My most heartfelt thanks go out to those who thought well enough of us to
mail Xmas greetings and the novelties this year were quite up to par. Abril
Lamarque went Percy Abbott’s levitation one better by releasing a large photo
of himself levitating himself and passing the hoop over the horizontal body. Sid
Lorraine has a real cute “spy” theme on the hidden message in a cigarette, all in
keeping with the times. Tom Worthington, III, as usual must have spent hours
preparing his hand made greeting folders. The front design was made up of 5
different color metallic papers for a candle motif. All in all, it was quite a merry
yule for the cats and myself. So it’s Happy New Year from now on we most
earnestly hope for every magic lover.
Strauss Automobile Supply Stores are scattered about the country. They now
sell sets of the Snooty Pups for 7 cents. You couldn’t do better than stock up on
those very good magnets. — Audley Walsh, the New Jersey magician-detective
recently caught the so-called phantom robber, one of the thorns in headquarter’s
side for a long time. Audley used a rigged up gadget to do the trick and if he’d
passed on the info a bit sooner to us we could have shed more light on it all.
Anyhow, Phanto, for one, isn’t interested anymore at all. — Dunninger, after
getting plenty in print for months on that invisible battleship idea finally got
around to giving it to the Government and garnered more space. He demonstrated
it by showing the model setting on the water in a box. Showing a black case he
said it contained the material for the illusion. The unofficial observers turned
their backs for a moment and when they looked again the battleship was gone
except for a “thin silver streak climbing the artificial sky in the background”. We
append a couple of photos for the scientific magi readers. Someone was mean
enough to whisper that the case was empty and he had merely picked up the ship
and put it inside, but that was just ignorant chatter by unscientific people who
never heard of the dark mirrors they used to use in speakeasy doors.
Disillusionment in print : Advert. Popular Photography – Trade $60 Tarbell
Magic Course for Reflex or 2.5 miniature. R. Evans, 529 – 6th Ave., Brooklyn,
N.Y.
For many years Miss Edith Cox was a too, too valuable accessory around
Thayer’s emporium of magic. Couldn’t someone have congratulated her on the
recent marriage ? We do, and we’re glad you’re still on the job, for a while
at least. — That dodge of Stuart Robson’s that we gave in issue #64 can be
made up easily at home for those who like to have a pocket trick on hand. Just
paint the match stick with sugar of lead from the back towards the head, leaving
untouched as much of the match as you want to burn. Then time your sleeve
blowing correctly. — And while on the subject of matches, Orville Meyer
takes umbrage at the liquid for painting of the shoe sole in order to light safety
matches there, and also more umbrage at the books which say to glue a piece
of the box onto the instep. He insists that the real way is to remove the wire
staple from a pack of paper matches. Throw the matches away and generously
moisten the striking portion with saliva. Let it soak for a minute. Press it against
the instep and rub. This transfers the material onto the shoe where it dries and
is effective for striking purposes for quite a while. The substance can thus be
applied to furniture to.
Bob Weill wrote us regarding our talk about magic reviewers in general. We
meant in general, too, and did not have anyone in mind. Most of that talk we
used before the weekly Jinx reviews could reach us so we aren’t mad at anyone
either. Bob says that when he digs up history on a trick it isn’t to deprecate a
modern fellow’s version, but because magicians at large are always hollering for
something new yet when an idea is new they pass it over and wait for someone
else to do it. Bob says I should know how many good tricks are passed up in the
Jinx and when, a couple of years later, someone does one at a meeting or show,
everybody wants it. Bob’s idea is to tell them where it came from and show them
that they were asleep. He is sure that only by showing where good material has
been passed by, the average reader can be educated into looking for and seeking
out the worthwhile stuff themselves and be the first to get the good out of it in
their territory.
We recently told of Dariel Fitzkee touring the west coast cities with a complete
mystery show made up of the available boys out there. They played San
Francisco to much fanfare and advertising and our report was full houses for
the week. Maybe it will spur on some of the easterners if we lay out the program.
INTERNATIONAL MAGICIANS
1. MALDO. Greeting speech.
2. CARO. (Caro Miller, Australia) Stock productions of rabbits, ducks,
chickens, flowers, phantom tube, doves, etc. All flash.
3. TOLMACK. Golf balls, juggling, cigarettes, acrobatic dance.
4. Pennies From Heaven – The entire assembly into the audience catching coins.
5. EYESTERS. 20 words memorized and repeated.
6. FITZKEE. Chinese Chopper Decapitation.
7. SLYTER. Dancing handkerchief.
8. MING. Rice bowls, paper napkin, linking rings.
9. MAD HATTERS. The entire assembly do the Lyle paper hat trick, one
getting panties.
10. LUCILLE. Egg on fan, egg bag, dovepan, canary vanish form tube into egg
in orange inside grapefruit.
11. FITZKEE. The threaded razor blades.
12. LYNN MILLER. (Caro’s wife) Rag pictures.
13. SLYTER. Drunk act.
14. CARO. Vibraphone. This was followed by his wife doing the floating ball.
15. Telephone booth. (No further dope. Ed.)
16. MALDO. 6 card repeat, dyed hanks, blendo, Likochief, substitution trunk.
17. Everybody on the stage doing productions.
18. More of the same.
FINIS
So there it all is. If it can go well out in the west it shouldn’t do bad in the east.
We’d like to see someone try it.
Howard Warringer forwarded a nice perplexer for the wise boys who know
daub, crimps, and fingernicking. We might coin a title and call it FINGERAURA.
You illustrate how a spectator leaves an aura of influence around a card which he
has handled and that such an aura can be detected by the fingertips. The spectator
shuffles his own pack which performer may not have yet touched. The performer
turns his back, puts his hands behind, and receives the pack which he then fans
for a free selection. The noted card is placed on top of all and the spectator cuts
as much as he wishes. The performer now faces front and by feeling the cards
with his fingertips locates the card without fail.
Check those conditions and you’ll appreciate the subtle use of Scotch Cellophane
Tape (self sticking) obtainable in all stationary stores. Just a small piece is stuck
on the inside edge of the back of your coat. It will stay there for hours and you
are ready at any time.
Hand pack to be shuffled. Put hands behind back and get the tape, sticky side
up, in the right hand. Turn back to spectators and ask for cards. Take with left
hand, transfer to right, and stick tape on bottom card’s index corner. Selection
is made, replaced on top and the spectator cuts. Take cards back, face front, and
pass them from left to right feeling index corners with right fingers. Cut deck to
bring the taped key to bottom, pull off tape and stick on coat. Bring cards to front
and reveal the card as you wish. And you’re ready for a repeat.
GABBATHA!
