Slydini's Perfect Comeback: 'Makea Me a Louse' by Bill Wisch

Original Publication Date: October 20, 1999

As I was thinking about a trick for this month, a very funny story came to mind. I really think you'll enjoy this. This is true...in fact none of the names have been changed to protect the innocent. However, I never knew the name of the person who is the perpetrator of this incident and if I did it would be left out completely anyway.

This goes back to November 1976. It was Thanksgiving Day and a small band of magicians had convened atop the World Trade Center in New York City to entertain the guests during dinner. One of Slydini’s close friends was Murray Celwit, a very fine person and all-around lover of magic. He was Slydini’s companion and close associate for many years and had evidently had a contact at the Trade Center and worked out this "gig." To my knowledge it continued for a number of years afterwards...every Thanksgiving Day. However, I was always away or with family and never did another one. It was quite fun to do close-up in that situation, overlooking the City and all. I had only been doing magic for about 7 years at the time and felt it was the big time as far as I was concerned.

Performing at Murray Celwit's organized dinner at the Windows on the World restaurant in the World Trade Center in 1976.

There were a number of local performers...all professionals...and even though Slydini was there with Murray, he didn't perform for the patrons of the restaurant. We (the performers) had an adjacent room. After the close-up strolling was finished we went back to our room and had our own fantastic Thanksgiving dinner. When we were done, Slydini did a few of his masterpieces for the group. It was a time I will never forget. Watching the best...at the best...celebrating Thanksgiving...wow!

There were several variety performers there and after Slydini did a couple of tricks a clever ventriloquist did a very funny routine. Now you have to picture this...about twelve guys sitting around a big table, after dinner, just having seen the greatest close-up magician of the century and a neat ventriloquist who obviously knew his stuff. Everyone had enjoyed it.

There was this guy I had seen making terrible balloon animals all day. All I really noticed was that he was loud and rather obnoxious to the patrons. He acted like a clown in a suit, without makeup. Yap, yap, yap... bellow, bellow, bellow. You know the type. Never shuts up and thinks the world is actually enjoying his "entertainment." How he was invited to perform remains a mystery to me. I guess he was a friend of Murray’s or something and lived in New York. During the following years I saw him running around at a distance at some of the lectures I did in New York, but never found out his name (and he never seemed to change).

Performing at Murray Celwit's organized dinner at the Windows on the World restaurant in the World Trade Center in 1976.

So this guy gets up and does the most atrocious thumb tip trick for the assemblage. It was so bad I thought I was literally dreaming that this guy had the audacity to do this in front of such an astute array, especially after what had preceded him. Nobody said anything. And the best of all is that this guy thought he was awesome! It would be like me showing Arnold Palmer how I missed my short putts while actually thinking he was enjoying watching. I know...it’s hard to believe this would happen but here it was!

Remember, this guy had been going around to tables all afternoon asking what kind of a balloon animal they would like and saying that it didn’t matter which one because he knew every animal they could name.

I would imagine the fellow, being a New Yorker and member of one or more of the magic clubs, knew who Slydini was. But considering himself a rather important cog in the magical wheel, he handled the communication with no respect or humility considering who was watching and where he was. This guy turns to Slydini with bravado and asks him, "What kind of a balloon animal would you like?" There was a silence...then he said, "Any animal you want!"

With everyone listening intently, not believing that this guy was serious but knowing he was, we all waited with bated breath. Slydini looked at the guy and said, "Makea me a LOUSE!"*

Not the actual balloon mouse from that day… but this is exactly the kind of ‘mouse’ everyone pictured after Slydini’s legendary line.

Then he smiled that wry, crooked smile of his when he knew you were completely in left field. The whole place broke up with laughter! I will never forget the look on that guy’s face! Talk about a humbling experience. The guy sat down and was quiet for the rest of the evening. However, he did make one more animal that day. When he got up and left shortly after the dinner was over he made the best "mouse" I ever saw.

Slydini never made balloon animals himself but he was a master at letting the air out of those who did!

*Louse: old slang for an obnoxious or contemptible person.