CANNON'S GREAT ESCAPES 4TH ANNUAL ESCAPE ARTIST CONVENTION DVD

Escape Artist Convention, First Edition DVD, Produced by Jay Leslie's House Of Enchantment

Never before has an escape artist convention been accessible in any other way (other than being there in person). Now, Jay Leslie takes you to Mark Cannon's Fourth Annual Escape Artist Convention and you will see and hear what Jay captured on tape. This DVD is shot and edited in the documentary style with interviews, background, shows, display booths and contests. You will see and hear intimate conversations that can only be experienced when you are there in person. Over 30 hours of tape was shot, using two cameras and the end result is a must-see DVD that's over an hour long. It's so good it could be an independent movie. We consider this project as close to "Hollywood' as you can get.

Different from a typical magic DVD, this effort delves deep into escapologists' lives, talents and skills in a way that can only be accomplished by someone who is on the inside. Jay Leslie (producer) is already well known for several high quality DVDs on various subjects but this tops the list. Because Jay is also an escape artist, he was allowed into the hearts and souls of his brothers and sisters who tell about their feats and defeats from bondage. Nothing is held back, even life and death experiences are captured for the world to see.

As you know, escape artists all have the same motto: "We do this to prove that nothing is impossible" and when you see some of the absolutely amazing escapes these talented men and women escapologists do, you will be inspired to excel at your craft whether you are an escape artist, a magician or hot dog vendor.

Below are still shots taken directly from the footage, on location.
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Above are photos from three different lock picking & restraint opening contests. Prizes from a hundred dollars all the way up to five hundred dollars were awarded by Mr. Bill Shirk, sponsor of the contests. Bill also appears on the DVD escaping from a locked cage while hanging upside down by one foot. He also talks about his death defying Buried-Alive stunt.

Above, clips are from shows including Mark & Sheila Cannon (with help from the "Boss Man", Mr. Joe Fox) as they recreate the conditions unruly prisoners faced in the South, during the '30s; Matt Marcy comes through with a stellar performance featuring his signature "Blender Of Death". Joe Fox does a "Break-Out Performance" as the "Escaped Artist", escaping in record-time.

Between shows, lectures & contests, tables were opened and registrants could mingle with collectors and dealers of rare memorabilia, restraints, books and more. What's interesting about this convention is that some of the displays people brought were not for sale-- the entire purpose of bringing them was to share in their knowledge and educate others. First photo is Joe Lauher who brought several unique strait jackets and a mock-up of his upcoming Handcuff Annual Book which he publishes; John Bushey (not pictured) explains how completely spell-binding it is to collect rare memorabilia. Mark Lyons displays a few pairs of historical handcuffs that really should be in a museum under lock and key.

More shows and acts to marvel at. Robert Baxt performed his very funny brand of comedy magic as the Master Of Ceremonies; Kristen Johnson & Kevin Ridgeway create a breath-taking FULL-VIEW underwater escape act; Thomas Solomon closes the show with an inspiring performance. Other amazing acts (not shown) are also included on the DVD.

You will sit, glued to your TV, as you watch and hear real people talk about the perils of performing dangerous escapes. You will also learn sage advice from experts who have already been there and taken the risk. And we hope that you take away the most important reason we do this: to prove that if mortal man can break the bonds of steel then you can achieve the impossible in your lifetime too.

All rights reserved. This DVD is not sold for commercial use. The content is the property of the House Of Enchantment.