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The Great Lyle by Edwin Dawes - BookIf any one man can be credited with extending the Golden Age of Magic in Britain, that man is Cecil Lyle. After achieving fame as a music hall performer, he set his sights on the creation of a full evening show in the tradition of the great magicians of his youth. Even the outbreak of World War II did not deter him from persuing this goal. Through relentless hard work, Lyle eventually realized this dream with the creation of the Cavalcade of Mysteries
If any one man can be credited with extending the Golden Age of Magic in Britain, that man is Cecil Lyle. After achieving fame as a music hall performer, he set his sights on the creation of a full-evening show in the tradition of the great magicians of his youth. Even the outbreak of World War II did not deter him from persuing this goal. Through relentless hard work, Lyle eventually realized this dream with the creation of the Cavalcade of Mysteries and later his Mystery Box Revue. Audiences in Britain, Australia, Europe and South Africa were treated to some of the greatest illusions ever created by Horace Goldin, David Devant, Arnold deBiere, Lafayette, Amac and others. Here, for the first time, is the inspiring story of the struggles, triumphs and failures endured by Cecil Lyle during his reign as the last of the great touring illusionists.A peek inside The Great Lyle
Chapter 11 - Enter Bobbie Dixon, Stage Manager and Director The Lyles habitually arrived early at the theatre for the evening performances and at the close of every evening's second house each member of the company had to go first to Lyle's dressing room, and then to Lucille's, to say "Goodnight." This gave them the opportunity to have a word with individuals about any aspects of the evening's shows that needed attention, although for serious matters that concerned the company as a whole they would be asked to remain on stage at the conclusion of the performance. Lyle was always very happy to listen to any suggestions his staff might have for improving the presentation of the show.
Lyle applied his own make-up and he was not strict about the make-up used by his assistants. Bobbie as Stage Manager had always to wear full stage make-up and be ready to step on stage should any problem arise during the performance. Additionally, she went on stage for the finale of every show.Lyle never gave interviews to the Press but local newspapers in the cities where they were appearing received excellent advance publicity and printing blocks to be used for the show. A brochure which gave details of all the different posters and billing, press releases and photographic blocks that were available to theatre managers and newpaper editors was widely distributed.
During her early days with the company the Lyles invited Bobbie to join them for dinner at a very smart West End hotel. The young lady was very nervous in such grand surroundings although she was fully acquainted with table settings as her mother had been in service and had brought up her own family in the best traditions. Lyle asked if she would pour him a glass of water. The jug had no lip and as she poured a large chunk of ice dropped out, knocked the glass over and flooded the table. Although the Lyles told her it was not her fault and the jug should have had a lip, the incident spoiled her evening and her nervousness was increased by it.
As she got to know Lyle, Bobbie realised that although he was undoubtedly eccentric, he had a dry sense of humour that was only revealed outside the theatre, but he could and did see the funny side of some of the contretemps that inevitably occurred on stage from time to time. An incident off stage which probably did not amuse him, though Lucille thought it hilarious, arose through a physical characteristic that amazed all those privileged to observe it. Lyle possessed an enormous quantity of body hair. Indeed, one witness likened him to a gorilla. One day Lucille came into the theatre and delighted in telling everyone about a mishap that had befallen her husband. After his bath or shower Lyle was in the habit of spraying himself with a body lotion. On this occasion, in error, he had picked up Lucille's new hair spray and liberally doused himself with it, suddenly to discover that he was now as bristly as a hedgehog!
Yet life was not always rosy for Bobbie. During their June engagement at the Palace Theatre, Chelsea, she had the unusual experience of being sacked by Lucille and then reinstated later on the same day! It came about as the result of a flood. After the second house each night the girls in the company would take off their make-up (Leichner's No. 5 and No. 9) and then wash their towels, leaving them to soak in the sink overnight. On this particular evening one of the girls left a tap running, with disastrous consequences. The next morning the stage was in a terrible state and the orchestra pit flooded to the depth of some twelve inches of water. When Lyle was told about the mess he instructed that Bobbie be dismissed instantly as it was deemed to be her responsibility. However, when the rest of the company learned of Lyle's action they rallied to Bobbie's cause and threatened to strike if she were not re-instated. Further, the logistics of the show were such that it could not possibly have run that evening without Bobbie's presence. As this realisation dawned upon Lyle later in the afternoon, he countermanded his order and Lucille conveyed the decision to Bobbie, adding "Let that be a warning to you!" Subsequently it transpired that the theatre's night watchman, who should have detected the running tap on his rounds, had fallen asleep and not fulfilled his duties.
Besides being superstitious, Lyle was also a hypochondriac and if anyone sneezed near him he would immediately hasten away to his dressing room. On one occasion in 1948 Bobbie put this habit to good use. She had been working in the theatre all the morning and had a luncheon engagement with Frank Davis, her future husband, at 12 noon. Lyle usually came in to the theatre about 11 o' clock to see to any matters that needed attention but this morning, as luck would have it, he arrived late at 10 minutes to 12 and reeled off a list of things he wanted Bobbie to do. She realised that if she had to start on these immediately she would be very late for her appointment so, with great presence of mind, she feigned a sneeze and said "I think I'm going down with a cold." Lyle immediately told her to take herself off out of the theatre, which she very happily did!
Lyle's reaction to colds and illness is perhaps understandable for the whole show and the company depended for its income upon him being able to perform twice nightly. No doubt the laryngitis that had struck him down in 1940 very soon after he first took the Cavalcade of Mystery out on the road, necessitating a lay-off, still weighed heavily in his thoughts.
Before this 1948 tour was completed Amac sustained an accident and was hospitalised, leaving Bobbie in charge until he was able to return. She was thus thrust immediately into the important role of Stage Director with all its responsibilities. One of these was to meet with Lyle every Friday to discuss the following week's show. The facilities available at the particular theatre they would be playing determined the precise composition of the programme and some effects might have to be omitted and others included. The show carried three sets of tabs which were used according to the theatre being played.
As Stage Director it became Bobbie's responsibility to ensure that the "pull down" of the show and the "get out" of the theatre every Saturday night was achieved according to plan and that nothing was left behind. As the second house show on Saturday night progressed, the male assistants not required on stage for the illusion currently being presented would start to dismantle and pack the item which had just been completed, working as quietly as they could. In this way valuable time was saved but, even so, it would frequently be 3 a.m. on Sunday before a weary Bobbie crawled back to her digs.There were amusing incidents too. The show normally opened with a front cloth act and the assistants were behind the front runner with a rolled carpet ready to be unrolled as the curtain opened for the Cavalcade. The girls wore a red tunic top and black briefs, the latter in a pile from which they would grab a pair to put on. On one occasion when Bobbie was standing in on stage, the briefs she grabbed turned out to be extremely tight but there was no time to rectify matters. With backs to the audience they rolled the carpet upstage only to be greeted by hilarious laughter, which included Jack Phillips in the orchestra pit. Bobbie had been conscious of a ripping sound as her briefs split from top to crotch revealing her knickers beneath. She was horrified by what had happened but Lyle and everyone else in the company treated it as a great joke and the reprimand that she feared was not forthcoming.
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4.2 ★★★★★
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 1
One Star
Format: Paperback
Exactly the same as the free PDF I downloaded online for my student, only this costs $26 plus tax.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2017
★★★★★ 5
Solid primer well worth the cost.
Format: Kindle
Let's start with the understanding that I was not looking for War and Peace, here. I have always enjoyed the Sam's Teach Yourself in X Hours format, and this is another that gets the balance between what is needed to use the tool well and what is too much information for a beginner right. I was looking for something that could introduce me to this engine, giving enough understanding of the system to allow me to make games with normal use of the internet to get into the fine detail.
This book is exactly what I was looking for. It introduces the engine and its main components and the general theory behind them, getting you up and running quickly. While the engine seems to be gathering a following, there is not a lot of material out there for it. This book covers the topics well enough to get functionally proficient without getting so far into the weeds that you would not finish it.
The lessons are broken up in a way that makes sense, and there are full game exercises. I really liked the fact that the exercises follow the theory, so you are not simply walking through a bunch of actions that you do not understand, as happens in many "learn by making a game" tutorials.
The writing and editing leave some to be desired, but did not get in the way of understanding.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2018
★★★★★ 5
Simple and Amazing! A Great Introduction to Godot For Aspiring Game Developers
Format: Kindle
Godot Engine Game Development in 24 Hours is a fine introduction to the Godot game engine, and quite an extensive look at the software. The book is 432 pages, and there is a wealth of information contained here. I’ve just started working with Godot myself, so much of the material was new, but it was explained clearly so anyone can understand. If you are interested in exploring Godot, this would be a excellent buy on your journey.
If you are familiar with the Sams 24 hour books, they basically have 24 chapters each focused on a different aspect of the topic. The chapters are not long, and certainly would not take a hour to read each, but it’s good marketing I guess. In any case, I did enjoy that a range of areas were covered.
So what’s in the book? We get a look at the scene system, 2D graphics, scripting, a few game demos like a space shooter (2D) and Bloxorz clone (3D), and a networked Bomberman clone (2D). Scripting, input, physics, user interface, project management, materials and shaders, light and shadow, environments, sound, particles, networking, and a bonus 25th chapters about using native code. Yeah, quite a survey for 400 pages.
I felt like the authors expect some basic understanding of programming, but otherwise you do not have to be an experienced game developer to get value out of the book. Everything is explained simply and I did not notice any glaring errors. I really enjoyed that there were some simple game demos included, so readers could get a better idea of what a more complex project would look like. It also didn’t hurt that one of the authors co-created the engine, so I bet he knows what he’s talking about.
All in all, a great book. As I said, I am just starting with Godot and this is the first book I have read on it. Seems like an awesome introduction and much more palatable than reading the documentation (though I will note that the Godot docs are high quality, it just can be daunting). So I can fully recommend this book to anyone interested.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2019
★★★★★ 4
Worthwhile book
Format: Paperback
This is a good book on a promising game engine.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2018
★★★★★ 5
If you're developing games with Godot, you need this book
Format: Paperback
Godot is a fantastic game engine, and it has lots of aids to learning -- written tutorials, video tutorials, sample projects, one of the best manuals I've ever encountered. Still, it's nice to have a physical book you can hold in your lap, make notes in, and use as an overall guide to developing competence in Godot development. This is that book. It's has a logical flow, has genuinely useful sample projects, and is written in a clear, highly accessible style. If you are learning Godot, you can't do better than this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2019
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