I asked my engineer to make up those bells and get in some more school bells and we were shocked to discover that the bells which were expensive are now more than twice the price that I paid for them all those years ago.   I will have to re-price the effect upwards substantially but it will still be worth whatever you may pay for it.

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This amazing bell was invented by my old friend Roy Van Dyke. Roy is a very clever comedy magician and was famous for his balloon act. Sadly Roy is now not at all well and the last time I heard he was having a rest in a residential nursing home. If you read this Roy … keep smiling.

The Van Dyke Bell was made some years ago for me by my electronic genius at the time and, as he is no longer with us, the bell was put to one side. We didn’t actually advertise the bell I don’t think, yet each one to be made was snapped up and, as far as I know, they are all still being used with great success.

I don’t normally reveal secrets but in this instance I will as it explains why this prop is difficult to make and only available in limited quantities and more or less just to order. The Bell which stands about 9 inches high and at the base is 5” in diameter is a miracle of electronic engineering. Imagine trying to put a radio receiver into a bell which is made of metal and still allow the bell to ring and sound just as it should sound.

The bell is powered by two PP3 batteries and is incredibly well made. It comes with a very tiny remote control which has a push button on one side. When the bell is switched on and the remote button pushed the bell rings. It is loud and clear. The bell itself is cast in the UK by the leading bell manufacturers in this country and is normally used as a school bell and rung when it is time for the children to come back into the classroom from the playground. The receiver and remote control system is state of the art and we tested it yesterday. The guy who makes it stood in my first floor apartment and I went down into the garden a long way away and pressed the button and each time it rang as it should. If you want to combine magic with a spot of gardening this could be for you.

If you like to introduce comedy into your act, imagine asking a spectator to come up on stage and to stand to one side as you perform some simple effect. You ask him to ring the bell each time he has an idea as to how the effect you are doing is worked. As you take the cards out of their case or put the prop down on the table in preparation the spectator appears to ring the bell and you turn to him patiently and explain again what he should do. He is to ring the bell when the effect starts and when he feels he knows how it works. Once again you start and at yet another inappropriate moment the spectator appears to ring the bell. You act out being irritated and when this scenario is repeated you appear to get cross and of course you can use the situation to get a lot of laughs.

There are countless ways this can be done and several ideas are supplied. For instance a card is selected and lost in the pack and shuffled and deal down on to the table and when the spectator spots his card he is to ring the bell. Well it goes without saying that he rings the bell on the wrong cards several times much to the amusement of the audience.

Eventually you ask him what his card was, place it on the table and tell him to ring the bell for heaven’s sake and he can’t do so unless the bell is shaken very rigorously. A number of the electronic devices I have released have had a fantastic success and one which in fact is not electronic has been described as being the magical antique of the future and that is the Cyclops Box. We have enough bells to make a further 5 or 6 and will then have to go on the hunt for more.

I highly recommend this item as it is excellent, beautifully made and has so many situation comedy uses.
 

£220.00 ( plus postage)