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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON MENTAL PAIRS
Here is a fantastic eect that is NOT in any way shape or form, the old MUTUS, NOMEN...principal. This new idea came to me while reading the old eect. To fully appreciate its subtlety and beauty, you should read John Northern Hilliard’s description o the “MUTUS” eect in Greater Magic. See “Old Wines in New Bottles.” Here is the new eect: The perormer shules a deck o cards and deals out, face-down, eight pairs o cards (16 cards). Three spectators (or more), each take a pair o cards making sure the perormer doesn’t see the cards. The perormer stresses this fact, and, cautions the spectator to remember the cards! MAKE IT QUITE OBVIOUS THAT YOU DO NOT SEE THE FACES OF THE SELECTED CARDS! The cards are now mixed and shuled, as much as desired by a spectator ater which the perormer faces the audience again. At this point each o the spectators has selected his own pair o cards. The cards have been shuled (the three pairs o cards are lost in the shule); the perormer has not seen any o this. The cards are now dealt face-up to form a rectangle (see Fig. 1) The miracle is about to start:
Figure 1
(This eect can be presented as a table eect or as a stage eect). I do it as a stage eect as follows: The rectangle o face-up cards is the only thing on the table. I hand the spectators a box containing two little figurines. I now step away from the table; a spectator blindolds me. I now have one spectator place the figurines at the ends o the rows in which his cards appear. From the way I am standing, it is obvious to the audience that even without the blindold I could not see what is going on. Now, with my best presentation I reveal the names o the selected pair o cards.
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON The procedure now changes: I ask the second spectator to place the figurines on any two corners o the rectangle. I name the second pair o cards: I ask the last spectator to hold a figurine against his head. I name one o his cards. He acknowledges that I am correct. I whip o the blindold and turn to an easel that is to my side so that I still can’t see the tabletop. I write the name o a card in bold letters. Now, the spectator calls out the name o the last card. I show my writing to the audience, and claim my applause. You can build this into a feature eect yet the method is simplicity itsel.
METHOD Your gimmick is simplicity itsel. On the back hal o a business card list eight pairs o cards (see Fig. 2). Easy setup: Thoroughly shule your deck. Across your gimmick list the top eight cards in order. Below that list, copy the next eight cards. KEEP THE ORDER! Replace the cards on top o the deck.
Figure 2
Now deal eight cards across the table. Continue dealing the second eight cards across the table on top o the first eight cards. You now have eight two card piles as listed on your gimmick. Okay? Put the cards back on the pack in their original order and you are ready to perorm. TO PERFORM: Bring up three spectators. Remove the deck and false shule, keeping the top 16 cards intact. Deal out the eight piles. Have three spectators each select a pile (pair) o cards. Stress their memorizing the cards they selected. As a spectator picks up a pair o cards, You must remember which pair o cards he has selected. Know for example, that Spectator #1 took the third pile; Spectator #2 took the 4th pile; Spectator #3 took the 7th pile. A glance at your gimmick will instantly let you know who has which cards. However, add a little showmanship! Put on a simple blindold. You’ll be able to read your palmed gimmick, also you’ll spot which spectator goes to the table so you can name the proper cards. I you use the blindold, by peeking down the side o your nose, you’ll be able to identiy the spectator by his shoes or pant leg. In this eect you really have all the necessary inormation as soon as the pairs o cards are selected. Change the routine to suit yoursel!
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON Figure 3
Figure 4 Figure 5
CLOSE-UP READING
Here is an instant message reading eect that is concise and direct! Get three blank cards. For practice only, put the word back on each card. Now you know which side o the card is the back. On the front o one card draw a large question mark. On the front o the second card draw a mystic symbol. You are ready! (Fig. 3) Bring out the packet o three cards. Throw them face-up onto the table. Point to the question mark card and ask the spectator to think o a question. Have him look at the mystic symbol as he concentrates on his question. Pick up the symbol and question mark cards and hold them face down. Have the spectator write his question on the blank side o his card. Turn so it is obvious to the spectator that you can’t see his writing. Have him place his card face-down on the table. Drop your two cards Face-down on top o his card. Pick the cards up still face-down. Square them up. Do the glide (see Fig. 4). Drop the card face down upon the table. To the spectator it will look like you put his card back on the table. Point to the back o the card as you ask him i he has initialled the card. As you do so, you are in a perect position to read his question (see Fig. 5). Now, still face-down, drop the cards on the one on the table. Pick them up, still face down. Do the glide again. Place the top card on the bottom o the stack sandwiching his card; put the cards between his hands. Do your reading. Once you get the hang o this, you can do it with any suitable set o cards. Use your business cards. [When doing the Glide with business cards, make sure to moisten the let third finger beore you use it to drawback the card underneath. Unlike playing cards, business cards are usually uncoated and do not slide easily. Then from above, apply light pressure with the right thumb – pushing the top card back, as you withdraw the second card (underneath).]
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON THE CHOP CUP
I do a number o billet eects. The “chop” cup is a natural gimmick for many o the billet routines. The principle is that the magnetic bottom o the cup will hold a properly prepared billet, thus giving you a non-sleight method o switching a billet, or, it may be used for any billet eect using the one ahead idea. TO USE: Fold a few slips o paper into billets. I use a 1-1/2 square folded twice (see Fig. 6 on next page). When I am ready to perorm I open the papers up. I paste a piece o tin so it will end up inside a folded billet. This will be the first billet I use. Eect #1: I apparently write something on the gimmicked billet. I openly drop it into the chop cup. I ask one member o the audience to think o any card in the pack. Ater a proper buildup the card is named. I clip a duplicate billet from an index as I pick up the cup, I drop it in surreptitiously. I approach the spectator with the cup. I turn the cup over allowing the second billet to drop into the spectator’s hand. The first billet remains in the cup, held in place by the magnet and the eect is over. The same idea is used to apparently read the minds o three people in the audience. First tell the audience that you are thinking o a four digit number. Now go through the actions o writing a four digit number on the fake billet. Openly, drop the billet into the cup. This billet will stick to the bottom o the cup at the end o the eect! Turn to a spectator and tell him you have just written a four digit number on the slip that you dropped into the cup. Explain to the spectator that you are committed. Make sure the entire audience can hear you and understand your statement. Ask the spectator to call out any four digit number. Write this on a large board in large figures. Now tell the audience that you will write the name o a city. On the next slip, write the four digit number. As you can see, you are doing a one ahead eect. Drop the second slip into the cup. The audience thinks this slip bears the name o a city. Ask a spectator to name a city. Write the city on the big board directly under the four digit number.
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON Now take the third paper and write the name o the city on it and drop it into the cup. The eect is almost finished. You now tell the audience that you have written the name o a card on the last slip that was dropped into the cup. Have anyone call out the name o a card. Palm a slip out o a card index and as you pick up the cup load the slip into the cup. This is easy to do. Carry the cup forward and turn it over, dropping the slips into a spectator’s hand. Only the last three slips will fall out o the cup. The first slip will stick to the bottom o the cup. Write the name o the card on the large board under the name o the city. Hold the large board facing the audience. Have the spectator open the slips and read them aloud. Take your bows. Note! You can simpliy the last part o the eect as follows: Have one billet prepared with the name o a card. At anytime during the eect, load the billet into the cup. The final card is forced and the eect is completed. Note: It doesn’t have to be a card, it can be any force item. I you have a book test that will force a word that would be excellent. Use your imagination. Also! With a hal-a-dozen pre-olded and opened billets, the first one should be the gimmicked billet. The second billet is a blank. It is the one you will write the four digit number on. The third billet has the last force item written on it, and it is FOLDED. As you fold the second slip directly on top o the FOLDED slip, pick them up together and drop them into the cup. Now the finish is clean. Tell the audience that you will write the name o your force item. Write the name o the city on the last slip and cleanly, drop it into the cup. You merely have to force the last item, (the billet is already in the cup) and finish the eect (see Fig.’s 6 & 7)
Figure 6
Figure 7
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON RUBBER CEMENT
RUBBER CEMENT
Figure 9 Figure 8
THE UNGIMMICKED CUP What do you do i you don’t have a chop cup? Use any opaque cup. A Styrooam coee cup (clean!) is fine. Just put a smear o rubber cement about two thirds down the cup (see Fig. 8). Then put a good smear o rubber cement on the outside fold o the first billet (see Fig. 9). Ater, apparently writing the four digits on this gimmicked billet, openly put it into the gimmicked cup. Make sure both rubber cement suraces touch each other. Make it a good touch! Now continue with the eect. Important! The rubber cement on both items should be dry beore being used.
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON THE MINDREADING ALLIGATOR
Here is one o my favorite close-up eects. I tell the audience at the table about a mindreading alligator that I possess. I remove a pack o cards and have one card selected. I caution the spectator to remember the card. He may o course, show it to the others at the table. When he replaces the card I shule the pack and I bring the card to the top. I place the deck on the table. I reach into my inside jacket pocket and I remove a small rubber alligator. I introduce the alligator to the audience. I place the alligator on the table so its jaws are resting on the deck o cards (see Fig. 10). I pull out a pocket hanky and throw it over the alligator and the deck. Now I ask the spectator to concentrate on his card. I pull the tail o the alligator through the hanky, so that it moves back a few inches from the deck. I now tell the spectator that the alligator will look through the deck and find his card. I have the spectator name the card. I have the spectator lit the hanky. Away from the deck, under the jaws o the alligator is a face down card. The spectator turns the card over. It is the selected card! This is a great eect. The best part o it is that it is sel-working. Once you place the jaws o the alligator on the top card o a squared up pack, a pull on the tail will move the alligator and the top card. All you need is a rubber alligator which you can pick up at any novelty shop. I you are proicient with the double lit, and every magician should be, then, just bring the selected card to the top o the deck, do the double lit thus showing the spectator that his card is not (?) on top. Show him that his card is not on the bottom o the deck. Proceed with the eect. In your patter state that the alligator will reach into the pack and remove the thought o card.
Figure 10
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON THE MASTER BILLET EFFECT
This is a clear-cut way o doing an eect where but one billet is used. An ordinary, clear glass is shown. It is put on the table. The perormer write a prediction on a paper, folds it and drops it casually into the glass. He then covers the glass with a hanky. The perormer now hands a deck o ESP cards to any member o the audience. He asks the person to mix the cards thoroughly. This done, the spectator is asked to remove any one o the ESP cards and show it to the audience. Proceed with the eect. In your patter state that the alligator will reach into the pack and remove the thought o card. The perormer removes the hanky from the glass and hands the glass to a spectator. The perormer reiterates the fact that his prediction was put into the glass at the beginning o the test. The spectator with the glass removes the billet and opens it. Inside the billet is the drawing o the selected symbol. This is clean stu. It just takes a little timing to handle. This principle can be used for a few eects. The illustration (Fig. 11) is the complete setup. The hanky has a thread attached to it. The thread is attached to a corner o the hanky and should reach halway down the diagonal fold o the hanky. Aixed to the end o the thread is a small ball o magicians wax.
Figure 11
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON THE EFFECT: Tell the audience that you will attempt a prediction. Make a circle on your billet. Do it so the audience can’t tell what you drew! Fold the billet. Approach your table. Press the billet onto the ball o wax. To do this properly, get the ball o wax onto a finger. Press the billet onto the ball o wax. Drop the billet into the glass, make sure you have enough slack. Cover the glass with the hanky. Now have a card freely selected from an ESP pack. Naturally, they can only select one o five selections. I they select the circle, all well and good. Pick up the glass. Reach under the hanky, and with your fingers over the top o the glass, remove the hanky by the proper corner. As the thread pulls the billet up to your fingers, do not let the billet come out o the glass. Just keep pulling the hanky up and the billet will be detached from the thread and fall back into the glass. Continue the movement o the hanky until the glass is seen. Hand the glass to a spectator and complete the eect. The move outlined above is easy to do. Just try it. One more move is necessary. Let us go back to the point where the billet attached by the ball o wax is in the glass, covered by the hanky, and on the table. Now a spectator selects one o the other four possibilities. Perhaps he selects a star, or, the wavy lines. Make a simple index o the other four symbols. When you know the selection, palm out the proper billet. Approach the glass (now comes the timing). Lit the corner o the hanky. As you do so the billet in the glass will be pulled out o the glass. Drop the palmed billet into the glass as you complete removing the hanky. This should all be done in one smooth move. The palmed billet should be in the glass beore the hanky clears the glass. Hand the glass to a spectator and complete the eect.
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPATE
This plot has been used a number o times. In fact, there are a few sets on the market that use cleverly gimmicked props. This is one o the methods in which the props are not gimmicked. When I first showed the eect to Ed Mishell, his jaw dropped. He just didn’t believe it. EFFECT: The audience is shown seven keys and a lock. Nothing is gimmicked and only one key opens the lock. The spectators examine the lock and keys. The key that opens the lock is sealed in an envelope. The other keys are also sealed in envelopes. None o the envelopes are gimmicked. As a matter o fact, anyone can run to the nearest store and pick up a fresh packet o envelopes. In this method it is unnecessary to prepare envelopes and reseal the package to make the package look right. THE SECRET: The secret is the use o easily gotten material as a daub. Go to the five and ten and pick up a packet o white eye shadow. The one I got is a small square-shaped plastic containing a circle o eye shadow. I prop it open in a V-shape and put it into my jacket pocket. When I put my hand into my pocket, my thumb can get a smear o the “daub” onto it. Now just follow the action. Now you prove that the keys and the lock are unprepared. Hand them out for examination. When you come to the key that opens the lock, have someone hold it aside. Have someone remove seven envelopes from the fresh package. As this is being done, get a “daub” o the eye shadow onto your thumb. Ask for an envelope. Put a good thumb print onto one corner o the front o the envelope (Fig. 12). Knowing where the print is will allow you to locate it easier and faster at the proper moment. Take the key that opens the lock and drop it into the thumb-printed envelope. Toss the envelope onto a bare table or into a basket. SHADED AREA – WHITE DAUB
Figure 12
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THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON Take the other keys, one at a time, and seal them in the other envelopes. As each key is sealed in an envelope, it is tossed onto the table. Have someone mix the envelopes. You put a blindold on as the envelopes are mixed up. Now ask for the envelopes. Hold them in front o your body so you can peek down the sides o your nose. I you gently undulate the envelope you will be able to spot the almost invisible print. In other words, move the envelope. Assume it is the wrong one; it does not contain the key. Pick it up and hold it to your head as though concentrating on it. Meanwhile you are looking down at the next envelope. Keep this up until you find the right envelope. Then end the eect as you please. Sometimes the first, or top envelope is the right one. I cut one or two envelopes onto it so as to delay the finding o the key, thus building the suspense. I you wear glasses, do the eect without the blindold. It is just as eective. Now a number o important points: First, try out your white eye shadow. Put a thumbprint o it on an envelope; then, move the envelope and spot the thumbprint. Make sure you get the hang o this. You may have to try one or two brands to get one that is easy to spot. I you have too much trouble seeing the light impression, try an iridescent white. Second,when doing the actual eect, as soon as you spot the thumbprint, hold the envelope to your forehead, and imperceptibly rub the thumbprint gently into the paper. Now the envelope can be examined and no one will be able to spot it. O course, you get rid o the excess eye shadow on your thumb by wiping it o inside your pocket. In practice, this eect is a real fooler. You can use the principle for any eect where one envelope out o a group o envelopes must be identiied. This principle, as a matter o fact, can be put to good use in a Living and Dead test, Pseudo Psychometry, etc. Hand out three or four papers. Ask those who have received a paper to write the name o a living person on the paper and then to fold the paper twice. Give one paper to someone and ask them to write the name o a person who has passed on. Once this has been done, pass out the envelopes and have each person seal the envelope. Get a “daub” o the eye shadow onto your thumb. As you retrieve the envelope containing the dead name, “print” it. © Copyright 2010 by Trickshop.com. All rights reserved. - 12 -
THE SUPERB MENTALISM OF JACK LONDON To complete the eect mix the envelopes, and then in your best manner, locate the envelope “mentally” (by spotting the thumbprint). Finish the eect. I you wish to use some impression method o getting the actual name, you can have a really strong finish.
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