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The CHAPTER FIVE
One of the most important principles in connection with production is that of expansibility of the object to be produced. Usually the object is collapsed within a secret hiding place in an accessory prior to production. The subsequent production of the expanded object makes it seem apparently impossible that it could have been concealed behind or within any 6f the accessories. In many examples a solid duplicate is substituted for the expanded original production, after which the originally produced object is collapsed and then redeposited within the original hiding place.
The essential in this case is that the object to be produced appears, or seems to appear, at a location obviously too small to have concealed it.
Many of the flower productions rely upon this property of expansion. Feather bouquets are concealed within sleeves or beneath the clothing. Folding flowers are concealed within the hands or within some accessory that is relatively small to the finally expanded bouquet. Many handkerchief productions rely upon the expanding properties of the silk that may be compressed within relatively small space.
Dr. Ervin invented a barehanded money production that was based upon the use of paper money built like spring flowers. When folded, this load was small and compact. But when released, the load gave the appearance of a large bulk of paper money.
The coin wand is an illustration. The coin itself is split into three sections which, when stacked, will go within a hollow wand. These sections are attached to springs in such a manner that parts of the coin arrange themselves side by side edgewise and give the appearance of a solid coin. This arrangement is attached to a piston within the wand so that the coin automatically folds when the piston is drawn inside.
In causing the coin to appear, the piston is pushed forward. The three sections spring into place and form a coin. The performer, having acquired a duplicate from a secret source of supply, apparently takes the coin from the end of the wand. Actually he draws the expanding coin within the wand, out of sight, and reveals the duplicate.
A similar method is employed in catching doves from the air, using the net. The dummy, an expanding one, moves in and out of the handle of the net. The secret source of supply is a double compartment in the bottom of the basket into which the "caught" doves are placed.
Fishing in the air is similar, except that the expanding "fish", in this case one which unrolls from the "bait", is concealed within the hand and taken away. Here a new "bait" containing another expanding fish is supplied each time.
The secret compartment for the real fish may be one of several types. The performer's supply may be actually within the pocket or the bait box. The live fish is secured and concealed in the hand when obtaining new bait. Or the handle of the fish pole may deliver a fish at a time within the performer's hand. Or the fish bowl may have a secret container built into the cover or the rim, thus dropping one fish at a time as the performer apparently places each into the aquarium.
Much ingenuity, as is shown in the examples cited, has been spent in devising subtle methods of acquiring the real duplicates.
The Max Sterling bouncing and expanding egg trick is another in this class.
The blown skin egg is laid on the fan as a piece of paper. Bouncing causes it to expand. When the performer picks up this "egg", he substitutes a real one concealed within the hand. There are various moves and stratagems for substituting the real egg for the blown egg-skin, some of which are built around the fan used. These are refinements, of course, but they do not eliminate the other essential in this principle, the secret compartment.
Just to illustrate how these principles may be changed around to develop new methods, suppose we give this egg trick some additional thought.
We might work the trick exactly as the original until the performer picks the egg from the fan. Before he does this, his hand is seen to be empty unmistakably.
Here we might borrow from the pigeon catching trick. Instead of the basket cage we might use a saucer, a saucer with a spring trap. Beneath the saucer, picked up as the fan is put down, is the real egg. The performer squeezes the skin egg into a compact packet and conceals it between his fingers. When the hand goes to the saucer as if to put down this "egg", the opposite hand pushes the real one through the trap in the saucer, up into view.
There are still more possibilities, however. A visible egg growth can be contrived. This time we shall retain the cage loading production from the pigeon trick. But we shall make it in the form of an egg carton.
Each section of the carton has a special bottom. This bottom is contrived by overlapping two cardboard flaps that fall down to conceal the real egg. The carton has an added bottom upon which rest the real eggs-each in its own section. In each section there is also a hole in this bottom large enough to permit the middle finger to be inserted. When we want an egg we merely push it up with the finger until it clears the flaps, which fall in behind it.
In the previous trick the skin egg inflated itself. Here we might try doing the inflating. Remember the old palpitator or plate lifter? Suppose we should make a special adaptation of that. The "palpitator" part would be made of a very thin rubber skin in the shape of and similar in color to a real egg, as indeed some of the skin eggs used in the bouncing egg trick have been made. The operating bulb at the opposite end of the tube would have to be correspondingly larger, of course.
The bulb may be attached beneath the coat in a location where the right elbow may squeeze it thoroughly, even if surreptitiously. The tube runs up through the armhole of the coat and down the sleeve. The deflated egg-form is secured at the cuff until ready, then it is brought into the hand.
When the bulb is squeezed the egg actually grows in full view. When it is large enough to deposit into the carton, the arm is relaxed. This deflates the rubber skin. The real egg is popped into sight as the performer apparently places the recently materialized egg into the container.
You have paid painful sums for tricks much worse than this, or you haven't any business reading this book.
Eggs lead one to think of chicks. So, still toying with this principle, suppose we substitute a skin chick for the skin egg in the Sterling trick. All the egg needs is a slight difference in shape and some fuzz.
We could use the pigeon cage in miniature for the production of the real chicks.
A subdivision under this heading contributes to the possibility of several multiplication tricks. Several expansible objects are pressed together and shown as one. Afterwards they are allowed to expand as many individual objects.
Probably sponge balls supply the best instance. If, as is well known, a number of these balls of sponge rubber are pressed together, they give the appearance of one. Upon being released, the wad springs into individual balls.
Spring balls have been used similarly. Anything that will compress and give the appearance, held together in a group as one, of a single object and which will upon release expand into individual objects, may be applied to this idea.
Another production method is that of removing a covering which conceals the object to be produced, the covering itself matching the background and being mistaken for it.
The most common example of this method is the spring blind. This consists of a rolled screen that matches the background. It is mounted upon a spring roller similar to a window shade. The screen itself is located a short distance in front of the real background. It is pulled down to conceal the real background and the object to appear is placed behind it. When the blind is released it flies out of sight and the object seems to appear suddenly.
The old plate in frame trick illustrates this. A similar arrangement has been used for the sudden appearance of an alarm clock. Thayer's new card frame is a modernization of the idea. In this case, moving the glass causes the blind to be released.
Applications of this principle have been made in various ways. The slate flap, wherein a message written on the real surface of the slate, is concealed by a thin flap painted to represent the slate surface, is a good illustration. The main difference between this and the spring blind is that in this case the covering is not removed suddenly. Neither is the removal made in full view of the audience. There is still another type of flap. This is really a half-flap, turning like the pages of a book. The card on velvet square shows this. With the flap up and concealing the cards to appear, the velvet appears plain. When the flap drops to cover the lower half of the square, the cards appear.
In this class also belong the various types of iris. This may be a gradually expanding round, square or diamond shaped opening. As the iris is opened the spot in the center of the background seems to grow in size. There is a growing ball trick on the market utilizing this idea.
Still another similar application is seen when the object to appear has a covering on the back that matches the background. Turned with its back to the audience, the object is invisible. When turned around, under cover, it becomes visible when the cover is taken away. Some of the watch, card and coin stands work on this principle.
An adaptation is the sliding slat. In this case the container resembles a species of cage. There are slats in the front. Through the openings between the slats may be seen the background. The openings between the slats are a trifle narrower than the width of the slats themselves.
When first viewed the container seems empty. This is because there is a second frame that is normally hidden behind the slats, it also having openings conforming to those in the front. On the face of this secret frame is material similar to the background, usually black velvet. This secret frame is slid to one side, covering the openings between the slats but appearing to be the background. A sideways movement of the secret frame slides it behind the slats and permits an unobstructed view between the slats. This reveals the object to appear, which has been there all the time.
This principle has been applied for the production of a human being.
But the backgrounds do not necessarily have to be black. The thumb tip, while it is actually a secret container, covers the secret space with a flesh colored surface between the spectator and the background-in this case the real flesh of the thumb.
Another example of this idea being used without black being the background color is the transparent handkerchief casket. The silk is concealed beneath a flap made to match the palm of a hand. Exhibited on the hand, the spectator apparently sees clear through the case. The ancient Fadeaway Card Trick used a photograph of the palm of the hand, printed on the back of a playing card, to accomplish a vanish. Reversed, this could have been used for a production as outlined above.
The reversing principle, with a matching background on the back of a picture, could be applied in a frame for production purposes. The top of the picture, the picture being on thin flexible stock, could be secured to a crossbar that slides from top to bottom of the frame. The bottom, secured to a similar bar, but sliding in a groove slightly back of that guiding the top, may also slide from top to bottom.
With the bottom slid to the top and the top in its opposite position at the bottom, the back of the picture, covered with the material to match the background, would be presented to the audience. This would appear as an empty frame. Then, while the face of the frame is away from the audience, first one slide then the other is moved to the opposite location. This will reverse the picture and bring it into view.
Just at this time one of the most popular production devices, The Squared Circle , depends upon this principle of a concealing covering which blends with the background. This has been produced in assorted variations. Substantially, it consists of a four-sided box, the front of which is a more or less open grillwork, open at top and bottom: a platform for the box; a brightly colored cylinder which fits within the box: and a secret container which fits within the cylinder. The inside of the box is painted black or covered with black felt or velvet. The device has been manufactured in many forms but the underlying principle is the same in all.
One way of using the device follows: The secret container, loaded, is placed within the cylinder which is standing upon the platform. About the cylinder is set the box with the grillwork facing the audience. The box is lifted and shown. It is replaced. The tube is picked up through the top of the box and shown. The secret container is left standing in the box. It would be visible from the audience normally, but because it is black and because this covering blends with the interior covering, it is invisible. Having been shown empty, the cylinder is replaced around the secret container and from it is taken the production.
Another method of causing an appearance is the loading or bringing of the object into position for production while it is hidden behind or within some covering or accessory.
The nest of bowls is brought from its place of concealment behind a handful of silks. Burling Hull brought out a jap box production load the principle feature of which was a load stolen from above the vest. This load was carried forward behind a silk in the act of picking the silk up from the box, carried forward and dropped into the box.
Many flower growths utilize this idea in loading the bush beneath the cone and bringing it into position.
In this connection there are many subtle ways of concealing the load prior to its introduction into the container. One flower growth device projects the load into the cover when it is placed upon a table. In another case the cover is put down over the load, previously concealed by a small screen, while the screen is shown.
The load is brought into the dove pan, the chafing dish, the Welsh rarebit pan and other similar devices, under the cover.
Lighting a candle by magic can be interpreted from a certain viewpoint as the production of a flame. One method invokes our present principle, when it conveys the flame, burning on a small wick concealed behind the hand. Productions from the backhand palm and from the many devices for suspending small objects on the back of the hand are dependent upon this idea.
A number of illusions with screens and many others with other accessories employ this principle of loading behind some covering. The mummy case illusion in THE TARBELL COURSE makes use of this method.
An example of bringing the object into position through the use of an invisible or unsuspicious container may be found in The Goblin Tube . While this trick is not fundamentally an appearance, the production of the article illustrates the principle.
The Goblin Tube comes equipped with an exceptionally large thumb tip. A small handkerchief is loaded into the tip. The tube itself is just large enough for the thumb tip to fit inside. It is shown empty and a paper drumhead is placed on each end.
The performer deliberately thrusts his thumb through the paper, leaving the tip and the handkerchief within it. The handkerchief is then removed.
Another example of this principle, although it might be classified with principle six, is The Organ Pipes . The reason I have classified The Organ Pipes here is that there is a subtle distinction in the two principles. In principle Six, the object hiding the article to appear may be a subject of suspicion—should the spectator consider it. In this principle the nature of the object used would preclude it from suspicion.
Illustrating the distinction with a comparison of The Organ Pipes and The Duck Pan : The Organ Pipes escape suspicion of containing the load because they are bottomless and ordinarily would have no way of retaining a hidden object. From the very nature of the lid of the duck pan, deep as it is without apparent practical reason, it could be suspected.
The load is transferred from the "loaded" organ pipe to the previously shown empty one in the very act of further showing the empty one to be empty. This has a decided similarity to the loading of The Goblin Tube in the act of taking the load out.
Similar to this is the handkerchief or card-in-egg wand. These are unsuspicious accessories ordinarily. But the act of forming a tube around the wand in the former case is the method of depositing the load. In the latter case, the only difference is that the load is made in the equally unsuspicious act of breaking the egg.
But let us try some more "inventing":
The Goblin Tube and the various wands suggest this idea of loading in the act of procuring the object for exhibition.
Wands, for example, are out of date for certain types of performances. Of course, there are pencils and fountain pens on the market for the bill or card in egg trick. In passing, I might say that I have not seen any that I thought looked like the real thing. There are such great varieties of low priced pens and pencils available that I cannot see why some enterprising manufacturer cannot adapt those for the purpose. Personally, I should like to own such a one with a spring-loading feature, instead of the thumb-motivated type.
But back to that loading idea: Pens or pencils are scarcely the proper things with which to break an egg. Ordinarily they are much too delicate to stand much of a blow. A pocketknife is another matter. So is the handle of a dinner knife.
An egg is normally broken by being struck on the edge of a container. The edge of a saucer, equipped with a spring loader, so constructed as to release on impact, might help. Or perhaps a folded bill could be held against the back of a cup, up near the rim. The egg could be broken on the rim at a place immediately above the concealed bill that might be shoved into the egg simultaneously. Or a cigarette lighter, being metal and available from the performer's pockets, should be unsuspicious.
If a silver dollar were to be equipped on the back with a tube containing a plunger, it would certainly be deceptive and unsuspicious. Yet, if the bill were folded in such a way that it could be concealed behind the dollar, the tube would be unnecessary.
But why take things only from an egg? There have been knives equipped with methods of loading a lemon in the act of cutting it. One device is a loader that deposits the article to be produced inside of an orange in the act of catching it.
A dagger could be made to kick a load out of one edge into a tomato or pumpkin or cantaloupe, after it is impaled. A pair of tweezers could be built to load a bill into an egg, after which the other end could be used to take it out.
Electric light globes are not expensive. Things could be taken from them. It would be difficult for the spectator to catch a load made in the act of striking a light globe with a hammer. Put the load in a hole provided in the striking head of the hammer. It could be ejected by a mechanism in the hammer handle.
Anyone who puts his mind to it can think of these things faster than I can. The only essential is that the object used for the loading be consistent with the operation for which it is apparently used.
The Nest of Boxes as a trick does not belong under this heading. But the reappearance of the object itself does. A device in the sleeve, built to eject the loaded inner metal boxes as used with some methods, would permit of important improvements. In this case the loading could be done as the performer reaches into the last of the wooden boxes to get the small ones.
One prediction trick, based upon placing locked boxes in the hands of a committee, is worked similarly through one of the keys used.
Cigarette routines and those using other small objects such as thimbles or balls have made use of the principle of loading in the act of recovering the originally vanished article.
The usual procedure with cigarettes is to vanish one of them, really palming it. The hand reaches beneath the clothing to recover it but simultaneously secures a large supply in addition. One item from the supply is shown as the recovered object, the remainder being concealed. This principle is frequently applied in The Multiplying Thimbles . It is also used with billiard ball routines.
The Coin Tray , with its secret slot, in one sense is an application coming under this heading. Several coins are counted onto the tray after which they are poured into a spectator's cupped hands. Several coins are added secretly in the act, as they are concealed within a slot built into the tray bottom. While those on the top of the tray are being poured into the spectator's hands, the added quantity is also being added undetectably.
Now we arrive at chemical production methods.
One of the oldest of these is the creation of smoke with two clay pipes. This production has been varied from time to time with the use of different containers. Two glasses have been used, placed mouth to mouth; also a covered glass vase. Glen Pope performs an elaborated version of this trick, based upon a routine developed by the late Elmer Ransom. Still, Ade Duval has featured a more improved version for some time.
All of these versions depend upon the reaction of two chemicals brought together. Of course, just any chemicals would not do. Together, they must be capable of producing a substance resembling smoke. A combination of hydrochloric acid, or muriatic acid, and ammonia is an example. A few drops of the acid are placed in a container and a similar amount of ammonia is placed in its cover, the two being kept well separated until needed. When these are brought together a smoke-like vapor results.
Chemicals have been used for the development of writing and pictures. Frequently vapors, heat or light are necessary to accomplish the reaction. Among other developments are a "snow storm", from a burning cigarette, flashes of fire, and explosions. Even a disappearance of an elephant is based on melting frozen mercury.
One interesting idea brought out by Charles Waller is the appearance of an opaque liquid such as milk or ink. A transparent container, covered, is shown "empty". Later it is seen to be filled to capacity with the desired liquid. Actually the container isn't empty at all. It is filled to maximum capacity with clear water. In this condition it appears to be empty. With the addition of the proper chemical to develop the desired color, the container appears to have become filled with the production. The necessary chemicals are held in readiness, concealed within the cover.
Coming within this category but not strictly a chemical trick is a message production on slates. The slate used is a composition material such as chipboard or pasteboard. It is given a coat of blackboard paint. The message is written by dipping dustless chalk in diluted mucilage or liquid gum arabic. After the message has dried it will become invisible while wet, if washed with lighter fluid as available at cigar stores.
Before showing the slate side bearing the message, the performer "washes" it. While wet, this side is exhibited to the spectators. The message side is turned away from the spectators while the volatile fluid dries. When dry, the message shows up in intense white.
An improvement in this method, which allows the message to develop visibly line by line, is achieved is using a washing liquid which dries more slowly. I obtained satisfactory results with Carbona cleaning fluid, which is, I believe, carbon tetrachloride.
In performing the visible appearance a liberal quantity of the liquid is used. Then the slate is left facing the audience, standing on edge. Because the liquid drains from top to bottom there is less liquid at the top and the writing at that location becomes visible first, appearing progressively—almost line-by-line—from top to bottom.
Other chemical appearances include several products that reveal the names of selected cards while burning. All of these are based upon invisible inks that develop with heat.
Such indirect applications of chemical tricks seem far more puzzling these days than the old straight chemical tricks. It must not be overlooked that many chemical reactions of this type are demonstrated to high school chemistry students. The indirect application, however, throws such as these off-step.
One of the most popular present-day tricks is the cocktail trick, where any desired liquid is produced from an empty shaker. The liquid, of course, comes from a secret compartment, which principle is in another division. But the production of the particular KIND of liquid is dependent upon the use of highly concentrated essences that are generally within the apparently empty glasses in minute quantities.
Using a mixture of alcohol and water together with appropriate liquor flavors, which usually contain as well concentrated coloring material, almost any alcoholic beverage may be produced. By using the proper concentrated fruit flavors in combination with water, non-alcoholic beverages may be developed.
I cannot go into extensive explanations of chemical tricks and formulae here. As a matter of fact, appearances or productions through chemical means are limited to a very narrow field, magically. However, Ellis Stanyon's serials, MAGIC by the same author and Lippy's CHEMICAL MAGIC all contain considerable material in this field.
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