Hatable
Some beautiful magic tables are manufactured
by my friends, Ed and Joy Wilcox. I had them
make up a special top hat table in red glitter
plastic for my ìchild-brideî Lynn, to use in
her magic dance routine. There was a good picture
of Lynn and this table in my book, ìClever,
Like a Foxî (page 161).
Lynn used this routine in a variety revue
that we were both appearing in, so the fact
that the large top hat was rather bulky and
heavy, didnít bother her because she had a husband
to carry it around for her. When she started
using the table for shows where I would not
be working with her, she and I set about to
design a similar top hat table that would be
collapsible, would fit in a suitcase, be a lot
easier to handle, to set up and break down.
We came up with a table that fills these requirements
perfectly. In fact, it worked out so well for
her that I borrow it to use myself occasionally.
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the way the finished ìHatableî looks.
Conversation: Photographer... ìDad, this
shot is too dark. Let me take overî ...Father...(sternly)
ìNever mind, if I do that it will hold
the book up a few more days and Edwin
will write me a threatening letter!î
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To build it, I drew
an oval (for the brim of the hat) on a piece
of quarter inch plywood. A circle was drawn
inside the oval and when this is sawed out,
it becomes the bottom of the hat. This brim
and bottom are the only wooden parts of the
table.
Next, take some heavy black
materialóof course, you can use any color; we
used a black with a silver fleck in it. Take
a piece of the material and using the wooden
circle, you cut for the hatís bottom, forming
the cloth around it.
What you need is a cylinder
of material about 12 inches high. One inch at
each end of this cylinder should be cut around
the entire circumference with slits. Using glue
or staples, fasten the hat bottom, inside one
end of the cylinder. The other end has the strips
glued or stapled to the brim of the hat. When
this is done, cut a circle of black felt in
the same manner as you did the wooden parts.
Cover the top and outside bottom part of the
hat with the felt, by gluing it in place.
Fasten your table base flange
to the hat as in illustration. We also used
a chrome drum stand base for the table, which
you can buy in any music store. As you can see
by the photo, it makes a novel, attractive table,
that only weighs a couple of pounds and packs
perfectly flat in your prop case. Pretty nice,
isnít it?
ìCLEVER LIKE A FOX is another
of the beautiful lifeís work books from Supreme.
This time from the funny and commercial mind
of Americaís own Karrell Fox. Contents include
material from Mr. Fox which may surprise many
including Close-up, Cards, Platform Magic, Mentalism,
stage material, lecture notes and novelties
and MORE AND MORE. A fine work.î
óTom Zoss, (Columnist in M.U.M
Magazine)
ìI still havenít FULLY digested
the excellent contents of CLEVER LIKE A FOX.
Indeed a book which should be on every magicianís
bookshelf and one which I personally highly
recommend, full of practical material for the
serious working performer.î
Christopher Woodward, Jersey
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