Al Baker Book Two.pdf

AL BAKER’S BOOK TW O

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CONTENTS A Class Vanish CEE I I Undercover Another 4-Ace Trick ! Your Pulse Tells A Card and a Number Baker’s Bill Switch Unsight and Unseen Sex Appeal Come Seven Lost and Found Something from Nothing Pass the Salt ! Button Button ! The Name is ------ ! Me and the Missus A Novel Escape The Milky Way

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“SILKEN SORCERY” )« B R < f« i

Silken Sorcery cover* practically everything on •ilka, including thirty methods of producing a silk. Eleven methods o f producing a number of silks. Seventeen methods o f vanishing a silk. Twelve methods o f dyeing the silks. Eleven methods o f Twentieth Century Silks. A chapter on Knots and Flourishes. Twenty^three tricks with silks. Useful accessories, sleights, etc. Wall Printed and Illustrated. $14*

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E One o f the i a noted authoi talented New his books, thi t&ined the m o Th e greates hand effects balls, thimbles and miscellant sections— son* classic. Price

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W ILL ALMA M.I.M.C. (LO N D O N )

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full of id e « for the Go>e-Up worker. A book thet tbe Modern Magician require*.

Price ... 5/6 -AFTER THE DESSERT* — GARDNER Hera is a book with 30 effects "using articles that can be carried in your pocket or picked up at the dinner table. All o f the material is of real reputation-building nature. With the instructions given for presentation, the results obtainable eould not be bettered under “ after dessert” con­ ditions if you carried a car load of apparatus. In Its original mimeographed form, with only 24 trick, it sold out so last that we *have had to have it published as a 24 page printed booklet With 30 tricks now, it represents super value at the old price

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Clot*-as at msgfe. ley I* be­ lt Clubs". . Brooks 7 e Althea, .j. A book 57 page* wet) illns—

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A L B A K E R ’S BOOK TWO

ENGLISH

EDITIO N

C O P Y R IG H T

“ D EM O N S E R IE S ”

Messrs. L. Davenport & Co. have purchased the English publishing rights from Mr. Al Baker, of New York, U.S.A.

L.

DAVENPO RT & CO.

(Incorporating M askelyne’s Mysteries) Manufacturers of High Class Magical Apparatus 204

H IG H

H O LBO RN , E N G LA N D

LO ND O N,

W . C . l.

CONTENTS Pago

A Glass Vanish . . .

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GEE I ! U ndercover

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A nother 4 -A c e Trick ! Y ou r Pulse Tells

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A Card and a Number

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Baker’s Bill Switch

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Unsight and Unseen

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Sex A p p ea l

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C om e Seven

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Something from Nothing . . .

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Pass the Salt !

Lost and Found

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Button Button ! ...

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T h e Name Is — 1

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M e and the Missus

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A N ovel Escape

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Th e M ilky W a y . . .

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T o my friends, Professional and Amateur. In presenting my “ second ’ ’ book to the magical fraternity I have kept in mind the old saw, “ Brevity is the soul, not only of wit, but applies to many magical tricks I have tried to make the text brief and, by giving plenty o f illustrations, cut down on too much solid type. I give no patter as I feel that every entertainer should be himself and develop a style of his own. Fred Keating rose to stardom. “ The Bird Cage ” , “ Sympathetic Silks ” and “ Card in the Cigarette ” were marvellous in his hands; others copied, but Keating’ s name still lives. “ Be a magician, not an impersonator.” : I am neither an artist nor an author and want to express my appreciation o f the many artistic drawings, the work o f my good friend Clayton Rawson, and to thank Bill Arenholz for supplying the many commas, colons periods, and in so many other ways aiding me to give you my second book. A L BAKER.

Entire contents copyrighted 1935 by A l Baker.

The State Library of Victoria “A L M A CONJURING COLLECTION

A GLASS VANISH. Performer fills a glass with water and covers glass with a handkerchief. Handkerchief is pulled aside and glass is found to have vanished. PROPS NEEDED. A small glass cream pitcher about 5 inches in height and a thin drinking glass, sort o f bell shape. Glass should be a size that if placed into pitcher bell shape should be even with top edge o f pitcher and prevent the bottom of glass touching the bottom of pitcher. Some strips of thin celluloid, the width of the inside of the pitcher. If the pitcher is filled with water, the celluloid rolled into a loose tube and is placed into it and pressed to the inside of

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the pitcher, celluloid will stick there. If thin material is used it will in n o way effect the clearness o f the glass. Celluloid need not b e one piece as several strips will w ork just as well. Y ou also need a handkerchief with a ring the same size as the top o f glass, sewn in the center o f it. T O P E R FO R M . Place handkerchief over left arm. Pick up pitcher using left hand, the tw o m iddle fingers going through handle o f pitcher and the thumb and first finger resting at top edge. (P ictu re).

Pick up glass with right hand and fill about 2 / 3 with water. Place glass between finger and thumb o f left hand so that the bottom o f glass is directly over m outh o f pitcher. Draw handkerchief, with right hand, over glass. Grasp ring in handkerchief and at the same time let glass d rop into pitcher, the first finger going into pitcher to let glass d rop silently. R em ove handkerchief as if it contained glass and set pitcher aside. A s there is water in pitcher, audience never realize it is the same amount as at the beginning. Suddenly toss hand­ kerchief in air and glass is gone. Use fo r any effect in which a glass o f water need be vanished.

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G E E !! H ow this trick should appear to the spectators : T h e perform er has tw o cards selected from the pack. The> are then returned to the pack and it is shuffled b y the per­ form er. A handkerchief is b orrow ed, pack is cov ered with it and then perform er states that he is going to m ake the tw o selected cards disappear from the pack. Perform er says. “ will rem ove the cards on e at a time and y ou will see at the finish that your cards are not am on g the rest o f the cards ” . Reaching under handkerchief perform er brings out a card

and showing it, says, “ This d oes n ot happen to be on e o f the selected cards, b y any ch a n ce? ” O ne o f the spectators says, “ Y e s! It’ s m y ca rd .” Perform er look s puzzled and says, “ guess I got things a little w rong, I’ll try again.” Reaching under the handkerchief he brings out another card and says, “ That is n ot a selected o n e ? ” Th e other spectator will say. “ That’ s m y ca rd ! ” Perform er looks rather puzzled and then says, “ I know what has happened. I meant to have the tw o cards disappear and got things a little m ixed up. I m ade the pack disappear instead.” A t the same time, rem oving handkerchief and the pack is fou n d to have vanished. 7

T h e Secret : Perform er has tw o cards selected fro m a pack. Cards are returned and both cards are brought to the bottom by any o f the m ethods, such as the pass, shuffle, etc. (I am taking it fo r granted that m y reader is advanced in m agic and the keeping track o f tw o selected cards, and bringing them to the b ottom o f the pack will b e n o very great problem to h im .) A fter the cards are on the b ottom o f pack, perform er holds p ack in left hand and gets the tip o f his little finger under the low er end o f the tw o b ottom cards and holds a break there. Taking, with his right hand, a card from the top o f the pack, in an off-hand way he says, “ W e ’ ll use this one. It doesn’ t happen to be one o f the selected cards, d oes it? ” Turning his b o d y sideways to spectators, perform er puts this card, face out, partway into his right hand trouser pocket, leaving about a third o f the card exposed, at the same time telling about the effect this card will have on the others. (This is m erely byplay to focu s attention on this ca rd .) W hile he is putting card in right hand trouser pocket, left hand has been busy, to o . T h e w hole pack, minus the tw o bottom cards, was allow ed to drop in the other trouser p ock et and left hand, holding the tw o cards with fingers around in same position as a full pack w ould b e held is brought forw ard. H andkerchief is taken in right hand and thrown ov er the supposedly full pack. Perform er reaches under handkerchief and rem oves a card, saying, “ This doesn’ t happen to be on e o f the selected card s? ” O f course, on e o f the spectators says yes. Perform er looks a bit disconcerted and says, “ That’s funny, well I’ll try again.” Then the second card is brought forw ard, at the same time perform er keeps hand under handkerchief shaped so as to m ake it appear that there are m ore cards under the handkerchief. Naturally, the second card brought forw ard is the other selected one. “ G ee, I guess I got everything balled up. I wanted to m ake the tw o cards disappear, instead o f that I m ade the pack g o .” W hile saying this, rem ove handkerchief, showing hand empty. In droppin g cards in pock et, d o not hurry, because if this trick is d on e very deliberately and without any show o f hurried­ ness, the finish is a real surprise.

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UNDERCOVER. This is a very fine effect find on e o f its beauties is that it can be d on e any time, any where. EFFECT. T h e perform er hands a slate to a spectator w h o has been called to the platform to assist. T h e spectator is given a piece o f chalk. H e is requested to draw on the slate a geom etrical design o r anything that m ay com e to his mind. H e is then requested to h old the slate, with drawing toward himself, about a fo o t from his face. Perform er places his hand on spectator’s forehead and asks him to lo o k intently at drawing. Perform er then takes a secon d slate and chalk and draws something. Both slates are turned tow ard audience and both drawings are fou n d to be alike. T h e trick is perform ed b y the aid o f a small con v ex mirror. It is about the size o f a half dollar and, a lon g with a piece o f chalk, is in the right hand trouser p ock et o f the perform er. A fte r spectator draws the design on slate perform er asks him to h old it in front o f his face. Perform er m oves the slate up until top edge is a bit a b o v e spectator’ s eyes. Perform er places his hand on spectator’ s foreh ead at the same time making sure, without saying so, that his hand is seen to be em pty. R em ovin g hand and picking up a secon d slate, perform er’ s right hand goes into trouser p ock et and brings out a piece o f chalk which is held with thumb and first finger, but in the curled up joints o f the fingers is the little mirror. A gain placing his hand to spectator’s head to get another impression, perform er this time glances into mirror and readily sees what is on the slate. T he top rim o f slate being a b o v e the level o f spectator’s eyes keeps him from seing the perform er glanc<> toward the hand on his head. Perform er rem oves hand, draws duplicate o f what he had noted, returns chalk to pock et and also mirror.. A fte r a bit o f lecture, slates are turned and drawings are seen to corres­ p on d . In m y m ethod everything is as a b ov e except that after spectator makes his drawing, perform er rem oves a handkerchief from his pock et, covers slate, takes second slate, draws som e­

thing, rem oves the handkerchief and when slates are turned, faces toward audience. Th e drawings are seen to be alike. The handkerchief is prepared as in Fig. 1. T w o holes are bored in fram e o f mirror at top about an inch apart. A piece o f white silk is tied to each hole and the other ends tied to each top corner o f handkerchief. The correct measurement o f thread is as follow s. If handkerchief is held at the tw o corners and top edge is drawn tight the mirror will be drawn out about tw o thirds from pock et. . If the tw o hands are brought toward each other the mirror will sink back into pocket.

H andkerchief is carried in top coat pocket. A fter spectator has m ade his drawing and perform er has shown him h ow to h old it in front o f his face, perform er rem oves handkerchief from his pocket, holding it b y on e corner and allowing it to hang d ow n in a careless manner. Taking hold o f second corner with hands near each other so mirror will rest in pocket, perform er reaches up and places h an d­ kerchief over slate. A fter handkerchief is over slate in front o f drawing, perform er m oves it toward the holder o f slate and draws the top edge tight. M irror is brought to view o f per­ form er and cannot be seen b y audience as slate hides it from them. Figure on slate is seen in mirror. H andkerchief is allow ed to drape over top edge o f slate. Perform er takes second slate, draws his picture, rem oves handkerchief from slate by taking hold o f one corner o f it and places handkerchief in pock et. A fter suitable talk, slates are shown and another miracle has been perform ed. Fig. 2 will explain clearly h ow peak is m anaged. 10

ANOTH ER 4 ACE TRICK! This is a very fine way o f d oin g the ever popular “ Four A c e T rick.” M ost m ethods, while g o o d , seem ed to lack that “ som e thing ” to convince the audience that all had been “ fair and square Putting four cards on each ace, while having it appear as if on ly three were put on each, rem oving the cards on e at a time from the b ottom o f each heap, and m any other m ethods, although ingenious, left a d ou b t or w ere confusing to the spectator. T h e forcing o f the heap containing the four aces was unsatisfactory; as the “ give m e a num ber betw een on e and fou r ” seems a bit shallow, and counting from the w ron g end o f the row to arrive at the right heap, has its weaknesses. In m y m ethod all these shortcom ings are d o n e away with and the three aces at the finish are fou n d to have join ed the ace the spectator N A M E D . H ow the effect should lo o k to the audience : Perform er picks up a pack o f cards, asks a spectator to nam e his favourite ace— w e’ ll assume spectator nam es A c e o f Clubs. Perform er rem oves the four aces from the pack, holds them up in a fan, lays the three other aces on the table and places the chosen ace (A c e o f C lubs) in a drinking glass, ace facing audience. H e then covers the card with a small silk and picks up the other aces, on e at a time and places them into the pack, then gives the pack to som eone to hold. A fte r a bit o f hocus pocus, handkerchief is rem oved and the fou r aces are fou n d to be in the glass, the three having join ed the on e selected. Pack can b e exam ined b y the holder as there are n o duplicates. T O PERFORM . T h e success o f this trick depends on being able to hold four cards as one, and if d on e correctly is m ost convincing. M y g o o d friend, Sam H orow itz, a very clever card man, has been using this subterfuge fo r years and to see him show four o r six cards when he really has double that num ber, is the acm e o f fairness. T h e cards are held in the left hand as in Fig. 1, the fingers pressing tow ard the thum b; and if you have seven cards and want to show as four, thumb o f left hand pushes three cards, on e at a time into right hand, tips o f fingers o f left hand keep ­ ing a steady pressure on edges o f cards, and fourth card is

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retained in left with the three cards under it; o r b elow it, if dealing face up. T h e three cards are returned to the left in a fan and apparently fou r held up and shown to the audience. If you d o not d o this sleight, practice it a short time and from then on everything will b e clear sailing. Pick up the cards and lo o k through them and get a couple o f aces to the top, but act as if you were just lookin g the cards over. A sk a spectator what his favourite ace is. W e ’ ll assume he says the A c e o f Clubs; at the same time you are still lo o k ­ ing fo r aces and should you see another one get it to the top. N ow lo o k fo r treys, ignoring the trey o f spades, and bring them to the top. A u dien ce will think you are locating the aces. Y ou n ow have the three treys on top o f the pack and the fou r aces b elow them. H old d eck in left hand, faces toward you, and push cards with left thumb into right hand until the first o f the four aces show up. Break the d eck at that point, the right hand holding the larger lot o f cards and the left hand holding (as in Fig. 1 ) the four aces and the three treys on top o f them. T h e A c e o f Clubs should be the first card facing you , as it is the selected on e. If it is not, fan the aces slightly and rem ove the A c e o f Clubs, saying, “ So this is your favourite a ce,” and place it on the face o f the deck. Lay the cards in right hand aside and say, " W e are goin g to use the four aces! ” at the same time pushing the three front aces, one at a time, with the left thumb, into the right hand. The fourth ace and cards behind it are retained in the left hand and the right hand fans the three cards and returns them to the left hand. Left hand holds up the fan o f aces and calls attention to the A c e o f Clubs as the chosen card. Squaring the cards and holding them face d ow n in left hand, deal the three top cards,one at a time, in a row on- the table o r stand, backs to audience, each card against a drinking glass. These are really the three treys. Pick up the remaining four cards as on e (su p posed ly the A c e o f C lubs) b y grasping the top ed ge with the thum b and index finger o f right hand, saying, “ A n d this A c e o f Clubs, I’ ll place in this glass ” . D o so, leaving it facing the audience. N ow fo r the next m ove. Pick up balance o f pack from table and h old it in left hand. Pick up the three o f clubs with right hand, holding it b y the right hand corner, and with­ out showing face, push it into the center o f pack. Pick up another trey b y right hand corner, thumb on back o f card and three fingers covering the top pip and index finger o f the trey, push this card half way into pack, and still holding fingers over top pip, say, “ A n d w e will push this in about here ” , and at the same time turn left hand so the audience will see what is 13

apparently an ace. Push it all the way in. Pick up third trey in same manner and say, “ W e will push this about here ” , inserting half w ay into the pack and turning hand so audience gets a flash o f the supposedly third ace. Push it hom e.

H and pack to a spectator, cov er the ace in the glass with a silk, “ d o your stuff ” , rem ove silk, show the four aces and p rob ab ly the spectator will examine the cards, without your asking that it be done. In rehearsing the effect o f putting a trey into the pack and showing it as an ace, push a trey half way into the pack and then lo o k at the back o f the trey and find a mark to act as a locater so you will always kn ow just h ow far to push card in to hide low er pip. T o p pip o f card and index should b e covered b y first three fingers, thumb on back o f card. Learn to d o this neatly and d o n ’ t h old the card with the w hole hand covering the top o f it. Cards are not heavy.

YOUR PULSE TELLS. A lthough this trick is perform ed by the simplest o f means, with proper showmanship it is really quite a mystery. Perform er shuffles pack, hands it to a spectator and asks that a card b e drawn from pack. W h en this has been done, perform er takes the pack, has spectator return his card and then cuts pack. T h e perform er then fans cards so they face the spectator and asks him if he sees the card he selected. W hen he answers “ Y es ” perform er asks him to point with first finger. •A

Perform er takes h old o f spectator’ s wrist, then has him rest the tip o f his pointing finger on the face o f the cards. Perform er m oves the wrist so the pointing finger runs along the face o f the cards and suddenly stops the finger o n the selected card. A ll that is n eeded is a d ou b le card, tw o cards pasted together so as to m ake a thick card. If you run the tip along the face o f a fan o f cards containing a card o f this sort, when

you pass the thick card, finger will jum p or step d ow n a bit If you h old a person’ s wrist and run his pointed finger over face o f cards, you will feel the difference as you g o past the step and his finger is stopped right on the next or selected card. The rest is as in all g o o d tricks “ Showmanship ” , Fig 1 and 2 will make all clear. 15

A CARD AND A NUMBER. 2 nd M E T H O D . Perform er shuffles a pack o f cards and then places the cards in a spectator’ s pocket. i A second pack is then shuffled b y perform er. H e n ow requests som eon e to call a number from 10 to 50. A number is called, w e’ ll assume 3 4 . Perform er has a card selected, noted and returned to the pack. H e then states that instead o f finding the card in the usual way, he will m ake the duplicate o f the card be at the num ber 3 4 in the pack the spectator has in his pocket.

T he chosen card is nam ed, spectator rem oves pack from his pocket, counts to 3 4 and the card is found.

T O PREPARE. T w o packs are used, one straight and the second pack has three short cards. The tw o packs are set up alike. N o particular arrangement is needed, such as 8 -K -3 -1 0 or Cy Stebbins. Pack No. 2 must have the first short card at 21 o r the 21st card. Th e next short card is at 31 and the third short card is at 4 1. 16

T he ten top cards are n ow rem oved and placed o n the bottom o f the pack, Fig. 1. First pack is false shuffled and placed in spectator’ s pocket. Second pack is prod u ced and a num ber is called, say 2 6. Perform er riffles cards, as in Fig. 2, to first short card which is 2 1 . H e counts five cards and this is the 26th card correspon d­

ing to the pack in sp ectators pocket. This card is forced and the trick is ready fo r the “ build up ” . W hen a spectator calls a num ber he really tells you where it is. If he calls 16, it is first group, group 1— card 6. If he calls 3S, the card is fifth card— 3 group. This trick was explained in m y first b o o k but d epen ded on a m em ory system. I am including this m ethod fo r those w ho d o not care to g o into m em ory but prefer the simple way.

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BAKE R ’<S BILL SWITCH

BAKER’S BILL SW ITCH. This makes a very nice change w here a b orrow ed bill must b e exchanged fo r a substitute. ' Bill to b e substituted is fo ld e d as in first group o f drawings. . A fter bill is tucked in, as in fourth picture, the roll is flattened and then op en ed enough so that third finger can b e slipped into it at any time. This little package is carried in coat or vest pocket. W hen ready to perform , get the third finger o f right hand into center o f fo ld e d bill. Bend finger so package is hidden b y palm. B orrow a bill and h old it, as in Fig. 1, with fingers o f right and left hand. Bring the tw o hands together several times as if testing the strength o f bill. A t the last time as the hands com e together, straighten finger holding bill. Thum b o f left hand rem oves it and fo ld e d bill is left at low er left hand co m e r o f b orrow ed bill 2. F old bill d ow n as in Fig 3, then forw ard as in Fig 4 , then again as in Fig. 5. Left thumb is n ow inserted into fo ld so it rests on top o f your ow n bill and, while pretend­ ing to crease, bill is withdrawn and b orrow ed bill goes into curled up fingers o f right hand, Fig. 6. T h e bill to be sub­ stituted should b e fo ld e d at the start so that when exchange is m ade package will not b e much smaller in size than the one exchanged.

T h e drawings in group on e show bill fo ld e d in half but in the actual fold in g it should be fo ld e d off center. A trial will let you kn ow just where to crease bill to have tw o packages nearly alike.

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UNSIGHT AND UNSEEN. This trick is w onderful fo r a club gathering or a place where the audience is facing you. EFFECT. Perform er hands a pack o f cards to be shuffled b y Uhe spectator, then asks spectator to take any card out o f the pack, while the pack is in his ow n hands. H e is then asked to hand the pack to another spectator w ho also rem oves a card. Each on e is asked to write a name on the face o f his selected card. Th e pack is then divided in half by one o f the spectators and he is asked to give the other person half o f the deck and retain half himself. Each spectator is asked to put his marked, selected card in his respective half and shuffle thoroughly. Perform er takes one o f the halves and states that he is going to give a demonstration o f the sense o f touch. H e then places the cards in his coat pocket and asks the spectator to name his card. Perform er instantly produces the marked card. Per­ form er, rem oving the half pack from his pocket, lays the

marked card face up on top and hands the half deck to the spectator. G oing to the second person he takes his half pack, places it in his pocket, asking him to name his m arked card, and instantly produces the second marked card. H e then brings out the balance o f the cards, lays the m arked card face up on top and hands this half pack to spectator. T h e w hole pack is n ow in their hands fo r examination. 20

SECRET. This trick is based on an old principle, but in this m ethod it is m ore m ystifying as the cards are left in their possession at the finish. Y ou must have tw o packs o f cards with backs alike. O ne pack is slightly shorter than the other pack. This short pack is in your left hand vest pocket. In your left hand coat pock et you have a narrow strip o f cardboard about an inch and a half w ide and about the length o f the pock et. This is in a vertical position to act as a partition later on. Th e regulation pack is laying on the table. Picking up this pack, perform er hands it to a person in the front row and asks him to shuffle it thoroughly and then to rem ove a card and hand the pack to som eone sitting near him. Th e second spectator is also asked to rem ove a card. W hen this has been d one, perform er takes pack from him with left hand and hands him a lead pencil, saying, “ I am going to ask you to write the nam e o f som e person on the face o f your card and then hand the pencil to this other gentleman and have him d o likewise with his card. D o not let m e watch your pencil to see what you write,” A s he says this, perform er turns halfway around as if n ot to look , but while his back is half turned to audience, the perform er d rop s the pack from his left hand into his left coat pocket. A t the same time his right hand takes pack from left vest pocket and he instantly turns around. (N ot one in the audience will suspect which hand he had the cards in at the start.) W alking up to the first person w ho selected a card, per­ form er hands him the pack, asks him to divide it in tw o portions and to give one half to second spectator. Each is asked to place his card in his half pack and shuffle well. Per­ form er takes half pack from one spectator and squares it up, placing fingers on top edge and thumb on low er edge o f pack. Spectator’ s card being slightly longer, perform er can immediately cut the cards at this point, which will bring spec­ tator’s card to the bottom o f the pack. Placing this half in his pocket, behind the partition, he asks the spectator to nam e his card. Reaching in his pocket he brings out the b ottom card o f that half pack which proves to be the m arked card. A ga in reaching in his pock et he takes about half o f the original pack and hands it to spectator with his chosen card, face up, on it. Taking the next half from second spectator, perform er cuts again at the long card, brings it to the bottom o f the pack, places this half in his pock et behind the partition, asks him to 21

name his card, brings out bottom card from pack behind the partition and then reaches in and brings out the balance o f the original pack and hands this to spectator with his marked card on top o f this half. T h e short pack is n ow left behind in perform er’s pocket and the original pack is n ow in the hands o f the spectators fo r the m ost critical examination. 1 In turning halfway around to exchange packs d o not hurry. H ave the left hand (containing the p a ck ) resting carelessly on your hip. H ave the right hand toying with the low er button o f the vest so that there will b e very little m ovem ent o f the hands in exchanging the packs.

SEX APPEAL. This is a fine parlor trick and presented under g o o d co n ­ ditions and with the proper address can be m ade to lo o k like a real miracle. Perform er requests the loan o f a lady’ s plain w edding ring and a gentleman’s ring. G oin g into a brief lecture o f the attraction o f the sexes he lays the gentleman’ s ring on the floor on a line with the top ed ge o f a table. Placing the lad y’s ring on the table, he asks all to watch closely. T h e lad y’ s ring is seen to m ov e toward the ed ge o f table and w hen slightly ov er edge it stops as if lookin g d ow n atj ring on floor. A spectator is asked to pick up the ring, examine it and nothing is fou n d attached. A lthough the means o f perform ing this trick is simple the effect, if presented nicely, is all to b e desired.

T O P E R FO R M . A hair about 15 inches lon g is tied to the low er button o f your vest. A t the other end o f hair is a small pellet o f dark wax. A fte r borrow ing man’ s ring and laying it o n the floor, magician asks fo r a lad y’ s plain ring. A s he stands near the table, while talking he manages to drop the w ax o n the table. If there happens to b e a dark cloth on the table or the table is o f the bridge variety, the w ax will never be noticed. 22

W hen the ring is handed to him, he drops it on the table so that w ax is in the center o f ring.

H e n ow m oves away gently and the w ax touches the inside o f the ring. A s magician m oves away slightly, the ring will be pulled toward the edge o f table. W hen the ring reaches the edge and projects over, the wax will fall and be left hang­ ing in front o f the perform er’ s trousers. A s everything is now clear both rings can be picked up b y spectators and exam ined.

23

COME SEVEN ! This makes a very pretty trick. The perform er takes tw o dice, places the one and six face to face at center, and shows the dice total seven on all sides, center and ends. i D ropping the dice on table he requests a spectator to try it. N o matter h ow dice are placed they will not a dd seven and, unless a spectator “ knows his d i c e ” , nothing is found wrong with them.

This trick depends on your luck in finding a set. I have found many and, no doubt, if you look through a b o x o f the cheaper grade you will find the one needed. Y ou place a lot o f dice in a row so that 3 spots all point on e way, as in tw o top dice in drawing. If you find one on which the spots point the other way, Fig. 3, that is the key die. In the making, the die was reversed and the 3 is where the 4 should be, and the 4 is in the 3 place. Palm the o d d dice in right hand. Place the tw o regular dice so 1 and 6 are in center, face to face, and turn dice so all sides total seven. A fter spectators see h ow it is done, apparently drop them on the table, but drop one regular and the o d d die. N o matter how placed all sides will not total seven. 24

LOST AND FOUND. V e ry often, while perform ing at a house party, the host will say, “ Can you use m y ca rd s? ” Y o u ask fo r a new unopened pack. Breaking the seal, g o through pack and rem ove jok er. G ive pack an over hand shuffle. Then request a spectator to give the pack an even riffle shuffle. W h en this has been d on e ask him to pull a card from the pack while he is holding cards face d ow n in his hand. He is to note the card, push it back into the pack and square all edges so as to leave n o clue.

RED

SLACK

Perform er takes pack, fans it, glances at face o f cards, rem oves card and places it on table. A sking what card was look ed at, he turns the card on the table face up which proves to b e the selected card.

25

A ll new packs o f cards are arranged in sequence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K . W hen given pack, perform er glances through to rem ove the joker, but really to see that cards are arranged. If a few are out they can easily be put in their proper places while searching fo r joker. False shuffle the pack. Put about a d ozen o f the bottom cards on top o f pack, pull about a d ozen from center and place on the bottom o f pack. A sk the spectator to give cards a riffle shuffle, then pull a card from the pack note it and return it. Perform er takes cards, fans them and the selected card will be out o f the sequence and very often a red selected card will be am ong the blacks.

A nother cute wrinkle is fo r perform er to carefully shuffle the cards so as to bring them as in Fig. 1. H e then divides the pack in tw o equal piles, so reds are in one pile and, o f course, unknown to spectator, blacks are in the other half. Spectator is requested to take a card from on e pile, n ote it and then place it in other pile. He is then asked to give the pile in which he placed the card a couple o f riffle shuffles. Perform er watches as the cards fall and catches a glimpse o f a red card with the blacks. He then names the card, without ever touching the pack. If he doesn’ t see the card, perform er asks him to place the other half on top o f shuffled heap and cuts them. H e then fans the cards and is able to find the stranger and bring the trick to a successful conclusion.

26

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING. PR O P S. A tin ring about 6 inches in diameter and about 2 inches wide, also tw o narrow rings so if paper is placed over big ring, and small rings are forced ov er it, a miniature drum is m ade. A round cardboard b o x , one end open, which fits easily into large ring. A sheet o f newspaper and a pair o f shears. String o f flags or silks. T O PREPARE. If using a string o f flags, load the cardboard b o x starting from center o f string and alternating right and left until all flags are packed into the b o x . Lay a piece o f newspaper over top and with library paste stick the paper to the sides o f the

b o x so as to form a cover. Trim off the uneven edges. T ie a piece o f black silk to the shears, and tie the other end through a needle hole in top edge o f the load. The length o f thread should be as follow s. If the shears are at the top edge o f the sheet o f newspaper the load will bo about 4 inches a b ov e the low er edge. O ne d ou ble sheet o f newspaper is used. 27

T O PE R F O R M . Load with shears tied to it is on table behind a few silks or other articles. Rings and paper are at hand. Standing near table, pick up large ring, show unprepared. Pick up news­ paper and lay it over ring o ff center so ring is about 4 inches from top edge o f paper. Force one o f the small rings over ring and paper. H olding paper with left hand at top edge, show paper with open end o f drum facing audience. Pick up shears with right hand. H olding shears, take hold o f low er edge o f paper and bring left hand d ow n and right hand up so right hand is n ow at top edge and ring is at low er end with opening away from audience. Bringing right hand U> the top will cause the load tied to shears to b e pulled from its

hiding place and hang in front o f the open large ring. The fingers at low er edge send it into ring and h old load while right hand, without hesitation, takes shears and proceeds to cut the paper in half, cutting the thread on shears at same time this half o f paper is placed on other side o f load. The second ring forced over the ends is turned away and all is ready. A hole is punched in paper and production m ade. M y ow n table had a well large enough to hold load. The well was covered with a cover o f an old b o o k . This was covered with cloth to match the table top and was hinged at the rear edge. A s the load was pulled out the cov er d rop ped back noiselessly. 28

PASS TH E SALT. N o d ou b t m any o f m y readers are familiar with the salt trick, in which a pack o f cards is cut into a num ber o f piles. Spectator notes top card on on e o f the piles while perform er’ s back is turned. Perform er gets a small pinch o f salt fro m his vest p ock et and in showing spectator h ow to return the piles into on e pack manages to d rop the pinch o f salt on top o f the selected card. A fter the pack is squared and left on the table, if it is given a sharp tap with the fingers, o n the side ed ge o f the pack, cards will spread in an even row but will break at the salt card. Leaving a w ider space in the row perform er turns card at this w ide space and it is fou n d to be the chosen card.

In m y m ethod you d o not ask which card was lo o k at, and never touch cards after card is n oted, and yet the salt plays the important part. Perform er starts b y wiping the top o f the table vigorously with a silk handkerchief at the same time talking about static or anything electrical that sounds plausible. Taking three cards from a pack and bending up on e corner o f each card he lays 29

them on the table face dow n , and requests that, while his back is turned, a card be picked up at the bent co m e r and this end be raised so that face o f card b e noted and then card b e again allow ed to rest on table as at first. Perform er turns his back. W hen card has been noted perform er takes his outstretched right hand and places it over a card as in (figure o n e ) allowingfingers and thumb to rest on table, but not touching the card. H e does this over each card and suddenly says. “ This is the card ” . This proves to be correct. H e then repeats the trick.

T O P E R FO R M . A fter cards are on table with corners o f each bent up, perform er takes a card at bent corner and lifts fron t end so face o f card can b e seen, to show just what must b e don e. W hile asking if all is clear perform er puts his fingers into vest pock et and secures a pinch o f salt. A s a last warning b efore turning his back he says, “ R em em ber you can lo o k at this, this or this, but on ly on e ” . A s he says “ this o r this ” he leaves a pinch o f salt on top o f the first tw o cards and when he touches the last card he d oes so with the third finger which has n o salt on it. Everything is n ow set. Perform er turns his back, spectator lifts front end o f card, salt rolls off and falls on table at rear end o f card. Perform er returns and places fingers over each card. W hen he finds grains o f salt under fingers he know s this card was tipped. If n o salt is felt it must have been card num ber three. Card is nam ed. A ga in rubbing table with silk to get m ore electricity, w ipe off the salt and leave all ready to repeat the trick.

BUTTON B U T T O N ! This trick is an exam ple o f what can b e d o n e with many old effects. A n old idea switched around becom es a brand new trick and is given a new lease o f life. Y ou use the old coin slide b o x sold in the shops fo r a few cents. Fig. 1— A coin was placed in the round recess, block 30

was pushed into cov er and, on withdrawing b lock , coin was found to have vanished. In m y new m ethod you use a button, on e o f the com m on flat variety about the size o f a dim e. A hole is b ored through the side o f the b lock and through to the other side at center o f round recess. T h e hole must be small, just enough to pass a piece o f thread through it. T h e b lo ck is then pushed into the cov er, then withdrawn and a hole is put through the center again going right through the hole already inside o f b lock and com ing out at hole already o n other side. A small piece o f thread is laid inside the recess and an end o f the thread pushed into each hole. A d rop o f glue will h old them nicely. (D ra w in g ).

A duplicate button is laid in this recess, b lo ck is pushed into cover, then withdrawn, and the first button is threaded and the ends o f thread are each pushed through the holes in block. Button can n ow be shown to be securely fastened on the thread, the thread being pulled back and forth to show all fair. T h e b lock is inserted into the cover, pushed hom e and then withdrawn and the button d rop p ed on the table. Th e fake piece o f thread look s as if it is a continuation o f the piece through the holes. Button is again d rop p ed in recess, b o x closed and, when opened, button is seen to be again threaded and ends o f thread are pulled back and forth to show all is fair. Th e drawings will make all clear. 31

THE NAME I S

!

Perform er has one o f the spectators write the name o f a person or city on a piece o f paper, fo ld it to £ its size with writing inside. Message is placed into an •envelope, en velope is burned and yet perform er discloses the message that had been written.

Y ou procure a leather b o o k sold at the shops fo r auto license holders, which has a celluloid face fo r license to g o behind. A card with a num ber o f queer lookin g characters written on it is placed in the top side as in drawing. A rubber band 32

is placed around low er half o f drawing and b o o k is placed, hanging op en , under coa t at left armpit and is held in place b y a clip in arm hole o f vest, see drawing. Y o u also need an en velope with a razor blade slit o n face, and a duplicate paper fo ld e d on inside. H and small square piece o f paper to person to write on. A fter writing has been d on e request him to fo ld paper in half and then in quarters. Picking up the en velop e with left hand, take the message in right fingers so that fo ld e d edges are at top and right sides. Place it in the en velope and let lower1 end g o through slit and cov er with left fingers. Put en velope to lips to wet flap, h o ld ­ ing it with fingers o f b oth hands on its face. Change fingers so that right fingers are n ow on protruding message. Pull message through slit. It should then b e hidden in the joints o f the half curled up fingers. A sk som eone to strike a match and set fire to envelope. A n ash tray or saucer should b e handy fo r this part. W hile envelope is being consum ed, tell a story about the w onderful card given you b y a Hindu, or any fairy tale that sounds g o o d . W hile talking, get thum b in first fo ld o f concealed paper and first finger on top com er. Say, “ I’ ll show you the card ,” reach under coat and, as hand ia out o f sight, press o n apex o f message with finger, push with thumb and paper will fly openlike an umbrella. Turn paper so writing will face out. Insert it behind celluloid. Close low er flap o f b o o k , pull through and b o o k will b e draw n from clip. P rodu ce it, rem ove rubber band, op en toward you, rem ove card and at same time read the message. Let spectator lo o k at card and from it y ou define what was written.

ME AND THE MISSUS. This is a g o o d d ou b le effect fo r the m agician w h o is married or, if single, a sweetheart can b e taken on to play the “ knows all, sees all ” part.

/ A pack o f cards, a writing pad and a k n ow led ge o f the C y Stebbins set-up b y the parties o f the first and second part is all that is required. If perform ing in a drawing room , lad y is seated back a 34

bit, facing the audience. A b orrow ed hat is placed o n the flo or at her side and pad and pencil are held b y lady. O n one side o f the pad is written the initials o f on e o f the guests, say L. M . A dark crayon should b e used so that when writing is shown at any time b y lady it will b e seen b y all. Perform er picks arranged pack and going to on e o f the spectators asks, “ W hat are your initials? ” W e will assume he answers R . J. L ady writes R . J. on the pad and holds it up so all can see. Perform er then states that spectator is goin g to draw a card but b efore card is drawn lady is going to write a message fo r him. L a d y n ow has pad facing has turned it so that L. M . is R. J., lady writes under L. tears o ff this sheet and drops

d ow n and, unknown to audience, facing up. L ook in g at the guest, M . “ 8 o f Hearts ” , She then it, u n folded , into hat.

Perform er n ow says, “ M r. R . message fo r you and n ow I want sure, as I spread them b e fore you , want so there will be n o chance choice ” .

J., the lad y has written a you t o draw a card. Be that you take the on e you fo r m e to influence your

R. J. takes a card and as he notes it, perform er cuts cards at the point where card was taken and h olds pack so lady can note b ottom o f pack. She n ow knows, via arrangement, what R.J. took , say fo r instance, 6 o f Hearts. R . J’s. card is returned to top o f pack. Pack is cut and magician goes to another guest and asks his initials. H e says, “ M . M .” Lady writes M . M . on pad, h olds it up so all can see. M agician talks som e m ore and lady turns pad. Perform er says, “ B efore you d raw a card lady will write a message fo r y o u .” L ady writes not on M . M . but on R . J. “ 6 o f Hearts ” , and tears this sheet o ff and d rops it in the hat. M . M . n ow draws a card. M agician flashes b ottom o f pack to lady and continues in this way until 8 or 9 initialed sheets are in the hat. T h e magician n ow goes to the know n guest and asks his initials. H e answers, “ L. M .” T h e lady writes it, turns pad and writes what last man drew , tears it off and d rop s it in the hat. Perform er forces the 8 o f Hearts on the know n guest. A spectator is n ow asked to take the hat and read each prediction and all are foun d to b e correct. The lad y wrote what cards were to b e selected b efore the selecting was done. 35

A NOl/EL ESCAPE

This is a fine effect fo r the perform er w h o is interested in escape tricks. It is simple in construction and can b e m ade b y a local carpenter without his know ing the secret o f its workings. A plain b o x large enough to h old a small person is co n ­ structed. T h e b o x is not square but is lo n g in length and narrow in width. 36

T he cov er is should be on the at each end and enough to allow

a flat piece and the cleats, if any are used, outside. T h e cov er is about 2 inches longer a h ole is b o re d at each end. H o le is large a rop e to pass through. See drawing.

A n iron p iece containing a hole is fastened at each end o f bottom o f b o x . See drawing. Use a rop e lon g enough to g o around the b o x on ce and cross on ce with about three or fou r feet to spare. B ox is exam ined. R o p e is passed under b o x and ends brought through holes in iron cleats on b ottom o f b o x . A girl steps into b o x , sits dow n , bends her head, cov er is placed on the b o x and ends o f rop e are passed through hole in each end o f lid. A t this point, girl taps on b o x and perform er opens b o x b y giving it a half turn so lid is across center o f b ox. W hisper to girl and say, “ She did n ’ t get a transfer.” H anding her a yellow slip perform er again closes b o x but this time reverses ends o f lid. In other w ords, instead o f return­ ing lid to its original place he continues so that the ends o f lid change places. This will take up a large section o f slack under lid allowing the lid to slide back and forth. Pulling rop e tight it is crossed around b o x and tied securely. A screen is placed in front o f b o x and girl appears in a few seconds. A ll that is necessary fo r the girl to escape is to slide the lid as in drawing. Step out and slide lid back. R o p e is untied to show b o x and slack taken up in untieing. A ll can be exam ined.

37

THE M ILKY W A Y . Perform er borrow s a hat and proceeds to show h ow to fill a glass with milk without danger o f accidentally spilling any on the table cloth. Placing glass into the hat and taking up a small pitcher o f milk he pours the milk into glass in the hat.

R em ovin g the glass o f milk, perform er covers it with a tube form ed o f newspaper. Glass and milk vanish fro m paper and are fou n d to have returned to the hat.

P R O P S N EEDED. A glass tumbler preferably straight or as nearly as large at the bottom as at the top. 38

A celluloid shell to fit over the outside o f tumbler. The shell must have white paper pasted on the inside so as to appear 2 / 3 full o f milk. Paper should b e about 1 / 4 inch from b ottom o f fak e to appear real as all glasses have a heavy bottom . A tube o f newspaper. T u b e is about 3 inches taller than the glass. O n the inside o f tube is another tube, co n e shape. T o p ed ge fits nicely into first tube and low er end is smaller so if you cov er the glass it will g o betw een the double paper. A small cream pitcher filled with milk.

T O PERFORM . B orrow a hat. O n going to the table o r while placing hat on table load the fak e or celluloid tube into the hat. T ell about careless folk s spilling milk on clean table cloths. Place tumbler into hat allow ing it to g o inside o f celluloid fake. Pour m ilk into the glass in hat until milk is about half inch a b ov e the line o f the paper fake. R e m o v e glass and fak e as one. A slight pressure with the fingers will keep fake in place and, as the milk in real glass is a b o v e line o f paper, fak e milk can be seen shaking back and forth and is very convincing. Y o u can n ow show inside o f hat and state that you did not spill a single d rop . Return glass and fake to hat and pick up tube. S h ow with large end to audience. R each into hat and rem ove fake, leaving real glass and milk behind. H olding fake on oustretched hand, cov er with the paper tube, Place other hand on top o f tube. Turn tube upside d ow n several times. Then show em pty, large end to audience. Lay tube aside and p rod u ce glass o f milk fro m hat. If fakes are m ade from very thin celluloid, paper tube can b e crushed and thrown aside. This is very effective.

39

Jean HugarcTs Series Of Card M anipulations A SERIES OF REAL PROFESSIONAL CARD SECRETS If You Do Card Tricks You Cannot Afford To Be Without This Sane* As They W ill Simplify Your Card Magic

“CARD MANIPULATIONS” Nos. 1 and 2 By The One Hand T o p Card Palm Hindu Shuffle Hindu Shuffle as a Substitute fo r the Pass The Rising Cards Easy Substitute for the Pass R elativity and Cards The Burglars— A storv trick The B urglars— A second v e r­ sion M odern D ovetail Shuffle The Aces A N ew Certain F orce T he B oom eran g Card N ovel R everse D iscovery The D ouble Lift Invisible Transit Hand to Hand Palm Change H om ing B elles Baffling Spell ' COLOR CHANGES F ront Hand P rod u ction (sin ­ gle cards) from the air, (T w o m ethods)

UfiQMiMtmCwuiymgud

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