Irv Weiner - 2 Photographs

SIGNED 8 x 10 PHOTO OF Irv Weiner
Signed "To Bill H. with best wishes Irv Weiner"

Measures roughly 8" x 10"

Irv Weiner, aka Mr. Fingers, died 14 December 1999.

He was a magician and entertainer for his entire life. As a child his friends called him "Fingers" after they watched him speaking in sign language to his deaf parents. He continued using the name as "Mr. Fingers".

He performed his magic and mentalism act on colleges and universities across the nation.

He often invented new devices and new ways to do things, both in magic and in other areas. He published his magic under the name "Irv Weiner's Manu-Secrets".

While many magicians work toward complexity, to fool and astound other magicians, my father took the opposite tack - Simplicity in Magic (the title of one of his Manu-Secrets). He would take the simplest effect, add his showmanship, and build an astounding audience-pleaser. While touring colleges and universities with his "Mr. Fingers Show" his entire show fit into a small suitcase the size of a hatbox. From this small box, he produced an evening of entertainment - stories of past great magicians (including Ten-Ichi, Houdini, and others), bits of silliness from Stan Laurel (of Laurel and Hardy), and astounding pieces of impossibility. When others put him on a pedastle, treating him as a demi-god and asking how to heal their own difficulties, he declined the greatness, saying he was simply a man with a bag of tricks - that nothing he did was anything other than what they themselves could do.

Some of the many effects he's invented through the years:
(by no means is this a complete list!)

Blocks of Blue
Bunny Hop
Crazy, Huh
Cut Control
Dabbling with Daub
Ever-Ready Rising Cards
Face-Up Aces
Flabbergasting
Just Imagination
Miracle Move Mentalism
New Balls to Hat
Original Impromptu "No-Nesting" Cups and Balls
Original Patriotic Cups and Colored Balls
Red Tape Thumb Tie
Soft Dice
Simplicity in Magic (a lecture for magicians)
Triple Transposition

and obviously, I need to expand this list...

Product Details
Extras	Autographed
Original Publication Year	1947

Personal Details
Read It	No
Location	Magic Library (Home)
Condition	Near Mint
Owner	Bryan-Keith Taylor

Irv Weiner (From MagicPedia)

Irv Weiner (1923-1999), also known as John Avery, performed as "Mr. Fingers" and was the owner of Irv Weiner's Studio of Magic.

Weiner did performances of magic and mentalism in the mid and late 20th century. In the 1980's he was listed as one of the most wanted performers on college campuses. Born and raised in the Boston area, his parents were deaf mutes which taught him miming skills. He was also a protege of Silent Mora and was a founder of the Boston "Silent Mora Ring" #122 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

He was a graduate and teacher at Chavez College and editor for over four years of the Silent Messenger. Weiner was also a columnist for many national publications including Hugard's Magic Monthly and The New Jinx.

Contents
1 Biography
2 Awards
3 Manuscripts & Marketed Tricks
4 References
Biography
Irving (Irv) Weiner's parents were both deaf mute and used American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. When Irv used ASL on the play ground other children would pick on him calling him Mr. Fingers. He later adopted this name as his stage persona.

Irv met his wife, Ruth, while playing cards with Sarah, Ruth's mother. According to Ruth, Irv always said, "I always thought Sarah's daughter was beautiful but she was too tall for me. Then one day she took her heels off." The parents of three children: Carol, Alan, and Cheryl the couple made their home in Needham, MA where they both eventually passed away. When Carol, the oldest, passed away from in Irv's arms when she was five. This drove Irv toward alcohol. He struggled for years but eventually achieved sobriety. Knowing he had the ability to reach many through the use of his performances Mr. Fingers primarily performed at colleges and focused his shows on the 'illusions' of alcohol and drug addiction. Irv W. died with 32 years of sobriety.

He was nominated for sleight of hand magician of the year (year unknown). His last performance was at his daughter, Cheryl's, wedding in front of all of his grand children, Sarah, Charlie, Katie, and Daniel. Irv, born with juvenile diabetes suffered from dementia in his later life. Irv passed away from complications of Type I diabetes in 1999.

Awards
"The Man of the Year Award" by the S.A.M. Assembly #9 for his performances at the local V.A. hospitals (1972)
Nominated by the Academy of Magical Arts as "LECTURER OF THE YEAR" 1978
Manuscripts & Marketed Tricks
BLOCK BUSTERS (1987)
BLOCKS OF BLUE (1967)
CRAZY, HUH
CUT CONTROL (1952)
DABBLING WITH DAUB (1951)
DIABOLICAL DIGITS (1980)
THE ELUSIVE THREE (1952)
EVER-READY RISING CARDS (1952)
FACE-UP ACES
FLABBERGASTING (1952)
FOUR LETTER WORDS (1974)
FRANK LANE'S GRANDFATHER TRICK [STAGE SIZE]
FRANK LANE'S GRANDFATHER TRICK [POCKET SIZE]
IMPROMPTU IMPRESSION (1948)
INVISIBLE TRANSPOSITION
JUST IMAGINATION (1954)
LAST WORD BOOK TEST (1980)
MIRACLE MOVE (1951)
MIRACLE MOVE MENTALISM (1981)
MIRACLE PRINCESS CARD TRICK (1986)
NEW BALLS TO HAT (1952)
ORIGINAL IMPROMPTU 'NO-NESTING' CUPS & BALLS (1952)
PATRIOTIC CUPS & BALLS (1951)
PERFECTED NESTED BOXES (1952)
RED TAPE THUMB TIE (1955)
SOFT DICE (1953)
SPONGE BALL ROUTINE (1963)
STRING A RING (1952)
TRIPLE TRANSPOSITION (1952)
References
The New Jinx, Vol. 1, No. 6, October 1962, Food For thought, Irv Weiner, page 21 "Pro"fil, page 23
MUM Vol. 62, No. 5, October 1972, Irving Weiner Honored, page 22
Cover, M-U-M, Vol. 67, No. 12, May 1978, Irv Weiner is Mr. Fingers, magician-of-the-month, by David R. Goodsell, page 12
An Evening with Irv Weiner By B. Falkner in Linking Ring, Vol. 56, No. 2, February 1976.
Cover, The Linking Ring, No. 63, No. 9, September 1983, Our Cover, Irv Weiner, page 40
Cover, M-U-M, Vol. 81, No. 9, February 1992, Irv "Mr. Fingers" Weiner, Wo is this Irv Weiner, page 12
The Linking Ring, Vol. 80, No. 2, February 2000, Broken Wand, Irving "Irv" Weiner, page 129
M-U-M, Vol. 89, No. 9, February 2000, Broken Wands, Irving Weiner, by David Goodsell, page 44
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