Choosing a prominent member of his audience, the performer gives him a piece of chalk with a slate, and stands this person at one end of the room or stage. The performer, also with chalk and slate, stands in a distant opposite location. Four more of the assembly are asked to stand at their seats. The first is requested to concentrate upon his year of birth. The second thinks of the year in which his wife or her husband was born. The third person mentally selects any important year, in the last 20, during which an event of consequence has happened for him. To further vary the numbers selected, the fourth assistant thinks of the first four figures of his telephone number, license number, Social Security Tag, etc. After a bit of apparent thought, the magician writes upon his slate the total of these four mentally chosen numbers.
The four audience standees are now asked to call out ALOUD, their selected numbers, the assistant on stage writing them down as called, one under the other. He is instructed to add them up and read aloud the total, showing it to all. (You can invite members of the audience to take down the numbers and add them for a double check – and this is a very strong point.) The climax arrives when the magus shows his slate to contain the correct total of the four numbers!!!
While an average lay audience might not see the difference between this method of the slate addition effect and the old, there are points in this presentation to make for exceptional clearness and directness of action. Magicians, especially, expect trickery either in the adding operation or in the performer’s handling of his slate and chalk. However, there is no evident trickery at any time, and all material is unprepared. After such a buildup I can see some readers quitting when a plant is mentioned. I can only hope they’ll follow through and then let it all mentally assimilate to the point of trying it out. The plant is the fourth person to stand in the audience. The audience selections of people are made according to the tables to follow, and may be male or female as you choose.
- 1st – Between 25 to 30 years of age.
- 2nd – Between 25 to 30 years of age.
- 3rd – Any age.
- 4th – Is a stooge who knows the total to be reached; we shall say 7595.
Instruction Table
1st – Think of the year he or she was born.
2nd – Think of the year his wife or her husband was born.
3rd – Think of any year within the last 20, of importance to him or her.
4th – Think of the first four figures of license, telephone, etc. (???)
By following -the above tables, the selected numbers will always fall within a certain range of years. See the first table in conjunction with the following.
1st – 1906 to 1921
2nd – 1906 to 1921 – due to the fact that husband and wife ages are nearly alike, or within ten year’s difference.
3rd – 1918 to 1938
4th – The first two digits of your stooge’s number to be called la 18. He acquires the other two digits as follows. As each of the first three calls his number to be written down on stage, the stooge makes a mental addition of the last two digits only. He then subtracts this total from the last two digits in the prearranged number (95) and gets the last two digits of the number he Is to call. He puts 18 In front of them, and calls out the four figure number. The addition of the four ssts of selected numbers now totals the prearranged total of 7595.
This is one effect where a stooge is never suspected. The explanation to a prospective plant Is simple and easily understood. Give it Just one try.
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