"Finally: 50 Years of Magic" Volumes 1 and 2 DVDs
by Dan Tong
Suggested Retail USD$35.00 each
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"Dan Tong: Finally! 50 Years of Magic" is a two-volume set you need to get. Period.

I'm not going to beat around the bush here: Dan Tong is a worker's worker. He's been around long enough to have seen it all, done it all, and worked with it all. In those titled fifty years of magic, Tong has boiled his material down to the basics, modified classics to fit more modern audiences and their requirements, and created mystifying, perfectly workable magic that every one performing or aspiring to perform needs to see.

Of course, I'm prejudiced. When I go out and about for the bucks, I can pretty much guarantee you at least four effects come straight out of Tong's repertoire. You see, when I started planning on doing this for money, way back when, a dealer handed me a single little booklet with the instructions to read it, learn everything in it, apply myself, and I'd have it made. The booklet was Dan Tong's "Restaurant and Table Magic" and that dealer was right.

So here comes "Finally", a two-volume set, and I find myself thinking again just how good Tong's magic is. Simple to follow, straightforward, crafted to the situation restaurant workers find themselves in, and wonderfully entertaining... which is what it's all about.

If you're looking for the latest and greatest stuff, these discs won't satisfy you. Tong's magic is very classical, though that takes on a whole new meaning in Tong's hands. But, thinking it over, if you are one of the folks that simply must have the latest magic because you think it's the best, then perhaps you're the perfect audience for these discs. What you'll find, you see, are the classics of magic, done just that much differently, that will entertain as they mystify.

Let's look quickly at some of what Tong teaches here.

"Bill Matrix" is Tong's take on the coin assembly. It's an easy one, but Tong's added a change and the production of a large coin to the mix. Typically Tong, this one is easy to do and quick to do again. One of my favorites.

"Sponge Balls" is a two-ball routine and probably the most pedestrian of the effects here. It's also one of the best two-ball routines around. That speaks volumes about Tong's quality of work.

"Ring Flight/Ring on a Stick" is just what it says. Tong has combined two classic to create one pretty routine. This one actually made me buy a "Ring Flight" get-up after all these years.

"Bills & Bowls" is Tong's take on the Benson "It's Magic" routine. I learned this from the aforementioned booklet and, seeing Tong do it, just makes me grateful I learned it so long ago. This is a gem.

"Malini Egg Bag" has been said to be worth the price of the DVD. It is. It's a beautiful piece in multiple, logical phases ending with a glass production. This is a treasure.

"Chop Cup" is another one I swear by. It's short, fast, punchy and plays huge. This is one of the better presentations out there for the classic.

"Ropes" is touted as a complete act on its own and, brother, is it ever. It's a cut-and-restored with a "Professor's Nightmare" with a three-in-one restoration at the climax. I never did much with ropes for too long, but this one had me re-thinking that idea. It's a slick, mystifying piece of business.

And that's just some of the stuff you'll run into on these discs. Classics of magic, with a Tong twist, that makes them new again.

I won't go into all the details with production and all. Face it, this is a Kozmo production and the man always does exemplary work. Tong has been in the business so long with his material that his teaching it is as fluid and thorough as you'd expect from that much experience with his work. All of that is simply excellent.

As is the material. This two-disc collection is something that must be seen to be believed and digested to understand.

It was a while ago when I was directed toward Dan Tong's booklet. Nowadays, if it were me, I'd be pointing everyone toward "Finally: 50 Years of Magic".

Come to think of it, I am.

"Finally: 50 Years of Magic" Volumes 1 and 2 DVDs by Dan Tong
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
Classics of magic, modified for modern restaurant audiences, that pack a punch and are gloriously entertaining... what more could you ask for? Tong's thinking on these pieces is wonderful, honed over that titled fifty years, and it makes these "oldies" worth dusting off and taking out for a spin again.

Practicality: 10
Tong works restaurants and his material reflects the needs of that environment: quick pacing, little or no reset, very slight set-ups, the whole shebang.

Quality of Production: 10
This is a Kozmo production. That means it's head and shoulders above most other productions. 'Nuff said.

Quality of Instruction: 10
Tong teaches the material perfectly, going through the ins-and-outs in detail and covering all the angles as he goes. He does a masterful job here.

Presentation: 10
Tong is a one-of-a-kind work of art. His humor, often reduced on the video to one-liners, is sharp and entertaining. He knows his environment and he knows his audiences. As such, his magic is attention-grabbing and attention-holding. A lot could be learned from his presentations.

Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.