Mike Caveney Wonders Amp The Conference Illusions

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Mike Caueng lYondersby Mike Caveney @ 2013

Mke

Caveney's Magic Words

All tights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ot tansmitted , in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, tecording ot otherwise, without the permission of Mike Caveney's Magic Words. mcmagicwotds.com

Libtary of Congress Control Number: 2013904726 ISBN: 9780915781.476 Printed and bound in China Published by Mke Caveney's Magic Wotds Pasadena,

CA 91103

USA

?

mikc cevenel/ Wcn grs the long, slow procesl of creoting mogic for the reol world

lllike (oveney photogophy by Bill

loylor

published by

Mike Coveney'l lllogic Uordl Dorodeno, (olifornio

(0llTEllIt Forewotd Introduction Preface The Long Beach Mystics Giant Thimble Production The Substitution Barrel Itade Show Act Amazing Mechanical Medin Split Dect Crystal Card Catch Anverdi Key Chest Jumping Straw The Nailed Card The Benson Plunger Two, One, None Coin Vanish Out Own Wotst Enemy Money Machine Impromptu Linking Coat Hangers Linking Coat Hangers Lubor Die Lie Detector Halloween Catd Stab The Phome Book

Idiot Rings The Powets of Darkness Impromptu Powers of Darkness Serious Laughter

1.1,

15 19

23 23 35

43

44 49 50 53 57 61.

67 83 89

94 99 109 1.1.7

1.27 1,35

741 151. 1,59 1,71,

1.87 1,95

Chinese Pipes

201

Nind Reading Ten Dollar Bill Tdck Bill in Cigar 3-ArmJuggling

209

CoffeeJuggling Magic Paper Bow & Attow Scissots, Coat, Silverwate & Chicken Billy's Chicken Trick The Chicken Chronicles Mastering the Ceremonies

21,9

239 269 281,

297

345 373 41,7

423 439

Mac

I(ing

ike Caveney is a big fat hypocrite. You've heard the saying

"Yariety is the spice of life." Well, Mike's favotite saying is "Consistency is the spice of life." He claims he doesn't like

with him and you see that's iust not ttue. One of my favorite v/ays to spend my weekend off is to hop in the car and drive to Pasadena to hang out with Mike. During those weekends I've seen him: build a treehouse and a deck, build a magic prop, make a folding coin, advise a best-selling author, write a bestselling book of his own, lay out a book, install zn att conditioner in one of his rental property apartments, be a loving husband, run a half matathon, give amaztngly perceptive advice to other magicians, and, of coufse, do a magic show. About that magic show. Mike has done every kind of magic show there is. He's done trade shows, after-dinner banquet shows, illusion shows, close-up shows, large-scale galas, parlor shows, and master of cetemonies work. And he's been fantastic at all of them. So, in away,l guess Mike is correct. Consistency is the spice of life. Mike is consistchange. But spend even one day

ently fantastic.

Another thing Mike does consistently is pay attention to what matters. In the tricks and routines he explains in these volumes you'll gain powerful insight into what matters when developing and presenting magic. There are tricks Mike does now, and tticks Mike did 30 years ago. Now, if I put the tricks I performed 30 years ago in a book it would be pitiful. Granted,I'm not an old geezer like Mike, but still, ),ou catch my drift; the tricks most people come up with in their teens and earl1, twenties shouldn't necessarilr. be preserr.ed in ptint. But these books contain Nfike's entire trade-show act from more than 30 I Laninato

Festiua

yeafs ago. To give )'ou some idea how good Mike v/as at trade shows, this is the act that paid for those apartments where I rn'itnessed Mike

of Magicana.

installing an air conditioner.

(appo:ite) 201

I, Toron to, Ca nada. Pboto: Dauid l;inte// coufteg'

T1,

Mac King and tbe author at tbe 1998 taping of NBCir \7odd's Greatest NIagSc

Cauar!

Palace,

l-as

TV

rpecial

at

lz'egat.

And the tricks get evefl better over time. Virtually every trick Mike has performed ovet his marvelous careef is here, including many of the forgotten tricks he resurrected for the biennial Conference on Magic History. One of the remarkable things about sitting down and teading these books from covef to cover to cover to cover is gaining some sense as to how Mike's thinking evolved over his iife in magic. And not only do you obtain an appreciation of how Mike's thinking has progtessed, you also ate taken on a step-by-step journey t7

through just how the methods and presentations for the tricks themselves have evolved ovet the course

of their existence. To me, this is the most valuable part of this book; by describing the various methods he

Bill in Cigar, The Magic Paper, The Bow and Arrow, has used for The

and The Scissors, Coat, Silverware

& Chicken, and explaining in detail why eadier approaches were dis-

in favor of newer, simpler, and more deceptive ones, Mike teaches us not tobe afratd to coritinue searching and thinking even carded

a htist on bis Cffie Jagling roatine dring thi: l n: L'egas perfarnnnce ttaking the tral holding tbe pitcher and g/ass foat n'qneious/1 tltt'atglt the air.

)tike ffirs

I

when we have a good, serviceable

method. Inaway it's comforting to rcalize that these amazingperfect toutines you've seen Mike perform didn't spring forth from his brain

fully formed; they've grown and changed over the coutse of their lives, and have gotten mote deceptive and more entertaining.

kid in Californta worked at Owen Magic andJohnson Products, hung out with the Long Beach Mystics, watched Bud Dietrich talk about trade shows,listened to Marvl,n Roy and Channing Pollock, got interested in the history of magic, and did a bunch So, because a

of magic shows, he became Mike Caveney. Mike's journey won't be your journey, but if vou read all this stuff Nfike's written, and put even a fragment of it into practice, mavbe you cari at least save yourself a little time. And even if vou never do any of these tricks, you'll at least absorb a tad of how one of magic's great minds learned to think about magic. Plus, you'll really enjoy vourself. Because this is a consistendy great book. Mac I(ing

- December 201,2

1

Regardless of how you interptet the title of this book, you are

correct. \Tithin these pages you will find all of the magic that I have

At the same time, you will learn the tiniest details surrounding the many wonders that I have spent the past

fifty

years wondeting about.

ptesented for lay audiences around the world thtoughout my career.

truth be told, I had no interest in becoming famous. As luck would have it, both of these wishes came true. My main objective u/as to fi.nd a way to hang around with the greatest magicians in the world. E arly on I discovered that these guys spend a lot of time backstage in theaters and in the back rooms of magic shops. The discovety of these two clandestine meeting places is still a vivid memory. I was twelve years old when I visited my fitst real magic shop Owen Nlagic Supreme in Alhambra, California. Located about seven miles ftom my house, it was well within bicycle distance and riding to Owen became my Satutday rttual. The business had recently been

I

always wanted to be a magician but,

purchased by Les and Gertrude Smith but the founder, Cad Owen, had stayed on.

The nondescript building that housed this magic factory was siturestaurarlt on the edge of a residential ^ neighborhood. Pushing the front door open sounded a Chinese gong that effectively announced one's anival. To the right was Gerttude's office, to the left and in front of you were showcases filled with the most beauttful apparatus to be found anywhere. There wete wooden boxes of evety size and shape on display. Some were made from exotic ated between an alley and

woods with hand-rubbed, natural finishes while others were beauti-

fully painted using those classic Owen designs and colors. There were metal tubes, bowls and strange looking pots made from aluminum, copper and brass, each polished to a mirror-like finish. I thought all magrc looked like this. Eventually I would learn otherwise, but for the time being this was the center of my magrcal world. In the far left corrrer of the showroom there was a door that

opened into the shop. This physical barcier sepatated a place where

magic could be purchased from a wodd where magtc was created.

to w. lo 52 ve ch ma in gi am c@ ag gm ic ai .c l. om co m

Any time an employee passed through that door there was a momentary clear view into that othet world. The door was capably guarded by alarge Getman shepherd named Robin Hood, but by positioning myself in the "sweet spot" I was able to catch tantahzingglimpses of Cad Owen, Les Smith and Fred Rickard with half-finished miracles in their hands. One day the door swung open and I caught a glimpse of Channing Pollock who was picking up the double Sawing aLady in Half illusion that I would soori see him petform onTbe Ho@wood Palace TV show. On another occasion I spied Marvyn Roy standing next to his half-finished Gid in the Light Bulb illusion. As fantastic as the showroom was, I longed to step into that other wodd. The other life-altering event that occurred during my twelfth year was the discovety of

Milt

Larsen's

ltl

Magic!show at the \Tilshire

Ebell Theater. My dad bought two tickets for $2.80 each and we sat in the balcony. For the f,rst time I found myself in a real theater with a real band in the pit and famous magicians from atound the wodd per-

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forming on stage. There u/as nothing about the experieflce that didn't appeal to my core being. Access to the backstage ateawas down analley thatran along the Ieft side of the theater. By walking pattway down this alley one could get petilously close to the large load-in door that led directly backstage. I found myself standing in this alley, watching people come and go. And just like at the magic shop, each time that door opened, I caught a glimpse of heaven. These two doors, one in a nondescript building in Alhambra and the other, half-way down an alley off of \X/ilshire Boulevard, separated me from everything I wanted out of

life. If I became a magtcian, I could walk through both of them. It is a fortunate 1ad who discovers his passion at a tender age and is able to confidently begin his journey down life's path. I am pleased to report that both stoties have happy endings. My telentless visits to Owen Magic finally paid off when I was invited to oin the staff in the back room for a cup of tea. No coffee breaks at Owen, it was always tea. Eventually Les Smith asked if I would be interested in learning to polish metal. "Yes" came the answer before the question had fully cleared his lips. Les swept all of the sawdust from under the table saw over to the polisher and fashioned a huge pile f

t6

lnrBorucrnn

ditectly below the two buffing wheels. For the life of me I couldn't f,gute out the purpose of this mound but didnt want to risk giving my inexperience by asking, "\fhat's that for?" He showed me ^w^y how much polishing compound to use on the coarse wheel, how much pressure to apply, then how much buffing compound to use on the buffing wheel etc., etc. I picked up a dove pan and statted in.

Within

a short while, my conf,dence was soaring and

it was at that

momeflt that the dove pan was stripped out of my hand and embedded itself into the pile of sawdust. The first time this happens,

startles the hell out of you.

I

it

detected my co-workers chuckling as

I

retrieved the undented pan from the sawdust and resumed my task albeit with slightly less confidence. After m^ty Saturdays of diligent

to w. lo 52 ve ch ma in gi am c@ ag gm ic ai .c l. om co m

wotk I picked out a Signed Card in Balloon as payment along with a gleaming Welsh Rarebit Pan that had been polished to a fine sheen by youfs tfuly. One Saturday around Christmastime we all retired to the break room for the usual spot of tea. A rack held a collection of teacups each

with an employee's name carefully painted on the side; Les, Gertrude, Catl, Fred, Lou, Gtacie, along with a few blanks fot guests. On this day I was handed a cup adorned with my name. It was like seeing my name on the marquee of the Palace Theater. I had arrived. My goal of walking through that backstage door at the Wilshire Ebell Theater would require many more years of hatd work. In 1981

I achieved one goal by appearing on the lti Magic!show but by then

ww

the show had moved to the Variety Arts Theater in downtown Los

Angeles. It wasn't until 2000 that I was asked to host the Academy of Magical Atts Awards Show that was to be held at the Wilshire Ebell

Theater. Sitting in my dressing room on the third floor I looked down

into the a1ley below Thirty-eight years earlier I stood in that alley and dreamed of becoming a magician so I could walk thtough that stage door. On this night I would be master of ceremonies as Marvyn Roy and Carol,Johnny and Pam Thompson, Ed and Nancy I{eener, Gaetan Bloom, Silvan, and John Gaughan received awards from the Academy of Magical Arts. Throughout the evening from center stage I gazed up at those tu/o seats in the balconl, that my dad and I had occupied. The plan I formulated at age twelve had worked to perfection.

I

to w. lo 52 ve ch ma in gi am c@ ag gm ic ai .c l. om co m

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I'{orbert Ferri, Juan TamaiT, Johnry Tbonpton, Tina Lenert, the aathor, Paru Thompson, Miguel in Granada, Spain.

Puga, Tommlr Wonda", l-,uis Bolano. Curtain call at tbe 2003 Hocu: Pocus Festiual

stL

sf E&

N{ike Caveney hen Tina and

I moved into our current

house

tfl

1984 we

didnt

know the f,rst thing about Crafstman Style atchitecture. We fust knew that this home spoke to us like no other. Over the years u/e have learned a great deal about the Craftsman Style and its

re ctrorl to Victorian

to w. lo 52 ve ch ma in gi am c@ ag gm ic ai .c l. om co m accompanying philosophy. Tutns out it was a

architecture that had emanated from England and flourished during the lattet half of the nineteenth century. In America we enjoyed Stick Eastlake and Queen Anne from roughly 1860 - 1910. Today these st1,le homes are

widely known as Gingerbtead due to the excessive machine-cut decorations that adotn them or

as

Painted Ladies for the various paint colors that are

Arts and Crafts style (founded by William Mortis, also in England) was a reaction against the effects of the Industtial Revolution. It fosteted a return of the individual worker and encompassed not just atchitecture but futniture, tile, pottery, rugs, metal wotk and gtaphic arts. The

ww

used on theit extedors. The

belief was that since you need beams to hold up roofs and legs to hold up tables and chairs then why not

make their basic design beautiful thereby eliminating the need for finicky decorations. And why not allow the dignity of the materials whether they be wood, clay, fabrtc or metal exist as natural decorations. Simply

put: Iet form follow function. By the time this way 1906 Craftsman Sgle horze in Pasadena, Calfornia. Pltoto:

Bi// Ta/or

of

thinking reached Pasadena, Cahforntait had become the Craftsman Style.

Though I didn't know it at the time

I

can noril/ see that my

^ttraction to this phiiosophy eventually carcied over to my magic act. As a birthday pafiy magrcian I took pride in the atay of nickel-plated tubes

and btightly painted boxes that I hauled into people's homes. My upholstered toll-on table and Chinese-otnamented props ptovided a blaze of color. Slowly but surely all of that color faded away until today

I ptesent basically a black

and white act. Agatn, this wasn't a conscious

decision, just a slow evolution. As this book will reveal, my proPs became ordinary objects

with instantly recognizable shapes such

as a

coffee pot and cup, a cigar, envelopes and lighter, a bow and arrow,

roll of toilet paper, pztr of scissors and a bat stool. You'te tight, ^ that's not much for an audience to look at.In fact basically, it leaves just me, the main thing I would like them to remember anryay. a

The decision to wear a houndstooth coat was a huge steP towards defining my onstage chatacter. This led to a houndstooth caruying case for the toilet pape\ a houndstooth blindfold for the Bow & Arrow routine, a houndstooth bag for the Juggling Arms and a distinctive pair of black and white shoes. This costume combines the same colors (ot lack of color) as a formal tuxedo and yet I never look like

in the room. Its not that I'm dressed better than my audiI'm just dressed differently. Even my chicken is decked out in all

anyone else ence,

white feathets. The point here is not to suggest that you eliminate all color from your act or use only otdinary objects as props. If you did, my act would look like everyone else's. On the contrary,I encourage you to add color to your petformance and use magic tricks and illusions of all sorts. My goal is to simply make you think about each decision that you make. I heattily agree with Joel Hodgson who says the diffetence between professional and amatett magrcians is the number of attistic decisions they have to make. An amateur makes just a few while a ptofessional makes hundteds.

If you can explain the reasoning behind

each of your decisions you are well on your u/ay to becoming a profes-

sional entertainer.

ZO

Stage door at tbe Londan

Pa//aditn, Dec. 8, 1996. Pltoto: Tina ltnert.

to become a member of

f, t age sixteen my singular gozl u/as f lteenage magic club called the Long Beach r\Iystics. Having seen ltltheir annual show, ItsAma{ngfor a couple of years,I knew that I would

need a realact (not just a suitcase

2

full of tricks) to be accepted

That ),ear Milt Larsen's It': Magic! show featured Tony N{arks, and his thimble routine fascinated me. I decided to create a as a memb er.

manipulation act of my own using thimbles. In high school wood shop I turned a giant thimble that measured about a foot high. To avoid unrvanted questions

I told the teacher

and

anyone else who asked that it was a wastebasket. The ptoduction of

this large solid object would be my big finish. A finelooking roll-on table, another wood shop project, solved the ptoblem of where to hide the thimble during my act. The thimble (covered by a hood made from a colored silk streamer) hung from a hook on the back of the table. A top hat sat on top of the table. A very

long silk streamer was produced from a small bag and as the bag was tossed into the hat, the thimble was stolen into the gathered streamer and produced. To my sixteen-year-old

mind it seemed like the perfect crime. After one show, a magtdnn far wiser than myself asked, "Why do 1'ou use a such big table to hold up a hat?" Convinced that I had completely fooled this guy I said, "\flell if 1,es must know, it's because that's where I hide the big thimble." He just stared at me till he was sure I fully comprehended how tidiculous m1, statement was. Of course that was the reason wh1,

audience supposed

I needed a big table, but what was the to think, that the only thing that could

support this eight-ouflce top hat was a massive twentypound table? It suddenly dawned on me that m1'method fot Chrtt tltitnbh and ro//-ott table, ltiglt ,l ,rf c/as.r, circa 7 966.

scltoo/ tt'ood

concealing the giant thimble u,as pathetic.

I

needed to exam-

ine the problem not through a magrcran's eyes (what obiect

\\ioulcl be big enough to hicle a siant thimble) but tht'oursh a lar-man's

of table s'or-rlcl r-ou krgicalh' urse to sLIPPort a top hat? T1-rc anss,er to the lavt-nan's qllcstion I cliscor-crcd et ()s'en )Iagic Surpreme. It sas thcir Surpren-re llaslclan's Table thet sct mc back S22.50. I remember thc price becar-rse it s-as thc nost I had cr-er spent on a eves (s,hat sort

prop ancl it s-asn't c\-cn a tncli. I{erc \\-2s 2 simple centcr-post table u,ith a half-inch t1-iick top that lool<ecl perfecth-comfbrtable holclins Lrp a

top hat. \bur coulcln't l-iar-c hidclen a resular thin'rble in this tablc

lct rlonc

l gilnt .,nc.

Nos- to the magician's c1-restion: s-l-rcrc do I l-iiclc t1're giant thimbie? I startecl br-instelljng a steei l-rook rn tl-rc back eclgc oitl-ie tablctop. I enr-isionecl mr-richt hancl slicling in flom the sicle, catchins hold of the loop that u-as attachecl to the thimblc ancl glicling au-ar-. To ar-oid har-ins to mo\-e thc thrrnble backri-arcls slightlv to discnsaqe it tiorn tl-re i-rool< befrrre mor-ing

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bcnd in the steel 1-rook. Tlris allos-ec'l the thirnblc to bc ren-ior-ecl anci carried as'av u-itl-r just one sm(x)tl-r mo\-ement.

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The hiding place was created by a thirty-six-inch silk that was laid over the tabletop. Most of it hung off the backside (right over the

hook) and a little of it hung over the ftont. Even though it was catefully placed into position, it appeared as if it had been carelessly tossed on the table. Even though the hook was covered with silk, the thimble could still hang on the hook and be completely hidden ftom the front by the folds of silk.

ltrdience tiew after tbe thimbk :

;:

been

Prodaced leauing no

-,.t;t of its bidingplace.

At the end of the act I would toss the bag into the hat, shove the hat off of the silk (as I stole the giant thimble) and then pull that large silk off the table adding it to the streamer in my right hand. I immediately pulled a handkerchief out of my breast pocket and added it to the growing collection of silk. It appeated as if I was gathering up every handkerchief in sight. I was now in the advantageous position of having eliminated the hiding place before the audience v/as even aware that I had been hiding anything. All was in readiness for the production of the big thimble but the time was not tight. If I produced the thimble immediately, the spectators might be able to draw a line ftom the large object directly to the hiding place that existed iust a moment before. Some time misdirection effectively etased the line between the cause and effect.

My solution was to place one hand into the mass of silk, act like I was going to produce something spectaculat, then reveal a normal-size, ted-jewelled thimble on my finger. This tiny production from a huge mass of silk was viewed as gag.I looked at the thimble a bit disappointed ^ myself and suddenly turned the red-jewelled thimble into a red silk handkerchief and a shower of silvet glitter flakes. This handkerchief was then added to the handful of silk and then the giant thimble was ptoduced. Just befote I rx,'alked off, I pushed the handful of silk into the hat and set the giant thimble on the table. All that remained on stage was a skeleton tabie and gtg rrttc thimble that ^ towered over the hat. There was just no place it could have come from.

The transformation of the ewelled red thimble into f

a

red silk handkerchief and a showet of silver glitter flakes posed another ptoblem. How do I get rid of the red, jewelled thimble after rthad apparently

fs6t transformed

Ntw [*|,rl,ry

i,l/it,rytrr,u

red silk handkerchief and a showet of glitter flakes. The ansv/er was to do nothing. The thimble would rem tn on my

into

a

3 rsrltt^c

fingertip. The silk and the thimble were connected b1, a threeinch piece of clear fishing line. The holdet'was a combination silk

winder and thimble holder. The silk was folded into a long strip and silver flakes were sprinkled into the folds. The silk was then rolled around the silk winder with the fishing line making the final revolution. Inserting the thimble into the holder held everything in place. This gimmick was pinned to the giant thimble cover. As I reached into the handful of silk m), f,ngers curled atound the silk as my index finget was inserted into the thimble. Pulling down released the silk and the thimble from the holder. $[hen my hand came into view, only my index finger was extended and the audience saw only the red thimble. To execute the transformation all

trlSHLINE

I had to

HOLDS

sltK,,

do was open my flngers as I waved that hand in the air. As the silk

\

unrolled, a shower of silver flakes fluttered to the floor. The corner of sitk (which couldn't get more than three inches from my hand because

of the fshing line) was caught by -y fingertips. The silk (and the thimble which remained perched on my index fingertip) were added to the mass of silk in my other hand. The thimble never did disappear, of the much larger it was just overwhelmed by the sudden ^ppearance red silk handkerchief and shower of glitter. I am pleased to report that the considerable work I devoted to my thimble act paid off when, after auditioning for the club and then of the Long Beach the club was short on politics and rules and long on getting up on stage and performing. The one rule they had was that as each member turned twenty-one yeats of age thev were to leave the Mystics and become a member of the Long Beach IBM ring. This singular rule was universally ignored by virtually every member. Today, with most of us in our fifties and sixties, few of us are IBM members but v/e still as a member

travel the world in varying-size packs of Mystics.

The highlight of eachyear was our annual lt's AmaTing show and everlr membef's goal was to secufe a spot on this public showcase. The path to achieving one of these coveted spots was to perform at the monthly meetings, comPete in our various contests, and become team player by contributing to other members' acts. Each of us wanted

t6

illurtmtions

11,

1

98

/

arefruru ng, baok Nlagicomedr'.

(top) Tbe thinbh is teiltered to the ltandkertbief

pien of f.sltline.

11,

a

(center) The

ginnick that ltald:

the rolled

si/k and tbe thirubh. (bottont) Tlte rol/ed silk and tetltered tltinble are /oaded into tbe gintnick.

of ahazingreally), I was sworn Mystics. I quickly discovered that

passing the physical agility test (more

in

Tlte.re tltree

Eic Lutis

a

[at

Lme

Dnut

Mwrc

to be the very best we could be but the over-tiding goal was to preseflt the best show possible.

This camaraderie continued offstage when the Mystics marched (matched is the u/rong word; participated) in a numbet of parades. Their reputa-

MYSTICS TIIE I,ONG BBACE

!stdt

tion received a boost tn 1977 when the group was invited to petfotm at Abbott's Get Together in Colon, Michigan. Thirty-five years latet a group of Mystics tetutned to Colon where aging members presented a fuIl-evening show Even though the Long Beach Mystics ceased

rT',s AWZIT'{G

Programsfrom some

of

the

ear! IV!$ic showt. Eacb

l,ear a tpecial gaest was inuited to ap?ear on our show. In 1968 (below left) oargaestperfornerwas Steue

)Iartin

(1es,

that

Steue

Matin)

and

in 1969

to exist in 1985 the bond between generations of members has never waned. At the 1996 SAM convention held at Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas the Mystics wete invited to ptesent The Last Great lt's Ama{ngShow.Members reassembled from all over the country to participate in this grand club effort and for that one day we were all teenagers again.

(below

ight) ourguest was Dale Salwak.

,frdr@ Scprrm6ar2e

fiAZING

1969

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CCCCCCCCC

Wonnnt

On two occassions the Mystics were asked to perform in every showroom at The Magic Castle for a week. Once ag tn the response was so overwhelming that acts had to be rotated in and out of the vatious shows to accommodate evefyone. Close examination of the programs reproduced on these pages will reveal some familiar names who are today performing all ovet the world and others who have excelled in other areas of magic. (R

ight) More than

ten

grotped en masse for

@ LONG BEACH N/IYSTICS r-!r?SFi}flt:P,

FBESENT -?{lE/*}Dfr

Trrrc I-r1.sr

tG R

re

a.r

EB'S

lears after the clab disl:anded the memlters ref nal show at Ba/!'s Grand Hotel in lts Vega:.

one

(Behw) This pragraru

was giuen to euery visi167" 1o tbe

Magic Castk daing

tbe week of Jnne 9, 2001.

g*

Blu,t's 0nunnm f,sos Lls Yrels,l{rvmr Ju,r I0, 1008

=f

TT HOSTS: $TAlllIJJil eP frfnn fi,ilffirr

F

TTOHMOII, DIRIOTOR:

lru lurlr il;

r STARRING: * Victor 6 DiarnonJ

suppryor@ahvePorsr,-""-'-'-

*.Ia.a,es Ea,niltor.

* Randy Pryor

[ii""Ji

riJL ""

t'a ' e"" ""

-..--r-rersMtom19T6b

* Lrs Anrust s & Cs, * Dana Daniels * ffiuilJltil[ * tr0lt IltDtII0lt * SttUEIel.u *

Ibdd Bohhins

* IYIark,Kalin gJinger SPEOIII. Tf,lilf,S T0:

latcr

Alex Arndd, Allen Bnd
Dick [ostcr, Jrnn Goodsell, lichrrd Hughel, Dmilr llaruhall, Hank ilocehouse, J. Spelr, Sundarcc lideo, J.L lhompson, and llichael Webu.

ZO

Ihc long Scrth ilytticr rould like to retognire the latc Jim Conlq lu flming mrny o[ their "li't lmuing" thowr and ttrrnk hir lon,

cocococcc Tom,

lor grrcioudy proriding 6lm dipr lor todayi

rhow.

Mwnc

Tar Lmo Dracn

*^f,t*t*T;Y,n-9fl!!L,T_"_, FRI

l5

w.C. FIELDS BAR

PARL9YT-9.

I

FrlRLy SHOWS AT 7:3O _

8:lS _ c:30

-Inis Bay Area JAMES charmer r ro

"nt.r,tn

you

,;ffS.."*

"ii

LATE SHOWS AT t0:30 _

u:30 _ l2:0O

a.eriesof

Warped and

Shov times sn6

p.,1rm..,

silbiect to chan&c

'|ithout

-. r&uAy _

PRESrrDrcrrArroN

SATURDAY _ 8:OO _ tz:OO

Literate

leav

prstidigitator t and awp.

*s,fl?^,m#,ko_YHn" *ff:"i::lf: .

lfixlt,

t

Magc Dinner encs &ound

noti.e

The second take-ouer

of

tlte

l,Iagc Canh fu

the Long Bearlt

liiics

took place Janaary

1

0-1 6, 201

1.

My goal in desctibingpart of my thimble act is not to inspire aflyofle to perform a similar act but rather to demonsttate how all magicians need to build a foundation of magrcal knowledge. Reading

books and magazines will create a reservoir of magic principles that can be used throughout one's life. \Working in a magic shop (if thete are left at the time of publication) provides a chance to famtharize ^ny oneself with a wide r.arietl of effects that 1'ou may never intend to buy or actually use in youf act. Watching as many performances as possibte

will provide an opportunity to examine why

some ate good, some

are great, and some are bad. Studying these performers

will allow you

to examine their methods and the thinking that was used to create the vatious effects. You wiil learn to tell the difference between a simple and well thought-out method (or as Alan \Xrakeling Put it: an elegant solution) and a method that suffers from a lack of development. The lessons I learned starting as teen ge thimble manipulatot and ^

Mn Gvnrv

Wonont

throughout my career have been invaluable as I developed nerv effects

in the chapter on the Silverware & Chicken routine how the flrst method fot hiding the chicken was based on the lessons I learned while trying to hide a gtznt thimble. And how the ultimate solution for disposing of the chicken load bag was based on the thimble-to-silk transformation. The purpose of this book is flot to provide you with forty minutes of new mateial but rather to increase lrour foundation of magical and routines. You

will

read

knowledge and to demonstrate the long, slow process that is required

to cfeate new maglc routlnes.

In

1971

I heard through the grapevine that the guest

speaket at the

next meeting of the local IBM Ring in Long Beach, California would

I couldnt

believe it either. And even though I wasn't a member of the IBM, I couldn't risk not going. \X/hat

be Channing Pollock. Yeah,

if

he actually showed up? Along

with

a

few of my Long Beach Mystic

Alarryn Ra1, the aatbor, ChanningPollock.

10

Hr

buddies

I arrived at the meeting on the appointed night

Lorlo

Dnu Mwrto

and when

Channing Pollock u,alked in we were dumbfounded. Channing delivered an impromptu talk about his legendaty c^reer and then asked

if there were anv questions. The three of us, along

with a spotting goods salesman named Carl Beck (who later became a Las Vegas headliner under the name Carlton), had plenty of questions. \When the president of Ring 96, Vic Trask, finally adiourned the meeting most people left. \We applied a full-coutt Press on Channing and allowed our Q&A session to move onl1,2s far as the door. After all, how many times does an opportunity like this present itself? If Channing had allowed it we would ptobably still be standing there, but he didn't. Eventually he said, "\(/ell, this has been an interesting evening, so why don't we continue this conversation next week at my house." Finally, mercifull1., one of us managed to grunt, "Okayi' and we left. It didn't seem real until the following Monday night when Cad Beck's station wagon carried the five of us (Stan Allen had ioined out gtoup) up into the Hollywood Hills and we actually walked through the ftont door of Channing and Cori Pollock's beautiful home. We drank cheap red wine and talked for hours. It was grealI felt like lightning had struck twice, having spent tw-o evenings with the world's greatest magician. Then came the knockout punch. Channing said, "Okay, next N{onda), night, we are going to talk about..." I didn't even hear the end of the sentence. Next Monday night!

For about a year, the five of us piled into Cad's station wagon and drove to Channing's house ever)r Nfonday evening. Of course we talked about magic, but it was much more than that. Besides helping us become better magicians, Channing wanted us to become good people. He wanted us to visualize our futures and then show us how

to

achier.,e those goals. Some weeks

he atanged for a guest speaker,

one of his friends, to come in and hold court. \We spent a raucous evening with Ricki Dunn listening to hilarious stories and invaluable advice that are gained onll' through a lifetime of performing.

One evening we listened as Alan \X'akeling dissected a magtc act like a surgeon might. He actuallr'drew a graph showing the proper pacing of an act. He explained horv 1'our opening must immediately capture the audience's attention and then build. At a cettatn point the pace retreats, gir-ing the audience a chance to catch its breath and relax. The pace then starts buildingagarn and rises er.en higher than

Mn Gunw Wonnmt

before, and then, another break so they can process what they have

This would be the place to insett yout slowest effect. If you were a singer, this is where you would sing the ballad. Then a steady build to the big finish. Alan played a populat song by Drana Ross and the Supremes and suddenly, everything Alan had been saying became crystal clear. It was as if the composer had used Alan's graph to conseen.

stfuct the song. performance right in Channing's Anothet time we enjoyed ^prtvate living room by the incomparable Frakson. This was the ultimate demonstration of it's not what you do, but how you do it. Of course his tricks were great (Coin Pail, jumbo Card Rise, Vanishing Bird Cage, cigarette manipulations) but his charm was palpable. The smile, the accent, the delight that spread across his face when the magic happened had made him an international star

Another magical star that all of us Long Beach Mystics looked up to was Marvyn Roy-Mr. Electtic. This was a time when speciality acts ruled the wodd and working in Las Vegas ot Paris represented the pinnacle of success. Marvyn, who had grown up in Los Angeles just like 'we were in the process of doing, had achieved intetnational fame with his unique light bulb act. Duting his career he benefitted ftom many mentors including Ray Muse, AIan Wakeling and Bobby Voltaite. Matvyn knew the value of inspiring the next generation of magicians and he never hesitated to attend a Mystic meetiflg in order to give us guys a pep talk. \Thenever possible we would travel in packs to see him and Carol perform at their various Southern Caltfornta engagements and after the show Carol would graciously pack up the act while Marvyn held court

with his boys.

Young people need many things while growing up. They need true friends, they need good teachers, and they need something or someone to inspire them. Some kids make do with one or two of these ingtedients. I was luckiet than most. As a young Mystic and for decades beyond, Channing Pollock and Marvyn Roy served as my inspiration, teachers and friends.

17

iii.'1fiil6 #Na irlwws

II"hih Bob Hope peforned ot ta/ked s/top n'it/t )larryt

.rtage

)like

Ro1 backshge

ir

Catutey,

Janu Haltihon,

1969, Pltato:

Banl

5'tatt

Cooper.

Allel atd

Stet'e

Htrnp/stE'

I thought of this trick. In July 1969 I v'as lin Paris and went to the Lido for the first time. All of the v^rtety !

remember exactl)/ when

I u.,. or.r. great but ofle (an act I had never heard of before) simply stole the show: Siegfried & Ro1,. Of course today when we think of Siegfried & Ro1. u/e focus on their illusions with wild animals but back then their act consisted of a flawless dove routine, Substitution Ttunk and the Lion Cage with the added kicker of a black panther emerging ftom the trunk. It was as fi.ne a magic act as I had ever seen. A few davs latet I was in Btussels, Belgium and while in mlr hslsl room I grabbed a piece of paper and drew a picture of abarcel along with a method for escaping. A batrel is a much simpler container than a trunk with far fewer cornefs and thus fewer places to conceal tr^p door. This is the idea I brought back to m), friend and fel^ Iow Long Beach M),stic Stan Allen, and we agreed to form an act together with this illusion as our closing effect. One great advantage to living tn alatge metropolitan area. such as Los Angeles is that anlt|-rirr* ),ou could ever need or want is available r,vithin a thirtl-minute drive; even a ba:rel fac-

torl'. Rooke Cooperage specialized in steel drums but still had some old-world coopers on staff who built wooden barrels.

We picked out a beautiful 50-gallon oak whiskev barrel and much to

the salesman's surprise Stan jumped inside, knelt down and pulled his knees up to his chin. "It's prettv tight in here." \With everv move Stan slid further toward the bottom of the barrel where there was even less room. Soon it u/as so tight that he could barell'catch his breath and -1h0ru) Oiginal dmling: aJ' Tlte \

trlfiittrtion Barrel on Bnrc.re/s Hihan

titiloileU, circa 1 969. r)pposite) Stan

:rr*nt

Lr,try Beaclt P l.t t, tc,

A//er

ail )Iike

Cat'eue1

tlteir net' i//trsiott at ilte 7 969

ll,:tic.r'It's .\mazing

:' fo n), O'Ke|'e.

rfurr:

I could see that the barrel had turned into a sort of straitjacket. In a panic I tipped the barrel or'er on its side so Stan could pull himself to freedom. From this near disaster w-e iearned that the diameter of the barrel at its widest point must exceed the distance from your hip

to )'our knee and 5O-gallons does not accommodate a six-foot-oneinch bodl'. Er.entualh'the salesman directed us to a 55-gallon brandy 1q

Mtr(trrittry Wonont

Hickory wood that was half submerged in the mud outside. That extra 5 gallons provided the room we needed but this barrel would need a full restoration. Refinishing the exterior of the bartel provided us with plenty of time to contemplate the effect we wished to create. cask made out of

Like Siegfried & Roy, we would not take the time to have the barrel examined by a committee from the audience. Our thinking was that if the exchange was fast enough it would impossible even if thete had been a tevolving door in

^pper

the side of the batrel. Barrels designed to hold liquids (like brandy) have a hole

drilled through the side for a bung or stopper. When it's time to serve the liquid, the stoppet is removed and a faucet or t^p is inserted into the bunghole. The hole in our brandy cask measured about two inches in diameter and we drilled a Sanding off yarc of age expous tbe beautful bickory matching hole directly opposite this existing hole. A wooden wood of tbis 55-gallon brandl cask. pole (measuring one inch in diametet by fout feet long) could be inserted through the front hole and out the back hole. With each of us holding one end of the pole the barrel could be easily lifted off the

foot or off the dolly that catried it onstage from the wing. The pole would then serve as an axle around which we could spin the barrel in order to demonsttute th^t it was empty and all the sides were solid.

As you know, the wooden staves of abarcel are held in the tradttional battel shape by a series of metal bands. Therefore one of these ubiquitous bands became the perfect place to hide the evidence of our trap. The second band was about eight inches down ftom the top of the bartel. A line was traced along the top and bottom of the band's

top section of the barrel was sawed off with the cut beginning directly above one of the bungholes. The saw cut into the lowet of the two lines and as it continued around to the opposite side (ditectly above the other bunghole) the cut line angled up slightly so that it finished between the two lines. The same cut'was made atound the other side of the bartel. The bunghole below where we started cutting became the back of the bartel and the opedges and then it was removed. The

posite side was designated as the front.

When the metal band was teattached to the upper section, the cut wooden staves covered half the width of the band at the front and were flush with the bottom edge of the band at the back. The top

16

hr lupyrunn

llrrppn

section was set back on top of the batrel being careful to match up each of the original staves. The metal hoop effectively covered the saw-line and held the top section (trap) in petfect alignment. This trap v/as attached to the batrel Proper using a large straP

hinge mounted on the inside of the bartel. It was countersunk into the wood at the back of the bartel and because it was necessary for the pivot point of the hinge to protrude through the back of the barrel, a piece from the bottom of the metal band was cut away. This positioned the pivot point outside the barrel and prevented the trap from

full ninety degrees. Because the pivot point of the hinge was visible from outside the barrel it was painted black to

binding

as

it opened

a

match the metal band. Inside the barrel on the side opposite the hinge thete was a hook-and-eye latch that held the trap closed when the batrel was revolved on the pole. During the perfofmance the barrel was set on stage

with the hinge-side facing uPstage, out of the audience's

view The frame of the curtain cabinet

u/as constructed

from electtical

tight-weight metal pipe). The curtain hung on large metal rings that slid easily along the front curtain rod. The cabinet stood on four caster wheels that allowed it to be effortlessy pulled fotward to conduit

(a

surround the barrel and then shoved upstage out of the way a momerlt 1

969 pab/ici4t pidare

D o aglas dz

their

for

A Ile n fea tu i ng

Strbsinior

Barrel i//tr-

sion. Photo: Jasper

l{utler.

later. The wooden lid had three hasps that enabled it to be secutely Iocked to the barrel. The locks and hasps in no way intetfered with the opening of the trap.

To save time the pole was preset through the centet of the barrel. As the barrel u'as lifted up and carried downstage it was turned sidewavs. A good hard push

With our free hands we v/ere able to slap each side and the bottom demonstrating its soliditr The barrel'was set down with the front bunghole facing the audience and the pole was remor.ed. Stan jumped inside and disappeared down into the barrel as I placed the lid on top. After the locks were sent the barrel spinning around the pole.

17

in place I picked up the key that was hanging from a metal ring (actually a single ring from a set of five-inch Linking Rings). Stan's f,nger emerged through the hole providing me with a convenient place to hang the key ring. The ring was in fact not hanging on his finger but from a small finish nail that had been driven pat way into fastened

the barrel just above the hole. By holding his finger against the

top of the hole and moving it back and fotth he was able to swing the ring back and forth. This bit of business provided evidence that Stan was indeed inside the batrel and it kept the key temporarily within the audience's view and out of out reach. Stan's other hand had aheady unhooked the lock on the trap and was teady to push it open at exactly the

tight moment. I pulled the curtained cabinet forward until it suttounded the barrel and stepped inside. As I pulled the curtain closed Stan could hear the metal rings slide along the cuttain rod and the stage light that had been visible through the hole was extinguished. This was his cue to pull his finger back into the barrel and push the trap open as he stood up.ITith Stan

positioned toward the teat of the bartel there was room fot me to step up

or1

the exposed edge of the barrel towatd

the ftont. Ftom the chest up I was clearly visible above the front curtain.

It

appeared to the audience that

I had

climbed up onto the barrel and was standing on the lid. I was actwally positioned eight inches lower than

I

should have been (due

to the trap being raised) but this fact was not to the audience. While still holding ^pparent the trap open, Stan stepped out of the barrel as

I

counted, "one... two".

We now found ourselves

in that most

desitable situation. The audience believes that at the count of "three" the trick

will commence and they can statt 38

Tn

luwrrwnn

Dr,pprL

their mental timers to see how long this escape is going to take. The image they have in theit mind is that Stan is locked in the barrel rn'ith his f,nger sticking out through the hole and that I am standing on top. This does not even resemble the true situation. The truth is that 90%o of the work necessary to accomplish this trick is already done. After countiflg "two" I pulled my feet together and dropped straight down into the barrel. When my feet hit the bottom I bent my knees and continued down into a crouched position. I kept one of my hands above my head so

I

could help guide the trap (which Stan

immediatety tipped forward) accutztely and quietly into its closed position. At the same time the index fnger of my opposite hand was inserted through the hole. While still closing the trap, Stan's other hand was aheady reaching for the curtain. When it was snapped open the audience saw the tid of the barrel still locked in place, my finger presumably holding up the key ring and Stan walking forwatd out

of the cabinet. He retrieved the "key riflg," unlocked the locks and removed the lid, allowing me to leap out of the barrel. As we rehearsed the routine the switch became veqr f251' rilre even came up with a different presentation to help point up the speed. Instead of hanging the key ring on Stan's finger I took it into the cabinet with me. Standing on top of the bartel I held the ring over my head and on the count of "two" I tossed the ring into the air. As it went up,

I

disappeared behind the curtain. Stan was able to sflap the curtain

open and catch the key ring before it hit the ground. The flying key

ring gave the audience something to watch during the one second of the routine when there was nothing else to watch but we eventuzlly stuck with the ring on the finger bit.

Thete was one ptoblem, howevef, that we nevef contemplated and that was the fact that we were both white guys, standing six-feet one-

inch tall, with dark brown hair,weartng black tuxedos. The fact that we wore different colored shirts did little to reinforce the fact that these tu,o guys actuall), changed places. Siegfried & Roy did every-

(Opp 1

9

o

69

$i :i te) Lo ng B e a clt ^,b, lr's Amazrng S hou'.

Photo: Tory O'Ktrrt.

cs'

thing thev could to look as different as possible while we seemingly did evervthing we could to look like identical twins. I can imagine the audience thinking... "!(/hat happened?" That being said, I liked the trick when we built it in 1969 and I still like it today. It was included in my 1981 book Magicome$tbutI wouldn't sa1, that this led to a run on brandy casks. One magician who

Ilt [upnrunn

Drrnpn

did recognize its value was my good friend and fellow Long Beach Mystic Mark I(alin. Mark recently revived the illusion and when he and his beautiful wife Jinger change places, no one asks,

"\Thathap-

pened?"

Many years ago Mark was doing three shows a day at I(nott's Berry Farm & Ghost Town, a popular amusemefltpark here in Southern California. In keeping with the ghost town theme, the trashcans locat-

in front of the theater tesembled wooden barrels. This would have been fine except for their unique design. On more than one occasion the audience watched Mark close his act with the Substitution Barrel only to walk outside to see a m^tflten nce man emptying a trash can. The top of the barrel (down to the second band) was raised up and the plastic garbage bag was removed. A new bag was inserted and the ttap closed; an exzct replica in method and effect of Mark's closing illusion. The only saving grace u/as that audiences don't generally pzy attention to trashcans, maintenaflce men dont pay attention to magic shows, and magicians love having gre t story to tell from their life in ^ ed

the trenches.

(Right) Eue5, tine a Knott's Berry Farnt trash can is enptied, tlte

Stb:tiltrtiat

Barrel illtrion it exposed. Pbata: Tina ltnei. (Oppo:in) their

)Iark

S trbstitution

Phota:

kS.

Kalin and Jinger atitb Barrel.

Hooper.

4t

.f

* ,..

I

1;)

tb

4-

r.l

ll'brkiry

a le/econttttlittrtirtns .rhon' dtritry tlte ear/1' / 970.r. Pltolo: .\'tet'e ,\[cKa1.

y mqor in college was television and radio production though I had no intention of pursuing either of those fields upon graduation. I was determined to make m),living in the magic business butwasn't quite sure how. The thought of performing for drunks in a nightclub at midnight didn't hold much appeal. Remember, this was at a time before Doug Henning single-handedly created the magic

boom wtth

Tbe Mogrt Show

on Broadwal, and before the explosion

of comedv clubs across the countrl'. Options for a l.oung magician seemed limited. Or so I thought. Tiwo 1.eats into m\r college education I spent the summer dtiving across the United States with ml, brother Rob in his 1958 Volkswagen bus. To sa,v it was a budget vacation is an understatement. \We traveled, slept and cooked in the bus fot five weeks. M1'onlv stipulation was that I had to be in Colon, N{ichigan on August 19 for the start of Abbott's Get Together because I had been booked to perform m)'thimble act. I have fond memories of sitting backstage with Senator Crandall and Dornl', the stage manager,watching

NIike Caldwell open the show r,vith his famous front flip.

This grar.ity'defi.ing, earth-shaking stunt is the only thing mt'brother remembers about the entire show. The next afternoon in Colon's elementarv school Bud Dietrich gar..e a lecture on performing magic at industrial shows. I sat in the bleachers as Bud laid my future out before me. As I walked outside into Colon's hot steamv air I felt like I finallr'had something that I could direct mv magical efforts tor,vard. Bud became

a

good friend who was alwavs helpful and encouraging to a )'oung man who r,vanted to join his ranks. \ei/

Upon returning home F'osterftaltrred n5' tltinb/e act

tl.te cat'er /

970.

of

'I-ops

P1tono' 11,,,

on

I still had tu'o

vears left at California State

nngaiitte, Decettber

Unir.ersitv at Long Beach. During the next summer I got a job work-

Hanring

ing in the magic shop at I(nott's Berrv Farm where I met an outgoing

Mtuhvnw

Wonomt

close-up magician named Steve Mcl(ay. \We hada fun summer selling

Surnmerof '71 Mike (in C1p:1

magic to toutists while planning the cteation of our own company,

nstume) producet Denise Cancino

Magical Ptomotions. Can't imagine where we got our name though

Matk Wilson did have a company called Magical Ptoductions. Rather than selling individual magicians to companies Magical Ptoductions specialized in large-scale presentations that featured customized illusions designed specifically for atrade show situation. \We decided to offer both: an amazing illusion that featarcd a live magician. \We spent most of our spare time and all of out money that summet building the Amaztng Mechanic al Merlin.

The cabinet was divided into two sections. On the tight u/as an atay of electronic circuit boards and on the left a fantastic mechanical do-nothing machine made up of gears, cams, pistons and other

moving parts. I call it fantastic without reservation because we had nothing to do with its creation. A mechanical engineer with abilities far beyond ours built the machine around a set of right-angle mitrors. At enormous expense we purchased ftont-surface mirtots (the silver-

ing on the front of the glass). This means that there is no glass (and therefore no distortion) between the physical object and its reflection. 44

from an Owen Magtc Doll Hoase in the magic sbop at Knoltl Berrlt Farnl Clpyt Camp.

Tpr,or

When

a. gear

was placed at a 45-degree angle tight next to the

faow Acr

mir-

ror it was verv easy to believe that the teeth of the teal gear and the reflected gear were meshing as they turned. If a rod was positioned perpendicular to the mirtot it appeared to extend all the u/ay to the back of the cabinet .If an upright piston rod had reverse printing on the backside the words would be not be visible from the front. The (Aboue) What we uisualiqed tn our ntinds.

Artpork: Pau/ Batler

(B,igbt) Mike poset in the alntost conp

le ted

An a Ting Me

ch

a n i ca

/

Merlin. Pboto: Steue MRa1,.

4\

Mwr hvqurv /lnt,pr,r

The machine an tbe left is

buib aronnd the ruirrors. To tbe

igbt

are thefake elec-

tronics. Photo: Steue McKay

rod in the reflection however would

different from any other

^ppear rod due to the legible writing running down its length.

A horizontal black stripe tunning across the middle of the mirror compartment from front to back is visible in the photo above. The r as if the stripe continues reflection of the side stripes makes tt ^ppe across the back of the cabinet. This simple black line dtamatically accentuates the depth of the cabinet. You can see the difference by looktng^t the photograph on the previous page that was taken before the Iine was added. The first time I remembet seeing this stripe ptinciple used in coniunction with a mirror was in the Mystic Vanishing Box (miniature Protean Cabinet) that was part of the Sneaky Pete Magic Set I teceived as a kid. I revisited this effective optical enhancement thitty-fout years later when I built the basket for my Del Adelphia Egg Bag.

When a magician stood in the space behind the mitrors his totso seemed to be perched directly above the machinery. AI1 of the moving parts seemed to be operating the half man that was resting on top of the cabinet. The AmazingMechanical Medin (Steve or myself) could

perfotm magic andf or demonstrate a product. We were convinced that our genius device would take the business world by storm and we would soon be dazzhng audiences wotldwide. A frequent customer to the I(nott's Berry Farm magic shop ended 46

fBrrtlr luow

Ao

up being our first trade show client. He loved the idea of delivering a corporate message using magic and dutifully came to see our "ultimate device." He was very complimentary toward our ingenuity and hard work and then said something like, "How bout if you boys iust do the magic without the machine?" Fade to black.

Of course he was right. The A.mazing Mechanical Medin'was

a

huge and heavy and delicate and imptactical machine. We reluctantly hauled our creation over to Owen Magic Supteme and showed it to o$/ner Les Smith who was quite impressed with the mirror illusion.

Ultimately we traded our prop to Les fot some custom built equipment that was far more suitable fot trade show work including a table that had a jumbo Crystal Card Catch built into it. This practical prop

Bill Schmeelk who today heads Wellington Enterprises, a company that specializes in custom-built

was built by then-Owen empioyee

illusions.

Three months aftet graduation I did my fitst trade show and stayed Our new trade shou table caald be

uslonirydfor

Photo: Steue

eacb netv rlicnl.

McKE.

in the business for the next ten years. From the very beginning Steve and I knew that working a trade show was a one-man job but we thought it would be advantageous to learn the business together. Aftet a couple of years we agreed to split our assets, divide out clients, and wotk ofl ouf o'u/n. The table produced by Owen Magic was perfectly suited to trade show work. Built into it was a sliding cover

that could be locked closed thereby preventing anyone

from touching the props when I was awa1, ftom the booth. A set of plastic letters allowed the company's name to be applied to the front of the table suggesting that I was actualll, part of the company ruther than just a hired hand.

I normalll, opened m), show (iike so many trade show performers of that time) with the Linking Rings. This is a loud and flashy stage trick that can safely be perfotmed in a close-up situation. Just

the noise was enough to get some

folks to stop walking and then handing someone a single ring or a chain of two effectiveiy forced them to stay.

Once a small crowd had formed others came over to see

what thev were missing.It's amazing what a curious lot we humans are.

0ATA ltl''00Elts

Btxgu

If there were few folks walking the floor I would use close-up magic to gather a crowd. The close-up that I perform today I leatned under fre on trade show floors around the country. I leaned toward

proven classics: Miniature Invisible Deck that was switched out fot Bro. Hamman's Micro Macfo, McDonald's Aces, Ambitious Card, Card to Wallet, and whatever else I happened to be playing with at the time. I would say there is no better place to learn the classic force than at a trade show

Once the crowd was deemed sufficiently latge I would use two techniques to lock them in. I would ask the spectators to all step in a

little closer as I turned up the volume slightly on my sound system'

I

always marveled at how that slightly-enhanced volume effectively

blocked out all other distractions and locked

in the spectator's attention.

Amplified sound at a trade show can be very tricky. If a neighboring booth f,led a complaint about excessive sound or that your crowds were blocking the aisle, the show management had the power to close you down. I always went out of my way to make friends with my neighbors knowing that my survival literally rested in their hands. 40

Once tbe monel landed on tbe table

and the soand wa: banped ap tbe crowd was locked in.

lprlmlnoitl Acr

The other technique involved money. A ttade show floot offers plenty of distractions. People waiking down the aisle are bombarded

with sights and sounds that are begging fot their attention. Most live petformers can grab their attention momentatily but holding their attention long enough to deliver an entire sales message is the teal trick. I found money to be a petsuasive lure. On one side of a Himber lTallet I carried a one hundred-dollar bill (during the 1970s $100 was vety effective bait) and on the other side a giant one-dollat bill that had been folded to fit.

ri-tE

Splii *t{H

of catds that has been chopped in half is an extremely unusual and funny looking prop. Bob Haskell's Split Deck is exactly that with eachhalf card being a roughed pait with the top half-card being a force card. In the normal handling one half of the deck is spread and a spectator is invited to touch one of the halves. The selected card (pait) is separated and one half of the force card is set dou/n in front of him. Then the other half of the deck is spread

For alay audience

a deck

and a second spectatof is invited to touch a card. He too has a ftee

choice because any card he touches will be a fotce card. As before,

this pair is separated and the selection is set down in front of him. When the selections are shown they ptove to be two halves of the same catd.

I introduced the deck by

saying,

"I

tecently asked a fellow to cut

this big deck of cards and before I could stop him he pulled out a meat cleaver and cut it right in half. I didn't argue with the fellow because he was holding a meat cleaver." I pulled out both halves of was a the Split Deck and spread each half showing that it ^pp^rendy normal deck that had been chopped in two. Holding up the hundred-dollar bill I would explain, I'ae been trying to giue this mlneJ

awE all dry withoat success. I guus picking matching habu out

duk is harder than I thoagltt. So thefolks me

here

at [name of company]

haue

of

thi:

granted

No longer will1ou haue to select mahhing haluu. I this mznu dwdJ 'f someone can pick an1 two halues that don't rnatcb.

permission to change the rules.

am going to giue

Thatl rigpt, there are fffl-zne wa)s to win and on!

one wa1 to lose.

49

The hundred bucks u/as returned to the wallet, the wallet was closed and placed on the table.

The f,rst selection was placed into my breast pocket where it remained in view of everyone. And now

the second

ha$

Cboose

wise! fltoa

After giving them ample opportunities to change their mind, the second half was settled on. Finally the two want to win the monel in the wallet.

halves were shown and miraculously they were seen to be a perfect

match. Once agatfi,I kept the money.

The effect of having a selected card appear between two sheets of glass that have been rubber-banded together is very strong. Normally it requires a rather strange looking piece of apparatus but we were able to have the mecha-

nism (a springJoaded lever that ejects a jumbo card up through a slot in the tabletop) built into

our table. During most of the act this slot was covered by the close-up pad and during the

performance of the Crystal Card Catch it was covered by the metal upright that supported the pieces of glass. The polished aluminum upright was kept

in

a holder

under the table. At the start

of the routine the close-up pad was pulled back Otrr rnston-btri/t tab/e bad tbe CU,s/a/ about an inch so that two pegs on the bottom brih into it. of the upright could be dropped into corresponding holes in the tabletop. The glass plates were freely shown and, as they were placed into the upright holder, two pins were fotced between the sheets of glass. These pins imperceptibly held the bottom corfier of the glass apart about a sixteenth of an inch. This narrow opening was positioned directly above the slot in the tabletop. Then a

white cloth with a black border was laid ovet the glass plates. The

smallet than it actually was. The ^ppeal bottom edge of the cloth didn't actually rcach the tabletop so if you were watching that space, and didn't blink, you might actually see the black border made the cloth

card fly by. But

50

I made sure they weren't looking thete.

Card Catch ruecbantsnt

lpr,rlr

(Abot'e) 'I-lte .lp/it Deck ard Cp,sta/ Card Catclt prot'ed to

lnow

Acr

be a gaod

corubinatiott.

'tlte rlotb cou/d baL,e lung a// the t,a;, don,n to the table top bat I preferred to /eat'e solrc lPeil qdce and sinQ!' dirert their alletttion an,a1

@fi)

f"on

tbis gap n,lten tbe card u'a.r

tigercd.

When the mechanism was triggered the jumbo card shot straight up out of the table and became lodged between the glass plates. This jumbo card matched the Split Deck's force card and it had a blank back that allowed us to print the company name on the back. The

problem of the audible "click" produced gered was solved

Ercr

it

rr c/ose-tp

.ritmtiol

C5'sta/ Card Catcb t'itlt

s too

d

d

t'i en'i rg.r.

the mechanism being trig-

in an extremely low-tech manner.

tlse

rep e a le

b,v

Mtr Gvnw i/ononr

The trigget w.as a cord that extended to the back of the table and passed

right across the inside corner. nfithout having to look, my fingets could feel the corner of the table, dip inside and press the cotd against the cotner. This f,red the card and produced the "click." During a line of patter such as, "The odds of choosing two matching halves are a million to one." On the wotd "million" I would toss the boxed deck into the au and it landed

,.TH\X/AI(".That on the table with a "TH\7AK" always covered the "CLICI(". At the end of the Split Deck I would say, lJa/ onfi did I knowlow were going to pick matcbing halues, I knew thel would be the lforce card]. I also knew 1ou wouldn't belieae me so I broaght some proof, It s right under tbis cloth. I'm surprisedloa didn't notice it before. Sealed up between these two sheets of glass is the lforce card].

The cloth was removed revealing the matching card. Batfor

being sach a good sport I'm going to giuelou the monel

in the wallet

anlwdJ.

The wallet was opened to the other side and the giant

dollat bill was

pulled open and given away. Jast remember whereloa got it. Here I would lift the glass plates

R,XO,U

out of the upright and flip them over revealing the name of the company and indicate who they could talk to

for more information about their products ot services. I used the Split Deck/Card Catch combination for a few years but eventually found myself working repeat dates fot the same companies. For this reason, and fot my ou/n sanity, started seatching for

57

a

(top) The soand of tbe deck landing on tbe tabh couered tbe Cry:tal Card Catcb mechanism being trigered.

the

vand

of

I

new ciosing effect.

@otton) The blank back of comPanJ) ndrue.

tbe jambo card was

pinted with the

lprlw lnow Acr

,

.t.,1 -'1r",- .:"il'',!,

One thing I learned about trade show routifles is that they have to withstand multiple viewings. It often seemed as if some of these businessmen had nothing else to do other than go watch the magic show.

That was just one of the reasons why I decided to make Anverdi's I(ey Chest the new finish to my pitch. I notmally steer clear of electronic

in this case I made afl exception. The few times it failed to work as planned the ptoblem could always be traced back to apparatus but

operator error. The effect is basically the Seven I(eys to Baldpate and

it lent itself to my offer of giv-

ing away one hundred dollars. The keys wete kept in a plastic box with a sliding top. This box normally sat on the table neat the chest but

I didn't like having another object cluttering up my stage. It couldn't be discarded because the position

of the sliding top determined if a key would or would not open the chest. When the top was slid open to a specific point a transmitter inside the box would send a

radio signal to the treasute chest

instructing it to allow the next key to open the lock.'When the lid was mol,ed out of this position, no key would open the box.

(top) Key are sltoun u.,ithoripinted ke1, tags. Ant'erdiJ clercr aethad a/puforta the ruuline tvithout et'er torcltiry tlte cltest or tlse kg's.

lowed me to

(Bottoru) Moanted inside tlte tal.tle is ilte box lo ltold tlte ke-1s. Slidingtlte lid all the ua1 to the left actit'ated ilte hnrsnilter. Tlte shirg risible at tlte left is the trigerfor tbe Crystal Card Catrlt.

I

care-

fully mounted the key box inside m), table. It was positioned so that the lid could be opened enough that I could drop keys into it but none of the keys would unlock the chest. When I was down to one last 55

key the iid was slid open as far as it could go (until

it hit the

side

of

t4 lnrgirg rtlf tbe kq'.'l'lte Kg' Clte.rt in ilr prt-

.\'utt ltere i.r tfu

the table) putting it in the correct position to send the signal. People

/od1's

standing at the sides could see into the table and see that the box was filling up with ket's as the routine progressed. It seemed perfectly logi-

'l'ltt ltltre Kt1 Cht.rl

cal when, w'ithout er.en looking,

I

slid the box oPen a bit further near

urlitr

The one small addition I made to Anverdi's chest was to add springs to the hinges. Now rvhen the lock was unlocked instead of

lift the lid to show that it was unlocked, the

lid would automaticalll'spring open. This would simultaneousl-v indicate that I had won the contest and cue the applause. I used fir,e ke),s, and tied to each one was a tag printed with a message or sales point. As each kev was shown and laid on the tabie I was

rul

t er.riott

tty,

tttdt

ltrk-trf .reet 14'

lttrt

cltest.

(rrtt

Andrvrrli)

i.r ilte ont I treed itt lttndred.r of per-fbntarrr. I ltale mt idet n'14'

trlt

the end.

having to reach over and

lirttrs pltolo.t

torrtl-tit4q tl.te ltax ar il.te key.

I

lpnm iuaw ircr

able to talk about the message that

it carried. The

keys were always

referred to by theit tag names.

When the company was giving away little tchotchkes I wouid lock bunch of them inside the treasure chest. And lastly, the hundred-dol-

a

lar bill and the giant folded bill wete loaded into the Himber Wallet. \When my crowd was deemed sufficiently latge I would invite them to move in a little closer, tufn up the volume, and bring out the money' They were hooked.

The tteasute chest v/as set on the table and the lid was closed. I held all five keys by the tags and then used one key to lock the box (any key

would do

so).

I will lock ap this treasare I

used to

going

to

chest and

I'm boping tbat no one ruoticed which ke1

lotk the chest because that is the same ke1 that unlocks the chest. I'm

pass then

key out to people in our

aadience and whoeuer gets the ke1 that

unlocks the chest wins tbe monel in the wallet. That's

ing

to

Jlar

go home with this cash.

eJe on the

wallet.

tell these key apart

I'll

Arything

igh[

one luc,bg person is go-

I wantlou to keep and itlyurfault. lYe can

leaae the monel right here and

happens to tbe monel

because each one has

a dffirent tag on it. For instance this

one

sqr.... This is when I would show each tagand talk about the message that was printed on it before I set it on the table. Now since I am the one putting ap the monel I tbink it s onltfair tbat I shoald And I'm happl to take the ke1 that /10 olte else wants. After a// oflou haue madelour choices I'll take the leftouer key One at a time four spectators were invited to select a key and as each one did I again commented on the tag message. Once all the choices were made I offered to trade my key with any of the ke1, holdbaue

at least

one chance to win

it

back.

in case they were having second thoughts. Whether they did or didn't always resulted in plenty of laughs. Once ever)rans was happy I left my key in full sight on the table. One at time each contestant ^ would step forward and try their key while I agatn talked about the sales point printed on their tag. Hope tutned to resignation as each key failed. Between trials I would check the wallet to make sure that the money was still there and give my waliet-watcher the eye. \When there was one spectator left I would again offer to trade keys. When they did it made the finish even stronger. Finalh'their ke1' failed to ers just

open the chest and all IYell, since none oflour

e,ves

key

immediateh, turned tov/ard my key. opened the

box' that means that m1 ke1 has to

be

55

Mur (avnw fl/otnnt

the right one s0 De don't eaen haue to try

it. Bat

I

want to thank euerlonefor stick-

ing around so I could telfuou a bit about [the prodact].

Iflou

baue an1 qaestions

pleasefeelfree to ask an1 of our salesmenfor more information.

No one moved an inch. Someone usually said, "Yeah, I've got a question. Lets see if your keywotks." I always dragged this out further than was riecessary. Noloa don't understand. Since thue key didn't work that mearus this HAS to be the right key It soon became apparent that no one was leaving until my key opened the chest. Ok,foryoa non-belieaers. I don't euen want to touch m1 key By now I had dropped the fourth spectator's key into the box and slid the lid open. Yoa pick ap m1 ke1 andyu put it in the lock. Tarn it all the wa1 around to the rigbt. The lid dramatically popped open. IYell what dolou know, I win again. You know Ifeel bad winning back m1 own rulne). How 'boat

f we diuide wp the mortel between

I had opened the Himber Wallet to the opposite side and temoved the large bill. I accused the wallet-watcher of falling down on the job as I handed the giant bill to the person who opened the chest. Then each participant got a tchotchke out ofthe chest. tbefour ke1 holders? That

wq

euerJzne is a

winner By now

Occasionally people would hang around after the show and finally say,"Carr

I try your key?" I would of course let them and they would

wander off shaking their heads. More often than not they would be back for next show and when there were iust two keys left they would blurt out, "Try your key next." They were convinced that it was the last key that always opened the chest.

I would stutter and stammet

and ptotest and then fi,nally relent. When my key still worked they

would stagger off until their next theory was fully formed. The next time they would lift the chest up off the table and try the key, thinking that the location of the chest had something to do with it. That was the great thing about Anvetdi's I(ey Chest. I never had to touch anything on the table. The chest could withstand countless viewings and disprove every theory.

in the farthest teaches of the convention center and it took houts for anyone to f,nd us. The comPany executives wefe tfying to figure out a way to genefate some excitement about what was going in our booth. I suggested that we actually do give av/ay mofley and for the rest of the week instead of being filled with tchotchkes the treasute chest was filled with silver dollars that I g ye aw^y by the handful. Money rcally does talk.

At

56

one electronic show out booth was

Jumpltte Srnnw In

1998

I was

a

l*;rr.This isn't lgooa

exercise,

theory of taking a proven ttick and disguising it to look like a brand new ttick.

Austtalia's Charles Waler cteated a stage il]usion called Ttansmogdfication whetein aboy in a standing position is wrapped up in a large cloth. Upon unwrapping him, the boy has transformed into a gir1. The aftet-dinnet vetsion of this effect involves a cloth napkin and a knife. The knife is tolled up in the napkin and upon pulling the napkin open, the knife is found to have changed into a spoon. Both tricks are good and both are accomplished using the same clever method. Technically, both effects are ttansformations but no one teally

thinks that the boy is transformed into a gict any more than they believe that the molecules of the knife rcananged themselves into the shape of a spoon. The audience is mote likely wondering where the boy (or knife) went and where the gitl (ot spoon) came from. In the Jumping Straw, nothing vanishes and nothing appears so the sPectators are less likely to be looking for a hiding place. A sttaw is removed from its paper wrapper and both are rolled up in a napkin. When the napkin is pulled open the strav/ is found to have "jumped" back inside its wrapper.

let

Up

Due to the nature of this routine and the items tequired for its performance, it is best suited to a restaurant tfter the dtinks have zttived. Unbeknownst to your dining companions you must secure ari extra strav/ and, sutteptitiously in your lap, tear an inch of the paper wrapper off of one end. This should be done well in advance of the petformance. Fig.

1.

57

lrlwr (tvnw Wotont

Before any mention is made of your perfotm-

ing a trick, spread your napkin out on the table

in front of you with the prepated straw hidden underneath. There are undoubtedly many clever ways of accomplishing this but the best stratagem

is to just do it when no one is looking. The straw should be parallel to the back edge of the table and the napkin should be positioned diagonally with one corner hanging off the rear edge of the table.

Fig.l

A

one-incb piece

of

wrapper is tornfroru one end.

Ideally, the hidden straw should be in line with the

left and right cotners of the napkin. Leaving a few wrinkles in the napkin will help camouflage the straw hiding undetneath. During this set-up make note of which end has the wrapper torn off.

Ftg. 2. Tbe straa is inJront

of

tbe duplicate straw underneath napkin.

When the beverages are delivered to the table take a strau/ and tear an inch of wrapper off of one end. Only when you are removing the straw ftom the wtapper do vou direct everyone's attention to it. "Hey, this is one of those jumping stra\r/s. \Watch

this." The stfaw and the wrapper are set onto the napkin directly in front of the hidden straw underneath. Make sure that the torn end is pointing the same direction as the hidden straw underneath.

trig.2.

trig.

).

Tbe hidden stran,and uitible shaw dre wrapped in tbe napkin.

With yout fngers in ftont and your thumbs behind, pinch both straws together and begin tolling them toward the front of the table. Figs. 3. Continue rolling until the rolled up napkin rolls ovet the ftont corner. The ftont cotner will reappear behind the toll and become the new back corner. The former back corner will flip over the top of the toll and become the new front corner. Fig.4. By transposing these tw.o corners you have

50

Fig. 4. Continae u.,rapping until the tul coruers

change positions.

)umnm frpnll

effectively turned the napkin upside down. By pulling the front and back corners aPzfi the n^Pkin will unroll revealing the previously hidden straw inside the u/rapper. Figs. 5 and 6.

The still-sep^rate straw and wraPper will be hidden beneath the napkin. If you pull the napkin open sharply the top straw will iump a few inches up into the au, making it zppear as if this I'ig. 5. The transposed napkin corners arc ptrlled

straw jumped back inside the wrapper.

open.

As you hand the straw to a sPectator, pinch the hidden straw and loose wrapper thtough the napkin and fold them in half as you slightly

crumple the napkin and set it aside. Fig. 7. After a suitable amount of time the napkin can

L'Q. 6. Tbe tan strau.'s dild il)t"dPPerc ltarc cltanged p/rtres.

be placed in your lap. Eventually the duplicate

strav/ and wrapper can be extracted ftom the

napkin and slipped into yout pocket so that ultimately your napkin can be left on the table clean. \Well, not clean, but ungimmicked.

o=--B

LQ. 7. I'be hidden $rua' and lrapper are n'added tp .;tl a.ride.

it

tbe

tapkit

and

59

Iur l{nIuu

(nnu

or a 1995 close-up show in Germany I Put together this toutine that included anidea from my friend Greg Manwating. It was Greg (the talented atist who illustrated the edition of Dai Vernon's Revelations that I published in 1984) who gave me the idea

of performing the Invisible Deck using 52 decks of cards. I liked this suggestion not just because it was crazy idea, but also because ^ it completely changed the standard effect. Instead of being a mind reading effect, it became an impossible guessing game where a specta-

tor miraculously beats the eflormous odds against him. Reworking another old classic ttick and combining the two resulted in a different and memorable toutine. The opening trick of my act vras sticking a qtr^tter to my forehead. This isn't rcally a trick at all; the coin just sticks to your head unless yout skin is as dry as toast. It does look silly but it is hardly gre t ^ ttick and the lack of audience re ctTon will prove this. First, a sinple trick thatlou can all try at home. It's a coin that sticks tolour head. No, it's not a magnetic coin sticking to a steel plate in m1 head. That would be too eas1. Tbis is magic. Sometimu haae allotted me fifteen minutes

for

it

takes a whilefor the

ffict

to sink in. Thel

ru1 show and I'm prepared to use

all of it riglt

here.

The false explanation is what turns it into a real trick and ptovides a laugh. In the standard version of this trick, a large narl is soldered onto ofle side of the coin. This nail coin is held in finget palm and, as you remove the ungimmicked coin from your forehead and drop it on the table, it is Bobo Switched for the nail coin. Ob forget

it.

I

can't belieue I'm getting a splitting headache.

I liked this opening because this is how a complete idiot might accomplish this trick if he knew absolutely nothing about magic. It would be an effective method but the audience doesnt believe for

a

second that this is how you actually did it.

In ordet to incorporate this coin into my next effect I had to make a totally different version of the nail coin. A tecess was machined into

Mn Gvnrv Womnt

the back of a quarter just big enough and deep enough to hold three vety powetful alnico magnets. \$7hen the magnets were epoxied into place

they were exactly even with the surface of the coin. trig.1.

A roofng nail is made of steel and has a huge flathead, which made it perfect to use with my nail coin. The head of the nail was sanded smooth to provide maximum adhesion to the magnet and

Ftg.

I

F'tg.

2 T/)e nagnetic coin is rep/aced on tlse nail

Ftg.

)

Tltree

ilnJyetl are enbeddedfu.rls n,itlt the back of the cain.

its latge size completely covered the magnets. The magnets held this nail so frmly in place that the

gimmicked coin could be confidently dropped into a spectatof's hand.

As the nail coin was removed from my pocket the nail was gripped between my middle and ring fingers which allowed me to slide the coin off the

nail. Once the coin was removed ftom my forehead it was replaced on the nail head and momen-

tarily displayed to the audience. Figs. 2 and 3. Then the coin is dropped on the table and the nail is tevealed. Fig. 4.

I

carry that coin witb me beruase it's a lackl min. lYho-

euer touches

it

is

guaranteed to haue good lack. Oh,

expectlou to belieue mq so I'll proue it. Is tbere bere who woald

like

to

participate in

a

if

one

oflour

don't

someone

good luck experi-

ment? Good. Herq hold onto m1 luckl coin. belieae me

I

Sarefiyu will

own is able to demonstrate a stroke

of anbelieuabfi good luck.

Arelow a card playr?

Tlte reassenbled cain is c/eatfi shou,n.

From an old leather doctor's bag 52Invisible Decks are poured onto the table which generates an audible reaction. Fig. 5. The decks that tumbled

to the floor arc retrieved and retutned to the pile. This is 52 decks of cards and each deck has one card reuersed

in the niddle.

Any deck is picked up, the cards are removed from the box and spread. Near the middle one pait is separated showing that apparcntly just one catd is revetsed. The audience is allowed to see this 67

t-tg. 4 The nail coin is dropped on tlte table.

head.

hrllutro

(rlpo

card, then, leaving that card reversed, the cards are squared, returned to the box and the box is tossed back onto the pile. There is a dffirent card turned apside-down irt eacb deck. 52 decks... 52 cards. First,

Fig.5 52 decks

are

I will shtffie

the cards.

Both hands are used to turn the decks over like you are turning soil in a garden. During this mixing process make sure that the sample deck that was used to show a reversed card is thor-

poared onto the table.

oughly lost in the pile.

I

need someone to name out load, one plajrug card. You

of Spades.

A fne

choice.

And

si6 name a card. Fiue

so we don'tforget which card was named,

I'l/

wse

this

ofie as d reminden

The effect I wanted to achier.e here was to aPParcntly nail a catd to my forehead using the nail coin. The slightly complicated method I ended up using involved a steel deck of cards. They are sold under the name of I{ing and they acnnlly are playing cards that have been printed on thin pieces of metal. They are meant to be used on a magnetic playing sutface which ailows games to be played in moving cars or planes without having cards sliding all over the place' Just looking at them, you would never know they are steel.

A simpier method would be to have a small bit of magician's wax on the tail (magnet) side of the coin. After the nail is detached ftom the coin, the wax will allow the coin to be stuck to the middle of any playing card. The ICing deck or a regular deck (depending upon which method you are using) is removed from your pocket and the named catd is removed. This card is pressed against your fotehead but make sure that

it doesn't stick. One method fot this is to allow some of your hait to get trapped between the card and your forehead. If the catd does stick you cafl force it to drop off by raising your eyebrows or wrinkling

your forehead. After faiting a couple of times to stick the card to your forehead you suddenly get a better idea. Let me borrow that lackgt coin.

Taking the nail coin from the spectator you make it look iike the nail is forced through the face side of the catd and ptessed flat agarnst the card. \What you actually do is grip the nail between your middle and ring f,ngers and then slide the coin off the magnet using yout 61

Mn Avnrv

Wononr

thumb. Yout thumb remains on the coin as the other hand slides the face-up card between the coin and the nail. In this position the coin is above the card and the nail is hidden under-

neath. Fig. 6.

The coin is slid to the middle of the card and then two things happen together. Yout right thumb nail is snapped off the edge of the card producing an audible CLICK and the coin is

Fig. 6 The

thttrub pashes the

min off of the nail head.

pressed flatagainstthe centet of the card.Frg.7.

The desited illusion is that the nail was pushed through the card. The magnets in the

coin are strong enough to hold the nail against the steel card. While you can't show the backside of the card due to the fact that the nail head

would show, you can hold the shaft of the nail between your thumb and index f,nger and spin the card. This is a vety convincing subtlety that reinforces the idea that the card has been impaled by the nail. Fig. 8. After the spinning move the nail shaft is detached from the back of the card. This is accomplished by tipping the nail over 90 degrees The card which breaks the magnettc ^ttractton. is raised up to your fotehead and yout closed other hand (still holding the nail) acts as ahammer and strikes the coin. Fig. 9. You will have no trouble keeping this card (and coin) on your forehead for the remainder of the trick. Of coutse every one's skin is diffetent so if this proves to be a problem, raise the card up in front of your mouth then, as your other hand moves your hair out of the way, touch your

Ftg. 7 Tbe nail is apparent! pashed tbrougb the card.

Fig. 8 .lpinning tbe nail creates tbe ilkrsion tbat tbe card is inpaled.

tongue to the back of the card. This u/etness should hold the card in place.

Not only is this card a constant teminder that the selected catd is the Five of Spades, but the sight of the nail apparently holding the card to 64

Ftg. 9

Apparent! bamrueing

the nail coin into m1 bead.

hr

llutm hpp

my head was a constant remindet that they were watching an

idiot. Fig. 10. The hand holding the nail picks up the I{ing (or regular) deck ofcards and deposits both in your coat pocket Oh, here clme:

mJ) headache

again. OK mlfriend, one deck in this

pile has the Fiue of Spades reuersed in it. Yourjob, asing onfilour new! acqaired lack, is

Ftg. l0 Sffiringfor

ry

art.

to

fnd it. Pick up ary one of those decks and good luck.

The spectator picks one deck at random and you should always give him a chance to change his mind. If they do throw it back and choose a different deck you can add afl extt^ bit of business. Pick up the discarded deck and say... Oh, wouldru't it be terrible ifloajust tbrew back the winner? Remove the cards, sptead them out and separate any P^tr that is not the Five of Spades. After showing this card put the deck back into the box and return it to the pile. Sofar

so

good. He has eliminated

all of these decks

and selectedjast one of 52 decks.

Hold the open doctor's bag just under the table's edge and sweep all of the temaining decks into the bag. Fig.

11.

The matbematical odds ofpicking the rigbt deck are a

million to one. OK, itJ

pretfl darn luclg Fig. 1 1 Chan ap the stage lxfore retealing the ruatching

cards.

reuersed.

odds to

Of

to

one

pick

in 52 but still,1ou'ue got to

be

the deck with the Fiue of Spades

course toacbing m1

lucpt coin

reduces those

50/50. You either did oryoa didn't.

Duting the previous line casually retrieve the nail from your pocket and with the nail shaft held betrveen your fingers it is still possible to take the selected deck, spread through the cards and separate the p^u th^twill teveal the face-down Five of Spades. The face-down catd is removed from the deck and the deck is tabled. \With considetable effort the hand with the nail pries the card off of your forehead. Because of the magnetic attrzctton it is a simple matter to reattach the nail to the back of the card allorving you to once again spin the nailed card as you teveal the reversed card in rrour other hand. Needless to say, the two cards match, proving that the lucky coin has done its job. Magicians found this trick to be hilatious, not because of the gags, but because I was willing to haul around 52 decks of cards for one trick. Laymen found it just flat out amazing. 65

my ectufe ay abo in

81) and

it

e afound

I

omponents.

Roy Benson's routine originally appeared in print rn 1948 in the

SAM's parent assembly newsletter and within a few weeks it reappeared in Btuce Elliott's wonderful Phoenix magazine #1,56.

Elliott

later tagged Benson's routine onto the end of his Cups and Balls chapMagic 0953) but it wasn't until 2006 that Levent expertly dissected this routine (and all of Benson's other magic) in his ter rn Classic

Secrets of

comprehensive and inspiring tome Rol Benson

fut Starlight.

It was Dai Vernon who always encouraged students of magic to explore and question magic's rich literature, even that which had been

wtitten by the finest practitioriers of the art. This, he suggested, is how magic evolves. I found Vernon's advice to be liberating, knowing that it was OI( to tweak, edit and adjust routines that had served theit creators very well for many years. It was with this mindset that I approached "It's Magic," which was the original name of the toutine we know today as The Benson Bowl. Benson's original toutine featured three visible sponge balls with a foutth ball that'was never seen. I decided to simplify the routine by eliminating one of the visible balls, resulting in a routine with two visteading Rol Benson b1 Starhght,I learned that ible balls. Years latet, ^ftff Roy had come to the same conclusion and reduced the visible numbet of balls to two. There are a couple of moves in Benson's routine that bothered me. They are reminiscent of moves I learned from the desctiption of Dai Vernon's Cups and Balls in The Dai Wrnon Book of Magic. Neat the end

of Vernon's routine he exposes a false placement as he explains that it onl1,looks like he transfers the ball from one hand to the other. Peform ing T be Be n so n

P hr nge

r

in Lund, Sweden October 2008 P boto : Arto

Ai ra ksi n

e

n.

He goes on to explain that as a cup is lifted, this ball is added to the balls that were alreadl, underneath it. I realize that the spectators will be fooled by many parts of the routine and that the f,nai large balls 6t

lrfutt

Avnn

Wonnnr

or fruit will come as a huge surprise but I also think that the spectators will walk away believing that the secret to the trick involves false transfers and secret additions. The reason they will think that is because this is what the magrcian told them. They will surmise that usually the magician did the moves fast enough or clever enough so that they didnt catch him but one time he showed them exactly what he was doing. The problem for me is that we really are doing false transfers and secret additions. My preference is to not offet them this line of thinking. In the two-ball version of the Benson Bowl that is described tn Ro1 Benson @ StarlightRoy picks up a ball and while placing it into his other hand he clumsilv acts like he is stealing it out. Then, while tutning the bowl mouth down on the table, he acts as if he is clumsily loading the ball into the bowl. He soon reveals that he acttally did place the ball into his hand and that nothing was placed under the bowl. The ptoblem for me is this: the spectators will selectively remember your poor execution of these sleights but not the fact that you later disproved their assumptions. Audiences cannot be expected to remember the exact order of

I know this to be ttue ftom years of testing. Immediately after a show I will often ask a spectator to every sequence ofour routines.

describe exactly what happened during one or more of the routines. Even though the effects can be easily described in a few wotds it is astonishing how inaccurate their recollections can be even minutes after the fact.I am reminded of the newspaper reporter who aftet seeing my arm juggling routine and

LinkingCoat Hangets u/rote

in his review, "Mike Caveney juggled coat hangers." To ptovide a 1.000/o accutate description, a spectator would have to know the secret to the trick, but it is still amazinghow many important details they leave out or how many inctedible fabrications are added. Usuaily their description is far more amaztng that what actually happened. I prefer to riot provide them with any explanation for how the trick was accompiished even rf that method is not the one I was using. If a spectator is presented with an explanation for how a trick is done, they really dont cate employed. Therefore,

I

tf that is the method that

was actually

always avoid having explanations (false or

otherwise) be part of my presentation. And with all of the above in

mind, 60

I

set out

to create the Benson Plunger.

Ro1 Benson was the complete package

-

ki llfu l, extre m e /1 reatiue, and uerlfunnl. Photo: Matice Selmour trem

en do

usllt

s

The Benson Plunger is good examPle of taking a Proven effect and disguising rt so it appears to be a new trick. It was

Duke Stern who suggested that Benson's original bowl and wand could be replaced bv a plunger and its handle. I don't believe that Duke ever tried this himself but rvas just throwing out an idea. It rvas an idea that appealed to me on manv ler.els. In buling a plunger at mv local hardware store I got

I

settled on a model that had a short handle (designed for sinks :izLthrcr than toilets), thinking that it rvould make a

luckr'.

more suitable magic wand. Because I was worried that some people might find this prop to be unsanitarv I used a black Sharpie to write a price onto the inside of the plunget. This suggested that this particular plunger had not yet seen active dutr'. \{'hat

I did not vetrcalize

was that the unique design

of the plunger would allow me to enhance Ror"s alread,v ef-l'ltr

fectir-e method.

trttiretv//1' /ot'rd l)trkt .\'ltnt.

This plunger had a pronounced lip around the bottom inside edge of the bowl. I soon discovered that this lip rvas exactlY the right shape and size to effectivelv grip a two-inch sponge ball. Fig.1.

/

'I'lte

rr.te

rll

FQ. il.tt

/ip itt thr plrtgrr.l)tti/itttt'l rttte-ol.,r,rd prirtiP/e.

ilte

Mur Gvnw Wmont

Even better was the fact that the retained ball extended slightly be-

low the bottom edge of the bowl. This meant that if the bowl was slid iust an inch or two across a tablecloth or close-up pad, the ball would be dislodged from its hiding place. It was a

petfect recipe fot the one-ahead principle. By having

sponge ball concealed

a

in my hand and merely grabbing

the plunger rim, the ball was almost awtomatically loaded

into the lip. Fig. 2. Now the plunger could be held by the top and set daintily onto the table. At any time the plunger could be lifted straight up to show that thete u/as nothirig on the table underneath. Then, as the plunger was set back down,

it

could be surreptitiously slid an inch ot so across the table sutface thus teleasing the bal1. The next time the plunget

With this powerful my disposal I now needed to create the

was lifted, the ball was revealed.

methodology

Fig. 2 The act of anscrewing tbe handle prouides the perfect couerfor loadinga ball into the plungen

^t proper moments to load the balls.

*iilrkT

fifill+fYl&H

Many years ago I visited Albert Goshman's home in Lake View Tetrzce, Californta and toured the sponge ball shop in his gar^ge. As you might expect, it was a mess and I had no trouble spotting the washing machine that was used to dye the balls since the once white appliance was flov/ a bright shade of red. LaterI visited his much

larget shop in a commercial building. A1bert always cut his sPonge ttme out of a rcctangalar with a hot wire cutting about eight balls ^t ^ bar of sponge. SThen his sponge empire was threatened by a machine cteated byJim Ravel that produced sponge balls using sharp cut-

ting blades Albett did what was best for his business. He purchased Jimmy's sponge ball business and shoved that cutting machine into the cotner of his shop and never even plugged it in. And just like that, tt\ secure. Albett's domination of the sponge ball wodd was once ^g Secute until theJapanese came along with theit super-soft sponge. But the one quality that no one else could dupiicate was Aibert's unique number personality. Going thtough customs and immigration at ^fly of airports I saw him generate howls of laughter and amazement as 70

Albert Cosltntan knett' tltat tbe /illst ttiliqtte hotse-u'antitggfl be nt/d bitry tr ))nr bir talettt. Here be i.r peibrning his tradettnrk act in tt5' library'.

sponges appeafed in the hands of these otherwise sefious govefnment agents.

Getting product into foreign countries to sell was always a challenge. For me the problem wasn't iust bringinglarge quantities of coins across international borders but bringingJohnson Ptoducts' coins that in some cases were hollow and could be opened if you knew the secret. N{ore than once the folks in customs thought they had apprehended the head of a drug smuggling ring. Albert didn't have such problems. Before lea'n'ing for an overseas convention he

would go to the Salvation Armv and bu,v a cheap dish for quar^ ter and a big old suitcase. Back home he would pack hundreds and hundreds of sponge balls into the suitcase with the dish right in the middle. He would have to sit on the suitcase in order to iatch it closed. One can onlv imagine the scene at customs when the agent would open this suitcase setting off an explosion of bouncing sponge balls. Albert would explain that the dish had great sentimental value and he couldn't risk having the airiine break it, thus the extreme pack iob. The agents were undoubtedh'thinking, "this plate looks like it came

from the thrift shop" as thev struggled to cram hundreds of sponge balls back into the suitcase and send Albert on his war'. Upon reaching his hotel he rr,'ould unfold the sponge bail boxes, place four balls into

Mwr

Avnrv li/otrlnt

each box and then toss the dish into the trash. By demonstrating his

in his dealer booth he never failed to sell all of his merchandise and usually found a buyer fot the suitcase as well. Arriving home empty-handed meant that Albert had had a ptofitable trip. Oh how the magic world misses Albet Goshman. During one of my visits to Albert's shop he gave me a big bag of assorted balls, and for the Benson Plunger routine I selected three sponge ball routine

2-inch balls.

Originally Roy Benson finished his routine by producing a doughnut undet the bowl but latet he decided that having a sponge ballappear in the spectator's hand was the strongest moment and dispensed with the doughnut. Having grown up watching Don Alan's nnces on the Ed Sullivan and ^ppe Johnny Carson Shows and seeing him finish routines by producing a gra'nt riut or that lump of coal, I knew I wanted to finish with a large surprising object under the plunger. At a flea market I found alarge Excedrin tablet made out of plaster that iust fit undet the plunger. Today I use a similar looking Excedtin tablet made out of plastic. It satisfies all the conditions

required by a fi,nal production item due to its size, shape, color and weight being dramatically different than a sponge ball.

To set up for the routine the Excedtin tablet is pushed about

half way down into the Leftrcar pants pocket. The pocket is tight enough to hold the pill securely in this position and the coat effectively covers the pill from all sides. Fig. 3.

Fig.

ond: create the moment of magic during which the object supposedly

Third: open your hand to prove that the object has indeed vanished. In the eyes of alayman, steps ofle and three are things that 77

'I'be expoud

ha/f of

the

giant Excedrin

tablet in nry backpocket is couered b1 nry coat.

The classic method for vanishing any small object consists of thtee steps. First: place the obf ect ftom one hand into your other hand. Secvanishes.

)

thev themselves do on a dailv basis. Even babies, without anv practice

or knowledge, can pass an object from one hand to the other while opening and closing their fingers around it. To the la1'ln":..an these two steps are thotoughlv unremarkable.

It is step two, the moment during

which the object supposedll, r,anishes, that thev believe requires the skill and knowledge that vou have spent vears acquiring. That is the step that theyr ryi|l scrutinize in an effort to discover how the object disappeared or where it went. Of course rve know differentll'. Step one is the "move" that we strive to perfect through constant practice. \We have all seen magicians who are so proud of their technique that the1, all but challenge the spectators to detect anvthing fishv during their false placement. And because their execution of the "move" is so perfect thev jump straight to step three to prove that the object is gone. These magicians have come to the conclusion that step tu,o is superfluous. As quaint as it might seem, that snapping of the fingers or tapping with the wand is of enormous importance. To the layman it is the most impoftant step but onh, if we make it so. \We magicians can effectiveh'dictate which step of the process is the most essential through our presentation.

If

step one is executed while we are speaking and looking at the audi-

no particular attention will be drawn to the aPParent transfer of the object. Then if ',ve lean forward, stare directlv at our closed hand and tap or snap our fingers to create the magical moment, the audience will believe that thev witnessed the magic. Opening our now emptv hand will simplv prove that thev witnessed it. Remember that our job as iliusionists is to create illusions in the ence,

minds of our spectators, not to prove how quick we are with our hands.

In

Rgr Benson fu, Starligbt Ler.ent goes into great detail when teaching the ball vanish. It is basically the same r.anish that was used by Don

AIan and while I never saw Ror-Benson perform live I did work a couple of trade shou,s rvith Don Alan and saw first hand that this ball r.anish u,as 100%o effective. But that didn't stop me from analvzing the vanish of a single ball and coming up u'ith mv own r-ariation. I alwavs start these investigations the same \r'a\': bv holding a ball in mv left hand, placing it into mv right hand, closing mv right fingers around it and then moving mv left hand arvar-. Since this is what I am supposedh'doing, this is what I viant to duplicate during the false transfer.

Mur Avnw WonorBt

On Page 387 of

Ro1 Benson fut Starliglttthere ate a series

of photogtaphs

that illustrate Benson's false transfer. Photo 14 shows the moment that the

dght hand has exited the left hand having supposedly left the ball behind. The right fingers are extended as they reach for the wand but half of the right index finget is mysteriously missing. It is curled inward for no aPParent reason.

In fact it is, along with the thumb, holding onto the stolen ball.

I know that this odd appearance nevertheless, there it is.

exists for the briefest of moments but

Of course this book wasnt around when I origi-

nally worked on my ball vanish but

I found it very

intetesting to study dudng the writing of this book.

small,lightweight obiect it seemed that the most naturalway to hold it was to hold it lightly between the left

With

a sponge ball being such a

thumb and index fnger. It can be cleady displayed with the other three fingers either open ot cuded into a fist. This is the way I always hold and display the ball throughout the routine. Fig. 1. Once the ball is carried to the right palm the spectators clearly see your right fingets curl

Fig. 1 The u,a1 in wbich the ball is dirplq,ted throughoat the routine.

around it. When yout left hand moves away and

nothing temains between your left thumb and fotefinger it is obvious that the ball has been left behind in the right hand. \fith a slight modif,cation those moves can be duplicated while stealing the ball out of the right hand. Hold the ball between your left thumb and index f,nger. As your left hand moves toward Fig. 2 In this photo tbe thnnb and index fnger haue released tbeir gnp your right palm yout grip on the ball is secured on tbe ball in order to show how tbe midd/e and ingfngers al:o grip the by pinching your thumb and index fingertips ball at the left hand ruoues toward the rigbt hand. together. At the same time your left middle and ring fingertips also grip the ball by placing the middle fingertip next to your index finget and the ring f,ngertip next to your thumb. Fig. 2 rs an exposed view of this gtip with the thumb and index fngers removed.

The larger movement of your left hand moving to the right covers the much smallet movement of your fingers. Your left index and middle fingertips press the ball into your tight palm. Fig. 3.

l4

iup Drmon

PruwB

As soon as your closing right fngers obscure the spectators' view of the ball (Fig. 4) your left middle, ring and little fingers snap closed into a f,st carrying the ball with them. Fig. 5. The ball remains hidden frst behind the closed right fngers and then behind the curled left fingers. The snapping closed of the left finFtg. 3 An exposed uiea of tlte Ui

gers occurs iust before the left hand moves away from the right hand. The spectators will see your

f tryer grippitry the ba//.

left thumb and index finget emerge empty ftom beneath the right fingets. Fig. 6. If you actually place a baII from your left hand into your right hand you will see the correct tempo that this move should be executed. There is no reason to rush afly part of it and there is no reasofl why, you or the spectators should be look-

ing at your hands until you arc rcady to perfotm Fp. 4

The ightf.ngers obscare tlte

balljtr:t

befaru tlte stea/ is nnde.

step t$/o, the magic moment.

I(eep in mind that I am left-handed and that these instructions can easily be switched for right-handed performers. Begin by loading the Excedrin pill into your back left pants pocket as described earlier. Two sponge balis -Pfu.

5 The

left f.ngers

urrl intt'atd carp,ing the ba// n'ith tltent

tn vour front left pocket and the thitd ball

^re is in your front right pocket. To ensure that the sponge balls stay securely in the rim of the plunger

I

sometimes put a tiny bit of water on them befote

the performance. Just enough dampness can wotk wonders. The plunger should be kept out of sight so that its sudden appearance comes as a surprise.

The routine should be performed on a close-up pad or tablecloth to insure that the ball releases when Fig. 6 The left tburub and indexf ryer orc reett ta

be ettQl-t' as

/hg' ntot'e

the plunger is dragged across the sutface.

dil'aJ.

7'

Remain standing during this routine and ask a spectator on your

left to assist. Begin the routine bv explaining that this is the oldest trick in magic and that tonight ),ou will be using a recreattofl of the original apparatus. That's u,hen the plunger is brought into view and handed to the spectator for examination. Since evervone instantly recognizes tt as a standard plunger, little inspection is necessary. Since everyone has one of these devices at home thev already know what it consists of. This is the benefit of using famlliar objects. As the plunger is being looked at, one sponge ball is removed from each pocket, they are clearlr, shown and then set on the table slightly off to

the right. After setting them down I alwavs clap my hands together, which is a subtle wa)'to prove that m1, hands afe empty without having to say anything. The zzost important item of a// is the magic wand. Without the magic wand there is no magic.

Begin rummaging through ),our inside coat pockets, outside coat pockets and pants pockets in search of the all-

important magic wand. The expression on vout face tells one and all that you have forgotten it. \While vour hands are in your pants pockets the third sponge ball is thumb palmed in the left hand. Just as panic is about to set in 1,ou get a bright idea. Picking up the plunger handle with vour right hand and gripping the rubber rim with your left hand you begin to unscrew the handle. You have apparenth, decided that this wooden plunger handle can temporarily flll in for your pov/erful magic wand. While unscrewing the handle your left fingers press the palmed sponge ball into the tetaining lip.

with )/our right fingers gripping the top of the plunger set it down onto the table without dislodging the ball. In doing so, keep the mouth of the plunger tilted away from the spectators to prevent them from catching a glimpse of the hidden ball. At this point the plunger has been examined, your otherwise empty hands have set two balls onto the table and yet you are comfortably one ahead with a third ball secretllr retained inside the Set the handle on the table and then

plunger.

if

1977 Geni cot'erfeakrres to Tbe lJenson Plunger.

tbe

fnish

Explain to the audience that vou are going to disregard the first rule of magic that sa)'s "Never tell r-our audience in ad".ance what is going to happen," therebv making vour job e\ren more difficult. Explain that vou are going to place one ball into your right hand and then you will tap that hand with the magic wand. Nfatch 1'our actions to these words as vou clearlv displav a ball between ),our left thumb and index finger and then place it into the palm of vour right hand. Close your fingers around the ball and remove your left hand, leaving the ball behind. These moves should match exactly the moves that vou will use momentarilv to steal the ball out of 1'our right hand. You have just demonstrated exacth'rvhat it looks like when vou transfer a ball from vour left hand to vour right hand. Continue explaining that vou will then tap l,our hand with the magic wand (do so) and then tap the plunger (do so). The ballwilldisappearfrom m1 hand and reappear on the tal:le right there. Put the wand under your right arm and lift up the plunger with vour left hand being care-

ful not to dislodge the ball

),et. Point to the spot on the table that was under the plunger. I'/lplace the p/anger rigbt oaer lhat spot solou can't see the moment that

less

it arriues. This line is intended to make the plunger seem

important. It is mereit, acting

ma.glc

as a cover

to hide the spot where the

will take place.

It is important that vou knou,'exactl)'where the ball is inside the plunger. Revoh..e the plunger so the ball is at the back, closest to )rourself or, if vou imagine a clock face, at the six o'clock position. In this position, u'hen the plunger is set down on the table and slid an

inch backward, the ball rvill automattcalll' roll out of the rim. You are now in that most desirable situation of having the trick about to begin

while the first ball is alreadv under the plunger. Because vou have described the effect in advance the spectators know that vou are about to place a ball into vour hand and make it disappear. Consequentlv, thev be w'atching vour everv morre like a "vill hawk. Proceed exactlr' as vou did before and once again verl'deliberatelr'place the ball into vour right hand. This feeling of laboratoq'test conditions creates a cettain amount of tension. Take the wand in 1,6ut left hand and smack it against vour right knuckles. The impact should

Mwr Gvnrv Wotont

make a nice loud CRACI(. The tension is suddenly broken as you drop the wand, take the ball back into your left hand and shake the pain out of your right hand. Fig.

7.

OUCH!You don't baue to tap it qaite that bard. Yout audible grimace will elicit laughtet in the same u/ay that someone

slipping on abanana peel does. It is impossible to remain hyper alert while you're laughing so, during this break in the tension, you replace the ball into your right hand, this time executing the ball vanish move. Pick up the wand and lightly tap first your right hand and

then the plunger. Open yout tight hand showing that the ball has vanished and then lift the plunger to reveal the ball undetneath. Fig. 8.

Fig. 7 Like sltpping on a banana peel, it's alway

fannl

athen

it

happens to soruebo$t else.

Using your right hand place the wand into

your outside jacket breast pocket as you explain, lVe can do

it in

reueffe too, watch me make

it disappear

The audience assumes yov arc talking about making the ball disappear. Hold the plunger trig. 8 The ball uaaisbufranltonr hand and appean under

by the top in your right hand and re-cover the

ball. Even though yout left hand is concealing

the

plungen

a

ball you can close that hand tnto a fist and extend your index finger. Lift the plunger straight up with your right hand and

with your left fingertip. Replace the plunger and then immediately lift it again counting "two" as you poke the ball again. This time the plunger is lifted up near the wand that is protruding from your pocket. at the count of "ofle" poke the ball

Fig.9. Cover the ball and immediately

lift

the plunget again this

time hanging it on the end of the wand. Your left f,nger pokes the ball as you say, "three." By repeatedly poking the ball you have directed all of the attention toward the ball and the audience is anxious to see what is going to happen to it. Your

now empty right hand moves back toward the ball and then gestures as you say, "Gonel" It is the plunger that vanishes, not the 7E

trig. 9 On tbe coant of huo the plunger @proacbes the handle.

hr\rmot

ball. Fig.

Pwnwp

10.

The rest of the audience instantly sees how ridiculous you look with

a

plunger hanging off your coat pocket but for

a

momeflt the spectator to your left will be startled by the sudden disapp eztaflce of the plunger. As het head turns to look

up at you she too will see how ridiculous you look.

flou're going to watch that clonl1 we'llforget the whole thing. Acting like the spectator has figured out your trick you reIWell

Fig. / 0 On the count of lhree the planger is hung on tltr ltandle and Eparenlfi L'dnishes.

move the plunget from the wand and place it into your left hand. It is held by the rim with your fingers on the inside and

your thumb on the outside. In this position your fingers can press the palmed ball into the rim. Fig.

As you're doing this,

11.

lift and display the first ball that ap-

it back onto the table and cover it with the plunger. Pick up the second ball with your left hand and place it into your left front pants pocket. peared under the plunger and then set

IYe'll make this balljump twice asfar,from ml pocket to

the

planger

Lift the plunger to show one ball underneath and as you re-cover this ball drag the plunger backward, dislodging the

hidden ball, Hand the wand to the spectator and ask her to tap here Fry. / 1 Dtring the largb leli l:and and tbe ball is

the phrnger

is taken inta tlte

once again loaded inside.

once

right

indicating your pants pocket. To facilitate this your left

hand pulls lrour iacket out of the way. Fig. 1,2. Moving your jacket conveniently positions )rour left thumb and fingers right next to the Ex-

cedrin tablet that is protruding from your back pocket. The pill remains covered by your co^t

as

),our left thumb rolls it up out of the pocket until 1,our fingers can grip it. Fig. 13.

After tapping )rour pocket the spectator is instructed to tap the plunger. You are about to reveal some very strong misdirection that Fig. 12 Mouingl,lt/rjdcket utt of tlte n'tg,positians-yorr @t ltand next lo the fnal load inltoar back pocket.

will

effectivelv cover )rour loading the Excedrin tablet into the plunger.

In lifting the plunger up with vour right hand, tip the front up first while at the same time striking the two sponge balls with the back rim. Your goal is to cause the two balls to roll forward or off to the right. Fig. 14. As soon as thelr have tfaveled a short distance look at the spectator and congratulate her,You did it.The goal is to have the audience's eyes follow the rolling balls and then shift to

the spectator. This will provide plenty of cover to load the pill. As soon as the balls start rolling, your tu/o hands approach one anothet. Your palm-down left hand is covering the pill. As soon as your hands meet, the left hand turns palm-up and the plunger is set over the pill (or whatever final load you have set-

LtQ. I 3

An

hxrudin

exposed t'ien' of' tlta

tltnnb ro/ling tlte

ltrb/e/ otrt al' tlte pocket.

tled on). Fig. 15. Your right hand is norr,' free to retrieve the two balls and set them directly in front of you.

This load move is a good example of Tomml, rWonder's theory of ditection as opposed to misdirection. Instead of creating an artificial moment whose only task is to distract the audience's attention away from something, it is far better to examine each routine and find an existing event that will command their attention. Your secret move can be executed during

this naturally occurring moment without feat of detection. In this case the audience is anxiously waiting to see if there are now two balls under the plunger. It is their decision to direct their undivided attention toward the plunger.If at that moment you did something to make them look away ftom the plunger they would feel like they had been distracted against their will. It is far better for the spectators to believe that thev are looking

Ftig. 14 Lrpon Qt'ting tlte phrryer ilte ltack edge ltit.r tlte tu,0 .rponge halk.

where they want when they want rather than being guided by the magician.

The plunger (with the Excedrin tablet hidden inside) is set off to the right so it is out of the perform tng zrea. Before producing the big pill it is advisable to insert some time misdirection. By allowing the plunger to sit in the middle of the table time without an)/one coming near it, the eventual appeatThe time misance of the pill will be that much more ^mazing. direction is the result of your performance of the next phase.

for

a

F'ig. 1 5

As

neet and

ilte

tbe halls ro// acro.r.r tlte ttthle tlte ltand.r

p/trttgtr is

.ret onto

ilte Excedin.

iltr |lrnnn

PrumrB

Ask the spectator to extend her free hand flat onto the table

Fi3. 16 Tl:e ball is held direct! ouer the :litrltlt.

I .':. I - Tltis aill :; . iu//.

ruake

base

of

her

it intpossiblefor her to catch

with her palm up and fingets open. As she is complying with this request pick up one of the balls with your left hand and apparently place it into y-our right hand. The ball is actually retained in your left hand as desctibed previously. There is no reason to direct attention to this seemingly famihat action. The second ball is picked up between the left thumb and fotefinger with the other fingers closed into a fist around the hidden ball. At this point I always include a subtlety that I leatned from Peter Samelson and even put into print when I published Petet's excellent book Theatrical Close-ap (1984). It is a quick subtle way to make the audience think exactly what you want them to think. You are going to dtop the sponge ball into the spectator's outstretched hand but she is not going to catch it. The ball will bounce off het hand and roll onto the table. It is clearly iust one ball and the audience will assume that the spectator was supposed to catch it since it dropped from just a few inches above her hand. The spectator feels terrible that she has messed up your trick and in her mind is begging for another chance. You quickly retrieve the ball and place it into her hand where it is crushed by her now death-like grip. This innocent little hiccup in the ptoceedings convinces the audience that there really is just one ball in the spectator's hand and it is highly unlikely that this spectator will open her hand befote she is asked. Accomplishing this could not be simpler. You do tn fact hold the ball about three inches above the spectator's hand but not over her palm where there is avery good chance she wouid catch it. Fig. 16.

Instead it is dropped onto the heel or base of her thumb where it is impossible to catch. What looks like a routine catch

will

F/5. 18 Retieue tbe ball and te// lter to "bold ligltl/1,"

ailoo

add tbe second ball.

it

always result

tfl

^n

error. Ftg.

17.

Quickly retrieve the ball with your left hand and say, Ilo,lou must bold tbe ball tigbtlt as you press the two balls together. Fig. 18. Press both sponge bails into the spectator's hand and this time her fingers will snap closed like a rattrap, The whole

Mtttt Gvnrv Wononr

sequence takes less than three seconds and

it accomplishes

plenty.

Using the magic wand give the knuckles of your right hand a medium smack, not like you did before but hard enough to Iook (and sound) uncomfortable. Then you approach the spectator's hand and let the tension slowly build as you decide how hard to rap her knuckles. Of course you eventually give them

the softest possible tap. Open yout hand showing that the ball has vanished and have her open het hand ovet the table so that the two balls will not bounce off the table. Fig. 19. Anyone who performs sponge ball magic knows that this is positively one of the strongest tricks that you can do. Later

FU. l9 Hauing

a setond ball appear in tbe specta-

tor's hand prouides arnple tinze misdireftion.

when she is telling her friends, "Yes but it appeared right in my own hand!" this is the trick she is talking about.

During the previous phase the plunger sat quietly in the middle of the table whete nobody mentioned it and nobody came near it. Picking up the pace nou/ your left hand retrieves one ball and executes the ball vanish as it is apparefltly placed it into your right hand. The left hand then picks up the second ball and places it (along with the palmed ball) into your left pants pocket. Using the wand, tap your right hand and then the plunger. Open your hand showing that the ball has indeed vanished.

Itl

gone,

didloa ue itjamp tbat time? You look confuud. Haue I

giuenlou a big headache? Herq take

one of theu beforeya go to bed and

callme in the morning.

Lift the plunger revealing the big pill. Fig. 20. That is the patter I use for the Excedrin tablet. You can see that just a couple lines of patter can justify the appearunce of the pill. I suggest that you find a way to make your fnal load (whatever it is) a logical conclusion to the rourine.

OZ

trig. 20 before

A

mnsiderable amoant

tbefna/ load ruakes its

of

rtme passes

appearance.

this routine that appeared in my book Magtined that the f,rst phase was inspited by a Bilis perform while visiting Patis on my way to Vienna for the FISM Wotld Congress. I went on to say that the second phase I learned during a trip to Japan but failed to mention

! I I

who showed it to me. Today, more than thitty yeats later, I have no recollection of either encounter which goes to prove just how faulty

ouf memories can be. The book does mention that Bernard's trick appeared in his first book, Clue-wp, French Stlle (1976), but in rereading his description I found that the effect u/as the same but the method was quite a bit different. So, with thanks to all who contributed to its development, here is a quick impromptu trick that can be performed almost anywhere.

Any two coins can be used for this routine but, that being said, two half dollars are ideal due to their size and weight. The accompanying photographs show a cloth-covered table but you will find the moves far easiet to execute when performed on a hard surface. And keep in mind that I am left-handed and all of the moves can be petformed iust as effectivell, with the opposite hands.

Two coins are tossed onto the table. One of the coins is positioned about eight inches in front

Fi_q.

/

Thepositioniryaf tlte cains is ttitica/.

of the other and slight\, to your left. Fig. 1. The rear coin is then covered with your left hand and the forward coin is covered with 1,6u1 right hand. Bv positioning the left thumb underneath the left foreflnger it will be completely obscured from the spectator's view. The tip of this thumb should be in contact with the rear edge of the coin. Your right fingertips should A1

be touching the front coin but the heel and paim

of this hand ate raised slightlv off the table' In this position there is a covered pathwa), between )rour two hands. The exact position of each hand is critical and is shown rnFrg.2.

Immediatel), ),ort left thumb tip kicks the coin forward with enough force that it slides out from

under the left hand. Fig. 3 illustrates how the left thumb remains unseen and the coin has come to

Ftig.

2 Tba rigltl n'i.rt pralide.r roler.fbr tlte s/iditg cdn.

Fig.

)

rest next to the forward coin. The right hand has been eliminated for clarity.

Due to the careful positioning of y6lr1 hands the moving coin is not seen by the spectators.

Your right hand presses down onto both coins and then both hands begin to slide apart in oPposite directions Fig. 4.

As the hands are sliding apat the left hand is moved forward until it is even with the right hand. Don't lift your hands to reveal the transposition until you have created the magical moment

The

ight

hand /to.r

futt

reuorud to.rhon'iltefino/ rts/ittgplace

tlta kicked cair.

either by sal,ing something or making a siight movement with your hands. The magical moment should never be overlooked in any effect. In this

it indicates the exact instant when the coin vanishes from under one hand and reappears under the other hand, or so the spectators are Ied to believe. So create the magic and then tilt both case

hands up, revealing that the coin has traveled

F'fu.

4

Spectatot:s lr/iet.'e ilLere is one coin

tnder eaclt ltatd.

across. Fig. 5.

It should

be noted that your hands are

in the

position shown in Figure 2 for only a brief moment. As soon as your hands assume the position shown, the coin is kicked fotward and they immediatell' separate. Thete simply isn't time for anyone to flotice that for an instant the space between your hands'was covered by your right wf1st. Fig. 5 Once ilte ltands are appo.rile ane onotlter, tlte tttogica/ ttttnett/ acrtrr.r and ilte lntnspo.rition i.r ret'eo/ed.

oJ'

This is a perfect foliow up to the two-coin trick just described. Let withlast

une cli?x.

Iti

a

me showloa how that works

good exanPle of the hand being

qaicker than the ey.lYahh. t'Q. 6 'I'lte /eli ltand tih.r tp expaling ilte

One of the coins is eliminated and the other is positioned on the table toward the left so it can be covered with your ieft hand. This hand

cain.

is tilted up like the cover of a book exposing the

coin. Fig.

6.

Your right hand approaches and covers the coin. As it starts to slide the coin to the right your left hand tilts back down torvard the table top. The spectators will get a brief glimpse of the emptlr space on the table just before your left Ftg. 7 As lbe

tltptl,

spoce

igltt ltatd slide: tlte

ililder

t'l)e leJi

coitt to tlte

i3ltt' tlte

spectulor.r see

hand covers it. Fig.

7.

In a momeflt you

ltatd.

are going to duplicate these

exact moves but leave the coin behind. The left

hand appears to be resting flat on the table when in fact the right side of this hand is raised slightly

off the tabletop. This is to accommodate the arcival of the coin that is about to slide under it. Your other hand is resting flat on the table with the coin under the right fingers. Fig. 8. Your right little finger is touching the right Ftg. 8 The ighl band is abott

to

propel ilte

cr.,itt mrrts.r tbe taltle.

edge of the coin. The coin is now propelled back across the table by means of a sudden ierk

of

vour right hand, particularll, the right little fnger. The idea is for the coin to travel at the maximum speed with the least amount of movement bt' the

right hand. Fig. 9. The coin zooms across the tabletop and comes to fest under t,our left hand. It travels so fast that the coin is almost invisible but not quite. The impression is that you wanted it to be invtsrble. And Ftg.9'tbe

coin flies across tLte lable

j'ottt

otte

ltatd

1o tlte t,tlter.

in the lt/ink of an

e1,e

the coin trauels to the other hand.

Both hands are tilted up tevealing that the coin is once again under ),our left hand. The spectators are underwhelmed since they saw the coin scoot across the table. Didya

Wellyu mast not

haue

suppoud to. Let me tr1

see

blinkedlzar

itgo?Yoa did?

eJes

it again. Fig.

likeloa

were

10.

You now duplicate the previous moves while Ieaving the coin behind. The fleshy part of 1,our left palm just below the little finger is posi-

Fig. 10 Spectaton are nal nrrpised to see

tlse

cait under),otr @l

band.

tioned so it is touching the left edge of the coin. Fig.

11.

As before the right hand approaches and

as

the right fingers cover the coin the left hand begins to tilt down but this time, due to its contact with the coin, it is able to slide the coin

with it. As the left hand turns palm down onto the table it moves a couple of inches to the left. At the same time the right hand apparently slides the coin back over to the tight side. Figs.

Ftg. /1 Tlte

/fi

ltandpresses the edge

of

tlte coin against the table.

1,2,1,3,1,4.

The success of this move relies entitely on the timing. The spectators see the coin on the table, your right fingers cover

it and move back

toward the right and for just an instant they

nothing where the coin used to be. That's because the left hand moved the coin slightly to the left and masked its presence by tilting see

Fig. l2 \bur rigbt

Fig. 13 \bnr left hand ti/ts orerjutt ncAed behind.

E6

enargls ta hide lhefact

lhat tlv coin

hand dPPedrs to s/ide t/te coin an'E.

Fig. 14It sbot/d appearas tltorgltl,our rigltt ltrtnd orce again slid coin orer tol,aur igltt.

the

lwo,0m,llom

Ftg. 1 5 The igbt hand now pretends lo kick tbe coin across tbe table.

Ftg. 16 The

thinklor

spectators

are

kiddiry

antilyt

raiselour hands.

over it. With your hands now widely sepatated your right hand makes another sudden kick toward the left as if you were proPelling the coin agaln. Fig. 15.

\flait a moment and then tilt both hands up revealing that the coin has again ttaveled across but this time invisibly. Fig. 16.

This classrc coln vanish can be used as a nice tag to the routine if you are performing while seated at the table. After the transposltlon 1s revealed you telax and drop your right hand into 1'out lap. Then, as an after thought, your left hand app^rendy picks up the coin by sliding it off the back edge of the table. The coin is s cretly allowed to drop lnto your trght hand, which is poised below the table edge. Herq it's simple, tr1 itloarself.

Duting this line,lean forward

as

if you're going to place the coin

on the table near the spectator. Your tight hand moves forward the same distance under the table. Then as your left hand feigns the actions of tapping the edge of the coin against the table and then snaPping it down against the tabletop, your right fingers actually do tap the coin against the underside of the table and then snaps it against the surface. Precisely coordinating these moves will create the desired sound.

If both hands slide

a ferv inches closer toward the spectator

(one above the table, one below) the auditory illusion of the coin being

under your left fingers will be enhanced. Raise your left hand off the table, revealing that the coin has vanished. Oopq not with that coin. Here, try thts

one.

at

Mwr

Avnw Womnt

Pick up the coin that was discarded after the first phase of the tou-

tine and again teach forward with your left hand. Instead of disposing

of the coin by sliding it off the back edge of the table (as you did with the first coin) I prefer to classic palm it as the left hand moves forward. You can again snap the coin under the table against the tabletop as

you

^ppa;rendy

set

it down. They have aheady

seen you vanish one

coin by doing this, so when you sptead your f,ngers and raise your hand revealing nothing underneath, they have no reason to believe that this coin didn't completely disappear

as

well. Don't be in a rush to

drop the classic-palmed coin into yout lap or pocket. The first vanish (a complete vanish) serves to teinforce the second vanish (an apparent vanish). While the effects in this multi-phase routine are simple and

direct the fact that the methods arc varied will ptevent the spectators

from teconstructing the exact steps that produced those effects.

00

l've known I tqzo. er.k l*orrld ,tuy

r in es he

and

I'm sure it was Tim who showed me this coin vanish and Tim tecently informed me that he learned it from Bob Trenary who was a math teacher at Colon High School. Bob claimed that the trick could be traced to Professor Hoffmann's time but a search through my library turned up nothing similat. I added the reproduction that provides an equally baffling conclusion. This impromptu coin vanish and reproduction can be performed with any type of coin and remember that though I am left-handed these moves can easily be performed with the opposite hand' discussed.

The coin starts out in the left hand with the bottom edge clipped between the thumb tip and the middle phalanx of the middle finger. Figs. 1 and2.

Fig. 1 The spectators' uiew shoa,s the coin lteing held in tltis :ligltt!' odd

grip.

Ftg. 2 In t/sis petforner's ileu' the coin is seen jast L,eforcltour /eft thamb slidet

it

onto tlte back of

ltorr igltt

hand.

09

Mwr byrwv Wcy,r,ty

Fig. 3 It appears as tbouglt ilte cain is p/aced inlo tlte iglttpa/ttt.

Fig.

4

Tbe /eft index

f nger s/ides down to tbe base of the igbt thrtmb

tlte @l tlttrnb pins the coin againstltoar

ight

as

hand.

The right hand approaches and the fork of the thumb is slid into the fork of the left index and middle fngers, which places the coin against the base of the right thumb. Fig. 3 shows the audience view

while Fig. 4 shows the tear view. The left thumb pushes the coin off the middle finger and holds it against the base of the right thumb. The left hand remains motionless as your other hand revolves until the right palm is facing the spectator with your tight fingers closed around your left fingers. Duting this move your left thumb pushes the coin around the base of the thumb and onto the back of your tight hand. In this position it appears that your right fingers are wrapped around the coin. Fig. 5 shows the audience view

while Fig. 6 shows the rear vrew.

Fig.5 Tbe igbtf.ngerc appearto

close

arotrnd tbe

coin.

Ftg 6 If tlte coin is pressed against a dab of hand it ni// rentain secarell, in place.

There are two options to keep the coin in this position on the back of your right hand. First is to keep your right hand tilted up as far as it will go and allow the coin to rest on your wrist as it leans against the back of your hand.

If this seems a bit too precarious, try this addition.

Before beginning the performance, hold the back of your right hand q0

saliua on the back of

loar

{ow Vnsu

in ftont of your mouth and cough. It is the polite thing to do and it affotds you the opportunity to lick the back of your hand. Now when the coin is ptessed against this wet spot it will stick to your hand. The left hand nou/ moves away from the right hand without allowing the spectator to clearly see that your left hand is empty. Figs. 7 and 8.

Fig. 7 The sPectators aregit'en a s/tgltt!,ohsnrred fieu,of the left hand.

Fig. 8 Tltis is in

J)'ont

oJ'

llg

tbis

tick

is

perfornted on!'Jbr people standing direct[,

1,0u.

As you slowly open your right hand revealing that the coin has vanished suspicion will shift to your still partially closed left hand. Fig. 9.

Now open your left hand completely revealing that the coin has indeed vanished. Fig. 10.

Ftg. 9

Firn ilte ight ltand

is shou'n enQl,.

Ftg. 10 Tlten tlte @i ltand it opened lo prot'e that tlte coin has indeed unislsed.

Mwr

Avnw

WonorBt

Fig. l1 The hands are rubbed togetlterprouingtbat t/te coin

is gone.

Turn yout left hand over and rub the palms of yout hands across one another. Fig.

11.

Then turn your left hand so the emPty palm is once again facing forward and cleady show both hands empty.

As your hands swing around slightly towatd the right, clasp your hands together with your left fingers wrapping around the bottom

In this position your left middle andfot :1,ng coritact the bottom edge of the coin and pin it against

side of your right hand.

f,ngertip can the back of your right hand. Fig.

1,2

shows the audience view while

Fig. 13 shows the rear view.

Now give your hands a slight shake as if this is what will cause the coin to rc^ppear. Pivot your hands opefl as if you ate opening a book but retain the coin pinned against the back of your right hand. As your hands reach the fully open position the sPectators will have a

Fig. 12 It appears as thougltloa'ue

97

ruere!1

cla:pedloar hands together.

Fig.

1i

Yolr haue actaal! pinned the coin against the back of

ytr

band.

@tVanrtt

Fig. 14 Tbe bands ate! clote.

open to reueal notbing inside and then thel

imnedi-

Fig. 16 Daring afew up and down sbaket the coin is allowed to slip

Fig.

15

As

back

of

tbe

the hands open and close, tbe coin remaint pinned to the

ight

hand.

Fig. 17 The nin slides down into the left fngers and then into tbe bands.

inside the capped hands.

clear view that both are empty. Figs. 14 and 15.

As soon as your hands rc^ch this open Position immediately pivot them closed. During another shake of yout clasped hands, ailow the coin to slide down onto your left fingers afld in between your hands. Fig. 16 shows the audience view while Fig. 17 shows the tear view. Shake your hands a few mofe times as your arms swing back toward the left and yout hands revolve until the left hand is palm up. During these movements the spectatof has a clear view of all sides of yout hands. Finally your hands are once again opefled like a book tevealing that the Fig. 18 lYhen

the hands are opened a second

ime the coin lta reappeared.

coin has reappeared. Fig.

18.

2I

91

Mrc Avmv {i/nrnnl

t least once every generation the art of magic is attacked by

a

new band of exposers. \X/e've certainly suffeted our fair share in recent decades with the book

Bzg Secrets

and the Masked magi-

cian on television not to mention the Internet in general. A check of Amazon Books teveals dozens of copies of Big Serets selling for $0.01 plus $3.99 postage. You heard me - one cent. Author William Poundstone can honestly say he wrote a book that

isnt worth the papet it's

ptinted on. Of course all magtctans hate it when outsiders invade our sacred att and divulge ouf secrets so they cafl pay their rent for a few months. Quite frankly, it makes my blood boil. The part that bothets me the most is rrot that the public will leatn how our tricks wotk but that they will discover just how simple our methods teally arc.Many of them are disappointingly simple. Granted some of out tricks (Anvetdi I(ey Chest, Hole in One, Dr. Hooket's Rising Catds) are amazinqly clever and anyone would be knocked out upon learning theit secrets but most of our tricks utllize the simplest of methods. \X/hen ptesentation and showmanship ate stripped av/ay those methods

simple at ^ppear best and disappointing at v/orst. From the front row Teller's Red Ball is one of the most astonishing things you will ever see but if you stood next to Teller duting the performance you would say, "Really? That's all it is?"

Many years ago (befote they were famous Las Vegas stars) Penn & Teller wete performing in Hollywood and working hard each day to

with clear plastic

talk of the magic world. A number of professional magtctans cried EXPO-IURE and threatened to picket the theater. Penn pleaded with them to show up and even offered to supply the picket signs. The magicians didn't seem to understand that Penn & Teller wete working vety hard to put bodies in those seats and now the magicians wete going to sell tickets. Their Cups and Balls

94

cuPs was the

1uB 1wn Wopv

[mirlv

make sure that television cameras and newspaper repofters knew that something big and important was happening inside the Las Palmas Theater. (Actualty something big and impottant was happening, but that's another story).

With all of that in mind, I wrote this editorial for MAGIC magazine (November 1998) and since some things never change I thought

it was due for

a

reprint.

One morning, tight in the middle of town, a sly fox cut a small hole

in a fence. Above the hole he wrote, "Magic Trick Exposed - Look Herel" On the other side of the fence he placed a "Packing Case Escape" with the trap door hanging wide open. Up in a tree, a wise owl looked on and hooted, "l7hoooo c res." The fox ignoted the owl and started inviting all the other animals to look thtough the hole. He would show that old owl that every creature cares about magic secrets.

In

due time, the fox discoveted that offeting free magic secrets was

not that easy. Most animals, it seemed, had better things to do and hurried right past the hole. Some paused, looked at the fox, stared at the hole, then looked back at the fox and walked away. They werent about to fall for his scam, whatever it was. Eventually, the fox stepped up his ballyhoo. "Houdini's famous trick exposed," he yelled, "right through that hole." Still nothing. He called the newspaper office and gave them the exact location of the hole, which

if you looked through you would

see

how a magic trick

wotked. His hot tip was greeted first by a long silence, then a dial tone.

A turtle lumbered over to the fence and peeked through the hole. "Looks like some hooligan broke into your box and made off with your trick." And with that, he ctawled away. Jhs fox just shook his head.

Later, a youflg sparrow flew over and landed in the hole. Anxious

to learn Houdini's secret, he peeked through. "That's not a magic trick," he protested. "That's a box with a hole in it." As the sparrow flew off, he chirped back over his wing, "Rip off!" 95

Mur (avnw Wonnnr

"These arc the stupidest animals I've ever seen," the fox thought.

"I

was clever enough to figure out this trick and these creatures are

too dumb to understand it." He glared at the owl that continued to vocalize up in the tree. As the fox retreated across the road and cuded up in the shade, he noticed a turkey wearing a top hat wobble over to the fence and peek through the hole. Suddenly, the turkey staggered back from the fence, his hat askew, his feathers btistling. He looked around to see if any other animals were watching, then stole another long, disbelieving Iook. A terrif,ed exptession crossed his face as he hutried down the toad and vanished atound the corner. The next motning, the fox passed by the fence and noticed that someone had wtitten

in red paint, "Do Not Look Through This

Hole." Then he noticed the top-hatted turkey crouching behind a tree stump acfoss the road. The turkey looked annoyed as various animals stopped and peered through the hole, hoping to see whatever it was they weren't supposed to see. "Cafl't they read?" the turkey wondered aloud. Emetging from his hiding place, the turkey marched across the road and, right in broad daylight, painted a giantt^rget on the fence, using the hole as the bull's eye. He then added a huge arrow that extended ftom his sign, right down to the hole. By noofl, a small line of animals had formed. By three otlock, a gaggle of top-hatted turkeys had gathered. Some cauted placards that said, "Don't peek through the hole or you'lllearn

out best secret." Others wete chanting, "If you peek, you're a jerk. If you peek, we're outta wotk." There were other turkeys stationed at each end of the road, watning animals about the hole that they shouldn't peek through. Before long, officials were forced to dispatch a centipede to help ditect traff,c. The fox was surprised and delighted as he watched

an array of animals standing in the sun for an hour, just

so they could look through the hole.

Due to popular demand the fox was forced to cut a second hole in the fence. On the other side of hole number two, he unlinked some metal rings by hack sawin g

^

gap

in one of them. A line of curious

critters formed within minutes. \X/hen a cub reporter from the newspaper arrived to see what all

the commotion was about he was confronted by the top-hatted turkeys. They explained to the cub that these secrets'were precious and

96

1uB 1wn

Wnr [mnv

belonged to them. They even produced membership cards to Prove it. If the general animal population so much as glanced through those holes, thek art form, their very lives, would be ruined. The cub scribbied futiously in his notebook while a staff photographer focused his camer^ on the animals lined up at the hole. As the cub was about to

"It's on Main Street in the middle of the village," the top-hatted turkeys shouted in unison. "You cafl't miss it." And with that, the publicity floodgates had opened. The headline in the following day's PaPer read: "Turkeys Plead - Don't Peek Thru Hole." The accompanying story included a map pinpointing the location of the fence, a photograph showing a long line of animals, and z picture of the acrual packing case. Readers weren't satisf,ed. They wanted to see it with their own eyes and soon leave, he asked about the precise location of the fence.

lines of animals reached all the way to the woods. Sute, they all agreed that what awaited theit prying eyes on the other side of the fence was

disappointing, but no one wanted to be the or.ly anrmal in the village who hadn't seen it.

In a final,last-ditch effort, the top-hatted tutkeys pooled theit funds and hired a skywriting hawk to scrawl across the heavens in billowy white letters, "Main Street Fence - Secrets Revealed - Don't Peek." The lines swelled as animals from neighboring forests arrived

in dtoves. The fox now spent most days in a den across the road, watchstupid," he ing the crowds of animals milling around. "They

^rert't thought. "They're just curious animals doing what animals aiways have, and always will do; they're satisfying theit curiosity. The only stupid ones are those top-hatted turkeys." Funny, but that old owl was right after all. And in the end, those

tutkeys just outfoxed themselves.

*

9t

I

975 publidfl pboto taken fut legendary Ho@wood photogr@ber Jobn Reed.

! started using a stool

as a magic table

e, ! probably seems like an odd choice fo lit -rd. perfect sense. This was a tim folk music clubs that would eventually turn into comedy clubs. There would certainly be comedians thete but the headliners were musicians who came out, sat on a wooden stool, and sang arltl-war songs. The club I frequented was the Ice House in Pasadena,California (the oldest comedy club in America and still going strong) and even though I was drawn there to see acts such as Steve Mattin, it was hard to miss all of the wooden stools on stage. I was not yet old enough to wotk

at the Magic Castle so

if this was going to be my venue, then work-

ing off a stool seemed perfectly logical. At that time, m1, act consisted of Cut & Restored Rope, jumbo Invisible Deck, Money Machine and

All standard tricks but all good tricks too. At this earl1, s12gs of my development I didn't u/ant to worry about whether my tricks'were an)r good. With this tepertoire I could at least be asthe Linking Rings.

sured that m1, routifles wete being constructed on a solid foundation

of proven magic.

At an unfinished furniture store I purchased a basic wooden stool, After removing the wooden seat I built a more functional top that measured 14 inches in diameterby 2]/z inches thick. The stool top was made to hinge open, revealing a circular storage space inside.

\fhile this space was extremell,limited I was able to fit my four Linking Rings, the jumbo Invisible Deck and the roll of paper for the N{oney N{achine. A shelf made out of Lexan plastic was added underneath the seat. Bv making this shelf out of clear plastic the stool retained its normal see-through appe rafice. After staining and flnishing the wood and cor.ering the top with Naugahyde, it looked like a first class bar stool while in fact it was a \ref\r pfactical magic table. E9

Mwr Avrnw Wonornt

Without rcahzingit, this stool may have been my first foray into the use of ordinaty looking objects as magic props. Even though this stool had clearly been customtzed for my act, rt was still a famlliat

looking object that raised little or no suspicion. Eventually I would make this a hard fast rule for any object that made its way into my act.

Both the effect of the Money Machine and the principle it depends ofl are very old. Reproduced here is an engraving from Albert Hopkins' Mogrt published rn1897. During the 1950s Bob Haskell tutned the rollers upright and had Merv Taylor produce a .very populat version. By the early 1970s these original Haskell machines were already collector items and that's when my friend I(irk ICrkham decided to produce a Money Machine that was virtually identical to Merv Taylor's. I was aw^re that a cheap plastic model had been zvatlable

for yeats and that the method was widely known r00

(L4,

lI

e

rr

1955 adJor TE,

/6 v-

t/.te

2 a de )

[on

e1'

llaclti t e a L'ai la ble di rect!, j'0ru Haske/1.

*"T)'8*tv u!,G,f.ffio.

(ltigltt) PubliciS sltat oJHa:kell taken 12,

Bob

C lt i cttgo i g"ea t ilteatti ca /

photogapher

lIauice

Sel'notrt:

,ous lous

7 V tI

ond th"

I'o'; - bur

'"'sll'^-,., sr

,oJ"il;;;rfikk but for some reason, the idea of a machine that could priflt money stiil appealed to me. I knew that it viould have to be the routine rather than the m)rstery that spelled success or failure. Even at this eady stage of my m glcal development I was striving to make my magic appe^r logical. Of course magic effects by their very nature are illogical but that didn't mean that my patter and presentations had to be illogical. This was one of the first routines whete what I claimed was happening could not possibly be happening and yet, miraculousll,, what the audience was seeing proved my outlandish claim to be true. N{y words made me sound like an idiot but my actions made me look like a genius. I would return to this presentational stfategy lnan1r times in the future.

One thing that appealed to me about this N{onev N{achine was how the rollers started out white and after rolling a dollar bill through the machine, the bill turned blank and the rollers turned green, as

if they

had absorbed the ink off the bill. Logical yes, but in realitv completely

ridiculous. I decided that in my routine I would ink the roliers, print some money and then run out of ink.

in the N{agic Castle's old Wine Cellar which during the earh' 1970s was the "big room." That room can best be described as a parlor situation and I think that this effect is best suited to that size audience. N{ost of m1, performances of this trick took place

rl

Mwr

Avnw Wottppl

Obtain a stack of btand new one-dollar bills from the bank. These bills appear to be hot off the press because basically they ate' And because the bills are btand nev/, they all have the same date. Note this date and temember it. Five one-dollar bills are formed into a continuous strip by taping their ends together using narrow pieces of dull transparent tape. This tape, ironically called Magic Tape by the 3M Company, becomes

invisible when it is rubbed down. To the end of this strip of bills tape a novelty three-dollar

bill. Back in the 1970s it was common to hear something odd teferred to as being "as queer as a three-dollat bill." Today this phrase has taken orr an entirely different meaning and I would not include it in this routine. Fig. 1. To the tight end of this money strip tape a piece of white papet. This is the piece that is going to give the imptession that the ptinter is running out of ink. To create this illusion cut

Fig. 1 In arder of aPPearailce: f.ue one-dollar bi/ls, a threedollar bill, tbefade-out bill and

f.nalj

a lengtb oJ blankpaper.

off about one inch from the left end of a dollat bitl and rubber-cement it onto the left end of the white paper. Ever-narrower pieces off the bill are pasted next to the one-inch piece with ever-wider blank spaces between them. The result is that, from a distance of a few feet, it apPears that the image is fading away. Of course today, with scanners and Photoshop, a perfect fade-out

bill could

be made using a computer. Fig. 2. \Watning: It is illegal to ptint US currency for fun or profit'

Beginning with the blank end, this long strip is rolled into the Money Machine. After the last bill in the sttip disappears into the tollets, a single dollar bill is fed in closely behind. Then lastly, a dollarbill-size piece of blank paper is rolled in. The goal is to have the last bit of roller turn white iust as the last end of the blank paPer disappears into the tollers. Making this come out Perfectly tequires a lot of

unrolling, adjusting, and re-rolling but once you hit the mark exactly, you never have to do it again. t0z

Fig. 2 Tbe tbree dollar bill is prueded into tbe rallers b1 nry a ntiq

t a ted fa de-o u t bi II wbi cb

was made b1 nntingerer ltarrower strips

of

a dollar bill and

ghting tberu onto blank paper.

Monrv Mnutm

At a local printer have a pad of blank paper cut down to the size of z dollar bill with the glue along the end. I catried this bill-size pad in a conveniently sized leather wallet that would also hold extra new one-dollat bills that wete tequired

Fig. 3 A dollar-bill-:iryd blank tablet was carried in a wallet.

for the reset. Fig.3. The toll of paper is glued together four inches from the end. When the roll is placed onto the spindle the end of the paper can be inserted between the two rollers. By turning the knob on top, it appears as if the roll is unwinding as the paper is apparently ctanked through the rollers but in fact, the roll is not turning at all. The illusion of movement is quite deceptive.

The final ptop is alarge pau of scissors. Fot some reason these scissors have become a key ingtedient in many of my routines; Bill in Ciga4 Linking Rings, Linking Coat Hangers, Walking I(not, Silverwate and Coat. In this routine the scissofs afe carted in an inside coat pocket while the wallet is in the opposite inside pocket.

The money machine is introduced as a recent creation and to demonstrate it you will need to bottow a dollar bill from someone in the audience. Take a bill from a gentleman who is seated as close to you as

possible. Looking closely at the bil1, say the date that is actually on the

strip of bills.

Oftentimes after the show, audience membets will ask to see the spectator's bill and anyone who looks at the date will see that it actually is the same as the date on the bortowed bill. After miscalling the date, sniff the bill.

Hmmm,I

can stillsmell the mint.

Coins are produced at the mint. Bills are printed at the Bureau of Engtaving but these facts do not prevent this line from getting

a

iaugh. Then, picking up the money machine... These rollers haue been coated

bill

between the rollers,

the rollers. Ob,

with an ink-absorbing solution,

so

f I insert the

tarn the knob on top, the image of the bill is absorbed onto

tbankloafor the bill.

As the bill apparently passes thtough the printer the rollers change 0l

Mn Avnw

Wonomt

Figs.

4 d,

5

As

tbe borrowed bil/ is cranked throtgh tbe Monel Machine the rollers cbangefron wbite to green

from white to greeri. Figs. 4 and

5.

Tteating the now blank piece of paper as if it were still worth a dollar, it is returned to the gentleman with the attitude that riow you're even. This always produced alaagh at the gentleman's exPense

-

literally. Now

f there was somethingl wanted to ba1 that cost one dollary I'ue made it

uerl simplefor m1ulf,

The money machine is set down and the wallet is removed from your coat and opened.

Ilast rip

off

dollar billfrom

a

piece ofpaperfrom the

the gerutleman

pad...

rrP off a

in the audience... place

the

paper between the rollers and turn the crank. I get a nice fresh, a nice crisp one-dollar bill.

As stated, a piece of paper is inserted into the machine and a bill is ptinted. Fig. 6. Fig. 6 Thir newfi-pinted bil/ ruries Aftet the bill is printed, set the money maearlien chine down, pick up the wallet and start moving toward the gentleman. It appears as if you are going to return the bill to him but suddenly you stop and

say,

And I want to thankloa :irfor that one-dollar bill. During that line the bill is placed into the wallet and the wallet is retutned to your pocket fot another laugh. Now lets sa1 I wanted to bu1 something that

costs more

tban a dollar

I

could

start crankingpieces ofpaper throwgh tbis macbine but that could take all da1

so

I'ue solued that problem with adding macbine paper

Remove the toll of paper and slip it over the spindle. Tbe roll ofpaper gnes ouer tbis spindle, the end of

104

the

paper is inserted between

tbe same date tbat was nitcalled

Monrv

the rollers, aligning

it with tbe image

crank and I get a dollar If

I

of the gentlemanJ

lflnant

dollar Then I turn tbe

tarn the crank more, I get more than a dollar The

moreJoil turn, tbe moreJoil edrn.

Crank out five dollars in a tow and then stop. Don't wonl si6I hauen'tforgtten aboat the dollarl owe

yu.

Infact

I'llpint

up a brand new oneforloa rigfit nou

Turn the knob but the next bill that appears is the three dollar bill. Fig. 7. IYait a second, a three-dollar bill... that's queer Must in there. Let me tr1 again.

be a loose gear

Fig. 7 Tbe illu:ion of the blankpaper beingpulled throtrgh the rollers is pedect

Continue to turfl and the fade-out bill appears, followed by a few inches of white paPer. Fig. 8. Oh,Iforgot to explain. On! printed

before

I

haue to

so

mary bills can

be

re-ink the rollers.IYoaldyu bap-

pen to haue another one-dollar bill?

Having learned this lesson the hard way, the man declines to donate any mofe money to the cause.

No problem, I'lllwst cat one offfrom the beginrting of the roll, Ftg. 8 unfortunatefifor the rpectator tbe rollers haue run oat

of ink.

infact

these

should bejust aboat dry now.

The machine is set down and the scissots are removed from the pocket. Because the strip of tape holding the bills together is so nartow able to cut the

bill off leaving the taped

I

am

edge be-

hind. This leaves a completely ungimmicked bill that is retutned to the gentlemafl. Fig. 9.

Fig. 9 Tbe spectator receiuet afvshlt

pinted dollar bil/.

During the years that the Money Machine v/as part of my act, I became very comfortable performing the routine and eventualiy, stopped thinking about it. Years (actually decades) Iater I was discussing the routine with m1, friend Luis de Matos in Portugal and Luis pointed out that I

had stopped thinking too soon. He was right.

If

the rollers really were coated with an ink-absorbing solution they wouldn't turn solid green as the bill passed between them, they would instead pick up a reverse impression of a dollar bill' The front of the bill would appe^r on one roller and the back of the bill ofl the other.

It was so logical, how could I not have reahzed it? Luis eventually had t05

Mur (wnw

WonmBt

two full-size rubbet stamps made that produced the reverse image of both sides of a dollar bill. I'm sure it was much easier to get these stamps made in Portugal than it would be in the United States. The Sectet Service frowns on any device that teproduces the image of out money, even if it is a reverse image. To make this fat more realistic money machine the rollers need to be approximately two inches in diametet. This allows the impression of the bill to wrap once around the roller as it would in an actual

printing press. The green ribbon would be replaced by a three-inchwide piece of white ribbon. The first 6J/z rnches on each side of the white ribbon arcleft blank, then six impressions of the front of the bill are stamped orr one side and six imptessions of the back of the bill are stamped on the back. Following the sixth impression a fade-out

bill is stamped on both sides of the ribbon. The fade out impression can be created by inking up the rubbet stamps and then wiping off more and more ink as you pass a cloth ftom one end to the other. The goai is to leave one end of the stamp fully inked znd gradaally reduce the ink until the opposite end is clean. By stamping the white strip with the stamp in this condition, a fadtngimage is produced. Following the fade-out bill is a length of blank white ribbon. The strip is wrapped around the rollets in the standard figute-eight pattern with the ends then petmanently attached to the tollers. Revolving the rollers gives the illusion that one image is going atound one roller while the other image is going around the other roller. Of course today the entire money sttip, including the fading image, could be ptoduced on

ptinted on a piece of cloth. on the printing No*, the audience sees the image of a dollat ^pPeat rollers as it vanishes from the gentleman's bill. They see inked rollets going round and tound as blank paPer Passes between the "inked" rollers and ptoperly printed bills emerge. Even though the pattet a computer and

sounds completely ridiculous, the money machine is actually accom-

plishing everything that is being claimed. This conversation with Luis teminded me of Dai Vernon's sage advice, "Dofl't stop thinking too soon.

A routine is never finished, it can always be improved."

g

06

--:Z-.J

Half Done, \bsenite

lr'a//e1,

Calfornia, 1996. Plsoto: Rob

CaL'ene1'.

at

hen I was fifteen years old I met Merlin Eifett who was a won-

Perfonr i ng the I rupro nQ tu

Linking Coat Hangers in Land, Sweden Octaber 2008. Pboto: Arto Airuksinen.

derful character and dedicated magician. Within a ye r of our meeting he would become president of the Pacrfic Coast Association of Magicians. At his home one night Merlin showed me his clever idea for linking together two ungimmicked coat hangers. This was my first brush with coat hanger magic, a simple idea that would play a huge tole in my future magical life. The gimmick was a piece of stiff black wire and befote the evening was thtough he had given me one. I loved the idea and started experimenting with thinner and thinner pieces of wire and then adding some moves to enhance the illusion that the hangers were indeed linked. Eventually I purchased the rights from Medin and matketed my version of the Impromptu Linking Coat Hangets. The gimmick is made from piano wire, which can be obtained from some hardware stores and online. It is sold in three-foot lengths and is avarlable rn avariety of thicknesses. I use .015" diameter but the ttick can be petformed with even thinner wire. Be watned, however, as the wire gets thinner, the handling becomes increasingly difficult. The original gimmick was painted black but the constant rubbing of the hangers against the gimmick caused the paint to wear off. This problem was solved by applving Gun Blue (available in gun stores) to the raw steel wire. This caused a chemical reaction that tutned the silver metal to a midnight blue color. This was aperfect system when I was making only a few gimmicks for myself. \When I started to produce these gimmicks in larger quantities I took the wire to a metal finishing compan)r and had a thousand pieces at a time treated with black oxide, which is another chemical Process that turns the surface of the steel black. The advantage of a chemical reaction over paint is that with black oxide there is no thickness added to the wire and no outer coating to wear off. The three-foot piece of wire is cut into thirds and each l2-inch piece is bent into the shape shown in Fig. 1. 09

Mwr Avnrv Wommt

Fig. 1 The gimruick is nadefroru a 12-inch piue of .01 5" piano wire.

Fig. 2 The {g-7ag md is tucked behindloar belt batkle.

The bent tip on one end points up while the zig-zag end points in the opposite direction.The zig-zag end is slipped behind your belt buckle, allowing the long arm to stick straight out in front of you.trig.2. By bending the arm over to one side the bent tip can be slipped into one of your belt loops. It can temain undetected in this out-ofthe-way position fot houts. When its service is required it is a simple matter to pull the end out of your belt loop with your thumb.

The gimmick is most diffcult to see when the arm is pointing directly into the spectatots'eyes. Thus, if you are standing on a stage the gimmick is bent at a slight downwatd angle. If you ate working in a dimly lit bar or lounge with people very close up, the arm should be bent at an upward angle. Since this illusion depends on the gimmick not being seen by the audience, the background that is directly behind the wite (yout clothes) is of paramount impottance. Datk clothing ptovides an effective backdrop but best of all is a shirt or iacket with a busy

patterfl. The better the backdrop, the less critical your lighting

becomes.

When performing for alarge gtoup, with some distance between myself and the audience, I use white coat hangers which tend to show up better. In more intimate situations with spectatots right on top of me, black wire hangers work f,ne and tend

to cre te a more convinc-

ing illusion. The coat hangers are held by the hooks, one in each hand. By holding the left hand hanget above the right hand hanger you will be able il0

_l

) 'l lr lrnl lif of ll.tL

Ltlp

l',ttr, ,

r',

/f,, t, //', /,,tt , t

///i.k flt.t.tt'.t

il.trorr.ql.t

il.tt trfbLt-

l.,,rtr!t t.

I iy. 1 l//lirtglqx rt/ ll.r /rn'tr l.t,rtt2rr d/tl f)//tl.)it/,!ll.tt trfptr 1 1,,111i1tif iti,t/,; /1, i//tr;i,,rt.

1,,1t1.1.

to pass the bent tip of the simmick through {1rst the upper: hanget (Fig. 3) and then the lol er hanser. The los-er hanser is los-ered dos-n until it is resting on the s-ire. Fig.4. Then the upper hanger is slid fors-ard until the lou,er hanser is pinned asainst the bent tip. Throuah-

out the r:outine \-ou must maintain this pressure asainst the bent tip. Bv lettins go of the lorver hanger

it

s-i11

ss'ing back and for:th cleatins the illusion that

the ts'o hansers ale linked. Fig. 5. Even though the tips of the l-rangers must remain pre-ssed asainst the

bent tip at all times this does not

mean that the bent tip has to remain stationan'. Be-

left hand can mo\-e the upper hanger up and dos-n or back and forth, s-hic1-r subth suggests that there is nothing attached cause the s-ire is so flexible, vour:

to

1"1. /rn

r

tl-re hangers.

) lltt l//rr:)ut i: ttltrttrrl b1 l.ttrlrrg lltt t

l.,rr

tt


t'

-t

t'i t t:< btrik trnrl /iftl.t.

The tbllos'ing ts-o mo\-es con\-ince the audience that the 1-iansers ar:e indeed linked. Bl t\\-istins vour:1eti l-rand in a clocks-ise direction the los-er l-iangel s-i11 start to slide fiom lefl to risht alons the bottom

Mn (wnw

Wmonr

side of the upper hanger. I(eep the gim-

mick parallel to the floor. Fig. 6. The upper hanger continues to revolve 180 degtees, resulting in the lower hanger sliding all the way over to

the opposite corrier where it v/ill freely swing back and forth. Fig. 7.

With your tight hand grab the toP corner of the lowet hanget right next to the bent tip of the gimmick. Raise the opposite end of the lowet hanget up unti1 the long side is neady parallel to the

floot. From this position you will be able to pull the long side of the lower hanger

At

Hanger"

of

Ftg. 6 Twisting the tpper hanger in a ilockwise direction caases the lower hanger to slide along tbe long side

upper banger.

ilz

of

the

a lecture

tbe

Mike

demonstrates tbe dreaded

'Floating Coat tip

b1 not maintainingpressure against the bent

ginnick. Pboto:

IYendell Breqina.

Ftg. 7 As tbe upper hanger continaer to tarn, tbe lower hanger slides all the wa1 to tbefar end.

lmpBompru Ununo

Ftg. 8 Usinglour right band turn the lower banger antil the book is at the bottom

andlou

can

plll

the long side

0n

llnorBt

Fig. 9 Continae pulling tbe loa,er hanger touard the right

until the left end i: touching

tbe

ginmick.

stra$ht ouer tbe gimnick toward tbe ight.

along the wire gimmick. Fig. 8.

Continue pulling until the opposite end of the lower hanger is against the

wire gimmick (Fig. 9), then release your hoid on the lowet hanger aliowing it to swing back and forth. Fig. i0.

Grab hold of the lower hanger with your right hand and push the two hangefs tou/ard one another.

An opening

will form where the hangers ovedap. In this position the hangers are no longer

Ftg. l0

L"et

go

of

tbe lou'er ltanger, alloairg

back andfortb on tbe gintnick.

it

to tu,ing

in contact with the bent tip. Move both hangets awaSr flsr,rr you until they are clear of the gimmick. Fig. 11. t1

Mur Gwnw fl/otonr

Fig.

11 Pasbingtbe bangers toward one anotber allowslott to moue tbenz

forward and

still

belieue

euen tbougb

tbq, are both clear

of

the

gimnick tbe spectators

Fig. 12

The bangerc

fron

girumick.

the

$i/l

appear to be linked as thel are moued awal

thel are linked.

It would be possible at this point to seParate the hangers showing that they ate unlinked but since all of the attention is focused right whete the gimmick is located, this is flot recommended. Instead, continue rubbing the hangets against one anothef as you taise them (and the audience's

attentiori) up toward your face. trig.1,2. Once their attention has been relocated far

from the scene of the crime, you can safely allow the hangers to slowly melt apart. Fig. 13. Fig. 13 OnlJt wben tbe hangers reach at least sboalder leuel doya ruagica@

unlink

tbem.

Disposing of the gimmick could flot be easier since the gimmick is essentially invisible. Duting the applause both hangers are held in one hand with your atm relaxed in ftont of you. In this position you will find that your fingers are right next to, or touching, the wire gimmick. \Tithout

looking, take hold of the gimmick, pull it out from behind your belt and set it (with the hang-

in your case. Fig. 14. This routine is most effective when presented

ers) on a table or

in someone's home and the coat hangers ate taken ll4

Fig. 14

Once the

lick

fu ouer tbe bangers are held momentarify at

waii

leuel. Onceloar fngers feel the gimmick it can be surreptitioasfy remoued fron behindyrr belt and pat awal atitb the hangers.

lnppompru Lnnno [onr l]rrterBs

right out of the homeowner's closet. On occasion I have invited a child up to help me demonstrate how easy magic can be. He is given pa:r' of coat hangers and told to do as I do. Hold tbem b1 the hooks, rub

a

the ends together and tben letgo of tbe bottom hanger

\7e both follow these instructions but upon letting go, my coat hangers are linked and one of his falls on the floor. I unlink mine and say,

Oh,

I

\We

switch coat hangers and do the same thing ag tn and as before,

must haue giuenloa the wrong ones.

mine are linked and his are not.

It dou take a bit ofpractice so take these home, keep working on it and before 1ou know itloa'll haue euery coat hanger in the hoase linked together in a chain. This ptesentation is a good lesson in spectator maflagement. The goal is to keep the young fellow's attention focused on his two coat hangers rather than on yours (where the gimmick is). You can use

your free hand to point out where he should be looking while at the same time masking his view of the gimmick.

Occasionally, when hosting a stage show, I would perform my

other Linking CoatHanger routine in the fitst half and then after lntefmlsslon

say,

During intermission

I

ouerheard some people discussrng tbe

Hangers and saggesting that thel must be trick hangers.

I

Linking Coat

am here to

tellyu tbat

this is absolwtefi not true and I'll proue it.

Then aboy was invited to the stage and we did the impromptu routine. Rather than conflicting with each other, the two similar routines actually enhanced one another.

E

5

'ti:

t

is

! ers ! I stil

used the

fiy

Linking Coat Hang-

years arid yet, somehow,

I am

oat hangers. This has to be the

ultimate proof of my theory that says if you disguise a classic magic trick with different props and then create an original routine you will

in the eyes of laymen you will have cteated a brand new magic trick. The Linking Coat Hangets is the ttick that taught me the value of this theory. My actBc (before coat hangets) consisted of the Cut & Restored Rope, jumbo Invisible Deck and the Linking Rings. Once I saw the Pou/er of trading rings fot coat harigets, I traded juggling clubs for mannequin atms, made the Bill in'Wallet into the Bill in Cigar, the Gypsy Thread into Magic Paper and so on. As a teenageg after studying the Linking Ring moves rn The Dai Wrnon Book of Magic,I was anxious to obtain a coPy of Dai Vetnon's Slmpbory of the Rings.In the introduction Lewis Ganson states that ptiot to the publication of this manuscript Vernon taught his routine to just four friends and each of them "adapted the routine to suit their own styles." I decided to follow in the footsteps of the Professot's friends and adapt the routine in an effort to create a style. One school of thought regarding the Linking Rings is that thete is no magic if members of the audience don't examine the dngs. I understand the thinking behind this theory but have never accepted it as gospel. One of the most magical toutines I have set yourself apart from all other performets and

have evet seerr'\r/as Richard Ross' vetsion of the rings. Silent, slow and 1

9 83

the

M-U -M naga{ne feataing

Linking Coat Hangers.

nothing was examined but the magic was extremely powerful. Eventually the numbet of rings in my routine was reduced ftom six to four: one key ring, a single, anda chain of two. My fnai routine

couldnt have been simpler. Link the key and single together and then take them Link the other pair together and, if convenient, hand ^p^rt. them out for examination otherwise just hang them on my arm. Ctash Link the key and single and then link both paits together into a chain V

of four. Then I would unlink the rings one at a time. In an obscute book written by George Blake (Comedl Magic,1,966) I found a routine called The Perverse Rings. George's idea was to have the key ring become linked to the buttonhole of your jacket. Then, in an effort to ftee the ring, you would pick up a pair of scissors that would also become linked onto the ring. I liked the idea of the magician losing control of the magic. As my routine was taking shape I had a fottuitous lunch with three friends: Alan Wakeling, Don Bice andJohn Gaughan. \When I mentioned that I was working ofl a ting routine Alan suggested that when the last two rings refuse to unlink I should pull out a hacksaw which suddenly becomes linked onto the ring. I immediately loved the idea

it on me. the Linking Soon I was closing my ^ctwith

and Alan gtaciously bestowed

Rings featuring the hacksaw finish.

Pete Biro is the one who found the heavy gauge aluminum coat hangers and suggested

that I do my Ring routine with hangers.

I

obtained a quantity of these hangers and started experimenting.

The first change was made during the construction of the key hanger. Rather than having the normal gap that has to be concealed by your flngers thtoughout the routine I made it more like Jetry Andrus'

Linking Safety Pin where the cut ends of the key are acttally touching. By having these ends perfectly aligned it wasn't necessary to keep the gap covered. The key could

be safely held at any point without fear

of

I developed a handling that allowed the other hangers to link exposing the gimmick.

and unlink from the key with ease.

My frst inclination was to just perform TbeJaruots Ho@aaotl tbeatrical pbotographer pictttrc in 1971' my existing Linking Ring routine with coat hangers but I soon discovered that certain moves v/ere not possible with a coat hanger. Other riew moves were developed that could only be executed with coat hangers. A step-bytio

li0

John Rud thot tbis

pubtici/

Lnrna

step description of the entire routine

0n

will not be included here

llr,nr,rBs

because

of the moves you need a gimmicked set of coat hangers (which are still avatlable on my website) and they include a detailed explanation of the routine in both DVD and printed fotm.

in order to attempt

any

Reproducing it hete wouldn't be fau to the mzny magicians around the wotld who have purchased the routine.

@

will only succeed if the audience cares about his magic. Why should an audience care if you are a m glc shop? able to link and unlink steel rings that you bought ^t The short ans'wer is, they shouldn't. Trading in my magic shop rings for an object that evefy single spectator has dozens of at home in their closets made all the difference. The ofle thing that we all have in common is that our coat hangers seem to multiply at will and the more we have, the more easily they tangle together. This shared ttait is horv I got them to, if not care, atleast identify with what I was doing. That's when It

has often been said that a magtcian

the routine became less about mysteriously linking solid objects together and more about me raising coat hangers at home and

the spectators gettiflg tangled up in theirs. Audiences immediately warmed up to this presentation and before long coat hanger guy.

I

was the

I can't tell you how many

people have come uP to me over the yeats and explained how when cleaning out their

in coat haflgers and how they ended up talking closets they got hopelessly tangled up

Iol,r

Reed tlten recorded the

rT,rtt3ett

ir

1975.

trursitior

f'on LirkiryNngs

ta

Linkiry

Coal

and laughing about my act. Some magicians arc -very guarded about

their magic, never showing or discussing anything with other performers for fear that their ideas will be stolen. Ever since m), teenage years in The Long Beach N{ystics I have taken q

E / Catuina Ca//ege,

If I

had never talked about or Performed my ring routine for any of my friends I might still be doing Vernon's the exact opposite approach.

Symphony of the Rings. But because

I kept my eyes and ears open

and actively sought out advice from my peers I was able to develop

a

trademark routine. \Xihen

I originally offered this routine to the magtc community I

tried to make it as self contained as possible thus it was limited to iust the four coat hangers and the hacksaw. But as Dai Vernon did in his Slmphory of tbe Rings manuscript,

I too encouraged my customers to

thinking and make the routine their own. For my own act I created a finish that was quite a bit more elabor^te thafl what u,as described in the instruction book. I will describe it hete in order to demonstrate how to transform a f,nal trick into a real keep

closing number.

1

975.

Lnuta

Since

I had

An

tiltrnrirBt

always used a large pak of scissors in my act (Money

Machine, Cut and Restored Rope, Bill in Cigar) I decided to incorporate George Blake's idea of getting scissors linked onto the coat hang-

After using the scissors eatly in my

the blade would be tucked ^ct behind my belt buckle and there they would sit, in full view, throughout the performance. The audience got so used to seeing the scissors sticking out of my belt that their Presence became unmemorable. er.

I begin the routine by

saying,

I

raise coat hangers at home in m1 closet

and I'ue had these two euer since thel were nothing bat little paper clips. These Fig. 1 Tbe netal chp attacbed

to

uppermo$ babl hanger is aisible at

it

extends out

of

tbe clmparttnent.

few wotds concisely establish the ptemise and suggest the preposterous notion thatpaper clips are actually baby coat hangers. With this in

mind I made a chain of baby co^th^ngers. The hanger at ofle end of the chain had a latge clip attached that could easily eflgage the full-size hangets. The hangers in this chain were carefully stacked and concealed in a compartment with the clip extending to the outside. Fig.

The hanger

^tthe

1.

opposite end of the chain

was loosely attached to the stool

with

a strong

loop of fishing line. The compartment was fotmed from a single piece of sheet metal by bending it into a Ushape and then covering it with black felt. The compartment u/as used as a shelf thus diminishing the fact that it doubled as a hiding place. Throughout my act the four coat hangers hung frorn a peg at the top rcar of the stool. In this position the long side of these hangers passed right by the clip. And finally, I added small caster wheels to the legs of the stool. Fig. 2.

Near the end of the toutine I unlinked two hangets from the key and as I hung them on the

Fig. 2 Stool

seetr

ftnru behind a.,it/t tlte banget"s banging on t/te peg, tbe in the contpaitnent artd caster wbee/s on tbe legs.

bab1, bangers loaded

7t

lrlur (avnw Wonont

peg

I

snapped their long sides into the clip. Fig. 3.

After the hacksaw was linked to the key the third hangerwas unlinked and it too was hung on the peg. Then my atterition teturned to the task of

ttying to unlink the hacksaw. Finally, defeated, I gave up. The handle of the hacksaw was held in my right hand and the hook of the key was in my left. And dont forget that the handle of the scissors v/as still sticking uP out of my belt. Fig. 4. During the last line of patter my left thumb

Fig. ) As tbe cltain-of-nt'a t retarned to tbe back of tlte stool thel are :n@ped into the clip on tbe balry coat hanger cbain.

pressed the key open so that the short arm could

slide through the scissor handle. Figs. 5

By letting go of the hanger

Fig. 4 (Aboue bemase tbe

left hand

leJt)

tick

slow!

At

this

Daing

6.

I could spread my arms

point the arns are relaxed

is apparent! ouer.

&

tbe

in

front of

rue

line of pauer n1

fnal

approaches tbe bandle oJ the scissorc.

trig. 5 (rigbt center) I'ue used a clr,Pk of dffirentfnal lines, one of them being, 'Tf ltoa d like to wake up with a smile onlottrfacq go t0 bed witb a coat hanger inlour moutb." Upon uling tbe last word, ru1 thumb pashed tbe ke1 open and invrted tbe arm throtgb the scissort bandle.

Fig. 6 (Right)

I

then let the hanger slide down antil

tbe .rci.r.ror bandle.

77

it is hangingfrom

out in a

"ta-dl"

Lnune (on lliltornt

pose and by doing so, the scissors were pulled

out of my belt. Fig.

7.

The scissors v/ere seen dangiing from the key hanger which in turn was dangling ftom the hacksaw. Fig. 8.

This surptise call back to the scissors always produced laughter and because the trick was obviously over, applause as well. Switching the hack saw over to the left hand freed my right hand to Fig. 7 The left hand

igbt

band

to

pttll

releases

its bold on the coat hanger, allowingthe

the scissors outfrom bebind tbe belt.

pick up the three hangers hanging on the back of the stoo1. They would be lifted off the peg and moved straight back which pulled the entire

miniature chain out of the compartment. \With arms raised I would take a couPle of steps to the left thus creating the final pose. Hanging from the saw in my left hand was the key coat hanger but because of the design of the key

I

didn't have to worry about exposing the gap. Hanging ftom the key hanget were the scissots. Gripped in my right hand wete three coat hangers that wete clipped to a five-foot chain of baby coat hangers that in turn were attached to the stoo1. The baby coat haflgers provided a call-back to my opening line about raist^nce of this ing coat hangers from paper clips. The sudden ^PPe wall of hardware was riot only sutprising but it also looked ridiculous.

Fi3. 8 This odd lookingcbain wat tol ltotv the routine was Ja$oie :o

ud

iiltlt.

bat

it

did prouide a comical

the perfotmer normally walks off stage At the end of ^n ^ct and the curtain closes ot, lacking a cartain, a stagehand enters and removes the props to the wings. In less formal settings it usually falls to the performer to clear away his props and is anything more anti-climactic than foliowing one's big fnish by clearing the stage. Instead of the audience's final tmage being you vanishing c ge full of doves it is of you crawling around on the dance ^ floor picking up cards. That was the beauty of the pande of hangers.

I

started walking stage left with my arms fully extended everything on stage followed me. With the saw, hanger, and scissors actiflg as the cowcatcher, me as the engine, the chain of hangers as the train and

As

the stool as the caboose, it was quite a sight. Very often I served as master of ceremonies on these shows so I would have to return immediately in order to inttoduce the next act, 171

Mttr Avnw

WonorBt

which always felt like a bit of an anti-climax. After seeing my big finish the audience got to listen to me talk for another minute or tu/o. During a week at the Magic Castle I was able to turn this untheattical moment into an asset. Tifla was waiting in the left wing as my little train pulled into the station. As soon as I disappeared behind the curtain she would take the three Linking Coat Hangers from me and continue pulling the same speed as I took off running like a bat ^t out of hell. I ran straight up stage, behind the back curtain and back downstage in the stage right wing. Then, iust as the stool was about to disappear into the stage left wing I would step out onto the opposite side of the stage and say, How'bout a nice handforMike Caueruel? It's not that the audience was fooled by -y reappear^rrce but the level of their surprise was indicated by the huge reaction it never failed to generate.

As I u,alked of stage all of nry props followed. m1 hading ann disappeared bebind tbe cartain Tina took tbe coat banger, saw and

(Aboue) Tbe ridiculoas srune at the end of n1 act. (Opposite toD scissorcfrom

At

rue.

(Opposite center)

As I

disappeared behind tbe cartain she took the tbree hangersfrom rue and continaed

palling the stool at the sarue speed. (Opposite bottom) other

74

ide of

fust

before tbe slool disappeared behind the cnrtain

tlte stage and called

ntlself backfor a

bow.

I

(as tbe erurce) appeared on tbe

ln 1976 don, I ! I clearly

ke's Magic Place

in Lon-

n though the instructions eck's version of Lubot

I

it as The Dtiebeck Die. But after recently spending a memorable day with Lubor Fiedler's Lubor Die (The Gozinta Box)

always referred to

Fiedler and expetiencing f,rst-hand the breadth of his sheer genius, I now refet to it by the name under which Lubor himself frst offeted it to the magic world, The Lubor Die. Bob Dtiebeck's contribution was to make the box into a large die and add a frnal shell that turned the die into a Chinese-style box. Both of these are worthy additions but they paie in comparison to the genius of Lubor's otiginal invention.

I loved the absurd logic that the effect demonstrated:

a large die

was placed into a case that a few seconds earlier was inside the die.

It

served as the opening to my act fot many years and

I still use it on

occaslofl.

I(en Brooke's instructions went into great detail on how the pieces of the die and case were stacked and positioned on a table.I thought surely there must be a way to perform this routine strictly in the hands, without the use of a table. That handling, along with a few subtleties, is my only contribution to the routine.

Over the years I wofe out two I(en Brooke props not because of the perfotmances but because they were made from vinyl plastic and

couldnt withstand the ttavel. Eventualiy Ihad a skilled toy designet (Randy I{impert) construct one out of a stiffer and more durable plastic. The toletances u/ere so close that it was necessary to drill four ttrly holes through the top and bottom of the die and the bottom ^ff of the Chinese box to allow the tight-fitting shells to slide aP^rt.I(en's dies were always red but since the standard classic die is white (and because white looks bigger on stage) we made the die white. The box

inside is supposed to be a canying case so this box was covered with

natural wood contact paper leaving

a

wide border around each side. 177

It;'ith Ken Brooke at Kel Brookei ,\[ryir Phru in I-ordc,r, -lrr/1' / 976, a lirttt ty'ttt ered tfu

f nest denor.rtntlor it

Ktt

n'a.r con.rid-

ltagtc.

The wood gives the appearance of a strong u/ooden box and the black border plays an important role in the overall illuston.

This description is mainlv for those who own a Driebeck Die or Gozinta Box but others might be interested to see how I attempted to m^xtmlze the illusion of the die being large and the carrf ing case being small. The box and die were alwavs assembled the same way; with the bottom (Chinese s,vmbol) of the case facing me as it slid into the inner portion of the die and then the lid of the die slid on with the

I

of the inner box was. I will explain the moves as I do them but keep in mind that I am left handed. single spot facing me. This way

alwal,s knew where the bottom

;':#rP

irii

Il:'ith Lubor Fied/er Egl,ptian Hall A[asetn. At a cbild Ltrbar renenltercd seeingKarlini in his at'

natit'e

I

Jlil

Auslria.

wanted to start

lut

tun@h with d brand new trick. Something that nzne

haue neaer seen before. So

I

d

:topped lry the magic shop...

The laugh this line never failed to elicit always surprised me. I suppose it is funnv to laymen that a

m

a

trick that no one else owned.

gtctanwould go to a magic shop in search of

I spotted

this large wbite die.

The diagonalll, oppotite corners of the die are held between the palms of your hands and the die is spun providing a clear view of all sides. Fig.

It

1.

looked like apretl,good trick so I told thefel-

low bebind tbe counter that woald like to ba1 one and Ftg. 1 Die is di:plEed on all sides

b1'

spiniltgit

betn'een tbe

palns.

I

explained to him that

I

trauel around quite a bit so

I

Mn

Cwrnw Wonons

would need a carryting case to carryt tbe case was included so

I

it in. He told

said, "Great, where is it?" He

I

said

it

case

inside the die?" He said, "Yeah, we keep

was inside the die.

proturt it."

I

me that

said, "Yoa keep the carrying

it in

tbere to

see. If,/ell, be opened ap the die, reached inside

and pulkd out a small wooden box.

The die is held by the bottom in the left hand

with the ofle-spot facing you. Your right hand slides the outer die shell off and hangs it on your left little finger. Fig.2. Your right hand slides the box out of the die and sets it in the bend of your left arm. The bottom of the box (Chinese symbol) is against your chest and the box is held in place by the left

Fig. 2 81 holdingthe die with the one-spotfacingloa, tbe intide box alwEts fis in tbeproperposition.

forearm. Fig. 3.

This frees up your right hand to reassemble the die by removing the outer die shell from your little finger and replacing it on the inner die shell. Because yout left thumbtip extends about an inch up from the bottom of the inner shell, the outer die shell will slide down and come to rest on the thumbtip. The right hand then retakes the box with the

thumb on the bottom and the fingers on the top. The box and die are held side by side to compare their relative sizes. Tipping the die and box fotward slightly will help hide from the audience's view of the Chinese character on the bottom of

Fig. 3 It it tbe combination of yur lihh fnger acting as a hook and loarforearm acting at a tbe/f tbat allow tbe table to be elininated.

the box. Fig. 4. Now

euen

I

could see that the

little wooden box woald

neaer bold the large white die.

In this position the die looks considerably bigger than the box. The six-spotted side of the die will be facing the audience and even though the outer shell is being held up, the spots

^ppe^r to be in the proper position. The bottom row

of spots is actually positioned along the bottom edge of the shell but with an inch of the inner ri0

Fig. 4 Thh performerl uiew shows the left thamb tip holdiag ap the outer sbell af tbe die making the die look runtiderab! larger than the wooden box.

will

L

i3. 5 The sPztr

,;

lltt /l,a

0t

tlte die appear as tltel' .rltotld and tlte re/alire :i1,es

abject.r are

rast/1,dfferent.

Fig.6In

hand/ingthe n'ooder box, ilte baltott (Cltitese g'rubo/)

shell showing below these spots the die appears normal. Fig. 5. But I didn't rE arything and he didn't sa1 dnJthing. He just opened up box, took the die, dropped it inside and Pat on the lid. Now the die is turned upside down and set

Contptin3 tlte re/atit'e ,

.riqe.r

duritrg

l()07 perfornance in )luniclt,

C. nlatty. Phato: Tltoruas Frap.r.

i:

ah'a-y's kept tunted an'a1'-f)'attt ilte ,tttdienre.

tbe

into the bend of your right arm. Yout right forearm holds the one-sPot side of the die against vout chest. In this position the inner die shell will slide the final inch down into the outer die shell and vour right forearrn can helP shield this movement from the audience's view. Fig. 6.

Mtt (wrnw

Wonons

Fig. 7 It is daing the opening of the box tbat the inner the

f,nal

die shell

:/ide:

inch into tbe outer die sbell.

Fig. 8 Tbe tiry b/ack dot next to n4, right tburubtip is one of the air hales tbat a//oa,s tbe sbe//s to :/ide @an.

The bottom of the box is placed onto the palm of your left hand with your thumb on the side nearest you and your fngers on the opposite side. The

right hand is now ftee to remove the outer shell of the box.

Fig.7. The outer box shell is hung onto your left little finger. Then yout right hand cuds inwatd and grips the end of the upside-down die by placing your thumb on the bottom of the die (nearest the ceiling) and the little fnger on top of the die (nearest the floor). Fig. 8.

With this grip the die can be slid down into the box. Fig. 9. Then the outer box shell is tetrieved from the little finger and teplaced onto the box. Fig. 10.

Fig. 9 Tbe bottoru

17

of

tbe die isfacingme as

it is inserted into tbe

box.

Fig. l0

Then the oater shell is replaced on tlte box, conpleting the

ffict.

LupoB Dtr

The reassembled box sits on your outstretched left hand as the audience rezltzes the impossibil-

ity of what just occurred. Fig. 11. Of course the lid of the box stopped about an inch short of completely covering the inner box but because the inner box is black, the eye perceives it as part of the black border outlining the entire box.

I

So

sibk. '

|

'll-tt

audience needs a uoruent here to absorb that

uhatjust bap-

.:. i ttdeed inpossible.

and

I

startedfor bomq and I'm thinking,

So

it

I got off the bas,

was gone.

remembered.

impos-

went back to the magic sbop

its place wa!

d Chinese laandrlt. Then

He told ne that the instructions to the trick

were inside the

were written

In

I

thatl

in

box. IYhat

he

didn't tell me is that thel

Chinese.

The right hand gtips the outer box shell from above and by pressing the right index f,nger tip through the hole in the top of this outer shell the shell can be separated from the Chinese cube.

Pig.12. The outer box shell is hung on the left little f,nger so you can spin the Chinese cube between your palms thus showing it on all sides. Fig.

')

'['ltt

topper to the

efibt (Bob Diebeck': addition) is to remat'e

ThatJ wbl

I

can't do this

trick,I

13.

am szft).

::.r.;l.tel/ reuealingtbat the die has changed into a Cbinue b/ock.

And here is the punchline to this stoty. After performing this routine for over thirty-five yeats I fnally saw a video of Lubor demonstrating his Lubot Die. The entire routine was accomplished in his hands without once relying on a table. So perhaps I did create a simplifed handling of the Driebeck Die but it now appears that I didn't think of anything that the originator hadn't alrcady thought of himself.

;

"& I

)'I'lte

black borders on

each side

lfectiLe!' corcea/ tltefact that tlte

-,, .;lv// is not conQlete[t caL'eiilg tbe inner block.

11

-{ r- .lt

he origin of my Lie Detector goes back over

thirty years and I'm

from my memory. Here is what I know for sure. First, my friend Jim Olsen built the ^PP^ratus for me around 1982.The beautiful woodwork outside conceals m^ze of tadio-controlled electronics inside that I don't begin to unafuaid that many details have faded

^

derstand. Second, fot no good reason, I've nevef performed this trick even once.

It's diffcult for me to claim this idea as my own though I can't for the life of me think of where I might have seen it. A quick search through Bill I(alush's AskAlexandet database reveals that the lie detector premise existed long before mine was built. In 1985 I published Martin's Miraclu and it featured a wealth of commetcial magic from my pal Martin Lewis. The f,nal item in the book is Martin's Improved Lie Detector. It could be that Nlartin and I discussed this effect long before the book was pubiished. Matin's device was designed to be perfotmed close-up on a table top. My goal was always to ptesent it as a stage routine. In tecent years there have been a number of radiocontrolled Lie Detectors available on the magic matket' Perhaps it's

not surprising that electronics genius I(erry Pollock created his own radio controlied Lie Detector that looks like a metal detector. My ftiend Steve Walket in Australia has been perfotming the Lie Detector for mafiy years with great success and recalls f,rst reading about it in Martin's Miracles. Regardless of whete the original spark came ftom hete is what my idea turned into.

I would explain that I had invented a new kind of lie detectot that could perceive the truth just by hearing the sound of one's voice. The audience saw a natufal wood box with a front made from ttanslucent red plastic. To demonstrate its capabilities I would say, TodE is Tuesdal,bur_l would name the wrong day. Immediately the front of the 115

Mtt (wmw Wownt

Lie Detector box would light up with little light bulbs inside spelling out the word inuention and

LIE

and aloudbtzz would sound. I'm uerl prowd of tbi:

I should be since I

spent ouer $50,000 deuehpingzl.

Suddenly the

would again indicate LIE and thebuzz would sound. \Tithout hesitation I would continue talking. IYell at lea:t,ff5,000. Again the light andbuzz would go off. OK, I made it out of an old garage door opener bat whatJ important is that I'ue had a lot of interestfrom the FBI in lYasbirugton D.C. Again the detector would go off. Immediately I would change my story. From tbe local police departmerut. LIE . lVell I did catcb the kid wbo screeri

stole m1 newspaper

To demonstrate the true value of the invention I would propose that we carry out a mock murder. Then, by using the lie detectot, we would

identify both the murder weapon and the victim. A toy gun, a meat cleavet and a noose were set on the table. One spectatof was selected

would-be murderer with a grandmothedy type being high on the list of possible candidates. The lady was asked if she had ever as the

committed a murder before. After her (hoped for) negative response

I would say, A likefi story.I would then explain that after covering my head with a black bag and turning my back to the audience she was to pick up one of the weapons, walk into the audience and indicate

which spectator would be her victim by simulating ing being the ke1 word

here.

a

murder. Simulat-

Jast remember this is all in the interest of scienn. She

would then replace the mutder weapon on the table, mix up the three weapons if she wanted, and then indicate that she was fnished. I would remove the blindfold; turn around and by asking a series of yes-ot-no questions the lie detector would correctly identify the mutder weapon and the victim.

I think this process could

generate many

laughs but solving the murder is not the point. The demonstration

merely proves that the lie detector can indeed detect a lie. Aftet the demonstration is over the device is set off to the side on another table

or ori the floor and I would go on with the show During my Bill in Cigar routine I could say, Don't worr1, nothing is going to happen tolour one hundred-dollar bill. Suddenly the lie detector lights up and the sound has changed to a intermittent siren. During the Bow and Arrow routine I say, Yoa must remember at all times, I'm an expert, I rueuer miss. Again the detector lights up and the siren sounds. During the Scissors thtough the Coat I could say to the gentleman, He1,1Iove lour tie. LIE. You get the idea. It is the residual effect of the lie detector, t56

after the original demonsttation is over, that is the real value. Imagine walking off stage the end of your show and after the applause has ^t subsided your lavaliet microphone is still on and the audience hears you sa)r, Boy that was a great azdience and the lie detector that is still sit-

ting on the stage gets in the last word - LIE ,BTJZZ.I reahze that for many performers this would be a horrible thing to say, but for a cardcarrying idiot, this line is made to order. On the back of the lie detector there are three switches. The first tutns the battety power on and off. \X/hen the center switch is in the up position the Iight bulbs illuminate the word LIE. When it is in the bottom position a loud tone sounds and when it is in the middle position both the

lights and sound are acttyated together. The switch on the right chooses either a pulse sound (up position) or a continuous tone (bot-

tom position). It is an eas)'matter to surreptitiously alternate between variations even during a petformance.

I

can't imagine that anyone would

try to build this prop today with the number of commetcially avaiiable versions aheady on the market but what might be of use is the blindfold technique Tbe control pane/ on tbe bark

it

sintple enotgl-t to opetnte

l1'larcl:

I

a/one.

I

developed.

have always been amused by

the great lengths that magicians go

through to blindfold themselves, sealing off their

with half dolmasks. In any

eye s

lars, adhesive tape, bandages, bread dough and steel

situation other than a rrlagtc show if You wanted to Pfevent someone from seeing somethiflg )'ou would tell them to turn their back. So startiflg with this low-tech method for eliminating one's sense of sight I set out to find a wa.y to see with mv back turned. solrrrtot was equalll'low tech but it did require the addition of a simple blindfold. This trick blindfold is a dealer item consisting of N[1,

of three layets. One outer side and the inner wall are made of black satin while the other outer side is made from a black matenal that can be seen through. The result is a bag with two a black bag composed

compartments inside. Fig.

1.

\':

Mur Awnw Wonont

When demonstrating it on a spectator his head is placed inside the compartment that is impossible to see

thtough so he can honestly testify that the blindfold is 100% effective. $7hen pulling it over your ov/n head the other compartment is used allowing you to see through the front. This is the standard method of operation and is how I used it in the Halloween Card Stab (prg. 141). But for the Lie Detector I wanted to have my back turned. The handling couldn't be simpler. You turn your back to the audience (or in this case to the table with the murdet weapons) and then you pull the blindfold bag over

your head. The difference is that the transparent wall of the bag is against the back of your head and you actually can't see out the front. As soon as the bag is in place you reach up and momentarily grab the

two top corners, turn

your head in either direction as far as you can, and then let go of the

corriers.Figs.2&3. Yout grip on the corners will prevent the bag from moving as your head spins around. You will now be looking over your shouldet and in

Fig. 1 The tuto lalers at the left

lEer ight i: a black nesh

are satin and opaqae. The on tbe

material that

it

transParent.

this positiofl you can cleady see through the back of the bag. Remain

Fig. 2 Your slight rEositioning of tbe bag will obscure tbefact tbatya

tarnlour

bead.

Fig. 3 A plastic bag reueals bow tbe bead is turned as tbe top corners are momentai! held. IVARI'Ifi'{G: 81 perforning this trick with a plastic baglou will expoy tbe method and/or die of stffication.

is this position as the spectatof picks up a weapon, "murders" her

victim, and then returns the weapon to the table and mixes it with the others. You will be able to see every step of the action. Once the crime is completed, grab the top two corners of the bag, immediately rJ0

ltr

Drrccrop

turn your head so it is facing forward (away from the table) and pull the bag off. Frg. 4. r that you were facing upstage the It will ^ppe entite time. Now you can ask a series of questions about the weapons and the victim and either activate the lie detector or not based on your newly gained knowledge and the spectator's resPonse.

WhenJim Olsen built this prop he used eady 1980s electtonic components and, needless to say, things have changed dramatically over the I had I(erry decades. About fifteen years - :;.1 To rernoue the blindfold, regrip the rurners, turnloar headfor^go ;.;,i, and lift tbe bag off. Pollock update the electronics and he was able to gte tly reduce the size and weight of the batteties and the size of the tfansmitter. I'm sure the unit is due for another update now. \7hite I was blindfolded and the murdet was being committed I would secure the small transmitter in my hand. When the blindfold was removed I would casually fold it up and just hold it in the same hand as the transmitter, thereby disguising the fact

thatl

was pressing

the transmitter button with my fingertip. Figs. 5 & 6.

Another option would be to sew the transmitter into a small pocket in the blindfold thus enabling you to handle the blindfold much more casually. Today miniscule transmitters are everywhere in our daily lives. As soon as anything happens remotely a modern-day audience is going to scrutinize you carefully in search of the source of the transmission. The ideal method of operation would be to have a toe

Ftg.

5 Thefolded blindfold

trdfiwtlter.

conrcak tbefact

tbatlou are also bolding

tbe

Fig.

6 Expo:ed

yurf

rieu,

of

the transmitter that woald nortrta@ couered b1

ngers.

119

Mur(wnw

Wononr

switch operate the transmitter and a power switch located in your pocket or on your belt. lfhen the time comes to demonstrate the Lie Detector you would merely turri on the power switch and then with your hands cleady empty, the device could be opetated imperceptibly by your toe.

A final note on the murder weapons. My gun, meat cleaver

and

noose were all made out of plastic or tubber and looked funny

nther

than threatening. In today's world, depending on the news of the day, certatn people might considet this whole premise to be bordeting on

poor taste but those are just the kind of people that I think could use a

good conk on the head with a plastic meat cleaver.

+

t40

er's act

^vety

in

I

ever sa'w Tina Lenert she was a table in Judy Cartthe Haunted Wine Cellar at the Magic Castle. Judy was

he first time

successful comedy magician in those davs and yes, among

other things, Tina served as a table in her act.Ttna (as a mechanical mime) would bend over at the waist and Judy would set a candle and other items on her back like she was setting the table. You had to be there. I'm sure it was seeing Tina as a table that inspired this bloody

version of the classic card stab. The Left-Handed League was a secret organizatron of petformers who were good at keeping secfets. The fact that we were also all left-handed was merell, a coincidence. Hatry Anderson, Martin Lewis,

Turk Pipkin,JayJohnson, Tina Lenert and I composed the bulk of the

T lt e l-.eft-H

a n de

i t t S cottsdale,

petformances

d

l-.eaga e ga tlt e rc

A i ryna for fott in 1987.

@ack roa) Harq' An,\t,to,r,

)like

Cauenel

aith

chicken,

Tina Lenert, Turk Ptpkin. (Front roa) Leu'is, Jal'

)[atit

Jobnson.

4

Mtu (wnw Wonmt

membership. The League's most tangible byproduct was lYenii magazrne (1982) the infamous parody

of

Cenii r.r,agazine.

The Bubonic Players constituted the underground thespian wing of The Left-Handed League and occasionally we would show up in some distant city to petform, but mostly we kept

to ourselves. On numerous Halloween nights during the late 1980s we teuotized The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach. I was never sure if ov/ner Mike Lacey actually hired us or simply didn't have the manpou/er to evict us from his club. We all assumed covett identities so as not to taint out otherwise squeaky-cle^fl replrt^tions. With the help of a spectacular plaid

suit

(a

gift from my good friend George Goebel) I

assumed the tole

of Bill Toob, a typically obnoxious magic club member who stepped

ftom the pages of lYenii magazine.In the guise of Mr. Toob I can remember conducting a drawing for valuable prizes (state lottery tickets that had been pre-scratched to save time) and also walking thtough the audience during a black-out wielding z chain saw (with the chain temoved) that belched exhaust as I rewed the engine to ear-splitting Ievels. I can't say if the audience was scared but I recall being terdfied.

Programsfrorz the 1986

and 1988 Halloween sbows at

Mike

l-^ace1l Corzedl

dz Magic Chb in Beach, Calfornia.

4t

Hernou

T h e l--eft- H a n d e d I-,e agu e's parodl of Geni rztaga4ine and tbe Magic Cattle proued so popnlar that it was actually sold in tbe Magic Cattlel gfi shop.

llauowtrn (r,po frr,p

One year Bill Toob decided to perform the Malini

I refer to it as the "Malinr" Card Stab so the reader will be famlliar with the basic effect, all the Card Stab.

while knowing that Max Malini would be horrifed to have his name associated with such a Presentation. The images that statted switling around in my head included Ttna acting as a table, a hunting knife that was plunged into said "table," afld blood,lots and lots of blood. The final effect looked like this. Tina, dressed in white overalls (sold at paint stores

for about $8), w-as our stagehand and thus was anxious to please the perfotmers who continually barked orders ather. Bi1l Toob, who cared only about his own act, barked the most often and the loudest. IYbere are m) cards?

F!. / As i't;k

Tina

pitks ap a dropped

card

I nistake

ber

/br tbe table.

Tina catied a jumbo deck on stage, not because it was het job but because Mt. Toob had forgotten to. These ouer-siryd cards will allow some ofloufolk: in the back to

see

what tbe beck

A spectator

is

going on up here.

seated directly

in front of the

stage se-

Iected a card.It was shown to one and all, returned to

the deck and the deck was shuffed by the spectator. Merefi rtabbingloar card with a hunting knfe woald be worth

the

price of admission bwt attempting thisfeat whik

blindfolded wowld certainll warrant

performer

And

that's

wfuiI

a

generlas tip

foryoar

do it.

I eliminated my sense of sight by pulling a black cloth bag over my head. As

I agarn shuffed the cards

one card slipped from the deck and landed on the

floor. The ever-helpful Tina reached down to pick it up iust as I bellowed,IYhere the hell is n1 table. Mistaking her for the tabletop back.

I

spread the catds out on het

I then introduced a large hunting knife and used

the tip to continue spreading the cards atound. Fig.

1.

Suddenly I plunged the knife into the sptead of cards (and Tina's back) and impaled one card. Iflhen Fig. 2 Tbe fr:t stabbed card prutes to

Lte

tlte u'rang one.

this proved flot to be the selection I tossed it av'ray (Fig. 2) and asked for another chance. This time 41

Mwr (twnrv Wonont

Fig. 3 The knfe b $abbed into the table ight up

n

the handle.

Fig. 4

I

:earchfor tbe rtissing table anaware tbat

il

has nanpled to the fioor

the knife sunk into het back tight up to the

handle (Fig. 3), which caused Tina to stagger around and then crumple at my feet. Fig. 4. As she staggered I was frantically searching for the table that had suddenly gone missing. Pulling off the blindfold tevealed cards

all over the stage and a dead assistant at my feet. Fig. 5. \When I hoisted up her lifeless body the audience could see the knife blade protrud-

ing ftom her abdomen with the selected catd impaled on its point. I was completely oblivious of the fact that het overalls wete coveted with blood but was thrilled that I had stabbed the correct catd. Fig. 6.

Othet than for an adult Halloween audience I can't imagine anyofle perfotming this toutine as wtitten but in that specific situation, it 144

Fig. 5 A semnd ago I was doing a card tick. Now there

it

a dead bodlt at

m1

feet.

is pretty terrific. The blindfold (desctibed in the ptevious Lie Detector routine) is a marketed item that consists of three layers. One outside layer and the middle layer ate made

of black satin and are oPaque. The other outside layer is a black mesh material that you can see through. To prove that it is an effective blindfold slip it over a spectator's head making sute that his head goes between the two layers of satin. He will confrm that it is pitch black inside and that he can't see anything. \When putting the blindfold on yourself make sufe your head goes between the satin and mesh layers with the mesh tou/ard the front. This will allow )'ou a clear view of

Ftg. 6 HeJ, look at tbat, tlte hick u'arked afer al/.

everything in front of You. Perhaps the most important element (at least to the assistant) is the protective shield that is worn underneath the overalls on her

back' A piece of heavl' sheet metal was bent into a curved shape so it effectively covered Tina's back and sides. The end of aheavy stfap u/as secured to one side of the metal shield. After

the shield was positioned on the her back the other end of the strap was passed through a slot in the opposite side of the shield. Pulling on the strap cinched the shield down

tight to her back and Velcro tabs held everything securelf in place. A power-

ful magnet was Permanentl)' attached to the center of the straP. \When the shield v/as strapped on, this magnet v'as positioned right over her midsec-

Fig. 7 5.ltot'n

beru is lbe proteclire truttt/ sltield, n'rtadet

ltackboard, and

polej)rl ndgttd

ztl ilte stmp.

tion. Fig. 7. The entire back of the shield was covered with a piece of quarter- inch pll,wood and the bottom half of the u,ood was covered rvith an eighthinch-thick piece of rubber. In the act of spreading the cards out on her back

Mw Awnru Ulampt

Ftg. 8 The black nrbber on the lon'er ltalf oJ' tlte shield atlott's a card to be inpa/ed on tlte tip qf the knfe.

Ftg. 9 T/te ht'o s/satp points on tlte sat'ed-of kntfe can be $abbed into tlse trpper (ruoden)

/talf af

tlte :bield.

I could feel the edge of the shield and thus I knew exactly whete the rubber and wood-covered areas \r/efe located. Fig.

8.

Also required are two matching knives with six-inch blades. Using a grinding wheel I dulled the edge and point of each knife. I did this for safety reasons but if you really want to be safe... don't do the Malini Card Stab on someone's back. One knife had the blade cut off leaving about three-quarters-ofan-inch of metal. Using a grinding wheel I ground this metal stub down to two sharp points. Fig.

9.

The blade that was cut off was cut^g ln to a length of three inches.

This three-inch knifepoint was welded to a piece of eighth-inch thick steel measunngll/rby 21/, inches. When this steel plate came into contact with the magnet (even through the overalls) it was very difflcult to remove. Fig. 10. The selected card is obviously forced and the simplest v/ay to accomplish this with a jumbo deck is to use the technique favored by the great Jos6 Frakson during his Rising Card routine. He would spread the deck, allowing the audience to see that all the cards were different and then, as he approached a spectator in the audience, he would locate his fotce card in the middle of the spread and say, "'Would you please take one?" i46

FU. 10 A three-inch piece of kntfe blade is we/ded to a

snall

steel plate.

the petforruance,

p/ate is

Daing

tbis stee/

couered b1 tbe

jambo card.

'lntowtrn 0Bo lrnp

Note that he did not say, "\$7ould you please choose a card?" Ott, "... take one" he would literally hand the person the force card. Almost like a Classic Force at gun point. The spectator assumes that he is supposed to hold this specifc card while the rest of the audience believes he had afree choice. A duplicate of the force card is impaled face up on the knife-blade gimmick, which is inserted p^ttway down into the back pocket. Fig. The coat covered this somewhat dangerous gimmick. Fig.1'2. My back pants pocket was fairly tight so when I tucked the halfknife in behind the card it remained protruding up out of the pocket. 11.

Fig. 1l Tlte card is easl blade

to

gzb sinu

tlte

prercnts it j'on sliding dontt into

protnrding knife

tlte pocket.

Fig.

l2

runtil

it is needed.

Tlte caat

ffittite!, ltidu

the card and kntfe girunick

This allowed me to steal the half-knife and impaled card together. The regular knife was tucked behind my belt on the left side. A rubber ear slrrings (Fig. 13) filled with stage blood was positioned upright

in the right pocket of the overalls. If the overalls didn't have pockets then a slit was made where the right pocket would normallr. be, allowing the assistant to reach through the or.eralls and into the pocket Ftg.

1

)

The assislant nust bll'e ?ttt' d.c($ /0

t,tinge tbat conlains stage b/aad.

ily

rrbber

ur

of her pants underneath.

After the card had been "selected" and 4i

Mwt Awnw Womnt

the deck returned to me I donned the blindfold and gave the catds one more shuffle allowing one card

to drop to the floor. As Tina bent over to pick it up I immediately started spreading the deck out on her back. Not wanting to spoil the trick, Ttna froze rt this position. Removing the knife from my belt I used its point to continue moving cards around on her back until one card was isolated on the rubber surface. The

trick blindfold allowed me a clear view of everything in front of me. I stabbed the knife point through this card and as I lifted it up the audience informed me that it was the wrong catd. He1, f tbis wds eas) euet)lne woald be doing it. Ciue me anotber chance.

Duting this interaction with the crowd I removed the wrong card from the knife blade and, turning to my left, tossed it into the audience. During this turn I stole the half-knife and impaled card from my back pocket. As I turned fotward agatnl

Fig.

14

A:

nbk (tinQ

n1 right arm relaxes at tbe edge of tbe switch

af

tbe

kniues is mada

made sure that these items remained hidden behind

Tina. She took the card-knife gimmick in her right hand and immediately attached it to the magnet since

in this position it remained out of sight. This

fteed het hand so she could secure the rubbet syringe.

I continued to push cards around her back

and off her back clearing a space above the wood section of the shield. Then my armloweted down

to the edge of the table and the switch of knives was made. Fig. 14.

As my right hand (now holding the half-knife) shot up and then came down shatply onto the shield, impaling the two points into the wood, the real knife was dropped into my pocket. Fig. 15

cleady shows the half-knife but this is not seeri

duting the performance due to the speed of the hand.

Fig. 16 shows Tina beginning to coilapse onto the

i40

Fig. l5 Tbe h.vo knife points are painted toward nryulf as the hand it raised and on! duing its downward plunge does the

knfe

assame this position.

lii,uirwim iapn irlrr

trtg. 16 The kniJe ginnick with the inpaled card is

Fig. 17 The hae professional alaals stikes his on'n

alreadl in place.

proPt.

with her back toward the audience which provides a clear view of the knife in het back. !flhile her front side was facing upstage she squirted blood onto her overalls. I searched fruitlessly for the suddenly missing table and then removed my blindfold only to discover that a murder had taken place during the performance of mv card trick. Confusion turned to glee when I lifted Tina up and revealed that I had succeeded after all. There was the selected card impaled on the stage

knife blade. To finish, the corpse was removed from the premises and the show contiflued. Fig.17.

t

r49

lnrs

p

I-

til

;

erly prepared.I rcalize that what makes magic "impromptu" is the fact

that it is not prepared but

I firmly

believe that the best impromPtu

magic is carefully prepated. Proof of this theory is exhibited dudng every impromptu performance by Spanish master JuanTamarrz. Jtan will go to any lengths to Iay the groundwork necessary to perfotm

miracle thatappears to be spontaneous. At this p^tty inJapan,I spotted a table whose tablecloth reached all the way to the foor. Tina

a

managed to sneak under the table without being seen and fot the

first time we performed this prediction effect. The Phome Book was added later.

I

have always referred to these impromptu effects that are suggest-

ed by one's immediate surroundings as environmentalmagic Or put

another way; when life serves up alligators, make Gatorade.

I am reminded of a gtgl did with my friend Bill Herz tn 1994 on board the histotic Orient Express in Switzetland. A corporation had rented the entire train to take a gfoup of important clients on a oneday trip. !7e strolled through these beautifuily restored train cars per-

forming close-up magic in competition with the breathtaking scenery visible through the windows. Shortly before this engagement David Copperfield had floated and vanished a uatn car from the Otient Express on his TV special. He also performed a version of Bob Hummef's miraculous Catd on Window. As you know, Iaymen always want to talk about what they have just seen on television.

During the return trip to Montfeux, after the sun had set, we were speeding across the Swiss countryside. After consuming a sumPtuous dinner, guests were lounging and chatting in the various cars. One car was fitted with a massive confetence table that ran the length of the car.It offered an ideal location to perform close-up magic fot alarge 1

group. As we roiled along I thought about what a topical routine the Card on Window would be in this unique situation. And then, for no reason, the train stopped. I didn't know the reason for the ^pp^rent stop nor how long it would Iast but I wasn't going to miss this golden opportuninr I quickl,v found a candle, scrapped some wax from its side and smeared a tin1, bit onto the face of a card. As I jumped off the

train

I tore a corner

off of the card and prayed that the train wouldn't

start rolling until I was safely back on board.

I

stuck the catd to the

window of the conference car iust behind the edge of the curtain so it 'wasn't visible from the inside. I breathed a sigh of relief as I climbed back onto the train. A few minutes later the train resumed its iourney. With nothing but blackness outside the windows the guests were all engaged in conversation and I don't believe that any of them remembered that we had momentarily stopped. The trap had been set. There was no reason to rush my performance because we still had quite a while before we reached out destination. Eventually I wandered into the conference car and peeked behind the curtain. There it was, patiently waiting for the opportunity to create an unforgettable moment of wonder. By now Bill and I were well known as the wandering magicians so it was easy to gain everyone's attention and begin a set. I positioned myself on the other side of the table ust opposite f

the curtain. To finish I performed the Ambitious Card but this time with a forced card. Rathet th^fl have it apper in a LePaul Wallet (as I had done earher in the day) or stick it to the ceiling (too low) I tore

off

for the pteviously torn cotner. The torn card was shuffled into the deck but that missing corner made it easy to cut the selected card to the bottom of the pack. l{ow if tbe card rose to the top of the packloa would actualfi see it the moment a corner which was then switched

that it arriued.

The pack was held in full view, atttacting the crowd's undivided attention. They couldn't believe that they were actually going to see the card arrt-ve on top. This provided the perfect opportunity for Bill to pull the curtain open thus revealing the duplicate catd outside and then remove himself to the far end of the car. There it was tight across the table from me and not a soul was looking in its direction... yet. Unfortanatefi,

I

would

fnish

I

can't do that

lry performing

a

trirk. But

bona

fde

instead ofiast another trick,

miracle. lYahb the cards.

I

thoaght

iitf ltl,;ttt'isAt

The first line btoke the tension and allowed everYone to smile and relax. I used this opportunit), to Palm off the selected card. Then, much to evefyone's surprise, I sprung the cards across the table and against the window. All of the cards dropped to the floor except for one with a missing corner that was stuck to the glass. I asked the spectator to peel the card off of the window and make sute it was his. He said,

"I

can't, it's on the outside."

IYell then open the window s0Jla can reach oat andget it.

He said,

"I

cafl't, the window doesn't open."

He held his corner up to the card and through the glass everyone could see that it fit perfectly. It took a moment for the enormity of what just happened to register on these big importaflt corPorate goons. It's moments like this that remind us why we become magicians in the first place. It just doesn't get an)r better.

folk: enjol the rest ofloar trip. This is one of my favorite examples of environmental magic. Each You

ll"bi/e:peedingacross tbe.\'r'iss cotnlryside on tbe OientExpre.rt ilte

oh:ide aJ' a n'indon' tltal didr't opet. Pltoto: Bi//

se/ected crtrd

appurud on ilte

Heq

q*

lrlwr Avnw Wotomt

element of the effect, that the card was on the outside of the glass,

that the window didn't open, that the train was moving at ahtgh rate of speed, added enormously to the mystery. Thete is certainly no new technology being used here but a standard trick petformed under the

ptoper conditions can register as a miracle. I have since learned that David Berglas performed a similar effect with a card appeating on the outside of a porthole on the p

tr^nsadaflttc ^ voyage. Oppottunities like this can help build your reputation and ueen Eliqabeth 11

during

should not be ignored.

After performing the imptomptu prediction trick tr'Japan I continued to think about its possibilities and eventually came up with the Phome Book. \7hi1e I have always loved this ptop I nevet teally found a good use for it outside of demonstr^ttng the powet of misdirection during my lecture. During the coutse of the prediction ttick I was able to hud what appeared to be a hefty telephone book far out into the audience and watch panicked spectators desperately trying to get out of its way.

I found

the tettif,ed look on their faces to be endlessly amusing.

The phome book is a telephone book that is made out of foam rubber. Step one is to catefully remove the cover of the thickest phone

book you can find. Whethet it is the Sflhite Pages ot Yellow Pages doesnt matter as long as it is at least three inches thick. Next, obtain

a

piece of foam rubber th^t is the apptopriate colot fot your cover, either

white or yellow. There ate diffetent densities of foam so pick a piece whose side most resembles the appearance of the side of a phone book.

The foam is cut to the same thickness, width and length as the coverless phone book. Stotes that sell foam rubber can usually cut it to size but you can do it youtself by using an electtic catving knife. Really. Using contact cement that has been formulated to wotk with foam rubber, glue the block of foam onto the inside spine of the book cover. Fot added effect remove tv/o pages from the teal phone book. One page is glued entirely onto the top of the foam block. The other page is glued on top of this page but only along the left edge. By opening the book's

will see f,rst a loose page and turning this page will teveal the page attached to the cover you

foam block. Fig.

1.

This loose page is what I call the convincer. 154

Fig. 1 Tbe one loose page helps larn a block oJ foan rabber into a

flltingpbone book.

Tar Pgomr Doot

The audience sees me toss a rcal phone book to a sPectator in the front row so they know I'm crazy enough to do it. When the phome book is hurled into the audience the air flips the cover open and that loose page flaps freely in the wind. This rustling piece of papet confirms the spectators'worst nightmare. "This guy actually threw a phone book as far ashe could into the audience and someone is going to get hit by it." The desire to see who see who is going to get clobbered by this identified flying obiect is irresistible to all human beings. The result is just about the strongest misdirection I have evet seen. As all eyes are following the atc of the book anything that happens on stage will go completely unnoticed. And that brings us to the predic-

tion trick.

This phone number prediction was used to demonstrate the Pou/er of misdirection. If the main physical requirement (a sizable table draped to the floor on the front and both sides) is aheady Present, this could be performed in the real wodd, but bringing in such a table would look vety suspicious. The more difficult requirement is getting an accomplice under that table without being seen. Tina was always my accomplice of choice and it was always a challenge to secretly get het under the table. Before a magtc lecture begins the usual situation has audience members chatting, the lecturer walking in and out of the performing space setting props on the table or on the floor behind the table. Its not that the audience can't see these PfeParations it's just that they are so uninteresting that they don't register on theif conscious

mind. I would also have Trna cany out a few assorted ptops. She wouid either set them on the table or lean down and set them on the floor. On one of her trips behind the table she would ctouch down and stay down. During this disappe^rtng act I would always watch the audience and I could tell that no one noticed a thing. It was Tina's idea that the Phone Number Prediction be the opening

ttick of the

lecture. She got this idea one dat, while sitting under a table.

Also on the table were a black marker, a blank piece of Paper or white cardboatd, an empq'cigar box, and a real phone book sitting on top of the phome book. The cigar box was Pre-set by opening the lid 51

Mtu (awnw Womnt

Fig. 2 Tbe rabber bandgoes around tbe box bat anderneath the lid.

Fig.

i

The rubber band hold: the lid openjust enough so the hidden

astistant can easi!

inurt

and placing a rubber band around the box from end to end. Ftg.2.

\7hen the lid was closed, the rubber band held the ftont of the 1id open about an inch. Fig. 3. The box was set slightly overhanging the back edge of the table with the open side facingupstage. Under the table Tina had a piece of paper and a black marker.

A

phone book containing more than a tbousand pagu,

each

page containing

more than 500 phone numbers, making a grand total of ouer two million

dffirent

numbers. You sir; take this phone book.

I would

use these fake statistics no mattet how big or small the

book was. The audience knew I was making all of this up but it still impressed upon them that the book contained many numbets.

I

would then toss the book to someone in the ftont row. I easily landed the book right in the spectator's lap but the fact that I would do this surprised mzny people in the room. That's a pretty big book to be tossing atound but no hatm was done. Afteryou baue conuincedlourself that it is an ordinary pbone book, open it to an1 page and dropyar fnger onto arly place on that page. Arelou touching a pbone number?

If not,

have him move his

diffetent page entirely. 156

fnget to another part of the page or to a

tbe

prediction.

[ur Plomr Doot

Ifloa

I

are happlt witb that choice

wantlow to read out loud

the

first

tbree

drgits of the number

By now you have picked up the blank cardboard or paPer and uncapped the marking pen. \X/rite the three digits on the PaPer.

And

now tbe lastfour digits.

ITrite these down as well and then read off the entire phone number. This is for the people in the back who might not be able to see your writing but also so Tina can double check her "prediction" under the table. She then folds her p^per into fourths and waits fot the proper moment to load it into the box. Manl mind readers baue performed this so todEt

I will attempt

experiment with

one

phone namber

the impossible. Predixing two phone numberl How abowt

slmelne in the back this time.IVE in tbe back.

By now I have picked up the phome book and as those last words are spoken, two things happen simultaneously.

I

hurl the book (Frisbee style) as fzr as I can and Tina rcaches up and pushes her folded prediction into the cigar box. Fig.4. The misdirection created by the fying book is far more than is needed but the point is still made. People arehorr.f,ed as they wait to see

Fig. 4 When all eles are on the foant book

tbe

prediction is laaded into

tlte cigar box.

which poor sap is going to get struck by the book. Tina's cue to load the prediction is the audible gasp produced by the audience. The fitst person to reahze that the phone book is actually a four-ounce block of rubber is the guy who gets hit by it. I make my way to him as quickly as Pos-

I am saying... If,/hatJ the matter? I said FOAM

sible as

book, notphone book. It's a

FOAM

book.

On the way back up to the stage I bonk someone harmlessly on the head with it allowing everyone to see that it is actually made of fozm. OK, we'll do the experiment with just one phone number This cigar box, which bas been infall sight sinceyu

frst

As I pick up the cigar box

entered the room, is hermeticalfi sealed.

I

squeeze the

lid closed and hold it

bottom-side tou/ard the audience. My free hand pulls the rubber band awalr f16rr1 the bottom of the box and as I say the words "hermetically sealed" I let it go. SNAP! This subtlety convinces people that the box 5/

Mwr Gvnw Wotont

is indeed bound by a rubber band and

it never occurs to them that the

Iid can freely open and close because the band passes underneath it. The rubber band is removed from the box and holding onto the lid allows the box to fall open. In this position the audience can clearly see the folded paper inside. Atly

prediction, written howrs ago.

To the man in the ftont row holding the teal phone book say, Sir, please approach tbe bench, remoue n1 prediction and anfold it.

I take the book from him and toss it on the table paper

as

I pick up the

with the selected number written on it. The paper is held up for

all to see as the spectator reads out loud your prediction. Years ago, during a lecture at the Magic Castle

I decided to see just

how strong this misdirection rcally was. Resting on an undtaped table was an open-topped box. A thtead was attached to the stage right, top edge of the box and

it extended into the stage left wing. Tina was in

this wing with her blank paper, black marker and a three-inch-square box with a ribbon to tie atound it. Once she had wdtten the number down, the papet was folded up and placed into the little box. The lid was placed on and the ribbon was tied around it. Mounted to the

lid

was a small metal hook made from a paper clip that allowed the box

to slide freely along the thtead. Ftom her vantage point Tina could see the momerit I thtew out the foam book and that was het cue to taise up her end of the thread. The box started its slide for life across the stage and when it bumped into the right edge of the large box she Iet go of the thread and the iittle box dropped into the big box. Late1 when I reached into this box to get my prediction, I unhooked the little box from the thread and brought it into view The ribbon was untied and the prediction was revealed as before. The reaction that followed our explanation of how the prediction got into the large box led me to believe that not a single petson had

little box sliding across the stage. This is of course a terrible method for a mind reading trick but a great way to demonstrate the seen the

power of misdirection. My hope now is that someone takes the phome book idea and develops a good commetcial routine.

g

50

in this book I have wtitten about how much easier it is to create a presentation for an effectwhen your chatacter is akeady well defined. To ptove this point I wondeted how my character (, gry who's ineptness is always saved by some incredible lsewhere

luck or an astonishing occurrence) might present Richard Himber's

Linking Finger Rings (actually created by Persi Diaconis). The result was a routine that retained the powerful mystery while at the same time seemed to have gone hortibly off course. I explain to the audience that... Tbe old Chinese trick of linking steel rings together is one that

I

don't perform

for two uery good redszns. First, penetrating solid steel throagh solid steel is uery dfficuh to learn and secondll, those trick rings are realll expensiue. Bat I haue mastered the cord.

art ofpassing a ring made of shghtb softer metal througb a kngth of

It's rtillpretfl impressiue and not nearl1 as nois1.

Just those few sentences tell the audience everythiflg they need to know about me. I don't do the Chinese Linking Rings because it's really hard and really expensive. How pathetic is that? I do, however, have another version of the trick that is easier to

do, less expensive and doesn't make alot of noise.

After hearing this "build up" the audience's expectations will be tepid at best. But before long, when something goes wrong and one of the ^pp^refltly borrowed rings ends up linked to the other borrowed ring, theit low expectations will be teplaced by complete astonishment. And the magician, r^ther than accepting the credit for perfotming a miracle, is instead apologizing fot messing up his pretty good trick. Required are a Himber Ring, a matching un-

gimmicked ring,a borrowed ring,a gimmicked hacksaw and a 42-rnch shoelace ot piece of cord. ,9

Mwr

Gwrv

tJ,lrlilfr'Lp.l

The rings shown in this demonstration are called Ghostly Linking Finger Rings made byJoe Porper. In this version the trap opens only inward and it locks closed. David Regal recently produced a beautiful set of Himber Rings that consists of a locking ring, a magnetic ring and a matching

ungimmicked ring that is perfectly suited to the Idiot Rings.

Like the hacksaw that is included with my sets of Linking Coat Hangers the teeth on this one have been removed by running the blade back and forth across a grinding wheel. If you own any hacksaw you will know that the blade is held in place by inserting two pegs through corresponding holes at each end of the blade. Then, by tightening a wing nut, one peg is pulIed a.wzy from the other thus holding the blade securely in place. I took my saw to a welder and had all of the moving parts spot-uielded in place. Since case hardened steel (which is what the saw blade is made from) canriot be welded, I bolted

the end of the blade furthest from the handle to the frame. Like al-

in the opposite end of the blade still dropped over the tiny steel peg thus preventing the blade ftom moving up or down. Fig. 1. But the spting steel blade can easily be pushed open. trig.2. ways, the hole

trig. 1 rtte

:tee/ peg

ttot*

ttte toose end

of ttte

b/ade secare/1, in

ptace.

b'tt it ti.,i//

::1,:;::fr:::;;:l,l,,j;,,,;,,;:,?;,t;r:!,;:_ff O:::,;:f

60

f;1i;i ,ii#6.i

\When the blade is released

it automatically snaps back into place and once ag tn assumes the appearance of a normal hacksaw. This hacksaw possesses the properties of a locking key ring. It can be linked to or unlinked from any object yet is able to withstand close visual scrutiny.

I mean stooge.

\When

I worked with Orson \Velies he always called his stooges mules and ever since then... so have I. No offense was meant. It probably came from the fact that the mule did most of the work while the mule dtiver (the magician) got all of the ctedit. As in most Himber Ring routines a ringhas to be planted with a mule before the show. If 1,ou have an arlonymous friend in the audience who will not be suspected of collusion you can iust give him or het the gimmicked ring. In the more likely case when this isn't possible you will plant the ungimmicked mate to the Himber Ring on an ordtnary yet trustworthy sPectator. Planting this ring by no means requires you to let the mule in on the secfet to the trick. Your explanation to him can go something like this. "In one of my toutines I'm going to bortow a couple of finget rings from people in the audience and you would be surprised b1,fis* mafly rings, because of their enormous size or crazy desigr\are unsuitable or worse yet by the number of people who can't get their rings off of theit fingers. So as a backup plan I would like vou to wear this ring on your finger so that if I run into a ptoblem I can borrow it as if it beIonged to you. I might not need it, but iust in case. And whether I use it or not, don't mention to an1r6n. that you agreed to help me out. Oh, and after the show, I do need the ring back as it has great sentimental Sorry,

value."

This provides the spectator with a perfectll'logical explanation for why he has been recruited and removes any suspicion from the ring. And it also reminds him that the ring is not a free souvenir. You do v/aflt it back later. I don't say aflything about examining the ring because telling a spectator that he is free to examine it is basically telling him that there is such thing as a trick ring. And since he doesn't know what the effect is going to be, what would he be looking for anvway?

,,".,lii.L

I

Reach into 1,6s1pocket and temove the ring and cotd. While you pull on the ends of the cord to prove it is solid, the ring remains

threaded on the cord and hidden in your left hand. Ask the audience

to hold up their hands so you can see their rings. As you walk among the ctowd look at a number of different rings. Tbat's a bit small and I'm not sare people could

see

it and that

one is so big

I'm not sure I coald

lft

it.

Eventually work your way to your mule. Hauelou got a ring there I could use? Yq that one looks perfect. While still holding both ends of the cord take his ring (the ungimmicked ring) and thread it over the end of

the cord in your left hand. Once you become famrhar with the handling you can always use your opposite hands. Allow this ring to slide down into your left hand. Fig. 3. The borrowed ring is then pinched between your fingers and thumb and the gimmicked ring is allowed

to slide out of your hand. Fig. 4. Both photos are exPosed views from the performer's side.

Ftig.

) As

the borron'ed

beln'ee n 1'011 s

711

x2 b an d

ing

s/ides don'n

fi nge

rs.

intol,otrr band it

is

pinclted

Ftg. 4 It is

the

gintnicked ring tbat is alloa,ed to slide out of lour band

and doa,n to the center

The gimmicked ring slides down to the middle of the cord and since the two rings are identical in appearance, no suspicion will be aroused. Your right hand (still holding one end of the cord) reaches

over and grabs the other end of the cotd below your left hand and

as

the cord is carried au/ay, the borrowed ting slips off the end. As you left hand surreptitiously hold the cotd (and ring) high in the ^rr,your drops the ungimmicked ring into your coat pocket. As you continue

of

the cord.

to walk through the crowd This is s0 amd<:fng that to

see

it at least

twice so

I

I

sa1,,

knowlou're going to want

bad betterget a second ring.

Approach alady and ask if her ring is a family heirloom or if it was a preseflt from someone special. I(nowing that the ring has sentimental value makes the routine more meaningful for everyone. Slip het ting over the end of the cord and allow it to slide down to the middle with the Himber Ring. Topreuent the ringsfrom escapingofofthe cord the

wElI will tie the ends together The ends of the cord are tied together and then both hands momentarily take hold of the rings. While commenting on their beautl, s1 uniqueness you unlock the door in the Himber Ring but leave the door in the closed position. In this condition both rings can hang on the cord ed:J

i

.\'

bielded fu,

dttd tl)e

ing

-1,0u

is

r

f nge r.r, tlte daa r i n ilse Hi n be r N tg is p r

tn/inkedfi"on tlte

s

lted

cord.

without fear of detection. The rings are slowll, lowered into your outstretched and cleady empty

', -

6 Orru

.1.,t

tlse ingi.rJ)'ee,-1,our indexf.ngettiP rtldPr

olJ the card creat-

tlttgica/ nonent.

left hand. Using )rour fingers as a shield )rou push open the door and disengage the ring from the cord. Fig.5. Once it is off the cord your index fingertip can pull down on the loop and when it pops free (the magic moment) itwill appear as if the ring penetrated through the cord

momerlt. Fig. 6.

^tthat Immediatell,,vour left fingertip is inserted through the Himber Ring and 1,our hand is opened out flat. This displav allows the audience to see that, other than the ring on your finger,

vour hand is empfi'. Fig.7. The audience clearll, sees that the ring did penetrate off the cord but close scrutinization is avoided because vou immediateh'move onto the next phase. :. -

T-l.ti.r

disp/rg, c/earl, .rbol'-r

.r itt! i.r.ti//

iltal

threaded an t/te rord.

otru

rittg

lta.r

peretroled olf' attd tlte

Eaen tbougb the second rale of the nagician's "neuer repeat a

code

sals

trick," III do it again. The frst rale being

Mwr Aurnw Womrpr

"neuer r€ueal the magician's code."

The position of the Himber ting in ),our left hand shifts so it is clipped between the fingers as shown

in Fig.

8.

Note that the door has been

located and pushed open.

The lady's ring is once again lowered into the hand holding the Himber Ring and the rings are momentarily massaged together but nothing

mofe. Raise the cord to reveal that the lady's ring has not penetrated off. Just

becaase

it's easier than the Chinese LinkingRings

doun't mean itJ

eas1.

Let me try

Fig. 8 Tbis gip frees

up

ltour

tburul.t so

it

can assi$

in linking tbe two

ings together

znce mzre.

Lowet the lady's ring into yout hand agaln and immediatelv link the Himber Ring onto it. Fig.9. As soon as the tings are linked the door must be closed and locked. Uh oh.I%hat the heck? Oh

czme zFt, tbis can't be

happening.

The cord is raised revealing that the gentleman's ting is now linked to the lady's ring. Of course we know that it was the Himbet Ring that

penetrated off the cord and then onto the lady's

Fig. 9 Once lbe

itgs

are linked the door must be closed and locked.

ring and in a moment it will penetrate off of the Iady's ring and therefote all of the suspicion lies with that ring. But the audience doesn't know any of that, nor should thel'. \7ith some wellplaced lies we can reditect some of the magic (and suspicion) to the lady's ring. Those two rings are actaalfi linked together see

itnlf riglt And areJzil

that mabm? Your ring linked

done arytthing

like that

before?

(Addressing the lady) Didlou

onto that gerutleman's ring. Has sure tbat

it

eaer

islour ring? IYelfuoar ring

tick. I'm not sare what to do next. By metely telling the audience that it was the lady's ting that accomplished this miracle we have made it the star of the play. The gentleman's ring did indeed melt through the cord but it was the lady's ring that then penetrated through his ring. Both rings performed magic but the lady's ring surely accomplished a fx more astonishing certainll spoiled ryt

trick. 164

[+ril $lgol

This is one of those tricks where the magic is sustained. It's not like a production or vanish where one second nothing has happened and a moment later the trick is over. Hete the impossible condition can continue for as long as we want. These two rings have nevet been in this situation before and in a few moments the spell will be broken. But right now, people are witnessing the impossible so don't rush it. Give them a chance to look at znd feel the magic. Fortunatefi onfi

one ring has to be sacrificed to get them apart so we need to

determine whose ring is the most ualaable.

In appraising the two rings the crowd will most often

cast

their

vote for the lady's. Much fun can be generated during this discussion during which you casually reach into your coat pocket and pick up the ungimmicked ting. You don't need this ring just yet but now is a good

hiding place. As you reach for the hacksaw, set the ring down where it remains out of sight. It looks like itl ananimoasfor the /ad1's ring, all exceptfor one gry (indicating the mule who loaned you the ring). Duting this by-play you are holding the saw in your left hand and time to relocate it to

a more convenient

the cord loop in the right hand. Your arms are relaxed in front of you

with your hands in close proximity. nflhile the audience's attention is focused on the two spectators push the saw blade open iust enough so the loop can be threaded onto the blade. If you have propedy managed the audience's attention, no one will notice this covert action. Don't call attention to this new predicament just yet, instead have the audience slowly realize what has happened. I love being the last one to find these things out. Figs. 10 & 11

FQ. 10 Duinga s/igltt turn to tlte leJil,otrr ltands approacls otte aratlter .tuti/-y'otrr

igltt

index

f

nger is in position to

prclt opet the

blade.

FQ. I

I

Tltis :ide

ftgerptrtltes

aJ' tlte

sal' is lteld anrg'fr0ru tlte atdience as1'our index atd tlte cotd ispassed tltrotgb tlte opening

tlte blode apen

After the cord is linked onto the the saw blade your hands separate to reveal the effect. Fig.1,2. Oh great!

It

appears to be contagiozs.

(To the lady) Thi: isn'tltour hacksaw lry an1 cbance? Don't worrlt

I

can

fx

this.

Insert 1,our right hand through the hacksaw frame and hang the saw on your wrist. This frees up both hands so you can untie the knot and remove the cotd from the saw. Figs. 13

&

14.

Fig. 13

\btr latk

ltas cltanged j'an ltatittg

tlte ittgs nagica/1, peteltnte lbrotrylt tlse cord to sone lton,

tr n

F'6. 12 Gndm//1'1'6x1" bands not'e dpdrt r0 tbat it s/oa.'!' daa'ns on tlte .tPeclat0ff tltal tlte cord loop

li r ki ng tben.

i:

linked onlo ilte sau.

Fig. 14 \'bt aigltt also try holding both l,orrr igltt

ends

altot'e tlte ing.r.

Either nEt, tdre lilurt be taken.

Cate must be taken as you remove the cord from the saw since it must

all be accomplished using just your left hand. As your left hand returris

the saw to its original hiding place it picks up the duplicate ring. Hold all of the rings in your hands, allowing the ends of the cotd

to hang down. It should appeat as though you are examining the rings to see if there is some way you can get them apart while in fact you are

ii.

in

hand and regripping the cord dircct/1

Itr,riltllr:r

doing exactly that, unlinking the tings. Fig. 15. You now have three separate rings in your hand, the gimmicked Himber Ring, the ungim-

micked Himber Ring and the lady's ring (which is still threaded on the cord). Finget palm the

gimmicked ring in your left hand, Thue rings together so we

haue defied nature fut

will

wse

linking

themselues

a dffirent scientifc principle

to

get

them apart.

Ask the lady spectator to hold out her hand Fi3. / 5 A:

:

soon as tbe gimmicked

ingh

both the ungimmicked ring and the lady's threaded ring onto her palm and keep them covered until her f,ngets have closed over them. Everyone should believe that the two rings are still linked. Fig. 16.

anlinkedfrorn the ladl':

liryerpalrued in the left hand.

Hold can

iagit

palm up.

those rings tigbt eruoagh

P1ace

solou don't drE then but

loose enoagh so that

I

pull tbis cord back andforth. Start pulling the cord back and forth. Fig.17.

Ffu.

l6

)tgn

(Aboue) The two anlinked rings renain

until the /ad1's hand has

closed

couered by,),oar

igbt

around tbent.

Fig. / 7 (B,igbt) Tbe ends of tbe cord are pal/ed l:atk andfoth tltrorylt :l;t Lttb,'s band tbas creating beat whichloa sugest nill unlink tlte irgs.

That, asltow know, caasesfriction... andfriction

cdares

heat.And blgenerat-

ing enoagh heat one ring should melt rigbt throwgb the other ring. Doloafeel tbem getting warmer?

Have the lady open her hand, and by lifting up the ends of the cord, the audience will see that the lady's ring has unlinked itself from 6i

lrlttr (wnw Wonont

Fig. 19

Tbe anlinking

of

the tuo rings @parent! bappens in the

spectator's hand.

the gentleman's ting. Fig.

19.

To the lady that is left holding the ungimmicked ting you say, IYould

Jla

agree that that

nan's ring rnelted right throughloar ring?

off the cord and then trade rings with her. Walk over to the mule and hand him the ungimmicked ring. Slide her ring

Is tbat the ringlou handed mejust afew moments

ago?

Because of how this question is worded he can aflsu/er honestly that 1t 15.

IYell that's not the trick

60

I

wanted to showlou brtt at least

it

was quiet.

Nonttr/esu,ereinrolyeddtitgOrcotll-'e//e:'f/ntittgoJ'TlteCl'pg'Thread.OtAtgrsl 27, 198/ n'esltot til'en\'-tu,a

takes J'or

Orsotti rtfinislted telet'isiott nngir sptciol. Pbrtlo: Titto Leterl.

Pe(bnting tlte Paa.'en of Darknels in Lund, .lu'eden October 2008. Pltofo: Arto Airaksinen.

eatly Magic Collectors \Weekend

in Chicago during the I sawJay Marshall perform a toutine known as the Powets of Darkness. After just ofle phase of this three-phase routine, I already loved it. The effect was that a metal ring penetrated through a spectatof's arm and through a pencil. The audience saw exactly hou/ the trick was being accomplished but because the sPectator's eyes were t

^rL 1970s

closed, she was completely baffled. Later Jay told me that the routine had been marketed by Tony Corinda in England and that Magic Inc. had purchased the rights.

I bought in 1958

a set and discovered that the original routine marketed

by Tony Corinda was created byJon Tremaine. Years

eaiier

variation of the ring on atm effect but he failed to mention where he had seen it. Upon reading his description it was clear that he was referring to Eugene Bernstein's Sprit Grip Corinda had encountered

a

described in Greater Magic 0938) which achieved a similar effect using a technique diffetent ftomJon Tremaine's. The Tremaine/Corinda routine consisted of two phases that utilized a total of thtee separate rings, two ungimmicked and one key ring. The routine was performed sitting down with the magician and spectator facing one another. One of the rings was concealed under a cushion on the magician's chair and the key ring was under a newspaper on a table positioned behind the spectatot. This seemed like an

awful lot of equipment to accomplish a simple ting penetration' And during the course of the demonstration, the split in the key ting was freely shown to the audience. As a big far. of the Linking Rings this exposure of a gap that could easily be coveted with one finget, bothered me. For the first phase the spectator \I/as asked to place both of

his elbows on his knees. The directions stated that "under special conditions, the routine may be performed whilst both stand." Petforming in a standing position seemed far better than having both parties seated but thelr never explained how the spectator could comfortably

I

Mwr

Aunw Wonont

place his elbows on his knees

in

a standing position.

The Magic Inc. instruction booklet included a third phase that was inspired by a stunt Billy McComb had seeri two laymen preseflt at

a

party.Jay Marshall f,guted out a way to simplify Billy's idea into a oneman vefslon.

I practiced all three

phases and petformed the routine exactly once,

at a meeting of the Long Beach Mystics. But this one petformance

convinced me that I wanted to pursue this routine.

I began by getting two heavy aluminum coat hangers (the same kind I used in my Linking Coat Hangers routine) and stretching them into a square shape. I would soon discover that this square coat hanger with a hook was the perfect object with which to perform the Powets of Darkness. By replacing the round ring with this straightsided object, a number of devious new moves were possible. And hiding the gimmicked hanger became as easy as hanging it on my coat collat. By always facing the spectator, the hanger hanging down my back was hidden from het while remaining clearly visible to much

of

the audience. The frnal change involved the gap in the extra hanger. Instead of making a small gap (similar to a key ting in the Linking

I cut a huge three-inch gap in the hanger. During the performance I never Rings or the gaffed ring in the original Powers of Darkness)

attempt to cover this gap using my hand. The gap is merely held outside the range of the spectator's peripheral vision. The fact that the audience can always see

it and the spectator c n never

see

it just

adds

another layer of humor and mystety.

A new routine consisting of four phases quickly took shape. I began with the McComb /Marshall phase wherein the hanger penetrates the spectator's afm. The second penetfation is accomplished under more stringent test conditions, and the third phase seems even more astonishing to the volunteer. The audience sees that each penetration relies on diffetent techniques and misdirection. After each penetr^tton

the spectator is invited to examine the coat hanger. In the final phase, the hanger penetrates off of orre arm and onto het other atm. Though

I was inspited by the original Tremaine /Corinda routine, none of their phases in my version and because my fitst phase is based on ^ppea;r the McComb/Marshali idea, I did purchase Magic Inc.'s rights to the Powets of Darkness fromJay Marshall. Since first developing this routine nearly

VZ

thirty yers

ago

I

have

larPowrw or

Dr,tttrmst

constantly tweaked and imptoved the p^tter, which is so critical to

four phases have remained unchanged. Following a performance in England back in the 1980s a fellow came backstage and was vefy complimentary aborx the routine. a successful performance but the

I thanked him and then he introduced himself. It

was Jon Tremaine.

His kind words and encoutagement meant the wotld to me then they do now.

as

As previously mentioned, I use co^th^flgers that have been fabitcated from silver aluminum rods measuting a quarter-inch thick. Two hangers are sttetched out to a squafe shape. On the hanger that has

the three-inch gap cut into it I apply cleat epoxy to the twisted section in order to keep the two halves togethet. The two cut ends of this hanger ate rounded off with a file. On occasion I have created on the spot a set of Powers hangers out of regulat wire coat hangers. For

imptomptu nature of the props provides au of spontaneity to the routine. ^n Any time you bring a spectator onto the stage to assist in a routine you are relinquishing a certain amount of conttol. They have the power to damzEe youf presentation just as they have the Power to elevate a small group they play just as well and the

it to the next level. If they desttoy your routine the blame can usually be placed squately on the perfotmer's shoulders. You may have picked

the wrong person. Your instructions to them may not have been total-

ly

clear. You may have embarrassed them and they were simply paying

you back.

If the thought of this scares you, you might

be wise

to

step

In no other routine will you be so totally at the mercy of a spectator from the audience. away ftom the Powers of Darkness for now.

Thelob of ary magician is to makelou

belieue that certain things happen when

fact thel don't bappen at al/. You'ae beard the expression, "The hand is qaicker tban the ey." IWell itl not, bat people belieue that it is when we fool tbeir sense of

in

sight. I

fnd that most magicians ignorelowr

other senses so tonight I'm going to

t1

Mwr

{wru*'ilr:tr'rr.i

attempt

to

fool

someoneJ senses of touch and hearing b1 eliminating their sense

of

sight.

I

always choose a woman.

idea of being fooled

It just

seems like they are oPen to the

in front of everyone more so than men

are.

Look

for someone who has been actively reacting to the show. Her reaction to the various phases is what is going to sell this routine to the audience. For reasons that will become obvious, I prefer a woman with bare arms and a simple hairstyle.

After asking her name, (we'll call her Tommi) begin with this statement. Yoa are the most importad person here tonight, and I'm not kidding. going to be askinglou tbem closed

to

periodicalfi closelour

antill ra)Jla

can open them.

eles and when

I

I

am

do,1ou must keep

Iflou openlour eles at the wrong time,

there is no magic, the show is ouer and we allgo home.

As you can see, you have placed quite a bit of responsibility and pressure on the spectator. You want her

to reahze that

she does

in fact

have the power to spoil the entire demonstration. Bat,

flou keepyar eys closed andfollow

be completefi amaryd fui what happens.

And it will

be wonderfal.

the audience) Yoafolks on tbe otber hand will not amused.I sa1 that becaaseltow aregoingto

see

will (Turning to

m1 simpk instradionsloa

be

anaryd bwtlou will

exact! how

tbese

accomplisbed. In fact I'm going to needloar help tf I'm going

be

fficts are being

fool Tommi. You teally do rely on the audience to help you fool the spectator to

and because this is a tole that the crowd has never filled before, you'll

f,nd that they participate with great enthusiasm. Turning again to Tommi: I promise

I will not embarrasslou in anlt wEt. Infact, iflour

eles are closed

andltou hear the audience krghiog, thel are not laaghing at1ou, thel're kughing at me becaase I'm an idiot. (To the audience) Right?

At least for me, the answet is always a resounding, "Right!" Yeah, a little qaick on the answerfolks. So

to Tommi) I willtrastloa to keepytlr tions andloa mast trust me that 1obs,

it wi//

be

I

itl

realfi a matter of trast. (Again

e)es closed

andfollow m1 simpk instrac-

won't embarrasslou.

And ff we both do our

ama{ng and amasing. And don't worry4lourjob realfi is simpk.

If you have done your job correctiy, Tommi now believes that she will not be embarrassed, that she really does need to follow your instructions to the best of het ability and that if she does, something wonderful will happen. t7t

Infax,

So Tommi, face the aadience, drms atlours sides, and

tightfi

it rea@ is. closeloar Ees. Areloar eles

right now we'lltr1 a little testjast to showloa how simple

clo:ed

soloa can't see anlthing?

As she is answering this question, go thtough the motion of punching her in the nose but stop your fist right in front of her face. Her failure to feact to this sudden "punch" convinces everyone that she truly can't see. OK,

I

belieae

that Tommi is telling the trutb and that

Keepyar eys tight! clued. I know it's dark in

she can't see anlthing.

there bat please don't open them

antill sE it's OK. AllrightTommi, openloar e1es. During the time that her eyes are closed you retrieve both coat hangers. Fof me, the circumstances of the performance determine

where I pick them up from. They might be on a table, in a case, in a bag, hanging behind a prop onstage, or brought on by an assistant.

The audience watches as you hang the gimmicked hanger on your collar and how it hangs down your back. The ungimmicked hanger is then placed over your head, comiflg to rest on your shoulders with the hook in front. You must be in this position, facing the lady, when she opens her eyes.

I\ow that wasn't

so bard was

it? Tommi, dolou

see

anlthing dffirent ap

here?

Eventually she will notice and point out the hanger around your neck. She's

shape.

got eys like a hawk. Look at that,

a coat hanger bent into a strange

(Hand hanger to lady for examination) I hang it

night; it got soft and stretcbed out. IYhen

it

iti

it

cooled off

ouer the heater one

in the morning

I

coaldn't euen

And most important of all, it doesn't come apart does it? So far, Tommi has learned that nothing bad happens when het eyes are closed and she has examined the coat hanger that is about to penetrate through her arm. bend

back.

For the time being we'llput that coat hanger right back where wefound it, around m1 neck.

And

ae dre readlforphase one. Turn toward me and hold both

front ofJ,ou like tbis. Position her hands palm down and about three or four inches

arms oat in

Touch vour fingertips to het arms and slide them down het ^Part. arms till thev come to rest on the backs of her hands. Repeat this i7d

ii j

band.r.

action twice. Figs. 1 & 2. goingto moue mJ fngertlp: downloar drmi antilthel come to rert 0n the backs ofloar bands. You willfeel ry fngertips as thel slide downloar

Tommi,I

azz

I :al feel tbem becauselou wznI Tommi, I wantlou to closeloar eltes.

arms.

Jee

them becaaseJzar

eJes

wi//

be closed.

\il/henevet the spectatof's eyes are closed, there are two different story lines unfolding. Thete is what she believes is taking place, based on rvhat she can feel and hear. And there is what is actually happening, which the audience can clearly see. At the moment she closes

het eyes your fingettips should be touching het arms rcady for their f,nal trip down to her hands. Start sliding your hands but with only the right little finger and left index f,nger touching her arm. As they near her hands, extend your right thumb as far as you can to )/our left.

Your right little finger should remain in contact

with the back of her left hand while your right thumb reaches over to your left f,ngertip. Fot just a moment both your left fingertip and right thumb are in cofltact with the back of her right hand but by the time they stop sliding, your left fingertip has been removed and its place has been taken by your right thumb. The spectator will believe that both of your hands are touching her hands, urraware that a substitution has taken place. Fig. 3.

Without hesitation, )rour ftee left hand lifts the ungimmicked coat hanger up over your head

Ffu.

)

LYhu slte expeiences the .ranefeelirg

liilt

dsril/t/e! tltat the .rante actior ba.r heen rcpeated.

lter

e1,s.r

c/osed, slte

I i1. 1\btr-fl'ee @l

ltail

rertot'e-r il.te

FQ. 5

ltatger.l)'olt trrotttd.yotrr reck.

'l'lte

@i ltand tlter

il

lo.r-re.r

rtttlo-y'orrr @t' arnt

and tosses it up your \eftarm to a point near 1,ep1 elbow. Fig. 4 & 5. Your left hand then immediatell'teturns to a position just above her right hand. Noat keepingllar

eJes closed,

tarn both ofl,our

hands

pa/m up and grab

onta

nt1 wrists. That's right, grab nry wrists and hold on good and tight.

As her hands start to tutn, allow your left fingers to regain contact

with her right hand and vour tight thumb returns to a position above her left hand. As she grabs onto )'our \r,rists she should be convinced that she never lost contact with either one of vour hands. Fig. 6. I will need a little rzobilitl because I haae to lift this coat hanger //p luer nU head and a little cirurlation

in the hands would

be nice

floa

can spare i/.

right hand mimes the action of lifting the hanger up over vour head. Fig.7.

During this line

)'Q. 6 A:

.rhe trrnt.r ber

ltorrl.r

ot er

dfid

ttl/ tltot I rephnd t4' tigltt thrnb t'itlt

ltabi ru-)'

fii

rt1' n'ri.rt.r n'ri.rt.

.sl.tt i.c

trrtob/t

t'o

1,our

Fp. 7'ilp ittrt3t il trottttd

lt)

ttetk.

l.ter

ttind

i.s

ilt,tl I alt rentorilgtlte nal ltarger.f)'ttttt

At the completion of this action ),our right hand catches hold of the hanger and moves it onto her right arm without allowing it to touch her skin. Fig. 8.

OKTonm|

keep those

ey tightj closed as I taploar

arm with tbe coat banger. You that's where the magic

is

can

feel that, right? Cood,

going happen on the count of

three. One, two, tbree, apenlour

e1es.

With her still holding both of your wrists vou tap the side of the hanger against her right arm. Of course she believes that it is the outside of the hanger hitting her arm, unaware that it is actually the inside. It is the straight sides of the hanger that make it impossible to tell which part is actually touching het. She of course confirms that she can feel it. You tap again during each count and on thtee you toss the hanger so it sort of

Fig. 8 U"ith lter

e-1es

c/osed .rlte is trttab/e t'a te//

il'

lter arnt i.r

lring

tapped b1 tlte otrl.ride or in.ridt oJ the coat ltanger.

spins onto her arm. \X/hen she opens her eyes the

coat hanger is in an impossible location. Fig.

It

went rtght through)lar arm.

9.

(And then to the

audience) Didn't it?

This is where the audience gets to help you fool Tommi and they will shout out in unison, f-tg. 9 Con:idet'inglltat slte n,as ristra/ilitrgit lter nind the caal /taager corr/d be /inked at'otrd l.ter arnt. in not let "Yes." The audience loves being only on the se cret, but being made pa:t of the secret. During the audience reaction tell the lady to again examine the hanger. Her mystified expression and re-examination of the coat hanger

will provide the promised amusement. Thatl pret{t weird isn't it?

If all of your instructions

were followed carefully it's more than

a

little weird.

But it realfi wasn'tfair

I

meanltour eles were closed, I was saling hold this

do that. You didn't realfi know what was going on.

wantloa

to

grab hold ofthe coat hanger right there.

I'// tellyu what. This time I

there i.r no n'a1'

Your left hand is holding the coat hanger bv the middle of one side with the hook at the bot-

tom. Have her grab the middle of the opposite

with her right hand.NIor.e ),our left hand back and forth so that the coat hanger twists back and fotth in her hand. Fig. 10. l{ou, euen ifloar eJer were c/osed,ltoa'd knou exact!, side that is nearest her

wbere that coat hanger is uoaldn't1zn? onto

")'er." OK, hold

it antill drkJztl to releaseloargrip and tben let me

take itfromlou. Bat not before, and closelonr |

'.7. 10 Once lterel,e.r arc clased1,611

. '2 1 1 \btr

During these instructions,

l,anl lterlo rentenbern'ltat il /aoked

;, d /elt /ike D,lten 1,sx ht,isted the han,qer Ltack and l'0ft/t in lter ltand.

rolunleer doesn't tza/i7e tltat

t/-te caat

ltatger lta-r totaled a

e1es.

as vou continue

to swing the coat hanger, she will see and feel the smooth metal turning back and forth in her hand. As soon as her e)'es are closed vou adjust vour grip on the hanger b,v holding the corner above her hand in your left hand and the hook below her hand in vour right hand. Continue twisting the hanger but now moving it a little bit further to the right than to the left. The spectator will not notice this variation. Continue this exaggerated twisting to the right until the hanger has rer.olved almost 180 degrees without touching her afm. No\[, unbeknor,vnst to her, the side held by her hand will be closest to vou and the

':,,:/ 180 desreer.

opposite side will be closest to her. During these moves \rour patter continues. Fig. lJow

I wantlou to hold outlour

11.

leJt band and p/ace

lourpalms togethe4 likeyu're praling, uith the coat hanger in betweenl,our hands. And nithl'oar Ees ttgbt!, closed, can

I wantlou

pull

to loosenlotrgriplust ruotgb so that

I

the coat hanger aatfroru betueenl,our hands.

As vou're pulling the front side of the hanger out from between her hands be careful not to touch her arms with the back side. Fig.1,2. I il. 1 2 In her ntind-1otr 'ron l.ter hand.r.

ThatJ right. Let are

pulling ilte coal ltanger coltp/etel1' nl

tt1'

ya

rue baL,e tlte ltanger lsul as soon as

feel it slip oat ofl,oar hands, claspl,our ltands tigbt[, tagether That wa1 iltere is no cltance I cauld sneak it back otltoltsxlY 6Y72.

To make sure she does eractlr- s'hat lou ask (Fig. 13) \-our instr:uctions must be r-erv cleal. Sometimes confusion on the part of the specta-

tof can lead to her opening her er-es. Not ma liciouslr- but simplv as a \\-av of sar-inu, "I \\'ant to help vou but I don't knos- s-hat t-ou mean." Continuallr- remind her to keep her er-es closed and make r-our instructions es precise as possible. Tonuai, keep tbose

e1,e.r

closed bectrtr.re

I aru qoirtl to

torrch the caat honger lo-1'orrrJ-oreltectd. Natt' dott'/ be

.rtorl/ed. )-atr n,i//.lbe/ lhe nrcla/ ogain.r/-yotr

lted. Cat

I ),:.

l) fu

Iti,q.

I1 (,lt't f/t'tt/1' of l'ttt

ttrrrf)rl ttrtl lrt lotril.t

iil.ttt'0f

l.)(t (tDilt n'iil.t il.tt l,,rtt.!,r'.

;,orr Jie/ iltot?

Durins these lines the hanget around her arm is held in vour left hand. Your right hand remo\-es the gimmiclied hanger from t'our collar and genth-touches her forehead rvith it. Failing to warn hel that this tap is coming s'ill surelr' cause her to open her er-es. Fig. 14.

.

1

itr

20 10 \rt./orn(tttL(

0f

.\Iitlt|gtrt. l)ltotr,: ll

'l'1.)(

Prntt't'.s

1'rtIr// Brt';lrr,t.

r,f l)trkttt.s.s ttit q il.trl.)'otr t/t1' t!0i/t.! lo lorrtl.t l.trt

fin'lturrl.

:'l"r';

irnUf,* W ilii4it;fl

The next move is risky and not absoiutely necessary but very con-

vincing for the spectator. After touching the gimmicked hanger to her forehead it is held flat side parallel to the floor and then dropped. Just prior to dropping it you must remind her again to keep her eyes closed and then the moment it hits the floor, another reminder such as, Keep those eys ttghtljt closed. Oops, eles closed, that was dropped the coat hanger

mlfault. Ilust

I'll get it.

This is the moment when she is most likely to open her eyes due to the fact that she believes something'went v/rong and you might have to start over. The t'wo commands to keep her eyes closed that bracket the sound of the hanger hitting the floor should succeed in keeping them closed. Another strateglr is this. When the hanger is on its way to the floor, your right outstretched fingers move quickly to a point a few inches from her eyes. Ifthe sound ofthe hanger crashing onto the floor results in her opening her eyes for even a second, this momentary blindfold will obstruct her view. As soon as you are certain that het eyes have remained closed, tetrieve the hanger ftom the floor and return it to its position hanging down your back. If you notice that she did open het eyes for a second, don't panic. Because she is factngyou, there is a good chance that the audience didn't see them open. And because it takes a moment for one's eyes to focus and she didn't really know what to look for or where to look, she might not have seen aflything except your outstetched hand.

When this move works perfectly (which it usually does) it provides very convincing evidence that the hanger ts far away from her two hands that are tightlv locked together. She must be thinking,

"OK

clumsy, now let's see you link it onto my arr.r,." AII the while you have been ver1, careful not to accidentally bump the other hanger against

het arm. With the gimmicked hanger safel1, back on vour collar, you can feturn to business. If I np this arm,lou canfeel

that?

And thenlour

other

arm,loa canfeel that?

OK, three taps, thati when the magic bappens. One, two, three, openlzxlr

eJtes.

Rtght through)zar arm. (Turning to the audience) Didn't it?

During the preceding, the top side of the hanger is tapped against one arm. She belier.es it is the bottom of the hanger that she feels. Then the hanger is carefulh, maneuvered around her clenched hands and onto her other arm where it is again tapped. Count to three and

then spin the hanger onto her arm as she opens her eves. Fig. 15.

The audience rvill again respond vocalh'that the hanger did indeed penetrate through her arm. During their reaction ask her to agatn check

out the hanger. She has norr,'examined the coat hanger three times. It is time to bring in the flngef.

I

anl

l.s

'l'he

rotlitre i.e de:igted so thtt earlt pettetnttirn aJ ilte /ar!'! tlore iltpres.ritv tltat tlte pret'iatr.r detuottsttzttiott.

tg. / 5

Take the coat hanger back from her and hold

it by the hook in vour risht hand. \br aru doing so ale/l that ue are going to attempt flat onlour head. Nlanr- women are verv pafticulaf about the appearance oftheir hair. Ifit has been spraved and

pho.re lhree. P/acel,our @i hand

pinned into a perfect coif thev might be reluctant to flatten it out with the palm of their hand. This is the reason that vou selected someone with a

ven'simple haitstvle. Fig.

\bt

see uhat1,e11'trts

andlour

As

16.

done? Lisingloar

head,1,s1,1 have created

/ong rtsltesl

there is n0 DdJ

arm,lour neck

an itnpenetrab/e circle.

keepyar hand tight againstloar head, I coa/d link this coat banger aroandlour

ftQ. 16'l'he

cortt bar3er

will agree). l.Vron! There are two methods I can use. I can either breakloar drm' 0r) I can cut oflour arm, right? (She

we al/ agree

neck.

head.

l{ow

tballtotr haue created an impenetrable circle usittglour arm, head and

Andl'ou

haue assured eueUtlne that this is a solid coat hanger

Voaldyu

like to see rue link tbis coat hanger ontoloar arru?

For some reason, even after listening to the two possible methods, the spectator alwat's saYS "\'es." OK, ruhicb ntelhod wouldloa like me to

use?

Her response will reflect the fact that she now realizes she has made a gfa\re erfor.

I

baue

goad nea.'s. There is a third metbod that is much

this metbodlou must closelour

e1tes.

lba/ slx hos exatttited tltree tine is lteld o.f' r/ta/ i.r abor/ lo happen.

si!.tl dtrirytbt explttraticttt

less

painfal hut witb

Close them ttghtfi and do not open them

till

infll

Tiirlawm ar itnpwrr

I telllou to. This is the spot where the coat hanger will penetrate tbrougbyar arm. Three taps, that's when the magic happens.

\7hen her eyes close you take the hanger into your left hand and begin tapping it against her right forearm. Yout right hand rettieves the gimmicked hanget from your collar. Ftg.17. The cadence ofyour tapping does not change as the gimmicked hanger takes over ftom the un'the aninternrpted mdence of L fu. 17 10117" Tapping conuinces ber tbat the -o,rl batger sbejust sau' is the sane one tbat penetrates througlt ber arru.

gimmicked hanger. The ungimmicked hanger is then hooked onto yout collat. Now the counting begins andat the count of "one," the side of the

hanger is again tapped against her forearm. Before counting "t'wo," pass the opening

in the hanger over her wrist without letting it touch

her. Fig. 18.

The tap on the count of "two" is made using the inside of the hanger. At the count of "thfee" the hanger is moved down her right arm and tossed onto her shoulder. Fig.

Li3. / 8 The gap in tln coat hanger is passed -,rlt is tlte :teadlt tapping.

ot'er her

adst bil a// slte

Fig.

19

In

tltis position

19.

it is itupo:sibhfor lter ta ve

the

gap in

the

gint'

nticked coat hanger.

Rrglt througlt)lu/r arvl again, didnl itfolks? The audience nou/ knows the drill and u'ill respond accotdingly. When she opens her eyes the opening in the hanger will be behind her shoulder, well out of the range of her peripheral vision. At this point she ma1, or may not reach over with her left hand and take hold

of the hanger. I like it when she does but you have to be very careful U,I

Mrc (austw

Wonamt

that the opening in the hanger remains out of her line of sight. To guard against her moving the hanger whete you don't want it, yout left hand is poised behind her shoulder very near the coat haflger. does take hold

If

she

ofthe hook, your left hand can grab the back ofthe

hanger and prevent a disaster. appear as if she has once

If

she takes hold of the hanger it

will

it a cursory examination. Give her a momeflt to rcaltze that ag

trr given

the coat hanger is indeed around her arm and re-

mind her to keep her right hand flat on her head. I'll moue the coat hanger riglt up here so it is around

lour

neck and then

we'lltry

one last experiment that has

neuer been attempted before.

The hanger is moved from het shoulder, up her arm, (Fig. 20) ovet her head and onto her shoulders, all the while keeping the opening out

of her periphetal vision. The hook is now at the front and the opening is along the right side of

FU. 20 Keeping

her neck.

caat banger is

Tommi, holdywr left arm straigltt oat tolour side and closelour

tbe

gap in tbe banger ont oJ herpuipheral uision tbe

noued

up her

arru, ouer lter bead and aroand ber neck.

e1es.

As soon as her eyes are closed, retrieve the ungimmicked hanger

from your collar with yout left hand. Immediately reach all the way around behind her and thread the hanger over her left arm. Fig.21,. Move it all the way up to her shoulder but be careful not to touch her

with it. During this long reach, refratn from speaking. You want your voice to always come from the same spot near her right side.

ThatI good, keepyur e1u

tellyu

until

I

to open them. Tommi, do me afauor

Canyu fndloar hip? 104

closed

Fig. 21 In reacbing behind her I ruornentai$ stop speaking and cidenta$ bnntp ber arm with tlte coat hangen

andpatlour left hand onyur bip.

I'n

carefitl

nlt

t0 ac-

IupPawm aF DAtt(firtt

Because you retrieved the coat haflger from

your collar and threaded it ovet her arm so quickly, het arm was extended out to her left for only a .very short time. It is almost like you changed your mind and suddenly decided that

her hand should be on her hip instead.

It's not unusual for the lady to move her arm around a bit before it finally comes to fest on her hip. It's almost as if she has forgotten where her hip is located. So until het hand is safely planted I-ig. 22 81 ntoting the coat ltanger rp near lter sltotrlder :lte is hss like!' lo accidenta//1 LunQ into it' a:

slte p/aces her

band on her /tip.

on her hip you must be very careful to not allow the ungimmicked coat hanger to touch her arm.

Fig.22. And while your left hand is being ever so careful with the ungimmicked hanget, your right hand has taken hold of the hook of the gimmicked hanger and is making sure she can feel it around her neck. Yoa canfeel the coat hanger aroandlowr neck, right? "Yes." I'm jast going to moae

it luerJ)zxlr head and onto "Yes."

Canyu feel that? As the coat hanger is moved uP over her head and onto her arm you make sure she can feel it

Jo/./r arm.

f'Q. 23 AJier repeated!, btnQiry lter arn a'itlt tlte ginnicked coal lnttger)totr then carefitl!'pass the gap our her n'tist.

by bumping it against her neck, wrist and arm.

The opening in the hanger is then passed over her right wrist without allowing the hanger to touch her skin. Fig.23. OKTommi hangerpasses

here's what itfeels

like when the coat

tbrougbyur right arru, throaghloar neck

and ontoloar left arm. Openlour eles and check

it

out.

Tap this gimmicked hanger against her right arm, ag tnst her neck and then, while you afe

hanging this hanger back on )rour collar, taP the ungimmicked hanger against the left side of het neck, then her left arm and finally drop it onto

her forearm. Fig. 24. Ftg. 24 Tap her igbt arn, nerk and /ef artu, onto her left

arn asl'ot returt

tlte

Jimll

droppitg

tlx

lnnget

ginnicked ltanger to1'otr ru//ar.

Of the four phases this penetration, off of one arm and onto the other, is perhaps the most 0i

lfiw {tt.mrly.firursii

will be completell, baffled as she remor.es the coat hanger fromhet atr-:, and examines it one last time. amazing. The spectator

If your presentation was successful, much of the credit belongs to your volunteer and now is the time to show het 1,sg1 appreciation. Ask the audience to give her a big round of applause as she returns to her

As she steps out of the petforming arca her back will be toward you. Use the few momeflts that she isn't looking at you to openly remove the gimmicked coat hanger from behind your back, boldly show both hangers to the audience, and then put them a\May out of sight. Yout audience gettiflg one flnal view of the gimmicked coat hanger and your volunteer missing ityet agatn will generate one final laugh. seat.

Your goal throughout the routine is to make the volunteer feel like a hero and not like a victim. The final line of patter is designed to enforce that tdea. Well,

I

belieue

else saw the

I

I

was

sligltt!

arzrtlstng bat Tommi,10il were

trick batlou are the onlt

one who experienced the

sometimes use this routine in a formal show but

ama{ng. Euerlone nagic

I find it best

suited to a situation where many people in the audience know each

other,like at aprivatep^rty. These people will love the idea of helping you fool their friend and they will relish the thought of not telling her how any of it was accomplished. On a cruise ship many acts present their full show early in the week and are then asked to do a short spot on the final evening's show. Early in the week passengets have not had time to socialize and form new friendships but by the end of the cruise there ate large groups

that have become well acquainted. This is the ideal time for the Powers of Darkness.

I would never attempt this routine orl a group of kids though I have met at least one performer who claims he has great success with it in kid shows. He is a better man than I. Not would I try tt for a crowd that has been drinking heavily, especially if the lady volunteer has had a few. Even if you u,ere fortunate enough to avert a disaster, they wouldn't temember it the next day artyway. I have performed the Powers of Darkness in the Parlour at the t06

filrPowiBt ar Dr,wmrt

Magic Castle with great success but always for the early shows, nevef during the late shows when the crowds have had perhaps a few too many. Because the Powers of Darkness is completely different from anything an audience is likely to have seen (unless they have seen Paper

Balls Over the Head) it is an ideal routine to have in your arsenal.

fter a couple occasions of being asked to perform my Powers of Darkness routine and not being able to find one single coat hanger anywhere, I came up with this impromptu version. Required are two pieces of rope, each measuring approximately 56 inches in length. Soft white magicians' rope is best but cord or even

string will also work. Tie one piece into a loop but as you do, allow one of the ends to extend only an inch or tv/o past the knot while the other end extends a good four or five inches Past the knot. Eithet an over-hand knot or square knot can be used. Fig.

1.

trtg. 1 ll"ben \'itrytlte rope itla a laop orc erd is

$i

/oryer

tltm

tlte atlter.

07

lilurAunw Wotont

To pre-set for the toutine, remove your coat and pass your right hand through the loop. Failing to put your arm through this loop

will result in a vety embartassing fnish to the toutine. You will need to secure the loop up your sleeve so that the bottom of the loop is positioned about three inches up ftom the end of your coat sleeve. You'll know it's in the correct position if you can easily reach up this sleeve with your left hand and grab the loop. Securing the rope in place can be done either of two ways. Hanging the knot over the top edge of your sleeve will prevent the loop from accidentally sliding down into view ptematurely.trig.2. Or, with youf coat off, you can place a rubber band around your uppef atmand then, after insetting your arm through the loop, tuck part of the rope under the rubbet band. Adjust the tope

Ftg. 2 Hangtng tbe knot ouerlour coat sliding doun

lour

sleeue.

so that the lowermost part is a few inches above

your wtist (Fig. 3) and then put on your coat. The rubber band

will

prevent the rope ftom prematurely slipping down your sleeve. Begin

with the other piece of rope in your pocket and you're rcady to go.

Fig. 3 An alternatiue authodfor rcnring the loop

inloar

sleeue

i:

tunder a rubber band.

00

to slip

paft of

tbe rope

sleeue

wi// preuent the kopJrom

lnppomwu Dowrw oF DAptuE

I

on! ander

haue discouered a most anasaalphenlltlenon that works

spectfic conditions. Tbe

prop: required couldn't

t

the most

be simpler: a human arm and a

length of mpe. Tbe rope I'ue got batfor some reaszn, this experiment doesn't work

it onlour arm. Retrieve the piece of rope from your pocket and toss it to someone in the audience. A lady or gentleman will work but make sure your volunteet has bare arms. For this description, we'll assume you've 0n mJ) arm. Perhaps we coald tr1

selected a woman. The experiment also won't work

f I do it, solou will baae to do all tbe heault

ltfting. Not to worr1. I'll showlow exartfi what to do and

And

ya

the last condition is that

will

e!.)en

I

can

guarantee that

coaldn't be easier

all of us get to watch batlou do not. That': right'

haue to carry out the whole experinent

lnce,

the job

withlour e1u cloud. Iflou peek

it won't work. Bat iflou

will experience a true miracle. Readl

to giue

do

exact! as I sE,1ou

it a tr1?

During this explanation, take the tope back from the spectator and tie the ends together, duplicating the look of the other loop; with one end short and one long. Have het tug on the looP to prove that it is solid. Shake.

Extend your right hand as you say the word and the tady will automatlcally shake hands with you. But you

dont let go. Fig. If,/ouldyu

4.

agree that as long as we maintain thi:

don't antie that knot, it would arm? "Yes."

lour

Actaalfi,

be impossible

to

there is zne waJ).

grip, and

f we

link this loop arowrtd

If

one of us stepped

into tbe loop and somebow squeeTgd our entire bo@ through it, and tben

palled the loop up

don't

I g. 1 'I-be knot is positioned at one side, .:(r il)e [Pect.ttot"s (|ril.

as tbe kop is laid

see

ouer our bead, we could do

it. Butfrank!,

I

that bappening, at least not withoat a struggle. But thatJ

wh1 m1 discouery is so astonishing.

If we /,t:el0/,/r arm andlou don't

peekloa can accomplish tbe impossible. !7hi1e maintaining your gtip on the spectator's hand, lay the loop over her wrist. Position the loop so the knot is not touchinghet arm.

will see and feel two sides of the loop lying over her wrist' As I sq/, "Lift and drE," I will ltft tbe rope ap about fue inches and then tlrop it back ontolour drril. Then itlltoar turn. As I sqt, "Lift and drE" again,

She

109

t'-ig.

5 fi"itlt

gab ltt,ld

lbe spectalor n'atcltittg,-yorr

aJ' botlt

FtQ. 6

A: iltt ktop i: tzti.tad tp.fbrr rtrJit'e inclte.r .rlx.liel.r

ilte rope nrltbint tgain.rt tltt-fi'ant trrd lnck af' her n'ri-rt.

sides oJ' ilte h.'op.

tlsingJzilr left hand,ya do exact! tbe

same

it butloa mrlrt d0 it exactfi as I'ue described or it won't work. Clear? "Yes." As you're explaining what must be done, demonstrate b1r 12[it * both sides of the loop in )rour left hand (Fig. 5) raise them up four or five inches (Fig. 6) and then drop the rope back onto her thing. That's a// there is to

wrist. Fig.

7.

I-i.q, 7

IYoaldya like to tr1 it open?

raise

once

withloar

"Yes." OK, go abead. Take the

it ap and

been doing this

droP it.Perfect.

allyur

-tlten

t'lte /aop i.r drapped

htck onla lter t'ist.

eles

rope,

It's likelou'ue

life. Closeyar eles and

remember, no peeking.

As soon as her eyes afe closed, reach up your right sleeve and pull the duplicate loop all the u/ay out onto your tight wrist. Fig.

8.

fti3. 8 On* lter

e1v.r

are clc,sd ilte dtp/icate rape tltat i.r

a/ready /aoped arotnd-1'otr .r/ett'e.

igltt artr

i.r

ptr//ed

oti

aJ

-yotr

Ftig.

9

tltis grip litlt-yatrr /e/ lttttd a//tn'.r il.tt

lte/d apen a.r n'idt

a-r

/ool>

to

I'iS. /0'l'lLt

ltt

/t,op i.r ltorvd ottlrt

lxt'trnr

n'iil.tt,trl d/lon'iilg

lotrlt ber rkit. \btrr il.tttttb and itdexJitrgtr tlten tukt l.tokl ol tl.tt oilttr /oop. tl.tt ropt lo

po:-rilt/e.

Quickly position the knot so it is lying on toP of vour wrist. You will now pick up this loop using a grip that will hold the loop open as wide as possible. Trap the rope iust to the left of the knot between )'our left ring and little fingers and the heel of 1'our hand. At the same time pinch the loop and the long end betv/een vour index and middle fingertips. The loop is held open as

Vithyur

g,es

ttghtt,

closed,

"vide

as possible. Fig. 9.

I'//proue that nothing happens

athen

I

ryt iL

Ltft

and droP. Nothing.

During this explanation, the loop in t'our left hand is carefullv passed over the ladr"s right hand. During this move do not allow the rope to touch her skin. Your left hand is lowered down until vour index linger and thumb can pick up the loop that is lr'ing across her u,rist. Fig. 10. During the lift and drop maneuver that she is norv famlliar r,vith, a sr,r,itch w-ill be

rfl

Lift both

of the loop off her rvrist (Fig. 11) and then, as the linked loop rs dropped onto her w-rist, the original loop made.

is snatched arvar'.

Fig. / 1'o

t

/

-I'lte

origitto/ loop

rlelt o tt.slrzt

i: /tfed qll ol lttr

ltd p rt ri o tr.t /1'.

n'ri:t.jrr.rt

a.t

sides

Ftg. 7 2 After tlte v'ilclt is ntade the /aryend sltould lal,itrg ot'er tlte tap af lter n'isf.

be

Ftg.

jrr.t

1

)

a.r

'llte .rpectutor n'i// elczlti(r

sl.te

lil'l

letryilts of' rope

did b(bre.

The spectator will feel rope move up both sides of her wrist and then drop back onto her wrist. The switching of the ropes during this demonsttation is undetectable. The loop around het arm should have landed with the long end lying over the top of her wrist. Fig.

If

1,2.

an adjustment is necessary it can be made after the switched-out

rope now in your left hand has been tucked into your pocket. Now

itlyur

turu.

Ltft

tbe rope and ,lroP

it. Openyar

eys.

In grabbing hold of the rope she will encounter the loop and the long end but will believe that she has the two sides of the loop just as before. trig. 13. She lifts the rope four ot five inches (Fig. 1fl and then drops it back onto her wrist. Fig. 15. You immedrately grab the knot and pull itto a position far away

Fig. / 4 Belieiltg tltat aigina/ /aop :/te a'ill

|:i

.rlte

lift

is lto/ding both sides

up the rope.

af

the

Ptg. 1 5

Lifiry ail

!d/t,/e d.r

it

druppirg tlte rope n'i//Jee/ exact!, tltc

did prvriot.rl,.

lmppomwu |lou,tpt

ot Dr,ptttttt

from her wrist. Upon opening her eyes I want her to see just one strand of tope lying over her wrist and have no possible explanation as to how it became linked onto her arm. Fig.

It

16.

went right througltllar arm,

didnl it?

As in the other routine, "didn't it" is directed toward the audience who will chime

Fig.

16 Before the opens her eles the knat is slid down to a

point Jar awal froru her wist.

in with an enthusiastic, "YES!" At the conclusion of this foutine yol are in the perfect position to shake yout assistant's hand in thanks for her help. In a casual situation it might be inappro-

pflzte to suddenly put on a jacketjust prior to your demonsttation. In

this case the duplicate loop can be pre-set under yout shirt sleeve. Ot, you can take things a step further.

From inside your shirt, tuck one end of the loop down your sleeve until it is iust above your elbow. The rest of the loop is allowed to hang down inside your shirt. Gravity will do a fine job of holding it

in this position. You can evefl put your coat on over this setup. When you afe teady to begin the demonstration you can take off youf coat and roll your shitt sleeves up to your elbow. All of this is seen as your being more than fair but it actually places the duplicate loop within easy reach.

And if we continue up your arm, there is one flnal possibility. If your are wearing a T-shirt there is no reason why the duplicate tope can't be looped over your right shoulder with half of it hanging down your back and the other side hanging down your front. In this position, just the weight of your shirt should hold the rope in position. Now, at the appropriate time, you reach right up the short sleeve and pull the loop all the way down your right arm and proceed as before.

It

seems stfange but the spectator is likely to

think, "\Well, he couldn't

have used his sleeves because he didn't have any."

.&

91

In

1991.

my pal Stan Allen told me that he had to either discontinue

his Inside Magic newsletter and get out of magic publishing altogethet

or step up to a monthly magazine and become a full-time publisher. I of coutse recommended that he hang it up knowing full well that he would ignore my advice and start a glossy, full-color, monthly magazine. You're welcome.

As a premium, Stan proposed a book of tricks and essays that could be obtained onl1, by shelling out thirty bucks for a subscription. The list of contributors is prett)r impressive even by todav's standards: Eugene Burger, I(azuyuki Hase, Richard I(aufman, I(enichi I{uroki,

Tomo Maeda,Jim Steinmever, Michael \7ebet, Tommy Wonder and N{ax Maven.

I do remember giving the book its name

(Square One)

but I have no recollection of settiflg the type or lal,ing it out but the

title page claims that I did. N{y other contribution was an essay on performing magic in a comedic st1,'le, and after rereading it I find that everything that bothered me tu/enty plus 1,ears ago still bothets me todav. Thus, here are my slight\, updated thoughts on Serious Laughter.

couple of years ago I peeked into a recentllLpublished textbook

f\ performing comedy magic. The first piece of adr.ice that fJ"" I I jumped off the page v/as, "Another good teason to do comedy is because it's easy"

I

closed the book, slipped

it back onto the shelf and

tiptoed out of the magic shop. Why would someone write that? Does this gu)r get a commlssion every time some goon crushes a collapsible beer can against his head? Does he understand the difference between laughter caused by

cler.er material delivered by a cleady established character and laugh-

ter coerced from an audience through embarrassment and relief? :i

r'

1"

Mwr (ti.rt,rv //ottprpt

Embarrassment ftom having to watch some guy stuff wtinkled handkerchiefs down the dress of a crimson-faced woman and relief from

the fact that his act is almost over and they have thus far escaped the dreaded call to "assist."

I envision this author standing on the end of a dock, yelling down into the water. "H.y, you fish. Come on up here on the dock where breathing is easy." My advice to all of his readers and to all those f,sh is the same: Don't do it. You will die a slow wretched death. How many times has an uninspired act been defended with, "Well, he got plenty of laughs" or "Hey, he's working." I don't buy that logic. At my house we're constantly laughing at my cat, so does that make No, he's a moron. I think it's important to understand the distinction between "getting laughs" zfld "getting laughed at." It's like the difference between an old iady handing you five dollars for helping het across the street, ot dragging an old lady into an alley, sticking a gun in her face, ar,d

him

a comedic genius?

demanding her purse. You're going to make some morley either way but there is an element of finesse missing from the second approach.

And whether you choose to rip off one old lady in an alley ot an entite audience in a theater, where is the gratific tlon? Aftet the mugging do you say to yourself, "rWel1, anothet good night's wotk,I feel great." You haven't rcally done anything that anyone holding a gun couldn't have done. It may come as a shock to some, but if my neighbot stuffed hankies down a woman's dtess in front of a group of stfangefs, there would be laughter. So when you do it, it doesn't make you special. It just means you've spent some money at the magic shop and the other people haven't. Of course you also run the risk of being upstaged by some guy putting a lampshade on his head and eliciting bigger laughs without having spent a dime. You have all seen comedy magicians who do tricks as they tell jokes. Some of them arevery good. Good magicians and funny co-

th^t medians. When they heat a funny new ioke, it can be in theit ^ct night. You can always spot these performers because you will be tell-

And the iokes will still be funny because they stand on their own, having no relatiofi to the magic that was performed. In fact, if you learned all his jokes and all his tricks, there is a possibility that you could do his act and do it well. That is a dangerous act to have, particularly if it's a good act. An act like that is fodder for

ing their jokes the next

t96

day'.

lrwout LNolruB

sticky-tongued stand-up wanna-bes. Then there is the kind of act th^t can't be stolen; afl

that is ^ct based on a personality and an attitude. It's not only what they say, but also how they say it. It's their body language; the way they look and

how they react in various situations. You can always spot these acts because the next day you

will be describing their act and fnally you

have to say, "!7e11, you just had to be there."

will

funny jokes were and you can't tell them because there weren't any jokes. Out of context the lines don't mean anything, but when taken as a whole, they arc hilarious. People

ask what some of the

Every line of patter, everl the really funny ones, in some way advanced the plot. The routine was obviously written for a certatn person with a cefiain style and personality.

If

someone else delivered the same

lines they would fall flat and there is a vety good reason for that. The

originator not only knows what to say, they also know what to think.

I(nowing what to think is much more difficult to steal. One needs only to consider Jeff Hobson or Mac I(ing and then imagirle someone else presenting their act. It's scary. Some people def,ne "writing patter" as thinking up what to say. That's wrong. Thinking up what to say is "thinking of pattet." \Wtiting p^ttet means writing it down. Those who don't usually justify their laziness by saying,

and bodng.

"I like it to sound spontaneous." Right,

spontaneous

If you are David Williamson, OK, wing it. Everyone

else,

write it down. How can you afford not to wtite it down when evefy word, every syllable can make or break a line. MCs are the frst ofles to spot an act with no sctipt See if you can tell which of these two acts is sctipted. MC to act #1.: "How long are you doing?" "Twelve minutes." MC to act #2: "How long ate you do-

ing?" "Oh, fifteen or twenty minutes." Act#2 usually foliows that up with, "...and if I'm rcally killing 'em, I might thtow in the Rings." WARNING: Devising and writing routines is really hard. In fact tt is the hatdest thing I can think of. In comparison, learning a proven routine verbatim out of a book is really easy. And you can learn a lot by petforming proven toutines in front of real people. Some people make a cateer out of it. But after you have learned the basics of per-

forming magic, don't you think that continuing with a monkey-seemonkey-do type of act is sort of like buying a book, taking it home and retyping the whole thing. Sure, no errors, perfect margins - but 97

doing something original must surely be more rewarding. And being original is a cinch. Anybody can do it. The challenge is being original and good at the same time. Magicians seem to have a

thing about otiginality. As soon as they see anything original they fall all over each other ttying to slap the guy on the back. They never stoP to think if it was also a good idea. How many times have you seen somebody win a ttophy for an original idea that was also a terible idea? You realI1, don't need that many great ideas fot an act. \X/e all know people who have succeeded with just one. OI(, so it wasn't theit first 'When a baseball idea, but that's still encouraging. It's not out of reach. playet gets a hit every third trip to the plate, he's batting .333 and he's a star.It's the same thing in magic. If every third idea you get is a hit,

you'llbe

a star too.

Def,ne your own petforming style and personality and the obvious restraints of that stage persona will dictate how a new idea should be developed. One thing that a cleady defined character will provide is a guide to what you shouldn't do. These discoveries are just as impor-

tant as finding out what you should be doing. Everyone knows that the only thing u/orse than watching some nerd ttying to be Mr. Cool is watching some Poor slug who has no idea who he is up there trying to be the ffazy, wacky, zany

l{rng of

I(omedy. Audiences can sense insincetity like a shark senses blood in the water and both can end up Pretty messy. You'll have a much bettet chance at success if you first take an hon-

yout t^w matertals. \)flhat do you look like? How do you normally act and speak? If the answef to these questions is "normal," that's fine. Normal people can be vety funny. In fact, people fnd it much easier to identify with a normal-lookingJoe as opposed to some ctazed lunatic. By playing "Everyman" it's easy for an audience to imagine themselves in your piace; ptedicaments are funny as est inventory of

long as it's someone else who's in them. If your p^ttet is clever and you treat your audience intelligentiy, they'll thank you for it. A performer who tries to be funny by acting stupid sometimes finds out that he is the only one in the room who is. And the last rule is that thete are no rules. No one can tell you

how to be funny.

If there were unbreakable rules, then either Robin

\X/illiams or Buster I(eaton would be funny, but not both. Everyone has to stand up there and get beat up. Eventually you will

rq0

be able to throw a punch as well as take a punch. Or mat'be, vou'll

end up punch drunk. Just gir.e it your best shot and at least you'll be contender.

a

atrick Albanese is a very clever fellow. He was aheady a longtime magician when he got a iob as host at the Magic Castle. By watching hundreds

of maglcrans during his Castle stint

he

leatned what it took to be a good Performer as well as what made an act bad. When he told me that he was starting to work on his owfl act,

I remembered an idea that had been percolating in my head for years. I knew that Patrick had the ability to build this challenging prop and this way I would get to see if it really wotked. In the BilI in Cigar chapter I explain how I first met Terry Seabrooke at the 1,974IBM convention in Little Rock, Atkansas' Ten years later I pubtished his book, which to this day temains one of our best selling titles. I remember having a conversation with Tercy about what he should call his book. I said, "No matter what you call it people are going to refer to it as Seabrooke's book" so we decided then and there that this would be the ttde, Seabrooke's Book. In that book, hiding on just one Page, there is a trick called The Pipes and Plugs. It was an idea using the Chinese Sticks thatTerty and Pete Bito had worked on. The round sticks were fitted with plastic faucets and the tassels were replaced

with sink stoppers. Here was

perfect example of taking a Proven, classic effect and disguising it with a new face and routine. But, thought I, how cari someone hold tv/o watef faucets in theit hands throughout a routine and never tutn a

them on? The fnish just had to include'water pouring out of the faucet into a bucket. Not iust one pipe-full, but a LOT of water. One only has to think about the Long Pour Salt Trick and the fantastic effect created by the seemingly endless production

A

claric

tick

(Cbine:e

Stick:) witb a neu'Jaru falcets and sink stoppers) with a

kilhrfnith

(a ueruitg!, endless

quantil of water).

of salt. Now imagine the

impact on an audience created by an inexhaustible reservoir of water gushing into a bucket from a water pipe held in your hand. My first thought \il/as to have some kind of bladder (like a hot watef bottle) concealed under yout clothing with a hose that could be hooked up to one pipe. Squeezingthe bladder with your arm would ZO

lrlwr

Aww

Wrww+t

force water down through the tube and out of the pipe.

It sounded

simple enough so this is the idea I gave to Patrick. He liked it and set

off to make the props. Patrick doesn't just dabble with proiects, he pours himself into them. I received constant updates. The proper faucets were impossible to find. You can't "conce

l" a hot watef bottle under your clothes

retaTnrng u/ater. Chinese Stick technolwithout looking like you ^re ogy was not designed to be watetproof. One by one each problem was attacked and solved. The perfect faucets were fnally located at an outdoor plumbing supply store. One Chinese Pipe would be switched for a duplicate urater-spouting pipe and the hot u/ater bottle would be concealed undet a yellow ratncoat. The ptesence of the r^tncozt was justifed by saying, "For home plumbing repairs you need three things, a monkey wrench, a copy of Plambingfor the Complete ldiot, and one of these." The last item was a yellow taincoat, which generated

images of burst pipes and water spraying everywhere. Besides getting a good laugh

this gag successfully justifed the cover for the secret

u/ater supply.

After the usual pulling of the plugs up and down, back and fotth, one of the sticks would be placed into an inside pocket in the ralncoat. Later when retrieving it, the duplicate pipe was brought ^pparcniy into play. Now the faucet could be turned on, the bladder squeezed and water would pour out of the pipe and into a bucket on the floor. In an effortto attatn maximum realism Patrick used real rubber stoppers (instead of the Styrofoam ones suggested in Seabroooke's Book) and real beaded chain. They looked gteat but produced added weight and friction to the Chinese Stick mechanism. The pipes had to be

tilted way up before the weights started to slide. Patrick's solution to this problem was to install a small reel at the back end of each pipe. The line from the reel was looped around the chain inside the pipe. The tension in the reel was almost, but not quite, strong enough to pull in the chain. The pipe needed to be tipped up just slightly before the reel and the weight working together could pull in the chain. The result was a set of Chinese Sticks with a hair trigger. Tipping the pipe even slightly would start the plug on its upward journey.

One day Patrick called and said he was ready to show off the ftuits of his labor. "Perfect" I said, "Mac I(ing and I are up in the ttee house. Come on over." The first performance of the Chinese Pipes t07

{wrrDtpr;

took place eighteen feet up in a \ff/illow tree for an audience of two' We marveled at Patrick's realistic looking and ingenious set of pipes as well as his raincoat.It was actually two raincoats that had been Velcroed together with the requisite plumbing concealed in pockets between the two layers. There was a pocket to hold the hot watet bot-

tle, another pocket to hold the duplicate pipe, which $/as connected to the water supply by a rubber tube. \We sat through the Chinese Stick portion of the routine anticiPating the big wet f,nish. Then, the moment of tfuth. Patrick turned the handle and water trickled out of the faucet. It was underwhelming. People have spent their entire lives turning faucets on and evefy

single time the watef came gushing out under pfessufe.'Water just falling out of a faucet didn't look right. There was no escaping this truth

likely akeady knew but didn't want to face. "The water has to be under more pressure than iust vour arm squeezing a hot water bottle." The next time I saw Patrick v/as at the Magic Castle where he was debuting his new act including the Chinese Pipes. Additions to the coat included a compressed air canister that resided in a pocket under the right arm with avalve that could start and stoP the flow of air. so u/e told Patrick what he most

Another pocket at the back of the coat held two metal watef bottles. Figs. 1 and2.

FQ. /

A

o1' the

internal phrnl.ting, of n'lticlt tltere

second rainruat held in place 11'

I'ehro tabs (fectit'e! ltid a//

u'as p/etrfi'.

Fig. 2 Thi: exposed riett'oJ' tlte ittter mincaal sltou's tlse aircanisterin tlteporkel on tbe leJi and tltt ttt'o t'ater tanks in t'be centerpocket. At tlte jtr igbt is tbe billdag c/ip tbat turns tbe reel atlacbed lo tlte drutt'sling

ifia

a /ockirg rtel.

741

Mtr Avnw

Wonomt

A piece of plastic tubing delivered compressed ait to each water tank and the ptessure forced water out of the bottles where it merged into a single hose. This hose entered a thitd pocket that held a duplicate Chinese Stick. Pattway through the routine one stopper malfunc-

tioned and this pipe was placed into this inside coat pocket. Patrick then discovered that the drawstring on his raincoat nou/ controlled the stopper. Pulling the knob on the drawstring taised the stopper and soon the two drawstting knobs u/ere actirig as mysteriously

as

the stoppers. The drawstrings'were actually t$/o separate sttings,

A bulldog clip turned one of the teels into a locking reel. \7hen the pipe was supposedly retrieved from the pocket it was actually the duplicate pipe hooked up to the water supply. The section of supply hose that extended from the pipe to the edge of his each hooked up to a reel.

coat was hidden by Pattick's wrist.

Putting ofl this ratflcoat turned Patrick into a walking bomb. If the system blew, he would be soaking wet in an instant, but by the time the ait canister had blown itself out, he would most likely be bone dty. It was a huge relief to fi.nally see The Chinese Pipes in ftont of an audience. Technically it worked fine but there was no getting atound the fact that this r^7ncoat, fully loaded, weighed in at about nine pounds and no matter how casually it was handled, tt"felt" suspicious. If the audience suspected that the u/ater was coming out of the raincoat, they would be satisfed that the mystery had been solved. Details arc of no importance to an audience.

This method sounded great on p^per but the rcahty u/as that it just didnt fly. It felt like this was "a" method but not "the" method. A new idea occutted to me a couple of weeks later in, of all places, the shower. Perhaps tutning on the faucets and having w^ter hit my face was just the jolt I needed. I called Patrick and explained my

I wish I knew

to avoid these ^way costly and time-consuming steps in the creation of a new toutine but I don't. The raincoat was eliminated. Instead he would enter carrytng a toolbox similat to the kind a plumber might c tty. Fig. 3. latest idea.

t04

Fig. 3 Bxidu beinga logicalplace to carrylourplambingtools, the tool chest eliminated the raincoat and obscured the audienceJ uiew

water sappfi hook-ap.

of

the

AtnarPtpa

This toolbox contained everything; the three pipes, the watet comPressed air supply ^fld ^ canister. Fig. 4.

The water suPply would be equipped with a coflnector valve that protruded through the front of the chest. To the right of this valve was a threaded valve that a bicycle pump could be connected Fig. 4 lYitb tbe Chinese Pipes remoued

tbe

phtmbing intide the toolbox is clearfi sbown. Tbe

latge black container is the water suppfi and the light-colored container is the compressed

air

itl)tfften

to in order to

refll

the au canis-

tet with compressed ait. Next in line was the on/off switch for the air canister. Fig.

5.

A rubber hose would run from one wrist, up the sleeve, under the coat and down a P^rLt leg ending at the ankie. Two of the pipes would contain Patrick's

improved Chinese Stick mechanism. The third would be hollow

with a connectof valve ptotruding about three inches from the Ftg. 5 Protruding tbroagh tbefront

:tpp!

of

the toolbox (whicb tbe aadience neuer sees) is the water

pamp ualuefor reflling the air canister in the ord at tbefar ight h tbe on/off witcbfor tbe air mnister. connection on the left, the biclcle

center,

back end of the pipe.

Upon enteririg, the toolbox would be set on the floot right in

front of your feet. As you leaned over and opened the chest, you also pulled the end of the tube

from your pant leg and snapped the end into the pressure valve on the front of the box. The chest itself screerls this from the audience view. Fig. 6.

Ftg. 6 Before

fron inide

the

tbe

frn ptpe is brought into uien' tlse sqp[

pant

leg

and connected to the water supp!,

line

is

t'a/ue.

pulled

Ftom the toolbox (which presumably contains all of yout plumbing tools) you remove the two Chinese Pipes and begin the ZO'

Myr Gwri'lflcr-lp,i

Ftg. 7 a,lteru

ltr

logtca/

n

it ffirtit'e/1'

set t/se too/box

ltides ilte rvater

atltorrl'tt, bose.

FiS. 8 Wltile reacbing into the loolbox- lhe

uah.e is

palled oat of

lour

tleet'e and connected to tbe tltird pipe.

routine. Fig.7.

At

in the routine one of the pipes is retutned to the chest. A moment later, while apparently tetrieving the pipe you actually pull the valve out of your sleeve and connect it to the third water one point

pipe. Fig. 8.

It is now safe to turn on the pump and bring this third pipe into view. The pump forces the water out of the teservoir, up the tube, and into the pipe. When the faucet is turned on you get a stream of water that resembles the streams that people have become accustomed to all

their lives. Fig.

9.

Of coutse there would also have to be a bucket on stage to catch the running u/ater. nfle initially considered installing into this bucket a pump that would de-

Fig. 9 'Inrning on tbe faacet

re/eases a steadl, stream

grrsltes otrt underpressarc,just /ike an1, real.faucet.

liver water up a clear tube that terminated at the spout of the faucet. When the pump was turned on, the water

would run up the tube and then back down around the outside of the clear tube. It was basically the "impossible object illusion" often 206

of water tbal

AtwrPpn

displayed

in store windows where a fatcet disgorged unlimited quanti-

ties of water. Eventually we decided that audiences would recogntze

out illusion as exactly that and turned our attention to the toolbox. Thete wete mydad problems to solve but Pattick once again attacked the ptoject with a vengeance but soon after he got Pafi ^ in a long-running play that effectively took him away from magic. Eventually, I inherited the fruits of Patrick's considerable efforts and I still stand amazed at his ingenuity and tesourcefulness in turning 'Sfith so many of the ptoblems aheady this "pipe" dream into reality. solved I considet this idea to be a diamond in the tough just waiting fot someone to finish the routine and bring it to the stage.

707

ttick that Hal-ry Andetson and ventriloquistJayJohnson preseflted on a television talk show. Harry his idea came from

^

catd

blindfolded himself by placing a bag over his head and then allowed the host to select card. Because the card was freely shown to

^

the audience, Jay was able to see it too. Then Jay, speaking fot H^rry, announced the name of the card using a ventriloquial voice. Jay has been a good friend for many years and when he, Tina and I worked

a

week together at the Magic Castle we decided to try a full-on

demonstration of second sight. Out plan was for me to be blindfolded on stage withJay holding a microphone up to my mouth. Tina would

in the audience holding up items belonging to spectators. \We fguted after one of two items, the audience would catch on to what was actually happening. \We would move onto a couple of gagitems, f,nish with a big laugh and that would be that. be

\We completely miscalculated the

effect and it was allJayJohnson's

fault.

After the first show the Magic Castle's entertainment director (Jack Goldf,nget) came backstage and was cleady baffled by our new mind reading act. Some people wondered if there was a peePhole in the mastery of a vetbal blindfold while others marveled at Tina's ^pparent code. The routine generated few laughs and ended wrthpuzzled applause.

The problem stemmed from Jay's extraordinaty technical skill as a ventriloquist. Even with the audience sitting just a few feet away and 'I-ina

ltnert, Ja1 Jobn:on and Nind Reading at tbe

I present

Magic Castle in 201 2. Pboto: Derek

Hrgbu.

Jay speaking for three or four minutes, they simply didn't susPect anything. Even the jokes that were designed to expose the method didn't

smarten them up, nor did the fact that immediately following our

mind readiflgactJ^y performed fifteen minutes of ventriloquism. His 209

Mur Avnw fl/ontint

opening line was,

I drink

Come back later

in the week and Mike will readlour mind

didn't help. Some folks told me later that during the drive home they suddenly thought, "\(/ait a minute! That was JayJohnson naming those itemsl" So we did get a reaction but it occurred on the freeway long after the curtain closed and miles away wbik

a

glass of water.It

from the Castle. Nobody benefits from a time-delayed teaction. For two nights we wrestled over whether the act should be played straight or strictly fot laughs. Jim Steinmeyer suggested that we do both. Here is the routine that we settled on for the remainder of the week.

When I asked for the blindfoldJay enteted and explained to me that the blindfold was missing. After having a minor fit I spotted a trash can left over ftom Tina's Cleaning Lady act and in what I believed to be a stroke of genius, decided to use that as my emergency

blindfold failing to consider the fact that tt would make me look like a complete idiot. At the end of the act I removed the trash can revealing that the missing blindfold had mysteriously found its way around my head. The cloth blindfold was made from the same houndstooth material as my coat. The cloth was wtapped around a 11/z inchby 24-rnch strip of flexible plastic and sewn into the standard blindfold shape. Fig.

Ftg.

I

1.

Tbe Velcro tabs alloat tbe siry

of

the blindfold to be arfuned

quitkl

and

easi/1.

The plastic strip allowed the blindfold to maintain a Proper citcular shape and Velcro tabs on the ends of the blindfold allowed the size to be fully adjustable. I wanted it to slide easily onto my head but not slide down past my nose and ezrs. Fig. 2. zl0

lltm Praum

Fig. 2

The

plastic

stip

held the

blindfold open so that m1 head cotrld slide straight into

I

it

when

pat on the trash run.

The trash can blindfold was not chosen because it was aheady pat of Tina's act. It was determined to be the petfect prop for a variety of reasons and thus, it was logically worked into Tina's act. First, a trash can ovef your head looks funny. Second, it does act as avery effective

blindfold. Third, it does alter the tone of one's voice thus justifying the odd sounding voice used by J"y.Fourth, it provided a means for introducing the cloth blindfold as a surprise finish. A spting metal clip was pop-riveted onto the inside front of the can. Fig. 3. The front of the blindfold was slid under this clip. Wrapping a piece of gaffers tape around the front of the clip provided increased friction that helped hold the blindfold securely in place. Fig. 4.

f,S. S (tft)

Tu,a PoP

riuets bold tbe clip to the side

of

the trath can.

Fig. a @d)t) Cafen tape on tbe clip proildes

extrafiction to hep bold tbe b/indfold in place.

I

Mur Avrnw

WonorBt

On top of the blindfold I placed a wrinkled piece of paper and on top of that, assorted pieces of ttash. This arrangemeflt allowed the trash to fall straight out of the can onto my head without getting hung up on the blindfold. \X/hen I did put the can over my head, the blindfold was in the perfect position to slide right ovet my head. One tug on the pointed end of the blindfold easily released it from the clip.

Mike: Dolou like mind magiclow know.

reading? Euerybodl's doing

it. It's tbe hottest trend in

And in an ffirt to remain at theforefront

of ourfeld

I

deueloped ml pslchic abilities to an extraordinary degree. To demonstrate

yufolks

to reach intoyurpockets and purses and remoue

comb, cell phone, a

tben

I

want

personal item... a

bill of some kind, key or an1 other itemya might haue. I will

be tboroagh! blindfolded and

will

an1

too haae

pslchicalfi identtfl

Tina will pass amzngJlrl and hold aploar

objects.

I

each and euerl item.

Tina would move into the audience and begin to collect obiects in basket including a bill of some kind and a ceII phone.

a

Mike: If m1 assistant could bring out the blindfold. Jay entered c rytngnothing. This was the first time that he was seen by the audience and because of how I referred to him they just

Afnr anwilting! enpling

assumed he was an assistant. Undet his breath Jay sard,IYe don't

Photo: Derek

blindfold.

Mike:

l%hat

doyu

mean we don't haue the blindfold?

IYhat happened to it? For crying out loud, there must

be some-

tbing back there. Here, hand me that bucket. Jay handed me the bucket

thatTtna had used earher

in the show and left sitting on the stage. Mike: Perfect, a /6-gauge steel blindfold, impossible

to

see

throagh.

As

I

started to put the bucket over my head trash

pouted down on me. Looking into the wings

I

said

to

Bryan Lee, our wonderful stage manager, Oh clme ofi man,J)01/ coald'ue enptied the trash.

I put the now-empty

can over my head while Jay removed a handheld microphone from the stand and

held it near my mouth but outside the can.

717

haue the

ttte

trasb can on nryself I place the emergeltc) blindfold ouer nt1 head.

Hlghu.

The hrst object was chosen at random but Tina made sure thatJat, could clearlv see it. Ttna )Iike the l[agnifcettt, cctil)10il identif, lhis alject? Using perfect ventriloquial technique, Jav named the obf ect in a slightlv mutfled r-oice. Because no one had er-er heard me speak while mv head u-as inside a trash can, ther- accepted this r-oice as mine. Tina mor-ed onto the second random item.

Ttna And ltol.' abofi lhis one, canl'ou do it? Because of hou' Tina changed the rvording of her question each

Mur Awnw

Wonomt

time, the wise ones in the audience statted to susPect that we might be using a verbal code. This ploy further directed their attention away fromJay's stationary lips as he named the second object. SinceJay was supposedly setving as a human mictophone stand, he acted slightly disintetested in the proceedings and casually looked around the audience.

Trna: And what am Jay named

I

bolding now please, cdnJza name this as well?

it. Tina next held up the cell phone.

Trna: And what is this? Jay:

A

cell phone.

Trna: And what network

does

it

use?

Jay: ThatI mming in a littlefuqTl. Tina: ATdy'T, tbat's correct!(Big laugh every show)

Ttna: And nzw laer on this side, what is this object?

Before each show we planted an emPty beer bottle where it was easily accessible to Tina. The penultimate object was always this bottle. Jay: This is uery drffcult. This is tbe most dfficalt one of all. Tina: I'll giueyu a hint. It starts with a B.

Jay: Yes I know, that's wh1 it's dfficuh. OK, try, a bottle of been

Tina: That's

no

gaarantee but let me giue

it a

correct, a gottle oleer

Each show this inside joke elicited a big laugh from iust one or tv/o people who were aware of the factthzt "gottle o'geer" is how abad

two pesky "B" words, "bottle of beer." The last object was always a bill.

ventriloquist

says those

Tina: And fnalfi how about this Jay:

A

object?

bill.

Ttna: And wbat is the denomination.

would name the denomination of the bill. Ttna: And canJlu tell us the serial number? Jay would rattle off eight completeiy tandom digits and a lettet. Jay

Ttnz: Is that

correct sir?

Tina lowered her handheld microphone to her side making it look to the rest of the audience like she was holding it up to the spectator's mouth. Changing to a loud squeaky voice, Jay would say, Yes! Trna: Ladies and Gentlemen, thatl Mike the Magnificent, the Pslchic maruel. \When I temoved the ttash can ftom my head the audience was

surprised to see that I was now wearing the missing blindfold. As

714

I

Ntno Patirne

Rentouingtbe nnsb cat reueals the ruising blindfold. Pboto: Derek

HtShu.

temoved the blindfold,Jay spoke in the same muffled voice he had used for me. Jay: Ifound

ry

blindfold!

Mlke: Jay Jay: I foand rzry blindfold!

Mike: I%e're done witb tbe mind reading Jay Jay: It was on n1 head the whole time. Mike: TbatJ enoagb Ja1t. Jay:

I

shoald haue looked there first.

Mike: STOP! Go getloar act readll During this exchange the audience could clearlv

see

that I was not

7t

ll-

t4 liliillb/h

rerttotvd

.rpukitry. Pltctlo: l)erek

[email protected].

ltb both ol'

rtne

speaking those lines.

coming from

Ja1,

It

iltt ttrdielte lturs "14"'

slowl,v dawned

t'oice btrl c/ear/1' see.r

tltat

I on rat tlte

ofl them that they must be

and that they had not onhr been bamboozled by an

incredible ventriloquist but that the gu), $/ith the trash can on his head hadn't said a word during the entire demonstration.

Mike: Tbati

how we read minds

in the 2/st centary

-

b1 oatsourcing.

lltnoNturc

And while I didnt say a wotd during the psychic demonstration I did use hand and arm gestures to emphasize the words thatJay was saylng.This choreogaphy furthet convinced the audience that I was the one doing the talking. This routine provided me the opportunity to stand at center stage and not say a wotd fot three ot four minutes. It was acfiially quite peaceful inside that can But I must warn you; this routine wiil only work if you have a microphone stand th^t carL speak ithout noothing his litz.

%

Foiling to prepore

it preporing to foil.

utLA borketboll coorh John lliooden

7].7

he roots of this routine go back to Edwatd Victor's Eleven Catd

Trick, f,tst published in booklet number 6 of lWillane's Methods For Miracles. Victot's routine involved a pack of cards and one spectator who dealt eleven cards onto the magician's hand. Upon checking the cards dealt it was discovered that the magician held only ten cards. The spectator provided an additional card and another count revealed that there were still only ten cards. Another catd was added

and still there were only ten. Next the spectator counted the cards and he verified that there were indeed only ten. Three cards were added to

the stack making a total of thitteen but two were immediately handed back to the spectator leaving abalance of eleven. A count revealed that there were still thirteen. Trvo more cards were returned but this

time ten cards remained. One mote card was added to the stack and frnally the magician counted the proper number of cards - eleven. The packet was handed to the spectator who was asked to deal six cards onto the magician's left hand and five cards onto his right hand. The six wete dealt without incident but only four cards remained for the right hand. The trick was "abandoned" due to an insufficient numbet of cards. The method involved a series of false counts and the ability to shift three cards from the counted packet in one hand back onto the deck in the other hand. It is certainly an interesting concePt for a routine but for an audience that is not completell'sober andfor willing to do some math, it is a minefeld.

Gene Gordon was the first to take what was basicall), a close-uP card toutine and turn it into a stage trick by replacing the cards with (OpPoiite)'f he Ten Dollar Bi// Tick in |\[uniclt, Cernatg\ 2007. Photo: Tbomas Fraps.

dollar bills. Gene retained Edward Victor's technique for surreptitiously shifting three bills (cards) from one hand to the other. This move is difficult with cards and seems nearly impossible with bills especially

if

subjected to repeat viewings. Gene's method for disposing

l9

Mur [wnw

Wonomt

of the second stack of bills was to have the spectator set them down on the table. Not very mysterious but it got the iob done. Gene reahzed that the otiginal Eleven Card Trick basically did not have a flnish so he added an additional effect wherein a marked bill in the stack ultimately vanished and reappeared sealed inside an enveIope. The various false counts and number of bills that vanished were identical to Victor's original routine. The great Fred I{aps had the same idea of perfotming the effect

with bills after seeing Mike Skinner perform Edward Victor's Eleven Card Trick rn1974 in Monte Carlo. Mike Skinner showed Fred how he deftly shifted the catds from one hand to the other but Fted felt that attemptirig this move with bills was ill advised. He was determined to create an improved method fot secretly disposing of two small stacks of bills during the course of the toutine and not surprisingly, his solution was simple and elegant. Fred also added a second sPectator to the presefltation and he made a slight change to one of the counts near the end of the routine. All of this, combined with Fred's consummate acting skills, transformed what had been a close-up trick into a rou-

tine suitable for the stage. A Fred I(aps petformance of this trick piqued Trevor Lewis' interest and the two great magicians spent houts discussing its fine points. On at least a couple of occasions Fred explained his Eleven Bill Trick during lectures and later he wrote up the entire routine but it wasn't published until after his death in 1980.

During a 1977 visit to the home of Trevot and Val Lewis in Holyhead, Wales Trevor taught me the Eleven Bill Trick. I temember being s'worn to secrecy at the time but today, more than thirty-five years later, anyone canlearn Trevor's routine in his book Routines Matter In analyzing the routine I decided that, fot my taste, it was too confusing. During the routine the total number of bi1ls changes from ten to thifteen, then back to ten and to understand the effect it is necessary for the audience to add and subtract numbers. Equally confusing

is the factthat sometimes you are handed one bill, other times three and sometimes the magician hands two bills back to the assistant.

But the thing that

\fhy

I found

most peculiar was the number

eleven. eleven? Our whole numbering system is based on ten. \When you

-

heat someone count up to tefl it is very easy to believe they are flnished counting. It just feels like they've reached their goal. But when 170

Tt

Drtu.rp lrtit [Btcv

someone counts up to nine it's easy to feel like they've left you hang-

ing. You are waiting for them to finish and say "tefl." I would love to know Edward Victor's feason for choosing eleven 2s the numbet he is

trying to reach. After considering all of these thoughts I decided to make my target number ten and reverse-engineer the toutine ftom there. Every time I, or the spectatof, count the bi1ls our goal is ten. Each time, we come up one bill shott. Aftet every count one bill is added to the stack. \When the spectator counts the bills one last time, he still ends up with nine but four more bills have vanished. This script seems much easier to follow even if you have a drink in your hand. I always wondered why Fred I(aps decided to employ the help of two spectators when both Edward Victor and Mike Skinner used a single assistant in their versions with playing cards. Perhaps he relied on the act of turning from one spectator to the other to provide misdirection during the steal of the bills' For m)' simplified version of the trick I elected to use iust one spectator.

Seventeen bills are required and gest you obtain brand new

If 1,ss get bills with

I wouid

bills from

sug-

a bank.

consecutive serial numbers

you will be able to easily stack the bills in the same order before each performance. Because

Frcd Kaps peforrus bis E/et'en Dollar

Bi// Ttick

on

Bitish

teleL'ision.

of the precise fold in each bill this is the only way to ensufe that the stack is exactly the same each time. The onl1, way to break the bills in is to count them from hand to hand dozens and dozens of times. They are nearly impossible to count individually at first but over time you will be able to push them off the stack one at a time with ease. A light dusting of fanning powder can also work wonders. Fred's solution to the bill disposal problem was brilliant. All of the bills in the stack are individually folded in a Z shape. Each bill is folded into thirds with each fold pointing in the opposite direction,

ltl

Mrc

Gwrv #stttttt

thus the name Z-fo\d. Fig.

1.

With the stack in counting position, someone standing on your left is able to read the writing on the top bill. The valley fold is furthest from you while the mountain fold is nearest 1,o11. On two occasions duting the routine it is necessary to obtain a thumb break above the fourth bill from the bottom of the stack. To facilitate this there is a black mark in the upper left margin of the foutth and tenth bill from the top. The two marked bills will end up in the proper

(Abore) Ftg. 1 Eaclt bill isfo/ded into tltirds in tltis corfgrution.

2 Tlte nnrkt are t'i.rible in nntgin of tltefouth and tentb bills.

@elon) Ftg. tlte

il \\l t

position during the counting sequences. Fig. 2 shows the stack spread to the right which reveals

na

r\t!

\

the marks in the left margins. ,'I

The proper grip for counting the bills is similar to a dealer's grip with cards except that the faces of the bills are held perpendicular,

r^ther than parallel, to the floor for maximum visibility. \)flith the left hand holding only the lower half of the stack, the upper half remains in full view of the audience. I used the breaking-in process (counting the bills over and over agatn) to develop the precise technique I would use to legitimately count the bills. Later, I developed a false count that duplicated this action exactly.

To begin counting, the left thumb is pianted squarely on George Washington's face (assuming

you ate using one-dollar bills). The top bill is pivoted out to the right until the upper left cotner is about even with the upper right corner of the stack while the lower left cotner is still

with the heel of your thumb. Fig.

in contact

Fig.

)

Pefonuer's uien'of thefrst

the left thunb.

3.

From the audience view, alarge urangular section of the bill is visible at this point. Now the right hand approaches and the bill goes 7t7

lill

beingpiuoted

off

the stack asing

l-Q. 1 Peforner's

tt//ed

L'ieu'

of

ilte

f rct bi// beitry ltenl ltackn'at'd

as

it is

Fig. 5 Sputatori ilen,oJ' theJiM bi// beittgcorrnted.

ot'er the left thunbttp.

between the thumb and index finger, which grab it right about at the

upper (valley) fold 1ine. The right hand rolls tov/ard you as it begins to pull the bill straight back. By turning the right hand in this mannet, the upper half of the bill is bent back over the left thumb tip to ninety

degrees.Figs.4&5. As the right hand continues moving away from the stack, the lower half of the bill is dragged over the left thumbtip. It is at this point that the audience will momentarily lose sight of the bill. The sound ptoduced b), the paper dragging over your thumb is crucial to the effectiveness of the false count. Figs. 6 &7.

Fig. 6 u an

e

A:

n ta

tlte bi// continrut to be draged atvr the /eft

i l1t di

s app e a

rc ft'o

n

I /t e

sp

e

tlnntb tip

it

Fig. 7 Spect,rtat'i t'ien'ol' tlte bill a:

tLte corrlt'

ls rcarfi' cotttpleted.

ct a to r's s iglt t.

ili

l'tfir aurruv wowrpt

Fig.8

b

holdingtbejrct-cotnted bi// betneen tlte tlttrnb and ntiddle

fngerslour indexfngu'isfru to take

tbe next bi//.

Fig. 9 Tlte second bi// index

is

ptshed

(J

the

np of

tbe stack and tbe

Fig. 10 Pefornter's

Fig. / 1 Eaclt sutcessite bill i:

bi// whicb is

rentaining cotrstant and the soand reinforcing eacb count.

then

uiew of tlte frct bi// being laid on top of tbe second pulled ouer the left tharub ip as tbe caant is ruade.

At the end of the count, the single bill is once again upright a few inches directly behind the left-hand stack. As soon as the bill clears the left thumb, the righrhand grip is adjusted by pressing the middle and ring fngers against the thumb, theteby holding the bill in place. The right index finger is now free and can be extended. Fig. 8. The right hand agatn approaches the stack as the next bill is pivoted to the right. The audience should get a clear view of this bill before it is taken between the right thumb and index f,nger and pulled back off the stack. Figs. 9, 10 & 11. It is the slight pressure of the left thumb against the stack of bills that produces the all-important sound of the bill scraping over the left thumbtip. As you count through the entire stack the sound made by each

174

bill

creates a steady rhythm.

ight

f ryrhold: it against tlte back af the frst bill.

coanted the rdille u.t)t

ltith

tbe cadence

[ra Dwnp Dtu lptcv

There is really very little difference between a legitimate count and

the false count. Three separate elements will be utilized to deceive the viewer. The sound created by each bill and the steady rhythm,

as

aheady discussed, and lastly the visual image. Count three bills into

the tight hand and then pivot the fourth bill off to the side. As before, the right thumb and index finger take hold of the bill at the fold. The three previously counted bills are between the right thumbtip and the

fourth bill. The right hand tolls toward you iust as it begins to move away from the stack but this time the left thumb presses more firmly against the stack holding the angled bill in place. As the left thumb pulls the bill back to its original position the right index fingertip is dragged across the upper third of the bill creating the all-important sound. Fig.12. 'When the right thumb and forefinger come free of the bill, the bill instantly snaps back into its formet upright position fr.at agarnst the stack. Two forces, wotking together, cause this to happen. First, the left thumb is pressing against the Ftg. l2 Daring tbefalse coant the nand is prodaced fu drugtry the bill and second, the left-hand grip causes the igbt index fnger ouer the bill a: it is palled back onto tbe stack. stack of bills to curve slightly against the left fngers. The exposed half of the stack is basically flat but the lower half is bowed by the grip. This curve in the bills helps them snap back into an upright position. Fig.

13.

By the time the bill snaps back, the left thumb

with the stack. Care must be taken that the bill is not pulled so far to the left that it extends past the left edge of the stack. has realigned it

Regardless of whether the count is legitimate

FA. 1 3 The bill

is snapping back onto the stack due

left thanb as we// as tbe boa, in tlte stack teated

11,

to

pressrrc

the left-hand

11,

tlte

gip.

or false, the rhythm nevef changes, the sound produced by the bill sliding over the f,ngertip (or thumb) never changes, and the point at which the bill disappears from the spectators'view 171

Mwr

Aww

Ulowrp-:

never changes. Many words and pictures have been used to explain .very simple maneuver. In practice the ^ difference between a normal count and a false count is minimal. I

the details of u,hat is basically

fot false counting money, but this is the one that works for me. N[y advice is to find one that works for you and stick with it. Any time I have to count money to pay for something in the real wodd I always throw in three or four false counts. Not only is it good practice in a close-up situation, it's really fun, especially with large denomination bills. If the expression on their face is one of disbelief when I say, "I(eep the change," then I know I've nailed the count. reahze that other magicians use different techniques

On two occasions during the routine it is necessary to conceal four bills in yout left hand and deliver them secretly into coat pocket. ^ The Z-fold in the stack of bills is what makes this possible. \flhen the first eleven bills were being counted into Fted I(aps' hand, he held a thumb break between the bills. I prefer to use that thumb to maintain the bills in a relatively neat pile, therefore in order to obtain the necessary break, I rely on the marks I have placed in the matgin of two bills. When the spectator is finished counting ten bills, I look at the

In that shott amount of time I am able to the tight and spot the mark on the foutth

stack and say, Thatl ten dollars?

to siightly fan the stack bill from the bottom. As the stack is resquated my left thumbtip is inserted between the fourth and f,fth bills ftom the bottom.Fig.l,4. Both hands prepare fot the steal by assuming a vety specific grip. The top edge of the stack lies along your left index finger. Your left thumb is separating the six upper bills ftom the four lowet bills. The right index finger is underneath the stack in line

with the mountain fold (closest to

you). The rear edge of the stack lies against your

tight little finget and yout right thumb rests on top of the stack opposite the right index fnger. During the resquaring action your hands should 7t6

Fig. / 4 Tbe botton few bills are spread anil the mark is spotted and a thatnb break is taken aboue thefoarth billfron the botton.

ItttDntir.p

&r' it.c

il)torr:rattc lly assume this grip. Fig, 15.

Then, without hesitation

yu

still

I

haue :ome monel left oaer

say, Becaase

I

Dulng this

notice

phrase,

my attention shifts to the money in the sPectator's hands and the audience's attefltion follows.

This is the perfect moment to steal thebllls. Hang on to tbat monel because all we needfor the demonstration

are ten dollar bills.

During this line the right hand

moves fotwatd. The valley and mountain folds force the fout bottom bills to fold in the propet -.

l;

The break is retained as the spread is sqaared and tbe stack is

.; iu tlte prescribed

gip

in preparation

for

the steal.

manner. As the left index finger slides along the underside of the six bills, the four bills (below the folded between the left ^re ^utomatically fingets and the back ofthe tight fingets. Figs. 16,

break) 17

16 This expoud uiew sbows thefoar bills as tbel star"t tofold ander

;!nk.

Fig. 18 Jan

:light!

pior

&

18.

Fig. 17 Tbe left tbanl-t slides down the top of tbe stack as the /eft index fnger:lides along the bottoru of the stack as thefatrr bills arefolded.

to the stea/1ou tarn

Xward tlte sPectator, thus conceal-

ing the ntouefrotn the audiencei

L'ien'.

t\i

Mn Avnrv

Wonom

The right hand will be unable to move further when the right index f,nger runs into the left hand. As the tight hand is temoved, the fold is completed. The left thumb holds the stack in place and also presses

the folded packet of four bills into left finget-palm position. Fig.

Fig. 19

19.

Once tbe right hand

moued the lefi thunb pruses

b

re-

tbefour

Jolded bills into fnger-paln position.

In the original toutine this next move felt very messy with the right hand crossing in front of you to pick up the money and handing it to the spectator on the right, then te-crossing in front of you to tetrieve the open wallet which was immediately placed into the left hand. This illogical move facilitated the disposal of the folded money but in the

of the audience, it didn't make any sense. I also didnt like the fact that the wallet and the counted bills came together, even fot abrref moment, before the wallet was returned to the pocket. A very simple change in the handling cleaned up this problem. At the beginning of the toutine, when the tight hand first removes the seventeen bills from the wallet, the left hand closes the wallet and places it under your right arm. By holding your right elbow against eyes

your body the wallet will be held in place as the spectator counts ten bills onto your exterided right hand. As these bills are being squated, the bottom four bills are stolen into your left hand. The stack of six

bills remain in yout right hand as your left hand (with the fingerpalmed packet of four bills) takes the wallet from under your arm. As the wallet is delivered to your pocket, the fout folded bills remain 770

lit i.utn fitu iptw

concealed between your fiflgers and the v/allet. The packet of bills is

left behind in your coat pocket with the wallet. \X/ith this handling, the wallet and the stack of bills never come near each another.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this trick doesn't have

a

f,nish. It just sort of stops. Different performers have addressed this ptoblem tn varrety of ways with vatying degtees of success. I will de^ scribe two finishes that I have used though neither one is a slam dunk. My reward for teaching this routine to my friend Luis de Matos in Portugal was that the enormously talented graphic designet, Vanessa Ytana, designed and ptinted

Fig. 20 The giant bill isfolded arcordion s\le

layrs

being

iligbt!

lith

the top and ltottont

wider tltan tbe other sections.

a.

glafit nine dollar

bill for me. It measures six by, fourteen inches and if American currency included a nine-dollar bill, this is what it would look like. It is a wonderful conversation piece and makes a perfect gift for the child who assists me. My seventeen prepared bills ate kept in a Himber Wallet and the othet side of the wallet contains the nine-dollar bill folded accordion style (as explained in the Bill in Cigar). Fig. 20. It is inserted under the flap, back side up so when it is removed from the wallet the front of the bill will be factng the floor. Fig.21. During the fnal phase of the routine, the bills are counted into the open wallet that is resting on my outstfetched hand. When I am once agatn left with only nine bills, I close the wallet and stare suspiciously at the child. "I thought I recognized you... it's Sticky Fingers (child's name)."

I reopen the wallet to and remove the folded giant bill

Stepping behind the child

the other side fap in the Hiruber Uh//et. is in tbe other side of tlte t.,allet.

Ftg. 21 Thefolded bill is inserted ander The stack

of

seuenteen bi/ls

the

keeping the top edge pointed toward the audience. The end

of the giant folded bill resembles

a

ilg

stack of bills. Fig. 22.

Reaching around their head, the big bill is held right in front of the child's face .I ask him or her to blolv on it and as soon as thev do,

bill up and snap it open. In

a flash the

I tip the

bill covers

his entire face. The child can see that it is a giant

bill and raising the bill reveals a big smile. The second option for a finish isn't so much a climax as it is a transition. I simpll' sav that apparentlv l didn't bring enough mone)'so let's trv )tQ.22 By lto/dlngiltt ud3e rtl' il.,e f'o/ded li// trnnrrl doing a tlick using some of the child's father's rr.rttttlilo tl,v .rhtck ol' lti //.r. mone\'. The child who assisted me returns to his seat and sends his dad up on stage. This is alwavs amusing because nou, the kid gets to see hou, his father does as a rrraglclan's assistant while dad is rvorrf ing about the fate of his mone)'. So the end of the Ten Dollar Bill Trick becomes the Bill in Cigar routine.

tl.tt tttrdierte

it

lrn

Dour,p

Du lpru

The seventeen prepared bitls are in one side of the Himbet \Wallet, face up and in numerical order. The folded nine-dollar bill is loaded in the other side of the wallet. Thete should be some kind of identifying matk on the outside of the wallet so you can always open it to the desired side. The wallet starts out in your inside right coat pocket.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is tinefor know, the streets of (name city

I

public

a

seruice annotlncement.

Aslou

am in) are teaming witb uillains, scallawags

who will cheatlou out oflour hard-earned mzneJ.

I

haae been asked to giue a shorl

from being swindled becaase being careful is not enough. You must also be wise to the tricks of the short-change artist. Now in our demorustration on how to keep

dramatic recreation the

part

I

will plalt tbe role of the anscrupwlous con aftirt and plaing

of the unsaspecting tourist

will

be

thisyang man rigbt

here.

When ever possible I use a child as my assistant. Any boy or girl who is old enough to count is fair gzmo

Hi,

what

face and

I

slour

name? Bobfu. Bobfut I

need someone

I

pickedya

becauselou haae an honest

can trust because this demonstration uses a large sum

of

m0neJ.

The wallet is taken ftom the inside coat pocket and the seventeen bills ate temoved. The wallet is placed under the right arm and then the bills are sptead into a wide fan and shown to the child. Don't worr1, I'll suppfiloa with all the monryyu will dollar bills. Hauelow

euer Jeen so

muclt monel?

Any answet will do. If the kid dejected and say, Oh,

need, a stack of one

says,

one of those rich

"yes" You suddenly look a bit

kids. IYell Bobb1, to a straggling nagi-

cian this is a lot of money

If he answers,"flo,"Olf clarseJlu haae this

kind of monq. Bobblya

are

hauen't. On[t a wealtbl magician woald

going to be the banker You're in cbarge

all this muneJ r0 take the mone! temporarifi tbat

is,

of

andfrom that stack of bill:

I

wantltoa to count onto m1 hand, one at a time, ten one-dollar bi/ls. Go ahead.

71

Mn Gvnw liononr

The stack of bills is handed to the child so, as he counts them into your hand, they will be facing the proper direction, face up with the top of the bill facing right. Once he has started counting, turn your attention to the audience and continue talking. TbatJ rightfolks,

sometimes the

personlou least expect will tum oat to

htghfi skilled sbort change artist. Batloa'ue got ing

to

put

zne luer on old eagle-ey

afew tines. How

to

get up prettl ear! in the morn-

Mike. That': right. I'ue been around

we doingBob@?

be a

the block

ThatJ ten. Good.

It is dudng those last few words that you slighdv sptead the stack in your hand, sight the mark on the fourth bill from the bottom and then take a break above this bill as you re-square the stack. The other marked bill that was previously tenth from the top is currently on top ofyour stack.

I

noticelou still haue rlme mzneJ left ouer

Deliver this line as you turn slightly towards Bobby and once this Iine has shifted the attention to him, fold the bottom four bills into yout left hand. Hangon to that monel

because

all we needfor tbe demonstration are ten

one-

dollar bills.

This is where the two hands separate with the right hand taking the ten bills (actually six) and the left hand (with four bills finger palmed) moves toward the wallet under your tight arm. The wallet is placed, along with the folded bills, in either your tight inside coat pocket ot your outer left coat pocket, whichevet is most comfottable. And now a simple demonstration that uses exactfi ten one-dollar bills. The six bills in your hands ate counted as nine. I usually make the false counts at three, five and sevefl. As the ninth bill is pulled ftom your left hand you ate surprised that thete isn't one more. Jast a

second.

Acting

as

if the mistake mayhave

been youts, immediately recount

the bills using a quicker tempo but with the same tesult. It's an honest mistake. Bobfu's a little fierulus up here and

those ligbts are uery

bright.

You now believe that the mistake was Bobby's and you're providing

all kinds of reasons to explain what must have caused it. Bobb1, I'm a buck short. Could I just borrow zne nzre dollarfromlou? I'll pa1

yu

back.

He hands you one more bill and you very cleady drop it from 717

a

lrn

Dounp

Dulptct

height of six or eight inches onto your stack. Nine plus one eqaals how mach? He says,

"tefl."

That's rigbt. He s quick'

A

... Now count the seven bills as nine with the false counts coming at

simple demonstration using exactfi

three and five.

"Yes." IYell I'm still a buck short, let me haue one more. You'ae got to get up pretfl earfi in tbe morning to put one zuer 0n SE, didn't1ou giue

ol'

Mike

A

me a dollar?

the Magnifcent.

second

bill is taken from the boy and dropped onto your stack.

Nine plus one makes?

\Without hesitation he says, "Ten."

Like aflash. Doloa rzind

{I

check?

Very often the child will say, "Yes" meaning OI( but I say, Oh,1ou do mind. Then they will corfect me and say, "No, it's OK." Count the eight bills as nine with the false count coming at three. (Of coutse the false counts can be executed whenevet you like) Exactfi what time didlou get up this morning? Hey I didnljustfall off tbe tarntp truck,folks. No wqt, that happened montbs ago. Let me haue one more bill. That biil is again dropped onto my stack. Your suspicion of Bobby is mounting with each missing biil.

Thankya, professor Nine plus lator Mind if

I

checkloar matb

orue

Mr

makes?

(or

"Tert."

So say tbe buman calcw-

Miss) [Jniuac?

The nine bills ate legitimately counted as nine. Yow

think itJ me doru't1ou? No way this is nine dollars. Bobbl,yu take the

nine dollars and count them out right tbere where we can all

I

see

tbem, but this time

an pajrug attention.

\7ith your left hand take the four dollars out of his hands and give him your nine dollars. As he counts the nine dollars into yout right hand, you count along with him. You see, it rea$t is nine dollars. ThatJ wbl I carry those extra bills with me. Insurance. That's what separates mefrom tbe run-of-the-mill schlamp.

You have just announced that you are a schlump but, thankfulllr, not an ordinary schlump. During these lines hand the four dollars back to the assistant and then slightly spread the stack of nine bills. Sighting the black mark in the margin of the fourth bill ftom the

bottom, take a break above it with yout left thumb. The stack is resquared and you again turrr towatd the assistant. How mucb monel doloa haue left? 711

Mttr Avmw Wononr

As he is counting his bills steal the four bottom bills of your stack logical gesture to suginto your left hand. You are about to use ^very gests that your left hand is emPty. \X/hen he says, "Four" your right hand takes your stack leaving the finger-palmed bills in your left.

The left fingers close against your palm which folds the four bills in half. The left thumb comes down on the folded packet and holds it in place. As your four left fngers are extended straight out and separated, the top edge of the packet should flot be visible to the audience bet'ween your fngers. This perfectly natural gesture

not only emphasizes your response to his answer but it subtly suggests that your left hand is empty. Frgs.23 & 24.

Ya hauefoar After this emphatic

gesture your left hand

relaxes and drops to your side. When you can feel your left thumbtip touching your left index

fingertip your hand is in a natural position. Immediately your right hand is extended. And this is how mach? The assistant (as well as people in the audience) will say, "Nine."

Fig.

2)

This guture entpbaiTes the nanber

ulsile sintrltaneans/1 strgutittg

lbatloar

of bill:

tlte cbi/d

i:

holding

band is enQj.

Nine plus foar equals.. . Yout eyes look skyward as you attempt to

solve this impossible mathematical problem

in

your head. Carry the three...

Eventually the child or someone else will say,

"Thirteen."

I

would haue fgared that oat'

mg mJt

I

was just double

check-

answer

Fig. 2a Jilrt ltefore extendingl,nr/rngers tbelfoltt the packet in harf again so tlte tbuntb can hold tlse packet in place againstloar band.

This is further proof that everyone in the foom is smartet than you. Let me see if I

baue an1 more uiloneJ.

Your left hand enters the pocket that has the wallet and the palmed bills ate left behind as the wallet is removed. Be catefui that the wallet doesn't accidentaliy drag the original stolen bills out of yout pocket.

Using only your left hand, flip the wallet oPen to the empty side. 7\4

lrn

Tbat's all I'ue got, thirteen dollars. But thatJ more than

enoagh

Dourrp

Dnluct

for this simple

demonstration. Bobb1, we'll start ouer. Pat all the mzneJ together

The money in your right hand is added to the money in the assistant's hand. You take tbe thirteen dollars and, from that stack of bills,

into m1 hand, not nine, but ten one-dollar bills. OK?

And

I wantloa

to count

f it works this time,

Jtltl cdn eueru keep the extra three bucks. Fair enougfi? OK, go abead. The wallet is now layingopen on your extended right hand. As the assistant couflts the bills onto the wallet, you count along. When he runs out of money on nine, freeze. This time three bills have vanished so he will either shrug his shouldets, or check his pockets ot something else.'Whatever he does it will generate a solid 1augh, so don't step on

I

1t.

regret to

informyu that tonight's demonstration has been cancelled

due to a

lack offunds.

Then slowly it dawns on you. IYait a minute,

I

recogniqe thatface.

It's Stickl Fingers

Bobb;1, the

Fastut

Haruds in the lYest.

During this line square up the pile of bills and close the wallet on them. Then, stepping behind the assistant, reoPen the wallet to the other side and slide out the giant bill keeping it patallel to the floot. The wallet is returned to your pocket. Reaching around his head, the bill is held directly in front of his face. IYellpardne6yu might as well take m1 last

ruirue

dollars so blow on that stack

of noney

The ends of the bill ate taken one in each hand so that when he blows on the giant bill, you can pull it open with a snaP right in front of his face.

And

there

it

is, m1 last nine dollars.

Nine appatently separate dollars have tutned into a nine-dollat bill. The assistant is escotted off the stage with not only a wonderful souvenir from his time ori stage but the feeling that he was the star of the trick. Of course everyofle knows that the assistant didn't do anything tricky but he still gets the credit for outfoxing the m glct^rr eYery ^t tufn.

&

755

Mn Avnw

Wotnnr

Every professional magician I know has a recurring nightmare where they show up in some far-off city for a show only to discover that their luggage didn't arrive. What now? No props, no clothes and 'We usually wake up in a cold su/eat and are you're on in a few hours. relieved to discovet that the whole thing was a bad dream. In April of 2007 tt'wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare.

I had been booked to

^ppex

on a show tn a theater in Tenerife in

the Canary Islands. This archipelago is under Spanish rule but it lies southwest of Morocco off the v/est coast of Africa. There is no easy

ftom Los Angeles. The direct route is Los Angeles, London, Madrid, Gran Canarta and then find your way north to the city of Tenerife as best you can. When you miss your first flight

u/ay to get to Tenetife

out of Los Angeles the trip gets even trickier.

After untold hours in airplanes and airpotts I was met by my friend Miguel Puga in Gran Canaria, not a day early as I had planned but a few hours before show time. After a long wait in the baggage areal was told not to worry as my bags would most likely atrrve the following day. The other acts booked, Miguel and Ines Fuentes ftom Spain, could easily put o11 a frne show without me but I was determined to fulfill my commitment. I could have gathered up enough local money to perform the Ten Dollar Bill routine but it is much easier with bills that have been properly broken in. Fortunately at home I had slipped into my pocket the wallet containing my bills. I also btought along one of my gimmicked Bill tn Cigar cigats. If I could find thtee envelopes, a marking pen, a cigarette lighter, a dinner plate to burn the envelopes on, a roll of toilet paper, safety pins, bobby pins and a few

other odds and ends I could also do the Bill in Cigar and Magic Paper routines. Not exactly the act that I had planned on but these three routines would give me the 20 to 25 minutes that I needed. Miguel's coat neatly

fit me

so that became my costume.

As it turned out this show was part of a comedy festival and thus

tt a very young crowd. The audience was dressed very casu^ttracted ally and so was I. In most countries it is the young people who speak English so my monoJingual ability was not the problem that it might have been. The reactions from the young boy who came uP to help b6

No stit, tro act, anrl),sx)'e or in h),0 horrc. A nagiciani n,lten I arired in Teneife in ilte Cana5, Islands.

n.'ctnl

ntiglttnare tn'ned to rea/i4' in 2007

with the Ten Dollar Bill trick could riot have been better and burning up a stranger's money or trying to convince People that ordinary toilet paper is actually very special magic Papff is universally funnlr. Under trying circumstances, I was satisf,ed with my reception. \When you miss a flight the airline assumes that you have decided

not to take this trip and they automatically cancel the rest of your tttnerary.I spent the next three days trying to book a flight home at enormous expense. My bags (and act) fnally arrived at the hotel a few hours before I left for the airport to fly home. The stress that accompanied this show has long since faded and I now have nothing but

fond memories of my trip to Tenerife. But the lesson learned from this unpleasant experience is that having an emergency act that fits

into your carry-on bag (and can pass through TSA screening) is

^

very

good idea.

E

!)l

Tbis 1975 p*blici! pboto indicates that I sabstitated a cigarfor a wallet within months of pmcbasing Seabrookel lYallet Pboto: John Rced.

ln

1.975

lr.,d

the I.B.M.

A-.rica

got

i

d

I his Burned BiIl in Williams' original version of this trick in their June 26, 1954 issue but that Seabrooke had cleady made it his own. I, and dozens of othets ^t convention, purchased Seabrooke's marketed version of the trick. The idea of borrowing money from a spectator and then accidentally burning it up is just a grezt premise. You dont have to be a patticulady funny person to get laughs out of this situation but a great Presentation can turn it into a careermaking effect as Tetry Seabrooke so ably proved.

Like most othefs from that convention, I returned home and tried out the routine as written though I can honestly say I never barked like a seal onstage. It wasn't long before I substituted a crgar for the wallet. I liked the idea of giving the spectator some collateral for the Ioan of his money and of course the larger the bill the more ridiculous the cigat appeated as collatetal. Then later in the routine, after insisting that we were both at fault for destroying his money and that the collateral should be shared equally, the cigar was broken in two and the borrowed bitl was discovered inside. A nice bit of twisted logic.

AtJohnson Products I constructed a cigar-Ioading device out of brass and soon aftet, the Bill tnCigar routine became a staple in my act. Fig. 1. \7hen I published a book of my magic in 1981 called Magicomedl,I included this routine for one simple reason. I was convinced that after seeing the considerable effort required to make the cigar-loading gimmick, not to mention a complicated, gaffed ctgar for each performance, 719

Mttr Avnw Wotonr

Ftgs.

I

The ctgar loader is .teen emP1t on the lefi

and r.,itlt

a giruruicked cigar

installed on the igltt.

The aiginal illnstrations fron Nlaglcomedy are reproduced ltelou,and on tbe opposite page.

no one would go to the ttouble. Here is my original description of the cigar loader complete with Eric Lewis' wonderful illustra-

e

tions. "Since the bill is signed, it must be loaded into the cigat

during the performance. The loading device is what makes this possible. Mine is made ftom sheet brass and is soldered together. It is a good strong piece of apparatus that required quite some time to make, but I'11 never have to make anothef one.

I

have always felt that a prop you can rely on 100o/o will lead to a much

more confdent performance. The completed device is

pictured in the illustration.

"The gimmick consists of two basic parts: the loading funnel and the cigar holder. The bottom of the funnel is a piece of brass tubing of a slightly larger diameter than the tubing used in the cigar. Growing out of the top of this short tube is a flattened funnel. The back of the funnel has a large safety pin permanefltly attached to it. The funnel unit itself is attached to the holdet by means of a hinge. The hinge can be opened by lifting up on the funnel but a tubber band keeps it held in the closed position.

"The length of the cigar is such that when the metal end of 740

FR.ONT

H/NG€

Dru

H/NG€

n

?r,r,p

the cigar is inseted into the bottom of the funnel, the bottom of the cigar rests snugly into the base of the holdet. The rubber band keeps the funnel held secure-

ly against the holder, which prohibits the cigar from falling out. The final illustration shows the loader with the cigar in place. "Oflce the cigat is loaded, you metely have to grasp

Ru86€R BNND

the cigat and pull

it

away

ftom the holder. You will be

pulling against the tension of the rubber band as the funnel pivots up. As the bottom end of the cigar cleats the base of the holder, it v/ill easily slide free. Pin the holder inside your coat so that the funnel is near the inside breast pocket."

PR€PNR€D

d onR

5'DE

ytEw And if the cigar loader didnt scare teaders off, I was sure that making a gimmicked cigar for each performance would. The main ingredient (besides a rcal ctgar) is a piece of brass tubing 5/8 inch in diametet and 2-7/8 inches long. I made up two dozen of these tubes so I could pfepare twenty-four cigars at a ttme. You wili also need some brown paper that tesembles the PaPer that cigars are rolled in. That means thin, easy to teat, and a suitable color store will reveal a number of good possibilof brown. A visit to afl ^rt ities. This paper is made into rectangles measu:rrng3r/zby 6'/, inches. Rather than cutting the papet with a pau of scissors it should be torn, which leaves a ragged or fuayed edge on each side. When this edge is ultimately glued down to the outside of the cigat it tends to blend in and disappeat better than a clean-cut edge. One real cigar is sacrificed for the cteation of each gimmicked

I buy the cheapest stogies I can find - I(ng Edward, 50 to the box. You can certainly teuse the I(ng Edward cigar band but many cigar.

years ago at alocal flea market (a great place to find potential magic

props)

I discovered a box of beautiful ted and gold cigar bands and

the brand name was Bank Note. Nevet once has a sPectator noticed 74

Mur Avmw #aror*i

this but

I still love the irony of his bill

reappear-

ing inside a cigar called Bank Note. One of the advantages of living rnalarge city like Los Angeles is that virtualll, everything on earth is avallable within a thirtJr-minute drive ftom my house. You just have to know where to look. Thirty years ago in downtown

Los Angeles

I found

a guy

who $/as still hand rolling cigats and from

him I purchased a huge box of cellophane cigar wrappers. So big that I expect to run out of shows before I run out of wrappers. After obtaining a sharp knife and some rubber cement you are ready to make a cigar Take I(ing Edward out of his cellophane wrapper and catefully femove the band for use later. The tip from one end of the cigar is cut

off leaving

a nice

flat end. Fig.2.

The entite cigar is coated with rubber cement. One entire side of the brown paper is also coated and after that

width of the other side is similady coated. And lastly, the entife exterior ofthe brass tube is coated with rubber cement and all elements are left to dry. has dried, half the

Ftg. 2 One end of tbe cigar is squarcd

(f

b1 catting

it witb a tharp kntfe.

To assemble the pieces, the brown

with the up. One end of

paper is placed on the table

entitely cemented side

the btass tube is positioned at the edge

of the paper and the cut end of the cigar is pushed tight agarnst the opposite end of the tube. The half-coated side of paper is directly undet the tube and cigar. Now the paper is rolled tightly around the tube and ciga4 forming a fake crgar

Pig. ) After the cenent ltas died an a// of the coated sarfaces the brass tabe and cigar arc rol/ed

tp

inside ilte paper.

with one half being hoIlow. Fig. 3. As the rolling is completed, the half-glued side of the papet will adhere to the opposite side. It will be necessary to rub off any excess rubber cement. The cigar band is cemented around the brass tube end of the ctgar.Ptg.4. 74t

Then the tobacco end of the cigar is cut with the knife to the desired length. Fig. 5.

If this cigar were snapped in half, it would automaticallv break at the point where the tube and the tobacco meet. Lastl1,, the finished cigar is inserted

into

the cellophane wrapper, tobacco end first. NIv u,fappers are longef than necesI

ig.

1'|'lt

lund ilnt tu.r.vtt'ed.f)'olt tfu ari.qind cl.q:tri.r rcltr:ntud otlo tlte sittt-

nirk-ed cigtr near

tl.te top oJ' tlte bm.rs

tthe.

sarv so

I cut the top end off leaving the

u/rapper about a half-inch longer than the cigar. This half-inch end is tucked

down inside the open end of the btass tube. Fig. 6.

After explaining how to construct the cigar loader and gimmicked cigar in Magicomedl

l

assumed that the amount

of work required would scare off virtuallv everybodv. I was wrong. Over the Years, Ltig.

'l.lte

5

'l'l.te

ctgtr i.r

cti lo

de-rired /eng/b n'i// be

tlte de.rired /eryilt

delerniled

14'

ilte

b1'

ctrtlilg ol/' parl

tigtr

ltlr

iltof

o-f'

ilte tolurco-ettd.

l.a.r.1'et t'o

fu tntde.

mofe than a few heartt' souls have

off the cigar loader thel'handcrafted. A1l of them get full marks for effort but I hope bv now thev har.e all learned w'hat I sought me out and proudlv showed

finall1' rcahzed: the cigar loader is totallv unnecessarv. This is another fine exam-

ple of the axiom, "Don't stop thinking

too soon," of 'A routine is ner-er reallv flnished." After making mv cigar loader I just automaticallv pinned it into mv coat so that the cigar could be loaded in the L;tq.6 7b cantp/efe ilte cigtrinrti it tolucro-erd fittt ittltt il.tt ce//oflttrt trt'dP?(r, t//l tlte n'npptr olf' ltu/f' ttt lnrlt dltot'e il.tt trd tnd ltrtk ilt ctrt ttd ittrt iltt lop o_l lltt hm.r.r ltrhe.

same urav

I

used to load the u,allet.

I

had

bill ts,ice rvhen using the s,allet but in order to fit the bill into the cigar it needed to be folded four times. It didn't make sense to fold a bill that manv times just to fit it into an envelope so the handiing

was altered.

ahvavs folded the

Mur Gvnw Wommr

Aftet the bill was signed by the spectator I took it from him and satd, I fold the bill once, I fold the bill twice, forming it into a tiryt packet. In the time it took to say this line the bill was folded three times. The thinking being that in a banquet room or theater the audience c^n't clearly see the folded bilI, therefore, my words lead them to believe that the bill was nov/ one-quarter of its original size (about 21/z by 11/z rrrches) when in factit was half that size. Laterlwill descdbe how the bill was extracted from the envelope but once it was secured in my left hand, I handed the envelopes to the spectator and said, Putyurfeet togethe6face the aadience, place both hands behindloar back and shrffie the

enuelopes.

To illusttate what I meant, I put

my feet together, faced the audience and placed both of my hands behind my back. With my hands (and the botrowed bill) now safely out

of sight, there was plenty of time to fold the bill a fourth and frnal tlme. The hand with the palmed bill would enter my coat, load the bill into the cigar and then bring the cigat into view because that's how magicians always loaded cards and bills into our clever little wallets. It bothered me that my hand was "dirty" as it entered my coat andthat no matter how fast the bill was loaded, thete was always a hesitation before the cigat (or wallet) was brought into view. Eventually

I rcahzed that the time to load the bill into the cigar

was when my hands were behind my back. rJflith the spectator busy

shuffing the envelopes behind his back, rro ofle was chasing me. I had all the time and cover that was necessary to do the dirty wotk. To explain how I accomplished this it u/ill be necessaty to desctibe another change that was made to the cigar

,

ri; "i(4X ii:l':

From the time I was doing Owen's Coin in Ball of l7ool in my bitthday party shows I have always liked the effect ptoduced by a nest of boxes. To alay audience, the thought of a borrowed object tutning up inside the smallest of four ot f,ve boxes is iust incomprehensible. With that in mind, I decided to add another layet of mystery to my

burned-bill routine by putting the cellophane-v/rapped cigar inside an aluminum tube. At a ctgar stote I purchased some fancy cigars that 744

A

completed

gimmicked cigar

Dtu tn 1oaB

in exactly this kind of container. Before describing how the lid of this tube was gimmicked I will explain another problem that I discovered by listening to the audience. During the toutine, when the cigar is handed to the spectator, I sometimes saw and heatd audience members pointing and whispering to each other. They believed that somehow, that tube was going to contain the guy's money instead of a cigat. Whenever this behavior occurred I always wanted to stop, unscreu/ the lid and say, "Look, you'te u/rong, see, thete really is a cigat in there." Of course that wasn't afl option. These skeptics'were now far less interested in the burning envelopes believing that the money was alteady, somehow, came packaged

inside the tube. By teplacing the aluminum tube with a cleat glass tube the audi-

to see that the tube did indeed contain a cigar the moment it came into view. The cigar stote did sell expensive cigars in glass tubes but I used a piece of clear plastic tubing with a clear plastic hemisphere glued to one end. By using plastic I never had to worry that the tube might bteak and I could thread the open end of the tube. Problem solved. Now the audience could see that there was ence would be able

a cigzr inside the tube before they had a chance to think,

"I wonder

what's really in there?"

During my years of employment atJohnson Products I had made hundreds of Stacks of Halves and Quartets. These were the pivoting stacks wherein a trny rod extends down through one side of the stack and holds the coins together. The rod was actually a long rivet that was tight enough to hold the coins in place but lose enough so they could be pivoted around the rod if desited. I used this technology to fabricate a cap for my cigar tube.

Using a metal lathe atJohnson Products I turned out a few diffetent models, the first one out of black Delrin plastic and anothet one

out of aluminum. The lower pat of the cap was threaded so it could screu/ onto the cigar tube. The hole through this section was slightly

smaller than the diameter of the cigar. This prevented the cigat from

dropping out when the tube was inverted. Fig.

7.

t45

Mur Avnw Wonont

The top of the cap was a separ^te piece that was riveted onto the upper lip of the thteaded section. The top end of the rivet was counter-sunk into the top of the cap. This allowed any part of the rivet that extended above the sutface to be filed flat. The tightness of the rivet was carefully adjusted so that the top would remain firm1y in place, but with some effott the top section could be

revolved 180 degrees. Once the proper tightness was achieved, a thin cap was machined and glued onto the top thereby obscuring the rivet. Just like in Stack of Halves. Fig. 8 & 9.

Fig. 7 (ilpper pboto) Tbe inteior of tbe cap with the iuet head uisible on tbe ledge tbat preuents the cigarJromfallingout of tbe tube wben tbe r@ is open. FA. 8 (hft) The cap in the cloud position as it appears to the aadience. Fig 9 (igbt) Tbe cap witb the lid piuoted open readl for the bill to be loaded into tbe cigar.

The length of the cigar was such that when it was insetted into the piastic tube, the top of the

with the top of the container. In other v/ords, just below the top of the cap was the opening into the cigar. Fig. 10. brass tube was level

Fig. 10 Tbe cellophane-wrapped cigar is inside the tube witb tbe cap screwed on top. The lid is in the open posiion readl to accept the bill.

146

Dru

n

1onB

The bill could be inserted through the opened cap, pushed straight into the cigar and then the cap could be pivoted closed. A holder was needed to secure the cigar tube behind my back and as usual the

simplest ansu/er was the right one: my belt. The lid of the cigar tube was pivoted open and then the upside-down tube was tucked behind

my belt at the middle of my back. The open end of the tube was positioned an inch or two above the bottom edge of my coat. After the

final fold was put into the biII it was a simple matter to locate the open end of the tube, push the bill all the way into the ctgar and pivot the lid closed. For many years I would steal the tube out of my belt and hide it behind my wrist as I teached into my coat to apparently temove the cigat from my inside pocket. It seemed apity that even though the loading of the bill was completed, my hand was still dirty as I reached into my coat. At least it was uritil I devised...

This improvement added one final layer of mystery. I believe that the addition of this gimmick allows you to even fool people who are famrhar with the original method ot who have seen the routine a number of times. Compared to many of the gimmicks in this book this one is quite easy to make. It consists of a piece of brass one-inch wide and 23/+ inches long. It is bent into a U shape but slightly off ceriter so one side is longer than the other. A slot is cut into the end of the long side and then all of the corners ate tounded off with a file. A long piece of black, flat elastic 3/8 inch wide is threaded through the slot. The end is folded back on itself and the two layers are sev/n together. My elastic is cut to a iength of 28 inches but yours could differ depending upon your height. At the opposite end, another piece of elastic, this one measuring one inch wide by 4 inches long, is sewn but

this one is perpendiculat to the long piece. Velcro tabs are sewn onto the ends of this short piece of elastic with one of the tabs inset from the end by about 3,/+ of an inch. W.hen the Yeicro tabs are stuck together, this inset will produce a3/o inch flap that can be used to quickly pull the Velcro open. Fig 11.

ut

Mut Gvnw Wonont

Fig.

1

1 On tbe left is tbe sbort elastic pierc with

Velro

tabs tbat bold the cigar abe. Tbis is sewn to the long elastic strap

tbat terruinates at tbe brass clip.

To prepate for a performance, before putting on your coat, the btass ciip is slipped over the bottom edge of yout belt neat the middle of

yout back. The stretched elastic keeps the clip ftom slipping down off the belt. The short piece

of elastic is stretched around the cigat tube and the Velcro tabs make sure the tube is gripped tightly by the elastic. The tube (now attached to the long piece of elastic) is brought uP over your right shoulder from back to front. The cigar tube hangs down yout front and is passed between the

nght arm and body from front to back. Pulling the cigar tube down to belt level pulls the elastic tight. The cigat tube is moved around to yout back and the bottom end of the cigar tube is tucked up undet the belt with the cap facing the floor. The pivoting top of the cap is in the open position.

Fig. 12 The brass clip

is slipped ouer the bottom edge

of

tbe belt. The

elastic is stretched up ouer tbe sboalder wbere the tabe tben passes betuteen

Jzttr arm and ight

side.

Fina@ tbe tabe is serured ap ander the belt.

Fig.1,2.

After putting your iacket ofl you can adiust the height of the cigar tube so it is an inch or two above the bottom edge of the coat. When you tell the spectator to put the envelopes behind his back and shuffle them, you can demonstrate by putting your own hands (with the palmed bill) behind yout back for abrief moment. This is when the biII is folded one last time and then loaded up into the cigar. Fig. 13. 240

Fig. 1) Thir expovd

view shows tbe

bill

being loaded ap into the cigar

Duu

Fig.

14

After

the

bill bas

lteen loaded into the cigar the top

of

the cap is

piuoted clo:ed.

?erlp

Fig. 1 5 The cigar tube i: pllled fru fron the belt allowing the elastic to carrl it up toloar cbest.

Figure 14 shows the cap being pivoted closed. Then the cigat tube is pulled out from under the belt and released. Fig. 15. The elastic carries the tube uP betweefl your right arm and side to a point roughly by the inside coat pocket. The finished position is shown in Figure 16, agatn with the coat removed.

Fxg. 16

Withyar enpq left

handya can reach intoloar coat, pall tbe Vehro tab open

I

and apparentlt remoue the cigar tabe .froru loar pocket.

This delivery system provides the cleanest possible handiing. After stealing the bill from the enveiope all three envelopes are handed to the spectator and he is instructed to put his hands behind his back and shuffle the envelopes. You demonstrate by putting both of your hands (and the folded bill) behind your back. The cigar is quickly loaded and sent on its way toward the right coat pocket. As the next

line is delivered to the audience, your hands emerge from behind yout back. A subtle way to show your hands emPty without calling undue 749

Mw Gunw //st,t.nt

attention to the fact is by clapping them togethet. One good clap is

a

gesture that comes naturally and it implies, "OK, here we go" but subconsciously it suggests, "His hands are empty, otherwise he couldn't clap them together."

Then, for the first and only time during the routine, the left hand

into the right side of the coat, pulls on the elastic tab that releases the Velcro and immediately emerges holding the cigar tube as if it had been sitting in the coat pocket ail the while. I ver1, much like the idea that the collateral is brought into play while the spectator is apparently still holding his money behind his back. Introducing a wallet this early in the routine could easily cause the spectatof to think, "Wallets are where you keep money. I'll bet that guy's money is in there." But a clear cigar tube is nothing more than what it appears: a cigar in a tube. The collatetal is slipped into the spectator's bteast pocket where it temains in view throughout the routine. On many occasions he has playfully pulled the cigar out of his pocket after the money u/as apparently burned. In the old days, when I had only a cellophane-wrapped cigar, this was avery real problem, especially if he turned the cigat over and saw the folded bill inside. Now the cigat is safely sealed inside a plastic tube and no one reaches

has ever stumbled onto the pivoting cap.

I

have been perfotming a version of this trick longer than any

fiearly fotty yeats. As you have now read, the ^ct method has gradually changed over those years, as have the lines. But,

other routine in my

the toutine evolved long before my onstage character had fully developed and the toutine was never overhauled to fit my cufrent chatacter. Call it laziness but when a routine achieves this level of comfott, it is very hard to make radical changes. Perhaps this means that the tou-

tine, as wtitten, is more generic and will suit

a

wider range of per-

formets. You can be the judge.

It occurted to me that the

reason evefyone uses four envelopes

in

their Burned Bilt routine is because that's how m fly Terry Seabrooke used. Shortly aftet I asked myself the question, "What makes four envelopes bettet than three envelopes?" /r0

I started using three

envelopes.

Nlanv of the envelopes produced todav are securitv enveloPes with printing on the inside. Something about this ink makes them verv

difficult to burn.

W''hen

I found a good old-fashioned

enveloPe that

burned iike a cheap envelope should, I bought a huge supp\r. Nline are gfeen and measure 61/z bv 3-5/8 inches. White Papef is cut into fect^ngles the size of dollar bills and then folded in half twice. Fig. 17.

Two envelopes are sealed closed with a folded piece of paper inside. The third envelope has part of its bottom edge cut off' Looking at the envelope from the flap side, the slit begins about an inch from the

bottom left corner and extends to the right two inches. Fig.

f;g.

7 Dt,//ttr-.riry piere.r ol poper tre-fb/dd inlo qildtt(tr uttd ittt'o lbe hto tlt3itttltirk:ed ut'e/ope. /

.seu/t'd

t;lg. 1 8 I-lr.l'o/r/el bi// tt'i// il.ti.r

be itt.rtrlt'd ittlrt tlte ettt'e/ope

tptrittg.'l'l.tt tLird.l'o/ded ptper

In this routine nothing

i.r l.tiddet ttt

is

18.

tnd -r/t'ti3l.tt orrl

tltt-fir rl3ltl

tttd.

written on the enve-

lopes that might conceal a slit in the front or back surface so hiding the opening along the bottom is

the best method. The gaffed envelope looks just

like the other two from the front and back. Another folded piece of paper is placed into this envelope

but flush up against the right side. In this position the borrou,ed bill can be inserted into the envelope w-ithout exposing the folded paper to the sPectator.

This envelope is not sealed. During the routine this envelope is held in the left hand u,ith the flap side facing vou. The right Itlg. 19

-I-hi.r

t'ien'ol il.tt li// lteirtgittserltd ittto iltt ttttt/ope

spectatctr i.r a//on'ed lo

.ree.

i.s

ttlttt

il.tt

hand inserts the folded bill into the envelope

directlv across from the slit. Fig.

19.

Mn (mtw

Fig. 20

The

Wotpnr

folded bi// i: pusbed into tbe enuelope and out throrgh tbe

:lit in tbe bottom,

wbere

it it

cliPPed bJ tbe left tbarub.

Fig. 21 As the enuelope slides into tbefork of tbe thamb the bill wil/ bidden asyu lick and teal tbe fap c/o:ed.

At this point the spectator is allowed to verify for the audience that the bill is actually going into the envelope. Once he does, I ask him a direct question, "You can verify that the bill is inside the envelope?" When his eyes meet mine the bottom half of bill is pushed straight through the slit and into the left hand. Ftg.20. The left thumb grips the bottom half of the bill in a sott of thumb clip so that the left hand can extract the bill from the envelope. The envelope is then given a qaarter turn counter-clockwise and regripped with one hand on each end. The envelope is insetted between the bill and the left thumb. Fig. 21, shows the envelope befote it has slid all the way to the left. In the final position the bill is covered by the envelope on top and the fngers on the bottom. In this position you can shuffle the envelopes by sliding them one at a time off the top of the stack and adding them to the bottom without revealing the bill.

Everyone who burns up envelopes during a botrowed bill toutine

At a junk shop I found something called a silent butlet that seemed perfect and I have used it ever since. Its actual purpose is to hold ctumbs that have been brushed off of a tablecloth. Converting it to a flrebox meant that four iittle feet had to be added in order to hold the bottom (which gets very hot) off of the needs

^

pl^ce to contain the fite.

floor. These feet ate btass cap nuts that have been screwed onto short

tt

be

|lttt m [rcan

Fig. 22 Tbis rustamiryd silent butler has tinl brasfeet and afa/se boltont that rests:ligbt! aboue tbe botton of the box.

bolts that pefletrate the bottom of the box. To prevent the bottom from becoming excessively hot, a false bottom was added. A piece of aluminum was cut slightty smallet than the interior of the box and it is held up off of the floor by the fout bolt heads that secure the feet.

This false bottom can easily be removed and cleaned after each show. trig.22. The tid of the box, as it turns out, can also be a great asset' A large percerftage of my performances take place in hotel balltooms or banquet rooms and by law the ceilings of these rooms are sprinkled (no pun intended) with smoke detectors. When one of these anno1,ing devices goes off, your show is over despite what you tell hotel management. \X/hen my perfotmlrlg area is directly below one of these sensitive gadgets or the ceiling is particularly low, ot the room is on the small side, I can kick the lid of my silent butler closed and greatly

diminish the amount of smoke.

The ptepared cigar in the gimmicked tube is clipped to my belt

as

previously described.

The three envelopes are stacked flap-side up with the gimmicked envelope on the bottom. The stack of thtee is placed into the left side coat pocket

with the short

side down and the flaps against my body.

This careful positioning allows me to pull the stack out of my pocket and not have to search for the open flap. Also in the left coat pocket is a cigarette lighter. Mine is black but

tl1

Mur hvtnw //r,t,orpt

only because, genetally speaking, ever14fting in my act is eithet black or white.

A regular parr of

scissors is pointed-end down

in a partitioned

section of my left inside coat pocket. You can read more about these scissors and pocket

in the Silvetware & Chicken routine. Clipped to

this same pocket is a matking pen. The siient butlet is on the shelf undet the stool rvith the handle pointing downstage. At the end of this routine I give the spectator a giant dollar bill because it punctuates the finish and because he earned it. A number of subtle changes were made to the image before they were ptinted but from a shott distance it looks very much like a giant one-dollar bill. The sudden of this bill puts an exclamation point on ^ppe^rance the routine so there can't be even the slightest bit of fumbling. Using a customized accordion fold facilitates the opening of the bill. The giant bill (which measures 6-3/4 by 16 inches) is accordion folded into five layers about 3 inches wide except for the front and back layers that arc 31/z tnches wide. This means that the right and left ends of the bill extend half an inch beyond the othet sections, one on each side. Fig. 23. These extended ends are very easy to gtab and the bill can be

in an instant. Fig.24. The folded bill resides upside down in the right rear pants pocket with the front of the bill facrngaway from you. It protrudes from the pocket a couple of inches so that tt can be easily grabbed with your right hand, btought up in front of you (thereby turning it right-side up), snapped open

Fig. 23 Thegiant bi// itfo/ded accordion s\,le uith the top and bottont layrs extending:/tgl:t1 bqond the otber /a)terc.

154

Ftg. 24 T'hue extended ends can be quick!, and easi!,grabbed aitboat fanbling or et'en /ooking at the bi//.

L'-Q.

25'I'ht dP?urzt/tc( af' lbe g,iottt ltill

i.r .ro srddett

and pulled open using both hands.

tltat

ili

alttt.rt a

tirk it

it.re/J.

It happens so fast that it's almost

Iike a production. Fig.25.

A gentleman is invited to the stage and positioned to the tight. After the formalities. .. IU like to tr1 and experiruent asing wa//et,1our monel clip, let's

see

some

folding monry

so Bob,

pull oatloar

whatloa'ue got.

While the spectator is remo\.ing his mone)/ I steP toward the audience and deliver the next line to them. The larger the denoruination, the rnorefan we're going to haae.

This line is meant to cover the time it takes him to remove a bill but it also iflstructs him to remo\re the largest bill he has. The line gets a laugh but it is absolutely true; the larger the bill, the funniet the routine will be. Laughs can be generated b), the gentleman's bill regatdless if it is a one or a hundred. Putloar ruallet awE and hold up the billlast like that so thefolks in the back can memoriry the serial naml.ter.

I

gaze towatd the back of the room and reahze that this plan isn't

going to work. I'ue got a better idea. Take tbis pen and right across theface af that bill

1ou to write Bob,1oilrildlile.That wa1 we'llbe able to recogniry this

...arwhen Sal,ing

we see

"if"

il

billif

I

want

rue see

again.

instead of "when" plants the seed that his bill could be

it

Mn Gvnw

Wononr

in peril. The pen is retrieved and retutned to the pocket. Hauelou done that? You Yes

I

haae signaturiTgd the

bill, corect?

say signaturized. When he responds "yes," snatch the

bill out

of his hand. That's iilegal.

The bill is held up and displayed to the spectators sitting in the front row. The people in the back who couldn't see the signature assume that the people

in the front can see it and that is proof enough

for them. Look at that, big black letters ight

across the front, Bob.

Then showing the bill to Bob ^ga:rn... You would recogniry tbat billiflou saw it again, right? Don't holdloar breath. Ifold tbe bill once; Ifold the bill twice, forming it into a tiry packet. The bill is actually folded three times during this line and it ends up held in the right hand. Bob,I wantloa to keep zne eJe on the enuelopes. On the word "envelopes," the three envelopes are swiftly removed from the pocket. The folded bill is moved to the left hand where it is momentarily held between the left little and ring fingers where

it

remains in full view.

I

haae three enuelopes. Two of thue enuelopes contain a blankpiece ofpape6

folded upjast about the siqe of a twentl-dollar bill (name the value of what-

bill was borrowed). The two ungimmicked envelopes are placed undet the left arm. It is into the tbird arudfnal enuelope thatl shallplaceywr signed twenfl-dollar

ever

biil.

The bitl is re-taken by the right hand and inserted partway into the enveiope.

I wantlou to uer{1 that the bill is inside the enuelope, correct? Hold the envelope so the spectator can clearly see that the bill is halfway into the envelope being cateful not to expose the folded paper that is also inside. The spectator will tespond, "y.t." And I don't wantlou to worry about the mzne). No sense in both of us worry-

I'll tellyu what. During these lines the bitl is pushed through the slit and then stolen into the left hand. The left end of the envelope is slid between the thumb and the bill, effectively hiding it. Arything happens tolour twenfl-dollar bill and I'll be more than bappl t0... ing aboat the monell In fact,

716

Nu

tn 1anp

By the end of this line you are licking the adhesive on the envelope flap but you havent stopped speaking. The result is that the wotds are

unintelligible. The spectator is left wondering, "You'll be mote than hrppy to what?" The two envelopes under your arm are retrieved by the right hand.

All

seriousness aside, rf arllthing happerts

more than bappl to replace

(After he agtees)

tolour twenfl-dollar bill I will

it with a nice, crisp twenfl-dollar bill. Fair

be

enough?

Good. Three enuelopes, two of tbem contain a blank piece

of

pape4 the third a signed twenfl-dollar bill.

The three envelopes are mixed slightly being careful not to expose the bill in the left hand. The envelopes are taken in the right hand as the left hand drops natutally to your side. Bob, take these enuelopes, putlourfeet togethe7face the audience, pwt both bands behindlour back and shaffle the enuelopes. nor

I

Mix

them up so that neitherlou

know wbich one contains the money

During these lines you demonstrate exactly what you mean by putting your own feet together and your hands behind your back. Once there, the bill is folded once more, inserted up into the cigar, the cap is pivoted closed and the cigat tube is pulled out from under your belt and released. During these various maneuvers keep in mind that no one is chasing you so don't panic. In the words of UCLAs legendary basketball coach, John \foodefl, "Be quick, but dont rush." Another strategy you can use during this series of actions is to lean back and sneak a peek at the spectator's hands as if you'te trying to keeP track of a cettarn envelope. His mixing and your peeking behind his back ftom what's actually happening help to dissipate the attention ^way

behind your back. Once the cigar tube has been released, your hands return inconspicuously to your sides. Now,

I

can't uery well take Bobl monel without

frst putting

ap some collat-

eral, right?

The beginning of this line is when you ciap your hands together fot emphasis while allowing yout hands to be seen empty.

for Bob I baue with me tonight a cigar of equal ualue. Your left hand enters the right side of your coat, pulls open the tab IYell luckg

on the eiastic band and emerges holding the cigar tube. Arything

happens to the

monel,yu keep the cigar

The cigar tube is slipped into the spectator's bteast coat pocket where the upper portion of the tube temains in view throughout the

N

: I i

t

Mwr

Avnw Womnt

routine. On more occasions than you might imagine, I have discoveted that the spectator's breast pocket is sewn closed. Perhaps it is a new jacket ot perhaps he iust never bothered to remove the stitching. W'hatever the teason, this is a perfect opportunity to garner some laughs by apparently deviating from the sctipt. Bob,lourpocket healed rtp. lYhat is this, a rental back b1 nidnig\t? Yoa lookgreat in

coat?

itPdl,I thinkyu

Doya

haue to haue

it

should ba1 it.

On these occassions I slip the cigar into his shitt or paflts pocket. Step forward and extend your right hand out to your side' You want him to hand you the envelopes but he doesn't reahze rt. Three enuelopes, two of them contain blank paper, the third, a signed twentl-

dollar bill.

There is an uncomfortable pause hete as you stop speaking but continue to stare forward with your hand extended. Finally, turn to-

ward the spectator. The enuelopes, Bob. Yoa're a little slow deliaeing those enuelopes. You don't

doyu? Finally he tealizes why your hand has been extended and gives you the shuffled envelopes. This cheap shot at the United States Postal Service still produces a laugh. The spectator usually answers that he doesn't work fot the post office, at which point you can ask what Iine of work he is in. It's not difficult to genetate additional laughs by comparing the amount of money he had to his line of wotk- Occasionally he will be an employee of the post office and then the laughs workfor

the

post ffice

ate Lutomatlc. Now uelopes

we will

fnd

out if Bob is

a

good sport. You get to

and belieae it or not, the enaelope tbatyu free!

twenfl-dollar bill, sirualating real magic. The question

pick

select

one of the three en-

will contain the signed

is, Bob,

canlou do it?

Make the spectator enthusiastically confrm that yes he can do it.

If

you're working fot a corporate group, continue with... Ladies and Gentlemen, it's confdence like that that made (name of company) great.

The three envelopes arc fanned out and the spectator is invited to select one. Pay no attentiofl to the envelope with the slit in it because choosing that one has never posed a problem. Go ahead Bob tbe

cboice

islours and

remember

frrt

imprusions are alwals

He selects an envelope. Like a magnet 250

he goes

right to it. Unbelieaable. Changeloar mind?

best.

Nu tn ?r,nB

Here you act like you knew which one had the money and then send a mixed signal by asking him he doesn't, that's f,ne.

Like a magnet, that

leaues me

he wants to change his mind.

If

If he does ttade envelopes...

he goes

with two

if

right to it. Tuck that enuelope intolourpocket and

enuelopes. Bob hold

outlour hand likeyu're a maitre d'.

SE ahhhh. This is a stupid bit of business that just amuses me. Pick up the silent butler from the stool and set it with the handle pointing uPstage Good, apon tbat hand I place a little box.

on his outstretched hand. !7hi1e your hand is still on the handle say, Sa1 ahhhh. The spectator, believing that you are talking to him, complies and says, "Ahhhhhh." Yout response is, Notlou Bob, the box.You

then slowly open the lid and

say, Ahhhhh,E.

It looks like you're asking

a

patient to open his mouth wide and the box complies. Because Bob had afree selection, thatfrees the Barning tbe enuelopes at tbe San Diego Sports Arena. 1975 Pboto: Ed Ja:tirc, Jr.

magicianfron an1 responsibili$.

The two envelopes ate held in yout right hand, fanned out so they are both clearly visible. Your left hand removes the lighter from the

* at-

h

T/te barning

enue/ope

it aboil

to

be

p/aced inlo the silenl bttler he/d fu, the spectator. Municb, Gerruan1, 2007. Photo:'Thoruas Fraps.

left coat pocket and immediately lights one of the envelopes on fire. The lighter is returned to the pocket and the envelope that is not burning is taken in the left hand. The burning envelope is extended towatd the sPectator. Nothing to worrlt about Bob thereJ still time to changeloar mind. You

can

pat

this one inlourpocket.

You become slightly flusteted when you suddenly reahze what a bad idea that is. Light envelope numbet two

off of the burning envelope.

The right-hand envelope is dropped into the silent butler and then you immediately lift the box off the spectator's hand. Just

see

thatlou get twentl bucks wortb of kaghs out of this thing.

Then, staring intently at the burning envelope in your left hand... Look at the pretfl green flame in there. I don't remernber seeing that before. I sball set this blaqing inferno right ouer here under the sprinkler slstem. IYhat a

fnish. 260

Du

\fhile

the audience is reacting to this last line

I

tn 1aB

am looking uP at

the ceiling so that I can position the burning envelopes on the floor far away ftom the sprinkler heads as possible. On one occasion I set off a f,re alarm in a hotel balltoom and believe me, there was noth-

as

ing funny about it. No one believes they are in danger, but the hotel management always clears the toom anyway and the ptemises are thoroughly checked. Eventually the ctowd is allowed back in but only one guy still cates about the money and no one cares about the trick. Now let us reaiew what has taken place. On BobJ instructions

I

haue barned

these two enuelopes.

Duting this line tub your hands together

as

if

you're warming them

ovef a campflre. Oru this side, two enuelopes haue been burned. Oaer here a gentleman

aadience has been burned. lYait, not sofast. Yoa'ae still got an ertuelope

from

the

inlour

As quick! as possible tear it open. By this time you have stepped forward and are speaking animatedly to the audience. Reach inside and pull out the twenfl-dollar bill. Open it up and make sure in )0r/r lwn handwritingllnr ndme is written right across the face. Then hold it up so pocket. Pull out the

eruuelope.

thefolks in tbe back can see that it is the uery same twentl-dollar bill.

All of this patter is designed to keep you busy while the spectator

is

tearing open the envelope, removing and unfolding the white P^P:L You can always tell when the paper comes into view by the audience's reaction. You ate the last one to learnthat things have gone awry when you finally look over and see the spectatot holding the blank papet. Your fitst teaction is to stamp out the fire and kick the lid of the silent butlet closed. Then stare

^t long time. Finally you blurt out... You

picked the wrong

enuelope!

the spectator fot an uncomfortably

Now tbue people don't think

I

can do this trick.

Your right hand gestures that you want another bill as you say... Giae me another twentl (or whatever

denomination was used).

And then to the audience... I'/lproue tolou that

I

can do this once andfor a/1.

Your request is usually greeted with a shrug and never with an offet of more money. Take the blank paper and the torn envelope from

him. That waslour last twentl?

A fne

kettle of sqaid.

Suddenly you remember thathe is supposed to keep the blank paper

16

Mur Gvnw Wononr

and hand

it back to him.

Oh,1oa keep this, that'sywr recerpt. This whole thing is tax deductibk. You write it all off,

And

there's realll nothing to worryt about. Don't1ou remember the

momentloa came up here to help me owt, didn't pened

tolour one-dollar bill that I would

I

be more

sa1 that

tf arlything at all hap-

tban...

By now either the spectator or the audience will be informing you that it was actually twenty dollars. Sometimes the spectatot will jok-

"It

bill" to which you reply... It was twenfii lous1 dollars. And didn't I sE tbat tf arytthing happened toloar twenfl-dollar bill, that I would be more than happlt to replace it with a nice, crisp

inglv say,

was a hundted-dollar

twenfl-dollar bill? (He agrees) And thenyud

(He agatn agrees). Turn, walk over to the still smoking silent butler and pick it up. The audience begins to understand exactly what you mearit as you open up the box and look inside. That's about as crisp as I caru get it, pal. (Thank you Ron Anderson for this gag) It's not a prettl sight. I'll telllou wbat, Bob. First tbing tomorow I wantlou to go down to tbe bank. Jast explain thatlou were outfor an euening of entertainment, and thatlla gdue a perfect stranger... well I don't know how perfect he was... a twentl-dollar bill. And he burned it ap, didn't he? And allloa and be happl?

yarfriends did was laugh like cra71, right? By now you have scooped aII of the ashes out ofbox and into the envelope. It is safe to set the silent butler down on the stool seat because of the heat-absotbing false bottom inside. Sometimes the envelope is the one with a slit in the bottom but it doesn't matter. It is catefully folded into a neat little package. Then

I wantlou to hand then this lucfui enuelope and thel will telllou exactll

what to do with b.

Hand him the envelope, stick your hands in your pockets and wait.

During this long, pregnant pause nobody is quite sute what to do. The audience doesn't know if they should applaud. The spectator doesnt know if he should leave. You dont know what to do because you loused up your trick. I fust love this uncomfortable silence. Finally, mercifully... Bob,I don't like

the

wElou're handlingthis whole ugfi mess.I meanloa

down bere tonigltt to haue

a

good time right?

it

was ml

gaue twentl bucks to a dumm1. There's

767

IYell good

fault thatyu picked the wrong enueOK, I admit I'm tbe dumml who burned up tbe money but bel the one who

times cost money You act as thougb lope.

(He always says yes)

came

on!

one wEt to handle this, we're going to

Dru

haue to share the blame.

But in that

case we

mast

dbl

n

?etrp

share the collateral.

Pull the cigar out of his coat pocket and hold it up in full view A cigar hermetica$t sealed in art airtight glass tube. Airtight. Listen, I will break the seal.

The tube is held in yout left hand right up to the spectator's ear and as the cap is twisted off make the sound of tapidly escaping air with your mouth into the microphone. Pffi, as if trying to convince them that the tube was indeed hermeticaliy sealed. The audience isn't fooled fot a second and the laugh is guaranteed. The cap is dropped into yout right iacket pocket and the tube is then taken by your tight hand. The cigar is dumped out of the tube into yout left hand with the left f,ngers hiding the open end

of

the cigar. Look at that, thry think of euerything. lophane to keep

in

Sealed

in

cel-

the...

As you smell the cigar you're trying to think of the word aroma, but you can't. Aftet a sufficient pause, continue..

...t0

keep

.

it in.

Yout right hand removes the scissors from your pocket and begins to snip off the cellophane on the ungimmicked (tobacco) end. Fig. 26. Ftg. 26 The end of tbe cellopbane wr@per is snbPed zff asing this large pair of scistors, whih the open end of tbe cigar remains couered

b1

1'oar left band.

It won't be long now. That's what the rabbi said. I love this line. Dai Vernon, however, did not approve of it and told me so. Of course you have to gauge your audience but my expetience is that those who shouldn't get it, wont and those who do get it think they are so clever for getting it.

I

Ioved the Professot, but the line stays.

The spectators assume that the other end of the cellophane u/rapper is also sealed closed when rn fact it is metely tucked into the brass tube. When the wrappet is slid off the cigar, the tucked-in cellophane slides out of the tube without disturbing the signed bill inside.Fig. 27. Fig. 27 As tbe cellophane wrapper is :/id ilot ex?ose the open end of tbe tabe.

of

the cigar, care is taken to

I

willremoae the cigarfrom the cellophane, break

right down the middle andya get to

choose the

it

half tbat

t61

Sntpping the urap-

per

oPen

in Municb,

Cernnnl, 2007. Photo:'fbontas Fraps.

)0n want.

lWait a minate, tberei still a green leaf in the

middle of that stogie.

The scissors are replaced in your pocket and the cellophane u/rapper is slid off the open end of the cigar and dtopped on the floor. At all times the open end of the cigar remains pointed away from the spectator and covered by the left

fingers. The cigar is snapped in half right at the

junction of the brass tube and the tobacco. trig.28. Once the cigar has snapped in half the two halves are not separated but rather angled to ninety-degrees. As the cigar is moved toward the spectator your left little fngertip enters the open end of the tube and pushes the bill forward until about half an inch extends out of the opposite end, It will appear to be emerging ftom the "i ,t,

t

FiS. 28 Tlte cigar

i:

tube and tlte tobacco.

snapped

in half ight at tltejanction of the brass

llttt

Fig. 29 The little fnger tip srrrEtitioasfi pasbu the bi/l aat af the tabe.

Ftg.

)0

The bill energe:

ju:t

enough

n

n

tbe spectator can grab onto

?r,np

il

middle of the cigar. Figure 29 shows the little finger pushing from below while Figure 30 shows the bill protruding ftom the middle of the cigar. Catch hold of that little green corner and tobacco.

It

pull it right out

of the middle of the

looks like a twenfl-dollar bill.

important pictute in the audience's mind; that the bill is actually part of the cigar and that it is being pulled right out of the rolled tobacco leaves, That's what you want them to think and since they can't clearly see what is happening, they have only 1'our words to guide their thinking. To make this effect a ttry bit better I That line paints

^vety

willing to tell a white lie for which I may spend all of eternity in Hell. It's atrade off. My act is full of lies and each one constitutes a thin layer of mystery. Pile on enough of these layers and eventually ths cumulative effect in the spectator's mind will be far gte ter than what am

actually transpired. Open

it ap and

zf tbat

bill basyar narne written

across theface we haue noth-

ing less than a miracle. Same one?

You nevet touch the bill. He pulls it out of the tube and while he is unfolding the bill, dtop the two halves of the cigat into the siient butler. \When he verifies that it is his original bill, take it ftom him and clearly display

it to the audience.

Mwr

I

Avnw Wotnmt

doru't belieue that

mlse$ the uery same twentl-dollar bill.

Turn slightly ftom left to right giving the audience a good look at the face of the bill. As you do, your tight hand drops to your side and just before you face forwatd ag tn, pull the folded jumbo bill from yolr rear pants pocket. The bill is held edge on to the audience (so there is less to see) as it is raised up to your left hand. Once there, it is turned face toward the audience, the left fngets (still holding the signed bili) immediately grasp the left side of the jumbo bill and pull it open. This is flot supposed to be a trick but because the butned-bill effect has just ended and the audience's guard is down, m^fly are completely surprised by the sudden appemaflce of this giant bill.

Both bills are handed to the spectator and all of the applause is directed to him as he teturns to his seat. I iike to have a few lines between routines to give the audience a chance to relax and to let the effect sink in. After the spectator reaches his seat... Another ntisfed

castome6 got his twenfl-dollar

the side. Bob, after the show

down on the bar. Tell them

bill back and made a buck on

I wantloa to go out to the bar and lry tbat giant bill

Mike sentlou and thel'll tbrowloa right out

of there.

The Bill tn Cigar is one of the longest toutines in my act, running eleven to twelve minutes. As with all of my routines there are two goals that

I hope to achieve. During the performance I hope to elicit

a

vartety of immediate reactions including laughter, applause, and gasps

of

amazement. My other goal relates to what Paul Daniels calls the

"Talk about in the car going home factor." During the show I m hoping that everyone has plenty of laughs and fun but I want their tide home to be tortute. I'm hoping their conversation goes something like this, "How in the hell did that guy's bill get inside that ctgar? Not to mention the cellophane wrapPer and glass tube. The cigar was in the guy's pocket the whole time and the magician bately touched the bill.

It doesn't

seem possible."

My goal is fot the spectators to feel so tottured by this memory that they will want to see my act zgain.I'm sute this goal was instilled by Gene Andetson's def,nition of a commercial act which is "An act that alayman will pay to see agair.." The key word here ts "agalrr." People

will sit through all kinds of drivel

once just to see what it is

but I believe that gettiflg them to pay to see it again is the mark of a teal pto. Duting these second and third viewings the audience will 766

Dru

ttt

len

notice mote and more of the layets that I have invested so much time and effort in. This is why the simple Bili in r$7alIet was turned into a vetitable Nest of Boxes involving a gimmicked cigar, plastic u/raPPer, and Plexiglas tube.

\[lhy join the novy

if you (0n be o pirotel tteve Jobr

767

hough I leatned to juggle when I was seventeen years old I never dreamed I would become an acttzl iuggler. My practice time was

not sPent mastefing five, six znd seven balls but fathef on off-beat skills such as thfee badminton rackets of two tennis balls and a tennis tacket or alarge bal1, a small ball and a short stick. The thought of adding juggling to my act never entered my mind until one fateful night.

I remembet being tertibly sick in bed, finally falling asleep and then having the strangest dteam I have ever had. I imagined myself confusing the concept of "two-hand juggling" with "juggling two hands." In my dream there were full-length atms with coat sleeves that matched my own coat, z long rubber nose that protected my o$/n nose, and security with sawed-off arms. In the me trying to get through ^lrPott middle of the night I woke up in a cold sweat, found a piece of paper

I could remember' In the morning when my rrotes, it was like teading a script. I had dreamed the

and wtote down everything

I looked

^t entlfe foutlne.

Never once, before or since, have I had a similady productive dream so I can't really recommend this as a viable way to develop new matertal. Perhaps the lesson to be learned is to always be open to new As Louis Pasteur might ^ppeaL once said, "Chance favors the prepared mind'" But heed this warning from my friend Harcy Anderson who said, "I(eep an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out." For those trving to create magic, perhaps the best advice is this proactive suggestion byJack London, "You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a

ideas whereever and whenever they

club." 'I7e1, what's sofnntry?

I'm

trling to teathlou people haw

jagle."

Michtgan, 201

Photo: Dauid l:insell.

1.

to

It wasn't long before I had fabticated a set of iuggling clubs that looked like mannequin arms complete with coat sleeves that matched the coat I was wearing, a wristwatch, and a big diamond ring. The routine developed into a juggling lesson where I would prove to everyone 169

Mur Avnw Wonom

Lang Beach

M1$ix'Itt

Amazing Show at

age nineteen.

in the audience that simple two-hand juggling was easy to learn, lots of fun and good exercise. Early on I discovered that pulling the first two arms out of the catrying bag u/as a ctitical moment. It was at this instant that the audience realtzed that I v/as not going to use my tv/o arms to juggle, but I was going to juggle two arms. If their immediate reaction to these arms was laughtet, I was in good shape for the temainder of the toutine. If they gtoaned, and viewed tt as a bad play on words, I was in ttouble fot the next six minutes.

Not wanting to leave this decision entirely up to the audience, I developed a technique that basically pushed them into the desired teaction. I would rcach into the bag and grab two arms as I asked the 770

This was the first routine in my act in which sound effects became an important factor. Each demonstration of the single revolution (throwing the arm up and having it revolve once before catching it) and the double revolution, u/as accompanied by a short drum roll and then drum beat when I caught it. During one throu/, the hand comes around and smacks me in the face and falls on the floor. This miscue is accompanied by crashing metal, which, though an illogical sound, punches up the gag. This routine taught me that sound effects and and I have added recorded sound to a ^ct number of othet toutines in my act. Aftet being struck in the face by the hand, I halt the proceedings music can add gready to an

momentarily to put on my "nose guard." This is ari extra long rubber nose that, presumably, will protect m1r ns5s in the eveflt of another miscue. In theory this makes perfect sense but in practice it is just

plain stupid and that is the essence of what this routine is all about, not being afratd of looking stupid. Again, the nose is treated with the utmost seriousness and it's th^t contradiction that makes the whole thing funny. The same could be said about Steve Martin's trademark

When teacbing tbe art

of 3-anrjaglingufefl a lwals

JOilr

rurues

/irst. Protecl

n0se.

Photo: Tbonas Fraps.

1-Apn Juaeuna

artow-through-head gag. An arrow on the head of a prop comic, who is leaping around the stage pulling an endless number

of gagitems

out of a trunk in an effort to be the life of the p^rty, is the furthest

thing from funny. But Steve u/as a notmal looking guy, dtessed in a nice suit, who just happened to wear afl through his head like it ^rrow was a perfectly normal thing to do. It was the incongruity that made it funny. In my dream the third hand was black so I made up and used a black hand for marry years. As times changed, so did my third hand. I ttied a foot, (it didnt make sense to me either). I tried a pirate hook with the line, "Every act needs a gimmick, this is my hook" which usually elicited a unanimous groan. Eventually I settled on what I call Liberace's hand; a matching hand with a ruffled shirt cuff, a gatdy coat sleeve and a big diamond ring.

I dont tell any iokes during the threehand juggling lesson. Everything I say and do is directly telated to the subject and hopefully advances the plot. Even when I suddenly remember a story that I want to tell the audience and teposition the rubAs with all of my routines,

ber nose to the top of my head, it is all petfectly logical and on topic.

I

explain how confused I was when I got to the aitpott and saw a sign

that said, "Illegal to

c rry arms aboard plane." This stoty makes no

telling it is an idiot who, by chance, has three arms in his suitcase at the airport. It is character-based humor. They are lines that, on their own, are flot the least bit funny, but when delivsense unless the person

ered by the idiot

with the suitcase they can produce genuine laughter.

A

character-based humor is that another performer

side benefit

to

cant steal it. Unless that person is willing and able to steal your entire stage persona, he is robbing an empty safe. This routine served me well for a number of years. For my performance at the 1978 Abbott's Get Togethet the routine u/on the Senator Crandall Award for Comedy. In 1981 during t}l-'e lt's Magic!show the Holfiwood Reporterprblished this review of my act, Also stopping the show was M.C. Mike Caveney, whose btzarce blend of comedy and magic makes him one of the funniest magicians in America. His "three-hand juggling" is not to be missed.

u5

lrlttr

(wtw

Wonnmt

Mike and Rath Crandall pose witb the Senator Crandall

Awardfor

fthe p/ate from bit 6-Card Repeat, a pair of Crandall's glaxu,

Comedl a

cbrome

some

of

plated thamlt tip, and his aniqne tuirted cigdr, as

the Senator bimself looks on.

In looking at old still photos of the juggling routine it was obvious that viewers had to use their imagination to petceive my arms

as

being extra long due to the fact that tight in the middle of the arms my bare hands wete visible. Eventually it dawned on me that apau

of houndstooth gloves would solve this problem. My supetJong arms now extend all the way from my shouldets down to the iuggling atm wrists and the illusion is complete. This was a case of a small change making a huge difference.

Having zv^rtety spot (ArmJuggling) that I could include in my act helped set me apat ftom all other magicians. Thete u/as never a question that there might be another act on a show with something simiIar. You might think that appearirrg on a show with another juggler would be a ptoblem but in fact the exact opposite is true. I remember following Anthony Gatto (the greatest jugglet of his generation) on a show in Las Vegas by saying, "I know that looks difficult but it's really not that hard once you know how." This preposterous statemeflt went a long way toward establishing me as an idiot and Anthony's inctedible act was the perfect lead in to my silly iuggling lesson' U6

1-ABn )uoeute

In

deference to the performers who have purchased this routine

and those who may putchase it in the future,

I am not going to in-

clude all of the patter here. But the Arm Juggling toutine taught me \When I f,rst came uP with it a, gre t deal about constructinglr:-,y ^ct. (atound 1977) my closing routine was the Linking Coat Hangers. An

addition I had made to the coat hanger routine allowed me to get myself, and all of my props, off the stage in a funny and efficient manner.

At the time, it

IYorking at

Milt

I

^arsen's

Malfair Masic Hall was like in time. From tbe live masic to the cbairman up

tectare,

it

lhe

I

became more and

more comfortable with the Juggling routine (in the next-to-closing listening to the audispot) it became the funniestp^rt of my

going back

in the box lo

seemed like the petfect finish. As

peiod archi-

was alway a

tbill.

ence

^ct.By

I eventually reahzed that the Coat Hangers couldn't follow the

Arms.

It was during a week-long engagement at Milt Latsen's Mayfarr Music Hall in Santa Monica, Cahforniathztan o1d British comedian set me sttaight. Ben \X&igley was a veteran comic who featured jokes, bits

of pantomime, and eccenttic dancing

in his act. He always finished with an eccentric dance routine accompanied by the Music Hall's 3-piece band and

I

never tired of watching Ben from the

wings or ftom the front of house. One night I asked him why he always fnished

with the band playing and him dancing. He leaned in close as if he was about to divulge the true secret of show business and said, 'Always f,nish with a song, lad." And by gosh, he was right. It's not by accident that at the end of every movie ever made the music swells and then the credits toll. Music is a powetful

tool that can enhance arry act. It can be used to boost the energy at the end of an act and thete is no better way to say "The End" than by playing some appropriate music. Ben's sage advice pushed the juggling routine to the end of my and the coat hangets into the closet.

^ct

tn

Mwr tnvmw l':ilr,t.pr.t

Ptrb/icilt pictrre circa 1988. Photo: Robin Yatng.

Having expressed my feelings about incorporating music into a talking magic act, I would like to mention two instances where the exact opposite (complete silence) is the perfect answer.

Long before I ever worked with Richiardil saw him perform at i-l i;

I

a

if,-ry,';,r;0it,+f

New Yotk City nightclub called

The Village Gate. This was a small establishment where the audience sat extfemely close to the stage.

During the Razor Blade trick, dramatic music played as Rich-

iardi demonstrated the sharpness of each blade and then placed it into his mouth. Finally, a length of thread was placed into his mouth and "swallowed." At this point, Richiardi was up on the stage and the spectators wefe at a safe distance in

their seats. Suddenly, in an instant, everything changed. Richiatdi jumped off the stage and stood just inches

The press genemlfi found this pictare

far

interestingthan

ruore

f

I

had

actaa@ beenjugling.

from the front tables. At the same instant, the music stopped. You could hear a pin drop. He took hold of the thread and started to pull. As the fitst razor blade emerged from his mouth there was an audible gasp from the audience. As he moved thtough the ctowd he leaned right into people's faces as each successive blade emerged from between his lips and each one was greeted with another gasp. I reahzed that the audience was supplying their own sound track. The music we heard ea{ter was certainly dramatic but nothing was mote dramatic than hearing the honest teactions of the bewildered spectators. The addition of this silence was sheer genius. The othet time I saw this technique used was in Teller's brilliant Shadows routine. Using a dagger, he cuts through the shadow cast by leaves and petals of a rose and, miraculously, the real leaves and petals drop to the floor. As each leaf and each petal falls, the audience provides the perfect sound track in the form of untestrained disbelief.

irq

ln 1967

the

lrr.,r-^l

s

!-,,r, 'o",o,u;;;);:;:;,,,,, Bill'[a1'/sv;n 1ee6'

(Be/ou)'tl:is 1891

nett.'s-

paper aticle descibes

,atr/Cinqreurt/ii ltoap

petfontunce oJ' the andg/ass

team

from all the circuses throughout the Soviet Union. The headline act was Igor I(o with his fantastic illusions but anothef actthat stuck in my mind was Nicolai Olkhovikov u/ho placed two glasses of water into two hoops and then swung them around his head and tossed them over his shoulder without spilling a .lrnn T)irl IT mention rncntinn that thct he did all of this while drop. Did

with the greatest

created b1'

tick.

I did

,li

acts gathefed

standing on the back of a galloping horse? It was astonishing to say the least and, surprisingly, not

original with Mr. Olkhovikov.

In April

1793 George l7ashington visited

Ricketts' Circus in Philadelphia and watched Bill Ricketts stand upright on the back of a galloping horse and swing a hoop around his head with a glass of wine petched inside the hoop. Nearly a century later, in an 1'891' newspaper artrcle, Paul Cinquevalli, considered by some to be the greatest iuggler who ever lived, explained how some

ilr\l

extremely difficult stunts occasionally elicited tepid applause while other rela-

tively simple tricks ptoduced wild excitement. As an example he explained

,

hooP in my right how, "whirling a hoop hand with a glass of water balanced

'

ball inside its rim, and passing two balls

Ifl1

tE

Mn Aww

Wononr

4g7. Swinging tloop and Glass of Water.

The seeminglyvery difficult feat of swinging a glass of water inside a wooden hoop, without spilling a drop, can be easily accomPlished by anyone without any Practice.

Price, comPlete, $3

Adfron

an ear!, 20th rcntary Martinka Magic catalog.

Early in the 20th century the Martinka catalog included a similar juggling trick with a couple of

important differences. The hoop was attached to a short piece of cord which was held onto throughout the petformance and the glass dtopped into a tecessed The catalog description states, "...cafl be easily accomplished by anyone without any practice." Thanks to the generosity of Paul Daniels I have one of those otiginal antique hoops and despite what the catalog says, a little practice wouldn't hurt. But once you get the knack of spinning the hoop it's neady impossible space.

to shake the glass out of it. There was a time when this version could be seen on the Blackstone Sr. show. As Harry walked off stage "To get another cage znd anothef caflary" two female assistants spun hoops and glasses for as long as it took the boss to pull a birdcage out of his sleeve.

fot two months at the \Tintergarten in Betlin. One of the

In

NL

1993 my wife, Tina Lenert, petformed

Antique Swinging Hoop and Glass of lhater aparatus. A glft from Paal Daniels.

@rcr )ueourc

Ayar

dt Buka reanite at the FieBuka (right) hft Tina off herfeet.

after tbeir Wintergarten engagement in Berlin Tina and Baba

dicbtbaa Vaiehi

Tbeater in S tuttgart, Gerruan1. Baba (left) and

standout acts in this show was Buba & Buka, both from the Soviet Union. Buka performed magic and Buba was a juggler who had perfected the glass and hoop trick to an incredibly high degree. I leatned that thete were no gimmicks when one night the glass ctashed to

the stage and shattered. Upon retutning home I started to experiment with different sized hoops and different tyPes of glasses. John Gaughan kept making hoops until I figured out the perfect width and diameter. 7r'1

Tlte fo/loa'ing .wquence

of

six pltotos u.,ere take n 11 llI2ndell BreTina

daing a 201 0 peforuance in A,Iichigan.

A,Iyfntg/iatp:eo/'tbeboop,tsi/roue.rtpot'er14,shon/dar.'fho.re,rredropsol colJee./it//iryiltror1gltiltetir.

the lteigbt of ilte t'bron, and speed a;f tlte rotation n,il/ dittate nelber

I

mlcb the haop higlter

ir

the air nr clo.rer /:o tbe foor

I

aru aitningfor tlte spot direct/1 oppositefront the arp

of cffie.

Afier

three reuoltrtians

ir

tfu air, another sacrussJirl landing brilliantflt captured bl,photogapl:et" W'endel/ Breqina.

Corrcr )uaeuna

suspicions. First, the coffee cup is made from clear unbreakable plastic. Clear because the audience can actually see the coffee sloshing around

in it and unbreakable because I saw what happened to Buba at the \X/intergarten. \When the cream is poured in, the audience can see the coffee as it turns to a lighter shade of brown. Each time

I complete

kick the cup into the air where it is caught in my other hand, a little bit of coffee sloshes out onto the floor. This simple move proves that the cup isn't attached to the hoop and that the coffee is teal. a stunt and

(Oppo:in) 201

1

ltminato

in Toronto, Canada stage at the beaat/il/! i* On

Festiua/

stored lYinter Carden Tbeatre

duigned lry Thonas l-ztmb and btrilt the

b1

Marcas l-.aew as

fagship of bis Canadian

uatrdeuille theatre cbain.

Photo: Dauid Ljnsell martesl

of Magicana.

(B,igbt) Tossing the ctp throagh the air lo nry olher hand /ooks

fas$t bat nore inpoian$

il

proues that tbe cap is not attacbed to tbe boop.

Copi@ri, Cbile, 201 2. Pboto:

Alex

Fuentes.

'l'be spla.rb productd reminds tbe aadience tbat it really is cofJee. @ droppingthe stgar cabe into tbe rup And the second urbe droppedfron higb aboue tbe up b1 m-1 rigbt band is its oa,n litt/[email protected]. Photo: Tltarua.r Praps.

The first sugar cube (actually made from white Delrin plastic) is legitimately dropped into the cup but the second one is allegedly thrown behind my back. My eyes follow its invisible path through the air and then the audience is surprised to see it drop into the cup. Realizing that the sugaf actually dropped from my opPosite hand (the one holding the hoop) always genefates a solid laugh. The falling cube also produces anothef visible splash when it lands in the coffee. Even with all of these convincers , r.rrany people still think it is gaffed. There is one additional drastic technique that can be used to convince the audience that it is actually iuggling and not magic. 797

brrur

)ueoune

I'm always amused when people ask if I've ever missed. EVER MISSED! Ate you kidding? I've dumped cups of coffee on stages around the world and here is what I've learned from it. This is the best way to convince an audience that you really are juggling. When that cup hits the floot and coffee goes flying in every direction their thoughts instantly change from, "It's ptobably magnetic coffee in a Velcro cup" to, "My god, this lunatic is actually ttying to do this. Is he out of his mind?" Then when I refill the cup and succeed on my second try, the audience response is twice as loud. It's just like in the circus when the flying tr^peze act misses their first attemPt at the ttiple somersault and then nails the second attempt. They are educating the audience as to just how difficult it really is and then prove they can do it. The problem with missing the coffee trick is that it creates a hortible mess on stage that I have to wade around in for the rest of my act, not to mention the acts that have to follow me. Thtoughout most of my c reet I never had a ProPer opening fot my act and by that I mean a quick effect that makes the audience sit up, take notice, and make some noise. The problem was that neaiy all of my routines were eight to ten minutes long which meant that after fve minutes of performing nothingmagical had happened yet. The Coffee Trick solved this problem. It was my friend Tim Conover who, during a corporate show, convinced me to try it as an opener and he was absolutely right. Two minutes in, the crowd was screaming. I've opened with it ever since. One of the most impottant elements to the Coffee Juggling routine is the musical accompaniment. It was hearing Frank Sinatra sing "The Coffee Song" that determined the direction that my routine would take. His lyrics led to the coffee, cre^m) sugar, basicalll, the whole sto-

ry. Now that song is so ingrained in the presentation that I've always said if I can't use that music, I won't do the routine. It just wouldn't be the same. More often than not, aftet rehearsing in a theater

I find

that the stagehands spend the rest of the evening humming or singing

"The Coffee Song." It really is that catchy. Only once did I break my rule and opt for live music. I was a public 791

M1 /iue nusica/ accompaniruentfor Cffie fugling in Copiapd, Chile, 201 2. Photo: Alex Ftrentes.

in Copiap6, Chile in 201,2.When I atrived at the theater for rehearsal I saw a group ofpercussion students rehearsing out in the street. V/ith the stage manager acting as translator I invited them to show

in my actthatevening and about eight of them agreed to wait around for hours so they could participate. When the curtain opened that night revealing my live percussion ensemble, still in their street clothes but wearing matching Chilean hats, the crowd went crazy.It u/as a great night for Chile but an even greater night for me. appear

The necktie that is now very much associated with my act (black tie with a latge white spot) was a grft from my wife. She thought it fit my act, since the color theme of my entire act is basically black and white. My coat is black and white, my shoes are black and white, my pants are black and I am white. The tie had a bold design that was easy to identify even on a large stage. It immediately became p^rt of my costume. You have undoubtedly heard performer's advice to "Listen to your audience." Here is what they are talking about. One night I had just f,nished the Coffee Juggling routine when a spectator said, "You got a spot on your

lq)4

tiel" Needless to

say

this generated a huge laugh. I iust

stood there and let that unknown sPectator have his moment of glor1' because I knew that everv shou'thereafter, that laugh would be mtne.

And so rt has been. Because the tie has a smaller w-hite spot on the opposite end I was able to double the laugh. Now it is I who notices the big white spot on mt' tie (as if it is the re sult of spilled coffee) and as I lift up the tie rerrealing the smaller spot underneath I sa1', ".. .and

it soaked through too." E\.en though it does sort of iook that wa1', this statement is completely ludicrous, the perfect ending to ml' opening effect.

The time between l'our routines is critical. If all You are doing is putting one set of props awal' and getting out the next bit, you run the risk of boring vour audience. An audience's interest rareh' stays at the same level. It is ah,vavs going either up or down , and tf nothing is happening between vour routines, there is a good chance that their interest level is going down. This short gag with the spot on m)' tie

lllls the space between m\r fitst two routines with and maintains the momentum I have built.

a ferv solid laughs

ometimes an idea comes to you in a flash. It has usually been fermenting in the back of yout mind for some time, then, without warning, BANG. It hits you in the head like a brick. This was one of those times.

The description of this routine is going to be different from any other in this book because I am going to explain each of the f,ve methods that I have used over the yeafs. You will learn what attf^cted me to each new method, why I eventually discarded it and why I ultimately stuck with the f,fth method for nearly thirty years and counting' The Gypsy Thread trick has always appealed to me. The effect

couldn't be simpler: destroy an ordinary obiect using natural means, then put it back togethef using supernatufal means. Anyone on the planet w'ould view this as magical. The trick can be traced back to at leastJ. Prevost's book Cleuer and Pleasant Inuentions Part One that was published in 1584.

I've never performed the Gypsy Thread in my life and for that I have no one to blame but myself because I had as my teacher the grand master himself, Billy McComb. It was November of 1980 when I was invited to Calgary, Canada to aPPear on a TV show called T/e Mogrt Palace. As luck would have it, the other act booked to aPPear that

After adruiing hin for fildnlJedrs, an tltis da1 in 1980

I

becann

jiends u'ith

Bi@ McCorub, a fiend:ltip that lasted

till

tbe end oJ' lti.r

retuarkabh lfe.

l':!i

lilwr Gt.*tw illr,nnmv

Bil!,

1,1t6oo,O reruained a consanruate

perforner until bis paxing in 2006 at

I had seen many times before. One of the routines he petformed on the TV show was his classic Gypty Thread. Afterward I merely mentioned that I liked that trick and from that point on, there was no stopping him. Billy proceeded to teach me every nuance of his handling, all of

week was Billy. He, of course, was already a magtcal star whom

the tips that can only be leatned by petforming the trick a thousand times. What fascinated me most u/ere not his subtle tips, but rather

the amount of thinking that had gone into what was basically a simple trick. No detail had been or.edooked. Billy's routine was builet proof. Billy's lesson stayed with me, percolating in the back of my mind. Eight months later (July 1981) I was walking through a parking lot

in Wilkes Barce, Pennsylvania when out of the blue it hit me - BANG. Stage-size Gypty Thread. Toilet paper instead of thread. It's available everywhere in the wotld for free, it's instantly recognrzable by young and old alike, and it's already petforated for ease of tearing.It seemed almost too good to be true-but it wasn't.

I decided to try out my idea at Tannen's Jubilee but then it dawned on me, these people didn't want to see a routine that I was iust starting zq0

age

84.

i//r,r:tc |lr,prp

to work on. They wanted to be fooled.

I decided to do everything in

my power to fool everyone in attendance with my stage-size Gypsy Paper. I know I succeeded because years latet, people v/ere still com-

menting on how they had been fried by that toilet PaPer trick' Here was the effect they saw. I introduced a roll of toilet paper and tossed tt to a gentleman on the end of the front row He tote off one square of paper.

In

I took the roll in the front row Once

an effort to speed things along,

back and quickly tore off squares fot everyone back on stage, I asked everyone with a PzPr'':' square to wave it in the

^tf

oyer their heads.

Alt of the

pieces wefe then passed down the row

until the pefson at the end had the whole stack. He brought the pieces to the ftont of the stage and handed them to me. Then, without a hint of a false move, I grabbed hold of the top piece and swept it through the air in a wide arc.The audience was surprised to see that the whole stack had suddenly restored itself into one long strip of paper.

Some people

will

hate me for this method but

I honestly

feel no

remorse. My good friend Bill Schmeelk was the guy sitting at the end of the ftont tow. He had upon his person, a carefully folded strip of paper. \Mhen the pile of squates reached his hands, he merely stuffed

them into his pocket and brought me the folded strip. To Prevent the restoration from looking too perfect and thereby suggesting a stooge, I acted like I was counting some of the pieces and then casually moved the stack from hand to hand. This gave the eagle-eyed spectators plenty to suspect but nothing to see. \With a flourish I then

unfuded the testored strip and finished clean. I had fun using this method at a couple of conventions but I always knew that this v/as not apractical solution. And to the people who missed that switch because they were watching the wrong guy, I ask them to recail the feeling of wonder that washed ovef them at the moment of res-

toration and admit that this is the whole point of goillg to a magic show; to be entertained and to have your wotld turned upside dovrn.

799

lrln (wnw

U,lntr;mr

Toward the end of that year I got the biggest booking of my life: two weeks hosting the

ltl

Magic!show at the Variety Arts Theater in

downtown Los Angeles. This is the show I had been raised on and the

I had always dreamed of appearing in. One of the acts I would be inttoducing was a young guy that no one out lfest had heard of one

named Lance Burton and the closing act would be Richiardi.

I

sud-

denly had this feeling of being out of my league. Duting the next few

months leading ap to lt's Magtc!,I would do everything I could to elevate my act to the next level. Most of my effort was devoted to the Scissots, Coat, Silverware

& Chicken routine, but I

also worked on the

toilet paper trick.

in the orchestra pit, the first thing I needed u/ere proper music chatts. The bandleader, Bill HitchBecause there would be a live band

cock, spent an aftetnoon discussing my act and then proceeded to

write out all the parts. Besides being a fine musician, Bill understood show business and did a great job of musically punctuating my act. We came to be good enough friends that I proposed anidea to him. Being famlhar with the Variety Arts Theater, it occurred to me that with the orchestra pit looming between myself and the front tow, it would be diff,cult, if not impossible, for me to reach the pieces of toilet paper that wete being handed back by the spectator. \X/hat if, seeing that

I was struggling to

rcach the pieces,

Bill suddenly took

them from the spectator, tutned toward the stage and handed them up to me, and in the process, switched them for the restoted packet? He loved the idea. Once we loaded into the theater, Bill insisted that we rehearse relentlessly. He was taking his role as modus operandi very setiously and wanted the switch to be absolutely undetectable. He stood

in

with the restored packet in one hand. I had all of the pieces passed to the person in the center of the front row and when I asked him to pass the pieces to me there was an awkward moment when everyofle reahzed that I couldn't rcach that far. Only then did Bill reach out with his free hand and take the stack of pieces. Duting the act of turning toward the stage, he apparently took the packet in his other hand while actually executing a sort of shuttle pass. The effect teadiness

100

Maorc PnprB

was that the paper packet never left the audience's sight.

It

seemed so

spontaneous that it became one of those invisible moments. I honestly believe that

if

audience membets were asked later to describe what

had happened, they would say,"...and then the guy in the audience handed the pieces to the magtcian." It would be remembered that way because that was how we cleatly intended

it to happen.

On opening night the atmosphere was electric. E,arlrer that evenonJohnny Carson's Taing, Lance taped his frst, historic ^PPe^raflce night Show and of course the promise of Richiardi added another level of excitement. I think Bill Hitchcock was more nervous than I was, what with his debut as a sleight-of-hand expert.

At this time I was carrying my act onstage in aleather doctor's bag. I would leave the open bag sitting on the floor and remove my props as needed. \X/hen the time came,I removed the roll of papet and tossed it into the audience and the paper squares were distributed.

To fiII the time it took for the pieces to be passed to the center of the row, I asked the person holding the roll of paper to toss it back to me which would produce one of two possible outcomes. If I saw the roll heading right for me, I would feign blindness due to the lights and let

it

smack into me. Or, the more likely outcome, theit aim would be

off

and the roll would land nowhete fiear me. Either way, it u/as a gD ranteed laugh.

On this night, iust by chance, the roll of paper ended up in the hands of CarlBallantine's wife, Ceil. I knew that The Great Ballantine knew how to get a laugh, now we would learn rf this ability ran in the family. My best guess was that Ceil's thtow would never make it over the orchestta pit and the roll of paper would most likely bounce off a musician's head. But whatever happened, it would be funny. \When she reated back and heaved that roll with all her might two things became instantly clear. First, she was going to miss me by a country mile and second, it was a hell of a throw The roll of paper followed ahrgh arcing trajectory and then the impossible happened. It dropped tight into my open doctor's brg

ffty

-

swish! MichaelJordan would miss that shot

percent of the time and here Ceil Ballantine makes it on her f,rst

tty with the game on the line. Ali I had to do was stand there while the audience howled and cheered. The restoration of the paPer was an anticlimax at best but, for the next two weeks, Bill Hitchcock nailed his switch and helped me fool L.A'.s magrcalglittetati. l0t

lrlur Avrnrv

Wonomt

I had a passable routine but still not a method that would work in the teal world. I decided to staft from scratch so it was By closing night

back to the drawing board. The mission u/as to secufe a folded packet of paper and dispos e of a pile of pieces. Because the goal was so simple,

I knew that the ultimate method would be equally

as simple'

I

started with the restored packet hanging from a clip inside my coat just to the left of the front button. As my left arm reached toward the spectatof to retrieve the pieces, it covered my right thumb and forefinger as they entered my coat and gripped the packet. My left hand then

cartied the pieces back toward my body to a position thzt allowed the festored packet to slide unseen out of my coat and be added onto the back of the stack of pieces. The two packets (as one) u/ere then revolved 180 degrees, repositioning the restored packet to the ftont. Using this front (restored) packet as a shield, the pieces behind were folded into quarters. As the switched-in packet was allowed to unfold revealing the apparent restoration, the folded pieces were concealed

behind the top of the strip. I published this method in my lectute notes (IDEA$ 1982) but had very little faith in it. At the climax, the restored strip of paper was "drtty" and one of the petformer's hands was "dirty'" It seemed like a $/ofthy effect but the bare bones of the method were fat from elegant.

The next version featured art "in yoar face" method that was great fun to perform. The restoted packet hung from the same clip inside my coat, about two inches to the left of the ftont button. In this version, I retrieved the pile of pieces from the spectator with my right hand. By pinching the top edge of the stack between the right thumb

of the fotefnger, the pieces were able to hang down the back of my right hand. In other words, the pieces concealed my right fingers from the audience. In this position it was possible to slide my dght forefinger in front of the left side of my coat, my middle finger went betweefl my coat and the restored packet in the clip, and

tip and the

10t

base

lrlnuc Paprp

my ring and little fingers went between the restored packet and my body. My index finget remained outside of my coat and the torn pieces

effectively hid the other fingers as they slid into my coat. The testored packet was clipped between my right middle and ring flngers. As my

right hand moved to the right, the restoted packet was pulled from the clip and catried out of my coat but now hidden behind the torn pieces. What reads like a complicated action ofl the page was acttally a smooth and simple maneuver. The totn pieces moved a few inches to the left and then back again to the right and it happened during a powerful moment of misdirection. The move was executed just as the spectator threw the roll of paper back to me. Most of the time, the roll would sail right past me. I would pick up the toll off the floor with my Ieft hand, and then came my favorite part of the toutine. At this point of the routine I was f,nished with the toll of paper, and I needed a place to ditch the torn pieces. It fnally occurted to me that at the core of every toilet paper roll thete is basically a dye tube. So why not use it? I held the roll in my left hand by the end closest to the audience. My tight hand (still holding the torn pieces and the restored packet) momentarily came in contact with the opposite end of the roll. During this moment, the stack of torn pieces was placed di-

rectly over this cardboard dye tube and pushed completely inside with my right thumb. As my hands separated, the left hand held the roll (now with the torn pieces concealed inside) and the right hand held

only the restored packet that the audience assumed to be the pieces. I then threw the roll of papet like a football into the wings. My theory was that the construction of a roll of toilet paperwas so univetsally

famlliar that no one would suspect that the hole thtough the middle was actually my gimmick. And I believed in this theory right up until a fzteful day in 1986. Cunard's Queen Mary ocean liner sailed out of Southampton, EngIand for the first time in May of 1936.In 1971 she opened as a tour-

ist attraction in Long Beach, Califotnia and 1986 marked het f,ftieth anniversary. As part of this celebration, I was hired to petfotm three shows a day rn the Queen's Lounge from Febtuary tillJune. It wasn't every day but it was steady, in-town gig and gteatplace to work

^ ^-very on the toilet paper trick. It was duting this engagement that

I

added

line to the routine. Holding up the roll of paper I would ask, "You know whete I got this dont you? The poop deck, where else?"

a ne'w

101

Mn Avnrv

Wononr

The kids loved it. One afternoon I was on stage in the Queen's Lounge nearing the end of the paper trick. A small child, standing right at the foot of the stage, was watching my every move.

I picked up the

tol1 of paper,

poked the pieces inside and tossed the roll into the wing. The kid's tt as it disappeared into the eyes followed the roll and he pointed ^t wing. He then turned and said something to his Pareflts. I have no idea what he said but what I imagined he said has tormented me evet

I was convinced that from his vantage point (looking almost straight up at me) he saw the pieces disappeat into the roll and zll of a sudden I fett like everyone in the theater had watched those pieces sail into the wing but'were too polite to point. Never assume that a trick is finished. It can always be improved. Pethaps it wasn't necessafy to get the torn pieces all the way off stage during the performarlce. Just out of sight would suffice. Once rn,I started from scratch and the next method, my fifth, is the one ^g that that is still in use today. since.

The toutine would now begin with one square of toilet Paper rueatly folded and tucked into the breast pocket of my coat. It is amazing how the appearance of this paper Passes as a formal handkerchief. The banker's clip was teplaced by two large bobby pins. To increase the gripping power of these pins, and thereby eliminating the possibiltty that the paper might accidentally drop out of my coat, one arm of each pin \ilas wrapped with black gaffet's tape. The cloth back on this tape provides a 100%o sure grip. The position of the restored packet

was changed from the ftont of the coat to the bottom left side. Put on your coat and stand with both arms relaxed at yout side. As you cud yout left fingers, all four fingets should end up under yout coat with the backs of your fingers against your paflts and the pads of

your f,nger tips touching the lining of your coat. The two bobby pins should be safety-pinned to your coat lining so that when the restored packet is clipped in position, your cuded fingets coritact the lowermost edge of the packet about one inch up from the bottom of your coat. Fig.

104

1.

l/i,erc|lr,prB

Fig.

1

In

tbis position tbe bobbl

pins can bold

the prepared

paper

strip about an inch aboue tbe bottorn edge of the coat.

It's import^ntthatyou use single-ply bathroom tissue for this routine. Not double-ply, not patterned or embossed, just plain single ply, white toilet paper. (For its intended use, I would def,nitely recommend double-ply) Tear a strip of toilet paper off the roll about four feet long. The perforations divide this piece into apptoximately twelve squares of paper. This numbet should dictate how many

individual squares you wiII hand out to the audience but I have nevef worried about this equation. No one knows how many squares you have handed out and no one knows what is going to happen. Therefote, I usually just hand pieces to everyofle in the ftont row or when working a banquet, to the two front tables. The strip destined for restotation is prepared thusly. Loosely accordion fold the entire strip, making each successive fold at a petforation but don't crease the folds iust yet. trrg.2.

Fig. 2 Tbe strip of p@er is accordion folded asing gaidelinu.

the

perforations as

The finished stack will have twelve layers. With the stack sitting on a hztd, flat surface, raise ten of the layers up about an inch and turn them about forty-fve degrees. Drop two of the layers you are holding and then revolve the remaining stack another forty-five degrees. Drop two more layers and revolve, two mofe and revolve, two 105

Mn Avnw

Wotpnt

mote and revolve and fi,nally revolve the last two pieces z frnal forty-f,ve degrees. The stack now looks like exactly what it is, a strip of paper that has been accotdion-folded but not very neatly.

Fig.3. Press the stack flat against the table and

smooth it out putting a sharp crease in each fold.

to be a pile of individThe strip will now ^ppex ua1 pieces that have been haphazatdly stacked up. Now that you understand that our goal here is to cre te the appeatance of a hastily-stacked pile of paper squares, you will rcahze that the number of squares you dtop each time and the angle that

Ftg. 3 Tbe condition of

tbe

paper

$rip

before

it

is pressed

flat.

the temaining squares are revolved is completely

arbitrary.Itis the sloppy appe r^nce of the stack that will allow it to replace the collected pieces without raising suspicion. The fnal step is to tear one more squate off the roll, put a small black dot in its cotnet with a marking pen (allowing you to easily differentiate this square ftom the rest of the sttip) and lay it on top of yout folded sttip. Fig. 4. Fold about ofle-quartet of the packet over

Fig. 4 The tiry black dot i: uisible on the top tened oat strip.

onto itself with the marked square being the inner-most piece. This fold is not pressed flat but temains iust a loose fold. This restored packet is then installed into the two bobby pins

in your coat. The straight (folded) edge should be at the bottom and positioned about one inch up ftom the bottom of the coat. Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 The castoruiqed bob\t pins secare! bold theJolded parketlast aboue the bottorn edge

106

of

the coat.

seperate piece

of

the

flat-

Maoic Paprp

Put on the coat and stand with yout arms hanging natutally at your side. Now cud your left middle, ring, and little fngers inward so they are behind the edge ofyour co^t.If you can feel the

Fig. 6 Withyar arru lte lotrching the-[alded

and

stip

f ngen tota//1 relaxedl,oarfngsr"tips

sboald

oJ papen

bottom (folded) edge of the restored packet, it is in the correct position. If you cannot feel the packet, adjust the safety pins as flecessary. I know you can move your arm and find the packet but that defeats the purpose. I(eep adjusting the pins. You will know the packet is in the perfect position when the fingets of yout telaxed arm can curl inward and grip the bottom edge of the packet without further movement. Fig. 6. The proper grip consists of your left middle finger going between the packet and your pants and your left ring and

little fingers going be-

tween your coat lining and the packet. Pressing

your middle finget against the ring flnger will provide a sure grip on the packet. Fig.7.

If you u/ere to hold on tight

and then suddenly

straighten your fingets, the paper packet would be pulied free from the bobby pins and out

of

your coat. This is precisely the action that you Ftg. 7 Exposed uiew

of

the bottaru edge

of

3ripped between the ruiddle and ringfngers.

the

paperpacket being

two things will prevent the audience from seeing it. Another change in method number fve involved the collection of the paper squares. Starting in the middle of the row have half of the squares passed down to the person at the left end of the row and the other half passed down to the person at the right end. A side benef,t

will

use during the routine but

of this ptocedure was that it cut in half the time spent passing paper squares. Ask the person at the fat right to bring his stack to the edge of the stage. After taking his stack start walking across the stage and request the spectator at the far left to the stage with their ^pptoach stack. As you walk, hold the edge of the first stack of pieces in your left hand between the tip of your thumb and the side of the forefinger. 101

Nn fivnw

Wonomt

Fig. 8 Tbe fr:t statk oJ torn pieces prouides an ffictiue shieldfor the steal tbat is aboat to take place.

This grip allows the bulk of the packet to hang down the back of your left fingers. When you atrive in front of the second spectator your left arm relaxes and drops to your side. In this positiofl the paper squares effectively hide the left fingets which allows them to curl unseen under the edge ofyout coat and grip the bottom edge ofthe restoted packet. Fig. 8. There is no one chasing you at this point, so iust telax. Your hand side holding some pieces of papet in full view. Yout is hanging

^tyoutt hidden fingers are gripping the restored packet and waiting for "the moment." Extend your tight hand toward the spectator as he reaches up with the paper squares held in his hand. As yout hands meet and you take the second stack of pieces, the steal is made.

I call this the

Da Yinci Moment in memory of my visit to the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Upon entering the Chapel it was immediately apparentthat every single person was looking sttaight up and

not iust at the ceiling in general but directly at the point whete the hands of God and Adam ate nearly touching. They wete all thinking, "what

powerful image" while I was thinking, "what powerful misdirection." The mosaic tile floor was magnificent and no ofle noticed it. The image of those two hands almost touching is iust too darn irtesistible. I'm not suggesting that my a

taking back a handful of toilet P^Per is on a par with Da Vinci's masterpiece, but I am saying that our two hands, sttaining to meet, provide strong dose of misdirection. Fig. 9. )00

a

Ftg. 9 A: tbe ucond packet of pieces b taken back, the left fnger: straighten, tbtu palling the rutored strip behind the frst packet of piuu.

lrlr,or'llr,prB

Fig. 10 Tbis audience uiew shows haw the tarn pieces shield tbe restored Ftg. l1 Thi: expovd uiew sbows tbe restored stip opening up behind tbe packet of Piecer. The black dot is uisible on the top piece. nrip wbicb anfo/d: behind then.

It is during this Da Vinci moment that your left fingers straighten pulling the restored packet free from your coat. Without hesitation your left hand (now holding a restored packet and a pile of pieces) joins your right hand in ftont of you and the two packets of pieces are merged into one. Fig. 10. This combined packet is used as a shield while the restored packet is opening up, which should happen automatically since it wasn't creased flat prior to loading. You'll know that it opened at the ProPer place when you see the black dot on the top piece. Fig.

11.

The combined packet of pieces is then moved behind the restored packet. In this position the restored packet is shielding the audience's view of the stack of pieces. Behind this shield the pieces are folded first into halves (Fig. 12) and then into quarters (Fig. 13).

F$. iltat

/

2

Mning

tbe restored packet to

tbe pieces are beingfolded.

tbe

front allows it to shield

the

faa

Fig. 1 3 This gnp allows both hands to hold the restored stip while at the vme tirueJbld the pieces into a snall packel.

i0q

lrlwp

Awaw

Ulanarps

The folded packet of pieces is held in the right hand much like you would conceal a sponge ball,

while the restored packet is gripped between the right thumb and forefinget. Fig.1,4. While all of this is happening you are moving back towatd center stage. During this sequence, your attention is not on the paper in your hands but instead, you afe scanning the front row and asking, "Did I get all those pieces back?"

\Xlth a nod to Tommy Wonder, it should be noted that traditional misdirection has not been used to conceal the steal of the restored packet.

I

this is the stack of pieces whi/e it is acta-

Fig. 14 T/te andience

belieues

all

Tl)ef0/ded pieces are concealed in this hand.

the restared

rtiP.

not added a move or sentence to the routine with the sole purpose of trying to divert everyone's attention away from a specifc spot. Instead, I examined the logical flow of the action and found a moment where the audience's attention had natuto another. In this case, it was lowering my rally shifted ftom ofle ^rez left hand to my side and extending my right hand towatd the spectator's hand. I then utilized this moment to accomplish the ditty wotk. Tommy's theory involves determining where people are going to be looking duting each moment of a routine. If you can use one of these moments of nat:utal direction to mask a secret move, then you don't har.e

need additional misditection.

Tomml lYonder and Tint Conouer. Two

of

tbe greatest

of nry generation and tuto uondefulfiends ruagiciarc

wbo left usfar too ear/1. Pboto: Frank Farkey

1r0

Maerc DaprB

Once you are convinced that you have retrieved all of the pieces,

youf attention teturns to the PaPer in your hands. The restored packet is laid onto your outstretched left hand with the loose piece (with the black dot in the corner) on top. Suddenly you temember, Oh, this one was mine. Remember? It came with the suit.Dulngthis line, you pinch the single piece between your tight

thumb and forefinget. The other right fingets ate still closed, concealing the folded pieces. Fig. 15. The single piece is carried away from your left hand and waved in the air showing clearly that it is a single piece. On the wotds, It came with tbe suityour right hand moves toward the Fig. 15 The top

loose

shut is lifted off the stack and waued in the air.

ofyour coat and, during this short journey, the folded pieces in the right hand are

breast pocket

repositioned behind the visible paper square. The

moment your tight hand arrives at the pocket, your right thumb (still hidden behind the single piece) pushes the packet of pieces down into the

pocket. Fig.

16.

The right fingers immediately tuck the single piece into the top of the pocket, carefully arraruging it to

^ppe

r like a pocket handkerchief. The

claim that"It came with the suit" is one of those lines that perfectly sums up my chatacter' Not Fig. I 6 (Jntler couer of the waue, tbe Joltletl pieces are rEositionetl behintl only did I putchase a suit that came with a piece rbe :ingle sheet which then acts as a shiehl as the tbumb qaickfi pashes ilte packet into tbe breastpocket' of toilet paper in place of a pocket handkerchief but I am happy to admit it. Do I look OK? You're notjust sEing that arelou? These few silly lines always get a laugh and more importantly, they solve the problem that I had spent years wrestiing with: what to do with the pieces. Just put them into your pocket under the guise of something else. No stooges, no otchestra leaders, no rolls of paper being hutled into the wings; just put them in the pocket while telling a funny white lie. Of course during this laugh,

their guard is lowered and the deed is done. Today the solution seems 1t

Mwr Awnw Wommt

so obvious but what a long and winding road

I ttaveled to get to this

point. And who knows if even now the journey has ended?

To finish the effect, the restored packet is laying ori your outstretched left hand. Always keep your left thumb on top of the packet

to prevent abreeze from prematurely revealing that the strip is re-

it sometimes gets on stage. Because all of the dirty work is ovet and you will finish completely

stored. You would be surprised how windy

clean, you can make a telatively big deal out of the moment of magic.

Hold your left hand up at shoulder level. Your extended right arm moves in a counter-clockwise afc through the air until your hands meet and your right fngers can grip the top square ofthe restored strip. In an equally wide motion the right hand retraces the arc and pulis the strip back through the air to your dght. Fig. 17. Your empty left hand temains extended to the left while the restoted strip is hanging down on the right. Hoid that pose, it's the perfect position to generate applause. To furthet enhance the magical moment, cue here: drum

toll

-

glissando

I

have a music

-

chotd.

During the course of this routine, at no time do I use the words "toilet papet" or "toilet tissue." If someone in the audience thinks that waving toilet paper around in public is tacky, well guess what - so do I. That's why right from the very beginning I claim that it is very rare, perfectly symmetrical, mysterious

magic p^peL "... quite unlike afly p^per you have evet seen befote." This concept of my

insisting upon one thing while the audience collectively believes something entirely different effectively reinforces the notion that an idiot.

117

I am Fig. 1 7 In a grand gesture

the pierus are restored

into one long strip.

MaacPmrB

first

of the TP into a sight gag and I felt it was important that everyofle get this gag at the same moment. To accomplish this it was necessary to carry tl;re toll of pape r trt a cotttainer. I found a small cloth bag with a handle at

It

is my erroneous claim that turns the

aPPea:.^nce

the top and a zipper around three sides that wotked perfectly. At the time I had my houndstooth coat made, I had this bag covered with the same matelal; also a blindfold made for my Bow & Arrow routine and a bag to hold my juggling arms. Normally I want the obiects that I perform magic with to look otdinary thereby eliminating (ot at least

diminishing) any suspicion but these objects I consider to be peripheral players. Since they do not parttcipate in the actual magic I felt it was OK if they looked a bit special and repeating the houndstooth theme thtoughout my act gives the whole performance a cohesive look and feel. 'When I pull the roll of paper out of the bag, it is importantthat everyone in the audience instantly tecognizes it. The people sitting in front have no trouble identifying

it but I want the peo-

ple sitting in back to get the joke

well. From their vantape point, a toll of PaPer just looks like a white thing. Fig. 18.

Fig. 18 From a

distance

The solution could not have been simpler. Instead of just placing the roll of paper into the carrying bag, I unwind about ten or twelve inches of paper. This trailing end is lowered into the bag followed by the test of the roll. Now when I pull the roll of paper out of the bag it is this trailing end that instantly identifles the object to everyone in

it i: dfficah to te// wbat tltis

is.

the theater. The laugh is immediate and universal. Fig.

Fig. 9 1

The trailing

as

tail

identifu exact! wbat thit is to nost people in tbe ciuiliT,ed world.

Municb, Cermary, 2007. Photo: Thonas Fraps.

19.

Mtt Avnw

Wotomt

Not to suggest that this is a perfect method but it is the method that I have now used for nearly thirty years. After performing the toutine as written for a period of time, it occutred to me that pethaps an additional effect could be perfotmed with the restored strip of "magrc paper." I have always felt that it is beneficial to populate one's act with a -vartety of effects such as a production, a vanish, a transposition, restoration, penetratiofl, etc. One effect that was notably absent from my actwas levitation ot animation so this is the direction I embatked upon with my restored strip of magic Paper.

My goal has never been to staft from scratch and cteate a btand new effect and method. There is really no reason to, considering all of the proven effects already in existence that are just waiting to be disguised and reused. Starting

with

a

provefl

effect makes the job of pseudocreation so much easier.

The Dancing Handkerchief is a classic effect. It is highly

visible, extremely mystifying and very efltertaining. My goal u/as to incotporate all of those attributes into my antm^ted sttip

of

papel The final effect I settled on was this: I would tie a knot in one end of the testored paper strip and then coil the sttip onto the top on my stoo1. By playing snake-charming music on a small

flute the head (knotted end) of the "snake" would rise up perhaps three feet

114

in the arr and sway

1988 publiciry pboto taken b1 Robin Yoang.

MmrPmm

back and forth. Aftet a few seconds of me ttying to fght off the snake

I would pull out a pistol and shoot it, causing the snake to drop dead. I would then pick up the now-lifeless snake and hand it to a membet of the audience. The handing out of the paper snake would also prove (without saying so) that the paper was in no v/ay gimmicked.

I

also decided to use the basic principle behind the Dancing Hand-

kerchief but with a numbet of important diffetences. The ttaditional Dancing Hank methodology requires you to Pre-set the thread across the stage and to have two assistants concealed in the wings. These were limitations that I wanted to avoid at all costs. I have always been

c

rry my stool out onto a dance floor, into a banquet foom or thtough a group of guests seated in someone's living foom and proceed with my entire show. In cteating the Animated Paper effect I was able to

determined to retain this level of self-containment. To attarn my goal of setting the thread and striking the thread during the performance right in front of the audience, I would need to find an anchot point that was aheady on stage. After examining my super-simple stage set there was really only one oPtion; the microphone stand. It rs amazing how the ubiquitous mic stand is virtually

invisible due to its univetsal famlharity, making it the petfect anchor. On occasions when I don't use a microphone, I iustify the presence

of the stand by hanging the quiver from my Bow and Arrow routine on

1t.

The Animated Paper Strip would be my first setious venture into the realm of thread work and, needless to say, there are multitudinous problems inhetent to threads including lighting, background, thtead containment, thtead hook-up, thread dispersal etc., etc. And I haven't even mentioned the ovetriding problem of the thread breaking.

I

shall

with this fnal and most cataclysmic problem f,rst. Select yout thread. Pull it till it breaks. Never pull it that hard again. This rule sounds silly but it is actually the cold hard truth behind keeping your thread in one piece. The key is to design a routine that doesnt require you to pull the thread hard enough to break it. One thing in my favor is the fact that four feet of bathroom tissue is extremely lightweight; less than an ounce. Thetefore I was able to use very thin thread. After experimenting with many different types deal

115

lrln (tunw

|

Wonont

f,nally settled on Floating Rose thread. My old friend and fellow

Long Beach Mystic, I{evin James, was kind enough to send me a large spool, easily a lifetime supply. The catch was that this thtead is composed of about 24 strands and it needed to be stripped down to

individual strands. The job was made even more difficult by the fact that I requited pieces that wete roughly ten feet long. Needless to say, during the many yeats I have performed this effect, I have become an exPeft thread stripper.

The secret is to pull twenty-three strands away from one strand instead of trying to pull one strand out of twenty-three. Begin by cut-

of thread that measures ten feet long. Massage one end between your fingers until the twenty-fout strands have separated. Pull one strand four or five inches away from the rest. Lay a piece of tape over this extended end and stick tt to window. Did I mention ^ that this is best done during day'ight hours? The sun will effectively ting off

a piece

flood your work atea with natural light. I also lay some large pieces of white cardboatd on the foot under the thtead. The single strand will be easier to see against this white background.

Now slide the twenty-three ends of thread down the single strand for about a foot. Reposition your gtip two or three feet down the thread and begin pulling down a few inches a time as your hand ^t works its way back up to the twenty-three ends. Little by little you work this one foot of slack down the entire length of thtead untii the opposite end of that single strand is pulled a foot up into the mother thread. Return to the taped end, pull the twenty-three ends aflother foot or two down the single strand and continue working this slack down the entire length until the single end is pulled futther up into the mothet thread. By repeating this process ovet and over, the single strand will eventually be pulled free ftom the multi-strand piece. Allow this loose end to float toward the foot so the singie strand is free to untwist itself. Unwanted twists can lead to lethal tangles. As the single strand is untwisting, hang the mother thread over the top of

a

door to keep it from tangling. My method for storing and transporting ten-foot lengths of thread 116

MaercDaprp

A

Fig.

19

foar

1)-footpiecet

card loaded with

of

thread.

punch, cut four semi-cit^PaPer culat holes in each end of a playing card. Court cards are not recom-

is the epitome of low tech. Using

mended since the thread is nearly impossible to see against the ink'

A tiny piece of electtician's black tape holds one end of the strand to the card directly in line between two of the cut-outs. Then the thread is carefully wound around the catd so that it is contained within two semi-circular holes. The f,nal end of the strand is attached to the card slightly off to one side using another piece of black tape. I usually strip out about twenty strands during a session (f,ve playing cards wotth). By then the mother thread (which now has only four strands remaining) tangles easily and my eyes have genetally had it.

I

normally carry two or three loaded playrng cards with me, folded into a plastic bag. Using this technique, bteaking or tangling thtead has nevef been an issue.

The main problem with wotking with thread on stage is not so much the performance of the ttick but rather the management of the thread before and after the effect. For close-up work modern gim-

Yigal Mesika's Spider Pen ate perfect thread m nagement systems. The animated Paper effect required me to cofltain ten feet of thread, then during the performance set the thtead between micks, such

as

two anchor points znd frnally release one of the ends. As usual, the final solution required a great deal of up-front wotk but in performance this low-tech method had a very high success rate. 1t

f-tg. 20 Tlte .wnllgroarc on ilteJar /eft ettd oJ' tlteffie i.r /arge eratglt

1o lto/d lenJeut oJ' tltread.

I purchased a black plastic Flute-A-Fone that u/as turned into a thread storage device and dispenser. I spent a day at Johnson Products machining a piece of black Delrin plastic into the horn end of a Flute-A-Fone with the addition of a groove in the outer-most end. It is within this At

a music store

groove that the entire ten-foot length of thread is contained. trig.20.

On the bottom of the flute I attached a very small alligator clip using ttny bolt. Because I ^ wanted to hold one end of the thread in this clip I found it necessary to glue tiny pieces of rubber tubing onto the clip ends. This way the thread would be clamped between two rubber surfaces and be held securely. Fig.

21,.

Next I drilled a tiny hole through the horn end where the sound comes out in a direct line

Pig.

2l

The b/ack rul.tlxr hrbing mn lte seen on

eacltjan'of tlte tirg

al/igator c/ip'

with the clip. During the performance rt ls rare that I can see the thread, therefore it is impottant to know where it is at all times. B), inserting one end of the thtead through this hole and then securing it in the clip, I can easily keep track of this end. To prepate the flute, I use a sott ofneedle threader that was made from .015" wire (the same wire that I use for Impromptu Linking Coat hanger gimmicks). The black tape on one end simply makes the gimmick easier to f,nd. Fig.22. The opposite end is inserted through the hole in the flute and allowed to expand open. One end of the thread is inserted through the gimmick which is then pulled back

through the hole carcying the thread with it. Fig.23. iiil

FtS. 22 Thin a,irc hent into tlti.r

sbctpe

func-

tions as a need/e (or in

tlti:

case

fute)

tbruader.

MaercPapn

Fig. 23 For

pbotot phite tbread i: being andfor uisibili4t sake. pulling tbe tbread tbronglt tbe hole in the fute.

these

The gimmick is

Fig. 24 Tbe tbread end is rccure! gripped benteen

tbe jaws

of

tbe alliga-

tor clip.

The clip holds this end of the thread secutely

while the test of the thread extends out through the horn. Fig.24. By pinching one point of the thread against the outside of the horn the efltire thread can be carefully wound around the gtoove in the end of the horn. It takes tv/enty revolutions to contain the entite ten-foot length. Fig.25.

Fig. 25 Tbe entire length of tbread

bornl

end.

The final end of the thread is wrapped around a piece of black electrician's tape with the end of the tape being folded over on itself to ensure h wound aroand the grooue in tbe that the thread can't pull ftee. The sticky end of the tape can be adhered to the horn and stored zway in this perfotmance-ready condition. Normally I prefer to load arriving at the show location and then the thread onto the flute ^fter installing the flute ditectly onto the stool. I leatned the concept of a tratling thread duting my first visit to Ken Btooke's Magic Place in London in1976 when I metJim Hooper and purchased his bdlliant cteation, The Nemo Rising Cards. If you can't perform Dr. Hooker's Rising Catds (and you can't) I would suggest the Nemo as being the next best thing. The method involves a while the opposite end hangs free. In my Magic Paper routine, I needed the thread to be anchoted at both ends during the actual animation and then one anchot would be released, producing a trarling end that would ultimately faclhtate the clean-up phase. That is the reason for the clip on the flute. At the thread that is anchored

^t

one end

59

proper moment (the gunshot) the clip can be pressed open allowing the thread to pull free

from the flute which, in turn, causes the snake to "die." Fig.26. The snake can now be picked up and carried toward the audience (away from the microphone stand) and the trailing end of thread will be pulled right through the knot in the paper. This leaves an ungimmicked piece of magic paPer that

can be handed to a spectator.

Carrl,ing the prepared flute on m1r bodi, was not an optlon, so that left the stool as a potential home

base.

26 L-pol fiitt,t tlte l;lttilk sril lfu t/if i.rpre.r.red ofien, ilttrtl4' tt/t't'tltlqtlte iltruil ttti tr//ott'ittg ilte tttttintatctl rnuke lo die'

Jti,g.

prevent the flute from being a dis

posltloned out of sight behind the stool until needed. A single loop of three-quarter inch black elastic held it f,rml,v in place with the flute polntlng tou'ard the mic stand. For reasons that will be explained later, there are eight holes dtilled

tfactlofi,

1t $,as

through the back of m1, stool. A strip of elastic was threaded through two of these holes and To set the flute for a perfor mance I peel the electrician's tape off of the flute and allorv about eight inches of thread to unseu,ed

into

a loop.

wind. The flute is then slid into the elastic loop, which holds it securely against the back of the stool. The thread is pulled tight along the top

right edge of the stool and then the tape is attached to this edge. The black tape is not noticeable against the black naugahide stool and the

folded end of tape that does not stick to the stool provides a convenient tab to grab onto when the

)tig.27..1 ktolrll th.rlirl.to/d.rtl.teflrrt'e.rcurre/1'ttgrit.rttfuhockaf'tlte rtool.'l'l.te end of lhr iltreutl i.r tltucl.tcd to tlte.frottt rQltt edge of tlte.rlrtr',/ rrrirtg il.tt luft.

time comes to remove the tape. Fig.27. The top of my stool is thirtl'two inches off the floor, which puts it just about even with m)' fingertips. If I'm standing on the right side

of the stool it is a simple matter to catch hold of the tape end with my left thumb and index finger and puil it free from the stool. Now by walking ovef to the mic stand (which is positioned five or six feet to the right), the thread feeds smoothly off the flute. As my left hand grabs the top of the mic stand, the tape is stuck securelv in place.

MaarPaprp

Virtually all mictophone holders at the top of mic stands are made from black plastic so again, the tape is virtually invisible. On a technical level this procedure worked perfectly but I still needed a reason to walk over and grab the mic stand. I found the ariswer while watching my friend Martin Lewis' act. It was the first time I had seen the gag where the performet asks a spectator to throw an object back to him and just as they throw it the performer starts counting, One... two... three. The object fies past the performer between one and tv/o. It always gets a big laugh. Later I told Martin that I didn't jtst want to use th^t g g,I needed it. Martin didn't claim it as his original gag and said that others wete doing it, so he had no ciaim or ptoblem with it. The addition of this gag allowed me to hook up my thread without raising the slightest suspicion. When the spectators start passing their paper squares down to each end of the front row I ask, lYbo has m1 roll of nagic paper? Someone over at the right side holds the toll of paper up in the a:r..I say,Just like afootball,I wantlou to rear back and throw it back to me. Giue it a good heaue. This senteflce can be shottened or lengthened so that it ends iust as the roll is leaving the spectator's hand. At the instant that it is too late for him or her to stop, I add, On three, one. .. two and the roll of paper flies past me. Sometimes I see that the incoming missile is headed dght for me. On these special occasions I don't move a muscle. I have been hit square in the head, right in the crotch, right against my chest (and microphone). The enotmous audience reaction far outweighs the slight

discomfort. Just prior to this line I peel the tape off of the stool. After the roll of paper sails past me (or into me) I move to the right and crouch

behind the mic stand as if I'm ttying to protect myself. Holdlourfire! The audience believes that something has gone horribly wrong and we are completely

off script at this point. Protecting myself with whatever

is handy makes perfect sense thus the delivery of the tape to the mic stand flies past everyone. Setting the thread at this opportufle moment provides a huge advantage.I have not yet performed the restora-

tion of the paper squares and yet I am aheady set up for the next trick, The Animated Paper. The spectator believes that by throwing the toll of paper eatly they have made a horrible mistake. In an effort to shift the blame to myself I add, Thankyaforlour enthasiasm. I was blinded fu the lights. 57

Mn Aunw l/otpnt

\TARNING: If you are wearing a hard-wired, hand-held microphone around your neck, you need to be aware of exactly where the cord is on the floot before this sequence takes place or you might find

yourself trapped. You can't walk forward between the stool and mic stand nor can you toss the microphone cotd over the top of the mic stand without breaking the thread.

Lifting the mic stand over the cord

would look odd at best and ducking undet the thread would be catastophic. Just be awzte that your next move is going to be downstage to tetrieve the packets of magic papet squares. The restoration of the paper sttip takes place downstage left of the stool. After accepting the applause fot this effect you move to the stool and pull the flute out of its holder with your right hand. The flute (which still has some of the thtead coiled around the horn) is placed under your left atm. Usually 1'ou will be unable to see the thread against the floor but you can be confident that it traces a

straight line between the horn and the mic stand. Down near belt level take the end of the paper sttip in your right hand and pull about a foot of paper through your left hand. Fig. 28.

Then both hands rise up and begin to tie an overhand knot. The raising up of the outsttetched paper guararitees that the thread will be trapped within the knot. After the knot is tied, hold the very top

of

the strip up at about eye level in your right hand. This is usually the first time that you will actually see the thread so use this opportunity to make sure that it does indeed pass through the knot. trig.29.

Fig. 28 Sincelou are unable to

see

the thread at tbis point, a wide

secion of paper is stretcbed betueenlour bandt and lfted up whereloa

know the thread mast

177

be

and the knot is tied.

Fig. 29

After

the knot is tied tbe paper strip

it

lrfted up bigher which

will asualf1 allowloa to see the tbread and make certain that it trapped inside tbe knot.

it

MaercDaprp

Your left hand then gathers the paper strip up

into a smaller bundle that is held in your right hand. As the right hand lowers the gathered paper strip toward the stool, your left hand lowers down very g21sfr11y until you can feel the thtead. This will most likely have to be done by feel rzdner than sight. Fig. 30.

As the right hand holds the coiled snake in place on top of the stool, the left hand continues Fig. 30 After tbe p@er is gatbered intoyar ight band the left hand s/ow/1 lowers until it canfeel the thread and tben conrtnaes ta lower fartber until a// of tbe slack has been pulled out of the tbread.

its gentle downwatd path until all of the slack between the paper knot and the mic stand has been pulled tight.

I

perfotm a dancing feather boa. As this large, feathery object was dtaped around the performer's neck it came to life and looked great. One end rose up in the au and the boa iumped around like a traditional Dancing Handketchief. Then the bottom end of the boa came off the performer's hand and it was hanging in mid air.It instantly looked like something hanging ovet clothesline, which is basically what it was. Er.en ^ though we couldnt see the thread it was obvious that thete u/as one and your mind told you exactly where it was. The illusion was shattered in an instant. I remembered this lesson when I was working on Years ago

saw a magtcian

the animated paper strip. As it turned out, I was not the

frst to considet this a problem. In

first magic book was published in Spanish (Engafros a Ojos Vistas by Pablo Minguet). It contained a trick called Making it Look Like an Egg is Dancing in Your Hand and the method involved a hair taken from the tail of a horse. The description included this Iine, "Note that you must not keep the egg hanging, because it will be known that [it] was tied." The author is reminding the reader th^t as long as the egg remained in contact with the petformer's hand, its mystetious and funny. But if the egg raised gyrations would ^pper up off the hand, the spectators would immediately realtze that it was 1733 the

being suspended from above. This was the same lesson I learned 250 years later from the floating boa.

A sure-fre method was developed to

keep the bottom end of the

p^per snake attached to the stool top while it danced and then allowed me to carry the snake away from the stool at the fnish. A tiny hole 5t1

Mwr {t,trrtlrly li/rrnrpl

was drilled through the left side of the stool (looking at the stool from

the front) just below the welding edge and about three inches from the back. A piece of thin round black elastic was threaded through this hole and pulled out through the side doot on the opposite side of the stool. (See The Silverware & Chicken Routine for details on the construction of the stool). The two ends were tied together with the knot positioned inside the stool. The result was an elastic loop that had a bit of tension in it that could be positioned in either of two ways. First it could lie just below the welding along the back and part

left side of the stool. In this position it was out of the way and out of sight. By pulling the middle of the loop onto the toP of the stool it will run from the right rear corfler diagonally across the stool top to the hole in the left side. It is pte-set in this second position for the Magic Paper routine. Obviously the elastic could be attached to, or tied around, any tabletop you choose but this is how I adopted the

u/ay up the

solution to my existing props. Fig. 31. The coiled strip of paper is set onto the stool top and the bottom (unknotted) end is tucked under the piece of elastic. Fig. 32.

Fig. 31 the

T-be elastic acrass the stool top is trgbt enough

paper strip in place but

/oose enough

that

of pulhdfru.

to hold tbe end

tbe pdPer ca/t be

Fig. 32 After a/l of tbe slatk is taken ont of tbe tbread

As the paper snake rises up and leans back and forth, the tail end is held fast against the stool top, thereby eliminating the clothesline effect. After

I

shoot and kill the papet snake I

lift the snake straight

up by its head until the tail end is pulled free from the elastic loop. Then I move away from the mic stand (pulling the Paper knot off of the thread) and toward the audience where I ultimately virap the snake around a spectatof's neck. 1/4

blyar

left

band the anknotted end of tbe snake is tacked ander the elastic band.

Mnorc DaprB

Of course the maximum elevation of the paper snake is limited by the height of my two anchor points and it is animated by pulling and releasing the thread. If I raised the flute up to make the snake rise and loweted the flute to make him descend, the audience would intuitively know that there was a connection between the flute and the snake, even if they couldn't see a thtead. The solution to establishing the highest possible second anchor point while at the same time disguis-

ing the motive power behind the annimation was one of the most satisfying discoveries I made while working on this routine. Once the paper snake is coiled on top of the stool (and the tail end is tucked under the elastic)

I

play the classic snake-charming tune on

the flute (Thete's a place in Ftance where the naked ladies dance).

The snake doesn't move so I stop playing, poke the snake and still it doesn't move. Undaunted I return to the flute but now the audience heats recotded music which is a great saxophone lick that I pretend to be playing. As I continue to "play" (facing away from the snake) I slowly move further away from the stool and the snake starts to rise. Fig.33.

Fig. )3

A: I slowbt moue awalfron the stool the slack is taken up and the snake

begtrs to ise.

175

Mn Aunw Wawmr

Fig. )4 Daingthe natural action of scrutchingml bead in disbelief tlte thread is laid ouer m1, ight ear which ffictiue! shift: tlte fxed poinlfrom the fute t0 ltxJ edr.

Eventually I look over and see that the snake has come to life. The flute is held in the left hand and the right index fnger feels for the thread at the horn end of the flute. The right hand moves uP until I can scratch the right side of my head in disbelief. During this logical reaction to seeing the animated paper snake, the thread is laid over my

right ear. trig.34. If I walk toward the snake, while at the same time lowering the flute, the height of the snake will remain more or less constant. Fig. 35.

Fig. i 5 The :lack I giue up wbile ntouing toward tbe snake is taken up b1 loweing is that the heigbt

1t6

of

the snake

renainsfair! clnrtdnt.

the

flute. Tbe resah

lrtaer Daprp

FU. )6 It is anlikefi that the

of

the

fate

u,hh nsing

(

the

audience woald associate tbe straightening

of n1 arm and tipping

down

paper snake.

Then, by metely straightening my left

arlo:r and

tipping the flute

downward, the snake will rise up considerably. Fig. 36. At this point, while the snake is at its maximum height, I reach out, grab onto the snake and shake it. Fig. 37.

My ear is five feet eight inches above the floor which is roughly the same height as my anchor point on the mic stand. By using my ear as pulley there are a vartety of ways that the snake can be controlled. You can move backward or fotward, you can raise ot lower yo:ut atm a

Pig. 17 While tbis ffict i: a takeoff on tbefabled Indian Rope Tick tbis is as close as I get to acta-

alfi

clirubing tlte rope.

17t

Mn Avnw

l/onomr

or you can tip the flute up or down. By combining different combinations of movements the snake can be made to rise while you are moving toward it or descend while you are moving away fromit. The tesult of these movements is precisely the opposite of what would logically happen if you were pulling a string. Bobbing your head and shoulders like a boxer in the ring will add additional movements to the snake's head. Sometimes I will kick the stool a foot or so away ftom me which will make the snake lean slightly toward me. Then

I'll punch the snake in the head causing

the knot to slide down the

thread away from me teturning the snake to its vertical position. It is the combination of these many techniques, al1 happening within a few seconds, that causes the paper snake to dance

with no aPParent corre-

movement that I am making. ^fly Once it becomes clear thzt the snake is not going to back down, I move as fx away from it as possible. This is made possible by raising

lation to

the flute up to my chest as I back uP. My left thumb feels fot the alligator clip on the bottom of the flute as my right hand removes a blank gun from my right pants pocket. Fig. 38.

At the

same instant

I

shoot the snake I press open the clip releasing

the thread. The head of the snake dtops to the floot while the tail end

Fig.

)20

)S Thh is the scene jut

ltefore I

fre

tbe

gun and open the alligator clip wbicb

releases tbe thread.

MterPmrp

Fig.

l9

image

While tbere is no explanationfor wbat is holding the tail end onto tbe $ool, this is the lte$ looking

of a dead paper snake. Tbe

weigbt

of

the knotted end pallt the thread clear

of

m1 ear.

is still trapped under the elastic. The sudden death of the snake never fails to elicit a huge reaction from the audience. The entire dancing snake segment lasts just twenty seconds. Fig. 39.

My attitude at this point is that this cobra snake might still be dangerous so after dropping the flute into my left coat pocket, I remove

from my belt a parr of extension grippets. This part of the routine is accompanied by a series of appropriate sound effects. By closing the scissor-like handle, the grippers extend out about three feet. The head 1t9

lfiwr (tunw WonorBt

FA. 40 Tbe

appearance

of

tl:e:e

gipper: alway pruduces a lattgb and thel are

the perfect taol to

pick

trp a dangeroas reptile that nn1 0r nldJ ttot be dead.

of the snake is pinched by the grippers and lifted straight up above the stool until the tail end is pulled out from underneath the elastic. Fig. 40. As I walk toward the spectators, the thread slides through the knot until the ttailing end is pulled completely ftee. Once I reach the nearest female spectator, using only the gripper

I wrap the

snake around

her neck as if it were a stylish scarf.

There is still one job remaining, and that is to clean up the thread,

but it's important not to be in too big a hurry. People are still thinking about the animated paper snake, so flow is not the time to tfy and sneak somethirig by them.

I

have discovered thatan audience's atten-

tion is at an extremely low level when a spectator is walking up ftom the audience to help with a ttick. Usually during this moment I will put the flute, pinchers, and roll of paper into the caffytng bag. As I move the mic stand a bit further out of the way I peel the black tape off and stick the tape onto the handle of the bag. The bag is then slid off stage catying the thread with it. There have been times when the only piace to put the bag was on the floor. At the end of the show I placed the bag on my stool and carned the stool out of the room, right through the crowd with ten 110

MaetcPnprp

feet of thread ttailing behind me. On numerous occasions people have stopped me to say a kind word and after chatttng briefly

I

even-

tually teach a secure arca.I am secretly delighted when, after sticking the tape to a wall, I run my fingers down the thtead and discover that

I still have the full ten-foot length, having pulled it around and

thtough the entire audience uflnoticed and unscathed. There have been other times when I completely forgot about the thread on the mic stand. The slightest breeze can make that ten feet of thread stand straight out like a flagin a windstorm. More than once I have found my head or hands and sometimes both securely wtapped in thread. Attempting to escape from this invisible restraint involved me slowly winding the thread around my hands and then suddenly spteading my arms in an effort to break the thtead into a dozen pieces thereby fteeing myself. This technique has about a 600/o success rate.

I

have also gotten a sPectatof uP on stage later in my act and

watched as he battled this invisible foe. Once

I finished my act and

left the stage with the thread still waving proudly in the breeze. The next act was my palJayJohnson, the Tony-award-winning ventriloquist. PoorJay had to perform a mime vetsion of the rope escaPe while he and Bob the dummy performed theit classic act. The audience probably wondered what his problem was but in the wings, those of us who knew what the problem was, were howling with laughter. Very unptofessional on my part, but still vety funny. There are times (like in someone's living room at home) where a microphone stand would have been completely out of place. In these situations

I

have attached the tape end of the thtead to picture

frames, floor iamps, doorjambs, curtains (yes, curtains) and mafly

other tall, stable objects. A show that took place at least twenty years ago is seared into my mind. It was a banquet in a hotel ballroom with tables set atound three sides of the dance floor and a DJ set uP on

the open side of the floor. I was asked to use his microphone, but the microphone holdet was permanently attached to the DJ's console. My stage u/as the middle of the dance floor. \X/hile the guests were eating

I formulated a plan that would

have my paper snake dancing while

I

was surrounded by people on thtee sides. My plan seemed fool proof

in a miracle. The stool would be placed downstage to the left of the sound console. When the toll of papet came flying Past me I would rette t and would result

t1t

lrlur

(ww

Wonomt

back to the DJ and warn him that the audience was starting to thtow

things. While there I would stick the end of my extra long piece of thread to the top of his empty microphone holder.

If I stood futher

downstage left of the stool I would be able to petform the Animated Paper Snake. The DJ knew nothing of my plan and my hope was that he would be the most surprised person

in the room. As it tutned out,

he wasn't.

\X/ith dinner finished, the wait staff started putting down dessett and the magrctanwas inttoduced. Soon I was passing out magic paper

I could tell that the hooking up of the thread flew right past the DJ and everyone else. I was all set for a miracle. Because my attention was focused on the slightly unusual position I needed to be in and was busy taking up the siack in the thtead, I didn't notice squares and

the waiter who was walking behind me just doing his job of cleating dishes.

I

suddenly rcalized that he was about to pass right between

the stool and the DJ's console.I froze because it was eithet that or yell, "Watch the thread!" The thread caught the waiter right at collar level and he didn't feel a thing... yet. He didnt break his stride until an

instant later u/hen the snake shot off my stool and attacked his neck.

Now he felt it. Standing a few feet awa1, the DJ was cettainly surprised but the waiter was positively stunned. He whided around, fighting off this crazed reptile disguised as a piece of toilet paper. One moment I was playing a pleasant little ditty on my flute and an instant later, all hell had broken loose. I panicked, dtew my gun, and shot the snake. The waiter had aheady broken the thtead into numerous pieces with his flailing arms but I got the credit for subduing the beast.

I'm sute by now that audience has long since forgotten who the magician was at their banquet but I will never forget the look on that poor waiter's face the night he was mauled by a toilet paper snake.

Another memorable performance occurred in 1995 along the bank of a river. I very much enjoy the thrill of running whitewatet tapids, having done so in New Zealand and through the Grand Canyon. On a trip down the Salmon River in Idaho I went prepared with a few props including my flute and some thread. Even though the camp location changed each night certain things about camp were always the same such as a table setup with snacks and drinks and a shovel stuck into the sand. Much like a microphone stand on stage, these familiar items were expected to be located

117

in

their usual spots and therefore became essentialllr unmemorable. The moving water of the river proved to be an ideal backdrop for hiding thread and the setting sun provided the perfect lighting. It's important to know that when you are dropped into the wilder-

toll of toilet paper becomes your most prized possession. Tearing it into single (and therefore unusable) squates provoked enthusiastic jeering from the audience and the ness

it doesn't take long before

a

restoration of the paper strip elicited a loudet than normal favorable response. In this remote setting the animation of the paper snake rvas really amazing, sort of the ultimate street magic locale. I find it interesting that whoever shot this photograph included only that which was deemed important; the paper and myself. The all-import^nt an-

chor point (the shovel) was out of sight and out of mind. The river-runners creed is, "Take only pictures, Ieave only foot-

prints." On this occasion I also left behind ten feet of invisible thread but I've always felt that this biodegradable gimmick provided a lasting memofy for a group of entertainment-stafved river rats.

A/jzsco pejbrntance of l[agic l)aper on tbe bank of ldaho's.lahtnn Nver in 1995

Mwr

Avnw

Wonomt

How often have we heard a spectator say,"I couldn't see the thimbles" or "I couldn't see the billiard balls" and a moment later say, "I could see the thread." How is this possible? Thread is finer than humanhair and yet these people have no trouble seeing it. As a kid I thought the secret to thread work was to keep the lights down low and work in front of a black background. That thinking could not be more wrong. The most importantfactot in making a thread invisible is the background. A smooth, black velvet curtain is easily the worst possible thing to have behind you.

I

have seen my

thread look like a power line against it. So, rf that is the u/orst back-

ground, what is the best?

I went to the Crazy Horse Saloon in Patis to see Finn Jon with his Floating Ball. I was sitting a few feet ftom the stage and when Finn walked out in front of a movie screen, myheart sunk. This is going to be like a lecture, I thought. As the ball was floating I was burning the spot where I knew the thread had to be. I saw nothing. It was incredible. Lights up full, bright white background. What the heck was holding this ball up? Some years later I spent a week wotking on a cruise ship with Topas of Germany, Juan Mayoral of Spain, and Finn Jon of Norway. I guarantee we had more fun than any of the passengers. One night at dinner we got Finn talking about threads and his theories wefe, to me, revolutionary. Finn started the discussion by asking, "!7hy, when the sky is pitch black, can you see the stars but during the day, when the sky is flooded with light and the stafs afe still there, you can't see them?" I sat there like a schoolboy in Professor Einstein's classroom. "It's because the light from the stars just blends into the bright background." Finn says if you can see the thread then it's time to increase the amount of light. Of course fot this theory to work you must be using the right thtead against the Years ago

proper background. Usually what an audience is seeing is not the thread but the light reflecting off the thread and the shinier the thtead, the brighter the teflection. It is intetesting to consider that, because of the angle of reflection, the visible part of the thread ts at a different location for every pefson

514

in the audience.

MnucPaprp

Wbile other pasengers aboard tbis 1 994 Medinrranean craise uere talking altolt that eueningi lteautft'al sunset, Finn Jon, rryse$ Juan Maloral and Tapas ,ilere content t0 discu:s

tbe

fne point: of hiding tltread.

Of course I have broken the thread in the heat of battle and every time it was my fault. The thread did nothing wrong. I broke it. A few times, as I was sticking the tape to the mic stand, the thread got hooked on the button on my coat sleeve and as I walked away, tt snapped. Usually

I am aware that the thread

has broken and because

the setting of the thread takes place during the ptevious trick (Magic Paper),

I

simply restore the paper and that's the end of the trick. The

audience nevef knows that there was supposed to be a second phase.

Other times I have gotten all the way to the point where the snake is supposed to move and nothing happens. This might mean that the thread has come loose ftom the flute. On these occasions I have lifted up the snake's head, spotted the dangling thread and caught hold of it with my left hand. After setting the snake's head back orito the stool I back up causing the snake to rise. After considerably less dancing, I shoot the snake and move on. Other times, I have no idea what happened to the thtead and the 115

illwr Avnw Wuont

snake is just plain dead. My advantage is that the audience has no idea

what is supposed to happen so I cover the moment with a bit of patter. Must

be molting sea:on because that snake shed his

skin. But the ladl who

that is antoacbed b1 human

I wantlou to baae this skin bands, as a souuenir lfloa haue it nade into a louel1

snakukin parse and itfalls

to

helped me earlier,

[pick up paper with grippers]

pieces, don't worry, those piens willfuse weld tbem-

back togetherjast like magic.

A

round of appkun

for tbe lad1. The part about being "untouched by human hands" allows me to pulI the grippers out of my belt and use them for alogical reason. The selues

result is that the grippers and the PaPer end up exactly where they would have if everything had worked perfectly. This quick sequeflce

turns an impending disaster into a slightly humorous ending which beats saying, "Oops, my thread btoke."

One square of toilet paper is removed from yout coat breast pocket. I directlour attention to a tinl square of nagic paper A perfect! ymmetrical piece of mlstical magtml paper Sir,

I wantloa

to examine tbis paper

The paper square is handed to a gentleman in the front tow.

I thinkya

will fnd that this paper is quite unlike

arry

paperyou baue euer

seen before.

The petfotmer returns to the stage and picks up the container holding the toll of paper.

And the rest of1ou.. . not to wlrr). . . I haue plentl for A roll of toilet paper is btought into view

I she's

know whatlou're thinking.

I

eueryone.

know whatlou're thinking. I'm not sare what

thinking. Tbe rest oflou are thinking, "lVbere

does this

gul get magic paper

(Depending on the location of the show) Hounkuping (if in a hotel) or lYalmart (if I'm anywhere in America) , or the poop deck (if I'm on a cruise ship). The/ue got tons of this stafJ And I haue gone to the extra b1 the roll?"

expense of hauing this paper carefulfi perforated

atfour-inch inrements.

The perforatiofls in the roll of paper are pointed out.

Yu

don't belieae a word of this. OK,

I'll

haue to proue it.

The paper roll is tossed to a different gentleman in the ftont row. Sia leap tolourfeet. ThatJ so thefolks in the back cdll ree ds)01,t tear of one square, and one sqildre onfi, of magic paper.

116

ffiaar

If he succeeds without I

tlr,prp

any ttouble

say... ThatI perfect. You'ue

I

done tbis before.

don't mean standing up. Bat

it

was perfect.

If he has trouble teariflg off just one square I say... You'ue neuer done this before haueloa?

Either way, it's a big laugh. Take the roll back from him and begin tearing off squares for each person in the front row

I

Perhaps be seated

can speed things akng. You ma1

mJ sln.

I'l/ start right

kids. No pushing

Yoafolk: in the selues.

I'//

tbere

back,

s

plentlt

just

ouer here.

for

Hi

eaerybo$l

chat amonglour-

be back tbere beforelou know it.

\When you get to the guy who you gave the

"I ltaue gane to lhe exha expense of hauing this paper carlill!,pefotated atJotr-inch ilcrenent.r." Municlt, Cerruan1, 2007. Photo: T/tonn.r Fmps.

fitst square to. ..

Oh,1oa broughtyur own. Good thinking. You can't be too careful thue day.

When you get to the Iast guy in the front row...

ItI

taking a little longer than

I

hadplanned. Herq helpyurself,

The toll of paper is tossed into his lap and you return to the stage. Now I realirye that I didn't haue a chance to get to eaer)zne and this is so much more impressiue when euerlone bas a sql,/dre ofpaper bat we do haue a representatiue groap, each of them holding a nagic paper sqaare. Sqaare bolders

Hold up that square ofpaper and

-

listen up.

air \X/hen the entire front row begins waving their paper squares in the air they iook like a surrenderlng atmy, but it also cieady demonstrates that you have actually passed out twelve or fifteen separate pieces of waae

it high in

Papet. If onfl General Caster had thoaght of that

But

he

the

niglt

haae been with us tonight.

he didn't.

Indicating OK,

a pefson near

the center of the row. ..

I wantlou to passloar sqtlare to the person next to1oa. Thenlou

both squares to

tbe

person next toltoa.

And

keep

pass

passing all the :qllares on down

till thisfellow on the end is holding the whole stack. Indicating the person next to the person in the center, have them

the line

itrv

Hatditg itrbihitd

orrl 14,

l[tgir

Ptper .rqtrart.r

d

a nto-rl tutl-tlttt/ il)01]'

I'ietnt, Atr.rtt'ia it

it

il.teir.fonltt/ aftire, lbe /il(!/lti7, oJ lhe gtrert.r -ral or

il.te

foor

lik-e

t

lti.q

1997.

kid

lt

tto

tt'tr1'

.rl.tt,nt

their squares in the oPposite direction. Andyu passl0rlr sqadre this wry and keep passing them till this /ad1 has the whole stack. Now someone 0//t iil the darkness is holding tbe roll of magic poper

pass

lY/ho bas the magicpaper ro//? You do.

ball, tbrow

it

I wantlou to rear back and like afoot-

back to me. Go ahead, all the

wq

back on stage...

You must keep talking here until the pefson throws the roll. At the szme time, )/ou afe picking the tape (with the thread) off of the stool

top' On tbree, ofie, two. ...

Because you make no attempt to catch the roll it

will either hit you

of mlss \/ou. forlour enthusiasnt bat hold1oar fre. Duck behind the microphone stand and use it as an emergency shield. Stick the tape to the mic holder at the top of the stand. Besides being a funn1, sight gag this bit accomplishes a number of important Tbanks

Maerc Paprp

things. First, it entertainingly fills the time required for the spectatofs to pass the paper squares to each end of the ftont row. Second,

this supposed mishap provides the perfect (and logical) opportunity for you to set up the thread right in front of the audience without their knowing it. And third, it generates a big laugh that the audience believes is not part of the notmal show-always a good thing. Then,

indicating the person at the far nght of the front row. . .

I

see

thatlou haue the packet of magic paper squares. Don't throw them. Per-

hapsyu coaldjust bring them to the edge of tbe great

I I

stage.

always tefer to my performlflgarea as "the great stage" even

am working

if

in someone's living room. The person delivers their

packet ofpapers to you. Perfect.

And

down at this end, a matchingpacket of magic paper sqaarer.

As you cross to stage left the frst packet of pieces is transferred to your left hand and, as you rcach for the second packet of pieces, you steal the restored packet.

Thanklou.

A

roand of applausefor zilr rzw monitors.

Did I get all

those

sqaares back agairu? You're not holding out on me?

Duting these lines you are looking at the audience while your hands ate busy folding up the pieces into a packet. This packet is then concealed in your right hand OK. Oh, wait a minwte. This

one was mine.

The restored packet (with one single piece on top) is set onto your outsttetched left hand and the single piece is picked up by the right

thumb and forefinger. Remember? It came with the suit. The folded packet of pieces is pushed into the coat's breast pocket as the single piece is carefully positioned in the same pocket. I'll put it right here so I look m1 best tbroughoat the euening. Do I look OK? Yoa're notjust sajrug that?

Using a piece of toilet paper in your coat pocket to add a touch of class is something only an

Now

I

realiry that with

a

idiot would do.

group this siry there are boand to

do not belieue that this is actaalfi magicpaper

two words.

Andfor

be

afew people who

those skEtics

I

haae but

HA!...

After a loud, dismissive HA! it slowly dawns on me that this is only one word and I promised them two. Aftet a few uncomfottable moments struggling fot a solution to this problem I finally admit... 119

Nwr frrr,rn l{lorpr,rr

IVell,

I

can't rernember the olher one.

On occasion I succeed in remembering the second wotd and deliver a second and equally loud, HA! But I'll proue it toloa rigftt now. All e1u oru the MP. This line is a music cue. I have a drum roll, a glissando, and a chord to punch up the restofation. Then music continues while I retrieve the flute, tie the knot in the strip of paper, and coil up the snake on top of the stool. Then the track goes silent while I play the snake charming song ofl the flute.

After

a few seconds

of silence the saxophone music

kicks in and the snake comes alive.

After tweflty seconds of sax music during which the snake dances, the music suddenly stops. I time the gunshot to coincide with this stop. I believe that the loud gunshot is what makes the dying snake so funny. StE back - it s doable p!. Besides being a lie sense whatsoever.

I

(I only use single-ply paper) this line makes no

Is a double-ply paper snake more dangerous that

cou/dperfornt ALagtcPapernitb ary stoo/ becatse the tra1,-fi"att nry

rustaniqed

uitlt a ftte

halder and elastic band to serure the end

of

CffieJtglittgrorline

the snake. Photo:

a

has been

Art'I'ronbley

rlo//ill.tl.t tlt,: /ltrurrl ntrr ittli.etblt. .\[t.t.rrrcl.ttrstll.s, 2008. Pl.tolo:

-1rl'l

rorrlt/e1'.

I don't know but I do knor,v that this is a guarlaueh. As I move apprchcnsiveh- over to the snake and pick it

single-plv paper snake? anteed

up b)'its hcad therc is suddenly a rattlesnake sound (thc audio track has never stopped playing) and

As

I immediatelv drop the snake.

I take out the extension grippers and start to again approach

the snake thev hear the familiar music from Jaats-dum dum... dum dum... dum dum. The snake is picked up with the pinchers and car ried into the audience rvhere I wrap it around a ladr"s neck.

A

little soutenirJbr lhe lafu. 5'ltei not snti/ing nevt, ltut s/te'll thank nte in lhe

///0nut?!.

There is a musical tag that effectivelv starts the applause and cor-ers mv trip back up onto the stage.

Throughout this book vou will hear me admonishing the reader to never stop working on a routine. I have used the Nlagic Paper routine as the ultimate example of this, having de scribed five distinct methods that I used over man\' \'ears, ultimatelr- discarding four of them.

Mtt Avnw

,//onpnt

Method fi.ve was the method that I have stuck with for neaiy thirty yeafs. If, down the line, I see someone perform my toutine as written

I will be somewhat flattercd but mostly disappointed. Hete's why. Who is to say that method five is the last word on tearing and restoring a strip of toilet p^per. Mryb.I stopped thinking too soon. Just because I caried the baton for the fitst five laps of the tace doesnt mearr that I catried it ovet the finish line. Maybe method six or sevell or eight will be dramaticzlly better. I invite you to take my yeats of thinking and experimentation and use that as your method number one. What I hope to see in the future is your method number five. zAftet perfotming this routine fot many years I made ^rt ^m ing discovery. I often pull a bound volume of some magic magzzine randomly off the shelf and flip through the pages for a few minutes. It usually leads to at least one amazine discovery. On one occasion I ended up with Genii magzzine Volume 1 in my lap. In theJune 1937 issue Glenn Gravatt filled one third of a.P^ge with what he called Toilet Tissue Ttickery or, magical uses fot common toilet paper. The suggestions were varied, use it as zhat co7l, use it to seal the end of your Drum Head Tirbe, make the cardboard cote into a pull, and then there it was. Totn and Restored Toilet Paper. No method was given, but there was the effect, hiding in full sight. The interesting thing is thatafter pedotming this trick for over thirty years not a single magician has mentioned seeing it in a 1937 Genii ma:gazrne.I guess it's true what they say:Mzgazines are great hiding places.

o=>-<=o

Ihe woy t0 get g00d ideol ir t0 get lotl of

ideos ond

throul the bod onel0w0y. Linus Douling

547

Pltoto: Laurerce Ho. Copl,igltt 2004 Lol

Arye/u

Tinte.r.

Repilted n'itlt perntissiott. 1,+1

he idea of impaling a selected card on

^n

atrow came from my

affection for the Catd Sword. I have never owned a Card Sword and never performed the trick, but what a gre^t effect.

I had

far back as cmd out of the ar with an arrow ^s ^ the late 1970s but I didn't have a decent method. Of course the first method that suggests itself is to rig up afl arrow like a card sword with a length of elastic. Until you've tried it, you cant imagine what a hotrible idea this is. It doesnt even begin to work.

the idea of shooting

If

someone could actaally shoot a specif,c card out of the air there

would be no feason why that card couldn't be signed and then, after being impaled, slid off the arrow and handed to the spectator as a souvenit. These were the conditions that wete imposed on my still

non-existent method. Just one of the problems was shooting a rcal artow on stage, or wofse yet, in a comedy club or someone's home. My goal wasnt to cfeate something that was actually dangerous and thought the problem

could be solved by attaching the arrow to a stout piece of cotd that

would stop the arrow at a predetermined distance. But this solution raised the question, "Why is the arrow attached to a cord?" The whole concept rattled around in my brain for a good fifteen years. Eventually, I actually gotanarrow) tied it to a cord, and started f,ddling around with it. The method I had been searching for artived

in the form of one of magic's most ridiculous moves. You've all seen a manipulator produce cards from the back palm, then turn the back of his hand toward the audience and poke a silk handkerchief between his fingers. After executing anothet turnover move, the silk is pulled Te//ing actress Jennfer Carner not to be afmid becaase

an expert,

I

"I'm

neuer ntiss"

at tbe 2004 Acadenry

of

Motion Pictare i S dentifc and Technica/ Atvatds in 7)asadena,

Califirnia.

P h o t o : Lo ng P b o tograp /t1.

half way through his fingers and another fan of cards is produced. I believe that the only reason magicians do this move is because they can. The only way it could make an impression on alayman is if he was aware that cards wete being back palmed in that hand.

After seeing that move for the hundredth time, I suddenly rcahzed that if a card was impaled on an ztrow, it could still be back palmed. 545

Mrur (avrnw i,/ionorBt

The atrow would pass between the left middle and ring fingers and then through the back-palmed card. When the bow was added to the Ieft hand (held against the outstretched left fingets by the thumb), and

if the perfotmer stood with his right

side to the audience, the catd

would be completely concealed. With the big problem now solved, I still had to solve the smaller ptoblem of getting into this position. The first attempt involved a plastic container, oPen on toP, meas-

uring about 12 inches long, 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep. Inside there was a deck of cards, m gtc marker, a catd fountain (built to ^ order by Bill Smith) and a block of floral foam (the matenal that the stems of flowets ate stuck into). The arrou/ laid actoss the top of the box and the cord was coiled up inside the container. After the card was selected and signed, I took it back face down and executed a top change. As I blew on the face of the changed card (to apparently dry the ink) I took back the marking pen into the same hand that held the deck. As the pen was dropped into the container, the selection was

dealt face down onto the top of the floral foam. Eventually the atrow was pulled out of the foam and shown to have a cord fastened to the feathered end. \X/hen the arrow was retufned to the container it was pushed right through the center of the card. \When it was finally time for the trick shot, I would lay the back of my left hand right on toP

of the selection with the arrow passing between my fingers. As the was pulled out of the foam, my index and littie fingets gripped ^trow the card in back palm position. Then the bow was added to the left hand and the stting was engaged in the notch. The spectator v/as asked to hold the end of the cord. As I pulled back on the string, the card (still impaled on the arrow) temained out of the spectatot's view. Only when the duplicate deck was showered into the air by the card

fountain did I aim toward the falling catds and shoot the arrow. An instant before the arrow was released I separated my left f,ngers freeduring its ing the catd and allowing it to remain impaled on the ^rtow flight. I actually used this method a few times with a kid from the audience as my assistant and while it did work, the whole routine was very unsatisfying. I didn't like the idea of a big container that supposedly held only a marker and a deck of cards and impaling the card on the floral foam seemed inelegant at best. At this stage the routine was like the fitst rough draft ofa story. 146

Tbis 1992 performance in Sweden sbows the

f

rsl Bow

t'Arrow

container silting

on a chair witb the arrow

ling

across tbe

top and the bow relegated to tbe cbair back.

Tbis inelegant :olation to least

tbe

problen at

got the rotttine on stage and

an audience where P boto:

it muld

Arto Airaksinen.

in

front of

begin to grow.

Pow 6 i,pBow

Eventually, the block of floral foam was teplaced by a simple, in-the-hands move. At one point in the routine the selected card is palmed in my right hand with the face of the card against my hand.

The bow and arrow are both held in the left hand with the shaft of the arrow also supported by the right thumb and fotef,nger. Both arms are in a relaxed position in front of me. Fig.

1.

At the proper moment, the arrow is dtawn back by the left hand until the tip of the arrow can be placed against the back of the palmed card.Frg.2.

Fig. / Botlt dnl,r cllile to tzst infront of

rue

ja:t pior to the loading of

the card onta tbe arron'.

Fig. 2 lVithoat lookitg atlour hands the arront is palled back, the point is .rlid doan to t/te center oJ' t/te card and then pnsbed throtgb.

Then u.ithout hesitating the point of the arrow is pushed through the card and between my

right middle and ring fingers. Needless to say, at no time do I look my hands as it is all done by ^t feel. Fig. 3.

I

reab.ze

disaster but

that this sounds like a recipe for

I

can honestly say that never

hundreds of times have

I

I

in the

have petfotmed this routine

ever impaled my hand

with the atrow. The

move is not noticed by the audience because durFig.

)

The ttp

and the arrotv

of is

tbe drrztr pdrser behueen_yanr ntiddle and

ptrthed tbraughfar about /talf

itr

length.

ingfngerc

ing its execution I have just finished an animated discussion with the spectator and then suddenly

shift my attention to the audience and ask them

a

question.

Immediately I turn to the left and place the still-palmed card against the back of my left hand. My right fingers are aligned with my 141

Mn Avrnw WonorBt

Fig. 4

of

The

palned card in the ight hand is laid direct! anto tbe back

the leftfngers, alloningthe card to be transferred to back-pahn

Ftg.

5 TheJan tbat

its transference froru

tbe card has an arrzil) throngb tbe

hand.

postttou.

left f,ngers and my right palm is against the back of my left hand (with the selected card in between. The shaft of the arro\r/ slips between my left middle and ring fingers and my left index and little fingers grip the edges of the card in back-palm position. Fig. 4. Once the left f,ngers are securely gripping the edges of the card the right hand moves away and the the bow is moved to an upright position. Because of your previous turri to the left, the back-palmed card

will be facingupstage. Fig.

5.

The fact that the bow has been held in the left hand throughout the move it in no way inhibits the transfer of the card from the palm of the right hand to the back of the left hand. In the eyes of the audience I am metely placing the arrow in position ready for fring.

\X/ith the elimination of the box and floral foam, I needed a place

for the card fountain to live. The solution was so logical that it should have been my first idea: a quiver. Not only could the fountain be concealed inside this logical container but I could also put it to its intended use, to c rry the arrow At this point in the development of the routine my old friend Marcelo Contento marketed a new card fountain that he had invested much time and effott into researching and developing. It was compact, sure-fire, and it included a time delay. More importantly, it

va

paln of

tbe

igbt

it in

no tual inhibits

band to the back oJ' the left

Dow

Fig. 6 Turning tbe qaiuer inside-out

reueals the aluminam

threaded postfastened to the wooden bottom.

plate witb a

Also sbown is the twelue-

Fig. 7 A duplicate alaminam plate is screwed to the top of this witb tbe threaded post extending down into tbe wood.

G

i,ppow

base

inch alaminam tube witb corresponding tbreads on each end.

fit comfortably into the quiver that I fashioned from a suede cotton materi^I. The bottom of the quiver is made from wood and screwed to the inside surface is an aluminum Plate with a threaded post. This threaded post can screw into either end of an aluminum tube. Fig. 6. The catd fountain is also mounted to its own wooden base that is fitted with a similat aluminum plate and thteaded post. By containing the threaded post within the thickness of the wooden base, the card fountain can sit flat on its base when it is not mounted inside the quivet. Fig.7. Each end of a twelve-inch piece of aluminum tubing, half an inch

in diameter, is threaded to match the thteads on the two posts. This allows the tubing to be screwed onto the base of the catd fountain (Fig. 8) and onto the inside bottom of the quiver. On occassion the side of the quiver would press against the card

Ftg. 8 The tube can be easi! screped onto the

of

tbe cardfountain and tbe boltom

of

base

tbe quiuer

149

Mrur Aurnw Wonnnt

fountain and prevent it ftom functioning properly. I discovered a solution fot this problem while filling in for Mac I(ing atHarcah's Casino in Las Vegas. I found a plastic cup that is used to hold large quantities of nickels before they ate flushed down a slot machine. By temoving the bottom of the cup and cutting part of the side away I had a petfect sleeve that could slide over the card fountain. The more deiicate side of the device was now completely protected from its surroundings. The smooth, flexible plastic that this cup is made from, as well as its size, is so petfect that

I

Ftg. 9 A pla:tic casino cup was tarned into a protectiue :hield that alloas the cardfotrntain tofanction pefectlt wbile inside the qtiuer.

reinforced it with gaffer's tape and have used it ever since. Fig.

9.

When the length of tubing is screwed onto both threaded posts, the top of the card fountain is positioned about two inches below the

top of the quiver, just out of the audience's view. Fig. 10. There is room for the arrow to fit into the quiver and also for the deck of catds to slide between the plastic shield and the inside of the quiver allowing the cards to drop down to the bottom.

Fig. 10 Frort

i:

uisible

ahoae, tbe cardfoantain

purlted atop

the

pipe tyith the

pla:tic thield protening tbe methaniyt.

150

Because of the conditions imposed on the selected card (that it be a

free selection and signed by the spectator), ),ou can't iust control it to the top of the deck "using \rour favorite method." The routine dictates

that the card is carefully placed in the exact center of the deck. Without apparently changing its position, I had to get the card out of the deck and into m1, right coat pocket with the face of the card facing away from my bod1,. Here is the procedure that accomplishes that.

After taking the signed card back from the spectator m),left thumb riffles down to the middle of the deck and allows the last couple of cards to fall individually as if they are being counted. The selection is inserted halfway into what is apparently the exact center of the deck. Fig.

11.

The cards are immediatell, sp1s2d faces toward the audience,

allowing them to cleady see the selected card in the center. trig. 12.

Fttg.

1

/ Alier ,tppatrtrt/1, rilfing lontt

lo tlte extct cenler

tf'

tbe drck ilta

/etud card i.r irsefied.f'or

ln/f

sr

it.r futtEl.t

$ (-\
23 6 3

I

Flg. / 2 Ilntediate/1,

t/te card.r

tre

.prtad la .rl.ton,il.tdt tlte .rtfutud nrd rea//f i.r

ir

tlte cenler of' tlte derk.

Fry. 13 Tltis rien'_f)'ont be/on,.rlton'.r tlt runttrof ilte vfuied card prolrrrditg.frolt ilte side ol' ilte deck.

lttg.

/

1

As

the /eft

tltrult lre.r.rts

ilte prctlrtrdittg

nnter itio the derk tlte

nrul isgripped bett'cett tbc iltrrnb lip and tlte lefi ritgard /itilefrgen.

As the spread is closed the selection remains protruding from the deck. As the right fingers

pull the selection back into the deck it

is

angled slight\, to the left. When the deck is gripped between the right

middle finger and thumb, the outer Ieft corner of the selection protrudes from the left side of the deck. Fig. 13 is an exposed view of the selected card protruding from the side of the deck.

As the left thumb pushes this protruding corner into the left side of the deck the opposite side of the card will come into contact with the

left ring and litttle fingers. Fig.1,4.

With the deck held entirely by the right hand, the left hand is free to slide the selected card slightllr toward you. This action is the beginning of the Diagonal Palm Shift but the card stops after moving only a short distance. Then the grip on the deck is shifted from 1,su1 right middle finger and thumb on the outer and inner ends to the left thumb and middle finger on the sides. Fig. 15 shows the deck in this position with the right hand removed.

It-ig. / 5

Alfur iltc

s/iglttl, tlte dcrk

curd lta.r

i.r

heett

ptr//ed lon'orul-1at

gipl:ed lsin,eer ilte /tli iltrtrh ard

niddlt Jirytn Tltc rigltt

ltnil

ltas heet

onittel-lbr t/uti4'.

haw 6 i,BBrw

Fig. l6 will

81

pressinglour left little fnger against tbe side aJ the card alongthe ight side bnt injoged at tbe inner end.

it

Fig. 1 7 Tbe

deck is tarned face

ry

l4t

rollitg it

ouu Jroru

isht ta left.

be sqaared

The left little finger then presses against the right side of the deck.

This simultaneously squares the right side of the deck and injogs the selected card slightlyr Fig. 16 shows the finished position with the right hand removed.

The deck is immediately turned face up as if you were turning the page of a book. Fig.

17.

The right thumb pulls up on the protruding card (Fig. 18), allowing the left little finger to take abreak underneath the selection. Once the break is secured, the right thumb pushes the selection flush into

the deck. The right f,ngers riffle the front edge of the deck just before the left hand (holding the deck) drops to your side. Dropping the left

hand suggests that you are temporarily f,nished with the cards. Turn-

ing to the assistant you ask if she is right-handed or left-handed. This question accomplishes tu/o things. It shifts the focus away from the cards and towafd your assistant and it creates a few seconds of time misdirection.

Ftg.

18

Asyur ight thanb

cardyar

left little

f

hfts

tp

on tl:e

ifioged

nger obtains a break.

7.1

Mn (tww

Wauprnt

As she answers the question, your hands once again come together and the side-steal is used

to deliver the selected card into your right palm. Once secured, the deck is repositioned with the right thumb on the inner left edge and the right index and middle fingers on the innet right edge. You then demonstrate how she is to hold the deck over her heart leaving as much of the deck visible as possible. Care is taken not to flash the catd that is still palmed in the right hand. Fig.

19.

The deck is handed to her and then the right hand enters the coat pocket to retrieve the tape

Ftg.

l9

W-itb the

.re/ected card

still pa/med, the spectator i.r shawn how

sbe is to bold the deck oaer her beart.

measure while leaving the card behind.

My bow is a toy made out of plastic that is able to shoot an atrow acfoss a stage but not much further. The atrow, however, is the real deal with avety sharp metal point. The ideal cord

I found

is used by jugglers

with their diabo-

Ios, the yo-yo type obiects that spin on a cord

whose ends are attached to two short sticks.

It

is smooth, strong, and the bright green color is

Fig. 20 To secttre tlte arrou to the cord, one end of tbe card is passed throtrgb a ltoh in lhe arrou then knotted and sealed witb epoxl glae.

very visible. It is threaded thtough a small hole one inch from the notch-end of the arrow

A

large knot (fortified with glue) makes it impossible for this end to pull free. Ftg. 20.

A 12' metal

tape measufe has an arfov/ drawn

on the tape right at the ten-foot mark. The artow was dtawn with a black marking pen, making it extremely easy to see. Fig. 21.

A blindfold was fashioned out of houndstooth material that matches my colt.I started with a square piece of cloth and folded it diagonally in half, resulting in a triangulat blindfold. A few well-placed stitches help rctain this shape. 154

Fig. 21 TlJi: is uhat tlte spectator to ten feet.

sees once

tbe tape l?tedrl.tre is extended

Dow

G

i,ppoty

To prevent my having to tie the blindfold oflto my head, two Velcro tabs were sewn orito the two ends. By merely laying one end over the other, the blindfold stays securely in place. It may seem odd that the blindfold is not gimmicked and that I am truly unable to see. I actually prefer not being able to see my assistant.

If

she does something

funny that I can't see, that's fine. Of course I can see the stage at my feet by looking down my nose and this ability allows me to avoid catastrophe.

Using props made out of this distinctive houndstooth material is a runnin g g g throughout mv act. The carrying case for the roll of magic paper, the bag for the juggling arms, and this blindfold all feature the houndstooth pattern. Besides appearing slightly amusing, they give the impression that my act is actually a cohesive unit rather

than just a bunch of unreiated bits that have been cobbled togethet. \X/hen I eventually applied my character to the Bow and Arrow routine, everything statted to make perfect (non)sense. I fancied myself an archery expert and offered to demonsttate an impossible trick shot in order to prove my extraordinary ability. As the routine Progresses my explanations become increasingly preposterous. I explain that a deck of cards measutes exactly one-half of an inch thick and

if

the spectator's catd is placed in the exact center it will be a quarter of an inch from the top of the deck. And that the cord on the arrow is t^Pe measure I will position myself ^ exactly one-quafter of an inch less than ten feet from my assistant.

exactly ten feet long and by using

And when I fire the arrov/ and hit the deck (that the assistant is holding over her heart), the cotd will stop the artow after rt penetrates through twenty-five cards and teaches her selection. Mathematically all of this makes perfect sense but only a lunatic would actually attempt such a shot. And that's exactly why I do it.

Rather than using a full deck I use a stack of catds that measures approximately one-half inch thick since this dimension is referted to

in the patter. Because I want the lady's handwriting to be as visible as possible, this "deck" contains only cards between ace and eight. This ptovides maximum white space for her writing and, no, during the 15'

Mttr Avnw liontlnt

selection pfocess I have never had a sPectatof

"Hey, where are all of the couft cards?" The nines, tens, and court catds end up in the catd say,

fountain and, no, I have never };rad a spectator say,"Hey,look at all of those court catds on the floot, none of them were in the deck." The deck, uncased, goes into my outer left coat pocket with the backs against my body. This allows me to remove the pack and immediately spread them faces toward the audience.

The blindfold is accordion-folded and tucked into my ight rear pants pocket with about an inch protruding ftom the top fot easy access. The marking pen is in my left inside coat pocket. The tape measure is

in my outer right coat

pocket. Mounted inside the quiver the loaded card fountain is mounted on its pole along side

the arrow. The quiver is hung on a microphone stand, angled toward the audience. The cord is

coiled up and hung over the atrow and lastly the

bow is hung over the arrow or tucked into the quiver. The microphone stand is positioned on stage about six feet

left ofcenter. Fig. 1) Performance readl with tbe cardfountain mounted intide the qaiuer witb tbe bow and arrow easifi accessible.

Being a magician,

I

baae a lot of spare time on m1 hands.

Actaalll, I

baae an

unbelieaable amount of spare time on m1 hands.

Without seeming to rea\ze it, I have just told the audience that my pretty bleak. Lines like this serve to reinforce my waking hours ^re charactet.

ButI'm alwaypracticing.Infactl

spent the betterpart of this weekpracticing

a trick shot with that bow and arrow arud let me tellloa something, when this shot

workl.. itJ

And that's whereloa come in. Calling the shot a"heatt stopper" sends out two messages. Fitst, that it is very exciting and second, that it could be fatal. During the last sentence point to a woman in the ftont row and invite het onstage. 156

a real heart stopper

Dow 6 i,pBorl

The combination of saying "heart stopper" and then immediately pointing to the lady is meant to make her slightly concerned, not scared, just concerned.

Mar1. Thankya for uolwnteering MorJ. Let me asklou something.IYhenya were a)lnnggirl in school, did thel teachya tbe entire story

Hello,lour

of lYilliam

name?

hll?

They normally know who \X/illiam Tell was but because

I

said "en-

tire story" they usually play it safe and say, "No." Oh that's good. No, it's better that wE. Tbere's n0 seruse in getting Mary all worked up ouer nothing. Infactyw baae the easiestjob of anlone here tonight. Sryr.g, "that's good" elicits a laugh from the audience so the next line is ditected to them. During the final line the pack of cards is removed from the pocket and spread, f,tst towatd the audience and then toward the

Alllou

1ady.

haue to do is select one of tbese cards and

I

euen

letloa

see

thefaces so

1ou get the onelow want. IYhat coald be easier than that?

She temoves one card.

Axualfi, ment]

has asked me to ask

face of that card

in

at [name establish-

there is one other thing. The management here

flou

Mary if

she would take this pen and right across the

would write the name of

the

person whom we should contact

case of emergencl.

The last half of this line is directed toward the assistant

as

you

hand her the marking pen It's their legal dEartment. Thel're

uery

fnicful

To provide time to write the name, step toward the audience and say, There is nothing to

worrl about

because

I

am an expert and

I

neuer miss.

This is followed by a long pregrlant pause as the cards ate casually dtibble from one hand to the other. The look on my face is one of guilt for having said that I never miss. Finally, I break the silence by saylng, OK,

I

missed one loasl sbot. The lights were uery bright...

Stop mid-sentence and tutn once again to the lady. Hauelou done that? Good. I'll take J0 euetJlne can see which

written on it.

onelou

IWbose name

the

pen and

iflou

coald hold

haae selected andperhaps whose

didloa write

uploar card

namelou

baue

on the card?

The pen is retrieved and retutned to the pocket.

If

she says she

wrote the name of het husband, Bob, who is sitting in the ftont row,

I

say' ..

157

Mwr

(wnw

Good

perfert

If

Wonnns

thinkingMorJ.IYfu call 9/l

when Bob is

in thefront row. It makes

sense.

she says

it is someone

else (like her mother

in a different

state),

the line is basically the same. Good

tbinkingMnry.IYfu call gll

maku perfect

milesfron

bere.

It

sense.

I will take the cardfromlou. And 1ou in

when Mom is 800

something else thel

school is the fact that an ordinarl

pack

of 52

night rtot haue taugpt

plEirug cards measares exact!

one half of an inch thick.

After retrieving the selection, the deck is held head high with the edge toward the audience.

Ftftlt-two cards, one-half inch. Favinating isn't it?

The last bit is directed to the assistant and she usually responds with a shrug. There is certainly no reason for her to consider this bit

of trivia fascinating. Notparticularfi. OK. If I place Mary s card at the twenfl+ixth position, exact! half wE down. .. My left thumb riffles off about half of the cards and allows the last couple of cards to fall

individually as if they are being counted. The selection is inserted into the approximate center of the pack for half its length. The deck is immediately spread, faces toward the audience, allowing them to cleaiy see Mary's card in the center. Tbat means tbat her card will be one-qaarter of an

inchfrom the top, and one-quarter of an inchfrom

the

bottom of the deck. Yoa might want to remember some

this, it could

be

of

"One qaarter af an inch from the top and one qaarter of an inch from tbe botton of the deck." Munich, Germanl, 2007. Photo: Tbanas Frapt

important later

The spread is closed and as the selection is pulled back into the deck it is in-jogged slightly. The deck is immediately turned face up

andabrezkis secured under the selected card. The tight fngers riffle the front edge of the deck just befote the left hand (holding the deck) drops to your side. This entire sequence is executed as the fitst of the above two lines is delivered. Are ltoa rigltt-handed or

left- banded?

During her answer your hands once again come together and the selected card is stolen into yout right palm using the side-steal. You then demonstfate how she is to hold the deck of cards over her heart, i50

Dow 6 i,pBorl

being careful not to fash the card that is palmed in yout right hand. It really doesn't m^tter how she ariswers the question. If she says,

"right handed" I

say,

PerfeX, then take the deck

inloar right

band and hold

it ouerloar heart, giuing

me as large a target as possible.

Ifshe

says,

"left handed" I

say,

Oh, that's not good. Telllou what,

yur as

to

protectlour left hand hold the cards in

right band and position the deck zuer)zr.tr heart, giuing me as large a target

possible.

The whole point of this question is to shift the attention to het while I execute the side-stezl and provide some time misdirection. During this line, I demonsttate what I mean by holding the deck ovet my heatt, allowing as much of the face of the deck to show as Possible. Then I hand her the deck by extending my right atm with the

In this position, I am staring right at the selected card, which is still palmed in my right hand. Once she takes the deck, my right hand dtops to my side. If necessary, ask her to adjust her fingers or the position of the deck to face of the deck and the back of my hand facingher.

maxtmize my tafget.

Inlour left hand I wantlou to hold onto this tape measure. The right hand reaches into the right coat pocket, leaves the

se-

lected card behind, and removes the tape measure that is then handed

to the lady. Using this tape,

I

haae measured the distance

tip of that arrow and it

from the end of this string to the

measares exactfi ten feet.

The bow and arrow are removed from the quiver and the notch zre in the arrow is fitted into the bowstring. Both the bow and ^ruow held in the left hand while the dght hand holds the end of the string. In

just a moment I will position

fron thatpack

of cards.

I will then fre

f.ash across the stage and strike a

ru1self one-qaarter of an iruch less than tenfeet

the

this poison-tified arrow into the

pack dead

center. The needle-like

path through the top twenfl-fue cards and when it

Marlts card, the anow will

reaches tbe

air It will

point will cut

twentl+ixth card,

haue reached the end of its line and stop dead!

This is the moment when the audience confirms its suspicion. This guy is out of his mind. The laughs come at "poison-tipped arrow" ^Ld "stop dead." My excitement escalates as I continue'.. Afeat that is so unbelieuable that I would be afool to euen attempt it f I had not been the two-time winner of the Golden puiuerAward at the annaal.. . 159

lilwr Cwnw Wommt

I never make it to the end of this line. S7hen I'm half way thtough delivering it, I pull the arrow back about six or eight inches and then and the bow tightly with my left hand. The right hand grip the ^rcow moves safely out of the way. On "Golden Quiver Award," I release my grip on the bow and the tension in the string launches it into the air. Despite my grandiose claims, I am not yery good shot with an ^ arrou/. Howevet, I am fatrly skilled atplacing that bow exactly where I want it, which is usually at the feet of the ftont row. That's not

I havent missed now and ln. There ^g was the time I shattered a wine glass right in a to

say

man's hand. I've had staftled spectators reach

out and snatch it right out of mid air. But gen-

erally,I put it where I want it. Of course I act stunned when the bow flies out of my hand and I do make alame attempt to grab it before it is out of reach. This unexpected blunder, combined with my prepostetous claim of supet-human skill, ptoduces a humorous dichotomy. Some readers

'Do notprouoke P h oto : Arto

me.

I

am armed and hamoroas." l-.ondon, 2006.

Airakti n en.

will think that I am nuts to

Iet this object fly anywhere nezr the audience but I must say that

I

quite look forward to this part of the routine. As I mentioned previ-

I am quite a marksman when it comes to shooting a bow off of att And it does establish me as some^tow. ously, it is a plastic toy bow and

one who might actually be cruzy enough to attempt this impossible

shot. Of course I'm not rcally going to try it, but I want them to think

that I might.

I

it back to me and there are usually some chuckles or commeflts as they do. After taking the bow I remain standing in piace, glalng at the spectator. Do notprouoke me. I am armed and humorous. Of course I meant to say "afmed and dangerous" but I appear to have no idea what I actually said or what it means. Armed and humorous is actually a title that I have used for my act. Tirrfling oflce ag tn have the audience member flearest the bow hand

to my asslstant. .. Mar1,

I

couldn't help but notice,loa look a little worried back there. You're

forgetting the most important 160

thing- I'm an expert, I

neuer miss.

I'll tellyu

what,

szil/etilues n.,hen I'ru cfmid tltat

I

nttght be killed,

I

haue a

litt/e sontething that

ltelps calru nte dorun and sett/es /10, nerues.

During the first line , the point of the arrow is tucked behind mv belt and the bow is slipped o\rer m\,left forearm, which effectivell, fre e s up both of mr- hands. 81' the time the final line is delivered, the blindfold has been removed from m\.back pocket, unfolded and displaved to the audience. VloaldJou be an1 ntore comforlable wearing a blindfold?

Two possibilities here: either she says, "no" (the most common answer), to which

I

sav,

OK, suitlaurse$ it nnrksfor

Or

she sa\-s, "\'es" to

rue.

which I

say,,

WQI/1'oa shoald haLe thought of that

beforeyu

came ap here. This one'sfor ne.

I then put on the blindfold, which produces one of the biggest laughs of the routine. Nlv proposed trick shot alreadl' sounded like near impossibilitv. Adding this final obstacle makes madness.

it sound like

a

sheer

"Dan't let rue u/k olf-tlte dge oJ'tbis stage.folks... Not agaitt." llasstrlttxtts, 2008. Phota: Art Tronb/e1,.

lYberei that tape? Good,loa hold onto the tape.

!(hen I hold out my hand,

she

will give me the tape measure. I pull out

and hold the end of the tape and hand the tape measure back to her.

I'll back ap ouer here. By this poirit of the routine I have positioned myself and mv assisBack up, back up, and

tantne^r the edge of the stage. As we extend the tape by moving away from each other, I remove the arrow from my belt and tap the point on the floor in the same way a blind person uses a white cane. Don't let me walk off the edg of this stage folks. . . l{ot again. By looking down my nose I can see exactly how far I am from the edge of the stage.

I

stay iust close enough to keep things interesting.

Mory... MARY. The first time I say "Mary" the word is spoken not directly toward her and partly under my breath. The reason being, I don't want her to answer me. The second "MARY" is spoken louder and is directed toward her. Mary suddenly reahzes that I am talking to her and responds, "\(/hat?" Yeah,

iflou nodloar head I

can't bearloa.

For some strange reason, this line also genetates a solid laugh' Perhaps it is the result of my charactet and the situation my hapless ;a-l

)ut

Dow

A

Anporr

assistant finds herself trapped in.

I wantlou to look at tbe tape at tbe ten-foot mark. That's /20 inches. right on the tape there is a big black drrzw. Dolou She may need some

Areloa

see

Drawn

tbe arrow?

time here but eventually she will find the attow.

standing at the tip of tbe arow?

I never mentioned aflything about standing at the tip of this artow she will most likely say "No." But even if she moves into Since pdor to this,

that position and says "Yes" my response is always the same. IWell it's

prettl important! That little arrow

could saue)zar lfe.

Areyu

at the

tip of the arrow? Good, don't mzue a muscle. I'm1ast going to sneak intolou a qaarter of an inch.

if I'm doing some mental calculation, and then step toward her about a foot. DurI hold the end of the tape up to my

side and Pause, as

ing the laugh my attitude is, "Hey, I've got a measuring device and you folks dont," never stopping to consider that my blindfold prevents me from seeing the device. The act:ual iine is, I'ue got the tape. Now

Mar1, I'm going to let go of this tape and

itl

going to

snap back so be careful.

The spring in the tape measure automatically winds up the tape. canhear when it is fully recoiled. Yeah,lou

see

that, that's

a good wa1

to lose an

I

e1e.

This line is spoken like a parent admonishing a child to be careful with something they are playingwith. By this time both the bow and is engaged in the boware back in my hands and the ^rrow ^rrow stting. During the next line, I pull repeatedly on the arrow flexing the bowstring, HereJ a better way

I am now no longer fzcirg directly toward my assistant but

have

turned slightly toward the audience. This means that my next wotds and actions ate being directed to the audience. Of coutse my blindfold prevents me from realizing this.

I

am going to

me to shoot,I

aim b1 listening to the sound ofloar

uoice.

IYhenlou're readl for

wantloa to call out nice and loud, "I'm readl Mike, sltoot me."

With the end of the cord held f,rmly in my right hand, I assume my firing position and pull back on the arrow. Rarely will the lady say aflythiflg but people in the audience are more vocal. Each time someone

in the crowd yells out, I shift my aim in their direction. I'm picking up a bit of an

echo

in

here.

165

fi,/Nr &vr*,ry' tfml#,+"r

'Wben-1,67)"p rea$,J-or ne ltt tbool,

I

n,ant-1,0u to ca// ctut nice and

loud,

"I'n rear!'Mike,

sboot

nn."

Pholo: Wende// Breqina.

Pulling off the blindfold I rcalize that the arrow is pointing nowhere near my assistant. The blindfold is returned to my back pocket as

I approach Nlary. IYhat happened? All I

coald hear waslour heart poandirug ouer there.

The artow is disengaged from the bowstring and the middle of the arrow is held in the left hand along with the bow. You know a little cooperation mtgltt keep both of usfrom dling up here.

This line implies that mv performance could die in the theatrical sense, and, that she could die in the literal seflse. Extending my right hand to her prompts her to hand the tape measure back to me. OK, just relax and take a deep breath. And letJ ,/se lxlr beads. Do1,ou think the management here at lname of theater or hotel in which I am performing] is going to let me fre this needle-sharp arrow right atloar heart f thel didn't tbink

I

coald make this shot like 90 per cent of the time? Of course not, tbat would

be nupid.

1()4

Dow

A Anporl

During these lines the tape measure is returned to the right coat pocket and at the same time, the right hand palms the selected card. Upon exiting the pocket, the tight hand comes to rest at about belt Ievel with the artow acttally touching the right thumb and index flnger.

I

know shots a lot harder than tbis.

This line is delivered to Mary I then take a step toward the audience and deliver the next line to them. Doloa want to see a rea$t towgb shot? As I m stepping forward and delivering this line my left hand pulls the arrow back until the point is touching the card. \X/ithout looking, the point is positioned over the center of the card and then thrust thtough the card. You'll know if you hit the right spot if the point of the arrow goes between your right middle and ring fingers. It's not as hard as it sounds and I've acttally never impaled myself with the point. The artow is pushed about half way (11 inches) through the card and is then flrmly gripped between the tight middle and ring fingers.

I'll

showltoa a touglt shot, andlou can help me.

As I m stepping back and turning to the left I execute the move described ezrlier whetein the card in my right palm is transferred to the back palm position of my left hand. This move also transfers the

ftom between my tight fingers to a simil^r grtP between my ^rtow left middle and ring fngers. Once the catd is secuted in back palm position and before my right hand is removed, my left hand turns palm towatd the audience and moves slightly upstage. Throughout this maneuver the bow handle continues to be held between the Ieft thumb arid outstretched fingers. This transfer of the card requires the hands to momentarily assume an unnatural position but the maneuver is very brief and it takes place as I'm backing up and turning to my left. During this move, my body effectively blocks the assistant's view of my hands.

During the next few moments I remain focused on the factthatl have a card back palmed in my left hand and am vigilant in protecting the bad angle. \When working on a dance floor with the audience on three sides, I find that twisting the back of my left hand futther toward the floor helps to hide the bad angle. During this entire sequence aneffort should be made to keep the sutface of the card and 16'

Mwr

Avnw Wotmt

the attow perpendicular to one another. at an angle, thus enlarging the hole

If the artow

is tilted over

in the card, you may find that

the card inadvettently slides off the arrow at the finish, spoiling the climax.

As soon as the ttansfer is complete and the hands separate, I grab hold of the cord and hand the end to the assistant. You hold on to the string and I'll take the deck of cards. The deck is taken from the lady and dropped into the quivet making sure that it clears the card fountain and drops to the bottom. At the same time I flip the toggle switch on the card fountarn that activates the timer. In seven seconds a deck of cards is going to come

flying out of the quiver so I had better be ready. As I back up toward the lady the bowstring is engaged into the arrow notch and then I take the end of the cord from her with my tight hand. The twenfl+ixth card down bas lrepeat name she wtote on the card] written right

across the face and remember

- I neaer miss.

The fountain of catds ptovides a tremendous amount of misditection. More than enough for me to safely release the grip of my left index and little fingers on the back palmed card, pull back on the artow, swing the bow atound untill the attow is aimed at the shower of cards, andfite.

The arrow (along with the selected card) will fly through the shower of falling cards and when it reaches the end of the line, it will drop to the floor.

I

andytloufolks act likeyu see this euery night! The illusion cteated is that I have mitaculously impaled one of the falling cards. The bow is quickly placed on top of the stool because it is important to get the arrow off the floot (and back into view) baue speared a single card

quickly as possible. The audience wont reahze what I have acis pulled up off the floor. The cotd runs complished until the ^trow between my left fingers and down to the arrow. By pulling the cord as

with my tight hand the artow is lifted up to my left hand, which takes hold of the notch end. Oh, thq are waiting to find out if it is ruotjust A card but THE card. Onfi Marl kruowsfor sare. Does that lookfamiliar? During this line I taise the pointed end of the arrow up so the face of the card can be seen by the audience and then by the assistant. The true climax of the trick occurs when she nods her head, verifying that 560

"I l.tot't.rfutrtd tr.rltt!/t urd P l toto'

ottd-yel-yr.ttr.li.t/k.r

nl

/ikt.1'otr

ree il.ti.r

u'etl,ttigl.tl!" )[irl.tlurt,2010.

ll--urtdtII B re7l ltr.

it is her signed card. It's afairy tale fnish. The card is slid off the arrow and presented to the assistant. Al1 the applause is directed toward her as she is escorted back to her seat. I placed her into a somewhat uncomfortable position and her considera-

ble contribution made her the co-star of the routine. She deserves that

I then retrieve the bow and return both the bow and arrow to the quiver, using that opportunitl, to switch off the card fountain. applause.

Thati Mary,

11; trcl.ttr

of' fultry dtt i.s

d o tr lt/, lt l.rur

mrl

P ltoto:

^?(rt

frot'r:l ltyrtnd

t

r.ttrt

I['

t//

t'i t r g .vr cce r.rfu /11'

t tt

ttl'

nid

oir.

de/l B rtll

rt.

r

ltot

who giues new rueanittg to the word quiuer.

(Thank \.ou Tina

Mn Avnw

Wonpnt

Lenert) And Mary, wereJlu a little bit scared up here?

Now back in the safety of her seat she usually says, "A little." Because I was terrifed. Thatl neuer worked before. These last few lines are used to bridge the gap between cleaning up the bow and arrow and beginning the next routine. As with most of my "original" routines, yeafs afterl first thought

of this effect I found a number of bow and arrow routines in print. The April 1899 issue of Mahatma describes a prePosterous version wherein an elastic band pulls a duplicate arro\r/ atound from behind a t^rget supposedly faster than the eye can see. A duplicate ofthe forced card is aheady impaled on this arrow and the elastic puIls the arrow tip into a hole in the bull's eye. The artow in the bow is yanked undet the magician's coat by a second elastic band, agatfi,"faster than the eye can see." This sounds like a good v/ay to not fool anybody while simultaneously inflicting great bodily harm upon lroulsslf. In London Ellis Stanyon published a series of booklets called

fnal issue (December 1910) included "Chosen Card Pierced by an Arrow" that actually was an arStanlonI Serial Lessons in Conjuring. The

row constructed like a card sword. As the arrow flew through the ait an elastic cord would pull a duplicate card up to the tip. No mention was made as to what stopped the arrow as it cartwheeled through the air. My guess is that using this method would gready teduce the possibility of injuting youtself while greatly incteasing the odds of getting sued.

At this

time 0910) the Sphinx and the American Magician magazines started tunning ads fot the Magician Supply Company of Providence, Rhode Island. For $2.50 they would sell you "The Arrow," a "...valuable and tasty card trick." The description sounds exactly like Stanyon's effect which leads me to believe that someone in same

Providence was actually producing catd-sword arrow.s.

Additional research turned up a fellow named George Postle who in the 1930s performed a bow and arrow card toutine in of all places Pasadena, Cahfornia. Amazingly, Mr. Postle, an architect who designed among other things the \Woolworth building in Chicago, lived a short bicycle ride from where these words are being written. At the PCAM convention in Hollywood, California Mr. Postle's bow and arrow routine was awarded the Page Wtight award. His method 1935

5t0

Dow

Tbis ad from

the

A?il

1

910 isue a/ Sphinx magaTine

does sound

6

/rppory

irresistibk. '"the professor shoots

the arront in the oldlndianfashion and takes tbe card on tbe wing."

in the September 1938 issue of Genii m g zine and my guess is that, in his hands, it was very effective. It's worth noting that his routine involves a real bow and z rcaI arrow that really was fired into a real target. He cautioned his readers that insuffcient ptactice could tesult ifl, ". . .having to pull the artow out of your host's davenport or [it] may clip a vase off of the mantel. Remember a bow and was explained

arfow is more than a toy." That is good advice regatdless of whose method you use.

v

1n

this where in this book, the first re l mag I lMilt Larsen's Itl Magrclshow in 1963. I

was actuaily scared into creating

e-

was

just

attefld the show every yeat,I attended every performance of the show every year. OK, "attended" implies that I purchased a ticket for each

of those performances but that would be a false assumption. I always managed to scrape up enough cash to buy a ticket for one performance but buying my way into every show was far beyond my budget. My fellow Mystics and I felt that one used ticket stub somehow granted us entry into every performance. You might be surprised to learn how rn fiy different ways there were to sneak into the I{/ilshire Ebell Theater and we knew them all. This annual sojourn to see the "'Wodd's Greatest Magicians" made a deep, deep impression on all of us. Our collective dream was to one day appear on this hallowed show.

My turn came in 1981 when Bill Larsen called me up and asked,

"How would you like to emcee lt's Magic!this yeat?" "OK", I said and that was that. Bill had seen me at numerous conventions and I had been performing at the Magic Castle for ten years so he appatently felt I was ready for the big time. I was not so sure. During those two weeks of shows I would be introducing The Niberco Brothers from Holland, Clifford Guest (a great sound effects and ventriloquism act), Richiardi, and a young kid from Louisville, I(entucky whom fro one out West had ever heard of named Lance I

am as

sarpiud as anlone lt1 of silueruarq trEt

the aualanche

dnd a tr.tler Pi/(/)er /ba/ fa/ls

froru a spectatori coat. IYitb the table

ut,

S addk

I prodace a liue chirken.

back College, Missio n

Vi/0, Califirnia, 20/ Photo: Dauid Bro.

0.

\Was

I

into that show and link coat hangers together? The answer, I decided, was no. I thought I could do better and with a few months before curtain, I felt that I had to at least try. A year eadier, Tina and I had been asked to perform for two weeks in a Christmas show at abank in New York City. One of the tricks Burton.

really going to step

we performed together involved borrowing and destroying a watch,

having the watch

^pper

tnta'ct

in the spectator's coat pocket and then 171

f'tlwr

(dwtw rir/nntpr

producing a chicken from his coat. If you're thinking, "Where is the Iogic in that scenario?" there isn't any. But the point of the story is that in 1981 I owned a live chicken. The I(nife Through Coat was a trick that always appealed to me. Hundreds of years ago magicians were poking their fingers through spectator's hats. Eventually this evolved into a knife passing through bortowed handkerchief and fr,nally through a coat.I had worked a number of trade shows with Tommy Tucker and had seen his close-up vetsion of the I{nife Thru Coat using a pocketknife. I had also seen a

Bob Read's hilarious version using a table knife. Published routines appear throughout our literature (Tarbell Course Volume 3, Cenii mag zine volume 13) and various dealers have sold additional versions.

Right from the start

I

decided that rather than using the traditional

knife, I would use the Large pau of scissors that aheady played a key role in my act. My large scissors provided a believable scenario that a knife did not. If you actually did shove the pointed end of a Pan of scissors through a co^t and then tried to pull those scissors all the way through, the handle would surely prevent you from succeeding. If you kept pulling harder, you would eventually rip the coat. This inescapable fact

I would put to

use.

All I(nife Through Coat routines use some sort of cover to hide the center of the coat (and protect the secret) and my cover would be a piece of newspaper. I felt that teating a square out of a sheet of nev/spaper would subtly suggest that it was a normal piece of paper. I did tear a sheet of newsprint but I was actually removing a gimmicked piece of paper from within the folded sheet. The oniy thing special about my gimmicked square of paper was that when torn, it produces a loud ripping sound. After years of research I f,nally found the perfect-sounding ripping matetial; window

And I don't mean new window shade that is made of plastic. I'm tatking about old cloth shades that have been baked by the sun. These thin canvas shades produce the kind of sound you would hear in a cartoon. Rrrrrrrrriiiipl I found a little shade shop in town and the shade.

114

fctrons,0n. frurBwnBr 6 Hwrn

owrrer is nice enough to throw some of the used shades he has taken

out of old houses into a pile knowing that sooner or later that crazy magician will come in looking for them. I cut the shades into eightinch squares and then cut about a one-and-a-half-inch hole in the middle.

An eleven-inch square of newspapet is torn out of a full sheet. Dont use scissots but teally tear it because this square is apparently torn out of a sheet duting the petformance. Using cellophane tape the prepated window shade square is taped to one side of the newspapet, right in the middle. Then a small st^r-ff^P is torn into the center of the paper by folding the newspaper in half (with the shade side inward) and putting a two-inch tear perpendicular to the folded edge. Then the paper is opened out and folded in the other direction and torn ag rn. These two small tears should just barelv extend into the window shade matertal. This will facthtate the tearlater when the shade is pulled against the scissot biade. One more fold is put into the paper, this

Fig. 1

The prepared netuspaper has shade

clxh (witb

bole cat

in

center)

taped in place, d itar-traP torn into center oJ newtpaper and a diagonal

fold atross entire newsaper.

time diagonally from corner to corner, again with the shade on the inside. This is a tip from Bob Read. During the performance you will hold the paper by just orle corner and the scissors will be stolen behind the papet. It would be disastrous if, while moving your hand through the att, the paper fluttered away from its desited position and revealed the scissors. This diagonal

fold gives the paper square enough body that you can safely move it atound in ftont of you without fear of mishap. Fig. 1. Open up a fuil sheet of newspaper on the table. Lay the prepared paper square (shade side up) onto the middle of the left side. Now close the paper by folding the right side over onto the left side. Then

fold it a.gztn by bringing the top edge down to the bottom. The prepared square in now trapped inside the folded sheet. One more fold

from left to right will produce

a

packet measuring approximately six

by twelve inches. You will use one of these prepated packets for each performance.

1t5

Mttr Avnw

WonorBt

Thurston used to walk down into the audience and pull a duck out of a spectator's coat to great reaction. Of course Howard had his

faithful assistant Geotge White to get the duck into the coat, Iuxury ^ I didn't have, but the reaction was reportedly fantastic. In fact my fitst choice v/as to produce a duck. I am convinced that ducks are funniet than chickens but having worked with ducks in the past, I knew that they were very noisy, unbelievably messy and they stink to high

I would make do with a chicken. In my eadier tesearch I discovered that there are m ny different types ofchickens, heaven.

from huge layrnghens, to vicious fighting roosters. When I saw my first Cochin hen I knew I had found my co-star. It was like a chicken that had been designed by z magrcian. Her appearance was very chickeny - bright red comb on top, feathery legs and a big fluffy tail. Fig.2.

The best part is that while her actual body is quite small, when she fluffs out her feathers she suddenly grows to twice her actual size. The perfect production item. Cochins

are avallable in white, black and brown and chose a white hen because

Fig.

2

1996 Publici! photo b1 BillT,ytkn

I

I felt she would look

bigger on stage. As

it turned out, these chickens have wonderful personalities, ate easily tamed and ate very sociable. And how many magicians can s^y that about their assistants?

In examining load

bags used by magicians over the yeats for the

production of livestock they appear to be mote closely related to torture devices than anything else. Is it any wonder that anrmals struggle

to free themselves from these dark, stuffy confnes? 176

kwopt. Aar,lwrBwtBr 6 1trurn

In designingaload bag for my chicken I statted with this premise: someone who stuffs a living creature into a container in which it is diff,cult to bteathe and impossible to see is more of a kidnapper than a magrcian Containing the chicken in the most comfortable uiay Possible would lower her sttess level, resulting in a healthier and happier bird.

In observing my chicken

each day, she seemed happiest when she

was nestled into a shallow hole she had dug

in the dirt.

She appeated

completelv telaxed as she watched the world go by. Using this knowledge,

I

started to design a

load bag.

Using mateial that has avety tight weave prevents het toenails from getting caught in the

cloth. I(eeping the bird's nails propetly trimmed also helps. The top of the first bag was made out

of strong netting so she would have plenty of atr and light. The netting u/as later removed so her head could protrude out ofthe bag. Photo 3. This allowed her body to be contained but Fig.

i

The two sides

of

the chicken load bagwrap underthe bird and

are beld closed witb Vehro.

Ilot

part of the bag tbat the birdl

uisible is the openingin the apper

head

protradu throrgh.

ight

her head was not. Once a chicken has gotten used to this bag, she immediately pokes her head

thtough the opening and is then completely conteflt. In my original version of this routifle the load bag hung on the back of a chaff,which resulted in the weight of the chicken pulling the cloth tightly around her. In the later vetsion that used a stool, the weight of the bitd rested on a flat floor, which caused the bag to relax around her. \X/ith plenty of light and air, and her head unrestricted, she was able to sit in the stool in exactly the same position she would assume while relaxing at home.

1 9 9 8 MagSc maga qin e fe atui ng Smeddy tbe chicken as the couer bird.

During rehearsals I would load het into the load bag and slide her into the stool top but hold the trap door open. This allowed me to see when she teiaxed into her nesting position. She seemed to be completely conteflt to iust sit quietly and wait for the big finish when she would get to stand up and flap her wings. This new style load bag added gre^dy to the strength of the magic. The chicken is loaded just before I am introduced. I walk out with minimal ptops and perform for usually twenty to thirty minutes. Then atthe end, without ever having left the stage, a live 177

lrln Atrnw i,//onnmt

chicken appears.

I can't tell you how many times people have come up

to me later and said, "Where the hell was that chicken all that time?" My usual arrsu/er is, "You'Ilhave to ask the guy who owns that coat" but the true answer is, "She was sitting comfortably just like you were

waiting for het cue."

Two concepts that I learned as a teenager while developing my

thimble act were time misdirection and eliminating an object's hiding place before the object is produced. Both concepts would faclhtate my chicken production fifteen yearc after they effectively hid my giant thimble. In the eadiest version of the chicken ttick the spectator would take off his coat and sit in a chair. This chair had a slat back that allowed the audience to cleady see through it. The chicken was loaded into abagthat completely contained her (no head hole yet) and she was hung from a bracket that was imbedded into the back of the chair. Of course, by looking through the slats, the load bag was clearly visible. To cover this, a folded sheet of newspaper was laid over the chair back. From the side you could see that the back half of the papet was being held well away ftom the chait back by something. Fig.4. By folding these back corlrers of newspaper in toward the chair, the bad angle was drastically reduced. The newspaper became a sott of

Fig. 4 lYben uiewingtbe cbairfron an angle it h obuious that tbe newspaper * being held awalfrorn the back of tbe cbair b1 nmething.

170

fcurolr..

Fig. 5 Patting afold into a

wedge or

the

protrading

corrxer

tarnr the new.rpaper into

illasion base to better bide the load.

fin,f.tyrtlul,rrl

E

1trrcn

Ftg. 6 I\Jowfrom the same bad angle tbe newspaper looks totalfi innocent.

vertical wedge base effectively hiding the chick-

en.Figs.5&6. The further upstage the chair was positiofled, the better the angles were for the peopie sitting at the sides. After the spectator had removed his coat I asked him to sit down and just before he leaned back in the chait I pulled the newspapet off the back, folded it in half and tucked it under my arm. The cover for the final production item had been changed right in front of the audience-the spectator replacing the newspaper. Later in the routine I would steal the chicken off the chair and into the gentleman's coat.

After the chicken

was produced and the spectator had returned to

his seat, the only items left on stage were myself, a chicken, and an inconspicuous chair that you could see right through. Fig.7. Anyone who wanted to figute out whete that chicken had been hiding was left with few clues. Fig.

7

After tbe cbicken bas been prodarcd and tbe

spectator has departed ruith his coat, tbe on!1 olject left on stage is

thh cbair uhicb couldn't bide anlthing.

1t9

lrlwt (tvm:;u l)laro'tpt

As soon as the chicken made her appeatance, I wanted to hand the coat back to its owner but this would require me to sectetly and quickly dispose of the load bag. For the It': Magtc!show my plan was

to

in an old leather doctor's bag. The bag would remain open on the floor throughout my act and by setting it behind me and off to the side it was an object that the audience found easy to ignore. This utilitarian prop became the perfect place in which to deposit the empty load bag. I positioned myself directly in front of the doctor's bag iust before I produced the chicken. As my left hand raised the chicken aloft my right hand (holding the coat) dropped naturally to my side - right over the open doctot's bag. With the load bag attached to a heavy gimmick (to be discussed later), when I let go of it, the bag (and gimmick) dropped like a stone into the doctor's bag. I immediately walked toward the spectator, returned his coat, sent him back to his seat and displayed the chicken. The appearance of a live chicken provides massive misditection. Nothing (not even a falhng load bag) can compete with a live flapping bird. This was proven to me on the night I missed the doctor's bag. The load bag and gimmick ianded on the floor in full view of the entire audience. I immediately thought, #@o/o$&,I'm busted! But no one backstage said a wotd. And afterward, no one who watched from out front said a word. Finally I asked some ftiends who had seen the show, "Did you see anvthing you shouldn't have seen?" They didn't know what I was talking about. carry all of my props

They hadn't seen a thing.

It occurred to me that perhaps I didn't need this large doctor's bag for the disposal of a rclattvely small gimmick. My second solution for hiding the load bag had its roots in Max Auzinger's brilliant 19th centufy creation Black Art.

NIax Auzinger discovered that

tf a flat black object is held in ftont of

a flatblack background and all shadows ate eliminated, the object is invisible. Auzinger's idea set me wondeting-what about fleu/spaper art?

100

kttsoBt,

An.

fi:,yrpullrlpr

6 Grum

\Vhat if I made aload bag out of cloth that was ptinted like newspaper and then dropped it onto the slightly wadded up sheet of newspaper that is discarded on the floor during my routirie? \Would the load bag blend in with the newspaper and go completely unnoticed? Fig. 8.

I decided that the combination of Newspaper Art and the misdirection of a live chicken would rn fact rendet the load bag invisible. During the time that I used this method there wete performances when the load bag and gimmick Fig. 8 The newspaper-cloth load bag ling on t@ of a torn sheet of newspaper is not inuisible but it is certainfi less noticeable due to tbe ffict bounced away ftom the newspaper. Again,I of l\JewspaperArt. fearcd that I had exposed my trick but iust as befote, no one seemed to notice. This led me to the flnal rcaltzatton that the combination of the huge mess that coveted the floot at the end of my act znd the misdirection ptovided by the chicken, no one w.as going to see that load bag regardless of what it was made of ot where it landed. This fact was driven home when I worked for a month at a magtc dinnet theater. There were some very exPerienced close-up magicians working thete who watched our show every night. At the end of the run they said to me, "OK, we figure you've got some kind

of holdout or pull that clips onto the load bag and carries it into your coat and out of sight." I didnt have the heart to tell them that it had been lying on the

foot in full view

every night.

It was after this expetience that I started making load bags out of black ripstop matenal that was very durable and could flot be pierced by the chicken's toe naiis.

I wanted some time misdirection between the steal of the load and the production of the chicken, so I dropped a spoon out of the spectator's coat. As I pick it up and say, "!7hat's this?" the audience suddenly thinks "Oh my gosh, that guy is stealing silverware." The reason why a spoon was perfect is because alarge Percentage of my work is as an after-dinnet entertainer. The audience has iust f,nished dinnet, the host introduces me and I perfofm ori a dance foor or taised 10r

Mrc Avnrv Wommt

platform. \X/hen that spoon falls out of the spectator's coat, everyone surprised as they do. For instantly has the same thought and I ^ct ^s just a moment, everyone is slighdy embarassed but after a few more spoons fall they begin to realize that this is all part of the act. \il/hen my volunteer is the president of the company and that first spoon hits

the floor

-

the audience reaction is off the chart. This is the moment

finding something to hold over the boss's head. Then the shower of spoons begins and they rcahze that there is more at wotk here than a sticky-fingered boss. Logically a shower of silvetware would include spoons, knives and forks but you would be amazed how easy it is for a fork to get snared the employees have dreamed of

-

in the lining of a coat and knives ate just way too bulky. Spoons take up almost no space when they are nested togethet, the spoon's smooth bowl rarely gets stuck inside the coat and they produce a nice clang

I

to design and build a gimmick that would attach to the back of my chair, hold and release a bunch of spoons, and also hold the chicken load bag. AtJohnson Ptoducts I turned out a number of wotking models made from brass. Each spoon had a small hole drilled through the end of its handle, allowing it to be threaded onto a thin brass rod thatran along the side of the gimmick. I would line up about twenty spoons on this arm. Tilting the gimmick would cause the spoons to slide down the arm and fall off the end. The quantity of spoons that fell was dependent on the severity of the tilt. It was far from being a precision spoon dropper but it got the job done-more or less. when they land on each other or on a wood floor.

set out

The first model used a half-inch piece of brass tubing about four inches long for a handle. Soldered to it was the angled spoon arm, and

two hooks from which the load bag could be hung. The next one had a smaller hook but a brass rod that allowed it to be hooked onto the back of the chait. The third version was made from z solid piece of brass. A piece of brass tubing that slid perfectly over the brass handle was permanently attached to the load bag. This allowed me to load the bitd just before I walked on and quickly attach the load bag to the gimmick by sliding the tubing onto the body of the gimmick. Fig. 9. There were many problems with all of these gimmicks. The weight of the coat often restricted the path of the falling spoons. I would tip the gimmick more and more and nothing would happen. Then suddenly, CRASH, tu/enty spoons would hit the floor. None of these )02

fcrnw. har. fwrBwapr

Fig. 9

The

frst

A

Hwn

(botton) and second (center) spoon

droppers were madefrarn tabingwbile tbe third (top)

wat madefrom the ends

of

vlid

brass. The spoons (with bohs

arms. Tbe short piece

#3

in

tbe handles) were tbreaded onto tbe bent

of

brass tubing with gimmick

would haue the load bagpermanentll altached so

coald lte

qilck!

slid onto

the

il

girumick.

gimmicks wete evef used in a show but they v/ere necessary stePs in the hunt for the perfect spoon droppet.

Eventually

I

showed my collection of gim-

micks to my friend Cad Heck. Cari was rc^l ^ machinist, not just a guy who knew how to make coin tricks. Retaining the basic idea of spoons threaded oflto a tod, Cad designed a rudrcalllr new gimmick that had a sliding knob on top.

The gimmick was cradled in my curled fingets which allowed my thumb to slide the knob slowly across the top of the gimmick. This pulled the supporting rod into the body of the gimmick

which caused the spoons to fall off the retreattng Fig. 0 Carl Heck constracted the foarth spoon dropper which, at the end. This gimmick ptovided far greater control time, I considered to be tbe Cadillat of tbe line. Carltfftb andfnal over the falling spoons and this is the gimmick I uersion woald be a masterpiece. Photo: Paul Ronbanl. used on the lt's Magic!show Fig. 10. It was probably foolish to debut a rlew toutine on such a Prestig1

ious show but nou/ I can say I m glad

I did. Sometimes you need

a

firm deadline to fotce you to Put a flew hunk in ftont of an audience. It is also helpful to have a proven routine that you cari use to establish your ctedibility. This places the audience firmly on your side and makes them much more willing to accept your flew endeavor. On this particular show my ace in the hole was 3-ArmJuggling. 101

Mn Avnrv

Wotpms

On the strength of the lt's Magic!performance, one month later I found myself again wotking with Richiardi, this time at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Being able to observe Richiardi every night was extremely educational. A performance by any great artist is made up of many layers and each of those layers contains at least one important detail. Multiple viewings allow you to discover the importance of each detail and to see, when viewed together, how they form a perfect piece of theater.

In Los Angeles I watched his performance every night from the wings. How I remember his daughter Rina vanishing from the de I(olta Chair and instantly reappezring in the Tip-Over Trunk. I would ctouch down in the wing to avoid being hit by the wooden dowel that he would bang around inside the ttunk and then fling over his shoulder. No one offstage was expected to catch it, just to stay out of its way. At Madison Square Garden, after inttoducing Richiardi, Joseph Gabriel and I would walk atound to the back of the audience and watch his act from the front. To this day I see things in Joseph's actthat I know he learned during our memorable run at the Garden.

December 1984 witb

Ncbiardil

sbow

at

Maditon Square Carden.

tlr-*,':$+t

d,Ebtr lIike, Lrcy Nen'\-ork

@ssistattt),

A/da Ncltiardi,

and Joseph

Gabiel

ce/eltmte

Nchiatdii 58il) birthdE, itt

Cit1,. Pbolo: Doro.

Throughout these months of performing I discovered many things about the Silverware & Chicken routine. It had less than ideal angles and the production of the chicken, while surprising, didn't make a lot of sense. I could feel the audience thinking, "I don't know where it came from but what does that chicken have to do with anything?" The routine needed some logic. Also, with the spectator sitting in the chair and holding his coat out to his side, the actual Scissors Thru Coat effect was taking place just a couple of feet off the floor. This 'wasn't a problem on the Felt Forum stage at Madison Square Garden but it def,-

nitely was problematic in a banquet settlng.

I

spent a day tn

^n

area of downtown Los Angeles that

in restaurant supplies. When I found a tall barstool with a thick padded seat I knew that a multitude specializes

)ladison S'qnarc Garden, Nen, )'ork Ci4t, 198/. I ant jrr:t altofi to pal/ tlte neaspapet"(f tlte back of tfu c/tair.

of problems had just been solved. The higher seat would position the spectator (and his coat) atamore desirable (Rq )\) )

filwr {liyrlurrt"ilr,t,tr,*t

Fig. / 1 The ertire .rtool can be disassenhled and packed

ifto

a .rtandard saitcase.

FU. 1 2

Tbe near!,-inuisihle clear plastic s/telf

rests on tltefotrt'bolts tbat attaclt the /eg: to lhe Jbot-re.rt.

height off the floor and the spoons and chicken might just fit inside the seat. \7hen I discovered that the entire stool was held together

with bolts (meaning it could be disassembled for travel) I bought it immediately. The soft upholstered seat was replaced by a new seat that was actually a wooden box with rounded corners. Fig. 11. The bolts that hold the legs in place also support the nearly invisible shelf made out of Lexan plastic. Fig.

1,2.

My first thought was to steal the load out of the back of the stool cre^te a bad angle if only for a moment. A much but this would ^garn better idea was to make the steal from the side of the stool. The spectator would cover the steal from the right side, his coat would cover it from the front and I would cover it ftom the left side. By leaning over I would be able to shield the steal from the spectator ori the stool. Fig. 13 shows the left side of the stool which is the trap. Fig. 1)'tbe ltoles in tbe hack oJ' the .rtoo/prouidepkn\' oJ- /tgltt and airfor t/te clticken uhile .rlte is loaded. Also uisib/e is tlte black elastic band that ltolds tlte L'tagc Paper ffie. Tlte left side of tbe stao/ top opens

)06

duing the steal.

kmw. 0u,

ltl,ll.*u:lrlBr 6

1trrcn

Fig. 14 Tbe extended back edge of tlte trap door ruakes

it extreme! eay

to

o?(fi ewil withofi glancing down al i/.

The door in the side of the stool is made from aluminum. To facilitate the opening of this door without the slightest hesitation and with-

out looking, the back edge extends slightly past the rounded corner of the stool. By merely dragging my fingets across this corner the door can be opened every ttme, guaranteed. Ftg.1,4.

A piece of black elastic attached to the front edge of the door and extending to the fat fuont corner inside the stool provides sufficient tension to pull the door closed after the steal is completed. The entite seat is coveted with black naugahyde. The rounded edges made tt to be nicely padded and quite comfortable. Only ^ppear the person who sits on the stool knows that it doesn't contain an ounce of padding.

There were always problems with the spoons getting trapped between the coat lining and the chicken load bag. I purchased a metal water pitcher thinking that

if the spoons were contained inside,

perhaps the pitcher would ptovide a clear path for the spoons on their way to the floor. A breakthrough idea came from my old friend Bill Taylor who suggested that instead of threading the spoons onto a rod,

thata slot be added above the hole in the spoon which would allow the spoons to hang from a sort of I-beam. An I-beam could be supported from above and there was no reason why it had to be straight. Cad Heck winced when he saw me walking up his driveway. He listened to all of my latest suggestions and had to agree that these were definite improvements even though this meant starting from sctatch. 16t

Mn hvnw

Fig. 15 Sboun

Womnt

bere is the bole and

slotin the spoon handle and the

circalar l-bearu ruacbined into tbe base with tbe one-inch gap at tbe top.

Fig. disc

16 Here the spoon has lteen tbreaded onto the l-beam. The circular

:ticking

up

from the base preuents

From a solid piece of aluminum Cad machined a circulat I-beam into a round disc. At one point in the circle there is a one-inch openthre^ded onto the ing. It is through this openingthzt spoons ^re I-beam and then slid all the way around the citcle. Fig. 15 shows the hole and slot in the end of the spoorl and Fig. 16 shows the spoon being threaded onto the I-beam. The citcular I-beam can easily hold

sixty spoons with room to sPafe.

Cad wanted to install a small electric motor that wouid auto-

matically tevolve an arm that would push the nested spoolrs around the I-beam and off the end.

"No motors!" I insisted. I

much ptefer more dependable fotces like finger powet and gravity. A metal tab (controlled

from above) pushes the entite row of spoons around the Ibeam and when they reach the

opening, they dtop off onto

This gimmick (which will be referred to as the inside gimmick) was mounted the floor. Fig.

17.

inside the metal water pitcher.

500

Fig. 17 Tbe spoon holder has been rernouedfrom the pitcber in order to show afall load of six! spoonl The metal tab that pushes the spoons aroand the l-bean itjust to tbe left of tbe oneinch gap

in tbe l-lteam.

tbe spoons

fron getting tangled.

lonoBt, @r,l,rt,.rpttlrlpr 6 1trurn

The other part of the gimmick (that will be referred to as the outside gimmick) secures and then teleases everything in the load and is the most interesting piece of the pazzle.It looks somewhat like a hand-held Gatling Gun, or at least that's what TSA agents across the countfy have told me. Turning the wheel on top of the hand-held gimmick revolves the tab inside the pitcher that pushes the spoons around the I-beam. The more the wheel is revolved, the more spoons hit the

floor. It was very diff,cult to revolve the wheel

with sixty spoons) by simply holding my index fnger tip against the wheel's knuded edge. John Gaughan offered to fix this and a few other probiems. At intervals around the knuded edge (along

John inserted metal pegs that made revolving the wheel a dream. Fig. 18. Fig. 18

The pegs

in the wheel of the oatside gimmick nake it uerl

to reuolue aad drop the load of spoons inide

tbe

easl

Trying to hold the entire load (which, depend_ ing on the borrowed coat, could weigh over 12 pounds) by the thin piece of metal that formed the handle was also

pitcber'

ptoblematic. John added a solid Rosewood handle that is so beautiful it's almost apity that the audience never gets to see it. Figs. 19 &20.

The business end of the outside gimmick consists of a wheel whose axle is made from the male end of a ball lock pin. The female end of the lock pin is mounted inside the center post of the gimmick inside the pitcher. \X/hen the male end of the ball lock pin is inserted into a

Ftg. 19 The

outside gimrnick, canQlete

with a Roytyood bandle.

Fig. 20 Tbe band bolding tbis gimnick controls the release of sixfl spllnq tirl metal tra1s, and a metal waterpitcber at dilJ speed duired.

i09

Avnw Womns

Mwr

Fig.

21 Near

the end

of

the routine the

Ftg. 22 Openingthe ball lockpin

thnnb reachesforuard and

giruruick and sends it crashing to

presses dou.,n on tbe batton tltat opens tbe ball /ockpin.

in the bottom of the pitcher the two pieces of the gimmick are Iocked together. Pressing the button on toP of the hand-held gimmick opens the ball lock pin and releases the pitcher. Figs' 21, & 22. A final addition was two metal trays that would also drop out of the spectator's coat. These trays along with the metal w^ter pitcher turned what, at first glance, appeated to be a guy stealing silverware, into a totally implausible and impossible scenario: a guy attemPting to steal everything he could get his hands on. I spent another day in the restaurant supply area of downtown Los Angeles looking for the hole

perfect trays. They had to fit into my stool top, they had to be neady flat so they could easily slide apart, and they had to be heavy enough to produce a loud crash when they hit the stage. By the end of the day,

I had nothing. Befote retutning home

deiected

I pulled into

a

Sizzler festaufant for a quick bite to eat. This is one of those places

where yortr sizzltng hot meal arrives on a metal tfay that is resting on a wooden platter. When my meal arrived, I couldn't believe my eyes. could not have If I had designed a metal tray specifically for my

^ct,I

done better than the ofle that now lay before me. I decided then and there that I would be leaving the Sizzler that day with mote than iust

full stomach. The look in my eye told the festaufant m nagef that I was dead serious about leaving with two of his trays and he therea

fore decided to accept my offer of money fathef than watch me bolt through the door with a ffay tn each hand. He would sutely be surprised to learn that for the past thitty yeafs those same two Sizzlet trays have elicited howls of laughter as they crashed onto hundreds of stages atound the wodd.

190

releases the

tbe

fiaon

pitcherfroru the oatside

fowpt. har. lwrpwmr 6 Atum

FU.

D

Pulling the sping-loaded

(otrternost)

trE.

tiger

half-ua1 back

releases the

The wire kop on this tral passes through a hole

front tral as it falls to

tbe

fr:t

in

the

Fig. 24 Pulling tbe sping-loaded tiger a// the wa1 back releaset the second wire loop nnding the second tral rashing to the foor.

floor.

A small metal wire loop was attached to the end of each ftay. The loop in the back tray passes through a hole in the fuonttray. These loops hold both trays to the gimmick. John Gaughan fashioned a clever release system whereby a slight

pull on a spring-loaded trigger pulled a small piston rod out of a slot which teleased the first wire loop that was supporting the (outermost) tray. Pulling the trigger all the way back released the second tray. Figs. 23,24 & 25. Ftg. 25 Tbe girumick

seen

from belou

sbonts tbe mecbanism tbat drops

of tbe wbee/ is tbe bottoru end of the ball lock pin. Aboue that it a snalhrpin that locates tbe girunitk in the proper position on the bottom of tbe pitcher the tra1s.

In

the rcnter

If you have machined the complete set of stainless steel

parts shown in Fig. 26let me be the flrst to congratulate you. You have certainly earned the

right to perform the the Scissors, Coat, Silverware & Chicken foutlne. Fig. 26

Tbe

direct

the

falling

coati

sleeues

pitcber acts as a chute ta spoons awal

from lhe

and inside pockets.

)qt

Mwr

Avnw Watanr

Besides being funny items to see fall out

of a spectatof's coat, the trays also serve a functional purpose. \X/hen evetything is attached to the gimick and loaded inside the stool the pitcher sits on top of the nested ttays. Fig. 27. \7hen you grab onto the handle and pull, the entite load slides smoothly out of the stool.

The flnal addition to the gimmick was a heavy-duty snap attached to the wooden handle with a strip of adhesive Velcro stuck below it. The strap on the load bag has a

Fig. 27 This part of the laad uteiglts eiglttpoandq bat the trals allaw to slide eatil1t aat

af

it

the stool.

matching snap and Velcro strip. Fig. 28. The snap is enough to hold the bag to the

gimmick handle, which means the Velcro is merely a back-up safety net, No way could both of those systems fatlat the same time, which guarantees the safety, of the chicken. This allows the pitcher, spoons and ttays to be preJoaded into the stool. Then just befote I am introduced, the chicken (in her ioad bag) is slid into the stool top. The strap on the bag is snapped to the handle and the Velcro is ptessed together. trig.29. Obviously, this completed gimmick

Fig.28 Tlte load bagis and a

attaclted to tbe

stip of l.ehro. Eitlter

badle uitb a heaul-dttfl map

one can urppart the wetgbt

of

the chicken

so each one JerueJ rtJ a backup to lhe athen

requited a massive amount of thought and work. At least the next person who attempts

to construct one won't have to make and discard four versions before producing a worker. I have shown this gimmick to a few friends and it does seem to blow their minds. I jokingly refet to it as the world's greatest gimmick but jokes aside, it is an impressive device. Using just my right hand I am able to open the side of the stool, gtab hold of the handle and steal a single load. I can then release (at any speed desired) sixty spoons, two metal tfzys, a watef pitcher, and 19t

FtS.29

B1 grabbingonto tbe uooden handle tbe entire load can bepulled

qairk!

and elfcientlt oat

of

the

tool.

lcsrol.l.. $n,lwrBlltlnm E 1tttttttt

then with my left hand, produce a live chicken. A second latet, the coat is totally clean and returned

to its owner. Fig. 30. My neu, spoon dropper, the improved chicken Ioad bag, and the stool in place of the chair were huge imptovements to my act. The stooi

virtually

eliminated all the bad angles from the toutine. \X/ith the spectator, the coat and myself acting as shields, the steel is completely covered.

FtS. 30 This

i:

the load as

it

I

have

done performances with a live band sitting on the stage directly behind me and was able to

is held under the spectator's coat.

block their view of the steal with my body. The effect of the scissors penetfating through the coat was now well up off the floor so that even people seated at banquet tables could see it. And a completely

logical story line now linked the Scissors Through Coat

trick with the chicken production. At the end of the Scissots Through Coat phase, the square of newspaper falls away revealing that the coat is unharmed. I even have a music cue here to indicate that the trick is ovet and to cue a round of applause. As I take the coat ftom the spectator, a sPoon falls out of it onto the floor. I am as confused by this as the audience' Picking up the spoon, I allow the audience to fgure out what has happened befote I do. It appears, at least for a momerit, that the spectator is stealing silverware. The trickle of spoons soon tufns into a watefiall.

The sound ptoduced by these sPoons hitting the stage is akin to a drum roll. And at the end of the drum toll, the fi'rst ttay hits the floot (effectively a cymbal crash) followed by the second ttay hitting the floor (a second cymbal crash). The falling water pitcher produces a f,nal and louder cymbal crash. The floor around me is now coveted with silver-ware, serving trays and a pitcher, all of which, to my great surprise, fell unexpectedly from the gentleman's coat. My line to him rs,IYell,loa

set qaite a table,

doloa mind if I

serue dinner? IYho ordered the

And there is that twisted logic that I love so much. He sets the table and I serve dinner, which in this case iust happens to be a live chicken?

chicken.

191

Mur Avnw

Woyarpt

I learned that the sight of a spoon falling out of co^t ^ isn't particulady funny. It is the sound it makes when striking the E ady on

floor that is funny. A wooden stage or platform is the perfect surface for creating a loud crashing sound. A catpeted floor is the worst as it produces what is essentially a silent movie. There is such a difference in the audience reaction that I had the guys at Bill Smith's Magic Ventures create a portable sound-inducing surface. Two pieces of eighthinch thick aluminum, measuring fourteen inches squafe were attached together with a piano hinge. The top surface was painted with an extremely durable black paint to make it less noticeable when lying on the floor. I pre-set it upstage before the show and then just kick it downstage as the spectator is walking up ftom the audience.

I

it to local shows since I'm never sure what type of surface I will be faced with. Because of its weight, I never fly with it. Most hotels have dance floors that arc assembled from three-foot squafes of parquet wood. One of these squates makes a perfect target for my cascading cutlery. I have used a v^rtety of other objects in a pinch (metal serving trays, pieces of masonite, etc) because the sound always bting

is such an tmportant element.

After years of performing this routine as wtitten, I had an rdea invoiving the scissors that I thought would be an improvement. You may think that the idea is totally unrrecessary but I really love the three visual moments that this addition provides. Each moment helps strengthen the effect that the blade of the scissors has actually been shoved through the coat.

The scissors in my act measure ten inches long and this idea required that I purchase a second matching pair. One pat of scissors is gimmicked in the same way that a Spirit Nut is gimmicked. For those unfamiliar, this is a brass flut that is actually two separate halves that can be split apart and then joined back together. Two slotted steel pegs hold the two halves together. The precision machining makes

194

Ictmpt, [on,fwrBlu.lnpr 6 lttwm

it impossible to see the dividing line even when you know where to look. During my years atJohnson Ptoducts I made hundteds of Spirit Nuts but for the machining of this pau of scissors I turned to an old friend who once worked atJohnson Products and now tuns his own shop.

First, three small welds permanently fastened the two scissot halves together. There was orle on either side of the pivot point and a third where the two handles touch. The scissors were then cut in half two

from the end of the handle. The welds kept the two handles together as orie unit and the two blades together as a second unit. Hotding the blade unit, point down in a vice, a small hole was dtilled into the cut-off end of each blade. Matching holes were drilled and a quarter inches

into the cut-off ends of the handle unit. The holes in the blades should be directly opposite the holes in the handle. Then two pins measuring three-quatters of an inch long were machined out of steel and a slot was cut half way down each pin. These pins were of such a diametet that when they were hammered into the two handle holes for half their length they remained permanently fixed in place. The exposed pin ends (with the slots) could then be slid

into the holes in the blade. A slight chamfer on the pin ends along with a slight countet-sink in the opposing holes made fitting the two halves together abreeze. The slotted pins hold the blade in place but not so tightly that it can't be removed. Fig. 31.

During the performance, I pinch the pivotpoint of the blade unit between my right thumb boles in the blade. The two haluet can be separated ttsingjun one hand. and index finger while my other fingers hold onto the handle. With this grip I am able to seParate the two sections using just my tight hand. Occasionally, the two halves become loose and the blade unit is

Fig.

)l

Two splitpins in the handk

f.t snttg!

into twa corresponding

knife blade down into each slot, the pin halves are expanded open siightly, thus regaining their gripping power on the blade. these scissots live in my left inside coat pocket. A During my ^ct, few well-placed stitches have divided this pocket into two distinct able

to fall off of the handle. By forcing

a

t91

lrktr Gvnw Wotont

sections, a ftont and a rear.If I m doing my full

show,I can put the gimmicked scissors in the rear section and the ungimmicked scissors in the front section.Frg.32. During my Bill in Cigar toutine, I can easily locate and remove the ftont scissors and use them to cut open the cellophane cigar wrappet. These scissors are then returned to the front compartment. Latelwhen apafu of scissors emefges from this same pocket, there is no feason for anyone to believe that they are not the same

paf.

FA. 32 81 diuiding ry packet into ttva wbicheuerpair

of

scissors

During the early days of my professional career I closed my ^ct with the Linking CoatHangets. When the ArmJuggling routine came along, I found that the Coat Hangers couldnt follow the Arms and the juggling routifle became my closer. Years later when this routine was developed, I discovered that nothing could follow the ptoduction of the silvetware and chicken. And from 1981 to the ptesent, I still haven't found a routine that produces bigger laughs or as strong a punch at the fnish. The routine consists of two phases. First is the penetration of the scissors thtough the spectatof's coat. Part Two is the production of various items from the coat. The f,rst phase gives me a reason to bring

ftom the audience, have him remove his coat and display it to the audience. If this spectator had been stealing silvetwate it was certainly possible that something might accidentally drop out of his coat. The appeatance of the fitst spoon is surprising but there was a spectator up

nothing contrived about it. It could be happening. The part of the routine that needed justifying was, "'W'hy are you pushing those scissors through his coat?" I answeted this question by designing a routirie that has nothing to do with scissors, coats, or silverware.

By 198i, theyear this toutine was developed,I was starting to figure out who I wanted to be on stage. This, of course, is the most 196

I

sections

I an

need withoat besitation.

able

to

pick ap

fctttoBt. Am.

lwnwm

G

Arcun

difficult pa:t of becoming a magtcian And, I'm sorty to say, cannot be learned from a book. It is a long, slow, and sometimes painful process that starts with you standing in ftont of a mrrcot and taking stock. Dont be disheartened by what you see. Remember, even the Elephant Man had a successful career in show business. It took many years of false starts down the wrong path befote I finally decided that

I wanted to be a guy who

made preposterous statemeflts and claimed

to possess avartety of astonishing abilities. I would say things that convinced the audience I was an idiot, but in the end, I would some-

I

to do. My unlikely successes could sometimes be explained by magic, periodically to skill and occasionally to plain old dumb luck. By approaching the Scissors and Coat routine from this angle, I decided to make it a demonstration of my recently-acquired skill as a hypnotist. During the demonstration it is clear to the audience, not to mention the gentleman from

how manage to accomplish exactly what

set out

the audience who has joined me onstage, that no one is hypnotized, but I blissfully carcy on, convinced that the spectator is under my complete control.

his only response

If I then do something catastrophic to his coat and is to smile, then he must be hypnotized. Yes, I know

it doesn't make any sense but remember, I'm an idiot.

The spoon dropper is installed onto the bottom of the pitcher. Approximately sixty spoons are loaded inside the pitcher and the ioops in the trays arc attached to the dropper. The pitcher is lying on its side on top of the trays and the whole assembly is slid into the stool where it occupies the left side of the compartment. At the last minute, the chicken is placed into the load bag and she is insetted into the right half of the compartment. The load bag strap is snapped onto the handle and the Velcro strips are pressed together. The prepared piece

of newspaper is lying on the clear plastic shelf under the stool and the gimmicked scissots are in the left inside coat pocket, rear section, handle end up. The handle of one ungimmicked spoon is tucked behind my belt on the right side and temains there undisturbed throughout my entire act. The bowl of the spoon extends above the belt and is covered by

-y

jacket.

59t

Mn Aunw Wotomt

A gentleman wearing a coat is invited onto the stage. \)Uhen working for a corporate group or private part\, this person is often predetermined. This doesnt mean that the persorl has been tipped off, just that someone has indicated to me that this person is the boss, the host, or someone else that everyone in attendance knows and likes. \X/hen performing in a theater I always peek out at the crowd and locate at least a couple of gentlemen who are wearing coats.

I am z big believer of using walk-up music. A short snappy tune that, along with the applause, flls the time required by the spectator to walk up on stage. For this description we'll assume his name is Ardan and he is positioned on your right.

I

cowldn't help but notice this louelt coatlou'ae chosen to wear this euening and

b1 chance,I need to borrow a coatforthis experirzent.

Coaldyu slide out

of the

coat?

As he is removing his coat,

I

step forwatd and, gesturing to the

houndstooth pattern on my coat, say to the audience,

I

would

/./se

mJ own coat bat it's realfi bas1.

(Thank you Mac ICng)

Taking his coat from him, gesture toward the stool seat and Hop ap here on tbe seat of hono4

both

feet on

the

say,

front, and knees together

Show basiness.

Oftentimes the spectator will sit angled toward me with one foot

ofl the front bar and the othet on the left foot rest. In this position his left leg would inhibit opening the trap in the stool. Your instructions to keep both feet on the front and his knees together reinforces the idea that how he sits on the stool is impottant. As you say the last two wotds, "sho.w business," point toward the audience. The act of closing his knees always generates a good

Iaugh.

Hold the tight shoulder of his coat with your right hand and say, Hold tbe coat right here, as you're bumping his left forearmwith your right elbow. Your goal is to get him to grab onto the coat with his left hand. Fig. 33. With each additional bump, repeat, Rigbt here, i90

Ftg. )3 Bunping tbe spectator's /eft arn withyar ight elbow wi// eilcltffage hint to take the coat with his left hand.

l*yr,pr, {1,,fl iitrupw*pr 6 furwx

This spectator is denonshatitrg

tlte proper po.e ition J'or

a clticken tuan:.feet on

the

fi"ont, krces togetber,

ltagingt/te:ide of ilse sfool, and il:e boltoru edge oJ' tlte conl ltangingbelar.'tlte Taping of Nada x Aqai a 2006 TI' leies in l\,Iadrid, Spait.

coat

seat

of

the stool.

left hand takes hold of the coat zher your words slightly. Rtght hand bere, right hand here, first softly, then louder and louder. Eventually, he realizes that you want his tight hand to right here. The moment his

hold the coat. As he switches hands

say,

You're notfrom around here arelou?

Another line that doesn't mean anythiflg but genetates a laugh. If he misses your cue and takes the coat with his right hand from the start, no harm done and you just ptoceed. Left hand holds on ouer here, like a ballfgbter Position his two hands so the right side of the coat is touching the left side of the stool and the bottom of the coat hangs below the bottom of the stool. Pick up the gimmicked newspaper, put it undet your left arm and step forwatd to address the audience. IU like to thank Ardan for coming ap here tonight so that I can demonstrate foryou the ancient and seldom seen art of fupnotism. Now, most oflou probabfi think tbat recentlt,

I

becoming a hlpnotist requireslears haue discouered that after

andlears ofpractice and stad1. lYell

onfi a coaple euenings of trial and erro6

the

ba:ic: of fupnosis can be learned lry ary idiot. Allaw me to demonstrate. )./q

illn

Awnrv i/ot,ont

My entire stage persona is embodied in those last few wotds. Not only are these lines tremendously important to my character developmeflt, but the1, also elicit a fine laugh. I have basically announced to the crowd that not onll, 26 I an idiot, but I'm too much of an idiot to everi rcaltze it. That is the basic theme to my entire act. It's hard to believe that it took years for me to figure out this simple premise but once

I did, selecting material

and writing routines became a whole

lot

easier.

Step back and address the spectator.

Ardan,

I

am going to coant backwardfrom

into a deep hlpnotic trance. Fiuefou4loar

fue to one. As I doyu willfall

e)es are

getting heaul4 three, two buckle

m1 shoe, one, s/eE.

On "sleep," your tight hand gently pushes the spectatot's head forward as if he has fallen asleep. Ardan hasfallen into a deep hlpnotic trance. Toproue m1 complete controlouer him (looktns straight at the spectator) Ardan, look me in the ey.

I7hen he looks ovef at )rou... Like a robot, be obey m1 euery command. Sometimes the spectator thinks it's funny to keep his head down and not look at me. I combat this tactic by standing motionless while continuing to stare at him. I don't cate how long he sits thete, I'll stand there longer. Sometimes the wait seems endless but eventually he sneaks a peek over at me. The longer the wait, the funnier the 1ine. AsfurtherprooJ I will attempt another experiment' this time using a small square of newspape7 thi:

pair

of cuticle scissors, and

ArdanJ

coat.

During this line take the newspaper ftom under your arm, unfold it once, and then tear the side closest to you all the way down to the fold. This exposes the gimmicked square, which you pull free from the full sheet. The torn sheet is dropped onto the stage and the gimmicked square is held in your left hand by the upper left corner so that the diago-

nal fold goes from the upper left corner to the Iower right corner. Ftg. 34. Needless to say, the audience is never allowed

window shade backing. Your tight hand removes the gimmicked scissors ftom your to

see the

inside coat pocket. 400

Fig. 14 This islour uiew of the newspaper rqilare. Tbe scirors blade will be pushed lbrugh tbe hole in the center.

fwnw,

l%hat

I

thougb IA do

is

\tr,

pash thue

lwrpwr,Bt 6 Arurn

scissors

throagh the back of the coat like this. Yoa'll

right

see

them come

ruPptng through right about here.

During the f,rst of those lines you repeatedly push the point of the scissors against the back of his coat right in the middle. Fig. 35. During the second line the scissors are moved to the audience side of the coat and the same spot is pointed at with the tip of the scissors. Fig. 36. Step forward and say directly to the audience, trig. i5'l-be b/rntpoint of the.rci.r.rors blade

i:

lWowldloa like to see tbat?

repeated/l,pasbed against

tlse inside aJ' the .rpectatori coat.

This always elicits a huge, unanimous reaction from everyone, except the volunteet. I\ow I think itJ interesting to note that under normal circumstances this woald enrage tbe owner of the coat. But, because

Ardan is in a deep catafiptic

this whole tbing rather laaghabk.

trance, be'll fnd

Sleep.

Upon the word "sleep" pass the blade of the scissots in front of the spectator's face, which usually makes him drop his head again.It should be noted that during the previous patter the spectator might be acting wide awake or sound asleep or perhaps a combination of both. Fig. 36 l[ouing tlte tpot nltere tlte

scissor.r

to tltefront

of

the coat,loa point oat the

.rcissorL tt,i// penehzte t/troagb the

ruateia/.

He didnt ask to come up onstage so anything he does is fine with me and it's usually funny. Whenevet you're speaking ditectly to the audi-

ence it's possible to keep an eye on the sPectator by using your peripheral vision. Occasionally

I will spin around and look directly

at

him

and he will quickly drop his head and assume the sleep position.

Having just passed the scissors down in front of his face,

say

to the

audience, He's oal like a ligbt.

During this line, both hands relax in front of you and using iust the fingers of your right hand, separate the two scissor halves. They remain in the same proximity but they're no longer pinned together. Then,leaning in, examine the spectator's face a bit closer. He s dang near dead.

It is during this line that the pointed end of the blade is pinched 40

Mwr Avrnw lfionant

between yout left thumb and index f,nger. The scissor blade is now hidden behind the newspaper square and out of the audience's view. Fig.

37.

Immediately the hands separate with the left hand carcying the newspaper square (and scissors blade) to the front of the coat and the right hand

carrytfigthe scissors handle behind the coat. The scissors handle is re-gripped in the right hand so the handle is pointing up. The right hand then moves to the top of the coat so the scissors handle is visible to the audience. As you say, Hold on good

and tigltt right here and right here, the handle

Ftg.

J7 Tlte stea/

is ruade

orJtlil are intent!, o:nrui7ing tlte speclator't tbefront of the coal .tild-)tlur igl)t

face. Then-1,0t11'left ltand ruoue.r to band ruoyes bel.tind tlte coat.

is moved over to the right shoulder of the jacket and then across to the left shoulder. During this

action the audience sees the handle, which subconsciously teinforces their belief that the scissors are indeed behind the coat. Fig. 38.

You do not direct specif,c attention toward the

The flash of silvet metal will register subliminally and that is all you want. This is the first of the three moments that convinced me to make a pair of gimmicked scisscissors handle at this point.

SOfS.

The newspaper square is being held in posi-

Ftg.

)8

The atdienrc catcbes a glinQte

of

tlte scissors hand/e as-1,0u

eilclttrage tlte spectator to bald the coal tigbtly.

tion at the center of the coat. Duriflg the next line, the right hand maneuvers the handle back into its original position and then immediately grips the non-pointed end of the blade (where the pin holes are located) through the cloth of the coat. Once you have a f,rm gtip, the blade of the scissors is released by the left hand. The scissors blade must now be moved to a position perpendicular to the newspaper. To make room for this adjustment, instead of moving the paper away from the coat (cteating a bad angle), use your right hand to pull the coat away from the paper. This will cre^te a cone-shaped space behind the paper wherein the scissors blade can momentarily hide. And

watch those scissors as thel go rigbt tbroagh tbe middle of the coat like

THAT! During this line,look straight down 407

at the coat from above and you

Itrrr4lt rtt-

t r.-1'

Pl to/o: -\

[

t

or.f tLll f rttt'ttd

ltt i.r tl/l l4'f ttrttlitl. 'litrlro Cirut Ptit ,\tdrid, .\:pit, 20 10.

rqtr,\ [ t4 o r.

u,ill see the scissors blade hiding behind the newspaper. Line the point of the blade up w-ith the star trap in the paper. On the \vord "TH,{T," push the blade forrvard forcefullr-. Remember, r'ou are supposed to be

forcing the blade through both the lining and the coat mateflal. i{otice tbat the onll expression on hisJace i.r one of anuse/lleilt. Nou', tbe b/ade oJ'tho.re scis.tztt ruokes on/1, ,,

1,r,

bo/e

in the rualerial.

.

aJ'cour.re,

.

The right hand retains its grip on the tu,o scissors halr.,es. During the second of those lines, r.our left hand slides the paper square off of the blade revealing, apparenth., that the blade is sticking right through the coat. Twisting the scissors at this point adds greatir to the illusion. This mor.e u.as inspired bv the old Finger-Through-Hat trick that

utilized a false linser. This visualh' stunning moment is the second reason

I made the gimmicked

scissors.

81 ruoruentarill,renouingthepapersqtare, tlte audience isgiuen a bief glinp:e aJ the scissarc b/ade apparent! stickirry igltt tltrotrglt the coat. Co/on, Miclttgtn, 20/0. Pbato: Wlendel| Brcqit,r.

At this moment, you are holding the scissors handle in the right hand as well as the scissors blade through the cloth. The newspaper square is slid back onto the scissors blade. The left hand is now free to grab hold of the blade in front of the coat and through the cloth, the handle that is behind the coat.

ItJ when I pnll the handle ofthe scissors throagh the hole thatyu will artaalfi hear the material as it mends itself back together Listen to the magic.

During the first of these lines, the left hand pushes the handle up over the top of the coat until the audience can see the handle protruding from the lining of the coat. Fig. 39. They have riow seen part of the scissors on both sides of the coat,afleffectthatis so completely amaztng that the audience is given just the briefest glimpse before the coat is returned to its

original position. As soon as the handle is safely behind the coat, it is retaken by the right hand and dropped into your right coat pocket. Fig. 40.

404

Ftg. )9 fu,gnppittg both the band/e and the blade

inynr

leJt hand, tbe

coat can be ttrrned inside out, a/lowing the aadience to see the scissot's band/e

protnrdingj"oru the caat /ining.

On stttge at tlte London Palladiart, the spectatorjoins the audience in larghter nben he sees the scissors protradingfroru the back aJ' bis coat. 1996. Photo: Cary Hagbe:.

bandle

\X/ith the left hand holding onto the blade, the left thumb pushes the newspaper against the coat. This allows the right hand to get a

firm griP

(through the cloth) on the paper. Listen to the

magic.

This line is repeated rn an effort to quiet the crowd. The left hand tugs the blade toward the audience a couple of times as if you wete trying to pull the handle through the coat. The right hand presses the coat against the rear end of the blade, which gives the impression that the coat Fig. 40 Getting

id of the scissors handle at tbis point

great! sinQltfes

the handling tbat follouts.

is being pulled forward by the scissots handle.

Make sure that the tear end of the blade is still through the hole in the paper. By maintaining a fitm grip on the shade materialwith the right hand and forcing the blade down against the paper, the window shade will tear, creating an extra-loud ripping sound. trig. 41. Just prior to the tear

I always lean down and

position my microphone as close

as

possible to

the paper in order to amplify the rip. Of course

the audience believes that your attempt to pull the scissors handle thtough the hole in the material has unexpectedly torn the coat further. Your Fig. 41 Tbe paper is torn lt1 holding onto it throrgh tbe caat uilh1our igltt hand and palling doun on the scissors blade withyar left hand.

face takes on a look of distress. Oops.

405

Mrur Avrnw Wonoms

Look behind the coat as if you are investigating the problem. Oh bunner

Grab the scissors blade near the base with your left hand

yout right hand maintains its grip on the paper (through the cloth). As the scissors blade is carried away from the coat your left hand covets the space where the handle would be if it v/ere not in 1,e111pocket. Ftg.42. The scissors blade is waved in front of the spectator's eyes as you say, Deep, deep asleep. I got bang up on tbe lining. It coald as

Fig. 42 Thi: gip ruakes it appear as tltoryb I ant bolding the scissors b1, tbe bandle uhen infact tlte bandle is in nry patket and I an holdingjust tbe end oJ' tbe blade.

happen to arybod1.

The scissors blade is placed into your right inside coat pocket. For a

long time I wondered how I was going to reconnect the scissors han-

dle and blade, but eventually realized that it was totally uflnecessary.

Ditching the scissors handle early and then handling the blade as if it still had a handle avoided a multitude of potential problems. Simpler is always better. I can fix that. All it takes is a little extra squeery and ladies and gentlemen, tbat coat is just as good as new. During the first part of this line, your left hand wads up the paper square that is still held in place from behind by the right hand. On the word new the right fingers propel the paper forward where it falls to the floor. The coat is seen to be completely restoted. Fig. 43.

It worked! This moment is played

as

if that is the end

Ftg.

#

When the uadded-np paper rqtldre is tossed aual

band and the coat is seen lo be undatttaged, the

of the demonstration. To reinfotce this notion extend your left arm straight out to your side and a musical chotd here

will

also help. These actions

will

generate a tound of applause, duting

which you lean in toward the spectator, look at his face and then say to the audience... He is still in a

deep hlpruotic trance.

This will cause him to return to his sleep mode (eyes closed, head bowed). During this line, my left hand grips his coat by the collar just to make sure that the spectator doesn't inadvertentiy drop or move it 406

tick

blyar igbt

appears to be ouer

ktmpr.har,hwrBwm

G

Arum

during the steal. Yout right hand moves to the rear edge of the stool trap and pulls it open. It then reaches inside and takes hold of the gimmick handle and slides the entire load out of the seat. As the load is

lifted up and away ftom the

stool, the elastic band pulls the trap door closed.

The coat is taken from the spectator and laid over your tight hand, effectively coveting the entire load. Fig. 44. The left fingers push a fold of material between the right thumb and gimmick handle

Ftg. 44 Tlte steal is made arJztl dre leaningin to look at the spectatori face. Tbe ruat is tben takenfrom the spectator and laid ouer the load.

where it is held tightly in place. Having the coat

fall to the floor at this point would be disastrous. The coat (and load) are held entirely by your right hand directly in ftont of you as you take a few steps to yout left.

I

had betterget

hin

out of tbis deep hlpnotic trance before

we

go anlfarther..

You nevet make it to the end of this line because of an "unexpect-

ed" development. \X/ith the coat providing ample covef, your left hand teaches into youf own coat and removes the spoon that is behind your belt.

Fig.45. The instant it is out of your coat and safely behind the spectator's coat, drop the spoon on the floot. Your reaction to this spooll is one of

mild surptise and confusion. IYhat's this?

Pick up the spoon with your left hand and examine it closely, making sure that the audience Fig. 45 The audience uiew of tbe coat coueingtlte load andyar left ltand reaching

into1,o111"

sool

7o

pall

tbe spaon oat of

yur

belt.

look atttas weIl. Your right hand has moved to the right so the coat is no longer

gets a good

obscuring the front of you.

A

spoon?

Let the audience fgure out what is happening before you do. If the spectator is still acting like he is hypnotized, tap his shoulder with the spoon to get his attention. From hete to the end of the routine, you want his full attention. Part of the fun is his reaction to the situation.

(If you're petforming after a banquet dinner)

Oh, a little soauertirfrom

this euening! festiuities. 407

Mn Aunw Wommr

(If you're wotking in a theater)

Oh, stopped offfor dinner on tbe wa1 down

to the sbow.

Don't worryt about it, c07ne

one louslt spoon.

(Then looking at the audrence) Oh

0/t,Jla'ae done tbe same tbinglourself,

Your right index finger slowly starts revolving the wheel at the top of the gimmick, which dtops the f,rst few spoons. It is importa.rt at this point to hold the coat up high off the floor. I know that this is a heavy load but you need to maximize the space between the bottom of the coat and the floor. During the next minute, this is where all of the action is going to take place. You are as surprised at these spoons hitting the floor as you were when the

frst spoon dtopped. Take hold of the coat sleeve on the left

and shake it while releasing another flurry of spoons. Looks likeloa'ue got a matched

set.

More spoons fall.

I tbink he's got nruice for

eight iru there.

More spoons fall. Tbi: is more thanjust a hobfui withloa, isn't it? \X/hen you feel that there are only a few spoons temaining, raise the

end of the coat sleeve up to your mouth, take a big breath and blow.

At the same moment, revolve the wheel to its final position, causing blown them out the final Ioad of spoons to fall. You have ^pp^rently of the coat which is the sort of thing that might happen in a cattoon, but never tn real life. Your index finger immediately moves from the wheel to the trigger on the ttay dropper. IWell, I guus tbatl euerything. As the fnal wotd is spoken telease the first ttay, which makes a loud and sudden crash onto the floot. It will undoubtedly land on some of the spoons sending them flipping up into the air. The sound of this tray gives you a considerable statt. You'ue got euerytbing

in here bwt the kitchen sink.

Continue shaking the coat sleeve in silence fot a few seconds. You will actually hear members of the audience saying, "No way," as if they are expecting a kitchen sink to fall out of the coat. Finally you rea\ze what it is they are waiting fot. Yow didn't expect a kitchen sink

tofall out

of tbere?

At that moment the second tray is released. If it iands on the first tra,y ttwill cteate an even louder crash. In describing this routine to 400

(Opposite) Tbe

of

fnal

sbower

spoons is apparent$ blown

oat

of

tbe coat

P b o to : lY/en

de II

sleeue.

BreTi na.

J

A//

:ixfi,.rpcton.r

Jb/loled

14, tbe

ruut.Tl.te ttex/iten lr., rn.rlt hnd i.r //tepilrl)(r, c/.tirker. I-otdott, 2006. Pl.tolo: Afttt Aittk.ritat.

atd both tn4'.r hat'e.ltt//et.l)'olt

prttdtrclior ol

il-te

ilLe

their friends later I have actually heard sPectators say that sink fell out of the man's coat. I never coffect them.

a

kitchen

I'm kind of surprisedloa didn'tpick ilP lne of those nice waterpihhers jast to complete the set.

By now your right thumb has moved uP onto the button at the top of the ball lock pin. As the last word of that line is delivered, the button is pushed and the metal water pitcher is sent crashing to the floor.

I stand corrected. lWe//, Ardan,loa set qaite a tabk. Mind He always says, "sure." r:il

if

I

serue dinner?

During this exchange your left hand has re-entered the back of the coat, found the bottom fl,ap of the load bag, and pulled it open. The chicken has no choice but to land on your left palm. My chicken de-

finitely knows that when she feels my hand under her feet, everything is flne. Therefore, there is no need to hold onto her since she will do everything in her power to stay balanced on m)/ hand. Fot years my final line'was a standard line used by all waiters. lYbo ordered the chicken?

More recently I |-rur.. sard, Mind

f I serue dinner? (He savs sure)

Whaday like, chickenT (Regardless of what he says because the audience

can'thear him anyw'ay, I

sa,v) I'm glad he

didn't sa1 beeJ

The coat is pulled up and off the chicken. Your left hand raises the chicken into the air and in order to stay ofl your hand, she will flap her wings. This is the best way to let everyone in the audience know

I

fctvw

At this point no

har.

fwrBlu.lllpr 6

Arun

one believes that the spectator was stealing sil-

verware and he has been transformed into youf co-star. Gestute for

him to follow you downstage and, as you feturn his coat, direct the applause toward him. After shaking hands, direct him back to his seat and then redirect the applause to the chicken. When you reach the wing set the chicken down and retutn for y6s1 final bow sans bird. My chicken has my undying gratitude but I want this audience to remember me and me alone as the star of the show. During the three decades I have been closing my show with this routine thete have been more than a few circumstances that were unfoteseen. I always enjoyed wotking as the opening act for my friend The AmazingJohnathaninLas

Vegas. Johnathan is a f,ne businessman

who has developed an audience and a show that is a petfect fit. It goes

without saying that when the temperature hits triple digits outside, few people we r a jacket to the show. Without at least one jacket in the showroom, I have no finish. Each night I would study the crowd as they took their seats, looking for any kind of jacket. On mote than one occasion there wasnt a single jacket to be found. WhenJohflath^n strolled into the dressing room shortly befote show time, I explained my problem. "IJse mine," he said and a minute laterJohnathan's assistant had planted his beautiful new sport coat on a spectatot. The guy was perfect. He acted like the coat was his and seemed vety concerned at all the tight times.

At the end of the show Johnathan's

assistant

went out to retrieve the coat and the guy was gone. Apparently he didn't entirely undetstand the situation or, he just assumed that for his stellar performance he deserved a brand new jacket. As you cafi tmagine, Johnathan was not happy. Having learned ahard lesson, from that day forward I always carty spate facket when working in Las Vegas.

In 1993I

^

was the after-dinnet entertainment at high level confer-

in Aspen, Colorado that zttracted a bevy of corporate and political bigwigs. I picked a guy flamed Don out of the audience to be my chicken mauLater I found out it was Donald Rumsfeld who had been the Secretary of Defense under President Ford and would soon hold the same position in George \X/. Bush's cabinet. \7hile working withJorge Blass in Madrid, Spain I was able to present my act in Spanish thanks to the tutoring of my bilingual wife. The gentleman I selected one night to help with the chicken trick teceived a huge reaction as he walked to the stage. It wasnt until after ence

(Oppo:ite) Yes, I'm as sarpised

ar anJoile that the spectator bad a cbicken stathed in his coat. 201 1 Luruinato Festiual, Toranto, Canada. Pboto: Dauid Linsell ruaiey of Magtcana.

41

lrlwr (tvnw Wotont

the show when he and his family came backstage to meet the performers that I learned he was Luis Alfonso de Borbon the nephew of the King of Spain.

In 201,3I was performing

at the Oakland Magic Circle's annual

banquet and not surprisingly, the guy u'ho came up to help was a ma-

gician (David Fry). As I reached into the coat to produce the chicken I could hear ratdtns and feel something. I was sure it was spoons but

I couldn't find them. A week laterI received a phone call from David expiaining that his coat was fitted with a topit and some of my carefully machined spoons had disappeared into it.

In2004I

was the entertainment at the banquetth^t takes place a

few weeks before the Academy Awards where they present the sci-

entific and technical awards. On the Academy Awards telecast they always show a minute or two of this eveflt. Jennifer Garner hosted the evening that year and she was kind enough to assist me with the Bow & Arrow. The guy I picked for the Scissors and Coat routine was popular choice and he elicited a huge reaction from the crowd as he walked up on stage. I did my fake hypnottzingbit and all went well a

until he started overacting. The guy slumped completely over on the

On!1 onrc in nqt hfs haue to literul1, bold hiru

I

rpigbt

euer

actaal!, /2,pnotiryd :onrcone and

it

Don Rogers. I bad of Motion Pictarci

bappened to be

on the stool throaghout the rautine. 2004 Acadeng,

Scientifc and Technim/ Auards in Pasadena, Califirnia. Photo: LoryPhotogmply.

fcstoBt, har, lwrnwapr 6

1ttwn

stool and nearly fell off. I had to push him upright and hold him thete

throughout the routine. Instead of reacting to what was happening, he kept his eyes closed and his head down the entire time. It was like he

trying to win a special Sci-Tech award for bad actiflg. At the end I pretended to wake him up, returned his coat, and sent him back to his seat. The of the chicken always produces a huge reaction ^ppearance but I was disappointed in the reaction to the rest of the routine. Immediately following the show my friend Bill Taylor (a masterful creator of movie special effects and the photographer for this book)

u/as

came backstage to tell me that the reason the guy because he was hypnotized.

"Not possible," I

didnt react

said, "because

was

I dont

know the frst thing about hypnosis and even if I did, you cant hypnottze someone by saying, 'thfee, two buckle my shoe'." Bill didnt wavef, "The guy was hypnotrzed."

After the awards ceremony I ventured out and met the guy. His wife assured me that he had been completely hypnotized during my act and explained further that once when they saw a real hypnotist in a nightclub, her husband had gone under without even being on stage and the hypnotist had to come out into the audience and awaken him. From that point on I promised to use my powers only fot good. "&

Thoma: FrEs photogrEhed the

mess

tbat

I

left on$age after this 2007 pe(ornance in Munith,

Cernmnl. Tbe spoon dropper and load bag are bidden in plain :igbt.

415

htoughout this book you have repeatedly met Billy McComb

for the simple reason that he was a dear friend for most of mv performing life and was always wiiling to share his vast magtcal knowledge. The f,rst time I saw Billy perform was on the lt's Mdgic! Show in 1968 and during his act he did a miraclulous chicken production. Years later, whenever I performed my Silverwarc & Chicken routine at the Magic Castle, Billy would come backstage and we would trade chicken stoties. He marveled at my spoon, tray, and pitcher dropper and shared with me the two methods he used to produce

a

chicken. For as complicated as my gimmicks are, Billy's methods were

the epitome of simplicity and both represent the ultimate in environmental magic. Before Billy passed away he made arrangements for me to obtain the silks and load bag from his chicken production. For Here is the effect

in

I

will be the

in this book. \X/ilshire saw Billy perform at the Ebell Theater

some, Billy's Chicken Trick

best item

1968. He enteted the stage holding a number of 36-inch silk hand-

kerchiefs and walked straight into the audience. There was a low cur-

tain railing separating the audience from the orchestra pit and he laid the handkerchiefs over this railing. As each handkerchief was picked

up and handed to a spectator Billy would have something funny to

it. Eventually all of the silks were in the hands of different spectators and they were asked to thoroughly examine them. One by ofle the siiks were collected back and he carried them up onto the othetwise bare stage, After a few more witty quips he teached into the mass of silk and produced a rubber chicken. At this point the audience thought they were watching a funny but not particulatily ^m^zing trick. And that's when Billy kicked them in the teeth. Reaching back into the mass of examined handkerchiefs he produced a monster say about

(Opposite)

Bi/!

McCorub

prodaces a thicken daring an after-dinner shottt at

London hote/.

a

posh

chicken. At that moment this funny trick turned into a bloody miracle. \X/hete on earth did that chicken come from? Yeats later

I learned that this wasnt Billy's normal method but

one

that had been adapted for the situation at the \X/ilshire Ebell Theater.

4i

lrlwr Avnw Wononr

Concealed inside one

of

the handkerchiefs was

a

chicken load-bag that had a metal hook at the top.

A stiff

piece of metal ran

along one side of the bag and on the opposite side there were thtee hookand-eye catches. The three release pins were attached

to a black cord and one tug on this cord opened all thtee catches simultaneously. When the time came for the production The metal hook on the load bag

i:

hanging on m1

Billy would pull up on fngrr. The netal strip rans doun the left side of tbe bagwhile the tbree hook-and-ey rutches and the release cotd and the release cord can be seen on tbe ight. chicken would dtop out of the bag onto his other hand. Adding additionai silks to the gimmicked handkerchief effectively concealed the load.

With silks in hand, Billy walked down into audience. During the act of laying the handkerchiefs over the orchestra-pit curtain the metal hook was hung on the railing. The loaded

silk hung down the orchestra's side and was completely hidden by the curtain. The metal hook was never noticed as it laid over the railing.

Amid

a continuous

line of humor-

ous patter Billy handed out the

visible silks explaining where each one came from and a bit about the A,fter all of the handkercbief: bad been examined

Billy woald frst prodace a rubber

cbicken.

Once the chicken is secare

inside one

of

in the load bagit ltaqE

the )6-inch silks tbat bas been

stitched part-wa1 down one side. IVhen the other

silks are added the deception is conplete.

DwJ 1trrcn Turu

previous owner. Eventually all of the silks wete in spectators' hands and Billy's hands were completely empty. He made sure that everyone was aware of this. Then a couple of the silks were retrieved and laid

over the railing. A couple more were retrieved and as he passed by the f,tst two he picked them up along with the chicken. \X/hen the final silks were collected he walked back onto the stage. The rubber chicken provided a bit of time misdirection not to mention a laugh and sud-

denly the live chicken made his seemingly impossible appearance.

The original method was designed for

a

banquet ctowd with the

petformer working on a dance floot or bandstand and, like the adapted version, it is equally practical and devious. It utilized the same set

of silks and load-bag with a metal hook. In this situation Billy would walk out amongst the dinner tables handing out silks as he went. At one point the metal hook would be hung on the back of a guest's chair. The occupant of that chait, who had most likely just fnished

In a banqaet sitaation the handkercbief containing tbe bird is suneptitious! hung on the back of a spectatori chair. In tbis photo the silk in Bil!,i /16nr1 ;t coueing the cbicken. The blond wonan facing the mmera is exantining one

of

the handkerchiefs as is most euerlone e/se at her table.

49

Mur (rcnw

Wonomt

eating a roasted chicken dinner, would never have believed that a live bird was hanging inches away from their posterior. To help occupy her

attention she was given one of the silks to examine. After handing out the final handketchief Billy made sure that everyone could see that his hands were empty before collecting the silks and picking up the load bag. He wandered back to the performing atea, produced the rubbet chicken and then POWI the real chicken.

Compared to the elabonte hardware that my routine requires,

Billy's method is self-working and is nothing shott of brilliant.

fi

After

4t0

rollecting all

of

the examined silks Bi//), i1no,1t on a bare stage and produces a htrge cbicken.

Bi//1 McComb, Lance Barton, ChanningPollock, the aathor. Tropicana Hotel, Lns Vegaq 1988 Photo: Jobnryt Paal.

ou read in the Scissors Thtu Coat chapter how

I

added a live

chicken to my act in 1981. I knew nothing about chickens at the time and could not have imagined the trials and tribuia-

tions that lay befote me as I ttaveled the country with a chicken. The f,rst mistake I made was buying a rooster instead of a hen. As I soon learned, foostefs cfow, hens do not. And when a roostef decides it is

time to crow there is not

a

whole lot you can do about it.

I found this

out during an appearance on a television show that was broadcast live

from Resorts Intetnational in Atlantic City. My normal procedute was to be all ready in the wings and just before being introduced I would load the chicken. My faithful companion and I were waiting in the wings listening to the beautiful singing voice of Phyllis Hyman who at the time was appearing on Broadway in Sophisticated Ladies. Suddenly my co-star decided to join in and though his voice was not classically ttained like Phyllis'it was just as loud. On most television shows the standard line is "rWe'll fix it in post (production)" but with live television there is no post. No amount of pleading ofl my part alteted this rooster's determined little mind so I fnally scooped him up and ran as fast as I could a.way from the stage. Phyllis found the whole incident highly amusing, certainly more amusing than the lady who lived across the street from me back home. Het bedroom was perfectly situated to hear my feathery alarm clock (that never needed winding) go

off at sun up seven days aweek. Every chicken I have had since then (their life span is only six or seven years) has been a hen and every one (Oppo:ite) This pictare, circa /

987, depicts ne had

daing tbe uaudeuille

I

liued

era,

trauelingfrom tou,n to totvn utith a ltag trusted

of tick: and m1

partner uho has in-

aduertentl, wandered ofito the railroad tracks to

see ttthat's

traking that wbistling sound. Photo: Jack Reinbo/d.

has been named Smeddy.

Did you know that it is illegal to possess a live chicken within the New York City limits? That's what the folks at the New York Statler Hotel told me when they discovered Smeddy dutifully preening her feathers in my room. A dead chicken is street legal but a live bird is sttictly verboten. \X/hen checking into a hotel I normally dont ask if there is an extra charge for a chicken. I leatned long ago nevef to ask 471

Mw Auutrv

,#r,t',npr

dont want to hear the answer to. My usual procedure v/as to keep the cage in the bathroom w'ith the cage doot open. A sheet of newspaper slid under the front of the cage caught any wood chips she might track out of her cage. Most of her time was spent wandering atound the bathroom, sitting on top of her c^ge or in it. \X/hen I was in the room she would sometimes be allowed to a question that you teally

explore beyond the bathroom.

All chickens find floor-length mirrors to be endlessly perplexing. Suddenly, without warning, there

is not just another chicken in the room but anothet chicken that looks exactly like she does. Where did

from, how long has she been hete, and why doesn't she come out from behind that glass window? Repeated trips into the closet fatl to reveal even the she come

slightest evidence of another chicken and yet there she is, plain as day. And oh, so nosy.

l7ithout fall,

every

time Smeddy walks past that mtrror, there is that meddlesome chicken spying on het. There were times when these confrontations ended in fisticuffs. Smeddy

would lunge at this snoop only to be repelled by the protective glass. The fact that her rival was lunging back at exactly the same moment just made things u/orse.

At least once

a day Smeddy

would have to let

lYlto are1,aa, u,here didlou coruefrom, and til4t donTlou conte autfroru behind tbat glass so

I

can shou,'1ou tvba's boss?

her intrusive neighbor know who was boss by literally butting heads. One night I returned to the room and found the bathroom doot

ajar.I didn't find Smeddy in her cage nor anywhere else in the bathroom. I searched the bedroom and found nothing. I immediately searched both rooms again, this time mote carefully, and again tutned up nothing. This was very odd. A chicken is not capable of operating a doorknob so she had to be here some place. Or could she have been chickennapped by some holier-than-thou hotel employee? It then occurred to me that this was like one of those locked room

A live chicken is placed into a room. The windows don't opefl, the door is locked and now she is gone. Where did she go? "OI(

mysteries.

Smeddy, you fooled me. Come on out." Where on earth could she be?

It got to the point that I was looking in my suitcase, on the top shelf of the closet and inside the little refuigerutor. Then for the third time I pulled the floot-length curtain away from the wall and there she 474

y

arrt.rtic,tt: Il--lut ltu.r_lblr /tg.r, lhret Gurbtrye Ct4,,.\'ntedd1,il.tt cl.tickttt, dre.rsirg

tntr, ht'o Ltutd.r, tltd otrr lecker? Att.wrr: litl.toLr: XiglLt\ tnd Chritlr.,flL,:r'Harli tttttirttald lnttd,,rll of nltrtttt.rlun:d t

rt,olt ltt / 996 ul il.tt .\ydttel

Aftl l"trtirt/

itt

Atllnlla.

was calml), sitting on the floor trl,ing to sleeP amidst the commotion.

Practical joker or just a sleepy chicken? I never could decide which one she was.

In February of 2000

Smeddv and

I flew to New York Citt' to

perform for the Council on Foreign Relations, whatever that is. \X'e staved in st1'le at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and our show was just up the street at a consulate building. The afternoon of the show I walked over to scout out the facilitv and was told bv the doormanthat when the guests were arriving that evening I would not be allowed through the main entrance with a barnyard animal. \When I returned that evening I went around to the back of the building where I was confronted bv a different doorman. This time my feathered assistant is what got me through the door. When the doorman reahzed that

I

was carr\ring a chicken he swung the security door wide open. "Come

right in sir and follow me upstairs." No one in their right mind would

MttrGvnw

Wonomt

into a consulate in the middle of New York. After being escorted upstairs I explained that I would need an outof-the-way place to set up my ProPS. The doorman showed me into an office and prompdy teft. After setting up my actlhad some time to

use a live chicken to bteak

kill and how do you not look at paPers spread out on a desk. I didn't touch aflythiflg your honor, I iust looked. Holy &@o/o#! International banking improprieties, money laundering, illegal bank transfers. If someone had walked into that office and reahzed what was visible on that desk, heads would have rolled. Can you imagine the consulate security guard explaining to the authorities how an itinerant magtclafl gained access to this top secret infotmation? "The man had a chicken

with him your honor, what was I supposed to do?" It was a couple of months after I had retutned home and was reading the flewspaper that I had a deia vu moment. This article seemed vaguely famrhar and then it hit me. The press was just now blowing the lid off of that fraudulent international banking scheme that Smeddy and I had discovered two months earlrer. Years before this

I was part of

dead of winter. That's when

I

^

to:ur across Canada during the

Iearned that Canadian winters aren't like Pasadena winters.

I

knew that I could get a chicken

into Canada but I wasn't sure if I could get het out so I got a new bird (named Palsie) just for this tour. After the last show we were taken to the atrport where an

immigration agent told me that the chicken couldn't enter the USA. As I handed him the bird I said, "Her food is called Layer Crumble and a little cracked corn makes a nice tre t." Then we iust stared at each other for a long

time, me with a big smile on my face and he with his jaw hanging oPen.

Finally, 476

as

we had planned all

This cartoon fu Paal Van Ginkeqappeared in the Calgary Herald. M1 performances across Canada had not created a i?ple 0f pabliciyt and now m1 cbicken was a media star.

Itr Arun hpowt

along, the promoter who had accompanied us to the atpott took the chicken. After that, I only know what I read in the newspapet. Palsie

iittle chicken's story captivated a nation. They explained that in America CoI. Sanders was zftether and she had escaped over the bordet. The viewet who sent in the best ended up on a kids'TV show and this

letter explaining why they should have Palsie as a Pet would receive the bird on television. More than 2]}letters arrived at the station and the winner was a young lady named Linda Briggs who lived in a rented house. That was the end of the story, of so we thought. Weeks later Palsie was back in the news when Linda's iandlord issued het an eviction notice statiflg that she was rentiflg a house not

abarrryard. The photograph of Palsie and her helpless owner that appeared in the newspaper produced a huge resPonse from sympathetic

living on a nearby farm with plenty of other animals and awarm coop while the status of Linda Briggs

readers.

At iast report

Palsie was

was nevet teported.

Back in the glory days of chicken travel, befote 9/1.1,before TSA, while not necessarily easy, it was possible to take a chicken along on domestic fights.

I

once used a very simple travel container that

didnt

raise the slightest bit of suspicion: a large P^Pff bag. It was the kind of bag with handles at the top and once we were on the plane the bag

could be set on the floor with the top wide open providing plenty of light and air and inside there was food, water and wood chips to peck around in or take nzp orr. Very comfortable digs if you're a chicken.

^ Things started to go sour at the check-in counter when I was told that the flight back to Los Angeles had been oversold and I would have to wait for the next flight. This meant that instead of arriving home in four houts, I would just be starting my (our) iourney in four hours. The fact that as compensation they were going to seat me (us) in first class did little to unruffe my (out) feathers, but I couldnt very well say, "That's an awfully long time to keep a chicken in abag!" \)7ith plenty of time to kill I was able to go outside, find a gatden and let Smeddy dig fot worms for a good hour. But eventually it was time to jump back in the sack. We took our seat in first class and, flot being used to these plush surtoundings, soon after take-off I was sound asleep and so, I thought, was Smeddy. But she wasnt sleeping. She was in fact sick and tired of sitting in a paper bag and was busy pecking a hole in the side of the bag. Fot a chicken this is a long

4il

lrfitr Avnw Womnt

slow process but, Iike the Bird Man of Alcatraz locked up in his cell, eventually the job was done and freedom was on the other side of

that hole. When

I finally opened my bleary eyes I

saw a cushion

of

white tarl feathers disappearing under the seat in front of me. It never entered my mind that this might be someone else's chicken so, like a hawk datting down from the sky, I lunged and gtabbed onto those feathers, pulling my companion back from a guaranteed appearance on the nightly neu/s. Aftet securing het I felt gre t sense of telief ^ until I rcahzed that I now had a live chicken in one hand, p^pet ^ bag with a six-inch hole in the othet and 3 more hours at 35,000 feet ahead of me. Suffice to say I did not doze off during the remainder of the flight nor did I ever again use a paper bag to smuggle a chicken. I purchased a small pet kennel that could f,t under anauplane seat and made a cloth cover that disguised the factthat I was carrying an anrmal cage. Upon atriving the security check^t point I would just lift up the cloth cover and show them that there was a bird in the cage. They would generally peek inside, give me a look that said "You are one weird dude," and then send me on my way. Dudng the flight the cloth cover was raised providing her

with

plenty of ar and light. There was never an unpleasant odor and she was as quiet as a church mouse though

I'm no ex-

pert on how noisy mice are who reside

in churches. A chicken really is an ideal traveling companion. Much more so

thana few of the human companions I Tbb btff colored tbickea didn't show up on stage as well have traveled with. as a pbite bird bat :he was a great little assistant tbat The cage had watet, food, and a worked with me for1earc. Pboto: Dauid Bro. comfy layer of wood chips, just like home. You have to understand that when a chicken feels safe tn a warm environment with plenty of food and watet, there is no place she would rather be. Just like the feeling you have when you're home, this was het home, at least het mobile home. If this chicken were 420

hr Urun Upamtut

tossed into the

fitst

class cabin (which

I'm not suggesting)

she would

cettainly wander around looking for dropped peanuts but eventually she would f,nd het way back home. I don't think the same could be said for a dog

or

cat

imptisoned in one of these cages. I always found

it amusing that the person in front of me spent the entire fight sitting right on top of a live chicken and never knew it. On one occasion a security woman asked what was in the cage and I gave my usual arrswer, "A bird." She peeked in and then announced in a loud voice, "That's not a bird, that's a chicken!" She didnt seem to hear my explanation that chickens Me p^rt of the bird family, so technically we were both right. She had her own explanation. "Chickens are considered agriculture and we don't allow agrtcultrral animals on board out airplanes." I know you wont believe what she said next but I swear to you that these were her exact words. "Bringing that chicken on boatd is like bringing a cow on boatd."

As you might expect this line of teasoning left me momentarily dazed but fnally I had the foresight to say, "Yes, but a cow wouldn't

fit under the

seat

in front of me,"

Each of us now believed that the person standing in front of us was nuts but she was the one

the chicken.

I

with the badge and I was the one with

calmly walked away to ponder my situation.

Sitting on a bench some distance aw^y I watched the security force at work separating the terrorists ftom the god-fearing Americans. I thought about my research into those X-tay machines and how they are actually very safe. You wouldnt want to ride that belt into the X-tay machine and fall asleep in there but one quick Pass, flo problem. Then I saw my security agent "ftiend" leave her post and go on

a

break. My window of opportunity had opened. Gathering my things

I returned to the line. My shoulder

bag was set oflto the belt, Smeddy

got her X-ray and we were on our way. Just like that. Proof that this btief X-ray is actually safe lies in the fact that today most of us passing

through airport security stand like a plucked chicken in that full-body X-ray machine and get zapped ourselves. Over the years, while atpott security has gotten tougher and tougher, it has not gotten any smarter. It seems as though each airport has its own set of rules and doesn't give a hoot what you were told in any other airpott.

4t9

lrlwtAvnw riononr

Chicago's O'Hare airport is hands down the worst place in America to be burdened with a chicken. If you learn nothing else from this book, Iet it be this: Never, ever attempt to carry a live chicken through Chicago's O'Hare airport.

OI(, you've been warned. If sometime in the future you find yourself stranded at O'Hare with a chicken under yo:ut Zrm, dont come cfymg to me. As a publisher of books, if I was ttaveling to magtc function, I ^ usually had a chicken in one hand and aheavy box of books in the other. On one occasion I breezed through Los Angeles Intetnational

Airport but when I attempted to pass through O'Hare's secudty I was stopped.

"nflhat's in the cage?" Rathet than saying, "A chicken," I always answeted this question by sayrng, 'A bird." It sounded far less intimidating to people who didn't know the first thing about either one. The TSA guy peeked into the cage. "You're not taking a chicken through this aitport." "What do you mean?" I said. "They let me onto the plane in Los Angeles."

"Well you'te not ifl Los Angeles, you're in Chicago." It still seems odd to me that upon seeing the chicken some security people called their associates over to look at the cute little chicken and then sent me on my way while othefs turned me away and couldn't care less if I missed my flight. In these situations I always started out playing Mr. Nice Guy. "Hey, but she is a magic chicken, part of my magic act. She has more ftequent flyer miles that most of the people on this flight." !7hen this fails I turned into Mr. Not-So-Nice Guy. "\Well what do you suggest I do with my pet? Just leave her hete?"

"\7hy don't you make her disappear!" was the usual reply. As out discussion played out I managed to maneuver my way to the othet side of the screening tables. In other words, even though I had been stopped, I was whete I needed to be. My adversary soon turned his attention to the impatient people who had backed up behind me. My books znd cage had been pushed off to the side where I was out 450

iltr

Arun

hpomcut

of the way as I weighed my options. Eventually I developed a plan and why I thought this plan had a snowball's chance in hell of working I have no idea. The hallway ahead of me that led to the planes seemed endless but fat in the distance I could see where another hallway branched off. If I could somehow make it to that turn, I might have a chance. But two steps in that direction would trigger an attack by the secutity offcets who were right in front of me. And caffytng that box of books would be like dragging an anchor through the sand. But I had no othet options. \X/ith a chicken in one hand and an overweight box in the other,

I

started walking. Two steps, four steps, six steps.

Don't look back. Just keep walking. Twenty yards, thirty yatds. I can't believe it. Are those guys blind? At forty yards my atm holding the books felt like it was going to fall off. That turn up ahead was like the me to stop? end zone. If I make it, we win. Why is no one yelling ^t I can't believe I m doing this! I tutned the corner and started running. But running to where, I had no idea. Then I ducked into a men's room. For the next 30 minutes I sat locked in a stall with an illegal chicken cage in my lap. At any momeflt I envisioned an atmed gtard bursting into the bathroom and yelling at the other occupants, "Did a man with a chicken come in here?" But as the minutes ticked by I felt safer and safer. Eventually, all

I could think of was the punch line to

that old joke... "\Vhat, and give up show business?"

During the long flight home I dreamed of other ways that a chicken might be surreptitiously carried on and off an artplane. Aftet all, I was a professional magician. I made my living accomplishing the impossible. I would not let these guys beat me. If I may be so bold, my f,nal solution was sheer genius. It started with a nylon shouldet bagthatwas just big enough to hold the chicken cage. One end of the bag was turned into a flap by cutting down the

Thin sttips of Velcro sewed along the cut edges allowed me to secure this end closed. Around the sides of the bag there were plenty of ar holes. This bag, containing the cage, sides and across the bottom.

water, food and wood chips, could be safely sent through the X-ray machine. The only thing left to smuggle was the chicken.

It all came down to attitude, body language, the coat I was wearing, the newspaper I was carrying and the chicken load bag from my act. No matter what city I was in or how hot the u/eather; I always wore my chicken smuggling coat to the airport. As I approached the 41

Mn Avnw

l'iionont

security areal would duck into a rest room. The chicken would be loaded into the load bag and the strap would be hung ovet a pen that was clipped to my left inside pocket. By holding a folded newspaper in

my left hand my arm could assume a natural position that effectively disguised the lump under my coat. I would then walk up to security,

put the shoulder bag on the belt, walk through the X-ray atchway (I never kept metal objects in my pockets), pick up mv shouldet bag and be on my viay.

If

anyone decided to look inside the shoulder bag and

wondered why I was carrying an empty cage I would have explained

that I was going to pick up

a

very rare bird. It nevet happened.

Walking to the next rest foom, I would enter the stall, remove the load bag from my coat, produce the chicken and put her back in her cozy little home. The amount of time she was concealed in the load bag was far less than she would be during our act.

I

always tm^g-

ined Smeddy dropping out of her load bag in that stall and thinking, "$7here's the audience and who booked us into this toilet?"

I

used this technique on so many flights

eventually

in so many airports that

I felt invincible. It was truly the perfect ctime. Then

one

I nearly had aheart attack My genius plan went terribly wrong. Didn't this lady know she was just supposed to send me right on through? I hadnt set off any alarms so why was I getting patted down? day

"\7hat's this?" she said. "That's my newspaper," I said nervously. "No, this right hete?" My confdent attitude and body language crumbled. "Thatt my coat."

"No, this lump under your coat. \X/hat's that?" The honest answer to her question was simple. "It's a live chicken." But I couldnt say the words. I didnt want to lie so I just stared. I felt Iike Billy Hayes, the American kid in Tutkey who got caught with

drugs strapped to his body in the movie Midnight Express. After what felt like

a

week of this lady tapping the lump in my coat

answer her question

I decided to

with my own question.

"Do you know what a colostomy

bag is?"

I can't believe I said that either, but she immediately stopped tapping and her eyes widened. After just two more words, ouf conversa-

tion was over. She said, "Go ahead." If you're not familiar with the purpos e of a colostomy bag, this is not the time or place to have that discussion. Suffice to say that it 41t

hr Gtwm hBonw

allows a human body to continue functioning even after tt has lost the

ability to perform one important function on its own. Chickens don't have s'weat glands, so the sudden dousing of petspir^ttot't that accompanied my walking away from that embarrassed security woman must have confused poor Smeddy. I walked to the rest room devastated that my method was riot as perfect as I once thought. Duting the flight home I closed my eyes and designed one final addition that would make my smuggling act the most perfect and devious part of my magic act.I actually imagined closing rrry act by producing the chicken from a spectatot's coat and then explaining

to the audience exactly how I smuggled the bitd through the airport. They would be on their feet. So here is the ultimate, though disgusting, chicken smuggling device. It is a chicken load bag that looks like an actual colostomy bag, meaning that it is made out of waterproof plastic. The finishing touch is a short piece of clear, flexible tubing. This tube is filled with split pea soup and then both ends are permanently sealed closed. One end is pushed through a tiny incision in the top of the bag and held in place with clear epoxy. There are no straps on top of the bag but rather a belt that the top of the bag is attached to. I know that this doesn't even resemble a teal colostomy bag but my theory is that aitpott security ttaining does not delve to deeply into this delicate subject. 'W.hen I duck into the rest room the chicken is loaded into this new improved bag, the belt is buckled around my mid-section and the other end of the soup tube is tucked down my pants. "Of course you can see it off,ce r, tt's a colostomy bag. Would you Iike me to remove it so you can wipe it down for explosives? That's right, I eat alot of chicken. Is that against the law too?" It was some turbulent ait that woke me up from my deep sleep. Wow, what a dream. A chicken-colostomy-load bag, split pea soup,

this chicken smuggling had finally gone too far.I'm pleased to say that I nevet tried any of these ultimate imptovements and hope that you won't eithet. In fact,would it be too much to ask if you would just tear the last few pages out of this book? It could save both of us a lot of grief later. After my unnerving colostomy caper I decided that my smuggling

I

that eventually I was bound to get caught. I was too old fot this life as a days were ovet.

had pushed my luck so fat for so many ye rs

451

professional smuggler/magician.

I still loved

producing a chicken out of a spectator's coat at the end of mv act but perhaps there was a wa1, 1o do it without breaking a litanv of FAA rules? Yes there u,as.

One of the manv advantages of living in Southern California (and being close to the mor-ie industrr) is that anr tvpe of material and everv sort of craft person is ciose at hand.

I decided that I wanted

someone to

make a realistic fake chicken for me, but where

do 1'ou find someone who makes animals? Animal Nlakers in Nfoorpark, California.

I took Smeddl'out to the folks at Animai N{akers and explained what I rvanted: a hand

'l-he

krrt ln,ttu (/itt'ttt//1') ol Ralto Click.'l'lta nst-fh.ttit !(rt'a /il0t0fi il.n/ optrtlt il.tc tt'ltgr ttl l.teod.

ltr.,d1 l.'r,rr',

'

Tlt 1ttum hnomcur

held, battery operated, animatronic, perfect-looking, white Cochin hen. They measuted her, photographed her and watched her flap her

wings. All agreed that Cochin hens are complex, but amazingly efficient, little machines and they were confident that they could duplicate het. In their imptessive shop I was surtounded by dozens of incredible

Iooking animals, everything from the Budweiser frogs to a full size rhinoceros so there was no reason to doubt them.

I visited the shop a couple of times during construction to

see

how she was coming along. The collection of battery-operated setvo motors that operated her wings and head wete designed to f,t inside body that had been cast out of plastic. I wanted to be able to imperceptibly these motors while the chicken apparently ^cttv^te perched on my outstretched fingers. Realistic looking feet would not a chicken

be an issue since a Cochin hen's feet ate coveted by the feathers that extend down her legs. In place of feet they installed ahorizontal tube near where the chicken's feet would normally be.

In front of this tube

was a trigger that started and stopped the motors that flapped the

wings. By inserting my left thumb into the tube and wrapping my index fnger around the trigget, I could hold the chicken tn a natural position. When the trigger was pulled the servo motors made both wings flap and the head move forwatd and backward.

The final step u/as to feathet the bird using teal chicken pin and fight feathers and then install the glass eyes. Visually Robo Chick (as she was named) is a marvel to look still photograph it is dif^t.Ifl ^ ficult to tell Robo Chick from a real chicken. At first I thought that the more the wings flapped, the more realistic the chicken would performance, this thinking turned ^ppear.In out not to be true. Chickens don't fap theit wings because they want to fly but because they are trying to regain their balance. The backand-forth movement of the head is also a technique used to maintain theit balance. So after producing her from the co^t, few flaps hete ^ and a few more there produced the best effect. But having the head and the wings moving in unison looked a bit mechanical. After a few shows I brought her back to Animal Makers for a tune-up. Her head was disconnected from its motor-driven armature and mounted to the end of a spring. After further trials I decided that this spring was too stiff so in my own workshop I beheaded Robo Chick and sttetched this spring out to about twice its original length. Once she was 411

hr 1run hponmt

re-headed the spring was stiil covered by feathets but novi the slight-

of the chicken caused her head to bob up and down, as if she were trying to maintain her balance. Also, in the act of petting her with my right hand I could manipulate her head up and down and make her look left and right. These head movements coupled viith sporadic flapping of the wings is what gave Robo Chick life. Having Robo Chick built was a big expense but I have always feit that it was v/orth it. I have ptoduced many other objects as a finish to my Silverwate & Coat routine and nothing else ever generated as large est movement

re ctrofl as a chicken. Robo Chick has allowed me to use my preferred f,nal production no m^tter whete I was working in the country a

or the world. And with Robo Chick, instead of waiting in the wing and loading a live chicken just before I am inttoduced, I can load the stool long befote the show starts and not have to worry.

It is ironic thatl used to travel with a live bird that was completely harmless but illegal.

No-, Robo Chick is completely legal and yet

when viewed orr an X-tay screen she looks like a time bomb. But

I

don't make the rules, I just bend them.

o=>-<3

(Opposite)

lY ben audience

members later ask

f

the bird

actualfy trauels with me on tbe

plane tben

I

know tbat Robo

Chick ba done herjob. And for the ruord, tbe pboto on page 41

2 is also of Robo Cbick.

Whrn I 0rrr workiil$ 0rr 0 pr0b[0rn I never think cirnul hr*uiy. i only ;hinl*

ubout how t0 iolve the probtem. Eut whpn I hovt finiinei. bqnutifui. I know

if tht lftluti$rl ir ii*t

it ir tureng.

201 1 l-nninato Futiual Toronto, Canada. Pboto: Dauid

Linsell cottrtesl of Magicana.

*q:rk*iinsirr Eutiqr

41t

ffiSTEffiHHG

Y*4ffi Hffiffi

ffiffi$fi$

ver the years I have hosted a lot of magic shows. It's not a job

I

went looking for but tather a task that tends to land in the lap

of the talking act. The convetsation usually goes something like this: "The date of the show is this and we would like you to do about fifteen minutes and we're paying this much." That's when I say, "OI(, that sounds fi.ne." Then as an afterthought they throw in, "Oh, and

you'll zkeady be there we thought that you could introduce the acts as well." On a few occasions I have said, "So, you meafl I'm actually doing two hours, not iust fifteen minutes" which usually produces since

nervous laughtet and a prolonged silence.

The fitst time I can remember emceeing was back in the late 1960s on the Long Beach Mystics It s Ama{ng shows. On these occasions I basically did what most people think the job is: I introduced the acts. Ovet the years I have discovered that hosting a show is an immenseiy important job that involves much more than iust announcing names.

A bad emcee can single handedly destroy an otherwise good show and an expetienced emcee can make a good show great. Hete are some suggestions that might help you navigate through wltat canbe a dan-

gerous minefield.

Hosting a show can be compared to pushing a snowball down a mountain. The host's first job is to establish himself as a likeable and informed person whom the audience feels comfortable following on this journey. After creating some anticipation fot what is to come he shoves that snowball over the edge by introducing the frst act. If the opening act successfully gets that snowball rolling down the mountain then your job largely becomes just staying out of its way as it grows bigger and bigger and moves faster and fastet. Whenever possible I like to be involved in cteating the otder of

the show and

I

always try to put a top-notch silent actttt the open-

ing spot. A gteat opening act sets the tone fot the entire evening and makes your and evefyone else's job a lot easier. For variety you should consider alternating talking acts with silent acts. If one act needs to 459

Mtvr (mmrv U,/ononr

pre-set a lot of props on the fullstage, schedule rt after a'n

that can ^ct work in one or on the apron. This will provide the complicated act plenty of time to set their props while the ptevious act is working in

front of the curtain. Simple things like this will minimize the time that the emcee needs to kill between acts. Unlike some emcees who Iike to perform a trick between every act, my goal is to fill only as much time as is absolutely necessafy. Sometimes acts with iust a couple of tables will request two or three minutes to set their props. Two or three minutes is an eternity. I'm sure they are surprised when I say, "I'll give you a minute" but they are always ready with time to sPare. Stagehands are often iust friends helping out afld they sometimes explain that they have to then set the table for strike a prop and chair from the previous act ^fld the next act. Suggest that if the next act's table is carried out and set into position and then the previous act's Prop is set on the chair and both are carried off together, the entire exchange can be accomplished during one quick trip. A well-balanced show is made up of avariety of acts with some being fast-paced while others are slow, some are hilariously funny while others are serious. The emcee should give the audience time to shift gears as he sets the tone for each performer. Your goal is to make the audience feel that what they ate seeing on that stage is being done just for them. Sure you may have done the same show the night before and you may be doing it for anothet week but on that night it has to feel like it was iust fot them. Most of the other perfofmers will be doing their "acts as known" so it's uP to the emcee to make the audience feel like this night is special. The way to do that is to talk to them, not at them. If yout intros and outtos sound like you are reciting a. memortzed script the audience will seflse your insincerity. You must strive to make everything you say feel "in the

moment." To me, the outro (what the emcee says after afl act) is at least as important as the introduction. I always want to say something about

trick or a volunteer from the audience or aflything else that proves I was watching the act from the wings. As I am watching an act, foremost in my mind is trying to think of something clever or funny to say as afl outfo. \X/hat will appear to the audience as an ad Iib will most likely be something I have spent ten ot fifteen minutes a specific

440

Mwrrmrcrar (rBrmonu

thinking about. As emcee I highly recommend that you watch as much of the show as possible. If disaster strikes (and it will) guess who gets to go out and save the day? Once in Chicago I had just introduced AtdanJames,

The Animated Illusionist, and he started his routine where a handkerchief comes to life and pulls him across the stage. Suddenly the power went out, cutting the lights and sound. Being famtltar with Ardan's act I walked out and announced in my best non-amplified voice that we would start Afdan's act over again once the powef was restored.

Then I joined Ardan in trying to muscle his animated handkerchief back into the wings. The audience could barely see us and there was no music but they realized that we were totally off script as v/e struggled to drag this bit of cloth off stage. I don't know what we would have done next but

^g^tn

it didn't matter, the power came back on and I

introduced Ardan.

Anothet time in Las Vegas an act needed a bit of time to set uP so I performed the Lubor Die before his inttoduction. As described elsewhete in this book the routine involves taking a wooden box out of a die and then putting the die into the box. After announcing the performer's name I walked into the wing only to find out that there was a major problem that would require a couple more minutes. I was still holding the wooden box in my hand as I walked back out on stage. The audience had iust seen the toutine so riow they were going

it backwards. I reversed the patter, which didnt make any sense, and basically te-set the prop by putting the wooden box back inside the die. I recall the routine gettiflg bigger laughs backwatds than it did forwatds because the audience rcahzed that I was imptovising as I went. They knew they wete seeing something that wasn't normally patt of the show and they appreciated my being in the moment. Note to stage crew: It doesn't help to whisper through the curtain, "Stall" of "!7e need more time." Do you need thirty seconds more because the last dove is still being loaded or do you need another six to

see

minutes because the assistant passed out?

I

can give you what you

want but I need some guidance. I always have the Ten Dollar Bill Trick in my pocket for just such emergencies but I dont want to start this rather lengthy trick if they only need a few seconds. On a perfect

night the audience will never see the Ten Dollar Bill Trick. A pet peeve of mine is emcees who catty note cards onto the stage 441

Mn Gvnw

Wonpnt

between each act. They have the entire previous act to reheatse the few lines that they will use to introduce the next act.If they iust paraphrase the few points that they want to make rather than read them word for word it will sound more natural and sincere. \Worst of all is

when the guy holding the note catd finishes by saying, "...and now here he is, my good

friend..." They couldnt remember two things to

tell us about their good ftiend? If you don't want to make even that much effort between acts then perhaps you should have declined the offer to host the show. Each performer ofl the show has one opportunity to walk out on

perform the act that has been carefully designed with a beginning, middle, and end and then they get off. The emcee has to walk out on that stage seven or eight times throughout the evening. On one of those occasions he or she will undoubtedly perform their act. Regardless of what theit stage and show the audience what they've got. They

big f,nish is, the end of their act will actualiy be the introduction of the next performer. If that sounds a bit anti-climactic, it is, but that is one of the sacrifices the emcee is requited to make.

During the other

rances between the acts the emcee will say things that he hasn't ^ppe said befote and hope that his words fill enough time. I have always thought of these multiple trips as additionai opportunities to be bad. If the emcee is bad mote often than he or she is good we are well on

our way to seeing a bad show. The best emcee advice I ever teceived came from Aldo Richiardi ttght after our frst ItI Magiclshow in Los Angeles. My adrenalin was pumping as I had just watched from the wings the greatest illusion act I had ever witnessed. His daughter Rina vanished from the de I(olta Chair and instandy reappeated in the Tip-Over Trunk. The audience weut crazy and I jumped out onto the stage and yelled, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Richiardi!" I repeated variations on that line during his

long and well-deserved applause. After the curtain closed AIdo came over to me and calmly said, "You came out too soon." He could see that I had no idea what he was talking about so he explained further. He said that when I came out he didn't need me yet. At the conclusion of the illusion he was gettiflg the applause that he deserved. He

would stand there humbly accepting that applause untii the response had peaked and started to diminish. At that moment he would tutn and begin to exit the stage and just before he reached the wing, that's 447

Mnnrnna

Daing

the 1981 run

a/It's Magic! at

came backstage witb some

kind

the Varielt

Arts

rlr

(rprnoma

Tbeater in Los Angele$ Doug Henning

words for tbe two ))lafig apstarts, the autbor and Lance Burton.

th^t momeflt, I popped out on stage and said, "Ladies and gentlemefl, Richiardi" he would retufn to center stage and the applause would build again. This, he expiained, would

when he needed me. If,

^t

be applause that he didnt deserve. This was bonus aPPlause that I had created for him.

If

we worked as a team we could make the perfor-

mance appear gre ter than it actually was.

I was floored. Of

course he was right but what floored me was

the fact that the greatest illusionist in the wodd had techniques for manufacturing extra applause. In the thirty plus years that I have

Atts Theatte I have act off stage without thinking of Aldo Richiardi. At

been hosting shows since that night at the Variety

never brought

^n

the end of every performance there is one moment that is the absolute right time to step out on stage. If you go too soon you will step on the artiste's applause and if you go too late the act will not only be cheated

out of some applause but the show will begin to lose momentum. 441

Mw Aunrv

WotorB;

Alda Ncltiatdi

(1

9D -

1985) taugltt me that at tbe end of

af cereruonies sboald itThe Nchiardi Moment.

moment pben the tuaster on too late.

I

ca//

step 0n stdge.

eueryt

petfonttance tbere is

a

precise

Coning on too earl1 is as bad as cornitg

I will certainly use information ftom this script, but I will not tead or memorize rtverbatim. Some of these intros are completely over the top, making claims that what you are about to see is the greatest thing ever. It's one thing if the act really is that good but a pumped-up introduction isnt going to fool anyone. Remember, immediately following your introduction Some acts provide a \r/ritten introduction and

you have to walk on stage and actually prove how good you really ate.

No matter how many

audience is going to know

444

contests you've won,

it soon enough.

if youf act is lousy the

Murrmtaw Gptnow

As emcee my job is to gain the ttust of the audience and always teil them the truth. If a young magician just won his or her first contest and is appeaing on the public show

I think it is much better to pre-

in that light instead of promising the audience the greatest thing they've evef seen. It doesnt huft to undersell someone and then sent them

let the audience be surprised and delighted by the performance.

On

wtitten inttoduction and insisted that it be delivered word for word even though it reads iike the second coming is about to take place. So I do. In front of the audience I remove the paper from my pocket and say, "The next act asked me to tead you this brief introduction." The act gets exactly the introduction they wanted while simultaneously digging their own grave. I feel compelled to do this tn zn effort to preserve my trust with the audience. Now all of us can sit back and determine for ourselves how good or bad the performer is. If the act really is as good as advettised I will give them the best outro they have ever gotten. My theory has always been, "\fhen in doubt, tell the tfuth." Before leaving the subject of mastering the ceremonies, I wouid like to discuss the diffetence between maglc or variety show and an ^ awards show. On a few of occasions I have hosted award shows and found them to be different from a straight magic show When discussing how he approached hosting the Academy Awards Steve Martin said that he emulated Johnny Catson's style. At the top of the show a

few occassions an act has given me

a

he came out, told ten minutes of the best jokes he could find and then

got out of the way. It would be difficult to improve on this advice.

An awards show has a much different dynamic than a standard magic show. The room is filled with nervous tension and many more people will be coming to the stage. Acceptance speeches are mely rehearsed making it even more important that the host watch the proceedings from the wings. One sincere, clever or topical line after each Presefltation is enough to make you an unqualified hit. To keep from wearing out your welcome dudng the normally long evening I am all in favot of using a voice ovef to introduce some of the presenters. The biggest favor you can do for any awards audience is to keep things

moung. a magtc show can be a lot of fun but as host you will ^t miss most of it. Your job starts the moment the curtaifl goes up and Backstage

doesn't end until after the frnal curtain call. But you will have the best 445

in the house. Some of my fondest memories are of standing in the wings of theaters all over the wodd watching the greatest magicians of my generation, mafly of them good friends, giving performances seat

that have been polished to perfection over a lifetime. You can have your fame. I'm perfectly content being one of the acts working in the trenches. I hope to see you down the road.

t-

2001 Houo Porus Festiual in Granada, Spain. L,eauing the 200-1ear-o/d Teatro Isabel la Catolica oil ru)

waJt to mdn)) ntore aduenttres.

As I look thtough this book I am humbled by the number of people who have had a profound influence on my life and c^reer.I hope that when those friends who have the opportunity to read through

will hear my voice exPresswho are no longer with us, the

these pages come acfoss their name, they

ing a sincere thank you. And to those thanks are just as loud and just as heartfelt.

A big Howdy to my pal Mac I(ing who graciously contributed the Foreword to this book. Having Mac's stamp of approval on my comedy magic routines is as good as it gets. And considering Mac was schooled in I(entucky, I think he did a dang fine job o'wtitin'.

I did my ievel best to track down the many photographers responin these pages. And ^ppear if certain pages look like they belong in a scrapbook more than an sible for the hundreds of pictures that

insttuctional book, that's on purpose. Every photograph of every friend or show or location has great meaning to me and these books iust wouldn't feel right without them. To all of these photographers, my sincere thanks: Arto Airaksinen (my man in Stockholm), Stan Allen, Wendell Brezina, David Bro, Paul Butler, Bany Cooper, Doro, George Ford, Thomas Fraps, Alex Fuentes, Frank Furkey, Jim Hanning, Lawrence Ho, R.S. Hooper, Derek Hughes, Gaty Hughes,

EdJustice Jr.,Tina Lenert, Jonathan Levit, David Linsell, Long Photography, Marga Mayor, Steve McI(^y,J^sPff Nutter, Tony O'I(eefe, Johnny Paul, John Reed, Jack Reinhold, Maurice Seymour, Art Trombley, Najee \X/illiams, and Robin Young. \X/ithout the help of these skilled and generous people, this book would not look the same. But without my friend Bill Taylor, neithet of these books would exist. Bill's name appears throughout both volumes because

I

have known him for an astonishing

fifty years. He has

with advice, encouragement, and an unflagging willingness to take pictutes. Thousands of pictures. Bill turned our basement into a photo studio compiete with green screerl, lights and cameras, and over the course of fourteen months he took hundreds of always been generous

441

lrlwr Gvnw Wonont

amazingphotographs. He then spent countless hours with Photoshop

putting curtains behind me, stage floors beneath me, and smooth grey backgrounds behind the props to guarantee maximum clarity. Bill's herculean effort transformed my 165,000 word manuscript into two beautiful books. I hope he is as proud of them as I am. After reading the story of my journey I hope that you, dear reader, tealize that the art of magic can be your ticket to the wodd. By becoming a maglcian you are granted membership into an amazing fnternity of friends that spans the globe. And with countless wonders yet to be pondered and solved you will never be boted and the thought of retirement will never enter your mind. As I continue to wander (and wonder) around the wor1d, I hope someday to meet you and, hopefully, hear how these books inspired you to reexamine your magic and then elevate it to the next level. Till then,

All the best, Nfike Caveney

lndex

A

BilI in Cigar 103, 117, 721.,

Abbott's Get Together 27, 43, A

b

ra ca da b ra

Academy of MagrcalArts

230, 236, 238-267, 396

89, 27 5

Billy's Chicken Trick

magazine 239

Academy of Motion Picture's Scientific and Technical Awards 345, 474

Biro, Pete Black

Art

11.8,201.

380,

Hary

Adelphia, Del46

Blackstone,

Alan,Don72,73

Blake, George

A1banese, Patrick 201-205, 207

Blass Jorge 413

Allen, Stan 31, 32,35,37-39,195

Bloom, Gaetat17

44-

Ambitious Card48,152 Ameican Magician magazine

41.6 - 420

Bird Man of Alcauaz 428

17

Amazlng Mechanical Merlin

1.36, 201., 229,

47

Boyano, Luis

Sr. 282

11.8,

1.21,

18

Bow & Arrow 1.36,31.3,31.5,344-377, 474 37

0

Brezita, Wendell 284, 289

Andetson, Gene 266

Briggs, Lirda 427

Anderson, Harry 741, 209, 269

Bro,David367

Anderson, Ron262

Brooke, Koa1.27,728

Andrus,Jerry

Brba283

118

Animal Makers 434,435

Bubonic Players 742

Anverdi Key Chest 53-56,94

Buka283

Anverdi, Tony 53, 54

Burger, Eugene 195

Auzinget, Max 380

Burton, Lance 300,301.,373,

421.,

443

Bush, George W. 413

Butlet, PauI 45

B

Ballantine, Cai301, Ballantine, Ceil301

C

Bally's Grand Hotel 27, 28

Caesat's Palace 72

Beck, Cad

Caldwell, Mike 43

31

Benson Bowl, The 67-69

Colqory Herald newspaper 426

Benson Plunget 66-82

California State University Long Beach 43

Benson, Roy 67, 68,72,73

Cancino, Denise 44

Berglas, David 154

Card on Window 157,152

Betnstein, Eugene Bice, Don

1.18,

171

Card in Balloon 17

Card Sword 345

Big Secrets 94

Cardto \{/allet 48

Bilis, Bernatd 83

Cadton

(see

Beck, Cad)

449

Carson, John ny 7 2, 301., 445

Dietrich, B:ud 13,43

CarteqJtdy

Doll House Illusion 44

1.47

Caveney, Rob 43

Dorny (N7emer Dornfield) 43

Chaucer 3

Dove Pan

Chinese Pipes 200-207

Dtiebeck, Bob

Chinese Sticks 201,202

Driebeck Die 127, 128, 133

Cinquevalli, Paul281.

Dunn, Ricki

17 1.27

31

Clasic Secrefi of Magic 67 Cleuer and Pleasant Inuentions Close-up, French

E

Part One 297

EggBag46

Stlle 83

Coin in BaIl of $/ool244

Egyptian HaIl Museum

ConPall32

Eifet, Medin

Coin Vanish 89-93

El Camino College 120

Comedl Magicl.lS

Elephant Man397

Comedy & Magic Club

129

109

Eleven Card Trick 219,220

1.42

Conover, Tim293,31.0

Elliott, Bruce

Contento, Marcelo 348

Einstein, Albert334

Copperfield, David

Engafros a Ojos Vistas 323

151

67

Corinda, Tony 177,172

Council on Foreign Relations 425

F FeIt Forum 385

Crandall, Ruth 276 Crandall, Senator Clarke 43,

27

5, 27 6

Ferr6,

Norbet

18

CrazyHorse Saloon 334

Fiedler, Lubor

Crystal CardCatch 47,50- 53

Floating Ball334

Cups and Balls 67,94

Floating Rose 316

Custer, General Geotge 337

Flute-A-Fone 318

Cut and Restored Rope 99, 117,121.

Fotd, Gerald 413

1.27, 1.29, 1,33

Foster, Neil43

D Dai Wrnon Book

Frakson, Jos e 32, 146 of Magic

67,117

Fraps, Thomas 415

Dancing Handkerchie f 374, 3I5, 323

Friedrichsb au Y ariet6. Theater 283

Daniels, Pad266,282

Fry,David41.4

Da Vinci, Leonatdo 308, 309

Fuentes, Ines 236

De Borbon, Luis Alfonso 414

Fuller, Buckminster 437

de

Kolta Chair 384,442

de Matos, Luis 705,229

G

Diaconis, Petsi 159

Gabriel, Joseph 384, 385

Diagonal Palm Shift 352

GarbageGay 425

450

Garner, Jennifer 345,

Hole in One 94

41.4

Gatto, Anthony 276

Ho@wood Palace, The 16

Gaughan, John 17, 118, 283, 389, 39L

Ho@wood Reporteri The 275

Genii magazine 7 6, 1.42, 342,

Hooker Rising Cards 94,319

37 1, 37

4

Ghostly Linking Finger Rings 160

Hooper, Jim 319

Girl in the Light Bulb

Hope, Bob 33

16

Goebel, George 142

Hopkins, Albert 100

Goldf,nger,

Houdini, Harry 95

J

ack 209

Gordon, Gene219,220

Hummer, Bob

Goshman, AlbertT}-72

Humphrey, Steve 33

GozirrtaBox 127,128

Hyman, Phyllis 423

151

Grand Caryon332

I

Gravatt,Glen342 Creater Magic 171.

Ice House Comedy Club 99

Guest, Clifford3T3

Ideas

Gyp.y Thread

Idiot Rings 159-168

117, 169, 297 , 298

302

Impromptu Linking Coat Hangers 108-115, Impromptu Powers of Darkness 187-193

H Half Dome

318

Indian Rope Trick 327

107

Halloween Card Stab 1.38, 1.41.-1.49

Inside Magic 191.

Hamilton, James 33

Invisible Deck 48, 61,62,99,

Hamman, Bro. John 48

It's Ama{ng 22, 23, 26, 2'7, 35, 39, 27 0, 439

Harrah's Casino 350

It's Magic! 16, 17, 23, 27 5, 300,

37

3, 380, 383,

384,417,442,443

Hart, Christopher 425 Hase,Kazuyuki

L17

195

Haskell, Bob 49, 100,

101

J

Ardan44l

Flayes, Bllly 432

James,

Heck, Cad 383, 387,388

James,I(evin

Henning, Do,ag43,443

Jobs, Steve 267

Herz, Bill 151,152

Johnathan, The Amazing

Hilton Hotel (Brussels) Himber, Richard

35

316

41.3

Johnson, Jay 1.41, 209, 210, 211, 212, 21.3, 214, 21.5,216,217,331,

159

Himber l7allet 49, 55, 56, 229, 231.

Johnson Products

Hitchcock, Bill 300,

FinnJon 334,335

301

1.2,

239, 245, 31.8, 382, 395

Hobson, Jeff 197 Hocus Pocus Festival 10,18,446

Jordan, Michael301

Hodgson,Joel20

Juggling, 3-Arm 68, 268-27 9, 31.3, 383, 396

Hoffmann, Professor

89

Juggling, Coffee 280 -295, 340 Jumping Straw 57-59 45t

K

Linking Rings 38, 47, 99,

Kalin, Mark andJinger

759,171,

47

Kalush, Bill 135

Linking Safety Pins

Kaps, Fred 220, 221., 226

Loew, Marcus 291

Kzrhni729

London,Jack269

Kaufman, Richard

London Palladium

195

Keener, Ed and Nancy

Kio,Igor

21.,

295, 405

30, 32, 35, 39, 40, 119,

17

Ken Brooke's Magic Place 1.27,1.28,319 71.,

118

Long Beach Mystics 72, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29,

Keaton, Buster 198

King, Mac

1,03, 117, 1,18, 1,19,

1.26

-733, 441.

Luminato Festival (Toronto) 29'1,

281

0, 376,

373,439

Lubot Die

72, 797, 202, 350, 398

17 2, 27

413, 437

Kirkham, Kirk 100

Klimpet, Randy 1.27

M

Kling Deck 63, 65

Madison Square Garden 384,385

Knife ThroughCoat3T4

Maeda, Tomo 195

Knott's Berry Farm 40,43,44,46

Magicomefu 26, 39, 67 , 83 , 239, 240, 243

Kuroki, Kenichi

Magic Castle 28, 29, 99,'101,, 1,24, 1,4"1, 1,42,

195

1.59, 797, 207,203, 209, 373, 417, 445

L Lacey,Mlke

Magic Collectors \Teekend MagicforDurnnies 57

1.42

Magic Inc.171,172

Lamb, Thomas291. Larsen,

Bill373,

MAGIC magazine95,377

Larsen,

Milt

Magic Palace, The 297

16, 23, 277, 373

Las Palmas Theater 95

Magic Paper

Lee,Bryan272

Magic Shory Tbe 43

Left-Handed League 73, 741., Lenert, Tina 8,

171

1.8, 19, 141, 151, 1.55, 757, 1.58, 37

236,

29

6-342, 386

Magrc, Stage lllasiorc and Scientifc Diuersions 700

1.42

209, 270 -275, 292, 293,

117,

0,

37

3

Magical Productions 44 Magical Promotions 44

LePaul \lTaIIet 152

Magician Supply Company 370,371.

Levent 67,73

Mahatna magazine 370

Lewis, Bric 26,240

Malini Card Stab 743,1.46

Lewis, Martin 1.35, 741.,

321.

Malini, Max143

Lewis, Trevor ar,,dYal 220

Manwaring, Greg

Lido de Paris 35

Marks, Torty 23

Lie Detector 134-740, 745

Marshall,Jay 171,172

Linking Coat Hangers 68, 103, 115-725,1.60,

Martin, Steve 27, 99, 27 4, 27 5, 445

172,277,396

Linking Finger Rings

451

Martin's Miracles 159

61

1.35

Martinka Magic Company 282

Masked Magician94

P

Maven, Max 195

Pacific Coast Association of Magicians 109,371

Mayfair Music Hall 277

Packing Case Escape 95

Mayoral, Juan 334,335

PalaceTheater

McComb, Billy 13,

17

2, 297, 298,

417

-421

Palma, Alex

17

1

McDonald's Aces 48

Palsie the chicken 426,427

Mcl(ay, Steve 44,46,47

Paper Balls Over the Head 187

Mesika,

Yigal3l7

Pasteur, Louis 269

Micro Nfacro 48,

Pauling, Linus 342,343

Midnigbt Exprus 432

Penn & Teller 94

Minguet, Pablo 323

Phoenix mag zine 67,

Money Machine 98-106,

Motris, \X/illiam

1.21.

Phome Book, The 150-158

Pipkin, Turk141,

19

Mystic Vanishing Box 46

Pollock, Channing

M-U-M rr,agazire

Pollock, Cori31.

117

1.3, 1.6,

30,

31.,

32,

421.

Pollock, l{erry 135, 139

Muse, Ray 32

Postle, George 370

N

Poundstone, William 94

Nailed Card 60-65 Nada

Porper,Joe 160

xAqui TV show

Nemo Rising Cards

399

319

Powers of Darkness 170-1.87

Prevost, ).297

Nest of Boxes 267

Protean Cabrnet 46

New York Statler Hotel423

Puga, Miguel1.8,236

Newspaper

Art

380, 381

a

Niberco Brothers 373 Night, Nicholas 425

puun Elirybeth

Nind Reading20S-21

pueen Mary 303

111.54

o Oakland Magic Circle

414

430 Olkhovikov, Nicolai 281 Olsen,Jim 135,139 Otient Express 151,153 Oar Own l%orst Enem194-97 Owen, Carl 1,5,1,6,17 O'Hare Airport

Owen Magic Supreme

1.2,1.5,1.6,24,44,47,244

Ravel, Jim 70

RazorBladeTrick2T9 Read, Bob 374,375

Reed,John 118,119 Regal, David 160 Resorts International (Atlantic City) 423 Reaelations 61.

Richiardi, Aldo 13, 278,279,300,301.,373, 394,395,442-444

451

Richiardi, P.ina 384, 442

Sistine Chapel 308

Rickard, Fred16,17

Sizzler restaurant 390

Ricketts, Bill281

Skinner, Mike220,221

Ricketts Circus 281

Smith, BilI346

Rising Card32,1.46

Smith, Gertrude 15,

Robo Chick 434-437

Smith, Les 15, 1.6,17, 47

Rogers,

Don

Sneaky Pete Magic Set 46

41.4

423

Rooke Cooperage 35

Sophisticated Ladies

Roosevelt, Eleanor 107

Spectral Motion

1

Ross, Diana 32

Sp binx

37

Ross, Richard 117

Spider Pen317

Routines Matter220

Spirit Grip

Ro1 Benson b1 Starlight

67,68,73,74

Marvyn

1,3,

magazine

0,

37

1

171

Spirit Nut 394,395 Split Deck 49- 52

Roy,CarcIl7,32 Roy,

17

16, 17, 30, 32, 33

Square One 195

Stack of Halves 245,246

Rumsfeld, Donald 413

Stanyon, Ellis 370 StanlonI Serial Lessons in Conjuring3T0

S

Saddleback College 367, 373

Steinmeyer, Jrm 195, 210

Salmon River 332

Stern, Duke 69

Salt Trick 201

Substitution Barel 34-41

Saluzak, Dale 27

Substitution Trunk 35

Samelson, Peter 81

Sullivan, Ed72

San Diego Sports Arena 259

Sydney

Schmeelk,

8111

Slmpbory of tbe Rings 117, 120

47, 299

Schwartz, Gracie

17

Scissors, Coat, Silverware

254, 300, 324,

37

& Chicken103,136,

2-41.5, 417, 423, 437

Seabrooke, Terry 201, 239, 250 S e abroo

ke's B

oo

k

201.,

202

Seabrooke's Burned Bill in Wallet 238,239 S e ri o u s

Laagh

te

r

Arts Festival 425

19 5 -19

9

T Tamaiz,Juan 18,

151

Tannen's Jubllee 298 Tarbell Course in Magic 374

Taylor, Bill 281, 387,415 Taylor, Merv 100,

101

Seven Keys to Baldpate 53

Teatro Circo Price 403,411

Seymour, Maurice 101

Teatro Isabel la Catolica (Granada, Spain) 446

Shadows 279

Tell, \X/illiam 357

Side-steal 354

Teller 94,279

Siegfried & Roy 35,36,39

Ten-Dollar Bill Trick

Sinatra, Frank293

Theatrical Close-lQ 81.

454

219 -237, 441.

Thompson , John and Pam Thurston, Howard 376

17,

\7

1.8

Wakeling, Alan 29,

31.,

32,

L1.8

Tip-Over Trunk 384,442

NTaldorf Astoria Hotel (New York) 425

Toilet Titsue Trickery 342

\X/alking

Tonight Sboa The 301

Walker, Steve 135

Toob, Bill 142,143

Waler, Chades 57

Topas 334,335

Washington, George 281

Tops

103

Weber, Michaei 195

magazine 43

Transmogdfication

Knot

'Welles,

57

Orson 161,769

Trask, Vic 31

NTellington Enterprises 47

Tree House 343

!7elsh Rarebit Pan

Tremaine, Jon 171-173

IYenii lr,agazine 142

Trerary, Bob 89

!7hite, George 376

Tropicana Hotel (Las Yegas) 421

IVillane's Methods For Miraclu 219

Tucker, Tommy 374

I7illiams, Eric 239

Two, One, None 83-88

Williams, Robin

198

Williamson, David

V

17

197

NTilshire Ebell Theater 1.6, 17,

37

3,

417

Mark44

Van Ginkez,Paul 426

NTilson,

Vanishing BirdCage 32

Winter Garden Theatre (Toronto)

Yariety Arts Theate r

Wintergarten Theatre (Stutttgart) 282, 283

Vernon, Dai

61.,

17

, 300, 443

67, 1.06, 117, 120, 263

Yiana,Yanessa 229

Victor, Edward 219, 220,

291

\Wonder, Tommy 18, 80, 195,31.0

!7ooden, John 217,257, 221.

IYorld's Create$ Magic

Village Gate Theater,The 279

!7right, T.Page

Voltaire, Bobby 32

Wright, Tim

TV Special

12

371

89

Wrigley, Ben277

455