Night spot audiences will no doubt see this effect in performance when someone takes it up as an original twist on an old stunt. It is good for a laugh, if only because of the new object into which a dollar bill is directed. The cigarette and dollar bill has been done quite a bit, so this should prove of interest as a novel variation. The cellophane wrapping is also away from the usual envelope.

Get a banana stalk which has only three bananas still attached. Choose one on which you are going to work. At the bottom of the banana is a knob. You will notice that a small line connects the knob with the skin. The knob is cut off at this line with a razor blade and carefully laid aside. With a small pen knife clean out the green pulp to the fruit itself, of course, taking care not to injure the skin. When the fruit itself is reached, push a round pencil up into the banana about half way, and withdraw.

Take any fairly new dollar bill, tear off the required corner, take down the number of bill, and then roll up the bill the long way, so that you have a small and tight roll which is as long as the bill is wide (2 3/4″). Roll this bill in a piece of red cellophane about 2 x 5 inches, twist the ends of the cellophane to hold the bill, and cut off the surplus ends. Push this up into the banana, and replace the knob with seccotine.

A sheet of cellophane, the exact size of a dollar bill, is rolled tightly and wrapped in the same manner as was the genuine bill. This is placed in the left trouser pocket, and a common match is put in the right trouser pocket. Another sheet of cellophane 2 x 5 inches in size is put on the table with the torn off corner of the bill under it.

Explain that you will show how a one dollar bill can be changed to a ten. Borrow one from someone, picking up the small sheet of cellophane from the table with the torn corner beneath it, and hand the paper to the spectator from whom you accept the bill, finger palming the torn corner. Tear off the corner of the borrowed bill, remarking that it will help prove that the one really changes and is not exchanged. Switch the corner for the one you have been holding, and this is given to the spectator. Ask him to also write the number of the bill on the torn corner while you read it off. You actually call off the number of the bill in the banana, either from memory or from your thumb nail.

Very carefully roll the bill up lengthwise, take the cellophane, and wrap the bill in it, twisting the ends tightly and clipping off any surplus. Hand this to the gentleman to look at, at the same time getting the duplicate rolled paper from your pocket. Take the bill back in your right hand, and as you step back, pretend to put it in your left hand which opens, and the right hand goes to the right pocket and brings out a match, the real bill being left behind. Explaining that the change is caused by the heat, as the cellophane wrapper burns away, light the match and light the end of the apparently wrapped bill. Everything burns. You look at it go, and then remark that all great discoveries have had to go through failures and trial, and ask if someone else will loan you another dollar. Say “After all, if I succeed only once in nine times, we show a profit.”

Now you say “Well, about the only thing I can do is ask you to have dinner with me”. And with this remark you pick up from under cover the banana stalk, saying “I’m sorry there aren’t more, but the man who loaned me a dollar last night brought his whole family”. Hold out the stalk to the person with the prepared banana closest to him. If he takes it, well and good. You remark “We may as well clean this up” and hand out the other two to spectators nearby. If he misses it the first time, tell him to give it to a friend for company, and have another. If he gets it this time, take the last one for yourself. If he misses, tell him to give it to someone on his other side, and then hand him the stalk.

Now say “If I didn’t have anything to eat, would you give me half ?” Then have him stand, peel the banana first, and then break it in two. The red wrapped bundle shows up in the center. He removes it, unwraps the bill and check it with his corner and number. You now give him a new bill for his torn one, start to go back to the front, and as an afterthought, go back and say “Here, I gave you a new bill. I may as well give you a new banana too”. Take out a spare banana from your pocket and present it to him.