Paul Gertner
Encyclopedia
Paul Gertner is an American close-up magician from Pittsburgh
. He is best known in the magic world for his "Steel and Silver" book and set of DVDs.
When he was sixteen, Paul worked nights at the Forks Hotel in Buffalo, NY, learning a great deal about how to interact with an audience and the psychological side of performing. His mentor there was the Forks' owner, legendary bar magician Eddie Fechter.
From the mid-seventies onwards, Gertner performed mostly corporate gigs and trade shows, and has worked for a variety of companies, including IBM
, NASA
, GlaxoSmithKline
, and US Steel http://www.gertner.com/clients.html.
Paul Gertner has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
three times. He has a wife named Kathryn and a daughter and a son named Beth and Bill.
The act consists of three different routines: That's Ridiculous, The Steel Cups and Balls, and Ring on Hourglass.
That's Ridiculous comprises coins appearing magically underneath playing cards placed on a table. This routine is fast-paced and energetic, with the rapid-fire production of six half dollar
s, two silver dollars, and finally an oversized giant half-dollar in only a few seconds.
The Steel Cups and Balls is Paul Gertner's approach to the classic cups and balls
routine. Three steel ball bearing
s vanish and appear in and around three steel cups. The routine ends with several massive, heavy ball bearings being produced from the cups and dropping to the table with a large thud. Amazingly, one of the bearings is too big to fit in the cup, despite having just been produced from it.
Finally, a ring borrowed from a spectator that was vanished at the beginning of the act appears on the middle of a beautiful hourglass
used to time the act. The glass of the hourglass actually has to be smashed with a hammer to make the removal of the ring possible.
, 1994), which Gertner claims to be the fastest-selling magic book in history http://www.gertner.com/paul.html.
This book has also been released recently as a DVD-set by L&L Publishing.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He is best known in the magic world for his "Steel and Silver" book and set of DVDs.
About Paul Gertner
Paul Gertner's interest in magic began as a child, loaning library books on the subject. He claims his interest in magic began with his father, who created "magical" home movies using special effects and a 8 mm video camera.When he was sixteen, Paul worked nights at the Forks Hotel in Buffalo, NY, learning a great deal about how to interact with an audience and the psychological side of performing. His mentor there was the Forks' owner, legendary bar magician Eddie Fechter.
From the mid-seventies onwards, Gertner performed mostly corporate gigs and trade shows, and has worked for a variety of companies, including IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, and US Steel http://www.gertner.com/clients.html.
Paul Gertner has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
three times. He has a wife named Kathryn and a daughter and a son named Beth and Bill.
Competition Act
Paul Gertner is famous for his competition act, which he used to win first place at the Las Vegas Desert Seminar $10,000 and first place at FISM, arguably the largest magical competition/convention there is.The act consists of three different routines: That's Ridiculous, The Steel Cups and Balls, and Ring on Hourglass.
That's Ridiculous comprises coins appearing magically underneath playing cards placed on a table. This routine is fast-paced and energetic, with the rapid-fire production of six half dollar
Half dollar (United States coin)
Half dollar coins have been produced nearly every year since the inception of the United States Mint in 1794. Sometimes referred to as the fifty-cent piece, the only U.S. coin that has been minted more consistently is the cent.-Circulation:...
s, two silver dollars, and finally an oversized giant half-dollar in only a few seconds.
The Steel Cups and Balls is Paul Gertner's approach to the classic cups and balls
Cups and balls
The cups and balls is a classic performance of magic with innumerable adaptations. The effect known as acetabula et calculi was performed by Roman conjurers as far back as two thousand years ago...
routine. Three steel ball bearing
Ball bearing
A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this by using at least two races to contain the balls and transmit...
s vanish and appear in and around three steel cups. The routine ends with several massive, heavy ball bearings being produced from the cups and dropping to the table with a large thud. Amazingly, one of the bearings is too big to fit in the cup, despite having just been produced from it.
Finally, a ring borrowed from a spectator that was vanished at the beginning of the act appears on the middle of a beautiful hourglass
Hourglass
An hourglass measures the passage of a few minutes or an hour of time. It has two connected vertical glass bulbs allowing a regulated trickle of material from the top to the bottom. Once the top bulb is empty, it can be inverted to begin timing again. The name hourglass comes from historically...
used to time the act. The glass of the hourglass actually has to be smashed with a hammer to make the removal of the ring possible.
Published works
Gertner's most popular published work is undoubtedly Steel and Silver (Richard J. KaufmanRichard J. Kaufman
Richard J. Kaufman is a prolific author, publisher, illustrator, and editor of books and magazines in the field of magic. Born in 1958 in New York City, he became interested in magic at age 5 after receiving some novelties from the S.S. Adams company sent by his uncle Alan Soffin. This was...
, 1994), which Gertner claims to be the fastest-selling magic book in history http://www.gertner.com/paul.html.
This book has also been released recently as a DVD-set by L&L Publishing.