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Part Two: From Out Of The Ashes After six horrific years, the second World War ended. The United States had been drawn into the conflict in 1941, and that involvement had exacted a painful toll. However, no actual warfare had taken place on the North American continent, unlike major portions of Europe, North and Asia. Much of world was now rubble, and the surviving populations set about the task of rebuilding. During the war, the European magic groups had made valiant efforts to maintain their meetings and produce their publications, with varied success. The American clubs had been able to continue holding their annual conventions. For example, in the summer of 1940 there was the SAM in Chicago, with a crowd of over 400, then the IBM in Davenport, Iowa drawing 300. That September there was the PCAM in San Diego, the Piff Paff Poof Conclave in Niagara Falls, the Abbott's Get, Together in Colon, Michigan, the New England Convention in New Haven, and the Magicians Alliance of Eastern States in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Those five gatherings pulled in over 1200 people‑5oo in Colon alone. In contrast, consider this excerpt from Wilfrid Jonson's "London Notes" column in the November, 1940 Sphinx"I have no news of magical activities in London during September although from my own experiences, I should say that a great deal of impromptu magic has been performed in air raid shelters.... When three ounce chunks of steel are apt to fall from the sky at any moment, it is highly imprudent to go out doors unless you must.... When the long days come round again, we shall resume our magical meetings." By the summer of 1946 the war in Europe had been ended for just over a year. On August 9, the Krasnapolski Hotel in Amsterdam, Holland was transformed into the headquarters for an International Congress of Magicians. There were 300 registrants from Holland, France, Great Britain, Belgium and Spain. The event began with a trio of lectures by university professors; the topics were Mysteries in Ancient History, Children's Reactions to Conjuring and The Psychology of Magic. There was an exhibit of antique books and apparatus, a boat tour of the Amsterdam canals, a formal ball, and a public show.
A contest was held on the second day, with 20 competitors. There were no categories, and therefore only one set of awards. First prize went to Jean Valton, a French manipulator of formidable skill. In the October, 195o Linking Ring, Carl W Jones wrote that "with a winning smile, [Valton] does the old card juggling routines but carries them further than I have ever seen them before. He is not satisfied to flip the card spread from his arm and catch the cards in mid air. He must flip five [packets] stacked from his elbow to wrist. His waterfall is a full two feet.' Second place went to Scotland's John Ramsey, whose elfin manner belied a profound mastery of misdirection. A local team came in third: De Flezkis, a husband and wife duo who combined magic and dance. This latter entry was significant, because while Valton and Ramsey were amateurs, the Dutch couple were professionals. The rules for this contest had made no distinction in that regard. Also in the contest was a fellow from nearby Utrecht, just turned 20, who had recently completed his military service in the East Indies. He didn't win a prize, but made a strong impression with a gambling routine. His name was Bram Bongers, but he used the stage name of Mystica. The President of the convention, and its primary organizer, was Henk Vermeyden, who ran a private studio called Triks and published a magazine of the same name. Still in his thirties, Vermeyden was to become a very ‑important player in the FISM™ story. At the farewell luncheon on August II, gifts were exchanged and speeches made by representatives of various dubs. One was the of the Association Francfaise des Artistes Prestidgitateurs, a merger of the ASAP and SIAP groups that had come about the year before. The club President spoke: Dr. Dhotel, who announced that there would be another International Congress the following year, in Paris. The Congrès Magique International of 1947, produced by Maurice Sardina, began with a reception in !he restaurant of the Hotel Lutétia on the evening of September 24. Attendance was dose to 500, with magicians from 18 countries. Germany had not been invited. The talk of the convention was a 14‑year‑old local lad in the opening show, Dominique (with the unused surname of Risbourg). His act included a clever bill in cigarette routine, presented with a flair far beyond his years. He'd go on to a pro career, switching to ventriloquism prior to developing a pick, pocket act with which he would headline around the world, including over a dozen engagements as the featured specialty artist in Las Vegas revue shows. Other acts in the gala shows included Edernac with ball and silk manipulation, and Li King Si (Edouard Cassel), whose Chinese‑styled work was later seen on the classic NBC Festival of Magic special in 1957. Performers from outside France included Arnold Furst of the U.S. with his much publicized rabbit, Oscar, and Medjid Khan Rezvani, an Iranian based in Paris, with a skillful Cups & Balls routine done kneeling on a carpet. Events included a dealer show, an exhibit of antique conjuring materials, a bus tour of the city, and a banquet.
There was also a contest,
with about
70
entrants, the
sessions spread out over a three‑day period. This time there were
specified categories; nevertheless, more than half the contestants
recycled similar sequences of card manipulation. On September 28 at the
closing banquet, the outcome was announced: GRAND PRIX:
MANIPULATION:
PRESENTATION:
INVENTION:
ALLIED ARTS:
SPECIAL COMMENDATION:
The performer who placed second in Presentation, Haakon Edeling, founded the Danish Magic Circle in 1934. His act featured a rendition of the classic Paper Butterflies. The winner of the newly established Grand Prix was a young Dutch manipulator, Nic Niberco, whose work with cards, cigarettes, thimbles and balls earned a standing ovation. Writing in Abra that October, Fabian wrote that his effects "were so far above excellence that they beg for a new adjective." Over the next four decades, Niberco had a successful career, first as a solo performer and later with his partner, Bob Haleber, as The Niberco Brothers. During the convention there were daily meetings by the various representatives of magic societies who were attending in an official capacity, to work on creating a formal organization that would facilitate communication between groups and coordinate an annual convention. It was agreed that during the ensuing year efforts would be made to invite other clubs to take part, and sort out the details. The proposed title for this organization was the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques.
Describing that meeting in the September II Abra, Goodliffe gibed that "each delegate seemed to have complete command of his own Ianguage but no other." An exaggeration, perhaps, but working out all of the details was obviously not an easy task. However, as William Stickland wrote in the December Linking Ring, "eventually the delegates settled down and agreed...' Dr. Dhotel was chosen to be the temporary President until an actual election could be held. Henk Vermeyden was appointed Secretary. Other key participants were Francis White and William Stickland of England, Louis Turnmers of Belgium, Fritz Olai of Denmark, and Ren Clark and Arnold Furst of the United States (representing the IBM and SAM, respectively). The four‑day convention itself, which got underway on the following day, was produced by Emile Crosa. There were about 300 registrants, and seven dealer booths. As Arnold Furst reported in GENII that October, "This year's convention suffered by the obvious comparison with last year's gathering in Paris which was so outstanding ...... The Friday night gala, with II acts, began at 8:3o, and concluded just before 1:00 Am. Goodliffe cracked that the emcee "had started perfectly clean shaven and finished up with a truly luxuriant growth." The congress had its high points. There were lectures by university professors on Automata and Fakirism. Despite the overlong running times, the shows and contests featured some performers who scored enthusiastic reactions. Sanas of France, billed as "L'homme avec le cerveau d'acier" ("The Man with the Brain of Steel") made a strong impression with a routine wherein he demonstrated that he had apparently committed the entire Paris telephone directory to memory. There was a boat excursion on Lake Geneva, marred by inclement weather. At times, the contest was Aso rather difficult to take. As had been the case the previous year, there was a great deal of repetition, although this time the number of competitors was a bit smaller, about 50 seen over three days. The results looked like this: GRAND PRIX:
MANIPULATION:
PRESENTATION:
INVENTION:
ALLIED ARTS:
Although Jean Valton had not entered the competition this year, his performance was so strong that the jury insisted on giving him another first prize for Manipulation. Both of the performers who tied for second place in Manipulation did billiard balls. Paula Baird, who during the war had toured for the Entertainments National Service Association (the British equivalent of the USO), accompanied her routine with patter in French. Zano's routine involved balletic movement, derived from his background in Asian martial arts. William Lane contracted his names into "Willane," and became a popular figure on the convention scene. His surreal comedy drunk act was billed as "The Immaculate Inebriate," in which he played music on unusual instruments (e.g., a miniature violin, a bicycle pump) while rabbits repeatedly jumped up out of hats to look on. In the October Sphinx, Victor Peacock de, scribed the act as "twenty minutes of delightful fooling that had a universal appeal." In the early 1950s he published a series of pamphlets detailing excellent material by top British creators, under the title Methods for Miracles. At he end of the Swiss convention it was announced that the1949 FISM™ congress would take place in Brussels, Belgium. However, it ended up returning Amsterdam, with Henk Vermeyden presiding. The five‑day event began on August 17, with a formal opening ceremony the following afternoon. The city government of Amsterdam had declined participation in the 1946 congress, but by now they had changed their opinion, and the convention was opened with a welcome from the mayor. This was followed by a speech by Vermeyden done in four languages. The general consensus was that this was the best organized congress yet. There were 400 in attendance, from 19 countries. The dealer turnout was bigger than before: There were 14 displays. Special events included another canal tour by boat and a reception in the Stedelijk museum. Some of the highlights of the gala and contest shows included return appearances by Valton, Niberco and Willane. Dutch prankster Bob Driebeek appeared on two stage shows, in one doing an uncharacteristically legitimate effect, a headline prediction. Another who merited a strong response was illusionist Crochet of Rotterdam, who finished with a production sequence filling the entire stage with feather flower bouquets. The contest once again stretched across three days, with the same corn, plaints regarding repetition. Some new categories were introduced, including Micromagic (the term Close‑Up had not yet caught on in Europe), which was featured in a separate bout on the morning of August 20 The awards were dominated by the Dutch and British, with some notable exceptions:
GRAND PRIX:
MANIPULATION:
PRESENTATION:
INVENTION:
COMEDY:
MICROMAGIC:
MOST POLISHED:
BEST ASSISTANT:
Macrodos Francisco and Get Moto, the team that won first place for Presentation, performed a Black Art act. The winner for Comedy, Jerry Bergman, was a particular favourite with the audience. His act of mime and handkerchief figures was short on magic but big on laughs. An American, he would continue with a successful professional career based in Europe. The Grand Prix champion, Viggo Jahn, assisted by his wife Gudrun (later Jane), offered a delightful act with several novel twists. Wearing signature black gloves, his opening routine with a cane and scarf was followed by productions of miniature white fans. The real attention‑grabber came next: He broke off the large knob of his cane and used it for a sequence of thimble manipulations, multiplying the knobs until there was one on every finger. Jahn appeared in top venues around the world. As Frances Ireland (later Marshall) described it in a profile that appeared in the November, 1953 M.U.M, "wherever the wealthy and the celebrated dined in lovely surroundings, there was Viggo. Barcelona, Spain was the site of the 195o Congreso Internacional de Ilusionismo, which attracted 250 magicians from 15 countries. Due to the oppressive heat, events ran on a late schedule. On September 6 the President of the convention, Fernando Maymo, gave the official opening speech‑at 11:00 at night. The next night's gala show had 15 acts, and ran until 2:30 AM. There was a display of rare playing cards from the collection of Javier de Areny. Dr. Martins Oliveira of Portugal lectured on Psychology in the Magic Art. There were dealer shows, civic receptions, traditional Spanish folk, dancing and a visit to a bullfight. Sanja, Hune of Spain did a blindfold drive. With the return of such favorites as Valton, Ramsey, Edeling and Dominique, it was clear that FISM™ was developing into an institution of congenial familiarity. However, behind the scenes things were not quite that simple. At that year's business meeting an attempt was made to resolve the thorny issue of whether to allow Germany to become a member nation of FISM™. A prolonged discussion ended with a vote of 30 to 13 against. The debate would continue over the ensuing year, With heated commentary in more than one magazine. (In retaliation for not being included, the Magischer Zirkel announced that it would hold its own convention in Oldenburg during the same weekend as the next FISM™ congress.)
The contest attracted enough hopefuls to once again fill three days. The competition sessions were held in the Ritz Hotel theatre hall, which had no air conditioning. Too, there was the seemingly permanent problem of too many entrants doing much the same material. However, some acts stood out, yielding these results.
GRAND
PRIX:
MANIPULATION:
PRESENTATION:
INVENTION:
MICROMAGIC:
SPECIAL AWARDS:
Describing Jay Palmer and Doreen in the May, 1951 Wizard, George Armstrong proclaimed, "[Y]ou will laugh your head off at this hilarious, but still mystifying act." Palmer was from the United States; in his younger days he had been an assistant to both Houdini and The Great Leon. Doreen, his Liverpool, born wife and foil, had been in show business since childhood. They were based in Europe for several years, first touring for the USO, then working the variety theater circuit, and later resettled in the United States where they met With long‑running success in the nightclub field with an act entitled "The Magic Kettle."
The stylish young
manipulator Carlo Tornedo had won the top prize at the Stockholm
convention one year before (and would do so again for the next four
years). He went pro and moved on to a busy career work, ing prestigious
venues around he world, first as a solo act and later with his glamorous
Brazilian, born wife Meta. They retired from per, forming in
1962,
and formed a
highly lucrative theatrical booking agency. The Grand Prix winner, Mystica, had been developing and rehearsing his stage act under the direction of Henk Vermeyden for over a year. The result was a superlative routine of manipulation, with the recurring production and vanish of canes at unexpected moments. The act had made its debut at the Dutch national convention in Arnheim, where it caused a sensation. It garnered the same effusive response at the FISM™ contest At the closing awards ceremony, the Swedish Magic Circle presented an extra prize to the young magician: a silver wand, for the "most polished" act of the convention. Following his contest performance, the young magician was immediately booked for a two‑week run at the El Cortijo nightclub in Barcelona, and a host of other engagements soon followed. The only major flaw was the young man's chosen stage name, as it was far too similar to a number of other contemporary performers. Shortly thereafter in Holland, an announcement was published in Triks magazine: "In order to avoid confusion, Mystica has decided that, as of the first of December, 1950, his stage name will be Fred Kaps."
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On
September 2, 1948, the day before the opening of the next 'International
Congress in Lausanne, Switzerland, another meeting was held, for the the
purpose of hammering out a constitution for the FISM™ organization. On hand
were representatives from 28 clubs in 13 countries.
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