Cellini Cups and Balls in New Orleans

The one and only Jim Cellini plays Jackson Square in New Orleans, 1985.

[@DougConn]

so good to see this thanks

[@tyronejoihnson7046]

20 years later, he had 4 heart attacks and 7 strokes and died broke.

[@bv2745]

Yeah if your goal Is to be rich being a street magician isn’t the way to go 😂

[@MagicMartin314]

Lovely magic A true artist

[@aniksamiurrahman6365]

Well, magic might be trick. But the real magic is in the performence. And Mr. Celini's performance was real magic.

[@edward2785]

I know Cellini has passed away, but BRAVO Cellini! He was a master at keeping the crowd engaged and most of all entertained.

[@yuriydisman6829]

He influenced so many street magicians!

[@michaellee143]

Including Gazzo ,they met in the late 60s in England.

[@YANN69440]

it's a great ducoment on the late CELLINI - Thanks for the sharing

[@scottydogz1958]

I have a number of street theater videos that I shot in the 80s but its this video of Cellini that I love the most. Glad you enjoyed watching the master.

[@YANN69440]

@@scottydogz1958 Yes I think it's a good recording - CELLINI HAS been a GREAT MAGICIEN - I live in France but I watch all his video tapes (lectures). THANKS

[@senseistrange]

I met him in Austin in 2004. He started me journey with the linking rings

[@DannyHustle]

The Master.

[@monacomad]

He was Crystals mentor, she was a credit to him. Both great magicians.

[@shannonsmith1520]

😎😎😎

[@michaellee143]

13 min of the Greatest magic you will ever see !

[@mike-cc3dd]

I know hes a legend and all. But i was told that confusion isn't magic.

[@jonathannelson7584]

What do you find confusing?

[@id104335409]

He has 25 kids. Their mothers don't know where the child even came from.

[@magicstudent5189]

Wow! Nice work! I think I should add it to my collection! Pity they didn't film it in HD :D :D

[@scottydogz1958]

You'd laugh if you saw the camera (and player) I shot this with in 1985. HD came along much later.

[@magicstudent5189]

Haha, yip, I was being a little facetious. 32 years and it's practically ageless :) Well, I guess that's why it's stood the test of time

[@bradleythorburn]

Jason Maher reminds me of him he’s a great magician

[@illicity2255]

Pretty crazy story. But this guy is actually the father of two of my aunts and one of my uncles. My Grandma and him kicked it off back in the 60's up in Nashua. After the kids were born he dipped out to pursue magic, and my Grandma never heard from him again, she also later abandoned the kids, only keeping my mother. She's 80 years old now. It's crazy that while this was being shot my aunts and uncles were about to be grown and they probably weren't even a thought in his mind, because he was so dedicated to magic.

[@zipazip]

Sad to hear that... I met him about 20 years ago in Zurich, Switzerland. He would hang out at the magic shop a lot. He didn't talk much and was calm (I think he drank a lot). Cellini was there for years. He even released a book while he was there and he showed me a few moves. Now I'm pretty disappointed to hear that he was such a bad person who would leave his kids and wife...

[@illicity2255]

P Z It’s definitely not cool. But man, he must have really had something for magic if he was willing to put it all on the line for it. Apparently one of my aunts met with him some years ago to talk to him about all of it. Trying to get in touch with her, I kinda wanna hear his reasoning. It’s really interesting.

[@johnhein2539]

@@illicity2255 I hope you do! There is a sort of tricky to get DVD set called "As I Recall." In it they talk about the great magician Tony Slydini. Jim Cellini has plenty of screentime on it because he was one of Slydini's students. He talks about breaking into magic and going all in under Slydini's tutelage, and ultimately Slydini gave him his money back upon completion because a student who completed all of his lessons was worth much more to him than money. It is definitely HIS perspective but you may see some of his reasoning and hear it in his voice. It doesn't justify the abandonment, but it is a look at where he was.

[@michaelsullivan9613]

Hello @illicity2255. Please write back. I'm one of Cellini's sons. I'm curious if your family is the same as the family I met a few years ago who were also the offspring of Cellini.