The two effects to follow are not new, at least as far as I’m concerned. Both were developed nearly ten years ago and have been constant standbys for the decade. Most of my magical friends and acquaintances have seen them done, possibly too often, but to date I’ve never put them down in type. The main reason for it now is because a few days ago I was shown my own trick and the realization came that I had better get what credit I could before the time came when the effects were worn and shoddy and I would hear “Oh yeah ? I’ve known that for years.”
Neither of the tricks is what one could call “new”. Any originality consists only in the handling of the cards for effectiveness on the watchers. I call the first, a repeating reverse trick, The Whistle
From any deck two cards are chosen by two spectators. After being noted the pasteboards are returned to the deck and all of the cards are shuffled well. With a pack in hand, the reader can follow these instructions better than without.
The two cards are brought to the top of the deck in any fashion that suits the individual. For my part I use the Hindu Shuffle which does away with the need of a pass or shift. It is necessary for the performer to know which card is which, as the top card is the first to be revealed.
The deck is given a dovetail shuffle at this time and one card allowed to drop between the top two, separating them. And at this time the performer says that if he were a magician or expert card trickster he would have a chosen card on top of the pack. You are holding the deck face down on the left hand at this moment and a double lift is made and the two cards as one turned over face up on the deck. Both spectators are asked if that is his card and then the left hand turns over to show the bottom card of the deck to each.
As this action takes place the right hand draws the single card from under the pack, the face out one of the two cards reversed, turns it over and slides it back. Then the left hand turns back and the pack is now back up on the left hand as before. You have shown both the top and bottom cards and in doing so have reversed the first person’s card. It lies just under the top one.
Underneath it lies the 2nd person’s card, but we forget that for the time being.
The performer states that he finds a card, not by sleight-of-hand, but with a whistle. In a pack are 52 cards and he has a whistle for each. As he says this he cuts the deck several times, bringing up small bunches from the bottom to the top which action moves the reversed card to near center. Then he asks its owner the name of his card. The performer thinks for a second and then whistles in any peculiar way according to his feelings and disposition at the time. The deck is given a spread on the table or floor and face up in the center is seen the card named.
Without hesitation the performer says that many people don’t believe in the whistle and they are right to a certain extent. Most of the invisible force comes from the spectator who has touched a card. As he says this, the wonder worker picks up the deck by scooping the spread from left to right until he reaches the face up card. This packet he drops on the right hand end of the spread and then scoops them up underneath. The deck is now together with the reversed card face up on top. He continues by explaining that when a person touches a card he makes it feel different from the others. The card takes on individualism and tries to be outstanding in its world. And the only way a card can be different from the rest in a pack is to lie face up while the rest are face down.
During this talk the performer has been holding the pack in his left hand. The right hand has apparently picked up the top, face up card, and pushed it back correctly into the deck. But — the move isn’t so innocent. A double lift is made and the two top cards picked up. Then the left hand turns over, and the face up card is pushed into the center. But under it is the second person’s card ! And when the left hand turns back to normal and the deck is on the palm face down, the second person’s card has been reversed in the center ! In short, you have very openly put the first card back and set the second one at the same time.
The second person now names his card. The performer hesitates and then digs up a different whistle. The cards are spread and everything has worked out correctly.
The subtlety of the effect lies in the fact that you are always a jump ahead and each of the reverses is finished before the audience expects it. Then, too, the fact that you repeat the trick with the second person helps not a little for they’ve seen all cards face down on the first spread and you certainly haven’t made a tricky move between that revelation and the second. Lastly, you don’t have to worry about keeping track of the second card. The first reversed one does that for you.
A Card In Hand
I realize as I start to write this effect out that there isn’t much to it that can be forceful in print. However, it has proven its worth for ten years and several of the professionals to whom I have shown it claim that it’s the best close up effect for night club tables that they could want. Just do it a few times and listen to the comment. It’s extremely good when worked on a lady.
The usual card is chosen and returned. In order to vary my selection methods and get away from the too familiar “take a card” I use, for this effect, a very cute wrinkle taught me many moons ago by Burling Hull. Hold the deck face down in the left hand and riffle the outer end. When the spectator stops you, lift up the upper portion and have the spectator note the top card of the lower half.
He replaces it and the right hand comes over to replace the top half. It comes down at right angles to the lower half as in the illustration, and the left fingers come up against its back. The hand swing toward the right and the left hand points towards the face card of the top half. The left fingers draw off the top or back card of this upper packet and it drops to the top of the lower. This is done just as the hands are turned over and the slip is completely covered. The performer excuses himself as he makes this move, saying, as he points to the face card “I didn’t mean to look at this card or let anyone see it. I don’t want you to think I’m keeping track of your card by knowing the one next to it. We’ll bury your card.”
The left thumb now pushes the selected card (?) off the top of the lower portion into the center of the upper packet, and then puts the lower packet on top of the former upper packet. Very openly the spectator’s noted card has been apparently lost, but actually it now is on top of the pack. The performer squares the cards and says “I’m going to ask that you remember just about where your cards is in the deck. Just be certain of its location within two or three cards.”
“Now take this card, the —- of —-, and push it into the deck about twenty cards above yours. I’ll make your card move right up through the deck to that spot.” At this time you do a double turn over, apparently show the top card, and turning it face down after naming, hand it to spectator and hold deck before him. In the fairest way possible you’ve given him his own card ! He stabs it into the deck and you tell him to hang on to it. Then you lift the cards above and show him the face of that packet. It’s not his. Then you show the top card of the lower section. Still not his. You act disconcerted and start to run through the pack, asking him what card he did have. He’ll name it. You shake your head, blow towards the card he’s holding, and say “Well, a magician has to have some way of getting out of a hole.” But watch the effect. To the spectator there is no conceivable way of your changing the card in his hand, and the misdirection throughout keeps the minds of all on the card buried in the deck.
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