Bert Douglas's Magical Patter (1932)

8/9/2019 Bert Douglas's Magical Patter (1932)

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BERT DOUGLASs

M A G I C A L

IP T T IE IP

: : Effective Patter : :

P r e s e n t a t i o n s f o r t h e

Up- to- Date Mag ic ian


2/18

W I L L A LM A

M.I.M.C. (LONDON)


3/18

SYDNEY

W I L L A N D R A D E

MEL OURNE

B e r t

D o u g l a s s

M S I I € I L

P T T E R

Effective Presentations

for the Club Magician

F r o m t h o a u t h o r ' s w r i t i n g s

I n t h a L i n k i n g R i n g .

COP Y RIGHT

E D W . B A G S H A W E Co .

G R E A T W E S T R O A D , H E S T O N , E N G .


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N o o r i g i n a l i t y i s c la i m e d f o r t h e p a t t e r

a p p e a r i n g i n th i s B o o k l e t . T h e m a t e r i a l h a s b e e n

g a t h e r e d f r o m he r e , t h e r e , a n d e v e r y w h e r e , a n d

h a s s i m p l y b e e n w e l d e d t o g e t h e r t o fit m y o w n

p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e v a r i o u s p r o b l e m s .

N o w t h a t t h is is t h o r o u g h l y u n d e r s t o o d — l e t 's

g o .

B E R T D O U G L A S .


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BERT DO>lIGLAS s

Magical Patter

Cot and Restored Rope

( T h e p a t t e r g i v e n b e l o w m a y b e a d a p t e d f o r us e w i t h a l m o s t

a n y v e r s i o n o f t h e p o p u l a r R e s t o r e d R o p e F e a t . T h e p a t t e r f o r

H u n g W u n ' s R o p e M y s t e r y , g i v e n f u r t h e r o n , is a n o t he r s t y l e

o f p r e s e n t a t i o n w h i c h w i l l f it a n y r o p e t r i c k , w i t h m i n o r c h a n g e s

t o s u it t h e w o r k i n g . )

W h e n p e r f o r m i ng t h e s e m a g i c a l p r o b l e m s I a l w a y s l i k e t o u s e

b o r r o w e d a r t i c l e s a s m u c h a s p o s s i b l e , s o l a s t n i g h t I b o r r o w e d

a p i e c e o f m y n e i g h b o u r ' s c l o t h e s l i n e — o f c o u r s e , h e d o e s n ' t k n o w

it y e t , a n d I ' l l be ha n ge d if I t el l him. ( S ho w r ope w it h se ve r a l

c l ot he s - p e g s t h e r e o n , r e m o v i n g t he s e w h il e t a l k i ng . )

I w o u l d a l s o l i k e t o b o r r o w t w o g e n t l e m e n f r o m t h e a u d i e n c e ;

t ha t s houl d n ot be d iff ic ul t, a s they s ee m fa ir l y pl e n t iful t o- n ight .

T h a n k y o u , b o y s , c o me r i g h t f o r w a r d , I a m v e r y g r a t e f u l f o r

y o u r a s s i s t a n c e .

I w a n t y ou, sir , t o st a n d on my l eft ha n d — I me a n a t my l eft -

h a n d s i de , t h a t 's m y m is t a k e . A n d w i l l y o u , s i r , j u s t s t a n d o v e r

h e r e a t m y r ig ht? Y o u ' r e m y r i g h t - h a n d m a n , a s i t w e r e . D o n ' t

s t a n d t o o n e a r t h o f o o t l i g h t s , y o u m i g h t p o p y o u r c o r n s .

( A s s i s t a n t s a r r a n g e d o n e o n le f t a n d o t h e r o n r i g h t s i d e o f

p e r f o r m e r . )

( T o L . - H . A . ) : W i l l y o u b e g o o d e n o u g h t o p ut y o u r i n it ia l s

o n t hi s c l ot he s - p e g ? ( T o R . - H . A . ) : A n d w i ll y o u t a k e t hi s

c l o th e s - p in a n d d o l i k e w i s e ? T h e n w e w i l l g o r i g h t a h e a d w i t h

t h e w a s h i n g .

F ir st of a l l , I a m goin g t o t ie t he t wo en d s of t he r ope t oget her .

T his is a spir it kn ot , a t lea s t , i t's as t ig ht a s a n y qua n t it y of

spir it s c oul d ma ke it .

( T o L . - H . A . ) : N o w , s i r, w i l l y o u p le a s e t a k e t he s e s c i s s o rs a n d

c u t th e r o pe t h r o u g h t h e c e n t r e — t h e c e n tr e is us u a l l y a r o u n d t h e

mid d l e some whe r e. J us t c ut a bout a n in c h off my ha n d ( j ump

ba c k) . I 'm sor r y , I s houl d ha ve s a id a bo ut a n in c h a w a y fr om

m y h a n d . ( A s s i s t a n t c u t s . ) T h a t ' s f ine .

( T o a ud i e n c e ) : I ho p e y o u a r e a l l w a t c h i n g t h e p r o c e e d i n g s v e r y


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4

B E R T D O U G L A S ' S

closely, becausc when I am finished half of you will say that the

rope wasn't cut, and the other half will say that the rope .

wasn't cut. I will again tie the knot, for better or worse, this

is the only way to make ends meet.

(T o ass istants) : N ow , boys, w ill you be good e nough to attac h

y our clothes- pegs to the rope to make sure that I do not ex change

it in any w ay , or trade it in for a new one. T hat's jus t fine.

(T o R.- H. A .) : Now , sir , w il l you pick one of thes e knots —I

mean s elect one, I like ev e rything to be nice and select. Y ou like

that one best ? A ll right, w ill you take it w ith you or shall I se nd

it C .O.D. ? (Untie knot, or cut it off, whichev er is pre ferre d, and

have assistants take an end of rope each.)

Now, boys, if you will each take an end of the rope and stand

as far apart as possible, I will show you something which I believe

you will remember as long as you live.

I pronounce the mag ic s pell . . . and be hold, the rope is com-

pletely restored.

(W he n applause subsides, address ass istants.) No w , boys, I

would like to have you test the rope to prove that every strand

has been completely restored. When I say "Go" I want you both to

pull with all your strength, and to the victor belongs the spoils.

(Drape handkerchief over the rope midway between the two

clothes- pegs and burles que a tug- of- war competition betwe en the

two ass istants. T his creates a great deal of fun, es pecially if one

fellow releases his end of the rope, which is a frequent happening

at stags, etc. T he winner of the contest is pres ented with the

magic rope.)

unrig W tin s Rope Mystery

Once upon a time there live d in China a famous magic ian by

the name of Hung W un. I believe his brother was Hun g T wo.

A nyw ay , old Hung W un found it impossible to make ends meet,

like his brother, who was an acrobat, so he decided to give up

magic and go into the laundry business—at least, he made a clean

start.

T housands of travellers from all over the world have witnes se d

the famous Hung W un Rope Mys tery , but nobody has ever been

able to solve the problem.

I now take pleasure in presenting this miracle—by permission

of the copyright owners. (Attention drawn to small box, lid

mysteriously rises and rope creeps out and ascends through the

air to performer's finger tips.) Be hold, the magic rope of H ung

W u n .

I would like some gentleman to come forward and assist me


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in this ex perim ent. I once had a ve ry pre tty lady as sis tant, bu t

I had to fire her becau se nobody paid any atte ntion to m e. T han k

you , s ir ; ju st step rig ht forw ard. Y ou don't m ind being a China-

m a n f o r a f e w mi nu t e s , d o y o u ? N o T h a t 's f i ne .

N ow, Charlie ( to assistant) , will you please take these Chinese

M anicu re Scissors (extra larg e scissors) and hold them in you r

right hand, and with your left hand grasp the end of the rope.

Y ou w ill observe that the rope is so long that i t stretches fro m

one end to the other and rig ht back ag ain, ut what I like about

it is the fact that the centre is exactly in the middle.

N o w , J o h n ( t o a s s i s t a n t ) , w i l l y o u t a k e t h e s c i s s o r s a n d s e v e r

the rope at the centre; ju st cu t abou t two inches off m y hand.

(J u m p back as ass istant is about to cut.) N o , no, J ohn, I m e an

awa y from m y hand, not off m y hand— that's m y m is take .

(A s s istant cuts rope, really loop.) T hat's s plendid— it w on't be

long now.

I am g oing to tie the two pieces of rope tog ether, there are

m any different kinds of knots, bu t this particu lar one is known

as a spirit knot— it is absolu tely tig ht.

N ext I will u nite the two ends of the rope; of cou rse, I cou ld

m ake a joke a bou t this be ing a knotty problem , but I 'm not g o ing

to. (P roc ee d to tr im knots .) I alway s mainta in i f a thing is wo rth

doing it is w ort h doing we ll, so I prese nt this e x perim ent com plete

with all the trimmings.

N ow, to enable you to fu lly appreciate the diff icu lty of the task

I am about to acc omplish, let me briefly o utline jus t wha t has

taken place.

A n ordinary rope, seven feet in leng th, was cu t r ig ht throu g h

the centre. T he two pieces of rope we re then tied tog e ther, and

finally both ends of the rope we re tied. N o w , Ling , will y ou

k i n d l y s e l e c t o n e o f t he s e k n o t s ? T h a t o ne . A l l r i g h t . ( C u t o f f

knot, bunch up and hold rope in left hand, and have assistant

g rasp one end which protru des from hand.)

I want you all to watch m e very, very closely, becau se I am

abou t to present a m iracle in m odern m ag ic— som ething which I

think you will all rem em ber as long as you live.

J u st as the old Chinese necrom ancer cast his spell over the

m ag ic rope, so do I , and behold . . . (wa lk slowly aw ay fro m

assistant, rope is gradually pulled out of fist, knot dissolves, and

rope is w hole) . W e find every s trand and fibre re joined, and the

m ag ic rope of Hu ng W u n is completely res tored.

N ow, J ohn, I want you to accept this m ag ic rope as a sou venir

of this suspicious occasion, and if you ever find out how the trick

is done be su re and drop m e a note— becau se, I 'm ju st dying to

k n o w .


8/18

6 ' B E R T D O U G L A S ' S

Aerial (Cigarette Catching

Radio has certainly made wonderful progress, and nowadays

the daily ques tion is "Wha t's on the air to- night?" Howe ve r, no-

body has been able to tune in and pick up solid objects from the

ether, that has been left to a young and talented magician of the

pres ent day . . . yo u will find my name on the prog ramme.

L e t me give you a demons tration. T his hat is the receiver, my

feet make a perfect earth, and my right hand acts as the aerial.

W e s imply plug in, tune in, and right aw ay the ae rial picks up

a solid object in the form of an A rm y Club, and it is quickly

transfe rre d to the receiver. (Cig. produce d at finger- tips and

droppe d in hat, produc tion continue d.) N ow I'll pick another one

out of the air.

By moving your dial (turn head) you can pick up something

else r ight away, this looks like a Ke nsitas. Y es , so i t is Ultra-

violet ray, and eve rything. (Proc ee d w ith production of cigar-

ettes.) T his is much cheaper than buying the m, and they are all

duty free.

I s howe d this idea to an A be rdonian o nce ; he tune d in and

was found dead nex t day. T he doctor said it was a case of pure

exhaustion.

1 could hardly believe it, because I never get fagged out doing

this.

T he secret of this is w ort h a lot of Go ld F lake (smell cig.

and cough.) T his must be the second car- load. Y ou can get

excellent results with a short wave, especially if you can tune in

an orches tra play ing s omething catchy. (Pr oduce se veral cigs.,

then place hat on table.)

By using two aerials, right and left, you can pick things out

of the ether with e ither. (Pr oduce cigs. at finger- tips of both

hands, via droppers.)

Sometimes I pick up a lot of noise that sounds like carol-

singing. It mus t be Playe r's We ights . (Co ntinue production, and

vary with sleights.)

If y ou sw itch fro m local to long- distance y ou can pick up a

whole flock that you never even heard of before. Here they come

in a ste ady stream, from here, there and ev ery where . (Se cure

bundle of cigs., hold between both hands, break thread and allow

cigs. to drop in a steady shower from between hands.)

Now I am going to give you all a chance to catch something

out of the air. T his broadcas t is being made through the courtes y

of the copyright owners. T his is station C.I.G. speaking. Y our

announce r is . . . W he n y ou hear the word G O it will be time

to smoke up. Get ready. A tte ntion Go. (T oss all the cigarettes


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outto audience, or, if preferred, cause them all to vanish from hat.)

( A f t e r a p pl a us e . ) T h e r e c e p ti o n to - n ig h t h a s s i m pl y b e e n

w o n d e r f u l .

Cards Up the Sleeve

M ost people nowadays are aware of the fact that the m ag ician

use s his sleeves for the, purpose of c oncea ling rabbits, e lephants,

and other wild anim als, bu t there are very few who u nderstand

ju st how the different objects pass u p and down the sleeve, so I

will dem onstrate exactly how it is done.

For this pu rpose I u se ten cards, one, two . . . (cou nt ten cards

off the pack, placing them on rack so every card is visible) . N ow

let m e s how you a m arried m an's pocket. P u t ou t those bac helors

w ho laug hed. Y ou will observ e the pocket is we ll l ined, it was

m ade by a Scotch tailor.

While I collect the cards in my left hand I would like you to

m em orize som e of them so that you will know that I am not

trying to deceive you in any way.

Now I snap the cards, like this, and the first card travels up

m y s leeve and rig ht dow n into m y e m pty pocket. He re it is. I

am afraid s ome of you wer e not w atc hing closely, so I will do

that ag ain. A nothe r f lick, and the second card travels r ig ht across

m y body withou t the aid of a taxi .

N o w t h i s t i m e I s n a p t h e c a r d s t w i c e — t h a t m a k e s t h e t r i c k

twice as snappy— and here in the lower reg ions we f ind the two

cards.

Some of you may imagine that I still hold ten cards in my left

hand, bu t that is not the case. Fou r cards have travelled— there-

fore six rem ain. I w ill cou nt the m . (Fals e- cou nt f ive cards as

six.)

N ow nu m ber f ive is a very pecu liar card, i t always departs in

a f irst- class co m partm ent, and it arrive s in a se cond.

A nd here we have f ive cards. (Co u nt, m ake bre ak, and palm

off three .) I w ill now atte m pt to pass three cards tog e ther, this

is very diff icu lt ow ing to the cong e ste d traffic conditions. One ,

two, three, and they 're off . A nd here we have one, two, thre . . .

that's strang e— the third one hasn't arrived yet, i t m u st be held

u p at the inters ec tion. (P ro du ce card fr om top of sleeve , u nde r

coat.) Y e s , here it is, w aiting for the g re en lig ht.

N ow, the last two cards I shall cau se to disappear sing ly, or

one at a time, whichev er you prefe r. S ing ly A ll r ig ht. Click,

and aw ay he g oes. A nd here we f ind the K ing of Diam onds all

hot and f lu shed after his qu ick jou rney— bu t everybody likes a

royal flush.

A nd now for the last card, the Qu ee n of Hea rts , this is whe re


10/18

y o u a r e g o i n g t o c a t c h me . K e e p y o u r e y e o n th e b l o n d e l a d y .

S he d oesn 't l ike t o be squeez ed in publ ic , so she d isa ppea r s r ight

up my sl eeve ( pr od uc e c a r d fr o m a r mpit ) , a n d her e she is . I

n ever a l l ow a l a d y t o go in t o my poc ket s.

( A n u p- t o - d at e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t he M u l t i p l y i n g B i l l i a r d B a l l s .

I n t h i s ca s e t h e g o l f b a ll s a s m a n u f a c t u r e d b y I r e l a n d a r e u s e d .

A f t e r p r o d u c i n g t h e f o u r b a ll s a t t h e f in g er tips t h e p e r f o r m e r

p i c k s u p a c l o t h g o l f i n g c a p , a n d d e p o s i ts t h e ba l l s t h e r e i n . L i n i n g

o f c a p h a s a s l it a n d b a l l s pa s s i n s i d e , t h e c a p b e i n g s h o w n a p p a r -

e n t l y e m p t y a t f i ni s h. )

T h o s e o f y o u w h o pl a y th e G r a n d a n d A n c i e n t G a m e o f G o l f

w il l a gr e e t ha t on e of t he mos t a n n oy in g t hin gs t ha t c a n ha ppe n

is t o be c o n t in ua l l y l osin g y our ba ll . N o w wi t h t he in ve n t ion of

m y w o n d e r f u l s e l f - c o n t r o ll in g g o l f b a l l a l l y o u r t r o u b le s a r e

e n d e d . ( T a k e b a l l f r o m p o c k e t a n d r e m o v e p a p e r w r a p p i n g , o r

i f p r e f e r r e d pr o d u c e w h i t e b a l l f r o m t h e ai r . T h i s is t he r e g u l a r

mul t ipl y in g bil l ia r d ba l l s , usin g whit e ba l l s . )

I t is n o l on ge r nec es sa r y t o kee p y our ey e on t he ba l l. Y o u

j ust hit t he ba l l in t he a ir ( v a n is h) a n d t hin k n o mor e a bout i t ,

t hen when y ou wa n t t o pl a y y our n ext st r oke y ou wil l f in d t he

b a l l a w a i t i n g y o u . ( R e p r o d u c e . )

( P e r f o r m s l e i g h ts w i t h b a ll .) Y o u k n o w t h i ng s h av e b e e n v e r y

ba d for ba l l s d ur in g t his busin ess d epr ession , but per ha ps t he most

ha r d - hit is t he gol f ba l l .

D i d y o u e v e r n o t ic e w h a t a g o l f b a l l d o e s w h e n it s t o ps r o l l i n g ?

I t l ooks r oun d .

Gol f is a poor ma n 's ga me—a t l ea st , t her e a r e a l ot of poor

g o l f- p la y e r s .

N o w , t her e is on l y on e t hin g be t t er t ha n a go l f ba ll , a nd t ha t

is, t w o g ol f ba ll s . ( P r o d uc e se c on d ba l l a t f inger t ips.)

Oh, my good n ess—I sl ic ed t ha t on e a bit , i t l a n d ed over her e in

t h e r o u g h . ( B a l l v a n i s h e d , r e p r o d uc e d f r o m k n e e a n d r e p l ac e d

be twe en first and s ec ond fingers .)

I s o m e t i m e s d o t h i s w i t h w a t c h e s — j u s t t o p a s s t h e t i m e a w a y .

( B a l l a g a i n v a n i s h e s a n d r e p r o d u c e d f r o m e l b o w . )

T he t wo ba ll s r e min d me of t he f ir st t ime I pl a y e d go l f . M y

pa r t n er wa s t r y in g d esper a t el y t o sin k his ba l l in t he hol e, a n d

q u i t e u nc o n s c i o u s l y I s t a r t e d t o w h i s t l e t h a t w e l l - k n o w n I r i s h

t u ne " T h e W e a r i n g o f t he G r e e n . " I t w a s q ui t e a w h i l e be f o r e

I wa s up a n d a bl e t o go a r o un d a g a in . ( C on t in ue ma n ipul a t io n s .)

A n ot he r t ime I hook e d one ba d l y a n d t he ba ll hit a n ot he r pl a y e r

(Golf


11/18

M A G I C A L P A T T E R

9

on the head and knocke d him u nconsc ious. I was arres ted f or

reckless driving .

N ow w hen I re qu ire another ball I jus t s hout " Fo re ," I m ea n,

bawl three, and here it is.

N o w , w a t c h t h e t h r e e b a l l s . W a t c h e s a n d t h r e e b a l l s a r e o f t e n

a s s o c i a t e d . F o r e . A n d h e r e w e ha v e a f o u r s o me . ( P r o d u c e f o u r t h

ball at finger- tips.)

N ow the g am e is over, som e day we'll g et tog ether and I ' l l tell

you something about my handicap, it really is a handy cap, I

only we ar it on fog g y days, bu t e ve ry thing that g oes inside is

m is t. (S how g olfe r's cap, place balls ther ein, really g oing into

pocket through slit in lining, then show cap empty, balls having

vanished.)

The Handkerchief and Egg

W he n I was a boy I saw a m ag ician do a w onde rfu l tr ick (pick

u p si lk handkerchief with hollow eg g concealed), he took a si lk

handkerchief l ike this and started to wave it u p and down, and

t h e w a v e s w e r e s o r o u g h t h a t t h e h a n d k e r c h i e f b e c a m e s e a s i c k

and tu rned as white as a sheet, in fact, whiter, i t tu rned as white

as an eg g . W e ll, really, it was an eg g . (S how eg g at f ing er tips .)

N o w , I alway s l ike to show my friends just one little tr ick that

they can do themse lves , so to- nig ht I am g oing to show you step

by step just how this trick is done.

I n the f irst place this is really a hollow eg g (tu rn eg g arou nd

and withdraw si lk) , and here we have the handkerchief.

In order to do this trick you must first buy an egg, it will cost

you about twopence, but that isn't much when you consider that

it m eans a whole day's work for the hen.

Y ou will also requ ire a si lk handkerc hief, l ike this. T here are

two things about this handkerchief worth noticing, firstly, it is

square on both sides, and, secondly, the border runs round the

edge . T hat's w hat I like about it, I could stand and w atc h it

ru nning rou nd for hours. (Se cu re real eg g from pocket and hold

palmed in right hand.)

N o w w e a r e a ll r e a d y f o r t h e t r ic k . F i r s t y o u w a l k f o r w a r d

boldly, and when you reach the centre of the room or platform

you com m ence to slowly pu sh the handkerchief into the hole in

the eg g . Of cou rse, the f irst t im e I did this you were not aware

that I had the egg in my hand, but now I am showing it to you

so you will know exactly how to do the trick.

W he n the handke rchie f is r ig ht inside the eg g you pass it into

the left hand (place real egg in left hand, retain hollow egg in

rig ht) , then you slowly open the hand and reve al the eg g . T hat's


12/18

q u it e s i m p le w h e n y o u k n o w h o w , i s n 't i t ? ( C a s u a l ly p l a c e r i g h t

ha n d in t r ouser poc ket a n d d ispose of hol l ow egg.)

Of c our se, y ou must be ver y c a r eful n ot t o expose t he hol e in

t h e e g g . ( T u r n e g g a r o u n d a nd s h o w s i l k a p p a r e n t l y p r o t r u d i n g

f r o m e g g , t h i s i s a t i n y p i e c e o f s i l k m a t c h i n g h a n d k e r c h i e f a n d

w h i c h h a s b e e n g l u e d o n r e a l e g g ; i t l o o k s l i k e h a n d k e r c h i e f p r o -

t r ud in g fr o m hol e in eg g.) .

I f y o u s h o u ld a c c i d e n t a ll y s h o w t h e w r o n g s i de o f t h e e g g , t h e

o n l y w a y t o c o r r e c t y o u r m i s t a k e i s t o t r y a n d c o n v i n c e t h e

a ud ien c e t ha t it is a r ea l eg g —a n d t he on l y w a y t o d o t ha t is t o

b r e a k i t — l ik e t h is ( B r e a k e g g i nt o g l as s . )

The Spider and the Card

( T h i s p r e t t y e f f e c t , t h e i n v e n t i o n o f S t a n l e y C o l l i ns , w i l l pr o b-

a b l y b e f a m i l i a r t o t h e r e a d e r — i f n o t , a f u l l d e s c r i p t i o n w i l l b e

f o u n d i n C o l l in s 's O r i g i n a l M a g i c a l C r e a t i o n s . )

M y n e x t e x p e r i m e n t I ha v e g i v e n t h e t i tl e o f " T h e S p i d e r a n d

t he Ca r d ."

T he pr in c ipa l pa r t is pl a y e d by t his pa per se r vie t t e. F ir s t I

c r us h t he pa per in t o a c ompa c t ba l l , a n d t o ke ep it se c ur e I w il l

place it in this s mall bulldo g clip. I then s uspe nd the pape r ball

fr om t his r in g of t hr ea d a n d in t his c on d it ion it r esembl es c er t a in

b o x e r s — i t i s s u s p e n d e d f r o m t h e r i n g .

N o w I wa n t y ou t o ima g in e for a mome n t t ha t t his is a la r g e

spid er w it h it s li fe suspe n d ed upon a t hr ea d . T his spider is k n ow n

a s th e S p i d e r u s G a m a g i c u s , a n d it is w e l l k n o w n t o e n t o m o l o g i s t s

by r ea son of t he fa c t t ha t i t l ives en t ir el y upon pips—n ot or a n ge

pips, or a ppl e pips, but pips or spot s fr om or d in a r y pl a y in g c a r d s.

L e t m e s h o w y o u h o w I f e e d t h is h u n g r y s p id e r . O n t h e b o t t o m

of t he pa c k I ha ve a c a r d wit h a n umber of pips on it , t o be exa c t

there arc nine pips.

N o w t h e s p i d e r h a s a l r e a d y s c e n t e d t h e p i p s a n d i s b e g i n n i n g

t o get exc it ed , so I t a ke on e of t hem in t his ma n n er a n d feed t he

s pider. I hav e the pip. N o w the s pider has the pip. I hope it

isn 't in fec t ious.

N ow t his spid er ha s a t er r ibl e a ppet it e, so I t a ke off a n ot her

pip, l ea vin g seven on t he c a r d , a n d t he spid er d r a ws t he pip r ight

in t o it s st oma c h.

T his be in g a g l ut t on ous s pider , I must be mor e l a vish wit h t he

c our ses, so I wil l t a ke t wo pips off t he c a r d t his t ime a n d pa ss

t he m in t o t he c r e a t ur e's mon t h. Do w n they go w it hout c he w in g,

a n d st i l l t he spid er d oesn 't get in d igest ion .

N ot hin g shor t of t he r e ma in in g f ive pips w il l a ppea s e t his


13/18

h u n g r y s p i d e r , s o I t a k e t h e l a s t f i v e s p o t s t o g e t h e r , a n d y o u

w i t n e s s t h e s p e c t a c l e o f t h i s r e m a r k a b l e i n s e c t e a t i n g r i g h t o u t

of my ha n d .

N o w I a t n g oin g t o pr ove t o y ou t ha t t he spid er r ea l l y a t e n ine ,

a t e n i n e ( p r e t e n d t o g e t t o n g u e - t i e d ) , t h a t t h e s p i d e r r e a l l y

a bsor bed t he n in e pips in i t s t issue.

The Card in Cigarette

( A n o t h e r p o p u l a r e f f e c t . A s i m p l e a n d e f f e c t i v e m e t h o d o f

w o r k i n g i s g i v e n o n p a g e 5 4 o f t h e a u t ho r ' s b oo k , C l u b M a g i c . )

F o r t h i s e x p e r i m e n t I w o u l d l i k e s o m e o n e t o s e l e c t a c a r d f r o m

t h e p a c k . W i l l y o u o b l ig e , s i r , y o u ha v e n ' t d o n e a n y t h i n g a l l t h e

e v e n i ng . ( F o r c e c a r d . ) N o w I w a n t y o u t o m a r k t he c a r d s o

t h a t w e w i l l k n o w i t a g a i n . T h e b e s t w a y t o m a r k a c a r d is t o

t e a r i t t h r o u g h t h e c e n tr e . G o a h e a d , n e v e r m i n d th e e x p e ns e .

N o w , w i l l y o u p l a c e t h e t w o h a l v e s t o g e t h e r a n d t e a r o n c e m o r e .

I f y ou r epe a t t he ope r a t ion j ust on c e mor e I t hin k t ha t w il l be

s u f f i c i e n t , w e d o n ' t w a n t a b u n c h o f c o n f e t t i . ( R e m o v e p a p e r

f r o m v e s t p o c k e t , p l a c e t o r n p i e c e s t h e r e i n , a s a n a f t e r t h o u g h t

g i v e s p e c t a t o r i n d e x c o r n e r . )

A n d n o w I t h i n k y o u w i l l a l l a g r e e t h a t t h e c a r d is a t o t a l

w r e c k . H e r e , s ir , y o u t a k e t hi s in de x c o r n e r o f th e c a r d. A l l I

w a n t y ou t o d o is sit t her e a n d kee p t he piec e. I a m go in g t o

w r a p t he t or n piec e s in this s heet of tiss ue pa per so w e wil l a l l

k n o w w h e r e t h e y a r e , a n d s o t h a t no b o d y c a n r e m o v e t h e m w i t h-

o u t a t t r a c t i n g a t t e n t i o n . W i l l y o u ju s t h o l d t h is p a r c e l t i g h t l y a t

y o u r f ing e r t i p s ? T h a t ' s j us t f i ne . ( G i v e p a c k e t t o s p e c t a t o r t o

hol d .)

N o w I w o n d e r i f s o m e o n e w i l l g i v e m e a c i g a r e t t e . T h a n k y o u ,

s i r , I ' ll r e m e m b e r y o u i n m y w i l l. ( L o o k a t c i g a r e t t e . ) I a s k e d

f o r a c i g a r e t t e ; h o w e v e r , a ( n a m e c i g a r e t t e ) w i l l d o . I s h o u l d

h a v e a b o x o f m a tc h e s s o m e w h e r e ( s w i tc h c i g a r e t t e ) . I t t a k e s a

l ot of n er ve t o wor k t his t r ic k, I d on 't suppose a n y on e wil l obj ec t

i f I h a v e a l i t t l e s m o k e t o s o o t h e m y n e r v e s .

I h o p e y o u a r e l o o k i n g a f t e r t h e t o r n p i e c e s , s i r ; p e r h a p s I

h a d b e t t e r t a k e t h e r e s p o n s i b i li t y o f f y o u r s h o u l d e r s . ( T a k e p a r c e l

a n d pa l m off por t ion c on t a in in g t or n piec es.) N ow, fol ks, I a m

g o i n g t o d o s o m e t h i n g w h i c h w i l l b a f f l e t h e s e n s e s , a s t o u n d t h e

min d , a n d my s t ify t he huma n br a in , but f ir st l et me s how y ou

t ha t t he t or n piec e s a r e st i ll w it hin t he pa per . ( T a k e l ig ht e d

c a n d l e fr om poc ke t , l e a v in g t or n piec es of c a r d , hol d c a n d l e

b e h i n d p a r c e l , w h i c h a c c i d e n t a ll y ( ? ) c a t c h e s f ir e a n d v a n i s h e s . )

N o w , is n 't t ha t t o o b a d , I n e v e r ha d t ha t h a p p e n b e f o r e . A c c i d e n t s


14/18

will happen, even to the best of magicians.

W e ll, sir , I g ues s you will have to take another card. W a it a

m inu te, thoug h, this cig are tte doesn't draw ve ry well. W hy , there 's

s om ething inside it— look he re (Ope n cig .) I t looks l ike y ou r

c a r d — w h a t w a s t he n a m e o f i t ? T h e K i n g o f S p a de s ?

W hy , su re enou g h, here he is, the K ing of Spades. W il l y ou

let me have the corner you arc holding , s ir? Y ou see, i t f i ts

exactly.

I will ask you to keep the card as a souvenir of this very sus-

picious occasion.

(Card Production and Flourishes

Y ou can alway s tell a m an by the action of his hands. F or

instance , if he does this (actions of s w im ming ) he is a s wim m er.

If he does this (blow whistle, turn left side to audience and give

actions of police man on point duty ) he is a traffic cop. (S e cure

pack of cards from holder with rig ht hand and face front.) B u t

if he does this (produce pack of cards at fiuger tips) he is a magi-

cian, pure and simple—mostly simple.

Let m e show you how they shu ffle cards in different parts of

the civi lized w orld . . . and ( localize jok e tow n).

F i r s t w e h a v e H o l l a n d , f a m o u s f o r i t s A m s t e r d a m , R o t t e r d a m ,

a n d o t he r b a d l a ng u a g e . T h e y u s e th e W a t e r f a l l s huf fl e . ( B r i d g e

or waterfall shuffle.)

S pain is fam ou s for its bull- f ig hts. T hey kill the bu ll w ith a

long spear; of cou rse, in Am erica we do not u se a spear— we shoot

the bull. T he Spanish concertina s huffle (S pring cards horizon-

tally from hand to hand.)

Sw itze rland is famou s fo r i ts cheese, and its yode l. T hey use

the tobog g an shuffle. W at c h the Sw iss m ove m ent. (Cards spread

from hand to top of arm, arm lowered and cards shoot down into

hand.)

N ext we have the Ru ssian shu ffle. Did you notice the cards

Ru sh- in ? (Car ds spread on arm , toss ed in air and c au g ht in

m id- air by r ig ht hand.)

I n M ex ico they use the turnove r shuffle. E ve ry tim e they do

it there is a re volu tion. (Car ds s pread along arm and c ause d

to turn ove r.) I can do that jus t as easy on the othe r arm. (T urn

body a nd re peat flourish on the same arm as bef ore , this alway s

g ets a lau g h.)

I n China they do e ve ry thing the opposite w ay fro m us. F or

instance , i f we were in China to- nig ht you w ou ld all be doing

tricks and I wo u ld be standing here doing nothing . W ou l dn't

that be fu nny. T his is the Chines e chop- su ey shuffle. ( W o r k

Charlier one- handed pass rapidly, or ex ecu te any triple cu ts.)


15/18

I n A m e r i c a w e h a v e t h e N i a g a r a F a l l s s h uf fle . ( R i b b o n

s h u f f l e , c a r d s r u n d o w n f r o m o n e h a n d t o t h e o t h e r . O n e c a r d

a l l ow e d t o f l ut ter t o t he f loor.) T ha t 's t he spr a y off t he F a l l s .

I f w e c r o s s t h e B r i d g e w e h a v e t h e N i a g a r a F a l l s s h u f f l e f r o m

t h e C a n a d i a n s i de . ( T u r n w i t h r i g h t s i de to w a r d s a u di e n c e a n d

r e p e a t r i b b o n s h uf f le w i t h b a c k s o f c a r ds f a c i n g a u d i e n c e ; t h is

g e t s a b i g l a u g h . )

M y n e x t s hu ff le c o s t m e y e a r s o f c o n s t a n t s t u d y a n d s t a r v a t i o n

t o b r i n g t o p e r f e c t i o n . T h e ( l o c a l i z e j o k e t o w n ) s h uf f le . ( R e g u l a r

o v e r h a n d s h u f f l e e x a g g e r a t e d a n d w o r k e d i n c l u m s y m a n n e r , a l l o w -

in g a fe w c a r d s t o fa l l . ) I ' l l ha ve t o pr a c t ic e t his some mor e .

T h e J a p a n e s e a r e f a m o u s f o r t h e i r f a ns . ( M a k e v a r i o us f a n s

w i t h p a c k . ) T h i s is q ui t e e a s y — i n f a c t , it s J a p a n- e s y . T h e r e i s

o n l y o n e t h i n g b e t t e r t h a n a f a n , a n d t h a t is , T w o F a n s . ( C u t

p a c k a t c e n t r e a n d pr o d u c e a f a n i n e a c h ha n d . ) S u b s e q u e n t l y

w e ha v e a fa n- t a il , I me a n , a d ov e t a il s huffl e .

I n G e r m a n y t h e y s p e c i a li z e in t h e H a r m o n i c a o r M o u t h O r g a n

s h uf f le , i t g o e s s o m e t h i n g l ik e t hi s . ( P r e t e n d t o t a k e c a r d s i n

l ef t ha n d , r ea l l y pa l m in r ig ht , br in g l eft ha n d d ow n on t op of

hea d , a n d pr od uc e c a r d s in a st r e a m fr om t he mout h as a f ina le.)

The Go Win Goblet

( T h i s i s a n a d a p t a t i o n o f G a m b l i n g ' s G o b l i n G o b l e t , w h i c h

h a s b e e n e x p l a i ne d i n N a l d r e t t ' s C o l l e c t e d S e r i e s . I n t h e p r e s e n t

c a s e a g o b l e t o f c o n f e t t i i s s w i t c h e d in t h e b o x f o r a g o b l e t c o n-

t a i n i n g w h i s k y a n d s o d a ; t h i s is p o u r e d i n t o a g l a s s a n d g i v e n t o

a s s i s t a n t . P e r f o r m e r t u r n s t o t a b l e a n d i n t h e a c t o f p ic k i n g u p

a s e c o n d g l a s s h e s w i t c h e s t h e g o b l e t b e h i n d b o x f o r g o b l e t c o n -

t a i n i n g b e e r . )

N o w , g e n tl e m e n , I a m v e r y g r a t e f u l f o r y o u r as s i s t a nc e t hi s

e v e n i ng , a n d I w o u l d l ik e t o g i v e y o u b o t h a p r e s e n t . W i l l y o u

j u s t s i t d o w n — f o r t h e p r e s e n t .

I h a v e a f r i e n d b y t h e n a m e o f S a n d y M a c t a v i s h ; h e i s a v e r y

c l o s e f r i e n d . S a n d y i s v e r y f o n d o f d i p p in g i nt o s p ir i t p h e n o m e n a ;

on e n ight he in vit ed me over t o his home a n d he a c t ua l l y pr o-

d u c e d s p i r i ts i n m y p r e s e n c e , a n d t h e y v a n i s h e d a g a i n — r i g h t

u n d e r m y n o s e .

T o - n i g h t w i t h t he a s s i s t a nc e o f my g o b l i n g o b l e t I w i l l e nd e a -

v o u r t o c o m m u ni c a t e w i t h t h e s p ir i ts . Y o u w i l l n o t ic e t h e g o b l e t

is c l osed a t on e en d t o keep t he spir it s in , a n d open a t t he ot her

t o le t t h e m o u t . ( G o b l e t a s f o r c o ff e e a n d m i l k t r i c k . )

( T o R . - H . A . ) : N o w , s ir , I f e e l s u r e y o u w o u l d l ik e a l i tt l e

r e f r e s h m e n t . W h a t d r i nk w o u l d y o u l i k e ? ( W h i s p e r " w h i s k y a n d


16/18

14

B E R T D O U G L A S 'S

I

s o d a . ") I b e g y o u r p a r d o n, s i r ? W h i s k y a n d s o d a ? A l l r i g h t.

( D i p g o b l e t i n t o b o x o f c o n f e t t i , m a k i n g u s u a l s w i t c h . )

H e r e I ha v e a b o x o f m y s t e r i o u s m i x t u r e w h i c h h as b af f le d t h e

m o s t i l l u s t r i o u s m i n d s o f t h e p s y c h i c f r a t e r n i t y ; I k n o w i t l o o k s

l ike c on fet t i , but bet ween y ou a n d I i t is r ea l l y whisky a n d sod a .

N o w , s i r, w i l l y o u j us t t a k e t he g o b l e t a n d s a m p l e i t ? W h a t

Y o u w o u l d r a t h e r no t h a v e it . A l l r i g h t , s u pp o s e w e j us t b r i n g

t his d own t o t he spir it l evel ( bl ow off sur pl us c on fet t i on fa ke

t o p ) , a n d c o v e r it w i t h this - h a n dk e r c h i e f . Y o u k n o w t h e s p ir i t s

w il l n ot ma t e r ia l iz e unl es s e v e r y t hin g is on t he l eve l , n o d oub t

y ou've hea r d a bout t he spir it l evel .

A l l w e h a v e t o d o is p r o no u nc e t he m a g i c s p e ll " J o h n n i e W a l k e r "

( r e m o v e h a n d k e r c h i e f a n d c o v e r ) , a n d he r e w e h a v e a mo s t

w o n d e r f u l c h a n g e , g e n u i n e w h i s k e y a n d s o d a . G o o d h e a l t h , s i r .

O h , I b e g y o u r p a r d o n , I t h o u g h t t he d r i n k w a s f o r m e . ( P o u r

i n t o g la s s a n d g i v e t o a s s i s t a nt , p i c k u p a no t h e r g l a s s a t s a m e

t i m e s w i t c h g o b l e t f o r o n e c o n t a i n i n g b e e r , a n d a d v a n c e t o l e f t -

h a n d a s s i s t a n t . )

( T o L . - H . A . ) : N o w , s ir , p e r h a ps y o u w o u l d l ik e a w h i s k y a n d

s o d a a l s o ? W h a t ' s t h a t ? Y o u ' d p r e f e r a g l as s o f b e e r . W e l l , I

g u e s s t h a t ' s o n e o n m e ; h o w d o y o u e x p e c t m e t o g e t b e e r f r o m

a g o b l e t t h a t h a s ju s t p r o v i d e d w h i s k y a n d s o d a ? T h i s is r a t h e r

u n e x p e c t e d ; h o w e v e r , I ' m q u i t e w i l l i n g t o t r y a n d s a t i s f y y o u r

t h i r s t — I m e a n , y o u r w i s h .

W i l l y o u j u s t b l o w o n t h e g o b l e t t o s u p p l y t h e n e c e s s a r y

d r a u g h t , a n d I ' l l g i v e t h e g o b l e t t w o t a p s . ( L o o k i n t o g o b l e t a n d

a l l o w a s s i s t a n t t o s e e i ns i d e . ) I s n ' t i t w o n d e r f u l , t h e o r a c l e h a s

w o r k e d , d r a u g h t b e e r r i g h t f r o m t h e t a p . ( P o u r b e e r f r o m g o b l e t

in t o gl a ss a n d giv e t o a s sis t a n t .) I t l ooks a l it t l e bit f l at o n

a c c oun t of s t a n d in g so lon g, I w oul d a d vis e y ou t o put i t d ow n

r i g h t a w a y .

A n d n o w , g e n t le m e n , I ho p e y o u a r e b o t h s a t is f i e d , a n d t h a t

y ou wil l a l wa y s ha ve a pl ea sa n t r ec ol l ec t ion of t he gobl in gobl et .

The Financial Wizard

( T o p r e p a r e f o r t h i s i t e m a w a d o f f o l d e d n o t e s i s p la c e d p r o-

t r u d i n g f r o m r i g h t v e s t p o c k e t , b e i n g c o v e r e d b y c o a t ; a g i a n t

n o t e a b o u t t hr e e f o e t l o n g i s f o l d e d t o t h e s i z e o f a n o r d i n a r y

n o t e a n d p l a ce d i n r i g h t t r o u s e r - p o c k e t ; a n d c h e q ue - b o o k i s

l o c a t e d i n r i g h t in s i d e p o c k e t . R e m o v e c he q ue - b o o k f r o m p o c k e t

a n d w i t h f o u n t a in - p e n p r e t e n d t o w r i t e o u t c he q u e , t e a r o u t o f

b o o k , a n d w a v e c h e q u e in r i g h t h a n d , a p pa r e n t l y t o d r y t h e i n k —

m e a n w h i l e l e f t h a n d d e p o s i t s b o o k i n t o r i g h t i n s i de p o c k e t , a n d


17/18

w h e n w i t h d r a w i n g h a n d t he w a d o f n o te s i s p a l m e d f r o m v e s t

p o c k e t . C h e q u e i s c r u m p l e d b e t w e e n t h e h a n d s , b a l l e d u p a n d

p a l m e d , a n d w a d o f n o t e s i s f a n n e d o u t . R e t a i n a no t e a n d p l a c e

b a l a n c e i n r i g h t tr o u s e r - p o c k e t a t t h e s a m e t i m e p a l m i n g g i a n t

n o t e t h e r e f r o m . B r i n g h a n d s t o g e t h e r , s w i t c h, a n d o pe n o u t t h e

g i a n t n o t e . )

M y n e x t e x p e r i m e n t is i n t e n d e d e s p e c i a ll y f o r g e n t l e m e n as i t

h a s t o d o w i t h m o n e y — s o m e t h i n g w h i c h w o m e n ha v e v e r y l i tt l e

in t er est in .

T his t r ic k ha s c r ea t e d quit e a s t ir in f ina nc ia l c ir c l es, it ha s

b r o u g h t m e t e s t i m o n i a l s f r o m a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d , I ' v e h a d l e t t e r s

o f a p p r e c i a t i o n f r o m C h i n a , l e t t e r s f r o m F r a n c e , l e t t e r s f r o m

G e r m a n y , l e t t e r s f r o m E n g l a n d a n d I r e l a n d , a n d a p o s t c a r d f r o m

S c o t l a n d .

B e f o r e I w a s a m a g i c i a n I h a d a v e r y h a r d t im e . I w o u l d w r i t e

out a c he que for sa y t en poun d s, l ike t his. ( F i l l out bl a n k c he que

a n d t e a r o u t o f c h e q u e b o o k . ) W h e n I s e n t t h e c h e q u e t o t h e

B a n k it a l wa y s c a me ba c k w it h t he init ia ls "R . D. " on it . I d on 't

k n o w w h o M r . R . D . i s , b u t h e a lw a y s p u t h is i n it i a l s o n m y

c h e q u e s .

S i n c e I l e a r n e d m a g i c I h a v e n o t r o u b l e w h a t e v e r . I s i m p l y

r u b t h e c h e q u e b e t w e e n m y h a n ds , l i k e t hi s , a n d t h e n I w i t h d r a w

t h e m o n e y ( s w i t c h c h e q u e f o r f o l d e d n o te s a n d p r o d u c e ) . H e r e ' s

on e, t wo, t hr ee, four , f ive, s ix, a n d four ma kes t en .

N o w N a t u r e p r o v i d e s f o r a l l b e i n g s o n t h e f a c e o f t h e e a r t h —

s o m e t i m e s i t p r o v i d e s m o n e y a n d s o m e t i me s m e a s l e s . I t p r o v i d e s

p l e n t y o f n o t h i n g f o r t h e p o o r , a n d p l e n t y o f i n d i g e s t i o n f o r t h e

r i c h . B u t t o - n ig h t I a m g o i n g t o s h o w y o u w h a t e v e r y b o d y w a n t s

t o k n o w — h o w t o m a k e m o n e y g o a l o n g w a y . ( R e t a i n a n o te i n

l e f t h a n d , p la c e r e m a i n i n g n o te s i n p o c k e t , a t s a m e t i me s e c u r i n g

gia n t n ot e, whic h is fol d ed , a n d br in g it up behin d bil l in l eft

h a n d ) .

T h e f ir s t mo v e I m a k e i n t he m o n e y m a r k e t i s t o f o l d t h e n o t e

t hr oug h t he c en t r e in t his ma n n e r ( d o so) , but on l y a ke en

fina nc ia l w iz a r d wil l a ppr e c ia t e wh a t I ha ve d on e, so I .O .U . a n

e x p l a n a t i o n. I h a v e r e a l l y b e e n s uc c e s s f u l i n d o u b l i n g m y m o n e y

in on e sin gl e st r oke. I t hin k it 's a Ca pit a l id ea .

N o w I c o n t i n u e w i t h t h e d o u b l i n g p r o c e s s ( p r o c e e d t o f o l d

n ot e sma l l , pa l min g sa me a n d l ea vin g gia n t n ot e in l eft ha n d ) ,

t his is r ea l l y t he P r in c ipa l pa r t of t he pr obl em, a n d I hope y ou

d on 't l ose I n t er est in i t .

N o w s o m e o f y o u m a y t h i n k t h a t m y m o n e y h a s g r o w n s m a l l e r ,

but a c t ua l l y i t ha s n ot d imin ished a t a l l , bec a use i f y ou fol d pa per


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16 B E R T D OU G L A S 'S M A G I C A L P A T T E R

mon e y in t his ma n n e r y o u w il l a l wa y s f ind it in - c r ea s es . .

( P r o c e e d to u n f o l d m o n s t e r no t e . ) H o w e v e r , th a t is n o t r e a l l y

wha '. I mea n , for , a s y ou see, I ha ve ma d e big mon ey , a n d I 've

sh< , . n y o u ' h o w t o m a k e a p o u nd g o a l o n g , l o n g w a y .

Tht Kin Surrly PrHt, 1 08 Lt/wir Park Road. s.je.15.

Bert Douglas's Magical Patter (1932)

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Transcript of Bert Douglas's Magical Patter (1932)