Handwriting is something which may or may not identify one person from another. It's a moot question and therefore leaves the path open for a magician to make the most of things. From a newspaper clipping reproduced here we have seen that the effect might be of use to many readers. What we reveal here is an effort to give a method so that all may accomplish the same thing, if not genuinely, as per the English newspaper man, by underhanded trickery as per nearly all magicians. In a room from 10 to 20 people the performer passes out a…
While this effect has been sold under different names and credited to as many different people, no one as yet has published the presentation which I first used over 25 years ago. (Back in Jinx #6 I used this principle with a torn out piece of newspaper. Previous to that, I supplied Thayer's Trick of the Month Club with the effect as eventually made quite popular by Mogul. Previous to that Joe Ovette sold the idea in a slightly different form via the manuscript route. Previous to that Martin Sunshine used it for private readings. And Martin told me subsequent…
If you actually could do true mind reading you would proceed exactly as you do in this hitherto unrevealed and astonishing test. That is what arouses the amazement of the spectators -- entire absence of any apparent method. Every move is seemingly done by the spectators themselves -- any one spectator or several, it makes no difference. If you see a spectator who has brought his own newspaper you may use that, if you wish. Any newspaper, any page, any column, any want ads from that column -- entirely free choice. You never see the want ads which are selected.…
Dunninger "Unveiling Mysteries Of The Telepathic Mind" Fisher Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, October 11, 1939. Time : 1 hour 15 minutes. Reviewed by Stewart James. All apparatus is on a nondescript table covered with a black cloth. A swivel office-chair completes the stage setting. In his opening remarks, Dunninger asserts that he will give several demonstrations of his ability to read another's mind. Although it will be necessary for him to go down into the audience at various times, he wished to have it distinctly understood that no part of his presentation was performed there. He would always return to the…
This is one of the most thought provoking little secrets to be evolved in many a moon. Dr. Van Deusen learned of it at a Paris hotel bar, and it is being passed on, for to the best of our knowledge the effect has never been published for magicians. In action and conception the procedure resembles a "finger" game quite popular with members of the Italian race. In effect the performer acts as a medium or thought reader and turns his back upon two spectators who will act as transmitters. Both of these spectators now hold out from 1 to…
Science recognizes a vast spectrum of waves ranging from extremely short to very long wavelengths. On this band are light rays, radio, X-ray, infra-red ray, death ray, and ultra-violet ray, among others, which have been placed at the service of humanity. Between the known wavelengths, however, exist many whose use is unknown. It is with these "black gaps" that scientists today concern themselves. Marconi, at the time of his death, was delving into the mysteries of one of them. Recently a black substance emitting a powerful and baffling ray was compounded by an eminent scientist and chemist. Fastened in this…
Wait a minute. I must polish the crystal and rub the black cat in the right direction. It is the year 1954 A.D. (After Diachylon) and the scene is a super magic shop of that era. Chairs are overflowing with non-buying magi. Two wizards are setting up decks; another is trying, for the fourth time, to locate the chosen card; the rest are trying to explain just why they played that two-dollar date. Chatter ceases when the inventive genius of the day enters/Elmer Slideslip. Recognized as the author of that monumental work Tracing the Thumb-tip to its Tepee his actions…
This is a routine of more or less standard items, which, when combined, offer an interesting experiment that can find a spot on almost any club or home program. The impression upon the audience, when numbers are merely thought of, is very good as I have proven to my satisfaction. The patter is based upon "the magic of numbers" (lots of material can be found on that subject) plus the fact that some scientists have been investigating the possibility of photographing thought waves, notably among them being Nicola Tesla. The performer starts by showing a chart containing 16 squares of…
The telephone trick, in one form or another, is ever-popular although a great many people are familiar with the original method of coding. As long as the performer must do the calling himself, or supply a name to be called other than his wife or a friend known to everybody present, no system, however ingenious, will allay suspicions. My methods for this are planned to mystify everybody as well as satisfy the hecklers. And I make use of a deck which can be found valuable in many other tricks. Arrange or purchase a Svengali deck, one in which all the…
2511 Cypress St. Columbia, S.C. May 21, 1939 Dear Mr. Annemann : It all started when Jenny Gayden called and asked if I'd come to her party that night. During the afternoon I went over to the neighborhood where Jenny lived and scouted around. At several filling stations, drug stores, and an all night restaurant I took down their telephone numbers along with names and addresses. Back home, in front of my own phone, I did some heavy figuring. Under each of the dial holes wherein you put your finger is a number and above each number are three letters…