Marc Paul The Oc

The Anytime, Anywhere, on Anybody Phone Mystery Part of the Triple ‘A’ Series of Mentalism by Marc Paul Background & Credits I have always loved an effect by Ted Annemann called “The Telephone Drama”. I first read it in his “One Man Mental and Psychic Routine” (A booklet published by George Armstrong in 1956, although the individual effects come from the pages of The Jinx, circa 1934 to 1941). The basic plot is that a spectator thinks of a person and their phone number, the information being recorded secretly on a couple of slips of paper. The spectator now dials the number on an imaginary phone. As soon as this is done the mind reader is able to reveal correctly the number. The spectator is then asked to imagine speaking to the person the number belongs to, this time the mind reader immediately announces the correct name! It is a wonderfully direct effect and has been used by a few performers over the years. Most notably was Maurice Fogel who performed the effect on stage and made it a feature of his act. His version was published in the New Pentagram (Volume 10 Number 6 August 1978). The problem that I found with both of these versions is that the performer at some point glimpses the phone number and has to memorise it. Most phone numbers today are 11 digits long and due to the nature of the glimpse I didn’t feel I had enough time to remember the number. Mnemonics didn’t really help, the time was simply too short. Of course you can use different information like a name and a place (see Bob Cassidy Art of Mentalism 2) but then the charm of the original “Telephone Drama” is lost. This is my solution, which actually requires no memory work at all. Effect: A spectator is asked to think of a persons phone number. They are given a business card and asked to write the number on the card and then fold it into quarters with the writing inside. During this the performer turns his back so there is no chance of him seeing. Upon turning around the folded card is briefly touched to the performers forehead. The spectator is given a second business card and is asked to write the persons name this time. Again the performer turns his back and again when he turns around the folded card is briefly touched to his forehead. The spectator is now given an invisible mobile phone and is asked to pretend to dial the number. As this happens the performer watches the actions and at the same time writes some numbers on a blank card. This is placed face down on the table. The performer now opens the telephone number slip and reads out the number. When the face down card is turned over it reveals exactly the same number. Both cards can be given to another spectator to confirm.

The spectator is asked to place the folded card bearing the name into the performers pocket. Next they are asked to pick up the invisible phone and to imagine they are saying hello to the person on the other end. Immediately the performer announces the name! The name card can now be removed from the pocket and handed to another spectator to confirm. Everything is now reset for the effect to be performed again, making this ideal for a table-hopping situation. Method: Overview: This is classic mentalism and relies on two switches and a simple one ahead. I can hardly claim originality for any of that. What I have done is create a very natural way (IMO) to be able to read the telephone number at the same time as writing it. Later when you misread the second card (the one ahead) you are again reading the number. This makes life very easy because at no point do you ever have to remember an 11 digit phone number. The Details: You will need a small stack of business cards. The actual amount will depend on how many times you want to do the effect before replenishing. You will need to create a dummy billet by folding one of the cards into quarters. Mark it by bending back the corners (see photo 1). That’s all the preparation you need. Put the dummy billet and the rest of the stack of business cards in your left jacket pocket. You’ll also need a pen or pencil.

Photo 1 When you are ready to perform remove the stack of business cards from your pocket holding them in your left hand with the dummy billet secretly hidden underneath (see photos 2 & 3)

Photo 2

Photo 3 Deal off the top business card and hand it to the spectator asking them to write down a telephone number. Turn your back while they do this. Still with your back turned ask them to fold it into quarters with the writing hidden on the inside so that you cannot see. Turn back and place the stack of business cards on the table, but retain the dummy billet in your left hand. You will now pick up the phone number billet with your right hand and switch it for the dummy. The easiest way to do this is a “hand to hand” switch. You apparently transfer the billet from your right hand to your left and then briefly touch it to your forehead. This is a standard switch and the photos that follow should make everything clear (see photos 4 to 7) Basically the right hand moves to the left as the left hand (with the dummy) comes up to meet it (see photo 5). The two hand touch for a moment as if the number billet had been passed into the left hand (see photo 6). In fact nothing changes. The right hand now pulls back the number billet and starts to drop away from the left. Meanwhile the left hand pushes the dummy billet to the fingers and starts to travel upwards, towards the forehead (see photo 7).

Photo 4 The number billet

Photo 6 Touch the two billets together

Photo 5 The R hand approaches the L

Photo 7 The hands separate R drops and L rises

After being touched to the head, the dummy billet is placed on the table as the right hand picks up the stack of business cards from the table. The stack now hides the stolen number billet. Deal off another card from the top and ask the spectator to write the name on it. Once again while this is done you turn your back, but this time you have a little bit of work to do. Once your back is turned transfer the stack of business cards to your left hand, open the stolen billet (checking the orientation of the number) and then insert it under the top card (see photo 8). Square everything up. This all takes just a second or two and you will find you have plenty of time.

Photo 8

When you turn back around everything should appear normal (see photo 2 again). Ask the spectator to touch the name billet to your head (or do it yourself if you want to be consistent). Ask the spectator to mix the two billets that are now on the table (the name & the dummy, but they think it is the name and the number). You will now create a minor effect of stating which billet is the phone number. Hover your hand over both billets and then point to the name billet and announce that it is the phone number. You know this because of the bent corners on the dummy billet (see photo 1 again). You now introduce an invisible mobile phone (room for some comedy if that is your style) and ask them to mime dialling the number. You appear to watch them carefully. Slide the top card of the stack to the right and up; this will reveal the number to you (see photo 9). Angle your left hand so that the spectator can’t see. Pick up the pen and simply copy the number onto the blank card.

Photo 9 Place the card face down in front of them and pick up the name billet, open it out and apparently read the number. In fact your read the number from the card on top of the stack and at the same time you will see the name staring you in the face (see photos 10 & 11). Remember the name.

Photo 10

Photo 11

As the spectator goes to turn over the card on the table you switch the opened name card for the number card. If you are used to handling playing cards this is like a very simple “second deal”. It’s very easy to do and you have all the cover in the world as the spectator is turning the tabled card over. The following photos should make the switch clear (see photos 12 to 15). Square the name card up on top of the stack (see photo 12). The left thumb pulls it down slightly exposing the second card (see photo 13).

Photo 12

Photo 13

Photo 14

Photo 15

The right hand now comes over and pulls out the second card from the top (the number card). This is given to the spectator to confirm and proves that everything is as it should be. The dummy is still on the table and the name card is on the face of the stack of business cards. At this point you can conclude how you like. I usually put the business cards back in my left jacket pocket and ask the spectator to put the dummy billet (they still think it is the name billet) in that pocket also. I now ask them to imagine that they are speaking to the friend on the imaginary phone and after a suitable build up I announce the name. I now casually reach into my left jacket pocket and refold the name card and then bring it out, should anyone want to check. That’s leaves the dummy billet and the stack of business cards in my left jacket pocket which means I’m reset.