![]() ![]() An audience member would load a real bullet into the gun, but what actually fired was a blank from the other barrel. The key to Robinson's trick was a gun with a secret second barrel. ![]() In a nod to the circa-1900 Boxer Rebellion, a failed anti-imperialist uprising in China, he called his act "Condemned to Death by Boxers." Classy. (Think Mickey Rooney in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," but worse.) In Robinson's act, he was sentenced to death by firing squad. From today's perspective, his whole act comes across as racially offensive Robinson was a native New Yorker of Scottish descent who took on an Asian persona, stole a name from a living Chinese magician, and only spoke onstage in fake Chinese gibberish. Magician William Ellsworth Robinson performed in the early 20th century under the name Chung Ling Soo. But a failed bullet catch is no joke, and at least 15 magicians or their assistants have been seriously injured and even killed when this illusion falls apart. Someone fires a gun at the magician or assistant, who then "catches" it: in their hand, between their teeth, whatever's dramatic. It's so dangerous that it makes more than one appearance in the world of magic-gone-wrong. One in particular – the bullet catch – is one of the most dangerous magic tricks that performers take on. ![]() Some magic tricks are actually incredibly risky. Magic gone wrong can range from the epically hilarious to the epically tragic, and we're going to explore failures from both ends of the spectrum. On the darker side, an illusion that doesn't work out can cause severe injury or even death. Some magical mishaps are laughable, like when a magician's trick goes awry mid-act: a hidden assistant is revealed, cards scatter to the ground rather than fly overhead, the bunny refuses to come out of the top hat. ![]()
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