There is one magical adjunct long since neglected - the mirror glass. We don't mean the tumbler which catalogues of other days said was perfect for the exchange of a handkerchief, but the 3 x 4 inch or larger straight sided and fluted glass jar which used to have a lid. We can dispense with the lid, and the flat piece of nickeled metal which divided the jar into halves. We won't replace the lid, but we will replace the other item with a zig-zag piece of nickeled metal, each zig and each zag of which is about a half…
If this routine is given the proper practice and presentation it will prove to be a reputation builder. After steady use for four years I know it is good. It can be done at any time and anywhere with borrowed material. EFFECT #1. First of all the magician is securely blindfolded. I always borrow two coins, half dollars or quarters, and place one over each eye. Then a pad of gauze is placed over each coin, followed with a cloth blindfold over all. This is a genuine blindfold and the method has a decided appeal to the layman. The magician…
An assistant from the audience distributes nine numbered slips of paper, the performer asking each person to write a question or bit of personal data. The written slips are collected in an unprepared envelope by the distributor and sealed. In full view at all times, the envelope is placed before the audience by the performer and another assistant recruited to watch it. The medium is now introduced and seated with her back to the audience, well blindfolded. During this, the envelope and slips are burned by the spectator. A large slate is shown to contain a square divided into nine…
Simplicity is ever a virtue in magical effects. This should find favor with many because it is effective, to the point, and there is little chance for the subject to miss. Writing a prediction on a slip, the performer folds and deposits it in a cup. A deck is mixed and spread on the table. A spectator freely chooses one and is given a small book of poems or fiction. He is asked to open the book to the page corresponding with the number of spots on the card and then count to the word at the same number. The…
One of the subtle methods for the transmission of signals has been passed around a good deal in its original form. The switching on and off of an electric light in another room was found to act on the radio with sharp static like snaps. Presumably the performer would be given a number or card and leave the room before the medium returned. In another room he would signal her through the radio which had been turned down a little but not off during the test. I played around with this idea and found out an important secret which allows…
A most unusual test that can be introduced into a program at any time is one which needs no preparation in one version and but a little in another. It is one of those tricks that can be done before practically any sized audience and it is just as effective if presented for a single person. Professional performers know only too well how rare and hard to find such an effect is. The first version is impromptu with any cards that may be borrowed. The performer states that what he is about to do must not be confused with card…
This is an impromptu blindfold test that can be done at any time or place and is always interesting because of the novelty. The performer says that through an extremely acute sense of smell he is able to tell different brands of cigarettes purely through a slight smell of the smoke. About four of those present are asked to take cigarettes, each holding a different brand. We shall assume they have Lucky Strikes, Chesterfields, Old Golds and Camels. The performer is blindfolded with a handkerchief and asks that the four spectators now light their cigarettes. One at a time and…
This is one of those effects that can be built into feature proportions due to the many possibilities for spectacular presentation. It is strictly a one man stunt and needs practically no apparatus or preparation. I say again, and make it emphatic, that the secret is subtle and never suspected by the audience because it takes place right before their very eyes and in a natural manner. On the platform, stage or front of the room is a blackboard facing the audience. Chalk and eraser are at hand. The performer states that he will attempt a most difficult test of…