My Boomerang Won’t Come Back ! – Ian Adair
A funny comedy quickie which would be ideal for the MC (compere).
Effect: The performer displays a boomerang and explains that it won’t come back. That every time he throws it..it just won’t come back. That he’s tried and tried and it just doesn’t come back. So, in despair he starts to read the instructions (a sheet of paper).
“I took it back to the shop. I said my boomerang won’t come back. The shopkeeper told me ‘you take it away and you don’t come back’. So, I’ve got no feed-back folks.
Let’s see what it says here in the instructions. It tells you to throw the thing forcefully away from you (performer aims towards the audience). Are you ready to catch it? You better for my boomerang never comes back. I once knew a man who threw his boomerang really hard and it went all round the world, arrived back in Australia and then back here’.
Nope, I don’t think these instructions are any good at all.” The performer crumples them up in disgust and throws them onto the stage floor – Suddenly, at his command, the balled-up instruction sheet shoots back into his hand’ !! It gets a big laugh. Whilst his boomerang won’t come back, the discarded instruction sheet does!
To work this, use a finger reel. (You can get one from Electro Fun). Attach the bottom corner of the instruction sheet to the end of the reel.
During performance display the boomerang, quip the gags and start reading the instructions with sheet in front of you. Crumple up the sheet, into a ball. In throwing it to the floor, make sure you have pulled on the reel so it has a sufficient length. Simply press the centre of the reel for the paper ball to shoot up into your hand.
That’s it.
Point Blank – Ian Adair
Here’s an effect for you to make up, if you are handy with roughing pasteboards. Ooooops! I’ve disclosed the secret right from the start!
Effect:
A pack is ribbon spread (faces not shown and downwards onto table) for a spectator to merely point to one card.
This is removed and reversed. It is seen to have a plain blank face. The other cards are reversed and spread to show that they all have regular faces! The effect doesn’t end there. The performer asks the spectator to think of one of the cards. When the blank faced card is reversed, it now depicts a regular one… Same suit and value as the spectator named! When the pack is riffled through, all the cards are blank!
Sounds rather like a sort of Premonition effect or, come to think about it, a Nudist Style trick into the bargain. It’s more than that!
What is required?
A special pack. A set of pocket card indexes.
The special pack works like a Nudist Deck. You require 27 blank faced cards (back design on their backs) and 27 regular cards of a mixed variety. A blank facer is roughed onto the back of each of the regulars. I forgot to mention that the regular cards are slightly trimmed along their tops so the ‘Svengali’ principle also comes into action.
A set of two pocket card indexes, prepared with Hearts and Diamonds one side, Spades and Clubs the other, are hidden inside your jacket pockets (or trousers).
Working And Presentation:
Easy. Display backs of cards only and spread onto table. Ask some one to point to one. Remove, reverse and display – it’s blank (all top cards are blank). As you reverse the spread to show they have faces, blank card is placed inside jacket pocket (as though no longer required) but then brought out again (locating correct card when spectator is asked to name one). You end with pack which when cut and riffled, can be shown blank…a reverse procedure!
Color Changing Svengali Deck – Shareef Mayika
The Svengali Deck is an excellent close up trick familiar to all magicians. You may perform a colour changing effect with this pack .
For example, using a blue-backed deck cards are shown all different and well mixed. The spectator chooses a card say, a Jack of Hearts. A little magic and the wizard show every card in the pack is now Jack of Hearts. In addition, every card in the pack has changed colour to Red.
Secret: -Two Svengali decks- one with Blue back design and the other with Red are needed for making this Colour Changing Svengali Deck. In fact, by interchanging short cards of both of the deck, you can make two Colour Changing Svengali Decks that could be used for repeat performance.
Follow the rules of the regular Svengali Deck. It is to be noted that you casually invite attention of audience to the back of the deck while you introduce it.
Performance: As usual in the Svengali deck handling, neatly cut the pack and riffle shuffle, which does not disturb the arrangement. Square the pack and be careful not to show the different coloured backs.
Now show all the cards different via the usual Svengali deck handling process. Since the cards fall in pairs, nothing looks unusual. Get a card selected, again following the normal procedure. Divide the pack at the point where the fingertip or the knife blade rests upon the cards. Place the upper half beneath the lower half and square the deck.
Point at the top card and remove it but at the same time casually turn the hand holding cards, vertically so that the back of second top card or the new top card does not show up. Let all see the selected card and its back.
Then put the selected card on the face of the deck held vertically. A few magic passes and you lower your hand in usual dealing position and let them see the changed colour of the top card. 1st. Surprise!
Finally, turn the pack face up and hold the same as you started . Now follow the same moves to show the whole deck has changed as the selected card. Moreover, the colour of the back has changed… Climax!
Very Personal – Arun Bonerjee
The ‘Very Personal’ effect requires the involvement of you, the magician and the chief guest, or the centre of attraction of the party. The first name of both the persons involved is needed to work the magic.
Since you, the magician in presenting the ‘Very Personal’ effect, you will use your first name (say) SEKANDER that spells with 8 letters, you need to remember this number – ‘8’. Then select a person for whom you intend to perform this trick (preferably select one whose first name spells with different number of letters than yours). We suppose your friend’s name is SUJIT and you will present the effect using his name that spells with 5 letters. Now, adding 8 and 5 you get 13, which you must remember as the Key-number.
As time comes for showing the trick, secretly count off in casual manner 13 cards from a pack, and place aside the rest, (the close-up magic viewers must not know the number of cards you are using). While mixing the cards, casually invite your friend SUJIT to participate in a very personal card trick! Announce that in this trick you will use the names of both of you. In fact, you explain to your friend, within a minute you will turn your back to the table, leaving the small packet of cards in his hand. He has to then mix the cards, note, and remember the top card of the packet of cards he is holding. You demonstrate by turning top card of packet face-up, look at it, turn it face down and replace back in position.
Next, he has to silently spell the first name of either of you, say his own name in this instance. Simultaneously shift a card for each letter from top to face of the packet like this: loudly spell your friend’s name – S – U – J – I – T, shift a card for each letter from top to face of the packet. Similarly you further clarify; he can spell your name too if he pleases and shift cards as explained! So as a demonstration loudly spell your name, S-E-K-A-N-D-E-R; and shift a card for each letter from top to face of the packet. Incidentally, you warn your friend, he must spell either name exactly as you spelt (This is vital for the working of the trick!).
At the conclusion, he should hold the packet face down in his hand, while you should be asked to face front. After explaining everything hand over the packet to your friend with a request to mix it well. As he obliges you turn your back to the table.
At your back, your friend carries out your instructions, then tells you once he is finished. Now you face all and take back the packet. To locate his card you say that you have to spell a name, the one that he did not spell (you are telling the truth!). So, ask your friend to state the name he really spelt.
Suppose your friend says he spelt his name. In that case, you comment, you will spell your name (otherwise, if your friend says he spelt your name, you say you will spell his name). So, once more loudly spell your name (or your friend’s name, if such is the case), SEKANDER. Simultaneously shift a card for each letter from top to face of the packet, while for last letter deal corresponding card face up on the table, triumphantly claiming it to be your friend’s selected card, but you are told you are wrong!
Act surprised, pick up the dealt card, turn it face down, and add it to the face of the packet in your hand. Fan the cards, mix them well, without disturbing the top card, and looking quite thoughtful comment, better you would computerise the packet! You saying so, take the packet at your back. turn top card face up, cut the packet, complete it, bring it forward, and place it on the table. Enthusiastically tell your friend that the packet being computerised, you are now ready to locate his card!
Ask him to name his card. As soon as he says, slap the packet spread the cards, and there is the surprise – the selected card is found face up amongst face down cards! Smile, turn face up card face down, return packet to the rest of the pack, conclude telling your friend, that’s being a very personal card trick, you perform only for very special person!
INSPIRATION: ‘The Seven-up Mystery’ a card trick described in Karl Fulves book ‘More Self-Working Card Tricks’. Truly, the trick is based on a very simple basic mathematical principle, yet it appears highly amusing as well as surprising, if you play it well.
Indra’s Best Offer – Indranil Ray
Take five double blank cards. Write on them in bold letters – CIGARETTE, WATER, WATER, SWEETS, and any cold drink say, COCA-COLA. Mark the cards with WATER written over on the back so that you can identify the same looking at its back. Stack the card faces down with WATER on top followed by CIGARETTE, and the rest in any order. Put this stack of cards in your wallet.
Find a small watertight container, which fits inside a regular size Cigarette packet without disfiguring the packet. I use a small threaded stainless steel snuffbox that can hold two-teaspoonful water. Fill the small container with sufficient water and put the lid securely on. Then place it inside an empty cigarette packet. Cover the Cigarette packet with a hanky and put inside your breast pocket.
PRESENTATION: Bring out the hank-covered packet of cigarettes, casually (but carefully) place it over the table announcing it a ‘surprise gift’. Remove the cards from the wallet and hold them face – up. Say, “this is not a simple magic. Rather it is an ‘offer’ of an item that has to be selected magically.” Spread the cards in a fan to show the audiences the names of different items keeping top two cards CIGARETTE and WATER neatly squared together. Close the fan and turn the card faces towards you. Now casually mix the cards and at the same time call the names written over the same repeatedly to hammer it in their mind. In the process, you bring WATER and CIGARETTE cards in fourth and fifth position from top of the face up stack. Turn the stack of card face down and hold squared in the left hand. You now turn the top card over, in reality you double turn over the top two cards as one and the WATER shows up. You comment it could not be a good gift or an offer. Therefore, you will discard it from the rest items. You pocket apparently the WATER card but unknown to them the CIGARETTE card also goes along with behind the WATER. You are now left with COLD DRINK, SWEETS, and WATER (which they believe as the CIGARATTE) cards. Cards are still faces down and you will have to force the WATER by your favourite method. Since the card is marked it is easy for you to identify. Any way, after the selection is made, you turn over the other two cards and SWEETS and COLD DRINKS will show up. As all have seen you to put the WATER card away in your pocket, they will naturally guess the selection as the CIGARETTE. Without turning the card over unwrap the hanky and show the packet of cigarette. You offer the same to the helping assistant but as he reaches for it, you comment, “Just a moment. Every time I make this magical offer, I loose some money. Will you mind if I try a bit of magic instead?” Smartly tap the selected card and turn it over… WATER, it says! “Well my friend, since you had almost got a packet full of cigarettes, I will consider your case and allow you to have the contents inside this cigarette box.” Give the Cigarette packet to him who to his utter surprise finds the small container filled with water inside.
Ed Note… Of course, you have your own way of forcing, but you may find the following one easy and effective.
Hold the three cards face down and casually mix them, finally bringing the card marked WATER on top of the three-card stack. Say, you will spell the word ‘offer’ and for each letter shift one card from top to bottom of the stack, you are holding. After completion of the word, you will discard the next card. This you will repeat until you have left with the single card and that will be the selection. If you correctly follow, you will always find the WATER as the final selection.
Instead of ‘offer’ you may use the word ‘magic’ with the same result, i.e. any five lettered suitable word will do.