PLEASE NOTE: This book is currently OUT OF PRINT. We came across this 1st Edition, 1st Print copy (1993) in a collection we just acquired, and it's in EXCELLENT. If you have any questions about condition please write or call the shop.

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Harry Anderson Tips His Mitt! . . . and you won’t believe what rolled out of that mitt.

All of the side splitting routines that helped make Harry Anderson a household name are packed into this book. That’s right; The Skunk Trap, The Gang of Four, The Handcuffs, The Burned Bill Routine, The Monarch Monte, and yes, Harry’s classic Needle Thru Arm plus many more.

We don’t have to tell you how commercial these routines are since you have seen most of them on The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live or on Harry’s own TV special, Hello Sucker. Follow a youthful Harry Anderson into the streets where his character, Harry the Hat, developed during years of busking. Read outrageous stories from these humble beginnings that led to starring roles on television’s Night Court and Dave’s World.

Harry can’t promise you will become a Hollywood star but he will show you exactly how he developed the many routines that carried him to the top of his field. You will see magic effects slowly evolve into the classic routines that Harry ultimately performed as a headliner in casino showrooms, comedy clubs and on television.

During a live performance at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California (where Hello Sucker was taped) we photographed Harry’s entire act and these action shots have been used to illustrate many routines. But Wise Guy is much more than just a book of tricks. Included are the theories and the psychology that form the basic foundation from which all of Harry’s magic emanates plus the exact patter that accompanied each effect. There is also plenty of close-up and mental magic that you may have seen Harry perform on shows such as Late Night with David Letterman or Larry King Live.

It’s not very often that a magic celebrity puts virtually every effect that made him a star into a single book but that is precisely what Harry Anderson did in Wise Guy. Considering this, it should come as no surprise that Wise Guy is our No. 1 best seller after more than twenty years in the magic book business. Whether you are looking for a thought-provoking discussion on how to entertain an audience with magic, or just an evening of belly laughs, Wise Guy is the answer. 167 pages jam packed with dozens of photographs and illustrations, a wonderful introduction by ventriloquist Jay Johnson and all beautifully hardbound with a striking dust jacket

Contents:

9 Introduction – Jay Johnson
11 Foreword – Harry Anderson
15 Publisher’s Note – Mike Caveney
17 Preface
21 Early On: Harry’s beginning in magic
22 Sewing A Coin: a coin is produced from an invisible threading
24 The Chicken And The Egg: egg produced from a chicken foot, and squashed into a fried egg
26 – Biography Continued
30 The Bullet Catch: How Harry developed the routine
35 – The Balled of Aristotle Couvert: patter and presentation for the routine
43 Ping-Pong Ball, Fruit & Flute: a quickie bit done on the street
44 Card Sword: quick description of Harry’s approach
45 Dybbuk: Torn & Restored dollar bill
50 Linking Rings: brief outline, not a full routine
51 Arm Amputation: adventures in a street illusion
54 Skunk Trap: another bizarre routine
56 Jaw Breaker: more biographical information about Harry, his marriage to Leslie
63 Straitjacket & Rope: description of Harry & Leslie’s competition
67 Las Vegas: Harry’s move up
68 The Grappler: more on Harry’s career and his comedic bill change
70 Mish-Mash Card: a comedy card revelation turns real
74 Wenii Magazine: idea of Harry & Martin Lewis and some sample content
78 Eight Brass Monkeys and The Shadow: quick mention of two manuscripts Harry wrote
78 The Children’s Yard Sale: spectator counts to number indicated on price sticker on card box and finds selection
80 Time Warp: reading the time on a pocket watch
81 One In A Million: your accomplice finds the only match box with the $20 bill
82 All For One: magician determines cards peeked at by four spectators
84 Musicalepathy: two person mind reading for the musically inclined
85 The Shadow: mention of Harry’s second book
86 The Gang of Four: magician removes one card matching the selection of four spectators, but they all picked different cards. The card is torn into four, and each corner is one of the selections
90 The Last Monte: Harry’s gimmicked 3-card Monte, but uses the real toss
91 – Phase 1 Meet My Friend, Monte
92 – Phase 2 The False Toss
93 – Phase 3 The Sting
94 – Phase 4 The Bent Corner
95 – Phase 5 The Mutilated Monte
97 Half-Roughed Cards: how they work and Senator Crandall’s Jumbo Nitemare
99 Jumbo Marked Cards: a comedy Jumbo card trick
101 Wise-Guy Poker: with the half-roughed cards
103 World’s Greatest Jumbo Torn & Restored Card: stage-size torn-restored
108 Monarch Monte: Super Jumbo gimmicked 3 card Monte
116 The Inside-Out Bill: Harry’s presentation outlined
117 Magazine Test: with six magazines
119 Finger Chopper: story of Harry’s approach
121 Linking Finger Rings: two methods described
127 Static Electricity: comedy bit with a balloon
129 Needle Through Arm: extensive coverage of Harry’s signature piece
143 Buffalo Bill: the torn and restored bill routine
146 Cuff Links: second part of the routine with handcuffs
153 Skippy: animal cruelty story
157 Chapeaugraphy: short story, no routine
158 Dueling Magis: quick description of Harry’s routine with Rich Hall
158 Exclusivity: essay on borrowing magic tricks
160 I’m Not Really an Actor, I Just Play One on TV: where is Harry going from here

• Publisher: Mike Caveney’s Magic Words
• Pages: 168
• Location: Pasadena, CA, USA
• Dimensions: 9″x9″
• Date: 1993, 1996
• Binding: hardbound