Anderson, Gene: Topper's Mad, Mad, Magic ©1974 Magic, Inc, Chicago Softcover, comb-bound, 8.5x11", 54 pages

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Comment: This book presents a full overview of Topper Martyn's wild comedy magic act, along with lots of other corny groans and gags that may be useful for your magic act. You won't learn a lot of new magic here, but there is plenty of clean comedy to learn.

Contents:

4 Dedicated
5 Introduction (Gene Anderson): Who is Topper Martyn?
6 Foreword (Topper Martyn): about "The World's Third Worst Magician" act, and the fact that it did not expose!
7 The Mad, Mad Act: Introduction to the Act
7 The Costume: a too large 1900's evening suit with tails and how it is used to hide the props
9 The Conjurer Lays an Egg or How to Drop Things Without Really Trying: objects are dropped through the entire show. Martyn used 200 plastic billiard balls, a cannon ball, wooden eggs, dice, a duck, spring snakes, hundreds of playing cards, and more. Describes how to load and drop the various items
12 Other Properties Required: Such a Chines Linking Rings, Collapsing Table, Lota Vase, Prop Table, Giant Cards, Fake Mike, a Cannon
14 The Stage Setting: some tips
14 Music: tips
14 Lighting: tips
15 The Act: with patter. The dove on your head isn't in the hat, then vanishes, the silks pulled from your hat become tangled and even your shirt appears, the lota vase takes a roll, items drop from the pockets, a take on the rising cards.
20 The Linking Rings: The act moves into the linking rings, presented with both comedy and magic. Uses two keys, two singles, a chain of two, and a "battered" chain of two, among other props.
27 The Climax: the act ends with the selected card to be blasted out of the cannon, but a slight mishap occurs.
29 How to Make People Laugh...Without Really Trying: an essay on comedy
31 Potpourri
31 The Multiplying Bottles: a comedy approach to the Passe-Passe bottles
32 The Egg Bag: a patter approach to the Egg Bag (workings not detailed)
33 Topper's Bag Gag: a comedy tip
33 Alarm Clock Gags: The vanishing alarm clock, ringing alarm clocks, medicine time
34 The Egg Trick: an old gag
34 Playing Card Gags: The Boomerang Card, The Electric Pack, Manipulation Satire
35 Match Gags: Match In the Pocket, The Burning Match
36 The Magic Name Wand: wand flaps open to show your name, and The END
36 The Incredible Four Kings Trick: a gag with four mutilated Kings
36 A Useless Four Ace Trick fo the Card Man: do this at your next card jam session
38 The Great Beer Drinking Feat: use "evaporated milk" type glasses to appear to get drunk
38 The Hat Stand: a running gag with hats falling off a stand
39 Hodge Podge: Spaghetti and Meatballs from a hat, a violin case entrance, the baby elephant, a typewriter gag, the rubber rifle, a dice gag, the mascot, the pistol gag, the carpet, and the wobbly table
41 Topper's Roll-On Table: described
41 Topper's Elastic-Top Table: described
43 Topper's Table to Flowers
44 Underwhelming Anecdotes (Extracted from the letters of Topper Martyn): some amusing stories and B&W photos of Topper
51 Bibliography: a listing of other books on comedy in magic
52 Index
54 To the Reader: a note from Magic, Inc.