The 22nd Annual Convention of I.B.M. British Ring No.25 takes place 1st–5th October 1958 in Eastbourne, with Convention Headquarters at the Winter Gardens, the Grand Hotel as Headquarters Hotel, and events at the Floral Hall, the Wish Tower, the Hippodrome and the Close-Up Casino. Under the presidency of Les Levante, with the Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor J. W. G. Howlett, J.P., sending his welcome and International President Verne W. Uker his best wishes, the week brings together overseas visitors from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Italy, Pakistan, Rhodesia, Sweden and the U.S.A. for Timothy Dill-Russell’s Escape from a Block of Ice, the Inventors’ Parade, the Official Opening and ‘Happy to Meet’, the Mammoth Dealers’ Demonstration, Educational Sessions with Eddie Joseph and Richard Blore, Mystic Craig’s magic films, the Civic Reception, Ball & Cabaret, the Competition for the New Silver British Ring Shield, the Convention Banquet, ‘Witches and Wizards’, Children’s Playtime, Slydini’s lecture, the Grand International Gala of Magic and The New Era Company’s midnight show, closing on Sunday with the Convention Service, ‘Classics of Magic’ and the Installation of Archie Tear as the new President.
President Les Levante offers all delegates a heartfelt welcome to Eastbourne and to the Convention for 1958, believing that, if the amount of work put in by the Committee stands for anything, this should be the best ever Convention — the Ring, he says, goes from strength to strength each year, and he considers the I.B.M. organisation in England to be in very capable hands. He thanks his fellow members for having him as their President for the year. The Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor J. W. G. Howlett, J.P., is delighted to welcome the British Ring to its 22nd Annual Convention, promises that everything will be done to make the stay a happy one and the Convention a successful one, and — understanding that this is the Ring’s first visit to Eastbourne — hopes the visit will justify a return in the not too distant future. International President Verne W. Uker sends greetings, regretting that he cannot attend; he has been reading about the Convention each month in ‘The Budget’ and wishes he could be there to meet old friends and get to know more of the magicians across the sea.
Overseas visitors are welcomed from Australia (Charles Wicks, International Vice-President, I.B.M. Australia, and Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Rooklyn), Belgium (Stewart Revers, Walter Muller and Van Hove), Canada (Mr. and Mrs. Ray Da Silva), Denmark (Spinoza), Germany (Aurelean), Holland (Henk Vermeyden and Mr. and Mrs. Cas G. Ziekmann), Italy (Prof. Alberto Sitta, President of the Club Magico Italiano, and Gianpaolo Zelly, Vice-President), Pakistan (Jean Bhownagary), Rhodesia (Mr. and Mrs. Hans Trixer, Mr. and Mrs. Stan Chatfield and Mr. and Mrs. Ron Knight), Sweden (Magini) and the U.S.A. (Dr. Zina Bennett, Mystic Craig, I.B.M. Ambassador of Goodwill, Slydini, Mr. and Mrs. Jay Palmer, Randi, and Dr. Neil and Mrs. Doren, Lady of Magic). Convention Headquarters is the Winter Gardens and the Headquarters Hotel is the Grand. Events are announced on the fixture boards at the Registration Office and Convention H.Q., with a blackboard for any alterations or special announcements; official Convention hosts (distinguished by ‘Ask Me’ rosettes) are on duty and are particularly anxious to assist newcomers, and the Stewards will gladly give information on any event. Two Registration Desks are open throughout the Convention — one for delegates who have previously registered, the other for registrants at the Convention — and delegates are asked to wear their Convention badge, as the rule ‘Admission only by badge’ will be strictly enforced; the badge admits the wearer to all events except the public shows and the Banquet.
The Convention opens on Wednesday 1st October. The Grand Dealers’ Exhibition, held in the Pavilion Hall of the Winter Gardens with eighteen dealers exhibiting (L. Davenport & Co. on the stage), opens at 9.30am and runs from Wednesday to Sunday: 9.30am–10.30pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 11.30am–10.30pm on Friday (the later opening allowing as many members as possible to attend the Annual General Meeting) and 9.30am until mid-day on Sunday. At 2.30pm at the Wish Tower, Timothy Dill-Russell, ‘the teenage Houdini’, attempts the feat Houdini was practising, unsuccessfully, at the time of his death — an escape from a block of ice, isolated in an Eldorado cold-storage van, having legally indemnified the I.B.M. against any consequences. At 2.45pm in the Floral Hall an overture of incidental music is followed at 3.15pm by the ‘Inventors’ Parade’, including the magic of George Blake, Devano, Louis Histed, Jack Hughes, Eddie Joseph and S’Amuse. At 5.15pm the first Close-Up Magic Session takes place in the Close-Up Casino — the Devonshire Lawn Restaurant, adjacent to the Winter Gardens, reserved exclusively for close-up performers — organised by Francis Haxton and Fred Lowe with Ted Beal in the chair and performers including Hans Trixer, Gus Southall, His Honour Ernest Wethered, Alex. Elmsley, Fred Lowe, Peter Warlock, John Ramsay, George Blake, Tom Harris, Jack Avis, Roland T. Smith and Francis Haxton; the sessions repeat on Friday and Saturday, and at all other times the Casino is at the disposal of delegates for private sessions. At 8.30pm in the Floral Hall the President, The Great Levante, officially opens the Convention, the Mayor of Eastbourne gives his speech of welcome and the overseas visitors are introduced, followed by ‘Happy to Meet’, a light-hearted Convention prelude with Esme Levante, Lao Tang, Tommy & Phyllis Rowe, Derrick Speight, Alastair, Hans Trixer and John Salisse, and dancing to Gordon Rider and his Orchestra until 12.30am.
On Thursday 2nd October the Dealers’ Trophy, presented by Mystic Craig for the most attractive stand and currently held by Gil Leaney, is judged at 9.15am by D. G. de Gruchy, Display Manager of Bobby’s Ltd. (Eastbourne) — who will win it this year? At 10.15am the Mammoth Dealers’ Demonstration, arranged and announced by Eddie Dexter, takes place in the Winter Gardens Theatre, with fourteen demonstrations at twelve-minute intervals from Tony Corinda (Corinda’s) at 10.15am to Gil Leaney (Magic to Design) at 12.51pm; a bell is sounded at nine minutes and the curtains close at ten. At 2.15pm in the Grand Hotel Ballroom Mrs. Best of the Constance Spry Flower School presents ‘Flowers for Milady’, a demonstration of flower arranging, ending in time for the ladies to take tea and join the gentlemen for the Leichner lecture. At 2.30pm prompt in the Floral Hall the Educational Sessions begin, arranged by and under the chairmanship of Peter Warlock: Eddie Joseph in ‘Deluding the Senses’, offering practical subtle effects using ordinary objects; at 4pm a Lecture Demonstration on Theatrical Make-Up by Richard Blore of Leichner Make-up Studio, London; and at 5.30pm Mystic Craig presents the films ‘Cheating and Gambling’, in which John Scarne displays his sleight-of-hand talents, and ‘Cardini’, specially loaned for exclusive use at this Convention. Hospital Shows commence at 2.30pm at the Chaseley Trust Hospital (Horace King, Harold Vernon, Geoffrey Robinson and Tom Harris) and in the Children’s Ward of the Princess Alice Memorial Hospital (Cyro, Wilfred Tyler and Alastair, assisted by the clowns Fred Wiles, E. Jackson Laurie, Masko, Will Norman and Jean Doren, Lady of Magic); performers assemble in the Winter Gardens Foyer at 2pm for transport, and any conventioneer may attend. Voting papers for the Annual General Meeting must be left at the Reception Desk by 4pm. From 8.30pm to 1am the Mayor and Mayoress of Eastbourne (Councillor J. W. G. Howlett, J.P. and Mrs. Howlett) give the Civic Reception, Ball and Cabaret in the Winter Garden, Devonshire Park (reception 8.30–9pm, dancing 9pm–1am to Harry Loveday and his Orchestra, evening dress), with a cabaret of Edward and Dare’s ‘Vanity Fayre’, Chung Chin Foo (Italy) and Horace King and Betty. Tombola tickets in aid of the Benevolent Fund, arranged by George Smallwood and Margaret Wilson, are sold at the Civic Reception.
Friday 3rd October opens at 10am prompt with the Annual General Meeting and Election of Officers at the Grand Hotel (members only), with Les Levante in the chair. The Harry Kaye Memorial Album will be on view at the Registration Desk, and all members and visitors are invited to record their names in it. A Close-Up Session follows at 11.45am in the Close-Up Casino, and at 12.45pm the official group photograph is taken in the Winter Gardens grounds. At 2pm sharp in the Floral Hall Jack Potter introduces the Competition for the New Silver British Ring Shield (Band Call 11am), with nineteen competitors — Charlie Spratt, De-Gar, Jon and Jo, Hubert Caddy, Madge E. Kwand, the Rev. Michael Seacome, Willane, Arturo, Kal Ellis, Hedley Fawcett, Marjorie Waddell, Dennis Gardner, A. N. Other, Shirley Ann, Tony Hemmings, T. Norman Stone, Claude Perry, Masko and David Haggarty — judged by The Great Levante (Chairman), Maurice Rooklyn, Geoffrey Buckingham, Ernest Wethered, Henk Vermeyden, George Hill and A. Tear, with Mo Howarth as Stage Manager assisted by Colin Cook and Trevor Dawson, Alfred Gabriel as Musical Director and Gus Southall as Timekeeper. The awards are the New Silver British Ring Shield and cash prize of £10, the Conventioneers’ Trophy for originality, the Craig Trophy for the best performance by a lady magician (a different trophy from the Dealers’ Trophy presented by Mystic Craig), the Theo Speaker Cup and £5 for the runner-up, a third prize of £3, the Tom Harris Cup (Comedy) and the Dittia Shield (Manipulation). The Convention Banquet takes place at the Grand Hotel at 6.30pm for 7pm, with Les Downham as Toastmaster; the menu is Tomato Soup, Fried Fillet of Dover Sole with Tartare Sauce, Roast Spring Chicken with Mushroom Garnish, Garden Peas à la Française and Château Potatoes, Pineapple Ice Cream Gâteau and Coffee. The toasts are The Queen (proposed by the President), The County Borough of Eastbourne (proposed by Edward Love, Esq., with the response by the Mayor), The British Ring, I.B.M. (proposed by Maurice Rooklyn, Esq. (Australia), with the response by the President) and The Ladies and Visitors (proposed by Donald Crombie, Esq., with the response by Hans Trixer (Rhodesia)). From 10pm to 11.30pm there is dancing in the Hotel Ballroom to the Harry Loveday Trio, during which the British Ring Shield and Trophies are presented by the President. At 11.45pm in the Floral Hall, as the witching hour approaches, ‘Witches and Wizards’ conjure up spells: Yvonne, Magini, Marjorie Waddell, Frank Baumforth, Elizabeth Warlock and George Grimmond, compèred by Mystic Craig.
Saturday 4th October starts at 10.30am with Children’s Playtime at the Hippodrome, presented by Wilfred Tyler, with music by the Gordon Rider Trio, Roy Hobbs of Bath, Alastair, Stan Chatfield from Rhodesia, Steve (Magic and Nonsense), Strevello from Belgium (Peintre Chiffonier) and Bertram Otto, and Uncle Tom Harris, Fred Wiles, Will Norman, Bill Herring, Masko and E. Jackson Laurie as the clowns and funny men. A Close-Up Session follows at 11am in the Close-Up Casino. At 2.30pm in the Floral Hall the incomparable Slydini, master of misdirection, demonstrates and explains some of his fabulous feats of natural magic, and at 3.30pm the Micro-Magic Contest for the Zina Bennett Trophy is held. The Grand International Gala of Magic takes place at the Winter Gardens at 5.30pm and 8.15pm: the programme, arranged by Wm. G. Stickland and Jeffery Atkins, compèred by Geoffrey Robinson and stage-managed by Paul Graham, features Gordon Rider and his Winter Gardens Orchestra, Peggy Bourne (‘Glamour with Juggling’), Zelpy (‘Silken Sorcery’), Magini, Ron MacMillan (‘Manipulation Moderne’), Spinoza, the international illusionist, and — after the intermission — Peggy Bourne again, Eddie Dawes & Amy (‘Only Make Believe’), The Amazing Mr. Rooklyn (‘A Symphony in Spheres’), Aurelean, Diabolo & Deb (‘The Magic of Iceland’), Slydini (‘Pure Magic’) and Jeffery Atkins and Company (‘Illusions of the Masters’). At midnight ‘The British Ring’ Underground Movement presents The New Era Company, with Geoffrey Robinson as Managing Director, in its unequalled demonstration of tricks that will be On the Market Soon (with a collection for the British Ring Benevolent Fund and repeat performances at 12.30, 1.0 and 1.30am), while at the Grand Hotel Mystic Craig presents highlights of the S.A.M. Convention at Omaha and the I.B.M. Convention at Buffalo. The Giant Tombola, arranged by George Smallwood and Margaret Wilson, supports the Benevolent Fund.
The Convention closes on Sunday 5th October. The Dealers’ Exhibition is open from 9.30am until mid-day; at 10.30am a special undenominational Convention Service is held at the Grand Hotel, conducted by Ringer the Revd. Michael Seacome, M.A., A.R.C.M., Vicar Designate of Barnwood, Gloucester and President of Tewkesbury Rotary Club, with service sheets provided and a silver collection for the Welfare Fund; at 11am at the Close-Up Casino ‘Classics of Magic’ introduces Les Levante, Francis Haxton, Hans Trixer, Charles Harrison and Fred Lowe; the Great Poster Exhibition at the Winter Gardens, curated by Dick Armour, shows the Masters of Magic from home and abroad — Blackstone, Okito, Charlton, Levante, Devant, Bodie, Chefalo, Houdini, Le Roy, Chung Ling Soo and many others; at noon in the Grand Hotel a Cocktail Party under the direction of Eddie and Mollie Dexter is followed at 12.45pm by the Installation of the new President, Archie Tear. Au revoir until we meet in 1959.
Greetings to the Convention are sent by the International Brotherhood of Magicians (International President Verne W. Uker, 1st Vice President Reeder C. Hutchinson, 2nd Vice President Harris A. Solomon, International Secretary A. L. Baldwin, M.D., International Treasurer Thomas A. Dowd and Linking Ring Editor Alvin R. Plough, with Wm. G. Stickland as International Vice President for Britain), by Les and Gladys Levante, Charles Wicks of Melbourne, Dr. Zina Bennett of Detroit, Dr. Neil and Jean Doren (who welcome everyone to the I.B.M.–S.A.M. Convention in Chicago in 1959), and by many Ringers and friends; the Order of the Magi also announces its Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Manchester, 4th–9th May 1959. The British Ring’s officers for the year are President Les Levante and President-Elect Archie Tear, with Wm. G. Stickland as Hon. Secretary and Hon. Organising Secretary, Jeffery Atkins as Hon. Treasurer, Bill West as Hon. Librarian, Ken De Courcy as Hon. Editor, Donald Crombie as Hon. Solicitor and Eddie Dexter as Welfare Officer; the Convention Committee comprises Jeffery Atkins, Eddie Dexter, Paul Graham, Francis Haxton, Robert Johnson, Geoffrey Robinson, Wilfred Tyler and Peter Warlock. Event stewards include Jeffery Atkins (Registration), Francis Haxton (Banquet and Close-Up Magic), Peter Warlock (Souvenir Programme, Lectures and ‘Happy to Meet’), Eddie Dexter (Dealers’ Exhibition), George Smallwood (Tombola), Wilfred Tyler (Children’s Playtime and Hospital Shows), Captain J. Turner (General Meeting and Chief Steward), Robert Johnson (Ladies’ Afternoon and Publicity), Wm. G. Stickland and Jeffery Atkins (Gala Show), Jack Potter (Shield Competition), Mystic Craig (Magic Films), Rev. Michael Seacome (Returning Officer), Dick Armour (Museum) and Eddie and Mollie Dexter (Cocktail Party). The Committee thanks the Mayor and Corporation of Eastbourne, George Hill and staff at the Winter Gardens, R. L. J. Ticehurst (Director of Publicity, Eastbourne), the management and staff of the Headquarters Hotel and all who have contributed to the Convention’s success.
