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BUR-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-NT TOAST!
If you grew up in Morgan County, Ohio in the decades of the 1930-
1960's, you're bound to recognize the incantation used by Birch the Magician as he waved his magic wand over a hat which contained a rabbit or Princess the Pony, just before she disappeared. No simple 'abracadabra' for Birch! Bu-r-r-r-r-r-r-nt Toast! He would roll those "Rs" and draw it out for what seemed like minutes.
As a child, growing up in the '50s, I was lucky enough to know Mr. and Mrs. Birch, as I called them. My Dad (Harold Sprague) was the Zenith radio and television dealer for that part of the country and it happened that Mr. Birch liked Zenith products. Mac, as he was known by his friends and neighbors, would drive up in the longest, flashiest, most impressive Cadillac you can imagine -- and they were so l-o-o-o-ong in the late '50s and early '60s. I'd stand at the window and simply marvel that a simple automobile could be so impressive. (Perhaps it was Mac's influence which helped me develop a passion for cars.)
But I digress. He would come to dad's shop for repairs or to decide which new product to purchase. That would sometimes entail a trip to the Birch's home - Birchwood - high on a hill above Malta overlooking the beautiful Muskingum valley - to help Mac with the lighting or the PA system for his show.
As luck would have it, one day Mac phoned and asked if I could come spend the day at their house. They had a niece visiting and thought we would enjoy playing together. How exciting was that? AND he offered to come pick me up -- in that fantastic pink Cadillac convertible! It couldn't get any better than that... but it DID!
His niece - whose name I cannot remember, no matter how hard I try - was very nice and we hit it off right away. We were allowed to roam the grounds - everywhere except Mr. Birch's workshop - where he built the props for his magic show and kept all sorts of 'secret' things that little girls shouldn't play with. Anyway ... we were allowed to play with the animals... yes, the animals he used in his magic shows!
There were ducks and rabbits Guinea pigs and kittens (although I'm not sure the kittens were ever on stage). But mostly there was Princess the Pony.
She was the smallest Shetland Pony I had ever seen, standing less than 3 feet tall. We were not allowed to ride her but we led her around and fed her goodies until that poor pony nearly burst! Click for photo of Princess & Mac
Mrs. Birch was beautiful, sweet and gracious. Knowing I was taking piano lessons, she even showed me how she played the marimba and let me play a few notes. I'd seen her perform on it as part of their act and couldn't believe she actually let me touch it! It certainly was a day to remember.
It was about that same time that the TV show, "You Asked For It" received a request from a viewer who wanted to see the magician who was famous for cutting his wife into FOUR parts! That would be Birch. So off to Hollywood they went. We were all glued to the TV the night it was aired - and the illusion went off without a hitch. In fact, the dashingly handsome Birch was famous for presenting an elegant and sophisticated show, no matter how small or large the venue.
Shortly after that, Mac came into Dad's shop and said he would be performing at the Twin Cities Opera House in McConnelsville soon. Seems he was a bit superstitious about playing his "home town." He explained that he had performed throughout the United States and
Europe in front of heads of state and royalty and never had any thing go wrong. But every time he played in his own 'backyard,' seems some thing or other would malfunction. He and Dad joked a bit about that with Dad assuring him that it would probably be just fine. Mac handed Dad tickets for us to attend and said he hoped to see us after the performance. We wished him luck -- probably should have said "break a leg" in retrospect, since one should never wish a performer luck -- it's supposedly the kiss of death in the theater.The night of the big performance arrived and we were seated front and center. The show was marvelous and I giggled every time Birch said, "Bur-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-nt Toast!" Suddenly, in the midst of an illusion, lights flashed, other lights went out, yet Birch kept his elegant composure and bright smile. He announced that there would be a brief break in the show and asked if Harold Sprague would please come backstage. Well! You can imagine how proud I was!
Seems there was an electrical problem - perhaps the old circuits at the aging Opera House were overloaded - I never did know what happened. But Dad, being gifted in things electrical, was able to fix whatever needed fixing, and the show continued without a hitch.
Mabel was sliced through and through three times resulting in 4 parts, yet managed to get herself back together and walk off the stage in all her glory. And best of all, Princess the Pony disappeared right on cue!
Leila Norris
LeilaN |
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, Feb 14 2008, 11:49 AM EST
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Keyword tags:
Birch
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| porterbm | Opera House | 8 | Feb 7 2008, 1:54 PM EST by ds2334 | ||
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Thread started: Jan 31 2008, 9:41 AM EST
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Leila ,This is a great story,since I didn`t grow up in the are I don`t remember hearing of Birch the Magician ,if I did I forgot it .Speaking of the Opera House ,do you or any one remember the reported "ghost " sighting there ?.It was actually on a TV show a few years back .No one I have asked in the are remember it .That would make a good story too .Bernie
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