Elbow, Knee & Neck – Paul Ingram
Darrel introduced a great plot to the realm of coin magic with his routine Elbow, Knee & Neck. In Darrels’ hands, the routine is pure magical entertainment. However, I could not get comfortable with the handling for two reasons. Firstly, the pop-up move just does not make any sense to me, it looks like an entirely synthetic way to handle a coin. Also, leaving the coin loaded and balanced at the neck left me feeling and looking like Frankenstein gone wrong. For these reasons I developed my own handlings for the routine of which I have three. What follows is the most practical handling and therefore the one that I use all the time.
Effect: The magician displays three coins and explains that they each have a name: Elbow, Knee and Neck. The coins are tossed into the right hand which is then closed into a fist. In an instant, one coin is produced from the right elbow, one from the left knee and the other from behind the neck! The right hand is now opened and shown to be empty.
Requirements: Any three matching coins, I use dollars because I like the way they handle and because they make the effect more visual due to their size.
Routine
Phase 1 – Elbow
The coins are displayed in the open left palm, the rear most coin in position ready to be classic palmed. All coins are apparently tossed into the right hand however, one coin is retained in the left. Jingle the coins in the right hand fist and then position one of them so that it protrudes from the rear of the fist ready to be stolen by the left hand. This coin is now stolen by the left hand using the same technique for the first coin in the `Instant Coins Across’ routine. The left hand produces the stolen coin from behind the right elbow and then holds it up to display before placing it onto the table.
Phase 2 _ Knee
The left extends its first finger and draws an imaginary line from the right fist, up the right arm, across the chest and down the left leg to behind the left knee. As you do this you explain that the coin called `knee’ is now making its invisible journey. You now produce the coin which has been hidden in the left hand classic palm from behind the left knee. As this is happening, the right hand is positioning the coin it holds into the same position as the previous coin, protruding form the fist ready to be stolen.
You now appear to gesture with the left hand coin by tapping it against the right elbow to emphasize the fact that it’s called knee and not elbow. However, you actually re-palm the coin into the left hand classic palm and pretend to hold it behind the left fingertips as you make the tapping gesture to the right elbow. The left hand appears to move forward and place the coin it is holding onto the table however, at this point a switch takes place. As the left hand moves forward it passes directly below the right fist. As it passes below the protruding coin from the right fist is dropped onto the fingers of the left hand. This coin is placed upon the table by the left hand which, still has a coin retained in the classic palm. This switch and steal of the right hand coin has to be clean, fluid and without hesitation.
Phase 3 _ Neck
The left hand could now simply produce the coin it is hiding from behind the neck. However, I like to apparently display both hands to be empty before producing the coin using the right hand. This is achieved using a hand-washing technique similar to that which John Bannon performs.
The right hand, still clenched in a fist and apparently holding the last coin is raised palm up in front of you. The arm is positioned at a 45 ° angle pointing upward to the left. You now blow onto the right fist and then open it to display it to be empty. The left hand now approaches and rubs the right hand by placing the thumb on top and the fingers below. The thumb and fingers are touching the rear or heal part of the right hand. The left hand now strokes the right hand by moving forwards and upwards to the fingertips. Once there, the left hand turns palm down and releases the palmed coin directly onto the right hand finger palm position. In a continuing motion, the left hand makes another stroking motion rubbing its palm and fingers across the hidden coin moving backwards and downwards. Both hands now turn into a palm up position with the hands being held cupped and the thumbs touching the fingers. Both thumbs make a snapping action to emphasize the hands being empty. The right hand can now produce its finger palmed coin from behind the neck to finish.
Comments: I use this routine for both adults and children alike. It takes about thirty seconds to perform and is a terrific piece of visual magic. After you have introduced the coins and their respective names at the beginning of the routine, the plot is already establishing itself in the spectators minds. They guess that the coins will somehow appear at the named locations but do not know how. Before they know it, you are already ahead of them and they have no chance at reconstructing what has happened. This is great for restaurant work to tag onto the end of any coin routine. If no tables are available then simply use a spectators’ hand to place the coins upon after they are produced. I recently performed this routine for Darrel and he was suitably impressed.
Ian Adair’s Comedy Patter For Gozinta Boxes
“I hate flying! My arms get tired. It’s not so much the flying that frightens me…. it’s the crashing!
The other day I flew on a jumbo jet. I knew it was a JUMBO jet, because there was an elephant sitting in the back row.
And talking about the back, here’s a tip if you ever fly. Always sit in the back of the plane – you’ve never heard of a plane backing into a mountain – have you? Here’s another tip. Always sit next to the black box. After all, they always find the black box.
And talking about the black box, I’ve got one here tonight, just to demonstrate my point. What I am about to tell you is nothintg but the PLAIN (plane) truth! And here it is. Not the plain truth, but the black box.
Well, I painted it red just to confuse you (show red box.) Actually, red stands for danger and the first thing you learn when they tell you they are looking for the black box is that danger is ahead! So where’s the BLACK box. It’s inside the red danger box, that’s where. (Open red box to show black one inside).
That’s what a black box looks like. And we all know that from the black box the officials find important information. What they don’t know is that surely it’s quite amazing that we’ve taken the black box from the outer red box, when in fact I can put the red box into the inner black box. See what I mean? No! I’ll show you again.
Red and black are associated with playing cards, so , if you play your cards right tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I’ll let you into the secret of the black box mystery. The black box is now outside and the red box is now inside. Isn’t it amazing that we can once again place the outer black box into the inner red box, like this!
It’s a dangerous sort of puzzle. And like all puzzles, there is always a solution. So, ladies and gentlemen, if you know the solution, keep it to yourself. It’s a pie in the sky!”
Mini Wave – Indranil Ray
Ever since I have read the `Mini Wave’ by Mr. Sam Dalal in the EF Update of November 1999, I was in search for an alternate method to bring about the same effect. Here is the result.
Effect : The performer shows four Aces faces up and asks a spectator to name any one. He turns the cards individually to show three cards with identical backs and the fourth one with a different back. The different back card is disclosed as the selected one.
Set-up : Take two black Aces from a blue-backed deck and two red ones from a red backed deck. Keep the cards inside your wallet faces up.
To Perform : Remove cards from the wallet, faces showing. Fan the four Aces and ask someone to name any one of the four. After they call out a card, you casually mix the cards while talking. In fact, you bring the named card to the third position from the top. Next, bring the ace of matching colour to the second position from the top. For example, suppose the Ace of Hearts is called out; bring the AH to the third from top and its match Ace of Diamonds to the second position from the top. The opposite coloured Aces (Black Aces in this case) will be in the first and fourth positions from top respectively.
Now perform the “Orlam Subtlety” move to show three Aces have same coloured backs and different from the called out Ace back. Replace the cards faces up inside your wallet for future use.
Details of the `Orlam Subtlety’ are given on page 16 of EF Update no.13 (June 1998).
The Swayambhar Sabha – Indranil Ray
Take eight blank visiting cards. On seven of them, stick the pictures of men of various professions along with names written under them. On another card, stick the picture of a lovely young girl. I use pictures of Doctor, Engineer, Advocate, Pilot, Businessman, Flimstar, Astronaut, and a Queen cut out from Children’s wordbook. Keep all the cards held together with a rubber band in your wallet.
Presentation : Take out the cards and show them to your spectators. Point out the girl (on the card) and say that a selection of the appropriate bridegroom will be made by Magic.
Display the seven other cards and say that these are the persons who have crossed different hurdles to win the girl and now will appear for the final selection. Offer the seven cards to your spectator to be shuffled. Ask him to mentally select any card that he feels to be the best as bridegroom and note its position from the top of the facedown pack. Take back the pack behind your back and secretly transfer three cards from top to the bottom of the pack. Explain you are energising the spectator’s selection magically so that only it can withstand the tough competition. Offer the pack to your spectator and ask him to transfer a certain number of cards from the top to the bottom of the pack equal to the number at which his card was located. In other words, if the spectator’s card was at the fourth position of the facedown pack from top he should transfer four cards from the top to the bottom of the pack.
Now take the girl card and put it at the bottom of the facedown packet in spectator’s hand. Explain that the girl will find the bridegroom, which the spectator has thought to be the best suited for her.
Ask your spectator to give you one card and transfer the next one to the bottom of the deck (Deal and Duck count is applied here) until only two cards are left. Ask him to turn the pair of cards face-up and that would reveal the girl with her bridegroom as selected by the spectator.
All Rounder and all Square – by Gora Dutta
This trick is performed with double blank cards and as this is meant for the stage; it is wise to use Jumbo cards. The cut out holes, round and square in the card make the effect more astounding. In addition, there is no sleight of hand required performing the effect. Moreover, the handling is so normal and simple that you may surprise yourself as if it works by Magic!
Effect : Two blank Jumbo cards are shown, each with a round hole punched out in the centre. They are placed together for a moment and when separated, one card is found with a square hole. The round hole has changed into a square hole. Both the cards are freely shown front and back.
Requirement : Three cards are needed with cut out holes as shown in the illustration #1. You should notice that the cards are tapered on their long sides to make the handling easier.
Performance : Arrange the cards in order exactly as shown in the illustration #2 and hold with both your hands. This is the rear (performer’s) view. From the front, the audiences see two cards bearing a round hole in each. Following the actions shown in illustration #3, place the card in your right hand on top of the one(s) in the left hand and square the cards.
The final move is shown in illustration #4 – the cards are being separated here. Since the cards are tapered and the way these were placed one atop the other, the two round holed cards should separate neatly in a pair as a single card in your left hand. In addition, the square holed card stays in your right hand. Now both sides of the cards are shown back and front. Finish – #5 !
(Ed. Note : although the author suggests the use of double blank cards, the use of face blank cards will add some colour to this easy but stunning effect.)