BERT ALLERTON'S

THE

CLOSE-UP

MAGICIAN
 CONTENTS
Introduction 4
Foreword 6

Chapter One - Seven Secrets

The Vanishing Cigarette 8

The Bent Spoon 10
Swallowing a Knife 12
The Stack of Quarters 14
The Card and Cigarette Case 18
Simplified Magic Square 20
The Two Card Trick 22

Chapter Two - Selected Card Tricks

The Eye Popper 24

Tr ans c endenc e 27
The Missing Deuce 28
Surprise Spelling 30
The New 21 Card Trick 31
The Double Lift 32
On the Slip Force 34
Tricks With a Stacked Deck 36

Chapter Three - Entertaining Novelties

The Scissors 38
The Sugar Cube 41
The Flutist 42
Impromptu Handkerchief Routine 44
The Rabbit 50
The .Little Hindu 52
Magic: Letter Square 54
Winding the Pack 54

Chapter Four - More Allerton C l as sics

The Jumping Flower 55

Making the Flower 57
Vanishing the Bird Cage 58
The Glass Through the Table 60
The Aspirin Box 62
The Nest of Envelopes 66
Rules for the Close Up Magician 69
A Biographical Note 70
Bibliography 71
Photograph by Irving Desfor
(All manufacturing rights protected and reserved)

z

INTRODUCTION
This book was be~n by Bert Allerton in the swnmer of 1956.
He was recuperatIng from an illness that had forced him to
conclude one, of the most remarkable engagements ever played
by a profes slOnal magician: fifteen cons ecutive years at the
famous Pump Room of the Ambassador East Hotel in Chicago.
Bert aske,d ,me to write the trick descriptions, and Howard
Barnrnan JOlned u,s to make sketches to illustrate the text. We
~ad several sesslO~s together, during which many of the draw-
Ings were made whlch appear in this book. Unhappily, Bert's
health grew worse and the project was abandoned.
It may seem a bit, strange that an undertaking that could not
be complete~ dur1ng Bert Allerton's lifetime should be revived
now, that he 1S gone. Certainly a fund of information that the
projected work would have contained is now lost. What is of-
fered here is at best a fragment.
But imagine a new generation of magicians, many of them
"clos e up a~dicts", knowing nothing of America's leading ex-
ponent ~f thlS form of magic! It is an unfortunate fact that un-
less wntten records are left, the mos t admired performers
are soon forgotten. This small work is an effort on the part
of some of Bert Allerton's friends to provide such a record.
A~though the discriminating will appreciate the value of the
trlcks and advice contai~ed in this book, it will be recognized
that the am~)Unt of mater1al here is slight in comparison to the
enormous htera,ture available on the subject of small magic.
A word may be In order on just what it was that constituted
~llerton's uniqueness as a performer and that made his selec-
hon of m~ter~al and his approach to its presentation of more
than passlng 1nterest.
M?-gic done at close quarters is really nothing new. The oldest
trl~k, t~e ~ups and Balls, remains the ideal close-up trick (one
wh1c,h" Inc1dentall,Y: Bert never us ed). In Europe, the street
~,agl~lan and the Ihnerant conjurer performing for small gratu-
Ihes In bars and taverns carryon the tradition of the ancient
mo~tebank. Some modern magicians, such as Max Malini,have
aC,hleved , ~ore glamorous status, while working very much in
th1S
, trad1tIon.
'1' Many leading magicians who made the'l r I'IV1ng
, the country, he was invariably treated as an honored guest, and
pr~m~rl,y 1n the theatre have enhanced their reputations through
Sk1ll In Impromptu, intimate magic - among them, Alexander
Herrmann, Horace Goldin, Okito, Nate Leipzig, Harry Black-
stone, Cardini, Paul Le Paul, etc.
4
Also allied to the art of close-up performance is the tradition
of drawing room magic, exemplified by men of such outstand-
ing reputation as Hofzinser, Bertram, Al Baker, John Mul-
holland, and others of renown as private entertainers.
In America during the 30' s, leading night .club magicians, such
as Paul Rosini, frequently worked at the customer's tables
between floor show appearances. But although many skillful
performers made table work a successful part of their profes-
sional stock-in-trade, the unique professional achievement as
an exclusively close-up performer was made by Bert Allerton.
His only peer as a table entertainer, the great Matt Schulien,
belongs in a somewhat different professional category - that of
the jovial and friendly tavern host.
Bert made his mark entertaining at the individual tables in such
spots as the House of Murphy in Hollywood, the Cotillion Room
of the Hotel Pierre in New York City, and the Pwnp Room of the
Ambassador East in Chicago. The great initial obstacle in this
type of work was to be invited to sit down with a group in the
first place. There was a very good leaflet at each table telli,ng
about Mr. Allerton and indicating that his services were avaIl-
able for a fee of five dollars. But the real reason that the clien-
tele of these fine restaurants asked for him was that he was im-
mediately recognizable as a gentleman and the kind of person
you would like to have join your party. ·
From the moment that Bert sat down with a group , he commun-
icated a warmth and joy in his work that was irresistible.Al-
though distinguished in appearance, he was simp le and artless
in manner, and absolutely self-e£facingin his attitude toward the
miracles that took place. Although his emphasis was on fun,
and though he interspersed his tricks with non-magical gags. to
his most sophisticated spectators his tricks were miracles. No
matter how badly he fooled them - and fool them he did - no one
was ever allowed to feel that he was being the least bit superior
or condescending. The greatest miracle of all was that such a
nice, normal-seeming gentleman should be gifted in such an
extraordinary way. His spectators paid tribute to his work,not
with awed amazement, but with delighted cries of astonishment
and shouts of laughter. It goes without saying that his remun-
eration was often considerably in excess of the specified five
dollars, that he developed a faithful following, and that his work
at tables was a seedbed for highly profitable private engage-
ments. At these private dates, which took him to all parts of
was introduced not as a professional entertainer, but as an old
friend possessed of a quite remarkable talent.
5

Of his ability to create wonderful laughter with his magic, Okito
has compared Bert Allel'ton wj.th the great English society en-
tertainer, Charles Bertram. This ability, of course, was
Bert's unique gift. However, his careful and knowing selection
of tricks, his capacity to reduce technique to its essentials, and
his misdirective touches contributed importantly to his success.
.Among magicians, Bert minimized his technical ability and his
knowledge of magic. Both were considerable. He had read
everything of major importance in the literature of magic. Dur-
ing his years as a devoted amateur, he had tried all types of
magic, including stage illus ions. By the time he turned pro-
fessional' he had the tremendous advantage of knowing his own
capabilities perfectly and having sifted through a great amount
of trick material, so much of which has a power of fascination
for the magician and so little of which will really stir an aud-
ience. Any book of his tricks would be valuable if for this rea-
son alone. You may not find your kind of trick on every page.
But if you find one you like, you can be pretty sure it has solid
entertainment value.
Bert also had a mind both adventurous and creative. His reper-
toire was, in general, quite different from thos e of other magic-
ians who had close up routines. It is interesting to note that
Jean Hugard's Close-Up Magic for the Night Club Magician,pub-
lished before Bert turned professional ( and still one of the best
manuals on the subject), contains, except for sponge balls and
a few handkerchief moves, not a single effect adopted by Aller-
ton.
Two of Bert's most effective tricks were numbers no one else
had even thought of as close-up material; the cut and restored
rope and the vanishing bird cage. That the latter could be done
under the spectator's noses while seated at a table would seem
incredible had not Bert made its us e in this fashion familiar to
us. The very idea of using the ' get ready' for the vanish as a
trick in itself - the surprising' production' of the cage - is a
stroke of genius.
Bert was an inventive man who found, as the practicing magi-
cian invariably does, that the best invention is the twist or
piece of business that makes some magical chestnut fresh and
effective. There is good value in the following pages for those
who know what to look for.
Robert Parrish
6
FOREWORD
Clos e -up magic is convincing magic.
So often people have said to me, "This, is the first time I h~vel_
njoyed magic, because it was done nght under ~y , nose. a
wa s felt that if I could get close enough to a maglcIan, I ~0'7ld
fig~re out everything he does." Because this typ e of maglc In -
creases people's respect for the magician's art, i t s useh~a: 't
la an important role in elevating magic t~ ~e plane w lC , 1
~es':rves in the world of entertainment. Thls 1S the un~e,rlY1ng
thought which made me decide to pass on to other maglclans the
tricks and subtleties of presentation which I ha:e learned o,ve~
a period of twenty years in doing close - up magIC commerclal y.
Every magician should be able to entertain a group wi,th close-
up magiC. When I say enter~a~n , I do not m~an shoWlng ,how _
k'llf lor smart one is by glvlng demonstrations of manlP'7 la
~ioln. ;'he elements of a highly entertaining tric k are surpnse
and a laugh.
I believe it was Al Baker who said that one lau,gh is worth a
thousand mysteries, and this I found to be bas1callY , true.~0-
ther fundamental point is to make your tricks look hke maglc -
not like something you are responsible for. Don't worry -
they will giv~ you credit anyway, and all the more because you
claim none.
Also, so far as possible, avoid the use of obvious magic pr,ops.
Tricks with a rna tch, knife, spoon, cigarette , or handkerchIef
are the most convincing and entertaining.
Tricks which are successful commercially are equ,ally suitable
for the occasional performer who wants to be the hfe, of the p a r-
ty rather than just a show-off. So why not take up this type of
convincing magiC yourself?
7

Of his ability to create wonderful laughter with his magic,Okito
has compared Bert Allel'ton with the great English society en-
tertainer, Charles Bertram. This ability, of course, was
Bert ' s uni que gift. However, his careful and knowing selection
of tricks, his capacity to reduce technique to its essentials,and
his misdirecti ve touches contri buted importantly to his success .
,Among magicians, Bert minimized. his technical ability and his
knowl e dge of magic. Both w e r e considerable . He had read
e v e rything of major i mporta nce i n the li terature of magic. Dur-
i ng his years as a devoted a mat e ur, h e had tr ie d all types of
m a g ic , i ncluding sta g e illus i ons . By th e tim e he turned pro-
f e ss i onal, he h a d the tr e m endous a dvantage of knowing his own
cap a b ilities perfectly a nd h a v i ng s i ft e d through a great amount
of t rick m a t e rial , so m uc h of whic h has a powe r of fascination
for th e m a gician a nd so little of whi ch will really stir an aud-
ience . Any bo ok of his tri ck s would be valuabl e if for this rea-
son a l on e . You m ay not find your k ind of tric k on every page.
But if y ou f ind one y ou like, you can b e pretty sure it has soli d
entertai nment va lu e .
B e rt als o h a d a m ind both a dv entu r ous a nd cr eative. H i s reper -
to ire w a s , i n gener al, quite d iffe r e nt from tho se of other magic-
ian s who h a d c lo se u p routines. It i s int e resting to note that
J ean Huga rd's Clo se -Up M agic for the N i ght C lub Magician , pub-
lis h ed bef o r e B er t tu rne d p r ofession al ( a nd s t ill one of the be st
manuals on th e sub ject), contains, except f o r s p ong e balls a nd
a few h an d ke r chief moves, not a single e ff ec t adopte d by Alle r -
ton.
Two of B ert's most effective tricks were numbers no one e l se
h a d even th ought of as close - up mate r ial; th e cut a nd r es to re d
rope and the vanishing bi r d cage. That th e latte r c ould b e d on e
under th e spectator 's nos es while seate d a t a tab l e would se e m
incredible h a d no t B e r t made its use in th i s fas h i on f a m i liar t o
us. The very i d ea of using the ' get ready' f o r the v a ni sh as a
trick ih itself - th e surprising' production ' of th e c age - is a
stroke of g e n i us .
B e r t was a n i nv e ntive man w h o f ou n d , as th e pra cticing magi-
cian i nva r iably does , th a t th e be s t i nvent i on is the twist or
p i ece of bus ine ss tha t m ake s som e ma gical chestnut fresh and
e ff ec tiv e . Th e re is good v a lu e in th e following pages for those
who k n ow wha t to look for.
Robert Parrish
6
FOREWORD
C l o se-u p magic is c onvincing magic .
S o often people have said to me, " T his, is the first time I have _
enjoyed magic, because it was done nght under ~y,nose. I al
w a s felt that if I could g et close enough to a magICIan, I ~o~ld
fig~ r e out everything he does." Because this typ~ of magIc In-
c reases people's respect for the magici,an's art, ItS use ~an,
play an important role in elevating magIc t~ ~e plane whIch, It
d eserves in the world of entertainment. ThIS IS the un~e,rlYIng
thought which made me decide to pass on to other magICIans the
tricks and subtleties of presentation which I ha~e learned o,ver
a period of twenty years in doing close-up magIc commerCIally .
Every magician should be able to entertain a group wi,th close-
up magic. When I say entertain, I do not m~an shoWlng,how
skillful or smart one is by giving demonstratlons of manIp~la­
tion. The elements of a highly entertaining trick are surpnse
and a laugh.
I believe it was Al Baker who said that one lau,gh is worth a
thousand mysteries, and this I found to b~ baSIcally , true .~o­
ther fundamental point is to make your tncks look hke magIC -
not like something you are responsible for. Don't worry -
they will giVe! you credit anyway, and all the more because you
claim none.
Also, so far as possible, avoid the use of obvious magic pr,ops.
Tricks with a match, knife, spoon, cigarette, or handkerchIef
are the mo st convincing and entertaining.
Tricks which are successful commercially are equ,ally suitable
for the occasional performer who wants to be the hfe of the par-
ty rather than just a show-of£. So why not take up this type of
convincing magic your self?
7
THE VANISHING CIGARETTE

A tip in presentation may serve to transform into a miracle a I attach the elastic of the pull at the armpit of the coat and allow
trick which other magicians have discarded. Such a tip is worth the pull to hang in the sleeve at a point near enough to the wrist
more to the commercially minded magician than the cleverest to allow the right fingers to secure it easily by reaching up the
new method • . sleeve. Since you are seated at a table, there is plenty of cov-
er for doing this. Besides, this is done as you make your con-
For many years, one of my favorite tricks has been the Vanish- cluding remarks in relation to the previous trick, so nobody is
ing Cigarette, using a cigarette pull. Here is the way to make watching your hands.
the effect look truly magical.
Do not reproduce the cigarette - people will literally worry for
Secure ~he pull in the left hand before beginning the trick.Bor- rnonfus about where it went.
row a cigarette. Light it and take into the mouth a good quanti-
ty of smoke. Push the cigarette into the closed left fist and into
the pull ( figure 1). Let the pull fly up your sleeve. Raise the
fist up to your mouth as shown in figure 3. Blow the smoke into
the fist. It will emerge from between the fingers with myster-
ious effect. Slowly open the fingers, showing the cigarette gone.

The best cigarette pull for this

effect is the tube pull with the
spring insert, which holds almost
any size stub and smothers the
light when the cigarette is pushed
into it.

Notes by Tommy Edwards:

A bit of business in the presentation of this trick, as taught me

by Bert Allerton, was the following. Ask a spectator who is
smoking: II May I borrow your cigarette, please? II If offered a
fresh one from the package, say: II Thank you, I prefer a lit
FI~ . I
one, II pointing to the one in his hand. Say: II Do you mind if I
destroy it? II Regardless of the answer, rip off half the cigar-
ette and hand the unlit portion to the person, saying: IIHere is
From. the technical standpoint, this is a perfect trick - the dirty your receipt. II
work is done before the spectators think anything is going to
happen. Take a puff from the cigarette and blowout the smoke. Cough
slightly and comment, II What brand is this? II Then take another
. puff, retaining smoke in the mouth, and proceed as described.

9
THE BENT SPOON
Although more of a gag than a trick, this little stunt combines
elements of shock and surprise which spell entertainment.

Grip a spoon as shown in figure 1. Say" Did you ever see the
A Star Among Stars • • •
trick in which it looks like you bend a spoon? "Force the clasped
hands down onto the table, bending the neck of the spoon.Since

FIG. I

people are expecting an illusion, there is always a shout of

laughter when you hold up the spoon as in figure 2, showing
the bowl at right angles to the handle. Besides, a spoon looks
very funny in this condition.
Immediately drop the hands beneath the table and straighten
the spoon out, while you say : " Some people think I really
bend it". Throw the spoon back onto the table in "restored"
condition. This brings a second laugh. 1£ you have done all
of this at a fairly rapid pace, many people will be left wonder-
ing just what did happen.
BaT AuzRroN is a brilliant entertainer of ex- His ability to make friends with the man on
ceptional ability and engaging penonality. the street as well as the great and near great is
You will find a spoon much easier to straighten out than to bend His fast - movin& repertoire of fucinatinc
attributable in part to hi, personal charm , but
the very nature of his work promotes good will.
in the first place. The stunt does not damage the spoon, although magic effects, humorous mysteries and start· Almost invariably. people leave his presence
you'd probably better stay away from the best silverware. line mental feats intJi&ue and fascinate blue in a more C'.hecrful frame of mind because they
and sophisticated individuals as well .. aver- have been delightfully entertained and
age folks. amused.

10 11
IWALLOWING A KNIP.
Thi. has alway. been one of the mo.t amusing ad lib table stunt ••
It i. a logical number to u.e alonl with the .poon bending.
is allowed to drop into the lap. Without hesitation, the ha.nds. _
l'ft d to the vertical position befor e the face.' s~own 1n f1g
~~: 21. ;he hands are drawn downward as the kmfe 1S apparent-
ly swallowed.

\ "
rll; . I ~\
\
Hold a table knife as shown in figure 1, the hands palm up on
the table. Start turning the hands over toward your body, then
stl)P suddenly a8 though having forgotten ' 8omething.

Hold the knife in the left hand, while the right hand shakes a FIG 2
generous aInount of salt and pepper along the blade. Thi8 is
the laugh that Inake8 the trick, a. well a8 a feint which Inakes
the coming deception more con~cing. . h sli htl and say: " Too Inuch pepper" .
In concluslO.n , co,ug g Yk' hich is then replaced in your
Wipe your hps W1th your nap 1n, w
A8sume figure 1 p08ition again, with the hands near the edge of lap over the knife.
the table. As the hands are rotated toward tl)e body, the knife
N t; W YORK IIEH ,\LU,TRIB V-'E

"Bed "!lerton. th e ma~il·o logis t . came to the tahle

Acconliolg to Will Do. . . of .... o.ic... TriM.. :-"Yo. _ .. ,., 1.11111 ga\l~ an amazing demonstration of close-up

lIIaj!it,. \lr. \ll crlOll ""Ito is a hlant.l . ap:rceahlc t:hap.

_ O_zi"l f1lft if,.. _ lert Allertoll'. _ .1Id "..., _
of close .p _gic. Yo. sIIoold.'t IIriu "im. no goy'• ...,., _ -
Mg. He _ to k... _ " trick ...... 1Iook, oM wIIot'. Mttor, ...
gifts ......M • 11ft twist. His toe...... is acitiIIt to wtdI oM
.. is ,otto" ...._ .........., is COMpIi_torilp .........
pt'r(urm:oi une miracle after the ~ther, o r ~o they
!Of','IIt. One's rt'.u.' l ion. Ilcsides helOg o ne o~ stupe-
fadion alltl culmi ralion. is also charactenzed ,by
hur:-.l s of lauJ;htcr. the kind .ev~k ed by slapstick
..:() nH'·d~' . li e is a ",underful artist.

lZ \3
THE STACK OF QUARTERS
This is one of the tricks which I depend upon to astonish people
at a table who think they have seen everything. Magicians, of a vest is an important article of apparel for the _
course, know the "Stack of Quarters" or "Cap and Pence" as Incidentally, providing him with four extra, needed poc k
close-up worker,
one of the oldest tricks in magi c, but to laymen it is a comple t e ets.
novelty, while the fact that this is done in their own hands
, the right hand (pennies against
makes the whole thing completely unbelievable. Presentation: Palm the ,f ake ~ out the aspirin box. The ap-
Palm) as inf fillllre 4. whIle ta ~g diately creates interest,
Over the years, I have reduced the handling of this effe ct to the th b ' 11 banded box lmm~
utmost in simplicity and, I feel, the maximum in effe ct. pearance 0 e 1 ~tirely non-magical in character.
yet the props are e
The prepa ration for the trick is i mportant both for e ase of op -
eration and for the impression made upon the audience. I carr y
the six quarters in an aspirin box , into which they fit neatly. A
dollar bill, folded into a ring as shown in figures I and 2 , is
slipped over the box (figure 3). A ring which will fit snugly

FlfO, l
, "Ma I use our thumb?"
Slide off a bill and, say, to a s~~~:~ 'slip u7ebill o~er it. This
Have him extend hi:s rlghttth
again, commands lnteres , as w
ell as convincing everybody

that the bill is empty.

Fi/O, Z
FEKE

around the box is just the right size to cover the stack of quar-
ters in the 'course of the trick. The figures show correctly the
point in relation to the large ONE on the bill which determines
the right diameter for the ring or tube. The insertion of the
strip within its own fold takes a little doing, but results in a
firm formation which will not readily corne undone.
The usual fake quarter stack loaded with a stack of pennies is
placed in the lower right vest pocket along with the aspirin box
encircled with the bill. , , d d the quarter s into the spec-
Now open the aSplrln box an utunthis hand and count them into
tator's hand. Pick them up 0 0 ['
are them at the tips of the left lngers.
your left hand. Squ
14

15
As you tell the spectator to turn his right hand with its back up
ward, "pick up" the coins with the right fingers. Actually, the
right hand brings the fake stack over the coins held in the left.
The left fingers let the real coins drop down into the left paltn
and the right hand moves away, apparently carrying the coins,
and deposits the fake stack on the back of tl.e spectator's right
hand. (The correct grip on the stack during this action is right
fingers on the top and thumb over the bottom opening.)
As the stack of pennies is revealed on top of the spectator's
hand, say: "And here's your sales tax."
At this moment, you allow your two hands to come to~ether and
permit the fake stack to drop into the left hand. The nght hand
tosses the bill onto the table.

This is the easiest switch imaginable and will never be detect-

ed unless the magician himself calls attention to it. Therefore,
THE PiRSIAN ROOM
the secret of success with this move is: don't make a move out
p.._ o•• opocloI fee .... """""
of it!
BERT ALLERTON , p." mOlt., of
The dirty work having now been done, grasp the spectator's prem&git.tion .nd renowned dote
hand with your left hand, thumb on top and forefinger against ' ......t+i.t who h.. jutt .rrived from
his paltn, exactly as shown in figure 6. This grip gives com- HoIywood.
plete cover to the coins in the left fingers and makes it poss-

IITEl SII FIIICIS .IIIE

s..fr......

BERT ALLERTON t!etillieD reem

---tIM ....p; ... wlao bu kept JOU apcll1louod tit......., Preeenting
.....t. put. b,. popu........nd. i t -

DISAPPEARING PEGGY FEARS

TO POINTS EAST ON A NATIONWIDE TOUR
He W ••ta to SKI Fa.rcwell to
BERT ALLERTON
YOU , the friend, who han helped build hi. rcputat _ _ PRESTIDIGITATOR
and proca __ to top .n,thin, ),ou' •• ner seen him do bel....
HIT OF CHICAGO AND HOLLYWOOD
WEDNESDAY NIGHT FIRST TIME IN NI':'V YORK
APRIL 17
AT Conlinuous Music
ible to release them without a revealing movement of the fin-
gers. THE HOUSE OF MURPHY WILLIAM SCOTTY
AND HIli' ORCHE~TRA
410 SOUTH SAN VICENTE BLVD.
~R..t ...iew
Say to the spectator: " With your other hand, will you remove 5-01'I-f_ ReMrTatio-. AND

the bill from your thumb and put it around the quarters like a NICK RAYMOND
"~D HIM LA.TIN' AMERICAN BAND
chimney?" Allow him to do this.
Where do I get off? Your
Enlerlainmenl Twice Nightly
Ask the spectator to say : " Jackp<>t!" Let the quarters drop tricks scared the hair right Aller Ihe Thealre
and at the same time bring the right hand over the bill and lift
it, squeezing the sides and carrying away the fake stack. off my hca~.:.:_.:.. II....--V'/ Aft.r 10 P . M.

~ Ex"._
M._I._. ca.ara-e P.50 ·\\,~k••7~ Sa. ." ' "
for DI •• el' G_. .ta

aoRIS K"'RoLOFF

16
17

THE CARD AND CIGARETTE CASE
Some years ago, George Coon showed me a trick with a cigar-
ette case which Percy Abbott was trying to market. George
said: "We can't sell it, Bert. The magicians don ' t like it be-
cause it doesn't have a gimmick."
I said, "That makes it all the better for me." Sinc e then , I have
used this trick constantly and have found it one of the greatest
audience mystifiers in my repertoi re.
Any flat cigarette case which will hold a single loose row of
cigarettes can be used. A card with two pieces torn from it as
shown in figure 2 is placed between the lid and the cigarettes.
The torn pieces are placed in a convenient pocket. Open the
case and hold it on the right hand as shown in figure 1, with the
cigarettes actually resting on th e lid and thus concealing the
card. Say to a spectator: " What brand of cigarettes do I have?"
This forces him to look closely without raising any suspicions
in his mind about the "unpreparedness " of the case.
When the spectator has answered your question, say: "That's
right". And flip the lid of the case closed. This brings the con-
18
cealed card to the top of the case, which may now be laid on
the table without any suspicious turnover moves.
The spectator is now asked to place his hand on to~ of the case
and keep it there for the remainder of the proceedmgs.
A duplicate of the concealed card is forced on someone and the
selector asked to tear the card into eight pieces. You mean-
time secure the two pieces from your pocket and add them to
the spectator's pieces when he hands them to you. Hand one of
the added pieces to him and then, as a kind of afterthought,
give the second added piece to someone else.
Pretend to place the remaining pieces in your left hand, really
finger palming them in the right. Just do this naturally and
boldly - not as a fancy move •
••
Hold the closed left hand over the cigC!.rette case a second, then
open the fingers to show the pieces gone. Ask the spectator to
open the case. The card is staring him in the face. In the
meantime, you may go south with the right hand's palmed
pieces.
The two spectators holding pieces of the card may themselves
fit them into the card. The use of two pieces is incomparably
more effective than the usual single torn corner. There is
something about it which throws people completely, and the ap-
pearance of the card is itself laughable.
19
SIMPLIFIED MAGIC SQUARE
Effect: The audience is asked to suggest any number from 24
to 100. Performer then writes sixteen numbers in the form of
a square and demonstrates that there are twenty two ways that
these numbers can be added to total the number selected.
There are now twenty-two ways in which the total suggested
(67) can be produced. The following list sheuld!lnake these
combinations clear :

,
Secret : The following table should be memorized. If this is
Horizontally - 4 times
Vertically - 4 times
Diagonally (47 to 9) 2 times
I( 12 7 ( 7 to 4)

8
" 2
5 fO 3 Kt2
1(-1 1-12-48-6
11-5-2-49
1-11-6-49
12-2-5-48
5 times

Four corners

'+ 1<+1 b 9
47-1-11-8
not practical, it could be written on a small card and palmed 1-8-12-46
in the left hand. When using a black-board the left hand could 12-7-46-2
hold the eraser, thus masking the presence of the card. The 8-46-10-3 7 times
key number (K) is obtained by subtracting 20 from the number 5-10-4-48
chosen by the audience. (K-l) is the key number minus one. 10-3-48-6
(K plus 2) is the key number plus 2. (Kplus one) is the key num- 3-6-49-9
ber plus 1.

To perform: Ask audience to suggest any number from 24 to
100. Let us say number 67 is suggested. Deduct 20 which
leaves 47 the key number (K). (K-l) will then be 47 minus one
or 46. (K plus 2) will be 47 plus 2 or 49. (K plus 1) will be
47 plus lor 48. The entire set of numbers should be written
down as rapidly as pos sible.
47 1 12 7
I I 8 1f6 2
To relieve the monotony of adding up twenty two sets of figures
if there are twenty-two or more persons in the audience, I
point at the four squares I want added and ask one person to
add them. Then I go on to the next, which I assign to a differ-
ent person and so on until twenty-two people have each added
a different group. They are then asked for their answers which
should all correspond to the total originally selected by the aud-
ience (67 is our example).
To make this effect entertaining to the audience, it is import-
ant that it should not drag at any time. The numbers should be
dashed off rapidly and the number combinations should be ex-
plained clearly and quickly.

5 10 3 4'1 Smartly done, it leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

4 1J8 6 q I have never seen anyone

quite as clever.

ZO w.e. 61LL FIELDS

Zl
THE TWO CARD TRICK
This has been one of my greatest tricks for years. It deserves
the careful rehearsal which successful performance demands.
Required are a double-face card and two ordinary cards match-
ing the faces of the double card. Let us say that the double
car~ is 3S-8D. Place the three cards in the outside breast pock-
et Wlth the double face card to the front. Assuming its 8D face.
is outward, the order 01 the ordinary cards behind it should be
: 3S, 8D.
Presentation Of The First Phase:
1. Remove the two front cards ( double-face and 3S) and say:
"How many cards do we have here?" Square the cards and turn
them over for a moment to show the back of the fair Three,then
turn them face upwards again. Transfer the Eight (double-face)
behind the Three, then transfer the Three back behind the
Eight. Square the cards and turn the packet face dcwn. The
spectator is unconsciously left with the impression that he has
seen both cards back and front.
2. Say: " Would you hold out your hand? " Lay both cards face
up on his palm, thumbing the top ( double) card into his hand
and withdrawing and turning face down the lower card, saying:
"What card is this?" As your right hand performs these oper-
ations, your left hand holds the sp ectator' s hand and clos es his
thumb down onto the card held on his hand.
3. The spectator says that the card you have withdrawn and
are holding face down is the 3S. You reply: "That's right."
Turn the card over, showing its face, then slip it face up under
the card in the spectator's hand and turn the two cards ov~
gether and replace them under his thumb. At once withdraw
the lower ~a~d ( double -face card with 3S faceIiOW showing)
and place It In your outer breast pocket behind the regular 8D
there. (This move is one of those cases in magic where an
action that will not stand logical analysis passes as entirely
normal).
4. Say, as you pocket the card: " I take the 8D and put it in my
pocket."
5. The spectator will protest that it was the 3S you pocketed.
6. You say: " No, it's the 8D" (withdrawing the fair 8D from
your pocket) " because you have the 3S in your hand!" The
22
spectator finds that this is the case. Both of the cards on the
table are now ordinary.
The Pretended Explanation:
1. Place the 35 behind the 8D and replace both cards in your
pocket face out behind the double-face card. The 3S side of the
double card now faces outward.
2. Say : " You see, we have four cards, another 3S and another
8H in the pocket." Withdraw the two front cards from the pocket.
3. Slide off the 3S ( double-face card) onto the spectator's hand
saying: " Now we have an 8D and a 3S here and another 8D and
3S in the pocket."
4. " So we turn them over again" ( slide the fair 8D face up
under the 35 double-facer and turn both cards over) "and with-
draw the Eight" (double-face card now showing 8D face) "and
place it in the pocket, where we switch it for the Three." (Ac-
tually make the switch, 1:>ut do not let the two cards in the pock-
et be seen simultaneously; later no one will believe that you
did exactly what you said you did! )
5. Holding the fair Three, gesture to the spectator's card and
say: " Of course, the sad part about it is that this leaves us
with two Three of Spades. Just turn yours over and you'll see."
The spectator does so and he finds that he is holding the 8D
and that he now knows a good deal less than he did before the
trick was" explained ".
Editor's Note: This is as far as the manuscript for The Clos e-
Up Magician was completed in collaboration with, and person-
ally checked by, Bert Allerton. The following pages were de-
veloped from notes, and sketches, already drafted and with the
assistance of friends who had received instruction in various
Allerton specialties.

SELECTED CARD TRICKS
THE EYE POPPER
Bert found this classical effect an ideal table trick. Typically,
he reduced the handling to its essentials • .f
He apparently showed the top card of the deck, actually per-
forming a triple lift. " Here we have the two of spades. I want
you to watch the two of spades." Repetition of the name of the
card was important, for if this was not grasped by the specta-
tor, there would be no effect. He turned the card(s) face down
on top of the deck before stating what he was going to do.
ver move that served as a completethrow--off and set things
for one final repetition.
He inserted the two of spades ( now a single card) again face
down into the deck, but with about half its length protruding
toward the sp~ctators. (Shown in figure I with the card face
up. In Bert's handling it was face down). II This time we'll
put it in, and to be sure it's in, I'll show it to you." He open-
ed the deck book-wise. As he did this, the tips of the left fin-
gers pulled down on the top card of the deck, so it protruded
about one half inch from the right side of the upper packet (fig-
ure Z). With the right hand's packet of cards, he flipped over
the two of spades, so it lay face up on the packet in the left
hand.

"We put it in the middle" ( doing so) " and it come s back on
top again" ( double lift showing two of spade s on top). The dou-
ble card was then turned face down as though the trick were
over.

"We put it on the bottom" (doing so) " but it's still on the top".

The text says two of

spades and the card
in the picture is the
two of diamonds. W e
hope this slight error
won ' t confuse you.
Fl iO.1
The left thumb pushed the two of spades to the right a bit, and
the right hand appeared again to flip the card over and clolle
the deck upon it. In actuality, the left side of the right hand's
packet "missed" the right side of the face-up card, alld this
protruding side of the two of spades was instead caught by the
At this point the spectators have had a sense of s ome thi n g mad- jogged top card of the deck ( figure 3B).
dening taking place, plus a vague suspicion that thing s w ere
perhaps not quite as represented. Here Bert used a v e ry cle-

2,5

2,4
 Closing of the deck forced the two of spade. into a face down
position ucond from the top of the deck ( figure 3).
e.
~.
d
F15.5
A double lift showed the two of spades again on top. It was
turned face down onto the deck once more, the extra card in-
serted into the deck wherever a spectator directed, and the
final jump back to the top accomplished.
26
TRANSCENDENCE
Transcendent is the name given to a now well-known sleight
when it was first written up some years ago in the Genii mag-
azine. In a favorite Allerton effect utilizing this move, a spec-
tator was shown four cards and given them to hold. The spec-
tator noted that one of these cards was a card he had previous-
1y selected, which had been shuffled into the deck. However, the
magician had urged him to give no help in the finding of it, so
the spectator kept quiet and waited to see what would happen.
What happened was that a card stopped at as the deck was rif-
fled turned out also to be this chos en card. When the spec-
tator looked at the cards he was holding, he found that the cho-
sen one had vanished, leaving only three cards.
In operation, the selected card was brought to a position of
second from the face of the deck. The Transcendent move was
now performed to show and remove the four face cards. The
procedure was this: The face up deck was gripped from above
by the right hand, second and third fingers at the end toward
the spectators and thumb at the end toward the performer. (Ap-
proximately the position shown in figure 2 for the "Eye Pop-
per").
The left hand drew the cards singly off the face of the deck by
placing the left thumb on the face of the top face-up card and
drawing it off to the left to lie on the left fingers.
This movement was repeated with the second card - the select-
ed one - but as the third card was drawn off, the tips of the
thumb and fingers of the right hand picked up the second card
from the left hand ( which at this point carne naturally beneath
the deck) and continued to grip it behind the deck as the third
card was drawn off onto the left hand packet. The fourth card
was drawn off, and the cards in the left hand ( which the spec-
tators assumed to be four, but which were only three) given to
the spectator.
The selected card, face down on the back of the deck, was
then forced on some one by means of the" Slip Force" •
(The Slip Force is explained on page 34.)
,7

THE MISSING DEUCE
Effect. A card is selected and buried in the deck. The magic-
ian looks through the cards and cuts a deuce to the bottom of
the deck. It is not the spectator's card. The magician shows
that he has brought the four deuces to the bottom of the deck
and, showing each separately, stacks them in the spectator's
hand. One at a time, the cards are removed from the hand
and laid face up on the table, until but one remains in the hand.
The spectator is asked to name this remaining card. He says
it is the fourth deuce. The magician corrects him by showing
that the last deuce is instead on the bottom of the deck. In its
place on the spectator ' s hand is the card originally selected.
Method: Before launching the trick, get two deuces to the top
of the deck and two to the bottom. Have a card selected, under.
cut for its return. and lay the deck, carefully squared, upon
the table. Say:" It would now be impossible to know where
your card is. "
two cards in order upon the packet in his hand, showing each
individually.
Ask the spectator to look at the top card. He admits that. it is
not the one he chose. You discard it. He looks at the next
card, and the result is the same. The third deuce is also look-
ed at and discarded.
Showing him the three cards, ask him what would be missing.
He says the final deuce. Here you surprise him by showing that
deuce to be on the bottom of the deck.
Ask him to name the card he selected. He is holding it in his
hand!
The fact that one deuce is shown twice in the course of count-
ing the cards onto the spectator's hand is never noticed. T~e
careful performer will bring a red deuce to the bottom of his
stack as experience seems to show that red cards register less
emphatically than black cards.

Pick up the deck and begin running through it with the faces of
the cards toward you. Say, as Bert loved to do when searching
for a key card: "If you think I'm looking for your card, you're
absolutely right."

The running of the cards should begin with the bottom card and
proceed toward t h e top of the deck. When you encounter the
first deuce, cut the deck at this point, bringing it to the bottom.
Turn the face of the deck to the spectator, showing the deuce,
then peel the card off, laying it face down on the table.
SERT ALLERTON
'IiCf: I'R [S 'O tl'H I" Ctl ARG [ 0'
TOMFOOL ERY
Show the second deuce, then turn the pack down and perform
the glide, placing what is actually the selected card face down
on top of the first deuce.

Leaving the second deuce in glide position, draw out the third
deuce, show its face, and place it face down on top of the pack-
e t on the table. Do the same thing with the final deuce. If an
even rhythm is maintained, the slight difference in procedure
will not be noticed.

Lay the deck aside, face down, and pick up the stack from the
table, grasping it in position for the glide. Turn it face up to
show the bottom deuce. Turn the packet face down and glide,
placing what is actually the selected card face down upon the
palm of the spectator. Leave the glided card in position and
draw out the next deuce, show its face, and lay it face down
upon the card in the spectator's hand. Now deal the remaining

29
28

SURPRISE SPELLING
After a card has been selected and returned to the pack, it is
brought to a position second from the top ( the "Bluff Pas s" is
ideal for this purpose). The top card is flipped face up. In the
course of showing it, the card second from the top is pushed
a little to the right by the left th=b and the tip of the left little
finger pres sed against its protruding edge. The face up card
is grasped from above by the right hand, fingers at end toward
the audience and thumb at the end nearest the performer. The
right fingers and th=b also grip the card second from the top
and carry it away squared beneath the face up card. The deck
is turned to face the audience and the double card replaced on
the back. This results in bringing the card just shown second
from the top and the selected card reversed on top, where it
is glimpsed by the performer.
With the deck face up, the magician runs the cards one at a
time from the left fingers into the right, asking the spectator
to watch for his card. As he runs the cards, he silently spells
the name of the selected card. When this number of cards has
been run, he notes the next card that appears and continues to
run cards from the left hand to the right, sp elling to hims elf
the name of the card just noted, running one card for each let-
ter in the spelling of its name. Upon reaching the last letter,
he stops running cards and asks: "Have you seen your card?"
As the spectator makes his negative answer, the performer
breaks the deck at the point stopped at and completes the cut,
bringing the face up cards he has just run beneath the face up
remainder of the pack.
Turning the pack face down, the performer says: " Your card
was the ( naming the second card secretly spelled, rather than
the card actually selected). All I have to do to find it is to
spell its name". Whether the spectator protests or not, the
performer immediately spells the card, and the spelled card
turns up, which isn't bad, but it is not card selected by the
spectator, which isn't good.
Nothing daunted, the performer places the- pack into the spec-
tator's hands and asks him to spell out the card he actually
took. The startling climax arrives when the spectator com-
pletes the spelling of the card and finds his card reversed, star-
him in the face!
30
THE NEW 21 CARD TRICK
The novelty of this version of the old "21 Card Tric~" lies not
in the fact that 18 cards are used instead of 21, but 1n the way
the climax is achieved.
Deal face up three rows of six cards each, asking a specta~or
to think of one of the cards. When you stop the deal, ask him
if he has thought of a card and which row it is in.
Collect the piles, with the pile containing the s elected card in
the center. Drop the collected packets face down on the top of
the deck and fals e shuffle.
Again deal face up from the top of the deck into three ro~s,
asking the spectator to watch for his card. You xnay contInue
to deal beyond the 18th card as in t~is case the total n~ber of
cards dealt makes no difference. Fmally stop and say, Have
you seen your card yet?"
Ask him to indicate the pile in which it fell. Gather up the other
piles and all of the cards in the indicated pile except ~e ~ree
face up cards lying at the bottom. The face card o,f thlS plle of
three may be his card. Drop all the cards above lt face down
on the rest of the collected cards and place this packet in front
of the spectator.
If t...lJ.e face up card is the selected one, the, sp:ctator will nor-
mally laugh and you will know that your tnck 1S completed.
If it appears not to be his card, ,ask hi~ to turn over the top,
card of the face down pile. It Wlll be hlS cal d. As he turns lt
over, you say: "You see why I put that pile in front of you, don't
you?"
j
~.-tI'f~,tm~ THE
r"~~H-
J '+H
PUMP ROOM
THE B'LtTTERY
present
-
MaglL";IJIJ
H- NlGHTLYand SUNDAY RUMBA MATINEE
IIl1d 1-1 it S"1IIrl Datll'c Ordk'JJrfl
..\MIIASSADOR HOTELS
CHICAGO
31

'THE DOUBLE LIFT
The virtues of a good double lift include an easy "get-ready"
and casual, unstudied handling of the cards. It also helps if you
can keep the two cards more or less in alignment while showi~g
them. Bert's version of the double lift had these desirable at-
tributes.
'The pack was held in the usual position for dealing. The left
thumb pushed the top three or four cards slightly to the right,
figure 1. The tip of the left third finger was pressed against
the protruding edge of the card second from the top. As the
right hand came over and squared up the cards, the left third
finger pressed upward permitting the right thumb to get a good
break beneath the second card.
The right second and third fingers were at the outer end of the
deck and the right thumb at the inner end, toward the perfor-
mer. The right index finger was bent inward, with its tip
pressing upon the middle of the card(s). The thumb was raised,
bending the inner end of the double card sharply upward,
The apparently single card was lifted slightly from the deck
and the inner end released from the right t!luriib, permitting
the card to spring forward to a face up position, gripped be-
tween the tips of the right index and second fingers.
As soon as the card was sprung, the right hand was drawn to-
wards the performer, bringing the double pasteboard back
nearly in alignment with the deck and permitting the left thumb
and fingers to guide the edges of the cards into perfect corres-
pondence. (Figure Z above)
The card was not replaced flat upon the deck while in face up
position, but was again sprung over in exact repetition of the
previous moves, and then brought to rest face down upon the
deck.
33
 The tip of the right forefinger was irrunediately placed on the
back of the force card in effect, pointing to the card to be
ON THE SLIP FORCE taken, but also serving to even it up with the other cards of
the left packet, preventing any indication of the fact that a for-
George Coon corrunents that Bert Allerton always did sleights
"straight on" - that is, he did not move his arms from side to eign card had slipped in.
side or turn his body to cover moves. A case in point is Bert's The action described is certainly superior to the twists and
handling of the standard" Slip Force". turns suggested in connection with this sleight in some texts .
Bert held the cards in the left hand, left index finger curled
beneath the pack, and riffled the outer left hand corner asking
a spectator to call, "Stop" at some point in the riffle. He broke
the pack at the point indicated and began the slip in the usual CAN YOU TURN
THAT GOLD FISH
way. the left second, third and little fingers drawing down the BOWL INTO A
top card as the right hand started to lift the top section of the PLATE OF
CORNE D - B EEF
deck. /' Af-JD CABBAGE"

All the right hand opened the deck bookwise, it also 'Pivoted
its cards on the outer right corner ( as indicated by arrow in
the figure). When at about the point shown in the figure, the

TO My ~Q1E"-ID
BERT ALLERTON
F~OM

ftf~ ..

right hand lifted its cards a bit and the left hand was moved
BERT ALLERTON
forward toward the spectator, the slipped card falling in place
on top of the left hand's packet.

35
34
TRICKS WITH A STACKED DECK len, was the following: A card was named while Bert toyed
with the deck, cutting the desired pasteboard of course to the
Dr.Zola, the possessor of one of the keener minds in magic, top. As though all at once paying attention and summoning his "".
once said to Bert: " You can take a stacked deck and follow any forces, Bert laid the deck on the table and asked someone to
great artist with cards, and your spectators will think you are place a salt cellar on top of the deck. Then turning to the per-
the better magician." son who had made the request, he asked: " What was that card?"
Upon having named it, the spectator was asked to raise the
Most magicians think of stacked deck work as something invol- cellar, and beneath it, as though in response to his thought,lay
ving complicated mathematical calculations. AInazing things the correct card.
can be done in this way, as anyone who has seen the demonstra
tions of Si Stebbins or Doc Mahendra can testify. Bert's mir- IRELAND'S STACK
acles, however, were not mathematical. They were based on
two factors: (1) committing a 52 card stack to memory, so that t. 7 H 14. 7 S 27. AC 40. 6 D
the naming of any card immediately brought to. mind the num- 2. 4H 15. J S 28. 9C 4t. 3 S
erical position at which it lay in the deck, and (2) practice in 3. KH 16. 4 S 29. 3 C 42. 5H
estimation, so that the desired card could be cut to with almost 4. 2 C 17. QH 30. AD 43. 5 C
unfailing accuracy. 5. 10 S 18. QC 3t. J C 44. 4 D
6. 6 C 19. 2 S 32. 8 D 45. 10 D
Bert used the stack devised by L.L.Ireland, described in "Ire- 7. 8 H 20. KS 33. 9H 46. 7 C
land Writes A Book". Any stack, however, can be used, so 8. QD 2t. 3H 34. 8 C 47. 3 D
9. 2 D 22. JH 35. 9 S 48. 4 C
long as each card is associated with a specific numerical pos- 10. Q S 23 . KD 36. AH 49. 7 D
ition from the top of the deck. It. 5 D 24. 2 H 37. 9 D 50. 10 C
12. 6 H 25. AS 38. 10 H 51. J D
The reason the stacked deck tricks impressed people as being 13. KC 26. 6 S 39. 8 S 52. 5 S
on a plane entirely beyond that of the usual card trick was be-
cause instead of being asked to select a card, they were re-
quired merely to name a card. Instant location of the cards can be accomplished both by sight
and touch. Accuracy in cutting to cards near the top of the
Undoubtedly his most famous effect with the stack was his Card pack can be furthered by using a "nail count" - that is, using
Stabbing trick. A spectator was asked to name a card. Bert the length of the thumb nail or finger nail as a gauge for cut-
covered the deck with a paper napkin and plunged a pen knife ting off a packet containing a uniform number of cards. Having
through the paper and into the deck. Invariably the blade of the a crimp or short card at position 26 and 52 is helpful. In gen-
knife was found to rest either directly above or below the card eral the technique is to make a break at the point at which the
that had been named. It was purely a feat of estimation. Even required card is estimated to lie, then make a peek to verify
if he missed by a card or two, it was a good trick. But he sel- its location before making a complete cut or performing a pass
dom missed. to bring the card to the top.
Most magicians, once they know what is going on, have a ten- A number of excellent effects employing the stack are described
dency to dismiss this sort of thing. Unless there is a move or in Ireland's book.
a gimmick, it hardly seems worth their consideration. But to
the poor layman, who doesn't know the deck is arranged in the
There's one gent In town who
first place - and who couldn't see what good it would do if it really misses his \ltst with a double·breasted suit. He's Bert AJ1er·
were - this stabbing masterpiece came dangerously close to ton, one ot the country's greatest Wi7.8l'ds ot magic, now bafflin~ the
Nicollet's Minnesota Terrace patrons. It's the pocket shortage that
pure witchcraft. bothers him. He does exceedingly well vestless, though. For in-
stance, he hands you a four-inch squ~e bird cage. You actually
Bert had an almost infinite number of variations and many have it in your hands. Presto! Quicker than a snap of the flnger,
the cage vanishes completely. He'll drive you daffy with his subtle-
improvi.sations on the "think of" or "name a card" theme. One ties. Incidentally. he taught Ann Sothern 'all her magic for her
of the best, as recalled by one of his closest friends, Joe Pa- role in . "Congo Maisie" and had a difficult time because she has'
so much space between her fingers.

36 37
 ENTERTAINING NOVEL TIES
THE SCISSORS
Possibly no magical puzzle has driven more magicians crazy,
to say nothing of laymen, than Bert Allerton's "broken" scis-
sors. It is now published for the first time as a public service
-for magicians only. The magician who goes to the expense of
having a pair of these scissors made up will do well to pro-
tect their secret as carefully as Bert did throughout his pro-
fes sional career.
Bert presented the trick by bringing out a roll of currency in
which the end of each bill was glued to the next. Spreading this
ribbon of money on the table was always good for a laugh. Bert
then took out the scissors and invited a spectator to cut off a
bill. When the spectator tried to do so, he found that although
the scissors opened normally, the blades would not close (fig-
ure 2), making it impossible to cut with them.
---:;'::.~:'-'~.:.:-
,t , ,,-
m ;/!: \ -
When Bert took the scissors, however, they operated just like
a normal pair and cut perfectly. So far as we know, no on e
was ever able to make them work without being told the secr et
and few were told.
Two pair of scissors are re quired to make the gimmicked pair.
They should be " pocket scissors" - which have blunt points to
avoid personal injury and damage to clothing. Scissors six
inches in length are the best to use, and they should be of high
quality to assure clean, easy cutting.
38
To begin construction, both pairs are disassembled. Take cne
two portions with unthreaded holes. Figure I shows this portion
and the required surgery. one of the blades is cut off at AA
with a hc.cksaw. The second blade is cut off at BB. Then with
a file or grinding wheel, the dotted portions remaining are
filed or ground away.
Care should be taken in lining up the holes in the two pieces
which are to be reassembleti to form one unit. When matched
up, they should be no thicker than one of the or iginal portions.
Figure Z shows how these two pieces are assembled with one
of the lower blades to form a pair of scissors that looks nor-
lIlal when closed and that opens in the usual fashion, but that
re=ains open when the handles are again shut.
.,' :
.....
To cause the scissors to cut, hold them in th-e right hand with
the screw head pointing to the left. This assures that the gim-
micked blade will be downward.
Cutting is made possible when the left first or second finger
exerts pressure against the bottom edge of the gimmicked
blade ( figure 3). The position in which the left hand is shown
holding the paper is not the only one that can be assumed - in
fact, the left hand moves around according to the requirements
of the cutting. In general, only a few swift cuts should be made
at one time, and care taken to get the assisting finger out of
39
the way at the conclusion of cutting, to lend the impress ion
that the cuts have not taken place anywhere close to the ha nd
supporting the paper. Great care should be exercised to k eep
th e whole operation well below the eye level of all specta tors.
There is nothing difficult about the trick, but to be effective THE SUGAR CUBE
the cutting must be done in an apparently unstudied fash ion ant
with appropriate misdirection. It is too good a thing to give When at a restaurant where individually wrapped cube sugar is
away through simple ineptness. 011the table, secretly extract a cube from its wrapping and add
the empty paper shell to the sugar bowl.

Palm the unwrapped cube in the left hand. Reach ir.to the bowl
with the right hand and bring out the empty wrapper. Place the
wrapper on the back of the left hand as shown in the figure.

Hold the hand over a partially filled cup of coffee. Crush the
shell with the right hand and let the palmed cube drop into the
coffee, as though it had penetrated both the paper wrapping a:'1d
the hand.
UU MOITH ITATI 'A •• WA T
CHICAGO 10, ILLINOIS This is a clever stunt, but if the hand is held too high above the
,WOHI WHITIHAU JOOO cup or the cup is too full, somebody is going to get splashed.

40

41
THE FLUTIST
In this gag. a drinking straw is made to emit some more or
less musical notes.
Cut two little "corners" off one end of the straw ( figures I and
Z). Squeeze this end flat for about one half inch down the
length of the straw.
r pitch. C ontinue trimming and blow:in~ successiv,ely higher
notes until the straw is used up. ThIs IS an amUSIng stunt and
c'omes in handy for incantations.
An extra bit of fun is added by fixing Up a straw and letting the
"pectator try. Get him well concentrated on the blowing and

CUT~

. ""

FIG. 1 FIG.2

Lhen hand him the scissors so he can cut off the pieces just as
you did. But you are really handing him the scissors just des-
l'dbed in the last trick. so that he cuts and cuts, but gets no
result. The fun is increased by the fact that most people will
think the lack of changing tone has something to do with their
!'iilure to blow right and they do not suspect the scissors right
.Lway. Bert had some people with thei~ eyes bug,ging out in the
.. Hort to get the changing tone. By takIng the SCIssors from
their hand and making the cuts himself. he avoided close exam-
ination of the scissors.

Place the "reed" thus formed into the mouth. being careful not INTERNATIONAL LYCEUM ASSOCIATION
to let the tongue or lips touch the cut end while blowing. Blow
from the front of the mouth rather than by puffing the cheeks. T HIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT BECAUSE Of' HIGH PROF"ESS10NAL

The "reed" may be squeezed a little flatter with the lips if such COMPETENCE

adjustment proves necessary. Mr. Bert Allerton

Once a satisfactory note has been produced. cut a piece off the HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE COMMITTEE ON LISTING FOR

lower end of the straw. The next note blown will be of a high- WHO'S WHO ON THE AMERICAN PLATf'ORM.

PRE.IOENT

4Z

43
IMPROMPTU HANDKERCHIEF ROUTINE
Magic can be made anywhe re with a borrowed handkerchief or,
better still, a table napkin. Here are some moves which, when
performed in rapid sequence, have the effect of endowing a
handkerchief with magical properties.
• long as the performer keeps a grip on the fa~se loop. How-
v r, the slightest separation of the performe, s ~ands, whIle
,ripping the ltandkerchief, will cause the knot to dIssolve m-
.t.lntly.

"Not a Knot"

Hold the handkerchief in the right hand at a point about three

inches from one corner. With the left hand, bring the lower end
up across the other end, as in figure 1.

flG.Z

(Note that this knot is formed by movements one might normal-

ly use in tying a legitimate knot. If the right hand end had over-
I''l>ped the left hand end instead of going under it, as in figure
I, a real knot would have been formed.)

Grasp the handkerchief with the left thumb and index finger at a
point where the two ends cross. Slide the right down about a
third of the way along the circle thus formed. Move the right
hand toward the spectator, then up and over the left forefinger,
carrying the right hand I s portion of handkerchi ef between the
two protruding ends ( follOwing the line of movement shown by
the arrow in figure 1) and back down to create the formation
shown in figure 2 ( in which the right hand, now back to its for-
mer position, is not shown). The left thumb holds the apparent
knot in position while the left index finger is withdrawn from the
loop that has just been pulled around it.

A spectator is asked to tie a second knot over the one apparent-

ly just formed. (Figure 3). He may pull as tightly as he wishes

44 45
The trick is best perforIYled in an offhand IYlanner, the perfor-
IYler looking at the spectator in a disarIYling IYlanner at the IYlO-
IYlent the knot dissolves and saying: " You IYlust have IYlisunder-
stood IYle. Perhaps we'd better try it again." Several repetitions
serve to build the fun and IYlystery this siIYlple trick affords.
The Invisible Hair
Pretend to draw the right fingers along to the end of the hair,
then activate the handkerchief by "pulling" the hair. Actually,
the left thu=b controls the handkerchief, coordinating its IYlove-
ment with that of the right hand ( figure Z). The secret of getting
a realistic effect is not to overdo it, a few relatively slight
movements of the handkerchief being more uncanny than large
movements.

Grasp the middle of the handkerchief with the right thu=b and

..~.
forefinger and draw the handkerchief through the left fist (fig-
ure 1). Twist the center to forIYl a little point. Pretend to re- I,;
move a hair froIYl your head and to tie the hair around the point. !•
I
I
I
1

Bert Allerton has evidently

sold his soul to Mephisto.
and wi. he. you
There is no other logical ex-
planation for what he does A
with a pack of cards. MERRY CHRISTMAS
=AND=
A HAPPY 1945
O~SOIll WELLES

46 47
Penetration
Although this clever principle ( said to have been originated by
The handkerchief is draped over the left fist as in figure 1, and Seymour Davis) is quite well known, some printed explanations
the center of the handkerchief poked down into the fist to form have failed to give the correct handling.
a little well or pocket. A pencil or knife pushed into the well
penetrates and comes out from beneath the handkerchief.

The forefinger pokes a w e ll into the handkerchief with complete

fairness. But as the forefinger is withdrawn, the second finger
is extended ( figure 2) pushing a secret fold of cloth within the
left fist . This fold, into which the knife is actually pushed,
provides a clear channel for passage" through" the handker-
chief ( figure 3).

Charlie and I both watched

B ert Allerton and still could
not figure out how he does it.

~::x:
48
49
The Rabbit

Drape the handkerchief over the right hand as shown in figure

1. With the left hand, bring the corners indicated in figure 2 up
between the index and second fingers and the little and third fin-
gers of the right hand to form ears ( figure 3). Note that the
corners cross beneath the right second and third fingers, draw-
ing taut the material covering these fingers to form the bunny's
nose. Movement of the right second and third fingers causes
the rabbit to appear to be nibbling at the performer's sleeve,
when this impromptu puppet is held as in figure 4. The rabbit
can be made to actually" eat" a soda cracker, by crushing it
between the fingers after "bites" have been taken.

It is hard to see how any magician can get along without" The
Rabbit" in his repertoire.

',;-,

._.' -;:"\ :
/' .... \
\."
\ ........
-'.
. - --' ---•.
,
,

According to Maurice Zolotow in Coronet Magazine :-"Bert Allerton,

a Chicago magician, has done as much as Thomas Chippendale or
Duncan Phyfe to make tables interesting. For sheer mystification
under trying circumstances, Allerton has been called the most skillful
close-up conjurer in the history of the art.

50

51
The Little Hindu

This little figure. formed before the spectator's eyes. was one
of Bert's most popular give-aways.
7. e.

A 12 inch square of unsized muslin is used. Fold it diagonally

(figure 1) and swab a square with iodine as shown in figure 2.
Turn the triangle of cloth over so the side with the stain is down
(figure 3). Fold from the top down ( figure 4} twice to form the
strip shown in figure 5. The strip is ironed na:t:"then rolled up
and secured with a rubber band until ready for use.

To begin the formation of the figure. unroll the strip and tie a
simple knot as shown in figure 6. Wrap the ends of the strip
around the knot in the sequence shown in the illustrations. tuck-
ing the ends in at the back of the figure as indicated in figures
13 and 17. The aid of a pen knife is helpful in tucking in the ends .

Complete the figure by sticking a corsage pin or beaded stick pin

into the turban and drawing the face with a pen ( figure 18).

The spectators are kept wondering what is being made until the
very last phasee of the process.

There must be thousands of people who still have this funny fig-
ure that the Pump Room magician gave them.
II . (eAck) II.
14.

t.
It.
14. '7. OIAcKJ

~ert developed the above handling from a description appearing

on page 25 of Ireland's Yearbook for 1943. The staining of a
portion of the cloth was one of his additions. Several other
,. handkerchief folds also employed by Bert Allerton appear-in
) this Yearbook: The Rabbit ( as described earlier in this book).
, L. • s. Mis s Fatima and the Mouse.

53

5~
MAGIC LETTER SQUARE
MORE ALLERTON CLASSICS
Bert knew the importance of little time killers. He had many
of these little garnes, which the audience could play, have fun,
yet be entertained. The crazy 5 cis sor s, with which he could THE JUMPING FLOWER
cut and they couldn't; little give-aways which Bert would make
and gi ve to the ladies. Here is a cross -word puzzle that Bert The white boutonniere that jumped from one lapel to the other
often used. w s Bert Allerton's best-known trick for getting attention. When
ert said: "May I give you the magician's salute?" and the flow-
ACROSS DOWN r made its uncanny leap, he proved to his audience in a split
1. What snakes do 1. Winged insects • cond that he was a man who did really extraordinary things.
2. What mosquitoes do 2. Visual organs
3. What dogs do 3. To annoy The jumping of the flower was activated by a reel pinned be-
4. What horses do 4. Comfort n ath the left lapel. Prior to performance, the flower, secured
to the thread from the reel. which passed through the button-
hole of the left lapel. was pulled over to the right lapel and hook-
d onto the point of a needle that protruded from that lapel. Pull-
Ing on a thread beneath the coat withdrew the needle. disengag-
Ing the flower. which promptly hopped back to its former posi-
, on on the opposite lapel.
B r T E The basic mechanical problem in the trick was to arrange this
n edle,-release in such a way that the trick could be reset easily.
B I T E Or thlS purpose, Bert devised a cylindricaL ghnmick contain-
Ini a coil spring. The needle was embedded in a cork that fitted
lootjely within the cylinder. The thread for the release pulled the
B I T E ork and needle down into the cylinder. but as soon as the per-
former let go of the thread. the spring forced the needle back to
IU original position. The general plan of this mechanism is
B I T E .hown in the accompanying sketch.

WINDING THE PACK

Bert made frequent use of this little gag devised by George
Coon.
When a card trick appeared as though it had gone wrong. he
said: " Maybe I'd better wind up the deck."
With this. he took from his pocket an imaginary key and went
through the motions of turning it against the deck as though
winding a clock. At the same time. his left thumb riffled the
corner of the pack. creating a realistic sound effect that always
brought laughter.
A greatly simplified modification of this gimmick. devised by
Don Alan. will now be described.
, t a hat pin about three inches long. Insert the pin through the
.mall loop of the tiniest safety pin obtainable. Wrap several
turns of thin wire around the hat pin about midway between head
nd point. Cover the wire with solder ( the liquid type may be
lUI d). forming a little ball that serves as a stop to prevent the
h t pin from becoming detached from the safety pin.
• iisten the safety pin behind the right lapel and stick the point

54
55
of the hat pin through the lapel, with no more than one half inch
of pin protruding on the face of the lapel. . rt most frequently used this easily made paper boutonniere.
Attach a thread to the head of the hat pin and, with the aid of a
needle, run the thread through the coat and toward the body at
a point at least one inch below the head of the hat pin. Carry the
thread down the inside of the coat with occasional widely-spaced
running stitches to a point within finger reach of the bottom edge
of the coat. Tie a small ring to the end of the thread at this
point.
PIN
~ -..--t
TIIREAt To lOTTO..
lDGIO'F"COAT
Properly adjusted, a slight tug on the ring will draw the point
of the hat pin down sufficiently to release the flower. The ball
of solder stops the pin at the loop of the safety pin. It is but the
work of a moment to reset the whole assembly.
56
« ld a sheet of Kleenex four times as in figure 1. Cut a quarter
Irc le as in figure 2. Open the cut out segment. This disk should
bout 3 1/2 inches in diameter and will consist of eight sheets,
to the double thickness of a sheet of Kleenex.
ce a quarter in the center of the center of the disk and trace
i rcle around it. Cut a series of rays to edge of this inner
Ircle, as shown in figure 3.
[j'--M_U.
F".2
..... fit;.. 4
low on the edge of the disk and separate the eight sheets of
which it is composed. Stack the sheets loosely one on top of an-
o ther, without trying for perfect alignment.
ress the point of a pencil upon the center of the sheets (figure
4). Roll the center of the sheets around the pencil point. Remove
the pencil and give the bottom of the "flower" a tight twist (fig-
ure 5) forming a little "stem" to which the thread from the reel
, . then tied.
57

VANISHING THE BIRD CAGE
Bert Allerton belongs to an illustrious list of magicians with
whose names the DeKolta "Vanishing Bird Cage" is closely as-
sociated.
He ma.de several important contributions to its presentation and
execution, the most important, of course, being the idea of pre-
senting it as a close-up trick while seated at a table.
manufacturer of apparatus. His last models were made without
b rs at the two sides grasped by the hands. He found that what
with the natural cover provided by the hands and the brief per-
Iod during which the cage was exhibited, this omission passed
unnoticed.
For a pull, he used a length of nylon cord, which he found ob-
inable at drug stores for use as clothes line. The cord had
n inner cord which he rerrlOved. He attached the free end of
the pull to his left forearm with a simple slip loop.
Anyone who attempts to do a routine of close-up magic while
carrying a bird cage up his sleeve will quickly discover that a
certain amount of movement of the right arm ( assuming the
cage is up this sleeve) is constricted. Because Bert wore the
cage almost continuously, whether or not he was working, he
learned to live with it and to adapt his gestures naturally to the
requirements of the situation.

ELSA MAXWELL

".'__
T .....' . .... .
."" "''''--
~ ."Il _.
~ .. O

,110_ , . . . .

•_CA ___. . .
_ _ .,. ...u..
.n1I ......... OU"
n u _ I t O l l. . .ooou.

Aprll 25, 194C

\o'. rs . i';llllam Rand.o l ph Ilet\ret.

;-,;>.: r;., k "venue
)~ e '" York Cl ty. i\:ev; '{orl<

':'e:tr e;lt ~1171 1 cent. :

In c a 'l C y-,u kn,:, w ,!, any one who nee:ls a

\"Ion1erful mag1.:: 1an , the beare r of t.hls

DOing the trick in this position provided cover that made it poss- lett.~r , E!e: t Allert.::>n. is t.he best. I
ible to introduce the trick by "producing" the cage to begin with- know. He 18 cn'dn~ to !lew '{ori<. ror the
an additional and surprising effect, which also solved the pro- nrst tl:nc.
blem of "get ready". He did this by drawing the cage from his
sleeve under cover of lowering his body as though to seek some-
thing beneath the table, and coming forth with the cage in front
of him in opened form as though discovered under the table top.

He asked the people at the table to hold the cage, and caused it
to vanish in the usual fashion. His tip on the performance of
this really quite difficult feat was to withdraw the body, rather
than to push the hands outward.

After introducing the trick in this form in 1940, he used a var-

iety of semi-rigid metal cages. He found ~hat mo~t of them.
broke or wore out in a relatively short penod of tIme. He fm-
ally had them made to order by Ed Miller, the veteran Chicago
S9

S8

THE GLASS THROUGH THE TABLE
Bert's version of this classic helped to make his reputation.
He placed a coin on the table, then covered a tUlllbler with a
half page from a tabloid newspaper. The covered glass .was
slammed down ovel the coin ( figure 1) and the glass shd fro~
side to side hitting the coin, somewhat in the manner of shakl
a dice cup on a table.
"Heads or tails?" the spectator was asked.
/ and carried under the table-top and whacked against the table
Whatever the answer, the glas s was lifted and the coin shown.
Again the glass was brought down over the coin with a bang and
the coin rattled. The usual assUlllption was that the coin would
turn over. This was what the spectators were watching for when
60
the gla . . was lifted and promptly dropped from its paper cov- '
ering into the performer'. lap (figure 2).
The "lapped" glass was immediately picked up by the left hand
in exact coordination with the right hand, which simultaneously
brought the empty paper shell down on top of the coin. This
pretended knock of the absent glass was totally convincing.
The left hand replaced the stolen glass on the lap. The perfor-
mer seized the spectator's hand and placed it on top of the pa-
per shell and slowly pushed the paper flat upon the table. The
crushing of paper and presUllled glass beneath the spectator's
own hand really made the trick.
The coin was wadded up with the paper and the glass was re-
produced from beneath the table. •
61
THE ASPIRIN BOX
No item in the Allerton repertoire better illustrates Bert's
genius for making a small effect great and for personalizing it
in such a way that the assisting spectator would always rem-
ember the trick and the magician who did it.
The effect was simply a version of the "Photographic Card".
A small piece of photographic paper was placed in an aspirin
box. A spectator initialed the card, closed the box, and held
it. When the spectator opened the box, he found on the initialed
paper a photograph of a card which he had selected. Bert took
the photo miniature from the spectator and attached it to the
face of the chosen playing card with a snap-shot mounting cor-
ner.
He took from his pocket an envelope that was obviously much
smaller than the playing card, but through SOIne Inysterious
power was able to place the card within the envelope. He then
drew some lines on the face of the envelope, shaded in a few
spots and triangles and scribbled rapidly with the soft drawing
pencil, forIning an irregular black background against which
the spectator's first name appeared as if by Inagic in large re-
verse lettering. The envelope and its contents were then given
to the spectator as a souvenir. Needless to say, the Inagician's
naIne was neatly engraved on the flap of the envelope.
Preparation: Use an aspirin or Anacin box of the type which
has a lid that snaps closed ( figure l). Remove the paper liner
FIG. I FIG. Z
froIn the bottom of the box and substitute a rectangular piece
of paper that will fit loosely in the bottOIn. Cut a piece of tin
62
exactly the same size and cover both side. of at. Uap with
the same kine of paper that you have used • ~ the bottom of
the box. (Note: although the corners of the box are rounded,
the substituted liner and matching flap should have square cor-
ners so the flap will operate without binding. )
Place a small photo reproduction of a playing card picture
side down on top of the paper liner in the bottom of the box and
cover it with the flap. These pictures are obtainable at magic
shops.
Prepare a match folder ( figure 2) by removing a few matches
from the center and glueing a small alnico magnet to the back
cover behind the first row of matches. Glue a patch of felt to
the back of the match folder. The felt is necessary to prevent
the flap from "talking" when it is picked up by the magnet.
Presentation: If you have already performed the Allerton
"Stack of Quarters" routine, the same aspirin box introduced
in that effect Inay be used. (Bert was most adroit in arrang-
ing to introduce properties for later tricks in the course of
perforIning earlier tricks. For example, the length of " cord"
for his rope trick was wrapped in a sheet of newspaper that
would later figure in" The Glass Through The Table"). Other-
wise, have a few pills in the box, which you dUInp out, holding
the flap in place.
Bring out a blank piece of" photographic paper" matching the
concealed picture slip. Show it on both sides and place it in
the bottOIn of the box, on top of the flap.
Say: "In order to develop a photo, we have to have a dark room" ,
Cover the open box with the Inatch folder, which of course iIn-
mediately picks up the flap, carrying the blank photo paper
along with it.
As an apparent afterthought, say to the assisting spectator,
"Oh, first initial the paper." ReInove the match folder and
pocket it. bringing out a pencil. Extend the box toward the
spectator so he can write hIs initials on the paper while it re-
mains lying in the bottoIn. This is, of course, the picture slip.
Start to close the lid of the box, but do not snap it. Hand the
box to the spectator and ask hiIn to snap it closed. When he does
so, say:" You've just taken a picture."
Ask him to give the picture time to develop and go about forc-
ing a card on hiIn. Ask him now to open the box and see if the
picture has COIne out. It certainly has.
63

To perform the follow up, you must have an envelope of a size
just barely large enough to take a playing card. A stock size
envelope used for formal invitations and announcements can be
secured that is exactly right for a bridge -size card.
Attach the little photo card to the selected playing card with a
gummed mounting corner, then extend the card toward the spec-
tator, at the same time, with your other hand, bringing out the
envelope which you hold near your body and tilted at a slight an-
gle. The drawing shows the correct position, which gives a def-
inite illusion that the card is considerably larger than the en-
velope.
DO idea what you are doing the result looks like nothing even
vaguely recognizable. Now, with the soft drawing pencil you
are using, rapidly complete the blocking out of the letters and
shade in an irregular surrounding splotch for background. Fig-
ure 4. Done quickly and with apparent abandon, the letters take
form suddenly as though by magic. The accompanying illustra-
tions show the successive stages of this simple process.
When working for strangers, Bert added to the surprise of this
denouement by having secretly obtained the first name of his in-
tended victim while conversing with some other member of the
party at the table.

•
FI~. 3

It would be a cold customer indeed who would not accept and

preserve this souv.e nir of a trick so obviously done especially
for him.
The card, with the small photo card in the mounting corner,
and the envelope was given by Bert to his sister, Nettie,
through whose kindness it is reproduced here.

Say: " You'd never believe that this large card would fit into this
small envelope." With that, ins ert the card into the envelope.
The effect is funny and a bit uncanny.

Now draw two parallel lines on the face of the envelope and mark
them off into as many squares as there are letters in the given
name of the assisting spectator (figure 1). Visualizing the let-

FIG. 1
\ \
ters to be formed, block in the" holes" or irregularities in-
volved in their formation ( figure 2). Since the spectators have

65

64
THE NEST OF ENVELOPES
In principle, this wonderful effect was devised by Paul Le Paul.
The original version is described in The Card Magic Of Le Paul.

Bert Allerton employed a modification that involved the addition

of the self-sealing envelope principle and use of three envelopes
nested one within the other. The effect of finding within these
envelopes a playing card that had been selected and signed for
identification by a spectator was so strong that Bert normally
used this trick as the climax of his routine.

The style of envelope used is important to the operation of the

FIG. 1
trick. The type sought should have flaps that are more nearly
rectangular than triangular. The proper type is shown in figure
3.

Envelopes of three sizes that will nest one within the other are
needed. Prior to performance, one of each size is taken and
treated as follows. Seal each of the envelopes. Pry each of
them open at one of the ends, so that, in effect, they all now
open from end flaps rather than from the top flaps.

Coat with rubber cement the surfaces both of the end flap and of
the inside of the envelope along the area at which they will over- FIG . 2
lap when the flap is inserted in its original position. Insert a
toothpick into the opening of each envelope as shown in figure 4, - -~ - -~
to keep the surfaces of the envelopes from adhering while the
cement is allowed to dry. The coated surfaces, when dry, will
seal upon contact with each other.

While our envelopes are drying, we may consider L.'le construc-

tion of the permanent gimmick that provides both a "slide" for
the secret insertion of the selected card and a guard that pre-
vents the envelopes from sealing prematurely. c.

Take two pieces of thin cardboard ( filing cards will do) and cut
them to form flaps as shown in figure 1. The flaps are narrowed
to fit easily into the smallest envelope used, and they need only
be long enough to extend below the rubber cement line of the in- FIG. 3
ner envelope of the nested trio.

Glue these flaps to two of the largest size envelopes used in the
manner shown in figure 1. Glue one of these gimmicked enve-
lopes to the back of another envelope of the same size at a point
about one inch down from the end of the gimmicked envelope c.

FIG. 4 FIG. 5

66

61
Now take the sIllallest of the trio of envelopes that have receiv-
ed the rubber ceIllent treatInent. ReIllove the toothpick and in-
sert into the opening of the cardboard flap of the short~r o.f the
two gi=icks. Take the Illiddle sized envelope and slide l.t over
the sIllall one and the flap of the gi=ick. Do the SaIne Wlth the
outside envelope.
Now insert the other, longer, giIllIllick into the opening, the
giIllIllicks now facing each other flap to flap, with the nested en-
velopes between theIll ( figure 5)
Add a stack of ordinary envelopes to the giIllInicked packet, the
long double-envelope giIllIllick lying at the bottoIll of the stack.
Put a loose band around the whole packet and place the packet
in the right inside coat pocket, with the long giInInick nearest to
the coat.
You are now ready to present the trick. Have a card selected
and say: " To Illake things Illore interesting, put your naIne. on
the card." Have the card returned to the pack and control it to
the top. PalIn it off with the left-handed top palIn and pass ~e
deck to the spectator, saying:" Here, you shuffle the III , too.
While the shuffling is going on, reach into the breas.t pocket wi.th
the left hand and, the protruding long giInIllic.k servmg as a gUide,
push the palIlled card down between the giIllIlllCk flaps and well
into the innerIllost envelope. At once bring out the entire packet
of envelopes.
Finger through the stack at the end opposite to that froIll which
the card entered and pull the nest of envelopes about three~
quarters of the way out - enough to bring all clear of the glIll-
Illicked flaps. Ask a spectator to pull the visible envelope out,
and hold rather tightly to the packet as he doe s so to help seal
the treated envelopes.
Say: " You pull it out yourself. I don't want to handle it any- .
Illore than is necessary. See if it is sealed. Is there sOIllethlng
in it? "
He tear s it open and finds another envelope. Thi~, too, is ex-
aInined, opened and a third envelope found therein. The s.pec-
tator who took thP, card tears open the last envelope and finds
his autographed pasteboard. It seeIllS iIllpossible.
68
BERT ALLERTON'S RULES FOR THE CLOSE-UP MAGICIAN
To be a successful close-up Illagician you Illust:
1. Really love Illagic and not do Illagic because you love to show
off.
2. Love people to the point of sincerely being Illore interested
in their enjoYInent of what you are doing than in the effect itself.
3. Have a natural adaptability for doing =agic and using your
own natural style.
4. Be a salesIllan to the extent of giving the public what you can
do that really entertains theIll and not using the effects that you
Illerely think are good or Illerely like to do.
5. Have a sense of tiIlling, which can only be developed fully by
experience. This is one of the Illost iIllportant factors in suc-
cessful presentation of close-up Illagic. Learn how to build up
suspense, Cl'eate surprises, and produce laughs.
6. Be a student of psychology, for there are Illany startling and
unexplainable effects that can be perforIlled as a result of know-
ing what people will do under a given set of circuIllstances.
7. Routine your presentation, with a careful arrangeIllent of ef-
fects, psychologically selected and perforIllance tested. The
opening is IllOSt iIllportant and should break down as quickly as
possible the norIllal dislike for Illagicians on the part of so Illany
people, apparently due to uniIllpressive perforIllances they have
previously witnessed. Every effect IllUSt sustain interest, as a
close-up Illagician has distractions which no stage perforIller
encounters - Illusic, dancing, waiters, kibitzers, etc. As in any
good perforIllance, the cliIllax or concluding effect is exception-
ally iIllportant. If possible, leave 'eIll laughing.
8. Be a gentleIllan. Be ccLreful of your Illanner of speech, your
patter( blue Illaterial should be avoided), your dress, and your
general conduct. SIllile graciously and be friendly.
9. Have a sense of hWTlor, and if not naturally a cOIlledian, be
able to build up situations with your Illagic that produce laughs.
10. And last, but basically a first requireIllent, be a technician,
as near to a perfectionist as possible. Learn to do all your
Illoves auto=atically and effortlessly, so that you can project
your personality and do a real selling job.
69
A BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ...
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bert Allen Gustafson was born January 1, 1889, in Lynn
Center, Illinois. After serving overseas in the first GREATER MAGIC, p.900, "Mindreading With The
World War, he becazne a salesman for the Sun Oil Com- Fingertips. "
pany. He became interested in magic in 1934 when given
a set of Tarbell Course lessons by the printer who had THE PHOENIX , No. 241, "Two"
multigraphed the ori ginal course. Following the death No. 17 0 , "Ten Card Deal, P.S . "
of his wife, Bernice , in 1935, he turned to magic, first
as an absorbing interest and then, beginning in 1939,as FIF TY TRICKS , R ufus Steele, p. 37," Allerton's Indicator"
a full time profession. p. 44,"You Remember This One" .

He was a past-pres i den t of the Chicago Assembly of 5 2 AMAZING CARD TRICKS, Rufus Steele.
the Society of Amer i can Magicians , and a past-nati onal p.40, "Transcendent Trick"
?reside nt of the Society. H e died on February 22, 1958 p. 51, "Prepared Improvisation".
m the Veteran's Hospital a t E l gin, Illinois, survived
by his brother, Lawrence E. Gustafson, and sister, T HE LAST WORD ON CARDS, Rufus St eele.
Mrs.Nettie M.Lundgren , with whos e p e r mis sion this p.4 6, "The Magic Card Square"
memori al volume has been published. p . Sl, "On The Phone"

STARS OF MAGIC, Seri es 3, No.1

"Pump Room Phantasy"
Series 3, No.2
"Baznboozle"
Prior to becoming a profes-
sional magician in 1939, Mr.
IBertGustafson, Gustafson was a salesman for
an oil firm.

Magician, Dies He was a past national presi-

Services for Bert Allen Gus- '
lafson, 69, retired magician, I
will be held 'at 1 ~,m . Wednes-J
day in the chapel at 5149 N ,J
Ashland. BUfial will be in Me-'
dent of the Society of American
Magicians.
Mr. Gustafson's wife, Bernice,
died in 1935. He is survi ved by
a brother, Lawrence E., and a
,
sister, Mrs. Nettie Lundgren. I

morial Park Cemetery.

l
Mr. Gustafson died Satur-
day in the Veterans Hospital at
Elgin.
Known professionally as Ber\
Allerton, Mr. Gustafson had
performea continuously at the \'
Pump Room of the Ambassador
East Hotel from 1941 until
I 1955, when he retired.
H is specialty was sleight-of-
BERT ALLEBTON
But Allen Gustafson, 69, reikold
magician known professionally as
Bert Allerton. dieif Feb. 22 in El-
gin, Ill. He had perfonned regu-
larly in the Pump Room of Chi's
Ambassador East Hotel from 1941
to 1955, when he retired. His ape-
cialty was sleight " of - halld per-
There were many news clippings, programs, memento s and
bits of adve r tising matter in Bert Allerton's scrapbook. We
have s ele c ted many of these bits for insertion in this book of
B er t 's magic. The selection has been governed by the limits
of a vailable s p ace and consequently you may want to know
more about Be r t Allerton. Articles about Bert appeared in:
The Linking Ring, February 1939
The Genii, April 1941
The Sphinx, June 1945 Typing by

I
hand performed close-up, gen-
I erally at the viewers' tables.
France. J. Milr.hilll
fonned at viewers' tables. He was Conjur or's Magazine, June 1945 Layout by
a past national prexy of the S0- Coron et Magazine, December 1945 JilY Miluhilll
ciety of American Mal!lclana
The L inking Ring . June , 1946 Pr in t ed for
The Jrelilnd Mililc Co.
Abracadabra , Oc tob e r 22. 1949 By The New Pho enix

70
71
 mm CHICAGO SUN
SUNDAY
Boutonniere Wizard

72