“Sphinx Legacy” 編纂記　第51回

加藤英夫

出典：”Sphinx” 1925年4月　執筆者：A.M. Wilson

The most complete magic act that has appeared in Kansas City since Alexander Herrman and Harry Kellar were here was that of Chefalo at Pantages week of April 3. By making the above statement I do not in any measure discredit the acts of Rosini, Blackstone, Fowler, Emerson, Shaddick or any other vaudeville magician. Chefalo’s act is on the lines of Alexander Herrmann and entirely unlike any other now before the public.

He used but two effects that had ever been seen in Kansas City, viz., the Chinese Rings and the Egg Bag, but both were different. The rings were twelve in number and a foot (12 inches) in diameter and the egg bag was exceedingly small. All the other effects were Chefalo’s own. The three special tricks he put on for my benefit were a whole show in themselves. The Los Angeles papers enthused over the full act the Chefalo and Palermo (Mrs. Chefalo) at the Philharmonic Auditorium. See Chefalo. You who had the great privilege of seeing Herrmann and Kellar will have your memories of those two great magicians revived, renacted in spirit if not in fact.

‘Chefalo Knot’でしか知らなかったChefaloが、Alexander HerrmannやHarry Kellarに比肩するマジシャンだあったというので、取り上げることにしました。Chefaloは”Magicpedia”ではつぎのように紹介されています。

Ralph Chefalo (1885-1963), born Angelo Raffaele Cefalo, was an Italian born magician. He learned magic as a boy in America and played vaudeville bills throughout the world with his wife. First as Capretta and Chefalo, then as Palermo and Chefalo and eventually as The Great Chefalo.

During World War I, he toured South America. After the first war, Chefalo also toured Australia with his wife and a troupe of midgets in 1926 and 1933.

He spent the War World II years performing in home country Italy and Czechoslovakia. He even gave a gala show for the troops when the American army arrived. After the war, he returned to performing in Vaudeville, featuring P. T. Selbit’s illusion, Million Dollar Mystery. He was still a star, touring with a circus in Korea, when he died in 1963.

私は‘Chefalo Knot’にはあまり興味がありませんでしたが、以下のスローモーションでやるやり方はたいへん面白いと思いました。どんなマジックでも、演じ方によって効果が違ってくるということの、顕著な一例であると思います。

ただ勢いよく引っ張って、いっぺんに結び目をなくすやり方と比較して、まったく演技価値が違うと思います。とくにこのトリックの場合、スローモーションでやってもなかなか結び目がどのようになるか想像がつかないことが、スローモーションでやることの効果を高めています。