If the magicians who read these words spend an evening period of two hours to make up the required gimmick combination, plus an additional hour or so of steady practise in making the fans required, provided they don’t already have them mastered, they’ll be in possession of a really new and quite startling routine to be used at almost any time during their program.
The modern deck of cards obtainable now in the five and ten stores have a wide range of ornamental backs. These are of such odd designs that they allow of at least four entirely different patterns being shown as the deck is fanned from either end and in the from left to right move, and from either end when fanned from right to left.
It is advised that the reader be somewhat efficient in the making of the regulation forward and backward fans as put forth both in Dodson’s Card Fans publication and also quite fully described in Hilliard’s Greater Magic.
This routine is, in a way, a diminishing card routine of great scope. Performed with an unprepared deck and an added gimmick ingeniously prepared to recognise all of the angles at which the cards are held, the various changes of size and face are followed with a card of that particular size being left in view for comparison with subsequent and former changes.
It will be necessary for the performer to secure four different decks of cards from which to make the gimmick, besides his ordinary deck and a single giant card. These decks are sold in card and novelty stores, and the back designs of these decks do not matter.
After getting the giant card and the ordinary standard size deck, one needs a narrow or bridge size deck, an Angel back deck (smaller in size for small hands), a deck known as Mickey Mouse cards (at the five and ten), and a deck called Little Duke (at novelty shops). With some rather stiff paper to make some small envelopes, scissors and paste, everything is about set to proceed with the building of this extraordinary effect.
On the next page is a complete set of illustrations for making clear each step, both in the manufacture and in the positions for the various fans which are used in the presentation. There should be no difficulty in cutting and assembling the parts one by one. The sketches are all explained in the text.
#1 – A giant card cut with a slot.
#2 – A regular size card.
#2A – A full length envelope open at the top and slotted as illustrated.
#3 – A blank face bridge size card.
#3B – A bridge card slotted as illustrated.
#4 – An “Angel” back card (squeezer type).
#4C – A half length envelope open at top.
#5 – A “Mickey Mouse” size card.
#5D – A full length envelope for same, open at the top and slotted as
#6 – A “Little Duke” size card.
#6E – A full length envelope for same, open at the top and slotted as shown.
Card Holder, as illustrated. This is made by binding a safety pin to a giant size paper clip.
A notched wooden stand for holding cards as they are produced.
A good fanning deck with modernistic and colorful back. It is suggested that a can of “FAN-EZ” the popular powder for making fanning a pleasure be purchased from your magical dealer.
It is suggested that the performer make up and lay out before him, as illustrated, the various parts. Such action will make much easier the assembling of the parts, or at least, the explaining of it all.
Lay card #3 (blank bridge) before you, face down. Take envelope E (Little Duke size) and paste it on the back of the blank card about 3/4 inch down from the upper left corner with the slot to the left. Result — sketch T (see following images).
Take envelope D (Mickey Mouse size). Paste at top center of the card upon which you are working – opening at top. Result — sketch U.
Take card B (extra slotted bridge) and paste it over the small envelopes already affixed to the back of the blank bridge card. The slots in this card should coincide with the slots of the two envelopes. Result — sketch V.
Take half envelope C (Angel back size in width) and paste at the bottom of the “set-up”. Result — sketch W.
Put card #4 into this envelope (C). Put card #5 into envelope D. Put card #6 into envelope E. Result — sketch X.
Upon this assemblage is now layed regular card #2. The whole is inserted into envelope A which is slotted on both sides. Result — sketch Y. (It is to be especially noted that envelope A is the only one slotted on BOTH of its sides. Envelopes D and E are slotted only on one side (near) while the half envelope C is not slotted at all.)
Next paste the completed envelope Y onto top center of giant card #1. The slots of envelope Y match the slot in card #1. Result — sketch Z.
The paper clip is fastened onto the side of the giant card as shown in Z.
It is taken for granted, in the following directions, that the reader has become fairly accomplished in the diminishing card fans as performed with an ordinary deck. That this is an illusion peculiar to the fanned formation of the cards plus the way of holding them is admitted, but the effect of Assorted Cards makes the manoeuvres into a definite trick rather than an optical trick with no proof of its actuality.
I have given, on the next page, all of the positions for the beginnings of the various fans. The thumb positions are correct in each case. Next to the last to be noted are the arrows indicating the direction of the fans. If the cards are held as shown (left hand), the fan, when begun with the thumb of the right hand at the arrow starting mark, should show expected results.
The last to be noted are the words which follow. Follow the instructions with the completed gimmicks and cards at hand as described.
Actual presentation : The assembled gimmick is attached to the vest on the left side and the safety pin fastened so that the large card lays across the chest with its top edge about one-half inch from the edge of the coat. The pasted on envelope (Y) containing the set-up cards is against the body. If the performer is wearing an evening dress low cut vest he may pin the gimmick to his coat – the gimmick facing the same way.
Produce the regular pack of cards from your favorite hiding place, or just move into the trick after using the deck for some other purpose. And first you fan the deck in each of the four ways, backs outward, explaining that, in the right hands, a deck’s beauty of design can always be made to suit the most discriminate. After this you patter that, disregarding the artistic side of things, even the size of the cards may be made to suit.
Turn the pack to face the audience. Make the first fan (regular) saying that is the man’s idea of playing cards. Make this fan deliberately and allow them to see the size of the fan. Bring it close to your chest and look down at it. Run the second, third and little fingers along the top of the fan, while, at the same time, the forefinger and thumb do their bit in drawing out the small set of gimmicked cards from within the envelope previously pasted upon, the back of the giant card held by the clip beneath the coat edge.
The fan then is moved forward from the body and the loose and regular size card is pulled out to the right by the right hand — and put into the FIFTH slot of the display stand.
The deck is closed up and, when fanned again, it is manoeuvred on the “bridge” thumb position. This is a smaller size and from it is produced the Angel (children size) card to be placed in the rack before the one there. Again the fan is closed. And again it is fanned, this time with the Little Duke (baby size) thumb position. And the size of the fan brings into position for drawing out, apparently from its place in the fan, the small card which is placed into the rack.
(It must and will be noticed that the set-up of these various envelopes containing cards of different sizes makes the production of them perfectly natural. As the sleight makes the deck seem smaller the position of the gimmick card changes angle – and the cards to be pulled therefrom are automatically brought into their proper positions.)
At this time the deck, having been brought to its smallest size (without vanishing entirely), is blown upon and immediately fanned in a display of its former self.
At this part a patter scheme may start, and I offer what may seem ridiculous, but which will adjust itself to the trick which is being done. After all, it is ridiculous, isn’t it ?
A salesman arrived at a colony of nudists. He wanted to sell playing cards. The head hobnob met the man and told him that such cards couldn’t be used because the Jacks, Queens and Kings were all dressed. Being a super salesman the man fan the deck in hand, and, THE FACES WERE ALL BLANK. (This is the “nudist fan” accomplished by holding the deck as pictured and fanning with the arrow mark. It is a “reverse” fan and the faces show up blank. AND – having made this peculiar and opportune fan, the performer produces from it the blank card, automatically in position due to the gimmick, and stands it in the display stand.)
The fan is closed – and upon a blow is opened to show the restoration of spots. This prepares you for the climax of the routine.
After the nudist card production the performer waits for applause to stop (?) and then continues. He says, perhaps, “I think that’s a fair assortment, but you can’t expect to please everybody. Like this.”
“While in Helterskelter, Pa., with the Bungling Bros. circus, I was putting on my exhibition of superb feats in legerdemain and had just completed a display of assorted canapes. Up bobs, or maybe burps, Willie McGue, better known as the Howanky Kid, a 10 foot 9 and 3/4 inch colossal superman (skin and bones – a mess). “Say Chum,” he says to me, “Can you assort one for me ?”
“Sure !” says I, with a twinkle in my eyes, (the good one) as I interlaced the cards like this and fanned them to show the astounded 10 ft and 9 and 3/4 inch superman, and the spectator standing down in front (Yeah : one guy, it was a lousy day) the giant fan.
During this problematical patter you have followed the last two sketches and made, first the interlacing shuffle and then the fan of the cards to show a giant fan.
“I then turned to Delores Del Putz, eight hundred and ninety-three beautiful blue eyed Irish girly pounds. She was on the platform to my left letting her eyes rest adoringly upon the array of colorful splendor portrayed by the back of the giant fan. I showed the back of this fan, then, to the swelling mob (another guy had just come in) and at this moment the Howanky Kid spoke up and said “Son, let me have one of those cards for a souvenir.”
“No sooner said than done,” says I, so I reached in amongst those overgrown pasteboards and pulled out one especially for that bloodthirsty fellow.
As all of this has been spoken (?) you have made the giant fan and from behind it have pulled out the giant card gimmick from its clip. This takes care of the last of the gimmicks and the routine is over. The deck itself is unprepared and may be closed down for mixing and use in a following trick.
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