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[[File: LaFollette1.png|right|thumb|200px|[[Great LaFollette]]]]
[[File: GeorgeSands1.png|right|thumb|200px|[[George Sands]]]]


'''The Great LaFollette''' and '''Rush Ling Toy''' were the stage names of '''George P. Reuschling''' (b.1886-d.1960) from Baltimore, Maryland who performed both a successful Chinese and traditional magic act.
'''George Sands''' (b.1920-d.2006) began practicing magic at the age of 17 and was an active member of New York City magic scene with the guidance of [[Dr. Abe Hurwitz]], the father of [[Shari Lewis]].  


== Biography ==
== Biography ==


At one time was partnered with [[Jean Hugard]] in a Luna Park theatre of magic.  
Sands joined the [[Legerdemainiacs]], with notable peers such as [[George Schindler]], [[Frank Garcia]], [[Howard Schwarzman]], and [[Ken Krenzel]].


Beginning in 1908, he was performing as The Mysterious Reuschling in the D.C./Baltimore area. By 1912, he was performing his Chinese act as  Rush Ling Toy in [[Vaudeville]]. Later he developed The Great LaFollette, "International Transformist", in which he would change and perform as [[Herrmann the Great]], [[Harry Kellar]], [[Buatier de Kolta]], [[Servais Le Roy]] and his Chinese alter ego Rush Ling Toy.
He worked for [[Tannen]] 's Magic with Lou and Mike Tannen and at Royal Magic for Morris Fox.  


LaFallette toured Cuba with [[Carl Rosini]], South America with [[Carl Herrmann]], played in The Main Street Follies in New York. He did a magic show in New York in 1931 and performed the Production of bowls of water, Three Card Monte, the Jam Illusion and ended with the Cremation Illusion and Vanish from Cabinet.
Just before World War II, George developed his highly successful "Sandsational Rope" routine; then, during WW2, he developed Sands' Ropesational. This variation used no scissors and didn't cut up the rope, among other great magical mysteries, to entertain his buddies in the trenches.
Sands' publication of his routine "Super Optical Illusion" in [[Hugard's Magic Monthly]] in June 1946 was an inspiration for many packet tricks that followed where faces and backs change numerous times.


After Vaudeville, he settled in the Boston area, where he performed until retiring and moving to Florida. There, he opened and ran a magic shop in St. Petersburg. Among his inventions were The La Follette Rice Combination, Wooden Soldier Illusion, Flight of the Mandarin, The Russian Anarchist, The Spinning Girl, The Phantom Studio and The Spirit Bungalow.  
[[Jean Hugard]] published his card masterpiece "A Poker Nightmare" in 1949, and George first published his now classic rope routines "SandSational Rope" (first published in 1949) and "RopeSational" (published 1961) have been performed by thousands of magicians including Jeff McBride, Mac King, David Copperfield and Dick Cavett, who performed it on the Johnny Carson Show. Daryl & Michael Finney used it as the base of his rope routine, as did many others.
He was republished in 2009 by his son, Alan Sands, under the title "George Sands Ropes" as a book and accompanying DVD.


[[Great LaFollette|Read more about Great LaFollette...]]
Sands, with over 800 pages of original magic routines, moves, and tricks in a total of 17 booklets, was the first person to publish a substantial book on balloon sculpture, "The Encyclopedic Balloon Modeling Courses, Volumes 1 and 2" (in 1972 and 1973). His culmination of material can be found in his seven booklets, "50 Years Of Magic."
 
[[George Sands|Read more about George Sands...]]

Revision as of 14:55, 20 April 2025

Previous featured articles are located in Category:Featured Article Proposed candidates are listed in Category:Featured Article Candidate

George Sands (b.1920-d.2006) began practicing magic at the age of 17 and was an active member of New York City magic scene with the guidance of Dr. Abe Hurwitz, the father of Shari Lewis.

Biography

Sands joined the Legerdemainiacs, with notable peers such as George Schindler, Frank Garcia, Howard Schwarzman, and Ken Krenzel.

He worked for Tannen 's Magic with Lou and Mike Tannen and at Royal Magic for Morris Fox.

Just before World War II, George developed his highly successful "Sandsational Rope" routine; then, during WW2, he developed Sands' Ropesational. This variation used no scissors and didn't cut up the rope, among other great magical mysteries, to entertain his buddies in the trenches. Sands' publication of his routine "Super Optical Illusion" in Hugard's Magic Monthly in June 1946 was an inspiration for many packet tricks that followed where faces and backs change numerous times.

Jean Hugard published his card masterpiece "A Poker Nightmare" in 1949, and George first published his now classic rope routines "SandSational Rope" (first published in 1949) and "RopeSational" (published 1961) have been performed by thousands of magicians including Jeff McBride, Mac King, David Copperfield and Dick Cavett, who performed it on the Johnny Carson Show. Daryl & Michael Finney used it as the base of his rope routine, as did many others. He was republished in 2009 by his son, Alan Sands, under the title "George Sands Ropes" as a book and accompanying DVD.

Sands, with over 800 pages of original magic routines, moves, and tricks in a total of 17 booklets, was the first person to publish a substantial book on balloon sculpture, "The Encyclopedic Balloon Modeling Courses, Volumes 1 and 2" (in 1972 and 1973). His culmination of material can be found in his seven booklets, "50 Years Of Magic."

Read more about George Sands...