Hardin's Magic Brain

Cover

A REAL MAGIC CONTENTS
SHOW! Introduction
BY Al Baker's Eye Witnesses
FRANK LANE Stewart Judah's Pellet Trick
Al Saal's New Candle Production
AUTHOR OF
"Help Yourself" The Hicks One-Handed Bill in Orange
"Here's How" Tom Bowyer's The Coin in the Bottle
"They're Off" Frank Lane's Method of Doing The Three Pellet
"Patter Book No. 1" Card Trick
"Patter Book No. 2" Walker's Wine From Hat
"Comedy Book of Magic" Bill Neff's Egg Routine
and other Magic Books Bill Neff's Rice Bowls Routine
This html edition © 2000 Howard Albright's Tom, Dick and Harry
José Antonio González Campos Ellis Stanyon's Egg, Handkerchief and Wine-Glass
Enter eBook Comedy
Ellis Stanyon's Four Aces on Corners of
Handkerchiefs
Ellis Stanyon's Borrowed and Marked Coin in
Unprepared Lemon
Brandon, the Magician's Crack the Whip
Brandon, the Magician's Method for Stretching or
Elastic Sticks
Jake Stafford's Killing Two Birds With One Stone
Arthur Monroe's Pencil Gag

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Introduction

Well, well, well, the house is full... peek out there, Ted
Heuber, and see the mob... guess they like magic, HAY?
Everything all set? Everybody off stage... flash for the
music, Harry... there they go... O.K. Al... CURTAIN...

Da da (chord)

FRANK LANE: good evening, gents... and ladies, too... well, here we are
for the first magic show via a book... we have a great time in store for you,
some swell performers, some great ideas, some novel tricks... and so sit
right back, light your pipe, fill up your glasses, and be prepared to enjoy
yourself... ME?... well, I don't do much... I really was intending to sing a
little song for you tonight but I forgot how it went. I'm getting awful
absent-minded lately. I keep forgetting things. Well, to give you an idea... I
went out auto riding with my wife the other night AND WE PARKED in a
lonely lane... Ha... you can imagine how easy it is to forget... well, you'll
see too much of me here tonight, I guess, so I won't talk too much... I'm
going to start introducing the boys... give 'em all a good hand and they'll
work hard for you...
And now, folks, we have a real treat for you. I could tell you millions of
good things about this chap, but anything that I'd say would be superfluous.
He is too well known for me to boost. The only thing I'm GOING to say is
that he's a friend of mine, and I'm proud of it. If JOHN NORTHERN
HILLIARD were alive today he would open one of the chapters of the book
he intended to write with this quotation: "If there had never been such a
thing as magic, AL BAKER would have made it," and I think we'll all agree
on that. So here's our old friend, none other than...

AL BAKER IN PERSON
AL BAKER SPEAKS: Glad to be here with you, Frank, and all the rest of
you boys; and I have a new one here for you that I think you might like. I
thought you had enough card tricks, so here's one a little different. Hope
you all like it. Next
Contents

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Al Baker's Eye Witnesses

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AL BAKER'S EYE WITNESSES
After giving a talk on how witnesses of an accident disagree on so many
details, the performer asks for three men to come up from the audience...
three men who can take in details at a glance and remember what they see.
One man stands to the performer's right; another man stands to the
performer's left; and the third man stands at the center, but forward. The
performer now produces a bill and asks each one of the men to watch and
see if a clear description of what takes place can be given later on.
The performer now takes a bill so that the man at the right and the man at
the left can get a good look at it... he then folds it in halves, then another
fold, and then downward... next he takes the folded bill over to the third
man and after giving HIM a glance at it, places it in an envelope which is
given to the third man to hold... the performer then asks what has been
done... the first man will say a $5 bill was folded and placed in an
envelope... the second man will say that a ONE dollar bill was folded and
placed in the envelope... and the third man will say that a TWO dollar bill
was folded and placed in the envelope.
Now the envelope is opened, and what do you suppose? THE BILL
TURNS OUT TO BE A TEN DOLLAR NOTE!

TO PREPARE
Cut nearly half of a dollar
bill the width of the bill
and paste this on one side
of a $5 bill so that the
ends come even; and if the
bill is folded it will look
like a $1 bill. (See
drawing). You also
prepare an envelope by
cutting a slit in the back of
it with a safety razor
blade. A $10 bill is folded
and placed in the corner of
the envelope and a TWO
dollar bill is folded and laid on the table and is then covered with the
envelope. This is your preparation.

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Al Baker's Eye Witnesses

TO PERFORM
Get the men in position... not TOO near... holding the bill so that the man
on the right sees the full side of the "5" and the man on the left sees the "1"
(the fingers cover the "5" on the other corner). Fold the bill in halves so that
the right man sees a "5" and the left man sees the "1"... fold it again and
then down, so that a square package is formed... pick up the envelope with
the left hand with the $2 bill behind it.
Walk over to the third man and, holding the bill in the right-hand fingers,
with the thumb push up the flap of the envelope... this will bring the bill
behind the envelope and the left fingers take it and the right produces the $2
bill... this move is described in "Al Baker's Book".
Show him the bill, being sure that he notes the "2" on it... place it in the
envelope, letting it go into the slit... give him another look at it as the left
hand carelessly drops the fake bill in the coat pocket... wet the envelope
with lips and with the left hand pull the bill through the slit... the rest is all
showmanship. And all you have to do now is to produce the $10 bill from
the envelope after the proper patter.
You've just seen and heard, Ladies and Gentlemen, the incomparable AL
BAKER, the King of the magic entertainers. I'm sorry he didn't have more
time, but the judge'll give him that in the morning. Al's from New York.
And New York, as you all know, is the place where you can get off the
subway at Times Square, yell STOP THIEF, and everybody runs. Al's
pretty well off financially, too. He comes from a very well-to-do family.
One of his Uncles is a beggar at 49th Street. But we all enjoyed him and I
think you'll agree that he's given us something that we will not only like,
but use. Thanks Al.

There's another chap who's as smart as a whip in more ways than one. He
knows magic from A to Z. He has invented tricks... and he's a hard boy to
fool. Three years ago he did something for me that I never saw him do for
anyone else... HE SHOWED ME A CARD TRICK. I liked the trick so well
I asked him to show it to you boys... and he consented to do it. He's a swell
feller to get along with... but don't ever call him "BROTHER"... call him
anything but that. I suppose you know who I mean now, but for the ones
who don't, I'm going to introduce to you now:

STEWART JUDAH FROM CINCINNATI, OHIO
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Stewart Judah's Pellet Trick

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STEWART JUDAH'S PELLET TRICK
In this trick that I'm going to give you the effect is as follows: An ordinary
deck is used and shuffled as much as spectators desire. From this deck five
people select one card apiece. Performer can let them take the cards one by
one from the deck, or, they can pass the deck to one another, each one
taking out a card. In this way, which is perhaps the best, the spectators
surely feel positive that the performer DOES NOT KNOW one card that
has been taken.
After the cards are noted, the performer passes each of them a small piece
of paper. Each spectator writes the name of his card on his piece of paper
and immediately crumples it in a little ball. These pellets are dropped in a
glass and left on the floor, or on the table.
Performer collects the five cards, face down, and has any one of them
taken, and without having this one selected card looked at, it is placed on
the floor, or on the table, face down. The rest of the cards are put on top of
the deck and forgotten. Now the pellets in the glass are shaken up by
anyone, thrown out on the floor, and then performer lines them up in a row.
ANYBODY names any number from one to five inclusive. Performer picks
up this pellet, tosses it to spectator who named the number. Spectator
himself opens it and reads what it says. The card on the floor is now turned
over and it corresponds with what was written on the paper.
METHOD:--Let the deck be shuffled as much as is desired and then have
five cards selected by anyone and in any way.
Pass out your small pieces of paper. These should be about 2-in. square.
Have spectators write the name of their cards on the papers. Instruct them to
crumple them and you illustrate what you mean by taking another piece of
paper and crumpling it so that it is in a small ball.
Now, with an ordinary tumbler, or cup, or some receptacle in your left
hand, you take each pellet with your right hand and crumple it up some
more and drop each one in the glass. BUT... when you come to, say, the
third one, you squeeze this one a little harder than the rest so that it is a little
flatter. Then drop this in; and if you have rolled the others in between your
fingers so that they resemble a ball, you can easily tell which pellet is the
third man's pellet because it will be a trifle flatter than the rest. DO NOT
DO THIS TOO NOTICEABLY.
After you have them all in the glass, give them to someone, let him put one

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Stewart Judah's Pellet Trick

palm over the mouth of the glass, and shake them up. Now take the glass
and lay it on the table or the floor.
Next, collect the cards, remembering where the third card is and you can
keep mixing them up as much as you wish, but DON'T lose sight of where
the third man's card is. If you get it the second to top, you can now fan out
the cards face down, and take it to some other spectator, holding the fan to
his left, and nine chances out of ten he will take the second one. This is the
way I always do it, but the point is that you must have the third man's card
selected SOMEHOW from the fan of five. This is laid face down
somewhere.
You now take up the glass, dump out the pellets on the floor, and then make
a row of them so that there is, perhaps, 6 in. or so in between each pellet.
See that the flat one (or the third man's pellet) is No. 2 from either your left
or your right.
Now have somebody give you any number they wish and stress the point
that they can give you ANY NUMBER: one, two, three, four, or five. We
will assume that the pellet that is flatter than the rest is second from your
left. If they say "two" simply count from the left and pick that up. If they
say "four" count from the right and pick that up. Now if they say any one of
the other three numbers, proceed as follows:
We will assume they say "three." Pick up the third pellet between thumb
and second finger tips of right hand, saying: "Very well, we'll pick up No. 2
so we won't have any need of this..." and you pick up No. 2 in the same
manner and toss away No. 5 so that No. 1 is still in your hand. What you
really do is exchange them in a natural manner. Now reach down, and with
your second finger, snap or flip No. 1 away and then No. 4 and then No. 5.
We have you do this simply because you threw away No. 2 (?). Now all
that is necessary for you to do is to have somebody open the paper, have
him read it, and then turn over the card and show that it is the same card
that was written on the paper.
The above proceedings are perfectly natural; and if you take the trouble to
do this for yourself three or four times, you will have a card trick that is out
of the ordinary and a trick that has been one of my favorites for five or six
years. I'm only too glad to give it to you and hope you'll like it.
Dear Old Stewart. At last he did a trick for us. You know, I've been trying
for years to get him to show me a trick, but this is the first time I've seen
him do one. You can show plenty to him tho', and he'll never say anything,
and you don't know whether he was fooled or not. Stewart's from
Cincinatti, in case you don't know. Last week a chorus girl in one of the
hotels out there tried to commit suicide in the bathroom by turning on the
gas. She was saved tho', by Stewart's watchfulness. Good boy, Stewart,
good boy.

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Stewart Judah's Pellet Trick

Now we have a very welcome surprise for you. I've seen this man perform
at almost every large I. B. M. Convention that has been held, and
NOBODY has ever made a bigger hit than he has. I don't think there's
anybody in the business that surpasses him in sleight-of-hand work, in
cigarettes or billiard balls, or other manipulative objects. He does a
marvelous act... he's a great guy... and I know you're going to like him...
and I'm going to introduce to you at this time:

AL SAAL OF TOLEDO, OHIO
AL SAAL SPEAKING: Thank you very much, Frank, for asking me to be
in this Show. I'm glad to be represented and I know that you want
something that is along the line of effects that I do, so here goes... Next

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Al Saal's New Candle Production

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AL SAAL'S NEW CANDLE
PRODUCTION
It's a new candle production, boys, all lighted, and a real effect. While I
haven't performed it in my act, as yet, still, I'm about ready to put it in as a
closing effect. The performer wants to light a cigarette, but... first, lights a
candle in a holder which is standing on the table. He picks up the lighted
candle to light the cigarette. Then... produces three more lighted candles.
This is performed exactly like the billiard-ball trick. Shall I tell them how
it's done, Frank? (Well, that's what you're here for, Al.)
Well, the short candle on the table in the holder is really a candle and a
metal shell. This makes the first two, then two more are introduced in the
shell and rolled out. This action LIGHTS THEM. It is a very pretty flash
with four large lighted candles in the hand at the finish of any act. You'll
have to have Walker draw the pictures, Frank, and put them in the book.

This is my latest effect,
so consequently would
be the newest and the
best to tell the boys. The
candle that is in the
holder (See Fig. 1) is
made of light wood, then
reamed out to put in a
small candle with wick.
It is best to cut a large
candle down on account
of its having a larger
wick and naturally it will
make a larger flame.
Now look over to the
right of Fig. 1 and this will give you an idea of how the shell looks. This is
a shell of metal and the top is filled with grease. It should have a small
recess and will have to be slightly longer than the other candles to be
produced. That is, for the additional space at top, for the grease, and the
wick. This illustration is not to scale, but it will show you the top partition
in the fake which is filled with the candle grease and a large wick.
Now, if it'll do you any good, we have another illustration there showing
you a side view of the candle and the shell in the space candle holder.

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Al Saal's New Candle Production

Picking these up together it makes TWO lighted when the solid one is
rolled out of the shell. Then palm another one from any place about your
body and do the same identical moves as in the billiard-ball trick.
This is no pipe dream. This is practical. I have a set made up all ready and
intend to use them. I might say one more thing: and that is, to have the
candles all made up in a rough finish, as it facilitates handling and makes it
a little easier for the performer. I think this is a dandy trick for a "walk-off"
in any magic act. If you'll excuse me now, I have to get the 5:40 train to
Toledo.
Take another bow, Al. Al really doesn't need anyone to talk about him,
Folks. His work speaks for itself. Always a hard worker, and always willing
to help the other fellow. Let's give him another hand. You're welcome Al,
my Boy, you're welcome. All Al is he owes to his Mother, except the mole
on his back. That was his father's fault. We never really thot he'd make a
magician. When he was young, he was very dull in school, until he started
to eat onions. That put him in a class by himself. And I guess you'll all
agree, after seeing him work, that he sure IS in a class by himself.

And now here's a young feller from Bangor, Maine. How he ever got the
money to come down here in these times I don't know. You've all heard of
Maine. They say that's where the hicks come from, and they're right in more
ways than one, because this boy's NAME is "Hicks." His first name is
Herbert. We call him Bartholomew for short. He's going to show us a
brand-new stunt entitled "The Dollar Bill in the Orange." It's funny how
some magicians can't get their minds off fruit. I s'pose they see so much of
it; but then I shouldn't throw THAT up to them. So here he is, folks,
himself, in person:

HERBERT HICKS FROM BANGOR
Howdy, Friends! Never appeared before magicians in this manner, but I got
sumthin' yer might be able ter use, gol ding it. I call it:
THE HICKS ONE-HANDED BILL IN ORANGE... Next

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The Hicks One-Handed Bill in Orange

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THE HICKS ONE-HANDED BILL IN
ORANGE
By HERBERT HICKS
It's a slicker. So's my raincoat. So when I get thru, if yer think I'm all wet, I
got sumthin' ter perfect myself, and this is it:--The orange can be thrown
from the audience, caught by the performer in one hand (after being
examined)... and the rest is easy. I guess I better go ter the blackboard and
illustrate this. No. 1 shows a bent piece of tin and a part of an 8d nail. The
bill is wrapped around the nail and inserted in recess in torpedo "warhead"
which enters the orange and remains there out of sight carrying in the dollar
while the nail is withdrawn and immediately "lost."

The "warhead" can be
easily made from 1/2
iron, drilled and ground
to shape. Use two new
dollar bills with the Fig. 3
on one of 'em made to
look like an 8 on the
other. This can be done
by using a fine pen and a
blue ink. Just insert the
8d nail in bent tin, or
zinc, and squeeze in a
vice. It will stay put.
You can work your own
routine on this. All yet
have to do is to have the dollar prepared, and when you go down in the
audience to borrow a dollar bill, start to roll it up, exchange it for yours, and
then, as an afterthought, unroll it and have some other spectator take down
the numbers. Then you can vanish it in any way you want. And when you
return to the platform, throw out the fruit and have it examined, tell your
audience that you're only gonna use one hand when you catch it... which
you do. And I allers gets a goldinged big laugh when I tell them they've
thrown fruit to me so often I thought it would be about time I threw some at
them. And then I toss the orange.
This is my own idea and I hope you think it's right smart. Kinda a little
embarrassed to appear before a bunch of honest-ter-goodness magicians,

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The Hicks One-Handed Bill in Orange

but hope you liked it, hope you're gonna use it, and I bid you all good night.

Thanks, Herbert. Thanks for a new wrinkle that the boys will use. I told you
Herbert was from Maine, didn't I? Let me tell you about the Farmer that
came down from Bert's home town. This happened yars and yars ago. The
farmer went in a store and while inside, the phone rang. The proprietor
walked over to the phone, and took off the receiver and started to talk.
When he got through, the farmer said, "Well, Mister, I may look green, but
if you think you can make me believe your wife was in that little box there,
you're badly mistaken."

Years ago, when I was on the Canadian Chautauquas, I played two weeks
in Winnipeg, Canada. Winnipeg's a pretty place... has a beautiful golf
course... but no matter how pretty the city is, you can't help feel lonesome at
times... but I wasn't lonesome in Winnipeg because that's the place I met,
for the first time, the young man I'm going to introduce to you now. He
made my stay very pleasant... fooled me on all kinds of tricks... took me to
his home to dinner... and showed me the town. Everybody likes him... and I
know now you'll be pleased to hear from our old friend,

TOM BOWYER OF WINNIPEG, CANADA

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Tom Bowyer's Coin in the Bottle

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THE COIN IN THE BOTTLE
By TOM BOWYER
I present this at any social affair where beer is being served. Picking up a
beer bottle from one of the tables, I empty out any beverage that may be in
it. Then I borrow a half-dollar. Holding the bottle horizontally with one
hand, I announce my intention of passing the coin into it through its bottom.
Coin held in other hand is now brought forcibly against bottle bottom,
which it apparently penetrates, as coin is heard to fall inside. Bottle is then
shaken vigorously, so coin jingles around inside, and bottle is then shown at
close quarters to as many spectators as desired, special attention being
drawn to the bottom of the bottle being still absolutely solid and without
trapdoors.
The coin (still in the bottle) is handed back to the lender. Then, apparently
hearing some remark from this gentleman, the bottle is taken from him and
broken in a surprising manner. He removes the coin from the bottom
portion of the broken bottle. The latter is also left with him for examination
and to pass around to any other curious spectators.
This effect depends more upon the manner and circumstances of its
presentation than anything else. In my club act, it is the trick most talked
about afterwards, so I have really found it worth the trouble.

A duplicate coin inside
the bottle does the trick.
Get a pint beer bottle and,
with a glass-cutter, make
incisions around it as in
Figure 1. These incisions
are made at varying
heights from top or
bottom of bottle. Now
paste long paper strips
around it, above and
below the glasscutter
marks, as shown, which
helps to prevent any
cracks from spreading
towards either end of
bottle when you break it.

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Tom Bowyer's Coin in the Bottle

Tap bottle gently all around with a hammer, until it breaks into two parts in
an irregular manner, as in Figure 2. You may have to repeat this with
another bottle or so, as the glass will not always break exactly along the
incisions, and these marks will still be visible. This is not satisfactory for
close examination. (There may be some better way of breaking the bottle so
it will not show a clean break, but that is something to find out from
glass-cutting experts, which so far I have not done.)
When you get a satisfactory break, soak off and discard the paper
wrappings.
I have two bottles so prepared. One is of brown glass and one of clear glass,
as beer is sold in bottles of both colors, depending on the brand.
It is now necessary to get a supply of labels from the different local
breweries, to correspond with the brands of beer that are popular. (Of
course, if you wish, you can soak a label off any bottle and paste it on again
after faking bottle.) Before playing an engagement, I learn what beer will be
served and label accordingly whichever prepared bottle I will need to use.
However, you must first stick a half-dollar to the inside of the bottom of the
broken bottle. A very slight amount of wax is used--just enough so that coin
will not come loose when bottle is turned upside down a few times. Both
parts of the bottle are then put together and the label pasted on, which holds
them securely and enables bottle to be freely handled.
Upon arriving at my engagement, I get hold of a bottle of their beer, which,
of course, is the same brand as the label on my prepared bottle. I
immediately drink most of the contents, pouring the remainder into my
bottle, so that the beer does not quite come up to the crack in it. I then walk
around with this prepared bottle in my hand and await an opportunity to
casually leave it on a table up front, where someone else may not remove it
accidentally.
In presenting the trick, I claim that, owing to so many bank failures, I have
invented a new kind. My invention is simply a different form of "baby's
bank." All that's needed is the baby's bottle, which also has the big
advantage of allowing you to see how much money you have in it at any
time, by simply counting it through the glass. However, I say, as there don't
seem to be many milk-drinkers present, I'll demonstrate it with a beer
bottle.
I now ask for the loan of rather a large coin--say, a fifty-cent piece. While
someone is fishing in his pocket for one, I approach the table on which my
bottle is planted. Picking it up, I pour the contents into a convenient
tumbler, and maybe I drink and maybe I don't (but he probably does).
Anyhow, I hold the bottle upside down so that the last few drops drain out,
then take it in my left hand so that the label faces audience and my hand

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Tom Bowyer's Coin in the Bottle

hides that part of crack in glass not covered by label.
Having obtained the half-dollar in my right hand, I return to the platform.
The bottle in left hand is held horizontally by the neck, with label facing
audience, while I tell them I shall pass the coin into the bottle through the
bottom.
Hands are held about two feet apart. They now approach each other, but
hand holding coin moves much faster than the one holding bottle. Coin is
thumb-palmed just as right hand bangs against bottom of bottle.
Thumb-palmed coin clinks against the glass, and the jar loosens the waxed
coin inside bottle. Right hand now takes hold of bottle momentarily, to
enable left to shift its grip from neck of bottle to centre, thus covering the
crack at the back.
Jingling coin in bottle, I pass among the spectators to convince them that
coin is actually inside. In turning slightly to my right, thumb-palmed coin is
got rid of in trousers pocket. I now hand bottle to lender of coin but
(working fast here) I pretend to hear him say he'd rather have it without the
bottle. So I quickly take it from him before he discovers the crack in it.
Then, holding bottle high, with one hand at each end and label facing
audience, I bend my left knee, assume a determined look and strike bottle
against it. As bottle hits knee, it is turned so label is downwards. Bottle, of
course, comes apart, spectator is allowed to remove his coin and is handed
the broken bottle as well. (Any wax on coin should be almost unnoticeable
but, if you are afraid of it, you can remove coin from bottle yourself and
give it a scratch with your thumb nail before handing it to spectator.)
Should you have to use a clear glass bottle, when "passing" coin into it,
bottle must be held in left hand so that fingers cover that part of it below
label. Mouth of bottle must also be tilted slightly towards audience. This
prevents anyone at the side from seeing the coin that is already inside
bottle.
When I have finished my performance, I retrieve the broken bottle as
quietly as possible, soak the label off it when I get home and then use it
over again.
So far I have always been able to borrow a half-dollar for this trick.
However, have always had one of my own in my pocket in case of any
difficulty in this respect. I would then hand it to someone for a quick
examination and apparently pass it into the bottle.
Have tried several methods of holding coin inside bottle behind the label,
instead of against the bottom, thus enabling bottom to be shown at
commencement of trick, but none of these were without some drawback.
This is a rather "broad" effect and should be snappily worked. That is why I
hardly think it worth while going to the trouble of having the borrowed coin

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Tom Bowyer's Coin in the Bottle

marked and making a switch at the finish.
It is surprising how people will not only wonder how you got the coin
inside the bottle but will also marvel at the way you broke the bottle over
your knee.
Thanks, Tommy, it's a sweet trick--remember the time up in Winnipeg
when I was playing up there, you did this same trick at a beer garden? I
forget who carried whom home. Was it you or me? Tom, Folks, is a pretty
nice lad. Everyone likes him, and he has the questioned honor of being one
of the two I. B. M. members who never pay for a room at a convention. He
sleeps in everybody else's room, or not at all.

Up in Toronto where Tom lives now, they call him SPAULDING, he's been
on so many bats. I was surprised that Tom was able to do the trick so well
tonight. He was calling on a girl the other night, and a hoodlum threw a
brick through the window and hit the girl right in the ribs. Tom says it didn't
hurt the girl but it broke three of his fingers.
Well, the fellows out back are kicking because I'm not doing anything
myself. I suppose I'VE got to show you something... if I can... If there's any
grapefruit coming, I want it NOW... shut up, McGurk... Barnum was right...
you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people most of
the time, but McGurk you can fool all of the summer time... unless he
smells your breath... if you forget how my voice sounds when you get
home, tear a rag... here goes then. Next
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Frank Lan'e Method for the Three Pellet Card Trick

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FRANK LANE'S METHOD OF DOING
THE THREE PELLET CARD TRICK
If you get nothing else out of this book except this trick, you will be repaid
one hundred times for buying it. This is my FAVORITE Club trick and has
made me in actual cash, hundreds of dollars. How? Because when I have
done this trick for different organizations it has made them talk so much
that this trick alone has brought me plenty of engagements; and in some
instances, I have been hired to do this one trick AND NOTHING ELSE.
JOHN NORTHERN HILLIARD saw me do this six successive nights at six
different organizations, and he was so impressed that he offered me
anything that I wanted so that he could publish it in the new book which he
was about to have printed and which was to cost $15.00.
I am telling you all this so that you will realize you are getting something;
not only a secret, but an effect that will absolutely knock your audience
cold and one that you will continually keep in your performance and thus
bring you actual cash besides prestige.
THE EFFECT: An ordinary deck of cards is used. The deck is shuffled.
Three cards are selected by three different men, with the deck in THEIR
hands, and WITH YOUR BACK TURNED TO THEM AND TO THE
AUDIENCE ALL THE TIME. The spectators write the name of the card on
three different slips of paper. These are collected by a fourth spectator,
performer takes them in his fingers one at a time, and without opening
them, HE NAMES EACH ONE OF THE MEN'S CARDS. Before I give
you the secret, let me tell you this:
■ The deck is ordinary.

■ There is absolutely no sleight-of-hand.

■ You can do it immediately.

The effect is perfectly uncanny; and this, combined with the ease with
which you do it, makes it one of the best effects to offer an audience.
Now... if you're still interested, here it is:
THE SECRET: If there is no sleight-of-hand to it, and yet at the same time
it is so easy to do, we must have a set-up; so we have the deck set up for the
Si Stebbins System.
You address your audience somewhat like this:
"Ladies and Gentlemen: For my last effect I'm going to try to prove to you

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Frank Lan'e Method for the Three Pellet Card Trick

that I'm a real magician. I'm going to show you something that you have
never seen before--and something you'll never see again--unless you see me
do it. When magic is mentioned in your home, or in other places, you will
forget all about the other tricks I have done here tonight; but THIS one will
remain in your memory. You might have an idea of how I do the trick with
the dollar bill, or the trick with the handkerchief, but you WON'T have the
SLIGHTEST idea or the faintest inkling of how this is performed. I'm going
to ask three gentlemen to come up on the platform and help me. I'll promise
there will be no jokes. I'm going to be serious every moment."
When the men come up on the platform you take out three pieces of paper
from your pocket, about 2-in. square, fold each one in halves, then fold it
over again, and with a pencil, mark one of the papers "1," another "2," and
the other "3" ON BOTH SIDES. Give one paper to each of the men and
have them place it in their vest pocket. As you do this you talk.
"I'm folding three pieces of paper, Ladies and Gentlemen, and I'm marking
each of them No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 on both sides. I pass one of the papers
to you, sir; one to this gentleman, and one to you. Will you kindly put them
in your pockets because I'm going to have you use your hands in a
moment."
Pick up your cards and take them out of the case, fan them out, and let the
audience see that it is an ordinary deck.
Continue: "I have here an ordinary deck of cards, Ladies and Gentlemen,
and when I get through what I'm going to do, one of these men is going to
have this deck for himself. Which one of you gentlemen plays cards? You,
sir? Very well, then, the deck will be yours. Every time I do this trick, folks,
I give away a deck of cards--not because I like to give things away,
especially to strangers--but because I want everybody to know that I'm
using NOTHING but an ordinary deck; and you can see how foolish it
would be for me to give a deck of cards away to anyone if there was
anything the matter with them. I know that if anyone in this audience would
like to examine these cards, the gentleman here will be courteous enough to
allow you to do so. Here's the case, sir. I'll give you the cards later on.
"Now I'm going to ask the audience to help me out in this respect: I want
you to be sure that these gentlemen do EXACTLY as I tell them to do--no
more, no less. When I tell you gentlemen to cut the deck I mean to cut
it--like this--and then complete the cut. (An ordinary cut.) Later on, when I
have you take a card I'm going to ask you to show it to someone else. You
may show it to the audience, or to only one person--ANY person--and if I
allow you this privilege of showing it to ANYONE you want, or to the
whole audience, you must realize that I have no one to assist me in any
way.
"Now, the first gentleman: Will you take the cards and place them on your

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Frank Lan'e Method for the Three Pellet Card Trick

left hand? Don't do anything until I tell you. I'm going over here with my
back turned and I'm going to ask you to follow my instructions."
Walk away from him down to one side of the audience with your back
turned towards him and start giving instructions.
"Will you kindly cut the deck? Is it done? Cut it once more. Are you
satisfied, sir, that with my back turned to you, and with you handling the
deck, that I don't know where any particular card is in that deck? Thank
you. Would you cut them once more? Now I'm going to ask you to take the
card nearest you, the TOP card, take it in your right hand, look at it, and
now remember, you have your own choice of whether to show it to one
person or to the entire audience. Is it done? Now you have the deck in your
left hand and the card in the right. Take that card--tuck it in the center of the
deck some place--even the deck all up on the ends and sides so I won't even
know APPROXIMATELY where your card is. Is it done? Thank you."
You walk back to performer, take deck from his hand... as described in
"Two Hours With Frank Lane"... thereby getting a peek at the bottom card,
simply REMEMBER that bottom card.
"Now I'm not going to run through this deck... I'm not even going to look at
it... I'm going to pass it to No. 2 man."
Here's where you get your peek at the bottom card, as you pass the deck to
the man with your right hand. Now turn to No. 1 man and say:
"I'm going to ask you, sir, to take your seat and when you are sure I'm not
looking at you to open your paper, write down the name of the card in any
way you desire on the inside of the paper, and then fold the paper again so
that the number will show on the outside."
Now you address No. 2 man and when you walk away you have him do
exactly the same routine as described above for the first man, with this one
addition:--Let him cut the cards twice, and then have him cut off about a
THIRD of the deck, and then complete the cut. This makes it a little safer
for you, as he might cut to the same spot where the other man put his card.
When you have him cut a third of the deck, the third time he cuts will
eliminate any danger. After the routine is over, have him take his seat in the
same manner as No. 1 man, and when you have learned the bottom card, as
you pass the deck to the third man, you continue talking, as follows:
"Now, for this third gentleman I'm going to work a little different. I'm going
to ask you, sir, to shuffle that deck of cards as much as your heart desires.
Later on I'm going back to you and I'm going to say: 'You're the gentleman
that shuffled the deck as much as you wanted' and when I say that, I want
you to reply 'Yes.' So I want you now to shuffle them so you CAN say
'Yes.' Are you satisfied that they are shuffled enough? Now, here's what I
want you to do--and I want you, Ladies and Gentlemen, to see that he does

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exactly as I say--take the deck in your left hand, and with your right thumb
and second finger, I want you to pull out some cards from the center of the
deck... take as few or as many as you wish... and when you get this portion
out in your right hand, turn that portion over so that you can see the bottom
card of that portion, show it to somebody else, and then put the whole
portion back on the deck again."
As you say the above, you demonstrate what you want him to do; and as
you say "Is that clear?" you get a glimpse of the bottom card of the whole
deck and then overhand shuffle the cards, leaving that bottom card on the
top of the deck--and hand the deck to him. Now don't you see that when he
takes the portion from the center and looks at the bottom card, then puts
them on top of the deck, that the card he looked at will be to the LEFT of
the card you noted, when you fan the deck later on.
Before you walk away from him and turn your back while he is doing this,
simply watch him for a second until you see that he is STARTING right.
Then turn your back. After he goes through the routine, have him cut the
deck and then tell him to lay the cards down on the table--that you don't
even want to touch them. Now continue talking:
"Now, sir" (after you come back to stage) "let's work with you a little
different again. Let's forget your paper. YOU MERELY THINK OF YOUR
CARD. Then take your seat, please."
You now walk down to No. 1 man and without looking at his paper, you
stretch out your right hand and take the paper from him. Hold it above your
head. Ask him to think of his card... and bring back to your audience the
fact that your back was turned, something like this:
"Now, sir, you remember you told me that as far as you knew there was no
possible way I could tell any card while my back was turned; yet you cut
the deck three or four times... you took some card... and you are now
thinking of it. The gentleman took a black card... it was a Queen... and you
TOOK, sir, the Queen of Spades."
Say "The Queen of Spades" in a hesitating manner, as if it were somehow
coming to you through some mental process. Of course, all you do is add
three to the first card you remembered and take the next suit. That will be
the man's card. When you name the card, open the paper... tell the audience
how he wrote it... then give it to someone in the audience.
Follow this same routine with the No. 2 man. When you get to the third
man, say this:
"Now this is the first time that I'm taking the deck in my hands I don't know
whether I showed you folks that this was an ordinary deck or not--but it is."
And as you run through them, faces towards audience so that they can see

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Frank Lan'e Method for the Three Pellet Card Trick

they are all different, you locate the card that was on the top and then note
the card to the left of it--and that will be the man's card. You fan these cards
in a hurried manner, as if you just thought of showing the cards were all
different. After you have found out what his card is, you take the deck
down to the man you are going to give the deck to, saying:
"This is your deck, sir. Hold it in your hand, sir, just like this for a moment,
until I get through. Now I'm going to ask the No. 3 man to be serious. I
want him to really think of his card."
Look at him intently.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm going to try to SELL this trick to you, exactly
the same way a salesman would sell something to a business man.
Remember, this gentleman shuffled the cards as much as he wished. He
took some cards from the middle--he looked at one of the cards--and put
them back. I have had no chance to manipulate the cards--my back was
turned--and you must realize without my telling you that there was NO
possibility of sleight-of-hand in any way whatsoever. If it ISN'T
sleight-of-hand, it must be something else. I'm going to ask the gentleman
to think of his card. You're thinking of a red card... you're thinking of a
heart..."
Put your hand up to your forehead and look at one spot, as if you were
thinking intently, and repeat:
"You're thinking of a heart, sir, and it's... the s--, the s--, the seven spot of
hearts."

BOW
NOTE:--Now you see how simple this is to do, but the preparation and the
salesmanship of it are what get me the engagements that I told you about.
You can sell it as good as I can, so go to it!
Now I'm going to present a young man who perhaps none of you know
personally, but he's the inventor of my favorite trick, "Charlie, the Wonder
Snake." He's also the feller that does all my drawings and he made the
drawings for this program tonight... I saw him do a trick at one of Dr.
Calkins' Conventions in Springfield. He fooled me on it and it's a clever
stunt for anybody who plays Clubs. I have asked him to show it to you
boys... and not only show it... but tell you exactly how he presents it... with
his patter. He's a PAL of mine... and now, Lionel, go out and show the boys
how you did it in Springfield... Here he is, folks... come on, keed...

LIONEL WALKER OF SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

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Frank Lan'e Method for the Three Pellet Card Trick

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Walker's Wine from Hat

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WALKER'S WINE FROM HAT
By LIONEL WALKER
EFFECT: Performer shows a derby hat empty, sits down in a chair, tells a
story about complying with his wife's request to empty his entire stock of
wine down the sink, and takes out seven whiskey glasses filled with liquid,
one at a time.

SECRET: The hat is
empty. Affixed to the
back of the chair by two
screw eyes is a heavy
wire frame (fig. C)
which supports a
specially made holder,
containing seven
whiskey glasses
two-thirds full of liquid
(fig. B). In the
illustration only one
glass is shown in the
holder for clarity.
Fig. A illustrates the
gimick attached to this holder which is grasped between the first and second
fingers, thus enabling the right hand to rest on the back of the chair while
holding the hat, securing holder in the same manner as described by Frank
Lane in "Glass of Water Through the Hat" in Help Yourself. To load
glasses into hat merely lift hat and holder up, and away from chair, tilting
holder into hat as you do so. See Fig. D.
PATTER and PRESENTATION: Show hat to be empty, start patter and
approach chair.
"I had twelve bottles of whiskey in my cellar and my wife asked me to
empty the entire lot down the sink."
Rest hand with hat on chair, and as you say the next sentence get the load
into hat, and casually sit down with hat in your lap.
"I always do as my wife asks, so I brought all the bottles up into the
kitchen. I pulled the cork out of the first bottle, and emptied the entire
contents down the sink. That is, all but one glass, which I drank."

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Walker's Wine from Hat

Wink, and take one glass out of hat, drink and set on table.
"Then I pulled the cork out of the second bottle and did likewise, emptied
every drop down the sink. Well, that is, all but one glass, which I drank."
Take another glass from hat and drink.
"Then I extracted the cork from the third bottle, poured the good booze
down the glass... down the SINK, with the exception of one glass which I
drank."
Take another glass out of hat and drink. You are now getting slightly
intoxicated, and get "tighter" every drink from now on. Drink another glass
after each description.
"Next I pulled the cork out of the sink and poured the bottle down the glass,
with the exception of one glass which I drank.
"Next I pulled the bottle out of the cork, drank one sink, and threw the rest
down the glass.
"Then I pulled the sink out of the sixth cork and poured the bottle down my
neck.
"Then I pulled the bottle out of my glass, poured the cork down the sink, all
but the sink which I drank.
"Then I pulled the next glass out of my throat, poured the sink down the
bottle and drank the cork.
"Then when all the bottles were empty, I steadied the house with one hand,
and counted the bottles as they went by. And there was TWENTY-FIVE, so
I counted them again. And as the houses was going by too I counted them
too and there were Seventy-five! Then I proceeded to wash and wipe all the
bottles. I couldn't get the brush inside the bottles so I turned the bottles
inside out and washed and wiped every one. Then I went upstairs to my
wife and told her what I had done. And BOY! I got the WIFIEST little
NICEY in the world! (SAY THIS LAST LINE AS YOU GET UP, MUSS
YOUR HAIR, AND STAGGER OFF STAGE.)
A dandy, Lionel, a dandy--just a kid, Folks, just a kid--but a swell kid--he
can have anything I got--and I guess that goes for him, too--
Lionel says if you are run down, get the driver's license number. The only
fault I have to find with Lionel is the way he shakes hands. You know, he
sticks his mitt way up in the air when he meets you. You don't know
whether he's going to shake hands or start the minuet. He's O.K. tho', and
I'm sure you're all gl

ARealMagicShow FrankLane