A spectator is requested to think of any one card in the deck and the
performer writes something upon the back of a playing card. This he
places aside face up for the time being.
Producing a pack of blue-backed cards which he demonstrates as such,
the performer holds them in a face up fan behind his back. He asks the
spectator assistant to locate his thought of card, withdraw it from the fan,
lay it face up on the table, mark his initials on it and return it to the deck.
This done the performer turns around and shows that a peculiar thing has
happened. As he fans out the deck, face down this time, there is one card
visible that is red-backed. When turned over it proves to be the one the
spectator chose mentally and bears his initials. The card upon which the
performer wrote at the beginning is now turned over and upon its back is
the name of the card the spectator was thinking about all the time !
This is truly a miraculous appearing effect because of pure subtlety. Two
decks, one red-backed and the other blue-backed, are needed. On the
white end margin on the back of each of the red cards write the name
of that same card, i.e., on the back of the Jack of Clubs write “Jack of
Clubs”. One red card, on which there is no writing, must be placed in
the breast pocket of your coat. One blue card is placed on the back of the
prepared red deck, which, in turn, is placed in the blue card box. The blue
deck is placed in the left vest pocket ends up.
To perform have the spectator first think of a card. Remove the red-backed
card from your pocket and pretend to write something on it. Lay it to one
side face up.
Bring out the blue card case and remove the cards therefrom with their
backs up. To all appearances the deck is blue. To heighten the effect hold
the cards face up in the right hand by the edges and with the left hand
(palm up underneath and thumb and fingers around the sides of the deck)
draw off cards to drop into the left palm in little bunches, the cards being
removed from the face of the deck. At every third or fourth draw-off the
right hand packet is turned over for a second and a flash given of the black
(blue) card. The illusion is quite perfect and convincing that all the deck is
blue. At the last draw off put the right hand remaining cards on the bottom
(or back) of the left hand pile. This is really the Hindu Shuffle technique,
all of which was described fully with effects in Jinx #56.
Now the deck is fanned face up behind your back and the spectator locates
and removes his thought of card. While he initials it on the table so as not
to get a glimpse of the back at this time, you bring the deck around in front
of you and slip it into the right vest pocket while the other hand removes
the unprepared blue deck from the left vest pocket. The spectator’s card
having been marked, this is the deck fanned face up behind the back for
the return of that pasteboard.
Now, as you turn around to fan the deck and show that a peculiar thing
has happened, be sure that the writing end of the red card is nearest your
body so that it won’t be visible when you fan the deck and show the odd
colored card. Take hold of it by the outer end and turn it over end for end
towards you. It is his initialed card !
As soon as he has identified it the performer mentions that he made a
notation when the spectator first thought of his card. Using the face up
card in hand as a lever, the Mexican Turnover sleight is executed with the
face up card on the table, and the spectator allowed to read on its back
what you wrote. The name of his card while he was but thinking of it !
Of course, the exchange and turnover is made, and the spectator reads the
writing on the back of his own card – that he took from the deck himself.
Presented smartly, this effect can be a nice item for drawing room and
club audiences of from 1 to 50. The first part with the showing of the
thought of card changed to a red back can be seen by all. At the finish,
when the performer’s writing is read, another person can be asked to step
up and read aloud what the performer put down on the back of the card
that was laid aside.
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