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act. This is associated with the perception that assistants are usually female and often dressed in revealing costumes. Although there have been plenty of instances of male assistants throughout the history of magic, the glamorous female stereotype has made a particular impact because female assistants were a prominent feature of illusion shows during the 20th century, when magic began to reach huge new audiences, first through the burgeoning of live
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Changes in fashion and great social upheavals during the first decades of the 20th century made Selbit's choice of "victim" both practical and popular. Steinmeyer notes: "During the 1900s, as a shapely leg became not only acceptable on the stage but admired, it was fashionable to perform magic with a
220:
In contrast to the publicity given to Selbit, the names of the assistants who made this influential act work have received almost no publicity. There were two premieres of the illusion. Selbit first presented it to an audience in
December 1920; however, on that occasion the spectators were a small
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as a performance art. Despite their often crucial role in magic acts they, and the work they do, have suffered from negative public perceptions. The assistant's role has often been stereotyped as consisting of menial tasks and having the primary purpose of adding a visually aesthetic element to an
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Many of these illusions, together with others that involve appearances, disappearances or escapes, involve assistants being shut in boxes of one sort or another. This has led to the nickname "box jumper" which, although it could be applied to a male assistant, is usually inferred to be a female
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that are used by a magician, shifting props onto and off the stage, and serving as a living prop in illusions that involve manipulation of the human body. Other aspects of the role can include dancing or acting as visual ornamentation, sometimes for simple aesthetic purposes and sometimes to
252:, for which Charlotte Pendragon wore very revealing costumes and did traditional "box jumping" roles yet received equal billing with her husband. She was also honored in her own right as a top professional magician. Another example, although with more modest and conservative costuming, is
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A notable feature of the glamorous female assistant iconography is the frequency with which assistants play the role of "victim" in illusions where they are tied up, apparently cut with blades, penetrated with spikes or swords or otherwise tortured or imperilled. Examples include
168:
has identified the advent of the sawing illusion as a turning point in magic history and a moment which, more than any other, marks the origin of the cliche of the female assistant as victim. It is generally agreed that a "sawing" type illusion was first performed publicly by
230:
assistant. One reason that has been given for the predominance of women in this role is that the illusions sometimes require an assistant that can fit into cramped spaces and women have an advantage in that they tend to be smaller and more limber than men.
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That was only part of the story, however. The trauma of war had helped to desensitize the public to violence and the emancipation of women had changed attitudes to them. Audiences were also tiring of the gentler forms of magic represented by the likes of
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Some modern magic acts have preserved the glamorous elements of the female assistant iconography while attempting to give full recognition to female performers by billing women as equal partners in acts. A notable example was the husband and wife act
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Empire music hall after Selbit was hired by the Moss Empire group. According to
Steinmeyer, the assistant at the 1920 preview was Jan Glenrose, Selbit's main assistant at that time. The public performances featured principal assistant Betty Barker.
476:(2007) is a feature-length documentary film featuring many of the magic world's most famous assistants and planned for theatrical release. It was made by Blaire Baron-Larsen, Harry Pallenberg, Phil Noyes and Dante Larsen.
240:, but this view has been contested by some magicians and assistants. However, a few prominent assistants have stated that they deserve better recognition for their efforts and achievements (see "
185:, both men and women were used as the subjects for magic illusions. Victorian gowns often made it unrealistic for a lady to take part in an illusion or be pressed into a tight space.
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theatre, to cause a sensation in this age. Steinmeyer concludes that: "...beyond practical concerns, the image of the woman in peril became a specific fashion in entertainment".
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92:, "I did find fault with the term 'assistant' because it sounds like someone rolling props on and off stage when many of us were highly trained actors and dancers."
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follows the character Sabine who was assistant to her magician husband
Parsifal. After Parsifal's death Sabine is left to unravel the secrets of his life.
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than the magician who appears to be the source of illusions, the assistant is often the one making the mechanics of the illusions work. In the words of
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is based upon the idea of a woman frequently being the glamorous assistant by flipping the trope and making her a main character in her own right.
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group of invited theatrical agents and promoters who Selbit hoped would book the act. The public premiere then occurred on 17 January 1921 at the
256:, who receives equal billing with her husband Kevin Ridgeway when they perform together as a magic act and often stars in her own right as an
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misdirect audience attention. The figure of the glamorous female assistant has become a stereotype or icon in art, popular media and fiction.
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is a magician's assistant called Tammy Larsen, played by actress Lee
Armstrong, who appears in stage costume for much of the duration.
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and then through television. The glamorous female assistant has become an iconic image that continues in modern media and literature.
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The topic of assistants portrayed as victims in violent illusions was featured in "Violent magic" the final episode of the six-part
177:" made an enormous impact and greatly affected public expectations of stage magic for decades afterwards. Steinmeyer has explained:
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as a television producer who goes undercover as a magician's assistant to expose his method of performing the trick in the title.
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466:(2004) was a two-part radio documentary series about magicians' assistants that was made for BBC Radio 4 and presented by
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Before Selbit's illusion, it was not a cliche that pretty ladies were teased and tortured by magicians. Since the days of
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299:(wife and assistant to Alexander Hermann, who later became a magician in her own right following her husband's death)
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critics have taken the above aspects of illusions and performances as evidence to support claims that magic is
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as an assistant to a magician who is involved in a deadly feud with a competitor. In addition actress
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Magician
Dorothy Dietrich sawing celebrity assistant and comedian Robert Klein in half on TV
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Although magicians' assistants appear to play a supporting role and receive a lesser
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423:(1995) features as its central character a magician's assistant played by
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has turned the tables and used men as assistants, sawing them in half.
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Assistants have been part of magic shows for most of the recorded
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Hiding the
Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible
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plays the wife and performing partner of another magician.
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Performer in a magic act who is not billed as the magician
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This article is about the performer. For the novel, see
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in
January 1921. His presentations of what he titled "
606:. William Heinemann/Random House. pp. 277–295.
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494:(with regard to stereotyped female victim imagery)
72:The role of an assistant can include holding the
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659:Art and Artifice: And Other Essays of Illusion
657:Steinmeyer, Jim; Gaiman, Neil (October 2006).
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374:who later became a magician in her own right)
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713:. London: The Times online. Archived from
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522:Johnstone, Fanny (21 November 2007).
384:Assistants in art, fiction and movies
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104:Sabrina and Vanessa with illusionist
269:George White (Lifetime assistant to
581:. Magicweek.co.uk. 20 November 2004
158:, and, perhaps most famous of all,
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524:"Breaking into the magic circle"
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709:Campling, Chris (2004-03-23).
572:television documentary series
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530:. London: Guardian Newspapers.
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64:or principal name in the act.
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1159:The Expert at the Card Table
1143:The Discoverie of Witchcraft
205:cast of attractive ladies".
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1175:Thirteen Steps to Mentalism
918:Female Magician Biographies
895:Frances Marshall (editor),
851:The Disappearing Girl Trick
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449:The DC Comics character of
440:The Disappearing Girl Trick
45:The Magic Land of Allakazam
25:Three (Charlotte Church EP)
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60:who is not billed as the
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739:The Magician's Assistant
634:Steinmeyer, Jim (2003).
602:Steinmeyer, Jim (2003).
392:The Magician's Assistant
370:(principal assistant to
21:The Magician's Assistant
857:Internet Movie Database
829:Internet Movie Database
801:Internet Movie Database
773:Internet Movie Database
330:(wife and assistant to
322:Le Roy, Talma and Bosco
289:(wife and assistant to
279:(wife and assistant to
137:Devil's Torture Chamber
38:(bottom) with magician
1224:Hugard's Magic Monthly
735:Patchett, Ann (1997).
194:
187:
175:Sawing through a woman
161:Sawing a woman in half
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49:
1295:Films about magicians
910:Official website for
897:Those Beautiful Dames
688:. Radiolistings.co.uk
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96:History and critiques
34:Magician's assistant
33:
888:Jan Jones (editor),
281:Harry Blackstone Jr.
211:John Nevil Maskelyne
197:One female magician
56:is a performer in a
54:magician's assistant
23:. For the song, see
1341:Midnight ghost show
1266:Smoke & Mirrors
638:Hiding the Elephant
363:Charlotte Pendragon
954:Magic and illusion
492:Damsel in distress
410:Scarlett Johansson
264:Notable assistants
195:
109:
50:
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668:978-0-7867-1806-1
661:. Da Capo Press.
372:David Copperfield
297:Adelaide Herrmann
90:David Copperfield
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1362:Magic (illusion)
1336:Indian magicians
1238:The Linking Ring
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879:"Women In Magic"
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1151:Modern Magic
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1116:Misdirection
1111:Equivocation
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860:. Retrieved
856:
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832:. Retrieved
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804:. Retrieved
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776:. Retrieved
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767:The Prestige
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743:. Harcourt.
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719:. Retrieved
715:the original
690:. Retrieved
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528:The Guardian
527:
473:
468:Debbie McGee
463:
439:
433:Leprechaun 3
431:
420:
414:Piper Perabo
405:The Prestige
403:
397:Ann Patchett
390:
368:Joanie Spina
332:Paul Daniels
328:Debbie McGee
318:Talma Le Roy
313:Jinger Leigh
303:Bess Houdini
287:Nani Darnell
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238:misogynistic
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171:P. T. Selbit
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155:Zig Zag Girl
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143:Mismade Girl
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86:Joanie Spina
79:
71:
53:
51:
43:
42:(center) on
36:Nani Darnell
1210:Abracadabra
1202:Periodicals
978:Conventions
892:, pub. 1982
883:BellaOnline
823:Leprecaun 3
795:Rough Magic
487:Target girl
464:Box Jumpers
421:Rough Magic
291:Mark Wilson
149:Radium Girl
68:Description
40:Mark Wilson
1356:Categories
1273:The Sphinx
1135:Guidebooks
1106:Levitation
1099:techniques
1097:Tricks and
1063:Mathemagic
1053:Escapology
1038:Children's
1022:techniques
968:Assistants
862:2007-04-02
834:2007-07-18
806:2007-04-03
778:2007-04-03
721:2007-04-02
692:2007-04-02
642:. p.
585:2007-04-03
555:2007-04-02
551:. WIB, LLC
499:References
444:Susan Egan
419:The movie
402:The movie
389:The novel
352:John Bundy
244:" below).
131:Aztec Lady
118:vaudeville
1300:Magicians
1191:Conjuring
1028:Cardistry
305:(wife of
58:magic act
1315:Timeline
1252:Magigram
1231:The Jinx
1073:Platform
983:Exposure
481:See also
234:Feminist
62:magician
1329:Related
1305:Museums
1259:Mahatma
1170:(1928–)
1032:history
1013:Bizarre
961:General
451:Zatanna
82:billing
48:in 1960
1320:Tricks
1194:(1992)
1186:(1975)
1178:(1961)
1162:(1902)
1154:(1876)
1146:(1584)
1088:Street
1078:Séance
1068:Mental
1058:Gospel
1006:Genres
988:Stores
747:
665:
610:
348:Morgan
1283:Lists
1245:Magic
1217:Genii
1083:Stage
973:Clubs
574:Magic
395:, by
342:Dante
74:props
1048:Coin
1018:Card
745:ISBN
663:ISBN
608:ISBN
320:(of
120:and
644:292
570:BBC
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52:A
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