For the rest of this week, Hollywood's Magic Castle is presenting an unusual, fascinating and astonishing program of historically significant magic, a compilation of famous illusions from "The Los Angeles Conference on Magic History." On hand are Mike Caveney, who acts as MC, and noted illusion designers: John Gaughan and Jim Steinmeyer.

Mechanical Man on a Flying Trapeze
Gaughan presented Robert-Houdin's famous automaton, Antonio Diavolo, a mechanical trapeze artist. The amazing automaton is the original that was created in 1847, an era well before the common use of electricity.

Antonio Diavolo is a true mechanical marvel that entrances modern audiences. One can only imagine its effect on Parisian audiences some 150 years ago. I have seen video clips of the automaton but to have seen it in the Magic Castle's intimate "Palace of Mystery" was a true highlight.

Lady Monte
Steinmeyer presented "Find the Lady," a jumbo version of the three card monte street swindle that was a signature piece of Amac, an English conjuror. The illusion, which involves three giant cards and a lady, dates back to the early 1920s. Using three giant cards, Steinmeyer hid a young woman behind one, shifted the cards around and then asked audiences to guess which card the lady stood behind.

Steinmeyer also presented a piece called "Toccata for Light Bulb in Paper Bag," which dates back to the mid-1800s. A lit bulb in seemingly plain view vanished and reappeared in a paper bag that Steinmeyer held in his hands. The effect was mind boggling.

Asking the Hand
Caveney presented "The Astral Hand," a classic illusion involving a hand that answers questions-one rap for "yes" and two for "no." The hand was the original that was presented by "The Great Carter" who died in 1936. In the show that I watched, one audience member discovered that she would one day win the lottery while another was told that he would never find true love. The presentation brings new meaning to the term, "talk to the hand" and offers intriguing magic of another era.

Caveney closed the show with "The Million Dollar Mystery," an illusion presented by "The Great Carter" at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. I have seen this illusion's principle used by David Copperfield and in the recent Disney Live: Mickey's Magic Show, but the original, which involves a foot-square cube, is smaller than the more recent adaptations that I am aware of and visually interesting.

Uncanny Close-up
For one night only, on Monday, January 15, 2007, the Magic Castle featured David Roth in the Close-Up room. There are few close-up performers who have unique routines that are commonly known by name among magicians. Roth didn't disappoint with flawless presentations of his "Purse and Glass," "The Portable Hole" and "The Planet." Unfortunately, if you weren't at the Castle on Monday night, this opportunity to see Roth is gone. Another gem this week is the magic of John Carney who will be performing late close-up for the rest of the week.

A Sure Hit
The Palace show this week offers a thoroughly enjoyable trip back in time to witness some rarely seen illusions from another age. If you're in the Southern California area, this week at the Magic Castle is one that you won't want to miss.