - the can is now revealed to be a solid, unopened can!
The second routine is Cough Cough - again novel in the extreme, along with being brief and humorous. It begins with the performer developing a slight cough during his performance. To alleviate the symptoms, he brings out a tin box of cough drops. The box is empty but for one drop remaining in the tin. As the performer starts to pop it into his mouth, it suddenly visibly vanishes. Looking down at the empty lid on the table, the performer lifts it, only to find another lid, and another, and another, until there are about a dozen lids scattered about on the table! Eventually reaching the last lid, the performer discovers the cough drop resting there and pops it into his mouth to his obvious relief!
The second section of the book is comprehensive - completely detailing the requirements and methods for the now famous Jos Bema Cups and Balls routine. When this routine was first shown in the U.S. at the 1977 Fechter convention - the entire room (including some of the top names in magic) was totally devastated!
The routine is stunning: The two cups are shown empty and a ball placed under each. The hands come over the cups and simultaneously draw the balls up through the tops of the cups! The cups are then shown to be empty. You then "blow" a ball into a cup. Suddenly a pom-pom, previously attached to the bag in which the cups were carried, appears under a cup - it has vanished from the bag! The ball is reattached to the bag and the routine continues: A ball vanishes, immediately joining a second ball under a cup which a spectator has been holding on the palm of his hand! The astounding climax to the routine comes when the performer tries to slap the two balls through the top of one of the cups. They will not penetrate. The cup is lifted and the pom-pom is there again, having vanished from the bag. The performer reaches for the bag to reattach the pom-pom, but the bag has vanished! The other cup is lifted and slowly shaken - the bag falls from the inside of the cup for a sensational finish.
Four explicit chapters take you through the steps of understanding the equipment used and how to make the balls and bag; an exacting description of the routine, including the specific patter and actions, along with the psychology and handling of the spectators; a step-by-step synopsis of the routine; and variations and additions to the basic routine. All three routines in the book immediately reset, once they've been performed, and are specifically designed to be worked while standing at the table - a boon to the professional table hopper.
The book is superbly produced - nothing has been spared in presenting an elegant and easily readable book. It consists of 50 large 8 1/2 by 11 pages, expertly typeset, with 85 beautiful line drawings by John Elferink of Holland, spiral bound in striking two-color glossy art board covers.
