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SHOWMANSHIP
For
MAGICIANS
CHAPTER NINETEEN

There are so many ways a performer may find a logical excuse for doing the trick he intends to do, or for using the particular thing he intends to use, that there is actually no excuse for dragging in some trick by the ears, willy-nilly. It doesn't make a bit of difference whether you intend to find a card, cause a handkerchief to vanish, find an egg in a black bag, cause a bottle to pass from one cylinder to another. Any effect you decide to do may be introduced logically, if sufficient time and attention are given to the matter when the act is planned.

There can always be a reasonable cause why you use a piece of string, a length of rope, a flag, a handkerchief, a box, a tube, a bottle or anything else. Having a reason makes for more unity in the routine. Admittedly finding a good plausible excuse is not always easy, but it can be done. Many times when confronted with a problem of this kind, if you don't try to force the reason, but instead file it away in your mind for a time, perhaps, overnight or for two or three days, while you work out other matters, the answer will frequently come from your subconscious mind almost as an inspiration.

But it certainly is advisable to do everything in an act through some logical cause. I can't stress how utterly important unity is. It's the difference between a mediocre and a good routine. Insist on connecting everything together.

Now after this excuse has been discovered, of course, this cause will color the entire routine. For example, if you find a good excuse for the Mora wands, your operation with them must again be connected up with the basic reason. Perhaps your act has to do with domestic difficulties. Suppose, for the moment, you are going to present your act from the viewpoint of a henpecked husband. Slant everything in the act from that angle, the lines, the props, the costume and the business.

Incidentally this is a good foundation for an act instead of patterning your act after Cardini or Gali-Gali or Slyter. Do you know why? Because it gets you on common ground with both husbands and wives in your audiences. Because it presents a human problem in which people are interested. Because it furnishes a suggestion for the most popular type of entertainment, character work. Because it has great comedy potentialities, and because it is away from the usual and the conventional. Several prominent character actors in the movies specialize in work of this type.

However, getting back to the Mora wands:

Again I must say I am using a common trick which is performed by many magicians. I do this because I want to show how a device as frankly magical as this, with a standard presentation as trite as they come, can he revitalized so that it can genuinely interest modern audiences in terms of their own experience.

First of all, because the wands are totally unlike anything within the ordinary spectator's experience, it would be difficult to find this common ground through them. But you can give the wands a purpose that is familiar. You can endow the wands with importance in connection with a familiar situation.

Did you ever pick up a strange-looking object in a hardware store only to discover ultimately it was a device for accomplishing some very ordinary, familiar, matter-of-fact household duty? The reasoning that led me to show these wands to the audience as something I purchased for the purpose of reminding my wife to put sandwiches in my lunch basket is devious and unimportant. But this is the way I use them:

"My wife never gives me enough to eat. I'm always hungry. When I go to work and open my lunch box, all I find is a piece of lettuce, an apple and two crackers."

"I like sandwiches. So one day I went to Sears & Roebuck's store to see if they had anything to remind my wife to put sandwiches in the lunch basket, " (Picking up the wands.) "The clerk showed me these. He said, 'They’re nineteen cents each or two for thirty-five.' "

(Looking at them skeptically.) "I said, 'But how do they work?' He said, 'You put them in the kitchen drawer. Put a sticker on one that says CHICKEN SANDWICH, and another sticker that says ROAST BEEF SANDWICH on the other one.'" (Show stickers.) "'When you want a chicken sandwich, pull the tassel on the one that says CHICKEN SANDWICH, and when your wife sees that tassel pulled out she'll know you want a chicken sandwich.'"

(With a delighted smile.) "I told him, 'I'll take two. I like chicken sandwiches and I like roast beef sandwiches.' So I took them home and showed them to the wife." (Working the wands with the ends together.) "'See,' I said, 'If I want a roast beef sandwich, I'll pull the tassel out of the roast beef one. And if I want a chicken sandwich, I'll pull the tassel out of the chicken sandwich one.'"

"She didn't like it at all. As a matter of fact she said something about me wasting thirty-five cents for a contraption like that when she needed a new hat. But it worked very well for one week. One day I'd have roast beef sandwiches. Then two days I'd have chicken sandwiches." (Working wands.) "Then another day I'd have roast beef sandwiches again, "

"But one day when I came home I found the chicken sandwich tassel pulled out and fourteen chicken sandwiches stacked on a plate beside where I keep my lunch basket. And the wife was in the front room reading Esquire,

"I picked up the sandwich selectors and found she had cut the cord running down one and up the other, " (Show them separated.) "My wife's a mean woman. She just sat there reading Esquire with a nasty grin on her face."

"So for three weeks I ate chicken sandwiches. Finally, one day in desperation I yanked at the roast beef side, " (Do so, and the other goes up.) "To my delight I didn't have to eat chicken sandwiches for a while. She had three dozen made when I did that. You get good stuff from Sears & Roebuck's. The man that invented that thing must have been married.'"

"So when I got tired of roast beef, I had chicken again. Then she took to hiding the selectors, one in one place and the other in another place." (Still working wands.) "But I'd always find them. And I'd have chicken or roast beef as I pleased."

"But you can't ever be safe around my wife. She started making them smaller and smaller." (Still working wands). "She made the chicken sandwich half as big as the roast beef sandwich. And when I went back to roast beef, that was half as big as the cut-down chicken sandwich." (Still working wands.)

"But I fooled her. I hung on to the chicken tassel and I pulled as hard as I could on the roast beef tassel. (Do so. Both tassels are out now.) (Triumphantly.) "Now the old battle axe had to give me TWO sandwiches. She couldn't starve me, "

(Sadly.) "I told you that you can't ever trust my wife. She split the loaves of bread the long way and made me two sandwiches all right. Each sandwich was as big as a loaf of bread. I never got so sick of anything in my whole life."

"For three months I stuffed myself with those damn loaf-size sandwiches. Finally, I took the selectors back to Sears & Roebuck. 'Look,' I said to the clerk, 'You got to take these things back. They're killing me.'"

"'What's the matter?' said the clerk."

"'There's no way to shut the damn thing off,' I told him. 'Sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches! That's all I ever see. I dream about 'em.'"

"'Do you mean you don't wish sandwiches, and don't know how to use the selector to show that?'"

"'That's exactly what I mean,' I said."

"The clerk looked at me pityingly. He said, 'Why don't people read the directions carefully? It very clearly says if you don't wish sandwiches you don't pull any string.'" (He reaches in the vacant space between the tops of the wands and pulls, just as in the invisible hair gag, and both tassels come up simultaneously.)

"'Do you wish your money back?' asked the clerk."

"'No,' I said, grabbing the selectors back, 'I'll get my money's worth out of them.' So I went home and beat my wife to death with 'em."

"Now I'm buying box lunches. They have a piece of lettuce, an apple and two crackers in 'em."

For some years now I've used the magician-in-a-jam gag as a presentation for the cut and restored rope. It is the identical routine I used, in Spanish dialect, with the International Magicians show. It is a presentation that depends upon subtlety of facial expression to accomplish its strongest effect upon an audience, but it seems to fit my style well.

I wear a Mexican costume and speak in a broken English dialect. "One time I hear of a treeck where you take one piece of rope, tie heem in one loop. Then cut the rope to feex it." (Cutting and restoring as you talk.)

"So I went to Tijuana and in a treeck store I see a sign which says they sell a trick where you take one piece of rope, tie heem in one circle and cut heem and fix heem." (Suiting the action to the word.)

"So I went inside the store and I said to the man, 'Have you got thees treeck where you tie the rope in one circle and cut him and feex him?'" (Cutting, but not restoring.)

"The man he say, 'What you want? The cheap way for to feex the rope? Or the expensive way?'"

"I say, 'The cheap way.'"

"He says, 'For a cheap-skate like you. Thees ees the way for to feex the rope.'" (Tie cut ends together.)

"But I say to heem, 'Thees is not what I mean. What I mean is to form the rope in the loop and cut heem, '" (A look of consternation comes over the performer's face and he fumbles with the ropes, finally pulling them apart and to his dismay, showing that there are four, not two, pieces. He groans to himself, looks both embarrassed and flustered. Then finally, apologetically:) "My friends, I am in one damn bad jam." (There is usually a laugh here as the performer looks at the ropes helplessly. At the laugh, the performer talks towards the direction from which the laugh came.) "How you like to be up here and make one beeg fool of yourself in front of eight thousand people?"

(A bit more aimless fumbling with the ropes, during which the new cuts are tied. Finally, holding the rope in a straight length with three knots.) "For tonight only, as a special feature, I only feex the rope from here to here." (Indicating from the center knot to the top.) "Tomorrow night I feex thees part."

(Resuming the story:) "So I say to the guy in the store, 'How much for to feex thees knot?' He says, 'One dollar.' " (Performer indicates top knot and fixes it.)

"I say to heem again, 'How much to know how to feex thees one?'" (Indicating third, or bottom, knot.) "He says, 'Five dollars.'" (Rope restored at the spot. Then performer gazes speculatively at the middle knot.)

"I say again, 'Suppose I am performing at (Localize) and I make one damn bad mistake. How much to know how to feex thees?'" (Indicating knot.) "He say, 'That weel cost you five hundred dollars.'" (Show restored and toss to audience.) "So when I get five hundred dollars I find out how that is done."

Notice that the above presentation has been adapted from the old repeating handkerchief story. But it has been shaped and slanted and spiced with character work and situation and climax to the extent that it becomes intensely interesting to the audience. This is particularly true, if the apparent accidental "lousing up" of the trick can be made convincing by the performer.

The rising cards is an old stand-by and is always good with an audience, if it can be adapted to modern conditions and to a modern viewpoint. Using the Albenice swinging houlette with ribbons held by the performer and one spectator or an assistant, I have performed this many places, in night clubs, entirely surrounded at smokers and casual dates and even in theaters. Certain mechanical changes have been made in the Albenice device so that five cards may be made to rise instead of the usual three.

I force the Eight of Clubs, the Five of Diamonds and a special card, the Thirteen of Spades, in that order. The houlette is arranged so that the cards will rise in this order: the Ace of Clubs, the Eight of Clubs, the Five of Diamonds back towards audience, the Five of Diamonds with face to audience and a duplicate Thirteen of Spades.

"I want to show you how the magician's lottery works. Instead of numbers we use cards." (Show cards and fan them.) "The cards are all different so you can tell who wins the lottery. Now I'd like somebody to take one of the chances."

(Going into audience and forcing Eight of Clubs on a spectator close to stage, so all may see.) "Well, you have your number. Would you mind letting us all see? I tell fortunes with cards and perhaps there is something you should know. The Eight of Clubs. That means you are about to take a short journey which will be profitable for you."

(Having Five of Diamonds selected by another spectator.)

"The Five of Diamonds. A woman, and she is surrounded with money. You rascal!"

(Force the Thirteen of Spades but apparently forget to look at it. Quickly return to stage. Showing houlette.) "This is a magician's version of a fish-bowl. You will note there is no red tape connected with it." (The ribbons are blue.) "Now we'll put all of the numbers in the fish-bowl." (Ask nearest spectator to step up. Or have assistant enter without delay.)

(To first spectator:) "Now what was your card?" (Apparently misunderstand.) "The Ace of Clubs? Let's see if he's got the lucky number. Come on Ace of Clubs." (As houlette swings the Ace of Clubs gradually rises. Hold it up.) "That's your card, sir. You hold one of the lucky numbers. I don't understand. That isn't your card? Why I thought you said the Ace of Clubs. I'm sorry. We’ll put that one back then. Every number's a winning number in this lottery." (Houlette swinging again.) "Your card is the Eight of Clubs? Come on Eight of Clubs." (It rises.)

"Now the next card, please. The Five of Diamonds." (The Five of Diamonds rises back out.) "I'm sorry. I must apologize for this bashful card coming up with his back turned. You see, this is a new deck and I haven't got them all trained as yet. Suppose we make the little fellow do it all over again. That's the only way he'll learn." (Five of Diamonds replaced in pack.) "Come on up right this time." (The Five of Diamonds rises face out.)

"Now the last card please?" (When he says Thirteen of Spades, look at him as if he is kidding.) "The Thirteen of Spades! Please, no kidding. What was your card really?" (When he repeats it again.) "The Thirteen of Spades? Why I didn't think there was such a card. But then my folks wouldn't let me play cards when I was young, so there's lots about cards I don't know, as I've discovered in poker games. Okay. The Thirteen of Spades. Come up." (Skeptically. as if you still think the spectator is kidding. When it comes up:) "Well. It is the Thirteen of Spades. I must apologize. I thought you were trying to get me in trouble." (You are showing card. As you finish last line, quickly look at card again as if you still don't believe it. When you see it is the Thirteen, shrug your shoulders in bewilderment.)

Please bear in mind that all of the above routines are in MY style of performance. They should not be used as they are given here. But they do show how it is possible to add new interests and variety and entertainment for the audience.

The examples shown were particularly selected from the repeating type of trick to show how to eliminate monotony in effects wherein the operation is repeated over and over again. These are by no means all of the ways of varying monotony. There is no limit to the variety, as you will discover if you give those repeating tricks you do some intense study. Try to make your attack varied. Contrast one relief with another. Try to bring in some human interest. This makes it particularly intriguing to the spectator.

The performer who undertakes to execute a trick in the conventional manner, or as the dealer's instructions indicate, is placing himself squarely in the quick-sands of mediocrity. These dealer instructions ordinarily are merely intended to convey information on the mechanics of operation and the handling of the trick in question. They merely tell you how to operate the device or go through the maneuvers necessary to accomplish an effect without disclosing the secret to the public. Usually, they are not concerned with the presentation of the trick as entertainment.

To be entertaining, all tricks have to be endowed with an individual spark of life. They must have some human quality tied to them, a bit of character, a problem and some vital reason for being.

Dante accomplishes this integration of human quality in his presentation of the old ropes and handkerchiefs trick. Quite obviously he plays the character of an old rake whose purpose at the moment is to do a trick, but the light in his eyes and the way he looks at his girl assistant as he does the trick makes it clear to the spectators that his mind is on something else entirely. His eagerness to do the trick with a minimum amount of personal exertion, as he sits comfortably and has his assistants move the required handkerchief or the needed rope end to him, builds up character and audience interest and intriguing comedy. This presentation is truly in the modern style that magicians generally must come to adopt, if they are to survive as modern entertainers.

One of the best presentations of a small trick I have ever seen is Maldo's presentation of the six card repeat trick. I think it is probably the best thing Maldo does. Many times I've seen him step out in front of a vaudeville theater audience with this little trick alone and knock them stiff. But it isn't the trick that does it, even though it is admitted that trick is a good one. It is the human quality that Maldo gets into it. The trick actually becomes vital to the audience.

As I remember it, this is substantially the way Maldo presents it:

Attired as a Mexican and speaking in broken English, English which must be frequently corrected as his assistant, with some embarrassment, calls his attention to his mistakes in whispers. Maldo explains a happening that took place at the San Francisco exposition:

"One day I am on the gangway, " The girl whispers. "I mean the Gayway at the San Francisco Fair. I see a man doing a trick where he counts, one, two, three, four, five, six cards." Suiting the action to the word. "Then he throws away, one, two, three cards. But when he counts the cards again he has, one, two, three, four, five, six cards, "

"I say to him: 'How is this that you can count, one, two, three, four, five, six cards; and then throw away, one, two, three cards, but you always have, one, two, three, four, five, six cards left?' " (Performing the second throw away and count.)

"He said, 'For one dollar I show you.' So I said, 'Okay.' Then he said, 'You start with, one, two, three, four, five, six cards. Then you throw away, one, two, three cards. Then you say, 'Abracadabra,' and when you say 'abracadabra' you will have, one, two, three, four, five, six cards left.'" (Performing the third throw away and count.)

"But on the way home I think maybe this guy he cheat me. , You know those guys from San Francisco. So I try it myself. I get one, two, three, four, five, six cards, and I throw away, one, two, three cards, " (To audience) "If I start with six cards and I throw away three, how many cards should I have left?" (Usually someone will say, "Six.")

"No, no. If I start with six cards and I throw away three I should have, one, two, three left." (He counts the remaining cards as three.) "But when I say, 'ABRACADABRA' that is a different business. Then I have one, two, three, four, five, six cards."

But please don't misunderstand that the lines only are routine. The lines are important because they form the entertainment foundation for the trick. They color and influence it.

Once the angle of approach is determined, this influences the entire routine as to operation of the trick, position, business, music and so on. All of these are planned so as not to detract from the entertainment slant. to be in keeping with it. This holds true of interpretation, pointing, timing, decoration, character and all other subsidiary, but important, routine details.

There still is one important branch of entertaining that hasn't been touched upon as yet in this work. That branch is the often extemporaneous program (lone by the performer at a party or a gathering of friends.

There should be no extemporaneous performances of this kind. Being extemporaneous, they must be poorly prepared. ALL poorly prepared programs, regardless of where they are performed, hurt magic and magicians.

So the magician should be prepared with a carefully routined and rehearsed "extemporaneous" program. Have it ready at all times. Make it short and snappy. As for a more formal appearance, know where everything is, how to do the tricks, what to say and all else, just as if it were your regular act.

The best kind of a routine for this purpose is one with cards that can be picked up anywhere. Don't do a lot of identification tricks, they lose audience interest fast. Do broader effects like the cards to the pocket, the thirty card trick, the four aces, and the like. Three or four tricks are plenty. Then quit. Quit before you wear out your welcome. Quit while you interest them. Then you won't get the reputation of being a bore, as so many card enthusiasts do because of a lack of judgment as to when the audience has had enough. That's what counts, what the audience thinks.

Such a routine, but requiring preparation, follows. I have outlined a routine requiring preparation because I want to go into detail as to how this may be provided for.

The program is made up of five tricks, which are quite well known among magicians. It should run about nine minutes at the most.

The "Extemporaneous" Routine

  1. The Brain Wave Deck
  2. A spelling trick
  3. You Do As I Do
  4. Remote Control
  5. Card to Wallet

The Brain Wave Deck may be procured at almost any magic, dealer. The spelling trick is one where the card is selected and replaced upon one of the halves of the deck. The halves are shuffled together and while shuffling with the riffle the performer "flashes" the card which falls immediately above the selected one.

My Remote Control method is varied from the original somewhat. The wax is affixed to the face of one of the cards in a regular deck and the joker of this deck is placed over it. This protects the deck and the card until ready.

You Do As I Do is familiar to almost all magicians.

The Card In Wallet I use is the one with the celluloid plates bound together with multiple rubber bands.

The Routine: Performer comments on the strong part coincidence plays in the work of a magician, putting two decks of cards on a nearby table as he does so, a blue and a red.

Picking up the blue deck, but leaving it within the case, he says, "As an example, I'll show you. Suppose one of you thinks of a card. Think of three or four cards, if you wish. Whisper the names of those cards to a nearby friend and between the two of you decide on one as the one you want. , You have one in mind?" He pulls the flap out of the card case. "Will you please call it aloud so that all may witness this? The Nine of Clubs."

The performer takes the deck from the case and fans it Very clearly it may be seen that all of the cards are back up except one , which when the deck is spread further open, proves to be the Nine of Clubs. "You see? Coincidence caused me to reverse this card in the pack this evening long before I ever arrived here."

He places the blue deck in his pocket and picks up the red deck. "But coincidence goes further than that. Suppose one of you selects a card. I'll split the deck in half and put both halves on the table. Will you put your card on one of the halves?"

He picks up the deck. "Notice that I clearly shuffle the card somewhere towards the center of the pack and carefully square it up. Now while I was doing that you might think that I managed to get possession of it in some manner. So I'm going to fan the deck in front of you and go clear through it. Look at all of the cards. When I've gone clear through the deck, tell me whether you've seen your card somewhere near the center or not. But be careful not to tell me until I've gone clear through. Otherwise I might get some clue as to its approximate location."

He fans the cards, one by one in front of the spectator, and when he has gone through the deck he asks, "Did you see your card? Somewhere near the center I hope?"

He puts the deck down, saying, "I must insist that coincidence is strange and bewildering. For example, let us take a card at random, say, the Deuce of Diamonds. If I were to want that, I should spell it out, taking off one card at a time. Like this."

He spells out the Deuce of Diamonds and on the last letter he turns over the corresponding card to show, the Deuce of Diamonds.

"But," he says quickly, "it is more complex than that. The deck is still here on the table. I sha'n't touch it. What was your card? The King of Hearts? Suppose you try it? The coincidence is not exclusively limited to me. Spell out King of Hearts, taking off one card for each letter, and at the last letter look at the card." The spectator does this and finds the selected card, the King of Diamonds, turning up on the last letter.

"I hope, by now, you are beginning to believe in coincidence." From his pocket he brings back the blue deck. "Just to prove it, I want one of you to take the red deck and I shall take the blue one. You shuffle my red deck for me and I shall shuffle your blue one for you." He places the blue deck in front of the spectator and pulls the red one over in front of him.

"Cut down into the blue deck and take out a card, just as I do with this red deck." He illustrates. "Now put your card on top of your deck, as I shall place mine. And carry the cut, burying the selected card." He illustrates.

"Now you give me your deck and I shall give you mine. You look through my deck and find your card and I shall look through your deck and find my card." When this is done, he places his card corner-wise in the spectator's deck and asks the spectator to do the same with his card.

"It would be a coincidence indeed, if the two cards should prove to be the same. Mathematically, it is possible only once out of one million eight hundred thousand times. But let us see, "

He turns over the spectator's card. "You selected the Five of Hearts." Pointing to his own card, "Will you turn mine over, please? Also, the Five of Hearts. I hope you are beginning to believe in coincidence."

"But it goes further than that." He takes a card from the blue deck which is now in his possession and without showing the face of it, lays it upon the table. "Will one of you put his initials on the back of this blue card?"

He picks up the blue card, still not showing its face, in one hand, and the red deck in the other. "I'm going to insert this blue card somewhere in the red deck, behind my back. I do this so that even I do not know where it is."

He inserts the card and brings the red deck out in the front again. He steps to a card table and quickly spreads the red deck face up. "I should like to have one of you pull one of these cards away from the others. Just slide it out, clear of the others. Now change your mind if you wish."

When a card is finally pulled out: "That is your own choice." He gathers up the remainder of the red deck, and still without showing the back of the selected card, puts this card face up on the face up red deck. He steps over to someone seated a short distance away. "You haven't been participating in this so far. Would you mind putting your initials on the face of this card?"

He cuts the deck, bringing the selected card to the center, and turns it so the backs are facing the audience. "Now I'm going to allow all the red cards to fall until we reach the one blue card in the deck, "

By twos and threes he allows the red, backed cards to filter from his hands onto the table, top, until he holds only the blue, backed card.

"Will you verify that the initials on this blue, backed card are those you placed on it?" After verification, he turns to the spectator who selected the card. "And your card was the Deuce of Clubs." He turns the card around and shows it. To the spectator who signed the face: "And these are your initials?" Then he smiles as he says, "It's simple, if you understand coincidence."

"I could do this all night, but one more illustration should be sufficient." He quickly scoops up the blue deck and mixed as it is, puts it in his pocket. "We'd better use the red deck for this unless someone wants to straighten out this blue one."

"For the last time I'm going to ask to have a card selected." Going to a spectator with deck fanned, "And I'm afraid you're the victim. Would you place your signature on the face of the card?" After it is signed: "And replace it in the deck. I'll shuffle it a bit just to complicate things." He hands deck to spectator.

From his pocket he brings a purse. "Now I'd like to have some honest person hold my billfold. That expression on your face might be kindness, or it might be honesty, I'm afraid I shall have to take a chance." He hands purse out.

He turns back to the man holding the deck. "Now you have the deck. Will you tell me what your card is?"

When the name of the card is called, performer says, "Isn't that strange? He couldn't have selected that card. By coincidence I thought of that myself, long before I came here. The feeling was so strong that I placed that card in my wallet. But look through the deck to make certain. It isn't there?"

To the person holding the wallet. "Will you please take the rubber bands from the wallet. If a moth flies out, don't let it alarm you. The moths have been bad this year."

The spectator removes from the wallet a pair of celluloid plates which are bound together tightly with multiple rubber bands. Between the plates is the selected card with the spectator's signature on it.

The performer remarks: "I think I understand coincidence quite well. But I simply do not understand how that signature got there. I'm so upset I'd really like to sit down and think it all over, if you don't mind."

Prior to the performance one of the cards in a regular blue deck is daubed with magicians' wax on its face. The Joker is pressed on the face of the card lightly. This double card is placed on the face of the deck, and the deck is inserted in its case. This pack is placed in the left coat pocket, lying on its edge.

The Brain Wave deck has blue backs to match. This is placed with a red deck, unprepared, which is also in its case.

The card in wallet effect is arranged for performance and secreted upon the person.

After the Brain Wave trick is finished, this deck is placed in the left coat pocket, beside the duplicate pack already there. It is placed on the side nearest the body, so no mistake will be made in bringing out the wrong pack.

As explained before, the selected card for the spelling trick is located by flashing the card that falls upon it in the riffle shuffle. When the cards are being shown to the spectator the identity of the card is discovered through the key. Beginning with this card, one card for each letter in the name of the card is pulled into the right hand, under the guise of showing cards to spectator. When last letter of selected card has been reached, flash the card next to it, the one to the left, and start spelling that card out. When you reach the last letter of the second card break the deck above it, below it as you are looking at the cards, and carry this cut to what is now the face up top. Close up the pack. The first card spelled is this second card flashed, apparently a mere random selection by the performer.

In the You-do-as-I-do trick, the blue deck with the remote control card affixed to the back of the Joker is brought out. You shuffle this, as the spectator shuffles the red, being careful not to separate the prepared card from the Joker. Keep Joker somewhere near bottom of deck. When decks are exchanged and blue deck is in spectator's hands there is no further shuffling. Spectator, following performer's instructions, merely cuts the deck somewhere near the center and takes out a card. Performer goes through motions with red deck, as usual. When blue deck is in performer's hands again, he finds spectator's card through usual locator card and proceeds in the usual manner.

At the end of the You-do-as-I-do, the blue deck is in performer's hands, and prepared card for remote control is somewhere near center of deck. This card is taken from behind Joker and brought out face down for the signature. Meanwhile, performer picks up red deck and under guise of shuffling brings duplicate of prepared card to face of red deck. When prepared blue is placed in red deck behind performer's back, it is actually laid face-up on face of red deck.

Deck is spread face-up and red card pulled out. Red deck is closed up and card pulled out is laid face up on red face-up deck. This brings selected card on top of prepared blue when face is being signed. Cutting the deck brings the now double card to center. The rest is obvious.

At the end, put double remote control card with blues and gather them up. The wallet trick is done with the red deck, which is still in order.

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