Details: Includes not only Tom Mullica’s famous cigarette act, but the Mullica Wallet, a cups and balls routine, and more.

Tom Mullica is an amazing performer on many levels. His performances are both shocking, amazing, riveting and often disgusting. This is the guy who put the “eek!” in Geek.

For nine years Mullica held court at the Tom-Foolery Magic Bar Theatre in Atlanta. It was his bar, his turf, and his home. Any guest who attended a show at the Tom-Foolery had an experience they would remember forever. Forever.

The Tom-Foolery is gone, Mullica has been busy globe hopping since his three-year engagement at the Crazy Horse Cabaret in Paris. All that remains of the original TomFoolery are memories and this amazing book.

Richard Kaufman can be accused of many things, but never could one rightfully accuse him of lacking persistence. Mullica told me he was badgered by Kaufman. Mullica agreed to let Kaufman hang around at the Tom-Foolery. Kaufman took hundreds of photographs and copious notes about every trick, joke, gesture and sightgag during Mullica’s shows. Years later, Kaufman cornered Mullica at Johnny Thompson’s home. More questions, photos, notes and video. More shouting from all concerned parties. The result is worth all of the trouble.

The book has Tom’s history in magic, it has all the details of the clubs which preceded the Tom-Foolery Bar, and it has all of the magic and gags Tom developed and refined over the years. As amazing as it may seem (on many different levels) it is all here.

The Table of Contents begins with a time table of an evening at The Bar. Details of what occurred every five minutes are listed (the Skeleton Timetable at the back of the book explains what happened every few seconds). Tom usually performed select items in each show, but his full repertoire is described, discussed and taught. Series photographs taken at the Tom-Foolery show the step-by-step progression of each effect and the show. The text explains every joke Tom used and every face he made. The detail is staggering and wonderful.

The layout of the book could not be described as beautiful, but it is perfect. It is the equivalent of a guided tour of the floor behind the bar after one of Mullica’s shows-it’s all there. In addition to being a great record of the Tom-Foolery show, there is a ton of workable, practical, amazing magic taught.

If you smoke, there’s material here you won’t believe (especially after you read the method). Only one bit of information has been withheld-the exact how, when and where the cigarettes and napkins go when he “eats” them. One guy in magic doing this particular effect is enough.

Those who aren’t so fond of smokes will find amazing card routines, a terrific “Cups and Balls” presentation, his “Bubble Gum to Balloon,” a great finish for the “Egg Bag,” and much more. The jokes, bits and sight gags alone are worth the price ofadmission.

Ton Onosaka’s drawings are so good Kaufman may hang up his pen. In all, this is a wonderful tribute to a one-of-a-kind performer and an amazing collection of A-l material. My highest recommendation.

Tom Mullica Starring In Show-Time at the Tom-Foolery. Written and photographed by Richard Kaufman. 8-1/2″ by 11″ hardcover with glossy dustjacket. 220 pages typeset with illustrations by Ton Onosaka.

Contents:

xiv Time Table
xv Introduction (Richard Kaufman)
xvii Foreword (John Thompson)

1 1948 to 1991: My Magical Life (An Autobiography by Tom Mullica)
1 The Birth of Tom Mullica (1948)
5 His First Three Tricks (1954)
7 A Fascination for Cigarette Magic (1957)
11 Ken Grunwald at the Airport Bar (1964)
13 From Europe to Waupun to Alaska (1969 to 1988)

23 1965 to 1978: The Evolution of the Tom-Foolery Magic Bar Theatre
23 The Shed (1965 to 1966)
23 The Abbey (1974 to 1975)
24 Clarence Fosters – The Tom Fooler Magic Bar (1976 to 1977)
29 The Tom-Foolery Magic Bar Theatre (1978 to 1987)
37 Doty and His Plan
38 The Setup Behind the Bar and Servante
40 The Music System

41 STOP! It’s Crazy to Put Lit Cigarettes Inside Your Mouth

43 1984: A Saturday Night Show at the Tom-Foolery Magic Bar Theatre
43 6:30-7:00 Tom’s Set Up
44 7:00 Entering the Tom-Foolery Front Room
45 7:45 Entering the Bar
46 7:54 Tom’s Entrance
48 7:56 Prologue: “The Number Trick”
52 8:00:20 Pasteboard Overdose Begins: fast paced opener consisting of multiple card effects
59 8:02:37 Schizophrenia: throw-away with a lit match on the tongue!
62 8:03:21 Pasteboard Overdose Continues
74 8:08:16 Cheek to Cheek: Jim Ryan’s Cards Across Routine (palming)
82 8:19:08 Gum Gozinta Balloon
99 8:29:54 Taradiddle Begins: Tom’s version of Jim Ryan’s Bill Tear
102 8:30:55 Karrell’s Kaput Kard: torn and restored card
104 8:32:29 Mullica’s Complete Restoration Finale: a full restoration for the above
105 8:32:35 Taradiddle Continues
108 8:35:44 Nicotine Nincompoop: Tom’s famous cigarette eating routine
114 8:38:38 The Apple Trick: card in apple finale
128 8:56:00 The Show Ends

131 Other Scenarios
131 Card Is Cigarette (or Chicken is Elephant): card becomes cigarette, required tonguing a lit cigarette
136 A.E.R.O.B.I.C.: a reworked classic
141 Clockwise Cigarette Restoration
144 It’s Matchic: with wooden match sticks
147 The Mullica Wallet: originally developed in 1968, and released to the fraternity 7 years later
151 Shenanigan Matches: a simple throw-away with a quick set-up
153 Torn and Restored Cards to Pocket
161 The Signature Trick: signed card routine
164 Double-Ended Jarrow: a reworking of Jarrow’s Hanky-Panky, with shot-glasses
167 Machiavellian Bill in Cigarette: borrowed & signed bill found in cigarette smoked by the bartender
172 The Oviparous Sack: Tom’s egg bag routine, with a glass and bottle climax. Uses two bags.
182 The Card in Mouth: a lesson in misdirection
190 Rouge de Paris: Cup and ball routine using sponge balls
205 Smoke Cocktail: a cigarette production routine
216 The One-Hour Show Skeleton Timetable

• Publisher: Kaufman and Greenberg
• Pages: 220
• Location: Washington DC, USA
• Dimensions: 9″x11″
• Date: 1992
• Binding: hardbound