By: JR
I am thinking about an egg bag routine, and I read about egg bag
routines and then I read about a Malini Egg bag. What are the
advantages of a Malini vs. others and which would you MT'ers
recommend?
By: Olde Rabbit
This is a much wider subject than you probably imagined, but I think
we can narrow it down a bit for you. The egg bag is a great trick. One
of the reasons it is highly favored by magis is that it is fairly
automatic, the bag being gaffed so it will appear to be absolutely
empty, with proper handling. Whether you are using a wood, plastic, or
even real egg. Conversely, it seems to go over so well with audiences,
in my opinion, because they are always convinced you have used sleight
of hand to sneak the egg out of the bag, so are doubly amazed when
they watch your hands like a hawk, and the egg continues to reappear
in the bag.
Different styles and/or names of egg bags depend largely on where the "secret area" (how's that for nonexposure?) is, and how the egg gets there, to simulate it's having vanished. There are quite a few variations on the bag, so I think your best bet would be to get the Egg Bag Book by John Novak. This is a very extensive book, covering a wide variety of different egg bags, and routines for them. There are even diagrams so you can easily make your own, if you can sew. This book was offered for $20 from Stevens Magic, at www.stevensmagic.com for a while, and I would imagine they still have it, tho probably not still pictured on their website.
It would be very difficult to tell you, here, what makes the Malini Egg Bag different from others. However, it's quite simple in operation, and a very nice looking bag. It's famous because of it's originator, Max Malini, a magician at the turn of the century known for his style of presentation.
Stevens Magic also has a tape out, called appropriately "The Egg Bag Tape". It features several different performers doing their favorite versions of the bag. Most notably is Johnny Thompson performing the Malini Egg Bag, with the most hilarious patter I think I've ever heard. Stevens also offered this tape for $20.
Because there are really so many different types, your best bet would be the book, I think, for a good overview. The tape is very good too. A large part of the attraction of the bag, both to magis and audiences, is the presentation. It must be very strong, and entertaining.
This is an excellent trick. Just take the time and spend a bit of money to get a good overview, before you buy one and wish you'd gone for another. As with all magic Classics, there are lots of models and routines, and it really slays audiences.
By: John H. Zander
I agree with OR, the egg bag video would be a good idea. Take a look
at it before you buy a bag. I like the Martin Lewis bag and
routine. You can still get his bag I think, from him. He is a very
nice man who lives in Orange County Ca. Believe it or not, if he still
has some of them, his mother hand sews every one of his bags and they
are nice. You cannot see the gimick even when looking right at it!
You can reach Martin at http://www.magikraft.com/
Thanks, John
PS What a perfect prop for Easter magic!
By: Steve V
One thing to remember is that the Egg Bag Video does not really
instruct one in doing the routines, the closest you get is Martin
Lewis (I advise his well made bag, the egg location area being
different than the Malini bag) who explains, roughly, his routine.
By: Richard Parker
I like the Martin Lewis bag, too, and the Stevens Egg Bag Video as
well. Also, Dan Tong sells egg bags (different from the Sardo bag
Lewis uses) , and he sells eggs for the trick, as well. The eggs are
plastic lined, different sizes (I think), and some are weighted, some
not. E-mail me privately if you want info on how to contact him. Dan
does quite a good egg bag routine himself, and he concludes with
producing a drink from the bag, the final drink load (or loads -- he
has two different sizes, and I can't remember if he produces them
both or not) is a dealer item he sells.
By: Amos McCormick
For quite a while I have thought about working up an egg bag
routine. Lay folks seem to like it, and there are lots of gag
possibilities, but the whole premise of the "basic" egg bag routine
seems sort of dumb! The egg goes into the bag, the volunteer or
audience feels it inside the bag, and immediately it is gone. The egg
never seems to appear anywhere else, and it never changes into
anything - it's just gone. At least, of course, until it is "just
back". And then, here we go again.
The bag is a silly prop, also. At TAOM, Eric deCamps used a story that it was a pocket from his jacket from which his allowance used to disappear. This story made the bag somewhat more acceptable, but a "lay lady" sitting by us simply said "He's hiding the egg under his hand". Eric DID have a neat move where he vanished the bag at the end, and it appeared inside the egg. That was pretty cool!
Do any of you venture beyond the basic "gone today - back today" effect? Do you use, or have you heard of, or have you been thinking about other directions for the Egg Bag?
By: JR
I have an egg bag and egg bag video, and I do find an egg bag routine
either too short, or just a repetition of vanishes and reappearances,
and not much of a defined climax, however, the video shows a Tom
Mullica routine, which is killer! It has a very cool climax where
something other than an egg is produced from the bag. I have a fairly
large show coming up and I am definitely putting the egg bag into the
show.
By: Keith Pass
My routine is a little different. The patter is about lunch boxes and
lunch bags, and how they used to be a team. The egg bag routine starts
the same. Later in the routine, the egg is put in the bag, and held by
the spectator. There is a comical moment as I remove the "inside" of
the egg (rubber fried egg). Then they remove the eggshell
remaining. They sign the eggshell, and it is put back into the
bag. The eggshell vanishes from the bag, and appears in a lunch box
(Viking Himber Nest of Boxes) across the stage that has been in view
the whole time.
By: Olde Rabbit
This is another one of those tricks where the audience's
interpretation of the effect is totally different than that of
magicians. To magicians, the effect is that an egg is placed in a bag,
whereupon it vanishes and reappears. Granted, that scenario is a bit
dull.
However, audiences never see it that way. When Malini first performed his trick, the effect was that the magician seems to palm the egg out of the bag, then no matter how hard the audience watches, they can never catch him sneaking the egg back in, tho it does continue to reappear. It's a sucker trick because the magician gives the audience a plausible, yet totally untrue, explanation of how the trick works. Then blows that same explanation to bits.
It is a masterpiece of theatre because the audience is so convinced sleight of hand is going on, it never occurs to them the egg is in a pocket, and never left the bag in the first place. One of the most powerful principles of magic is based on the Power of Assumption. Anything you tell an audience is immediately subject to disbelief, as they know you are trying to fool them. But anything you cause them to assume on their own, they will accept as Gospel. And when trying to figure out the trick they will ALWAYS start with their assumptions, untrue or even impossible as they may be.
So that's why it's such a great trick. It relies upon the great principles of deception and presentation. It's a Textbook Trick.
But I agree with you, it does take a lot of showmanship to pull it off, make it interesting to audiences other than for the reason mentioned above, and often more importantly, make it interesting enough to you that you'll keep using it. So many great classics get tossed aside because no matter how much they amaze audiences, to magicians they seem stupid, or boring, or at least lackluster.
By: Tony Brent
You might buy the Egg Bag Video by Steven's Magic. It gives five
different Egg Bag routines which can give you ideas to create your own
routine. Anyone who has seen Jeff Hobson knows that the right routine
with the Egg Bag can kill!
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