Scotty York - The Silver Fox 3 Volume Set

Bar magician Scotty York offers all three of his excellent DVDs in a worthwhile three-disc set. Purchasing the discs in this set will save you ten bucks. Indeed, York's collection of tricks are baffling, entertaining and commercial. Next to Doc Eason's material, York's DVDs are recommended watching for aspiring bar magicians.

The three-disc set contains:

Scotty York Vol.1 - Tricky Bartender

Scotty York Vol.2 - Hisownself

Scotty York Vol. 3 - Strikes Again

Since we have reviewed all three DVDs individually, we encourage you to read our evaluations through the above links. Meanwhile, here are brief explanations of our favorite routines that are available on York's DVDs.

On Volume 1, "My Lady's Teddy Bear" is York's non-gimmicked "chop cup" style routine that uses an ordinary coffee mug. The routine ends up with a stuffed teddy bear that York gives away as a souvenir. This multi-phased routine is good.

As the name implies, "Marked Coin in Sugar Packet" makes a signed coin somehow appear in a freely selected sugar packet. The best of the tricks on Volume 1 is "The Rising Cards" where York causes spectators' chosen cards to rise from the deck, a miracle that occurs under a glass bell jar. He says that this routine brings audiences back.

In Volume 2, York merges three great and audience pleasing effects into a logical progression in "Cut to the Aces," "Twisting the Aces" and "Pineapple Twist." Spectators shuffle a deck of cards and the magician quickly cuts to the four aces. With the four aces, he performs a "twisting" sequence where the aces turnover one at a time and then a second twisting variation with "Pineapple Twist." Finally, with "Last Trick of Jacob Daley," York performs a transposition between the red and black aces.

"The Rose Trick" gets its name from the fact that York gives away roses to spectators, but it's actually a killer mentalism routine. York brings out a room key and lays it on the table. Spectators cut and deal cards from a packet to form three, two-digit numbers. When the numbers are added up, they add up to the number that's shown on the key.

"Scotty's Light Bulb" is an intriguing effect where York uses a light bulb that's wrapped inside of a napkin to make a lie detector that helps find a card. The trick is visual and offers lots of interaction. This one involves a gaffed bulb that you'll have to purchase and switch out at the routine's end. York appears to give away the light bulb to spectators as a souvenir.

The best in volume three is "Card to the Ceiling." From Doc Eason to Johnny Ace Palmer to Bob Sheets, "Card on the Ceiling" is a fantastic and memorable effect. A signed card is lost in the deck which is then wrapped in rubberbands and a borrowed dollar bill.

As the magician tosses the deck towards the ceiling, a helper throws a thumb tack. The banded deck falls down but the card remains impaled with the bill on the ceiling. This is not only a fantastic trick, it's a money-maker for the magician.

In York's "The Ring in the World." A borrowed finger ring is destroyed in a cleaning device and turns up inside a small globe that's been sitting on the bar the entire time. While "The Ring in the World" is a great effect, finding the necessary props will be a challenge. Since this video was originally shot during the Clinton Administration, this task may be even more difficult now.

There's lots to like in York's three-DVD set. Again, if you want to learn about bar magic, definitely check out York's offerings along with those of Doc Eason.

-Wayne N. Kawamoto

MSRP: $79.99

Dealers can purchase from Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.