Harry Anderson-Wise Guy by Mike Caveney

Title: Harry Anderson Wise Guy

Author: Mike Caveney

ISBN: 0-915181-25-8

Publisher: Magical Publications

Publication Date: 1993

Hardcover

Book Size: 8 ¾ X 9 ½

Pages: 167

Edition: 1^st Edition

Book Condition: Excellent-Like New!

Dust Jacket Condition: Excellent-Very slight shelf wear

Harry Anderson Tips His Mitt!...and you won’t believe what rolled out of that mitt. All of the sidesplitting routines that helped make Harry Anderson a household name are packed into this book. That’s right; The Skunk Trap, The Gang of Four, The Handcuffs, The Burned Bill Routine, The Monarch Monte, and yes, Harry’s classic Needle Thru Arm plus many more. Here at last, is the whole story behind America's most successful comedy magician. From his early days in the street, to head-lining in night clubs and casino showrooms, to the starring role on TV's hit series, Night Court. Wise Guy begins with hilarious stories from Harry's apprenticeship as a street entertainer.

We don’t have to tell you how commercial these routines are since you have seen most of them on The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live or on Harry’s own TV special, Hello Sucker. Follow a youthful Harry Anderson into the streets where his character, Harry the Hat, developed during years of busking. Read outrageous stories from these humble beginnings that led to starring roles on television’s Night Court and Dave’s World. Harry can’t promise you will become a Hollywood star but he will show you exactly how he developed the many routines that carried him to the top of his field. You will see magic effects slowly evolve into the classic routines that Harry ultimately performed as a headliner in casino showrooms, comedy clubs and on television.

During a live performance at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California (where Hello Sucker was taped) we photographed Harry’s entire act and these action shots have been used to illustrate many routines. But Wise Guy is much more than just a book of tricks. Included are the theories and the psychology that form the basic foundation from which all of Harry’s magic emanates plus the exact patter that accompanied each effect. There is also plenty of close-up and mental magic that you may have seen Harry perform on shows such as Late Night with David Letterman or Larry King Live.

It’s not very often that a magic celebrity puts virtually every effect that made him a star into a single book but that is precisely what Harry Anderson did in Wise Guy. You learn more than just the 'secrets' to the tricks. You learn how the tricks came to be, when they came to be, and even why they came to be. You'll live through, with Harry the Hat, his rise to fame. Most of all, it's very inspirational. It's not a 'how to become famous like Harry Anderson' book, but it certainly is the story of how it happened. Seeing someone else's story is always inspirational, Even if you weren't interested in learning the tricks, buy this book for the biography. Buy this book to learn how to develop routines. Buy this book to learn about one of the greatest comedy magicians of our time . . . Buy this book because it's about Harry Anderson.

Wise Guy includes a wide array of close-up effects, sight-gags, mentalism and virtually all of the stand-up routines that made Harry Anderson a headline act. Whether you are looking for a thought-provoking discussion on how to entertain an audience with magic, or just an evening of belly-laughs, Wise Guy is the answer! All in a beautifully hardbound book with a striking dust jacket jam packed with dozens of photographs and illustrations and a wonderful introduction by ventriloquist Jay Johnson.

Contents

9 Introduction – Jay Johnson
11 Foreword – Harry Anderson
15 Publisher’s Note – Mike Caveney
17 Preface
21 Early On: Harry’s beginning in magic

22 Sewing A Coin: a coin is produced from an invisible threading
24 The Chicken And The Egg: egg produced from a chicken foot, and squashed into a fried egg
26 – Biography Continued
30 The Bullet Catch: How Harry developed the routine
35 – The Balled of Aristotle Couvert: patter and presentation for the routine
43 Ping-Pong Ball, Fruit & Flute: a quickie bit done on the street
44 Card Sword: quick description of Harry’s approach

45 Dybbuk: Torn & Restored dollar bill
50 Linking Rings: brief outline, not a full routine
51 Arm Amputation: adventures in a street illusion
54 Skunk Trap: another bizarre routine
56 Jaw Breaker: more biographical information about Harry, his marriage to Leslie
63 Straitjacket & Rope: description of Harry & Leslie’s competition
67 Las Vegas: Harry’s move up

68 The Grappler: more on Harry’s career and his comedic bill change
70 Mish-Mash Card: a comedy card revelation turns real
74 Wenii Magazine: idea of Harry & Martin Lewis and some sample content  
78 Eight Brass Monkeys and The Shadow: quick mention of two manuscripts Harry wrote
78 The Children’s Yard Sale: spectator counts to number indicated on price sticker on card box and finds selection 
80 Time Warp: reading the time on a pocket watch
81 One In A Million: your accomplice finds the only match box with the $20 bill

82 All For One: magician determines cards peeked at by four spectators
84 Musicalepathy: two person mind reading for the musically inclined
85 The Shadow: mention of Harry’s second book
86 The Gang of Four: magician removes one card matching the selection of four spectators, but they all picked different cards. The card is torn into four, and each corner is one of the selections
90 The Last Monte: Harry’s gimmicked 3-card Monte, but uses the real toss

91 – Phase 1 Meet My Friend, Monte
92 – Phase 2 The False Toss
93 – Phase 3 The Sting
94 – Phase 4 The Bent Corner
95 – Phase 5 The Mutilated Monte

97 Half-Roughed Cards: how they work and Senator Crandal’s Jumbo Nitemare
99 Jumbo Marked Cards: a comedy Jumbo card trick
101 Wise-Guy Poker: with the half-roughed cards
103 World’s Greatest Jumbo Torn & Restored Card: stage-size torn-restored
108 Monarch Monte: Super Jumbo gimmicked 3 card Monte
116 The Inside-Out Bill: Harry’s presentation outlined
117 Magazine Test: with six magazines

119 Finger Chopper: story of Harry’s approach
121 Linking Finger Rings: two methods described
127 Static Electricity: comedy bit with a balloon
129 Needle Through Arm: extensive coverage of Harry’s signature piece
143 Buffalo Bill: the torn and restored bill routine
146 Cuff Links: second part of the routine with handcuffs

153 Skippy: animal cruelty story
157 Chapeaugraphy: short story, no routine
158 Dueling Magis: quick description of Harry’s routine with Rich Hall
158 Exclusivity: essay on borrowing magic tricks
160 I’m Not Really an Actor, I Just Play One on TV: where is Harry going from here

A PEEK INSIDE HARRY ANDERSON: WISE GUY

[Here is a perfect example of how Harry could take a standard magic prop, one that most magicians wouldn't give a second thought to, and turn it into a memorable piece of theater that encompassed humor, tension, shock value and of course mystery.]

THE FINGER CHOPPER

Harry used to do the finger chopper in the close-up room at the Magic Castle. When I commented on his hilarious routine he just shook his head and sort of brushed off the compliment. Years later I realized that mentioning the Finger Chopper to Harry caused his mind to drift back to the days when he really did the Finger Chopper and really got a reaction. It was back when Harry worked with his girlfriend Alison. She was a normal and pretty girl in every way... except one. Half of her little finger was missing. Now don't get ahead of me.

Harry had one of those little wooden finger choppers that Micky Hades used to sell. The kind where the blade could be removed and clearly shown. It was a very convincing little guillotine that did not look like a novelty store toy. Harry would get a guy to examine the chopper and then cut a cigarette in half. Then he held the guy's hand up and told this silly story. Pointing to the first finger he began: "This is the King, this is the Queen and oops, this is the evil Duke. We're going to have to behead the evil Duke." He slid the guy's finger into the hole and then held tightly onto his fingertip... uncomfortably so.

Now Harry looked at the audience and changed the subject completely. "Isn't it strange how cooperative a person will be with a magician. I mean this guy doesn't know who the hell I am." (This was long before Night Court.) "I come out all dressed up. I do a couple of card tricks, so he jumps to the conclusion that I've been hired by this establishment. Then I come up with this line about an evil Duke. Evil Duke? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I bring out this device and demonstrate exactly what it does and what does he do? He puts his finger in it. How many of you in the audience have ever seen one of those little finger choppers made by the Adams Novelty Company? The little one with the trick blade?" (Two or three people always raised their hands.) "That is what we in the business would call a trick finger chopper. How many of you ever owned one of them? A couple of you. Is this one of those trick finger choppers? No! This is what we in the business call a professional finger chopper."

Harry just kept on talking and squeezing. Pretty soon a little bead of sweat would start to form on the guy's forehead.

"You look a little nervous. That's because you know what's gonna happen, you just don't know when. That's what gets people. Not that it's gonna happen, but when. That's why people can deal better with a hurricane than they can with an earthquake. You can see a hurricane coming and get ready for it. But with an earthquake... POW! Right out of nowhere. It's Mother Nature gone psycho. People hate that. So in order to put you at ease, let's make Alison the clock. We'll pick a number like three. No, that's too common. How 'bout four... and a half. Yeah. That's good. At the count of four and a half it will happen. Now you can relax. You know what's gonna happen and exactly when it's coming. Ready Alison? One, two, three, four and a half."

At the count of four and a half, Alison extended her half finger. It looked exactly like the old gag where you bend your finger over. Then three things happened at once. Alison turned her hand around revealing that she had indeed lost half her finger. A look of terror gripped the spectator's face. And Harry slammed down the blade. As Harry tells it, there were wet seats every time.

This is a fine example of exploiting your resources, using what you have at your disposal, or in this case, using what you don't have.

Please examine the photos of this book. I have included photos of the index, when needed. I have also included photos of especially colorful, interesting or autographed pages. I will be happy to answer any specific question, just send me an Email!

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