THE HISTORY OF A STANDARD
TRICK WHICH LOST THE ORIGINATOR IN TIME
Billy McComb
We have to go back to the
early '50s to begin this epic.
My wife, June, who worked
her magic act as June Merlin, had a vanish
of several big foam-filled rabbits and when
a suspicious hump was seen under the table-cloth
it was removed to reveal a white fur coat.
We first used a box which bore a resemblance
to the familiar "Where do the Ducks Go to?"
It had the load of the rabbits in the lid.
Robert Harbin made it for her out of the original
"hanging bag" vanish put out by Max Andrews.
This was useless for cabaret work. As time
went by I was a bit worried about the load
in the lid showing when she worked a venue
such as The Savoy Hotel where there were actually
patrons behind the performer. Another aspect
was that other performers had copied the "Rabbits
to Fur Coat" theme very quickly.
In 1952 I approached my good
friend Gil Leaney, who by then had branched
out on his own as a maker of props with his
workshop behind the news agent shop he owned
in Kenton. I had an idea which I had drawn
out with approximate measurements and he decided
it was a workable proposition so he made it.
It was a box which could
be revolved. The front was opened and it was
shown empty. This door was then closed. The
big rabbits (by now both bigger and with colorful
ribbons around their necks) were placed into
the box through a lid on the top. The box
was spun around and the lid removed. The four
sides of the box dropped down and the white
fur coat was seen on the bottom of the box.
The lid was placed down on the bottom and
the fur coat was donned for the exit.
The working was such that
when the front was opened showing the inside,
you were actually looking at a panel which
extended across the back of the box and from
top to bottom hiding the fur coat behind it.
This, like the rest of the inside was decorated
white with gold vertical stripes (June's whole
act was in white and gold). When the rabbits
were being packed into the box they were actually
packed into the base and this back panel was
pushed down on top of them and locked into
place. Because the rabbits were foam inside,
but nevertheless huge, they had to be pushed
down and locked down.
There was one unique feature
to the original box which was provided by
the painting. If you will, imagine a large
'Noughts & Crosses" square
("Tic-Tac-Toe" in the USA).
This is painted on the outside of the box
on each side panel BUT the center square is
much larger than the other squares and the
HINGE of the 'drop-down' panel was right on
this lower horizontal line. To the audience
it gave the impression that, when the sides
fell down suddenly, the fake bottom of the
box they were looking at appeared to be the
actual bottom. Though, in fact, there was
a whole area of concealment hidden by the
four sides which had fallen down.
In 1957 Milbourne Christopher
booked June Merlin along with Robert Harbin,
Cardini, Sorcar and others for the NBC "Producer's
Showcase." This was the first coast-to-coast
television program in the United States and
seen by some 60 million viewers.
The producers changed many
of the acts to suit their theme of magicians
from all parts of the world. Harbin had to
do his bit in a safari suit since he was billed
as coming from his country of origin, South
Africa. June had to change her whole 'glamour-type
act' to an Irish castle setting, with an attendant
leprechaun capering about her, to underscore
her "from Ireland" billing. The box was used
to change the fur coat (produced in the original
"Where do the Ducks go to ?" fashion) into
a long flowing robe to fit her period costume
with a wimple hat and accessories. Due to
the exigencies of television at that time
all her props were covered in adhesive cloth
and painted pink. The deceptive painting of
the 'drop-down' sided box was lost completely
by this. Besides which it was hell getting
the adhesive stuff off the props, without
ruining the paint job, when she returned to
our home in London. If it hadn't been for
the kindness of John Fisher I would never
have seen the kine-to-video of that show as
it was only available for viewing in the Museum
of Radio and Television in New York.
Ten years afterward (1967)
Milbourne was discussing transformation props
with Abbott's in Colon when he happened to
mention June's trick. Abbott's decided to
make it up. It was advertised in TOPS as "Milbourne
Christopher's Rabbit to Duck". I didn't see
that advert as I didn't get TOPS at that time.
In the middle '70s 'Supreme' started to advertise
a box similar to June's. Edwin was an old
friend and I'd just given him a hard time
trying to get his "Hot Book" advertised with
my name on it as it came from "The First Book
of William" published by Goodliffe way back
in 1946; so I didn't kick up a row.
Around this time, someone
in the USA made up the same box and started
to call it the "BLAMMO" Box. I see Repro has
it in their current catalogue as the "Bim
Bam Box' or "Doves to Rabbit."
I always called it the 'McCOMBination
Box", because it is both a Vanish and a Production.
Actually, it is a Transformation.
The next development was
when the owner of Chalet Magic noted a box
made by (I think) Jimmy King as a Dove Vanish.
This was just a box with a flap which fell
down hiding the birds. However the front of
the box was either fretted or clear plastic.
Either way it was a VANISH. This he added
to the 'drop-down sided' box. Now it becomes
a TRANSFORMATION. Whatever was put into the
box (and it had to be easily laid in the base
for the panel to fall cleanly into the base)
was seen until the last moment and then when
the lid was lifted the sides fell down revealing
the new object. But it was still June's original
"drop-down sided box" only with the object
seen until the lid was lifted. It had to have
a thick base to hide the bottom compartment
because the deceptive painting wasn't used
to give the idea that the dropped-down sides
were showing the bottom of the box. Also,
by not opening the front and showing the inside
empty you couldn't pack any bulky object into
the front part and lock it down. The mere
falling forward of the back flap had to cover
the object placed inside.
Later when its uses were
being discovered, the box was made larger
to hold a girl (I believe Bill Smith of "Magical
Ventures," now in Las Vegas, was the first
to make it this way) and perform the change
of an animal or feather boa to a living girl.
However, it was still June's "drop-down-sided"
box. It is now being featured in the "Pendragon"
act.
The deceptive painting which
was on the original box isn't on any of the
boxes I have seen lately. I think it added
a tremendous amount to the making of a unique
piece of magic.
The original box is in Terry
Seabrooke's possession at the moment. It is
still in good condition and has had some 45
years of usage.
So when you see someone put
something in a box, lift the lid and the four
sides drop down revealing something different,
cast your mind back to a young William McComb
walking into Gil Leaney's place with a sheaf
of drawings 45 years ago.
