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Ron Bauer

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Ron Bauer

Ron Bauer, circa 1958,
performing the Multiplying Golf Balls
BornRonald Raymond Bauer
1938
Portland, Oregon

NationalityAmerican
Notable worksThe Ron Bauer Private Studies Series, Founded Mr. Trix Enterprises
Known forR.A.P. (Riffle Action Palm), T.T.T. (Two-card Turnover Technique)
CategoriesBooks by Ron Bauer

Ron Bauer (b. 1938) is a professional writer in the computer and video industries, and a semi-professional magician. He's the author of a series of 24 "annotated performance scripts" for magicians, called the Ron Bauer Private Studies Series. He's also well-known for his T.T.T. (Two-card Turnover Technique)[1] and R.A.P. (Riffle Action Palm).[2] He's maintained longtime friendships with Milt Kort, Don Alan, Ed Marlo, Dai Vernon, Charlie Miller, Jack McMillen, "Senator" Clarke Crandall, Don Lawton, Bruce Cervon, Jack Dean, Leo Behnke, Jerry Andrus, Dick and Diana Zimmerman, and many others.

Biography

Early years

Ron Bauer, c. 1960, performing close-up at the Kenwood Club in Detroit
Ron Bauer, c. 1960, performing close-up at the Kenwood Club in Detroit

After being intrigued by a sign in the window, Ron Bauer walked through the door of his first magic shop at age 11, and he was hooked. He trained in Portland, Oregon, under Ted and Marie Hall, R. Vernon Cook, Will Desmond, and Stan Payne of Star Magic. He voraciously devoured every magic book he could get his hands on, and in 1952, he was the first one in town to get a copy of the brand-new Modern Coin Magic by J. B. Bobo.

Shortly thereafter, Bauer's family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He met and began learning from Jack Dean and Charles Aste, Jr., who was doing illustrations for Ed Marlo's books at the time. Bauer also started training in acting, and got involved in local radio, television, and live theater. In fact, he was the first magician to appear on the first two television stations in Memphis.

The Mr. Trix MagicFun Time Mall Show, c. 1971, with Bauer as the MagicFun Man
The Mr. Trix MagicFun Time Mall Show, c. 1971, with Bauer as the MagicFun Man
In 1959, Bauer married and moved to Detroit. For several years, he performed at the Kenwood Club in Detroit, and was the first full-time professional close-up magician working in the area.[3] He also started training in marketing at Maxon Advertising.

Mr. Trix Enterprises

In 1968, Bauer founded Mr. Trix Enterprises, a children's entertainment company based in the prestigious Detroit-suburb Birmingham.[4] Employing magicians, clowns, puppeteers, and party planners, Mr. Trix's popularity grew and it became the largest and most successful children's entertainment company in the Midwest. Children couldn't get enough of the MagicFun Man, Elmo D. Clown, Professor B'loon (played by Milt Kort), Kelly the Klorophyll Klown, and of course, the group's rabbit-in-a-hat mascot, Mr. Trix. Their shows included the "Mr. Trix MagicFun Time" show, the "Elmo D. Clown Show," "The Instant Puppet Show," and the "B'loon Circus." During this time Bauer also produced several Mr. Trix television projects.

Television & Video

Vernon, Miller, Bauer, and Marlo in Santa Barbara, June 1983
Vernon, Miller, Bauer, and Marlo in Santa Barbara, June 1983
After almost a decade running Mr. Trix, Bauer turned his attention to television production. He was writer and producer for over 100 episodes of the Bozo the Clown show at WJBK-TV in the late seventies.[5] Then, with an eye on the emerging video industry, he wrote, produced, and marketed the first training course in non-broadcast video production. After seeing his video production course, Sony contracted Bauer in the early eighties for a new project, so he headed to California.[6]

The Convention of the Century?

In the summer of 1983, Bauer managed to persuade his friend Ed Marlo to venture out of Chicago and attend the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians' 51st annual magic convention in Santa Barbara, California, much to the delight of West Coast magicians, many of whom had never had a chance to see Marlo.[7] It had been over 30 years since his last convention appearance or lecture.[8] The convention was a huge hit, with Marlo, Dai Vernon, Charlie Miller, and Jack McMillen all in attendance. It was the only time Marlo and Vernon ever shared a stage.[9] A photograph of Vernon, Miller, Bauer, and Marlo, posing on a sunny Santa Barbara beach, appears in The Vernon Chronicles, Volume 2: More Lost Inner Secrets by Stephen Minch (1988, p. 216). It's inscribed by Ron Bauer to his longtime friend Bruce Cervon. The same photo without the inscription can be seen on the right.

Easy DOS It!

Bauer with Milt Kort and Stephen Minch, c. 1998
Bauer with Milt Kort and Stephen Minch, c. 1998
Returning home to Detroit after finishing his work with Sony, Bauer turned his focus to a new technology: personal computers. He wrote the first book for the public on Microsoft DOS, called Easy DOS It! (1986), which went on to become one of the best-selling computer books of the 1980s. (It's also how Alex Elmsley, a budding computer expert, learned Microsoft DOS in the U.K.!) Bauer spent the late eighties operating The Easy Way Press in downtown Rochester, Michigan, which published his The Learn-in-a-Day Way series of books, including The Easy Modem Book (1987) and Hard DOS It! (1988).

"THE Underground Legend"

In 1994, Bill Kalush held a private convention in New York City, inviting 29 of the top "workers" in the world to discuss and present ideas on a single trick. Invitees included Daryl, Rafael Benatar, Bernard Bilis, John Carney, Michael Close, Tom Gagnon, Brother John Hamman, Ricky Jay, Ray Kosby, Bill Malone, Max Maven, Gary Plants, Bob Stencel, Juan Tamariz, David Williamson, and Herb Zarrow. Although Bauer was invited, he was unable to attend, but he sent his contribution for the benefit of everyone there.[10] When Lance Pierce published a private book containing all the material from the event in 1996, he described Bauer like this:

Ron Bauer is the underground legend. A strong creator of routines and effects, he is rarely seen by the cogniscenti and even lesser known among the majority of the fraternity. For those who know, though, Ron represents the type of artist many of us would aspire to be.[11]

The nickname caught on among magicians, and Bauer has often been known since as "THE Underground Legend."[12][13][14]

Magician and author Stephen Minch has said that Bauer:

...can turn the simplest puzzle into a magical masterpiece. For forty years I've watched him deploy deadly difficult sleight-of-hand, cloaked in his whimsical performance style, to "garden path" the best in the game.[15]

Private Studies Series

Main article:Ron Bauer Private Studies Series

In the mid-nineties, at the urging of several close friends like Milt Kort, Paul Chosse, and John Luka, Bauer decided to start a new project, with the goal of teaching students of magic how to "Think Like Conjurers." The Ron Bauer Private Studies Series is a series of 24 "annotated performance scripts." Each script explains a trick, which can be learned from that script alone. But the true purpose of the series is to teach certain theatrical principles, which are covered cumulatively throughout all twenty-four scripts.

The series is illustrated by Milt's daughter, Sandra Kort.

Special Editions

Main article:Ron Bauer Private Studies Series#Special Editions

Bauer has also published several Private Studies Special Editions. Two of the items were signature effects by his long-time friend, Don Alan.

The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture

Main article:The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture

In 2008, Bauer published a set of lecture notes for appearance at the Golden Gate Gathering in San Francisco. The following year, he revised the notes, adding more details for those who were unable to attend the lecture. It's the first publication of the famed R.A.P. (Riffle Action Palm).

Contributions to Books

The New Modern Coin Magic

After meeting him at an Abbott's Get-Together in the early sixties, Bauer became friends with John Braun. A few years later, when Braun was compiling the new edition of J. B. Bobo's Modern Coin Magic, Bauer contributed these three items. The book was published in 1966 as The New Modern Coin Magic.

Title Page(s)
"Made in Japan" 485-486
"The O-Korto Box Routine" (with Milton Kort and Walter Wilson) 497-498
"Gag Penetration with an Okito Box" (with Milton Kort) 504

L. I. N. T.: Pocket Stuff for Close-Up Magicians

L. I. N. T.: Luka in the New Tops
L. I. N. T.: Luka in the New Tops (1997)

During 1993 and 1994, John Luka had a column in The New Tops focused on "Pocket Stuff for Close-Up Magicians." Longtime friends with Luka, Bauer sent him several items. In 1997, Luka compiled a book of the material from the column, along with several new items, one of which was Bauer's "Devilish Trickery." The title of the book, L. I. N. T., is an acronym for Luka In the New Tops.

Title Page(s)
"The Lie Detector" 1-8
"Key to the Draw" 20-26
"The Magic Coin" 65-69
"Second Sight" 77-82
"Devilish Trickery" 133-141

Other Books

Title Book Title Author Year Page(s)
"Beanie Puppet Routines 1&2" (written by Oran Dent) Ireland Yearbook 1960 L. L. Ireland 1960 30-32
"Off Color Elevator" (with Milton Kort) Off Color Card Tricks Milton Kort 1970 5-6
"Off Color Prediction" Off Color Card Tricks Milton Kort 1970 49-51
"The Screened Leipzig Pass" Daryl's Ambitious Card Omnibus Stephen Minch 1987 73-77
"Peek, Look, & Think" Cardfixes Jon Racherbaumer 1990 142-147
"Bauer's Delusion" Secrets for the Part-Time Magician John Luka 1992 17-20
"The Hofbauer Force" Card Finesse II Jon Racherbaumer 1992 116-120
"Screened Leipzig Card Pass" Card Finesse II Jon Racherbaumer 1992 190-200
"The Real Color Change" The Rainbow Deck Randy Wakeman 1995 7-9
"These Cards Are Marked" The Rainbow Deck Randy Wakeman 1995 30-32
"Sleightless Switches" The Rainbow Deck Randy Wakeman 1995 41-42
"Win at Gin!" Bill Kalush’s New York City Conference 1994 Lance Pierce 1996 104-117
"Slick Sticker Trick" Mystifying Card Tricks Bob Longe 1997 37-44
"Good Luck" Card Tricks Galore Bob Longe 1999 48-49
"The O-Korto Box Routine" (with Milton Kort and Walter Wilson) KORT: The Magic of Milton Kort Stephen Minch 1999 209-227
"Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" Clever Close-up Magic Bob Longe 2003 151-152
"Super Toothpick" (John Dowdy) Clever Close-up Magic Bob Longe 2003 152-153
"Drawn Instead of Quartered" Switch: Unfolding the $100 Bill Change John Lovick 2006 293-294
"R.B.'s Delusion" Uncovered: Secrets for the Serious Magician John Luka 2006 73-76
"Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" Mind-Blowing Magic Tricks Bob Longe 2007 82-83
"Bauer Biddle Move" Jack McMillen (ebook) Michael Landes 2011 205-206

Contributions to Magazines

How to Perform Magic on Local TV

Series of nine articles, each on a different aspect of performing magic on television.

Title Magazine Vol. No. Date Page(s)
"How to Perform Magic on Local TV" The New Tops 22 2 February 1982 6-7
"Television Time" The New Tops 22 3 March 1982 19-20
"What is a Stereotype–Really?" The New Tops 22 5 May 1982 6-9
"Who’s Who in a TV Production" The New Tops 22 7 July 1982 31-32
"The Shot" The New Tops 22 8 August 1982 16-18
"Staging and Blocking, Part One" The New Tops 22 10 October 1982 41-43
"Staging and Blocking, Part Two – Subjective Close-Up Magic" The New Tops 22 11 November 1982 24-25
"Staging and Blocking, Part Three – Objective Close-Up Magic" The New Tops 22 12 December 1982 24-25, 30-31
"Preparing for Local TV Interviews" The New Tops 23 2 February 1983 8-10

Abbott's Jet Set

Series of three articles on ways to use Abbott's Jet Set, a portable backdrop hanger.

Title Magazine Vol. No. Date Page(s)
"Staging Ideas With Abbott’s Jet Set" The New Tops 21 9 September 1981 47
"More Staging Ideas With Abbott’s Jet Set" The New Tops 22 9 September 1982 45-46
"How to Porta-Drape Your Abbott’s Jet Set" The New Tops 22 9 September 1982 47-48

Card Technique

Series of three articles on card moves that, according to Bauer, "have been given my interest and attention over the years because they're 'ON THE PLOT-POINT' moves. That means they most usually must be done while the spectators are looking at the hands during all or part of the critical action. This means misdirection is extremely difficult. ...TECHNIQUE must be carefully devised and executed. And, details make all the difference."[16]

Title Magazine Vol. No. Date Page(s)
"T. T. T. (Two Card Turnover Technique)" Genii 46 11 November 1982 750-751
"Card Technique (Ovette Master Move)" Genii 46 12 December 1982 824-825
"The Screened Leipzig Pass" Genii 47 2 February 1983 113-114

The Key Ring Cycle

The Key Ring Cycle
"The Key Ring Cycle"

Series of four tricks revolving around a unique key ring with three different keys and a skull-shaped key chain. Each item on the key ring is used for a different trick.

Title Magazine Vol. No. Date Page(s)
"Lots O’ Lock" The New Tops 21 12 December 1981 30-32
"D-D-T!" The New Tops 22 2 February 1982 25-28
"Hoppy" The New Tops 22 3 March 1982 23-28
"A Timely Escape" The New Tops 22 7 July 1982 11-13

Is This a Good Trick?

In 2005, Steven Youell briefly published an online magic magazine devoted to "cogitating about effects on an audience of a good trick." Bauer published an article to stimulate discussion among the members of the subscription website. He described a card trick, as it would appear to an audience, and asked, "Is This a Good Trick?" In the second part, Bauer discussed various aspects of the presentation he had described in terms of their "effects on an audience." The final part included his full Performance Script for the piece.

Title Magazine Date
"Is This a Good Trick?" Cogitations (ezine) April 4, 2005
"Is This a Good Trick? Part 2" Cogitations (ezine) April 25, 2005
"Good Trick, Part 3" Cogitations (ezine) June 18, 2005

Other Items

Title Magazine Vol. No. Date Page(s)
"The Far East Far Out Coins" The New Tops 1 2 February 1961 8-9
"Gagbag Routine" The New Tops 1 12 December 1961 32
"Linking Pins Routine" The New Tops 2 2 February 1962 6-7
"Phony Cast Gag" The New Tops 3 3 March 1963 23
"Yogi Bear says... 'Thanks'" The New Tops 3 8 August 1963 13
"Silver Replacement" The New Tops 20 7 July 1980 49-50
"Susan B's Diminishing Dollar" The New Tops 20 8 August 1980 6-9
"Your Pencil – My Ring!" The New Tops 20 8 August 1980 24-26
"Tootsie!" The New Tops 21 8 August 1981 6-10
"The Big Bag of Tricks and the Little Black Hat" M-U-M 71 5 October 1981 41-45
"Pig Pad" The New Tops 21 11 November 1981 6-7
"Bauer's Delusion" Genii 46 3 March 1982 169-171
"The Jellis Ring" Genii 46 4 April 1982 237-239
"Instant Lunch" The New Tops 22 8 August 1982 6-8
"The Clones From Brazil" Genii 47 7 July 1983 464-466
"Spirits" Genii 47 9 September 1983 616-618
"The Presidential Production" (Dick Zimmerman) Genii 47 11 November 1983 773-775
"The Lie Detector" The New Tops 33 10 October 1993 6-10
"Key to the Draw" The New Tops 34 1 January 1994 22-25
"Second Sight" The New Tops 34 10 October 1994 10-13
"The Magic Coin" The New Tops 34 11 November 1994 26-28
"Sure-Fire Think of a Card" (Milt Kort) The Linking Ring 77 10 October 1997 113-115
"T. T. T. (Two Card Turnover Technique)" Cogitations (ezine) May 26, 2005

Articles

Title Magazine Vol. No. Date Page(s)
"Diana, the Enchantress" (Profile of Diana Zimmerman) Genii 47 11 November 1983 760-762
"Milton Kort (1917–2003)" (Obituary for Milt Kort) The Linking Ring 83 10 October 2003 69-70
"Colorful Magic" Cogitations (ezine) May 18, 2005

Reviews

For a few months in 2008, Bauer wrote reviews published in M-U-M magazine.

Product Name Creator/Author Vol. No. Date Page(s)
Very Best of Modern Coin Magic by J.B. Bobo (DVD) Jason Greenamyer 97 10 March 2008 70
"Final Fusion" (Trick) Jay Sankey 97 11 April 2008 72-73
"Safety Hole Lite" (Trick) Menny Lindenfeld 97 11 April 2008 73
"Neat and Tidy" (Trick) Wayne Fox 97 11 April 2008 76
"The Bammo Monte Monster" (Trick) Bob Farmer 97 12 May 2008 70
Cocktail Card Magic (Book) Bill Abbott 98 1 June 2008 71-72
"Mutanz" (Trick) Bob Farmer and Roy Walton 98 1 June 2008 76
Classic Palming with Coins (DVD) Reed McClintock 98 2 July 2008 74
"Strange Change" (Trick) Bob Solari 98 2 July 2008 74
"No Salt Added" (Trick) Bob Solari 98 2 July 2008 74-75
"Street Cents" (Trick) Andrew Gerard 98 4 September 2008 21

Ebooks

Unpublished

Surprisingly, given the volume of Bauer's published material, the majority of his work remains unpublished.

He has teased the "Someday..." release of the following:[17]

References

  1. The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture, pp. 17-22
  2. The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture, pp. 23-28
  3. John Luka, L. I. N. T.: Pocket Stuff for Close-Up Magicians, 1997, p.1
  4. Chuck Romano, The Art of Deception, 2008, p. 194
  5. The Revised Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture, 2009, p. 5
  6. E-GADS Press Release, "Now Through Sunday, Ron Bauer is the Featured Guest on England's Premier Web Forum!", MagicTimes, February 20, 2003
  7. Dai Vernon, "The Vernon Touch," Genii, Vol. 47, No. 8, August 1983, p. 25
  8. Jon Racherbaumer, "Introduction," The Card Magic of Ed Marlo by Ed Marlo, 1995
  9. Jon Racherbaumer, "Vernon - Marlo, mutual respect?", The Genii Forum, November 5, 2004
  10. Bill Kalush's New York City Conference 1994 by Lance Pierce, 1996, pp. 11-12
  11. Bill Kalush's New York City Conference 1994 by Lance Pierce, 1996, p. 103
  12. John Luka, The Linking Ring, Vol. 77 No. 12, December 1997, p. 39
  13. Dennis Loomis, M-U-M, Vol. 100 No. 6, November 2010, p. 30
  14. Dennis Loomis, M-U-M, Vol. 101 No. 1, June 2011, p. 60
  15. Stephen Minch, Thanks in KORT: The Magic of Milton Kort, 1999, p. ii.
  16. Ron Bauer, "The Screened Leipzig Pass," Genii, Vol. 47 No. 2, February 1983, p. 114.
  17. http://www.thinklikeaconjurer.com/insideinfo/biblio.htm

External Links