A CHOICE OF MIRACLES Fifty Years of Magic by Eric C. Lewis Illustrated by the AuthorTABLE OF CONTENTS PUBLISHER'S NOTE INTRODUCTION by Charlie Miller FOREWORD ........ I INTHE BEGINNING . esis spans ‘The Great Super-Colossal Jumbo Card-Pip Trick ‘The Alarm Clock Production ........4200+5 An Introductory Item : Four in Hand I ...AND THEN CAME THE MAGICIANS The “Pump and Guess" Card Discovery IIL “WELLINEVER,..”...... ‘A Broken and Restored Wand Visibly Through. ‘The Multiplying Wands Merely a Mistake A Useful Forcing Device (Di ‘Magical Pictures Playing with Fire ‘The Book of Spells... ..... 2.65 a inadisc) IV AMAGICAL MENTALITY Off and On the Ribbon ‘The Strange Letter. . ‘The Walking-Cane Suspension Silk over Head, Plus 10 ell 15 19 24 33 35 4B 45 47 52 34. 56 37 “61 683 265 66 70Y COMMERCIAL MAGIC IN THE EARLY THIRTIES ..... eed Through a Half-Inch Hole pica sear sasine Aaa AeA The Locked Books Release sncmberssomepifnonassinentuia Sted TY Card Castles... ol) A Self-Erecting Card-Castle Table . 281 The Case of the Curious Cubes wer) Curiouser and Curiouser aurea 285 ‘The “Miracle” Passing Cards... 89 ‘The Improved “*Zen’s” Switch .... 291 ‘The Queen of the Air ........ 93 VI ORIENTAL FROLIC....s..0:0n encoun snnosiansnaseascanassnsarannan OD ‘The Penetrating Flower-Pot sa eR 101 Comedy Flower Growth ........ e The Chinese Hat g “105 Dual Lantern Production ...... a nea ‘A Modern Chinese Lamp Stand Production «0.0.0.2... “108 A Multiple Lantern Production. . im A Surprising Lantern rere ‘The Mystery of the Triple Temple... wari asitall 4 Vil_“...EXCEPT THEE AND ME om 2119 If All the World Were Wine. . re 128 The Convocational Jacks .........ccseeneeseee can 1D An Everlit Match wpaceldl Chris Van Bern’s Mirror Mystery coves edB2 VII THREE FROM 33.00.00... 00000 0ceecsecseeeee 2135 Archie Byford’s Living and Dead Test 136 Cups and Balls for the Stage : : andi ‘The Shrinking Wand ss we l4S IX DISTANT DRUMS . 5 149 ‘The Ant of the Magician, by The Great Levante, 1936 +150 Magic as a Business, by The Great Levante, 1937 . aussicence 352 Novel Nemocracy with Numbers 154 ‘A Remarkable Record 2-186 ‘The Obedient Cigarette Paper .. 159 Hallucination..........2.. 160 The Educated Silk ..... 163 ‘The Unexpected Glass... 165X MAGIC FORMODERNS......- 22.00.2000 cece eee 169 ‘A Convincing Color-Change Wand 170 ‘The Vanishing Tube ....... . 72 The Quadrifid Cards... 1 ase 174 The Golden Arrow . um escorts arsine nee anne! XI THE CALMBEFORE.... : ‘ “179 ‘The Eric Lewis Natural False Count... ee. cececcseeseeeeee ee 00180 “A Little Trick with Eight Cards" 181 The Sharper Sharped «+..e..e0+ rr 182 The Natural Put-Back Count... .ccceeeceee 2184 ‘The “Streamlined” Cards to Pocket 185 SFOMIET jay cestenseigen recariie rsaaseriin aeanine soeidasneisn scasanuel The Big-Little Joker Transposition.......0.c0scceceeesereeeeeeeelDH ‘The Electric Bulb Penetration 0... .6.ceccsecseecssecseeveeeree e199 ‘The Mutilated Note. ar 3a Ba 196 ‘Two-Color Paper Routine ese e see 198 XI THE STORM : 201 APPENDIX. 000.0600 ecco vee teeieeenee vee 207 INDEX : : ceccveeeeee 2HPUBLISHER’S NOTE It should go on record that this book was solely responsible for the creation of this publishing company. The idea of producing magic books has intrigued me for some time, but I didn’t want to just add to the onslaught of poorly pro- duced booklets filled with material of ques- tionable value. Then | heard about a manuscript written by Erie Lewis which had been sitting idie for over three years. Here is a man whose reputa- tion spans fifty years and (wo continents. He is a two time winner of the Stage Magician of the Year award. He is also a man considered by some to be the finest builder of small apparatus in the world today, As an artist he has no peer, and his creative ideas have yet to cease flowing. I had personally seen him perform dozens of times and knew for a faci that his ideas were not merely pipe dreams. They were commercial routines that drew laughs and gasps from lay au- diences. His expertise included staze magic, parlor or platform effects, children’s routines, mentalism and close-up magic—truly a complete performer. Was it possible that such a man's unpublished life story, combined with his personal magical secrets, could be collecting dust? Some in vestigating proved that not only was this the case, bout that Volumes I! and ILL were in active prepara- tion, If ever there was a story that needed to be told, this was certainly it, even if it did necessitate the creation of a brand new publishing company. A special note of thanks must go to Tina Lenert who worked not only as co-publisher of this book, but who also typeset the entire text. The secrets described are alone enough to make this book a must for every working library. But the historians and collectors will treasure it for the stories about great magicians of the past that were a part of Eric Lewis's lifetime in magic, Now that Volume I is completed and I have examined the manuscript for Volume II, 1 am more convinced than ever that this trilogy, when completed, will become a classic work in the art of tee Mike Caveney Sierra Madre, California April 1, 1980INTRODUCTION ‘As a young boy I purchased ‘“The Patriotic Ball” invented by Eric Lewis. Little did 1 know that its creator would develop into one of magic’s greatest thinkers, as well as become a close friend of mine some forty years later. Tcame to know Eric Lewis first through his writings which appeared at frequent intervals dur- ing the 1940's in various English magazines as well as The Linking Ring. 1 admired his ideas and presentations, At one time 1 specialized in children’s shows, and Eric was tops in that field, Through his writings 1 added many valuable tips 0 my notebook. One that comes to mind is this: During a show, if a child calls out, ‘‘T've seen that before,”’ | immediately respond with, “Well, then 1 won’: do it," and DON’T. Of course Eric is most well known for his routine with the little Teddy Beat puppet named “Freddy.” It is a charming novelty that has been lifted by others, but never duplicated It was only when Eric moved from England to California that 1 finally had an opportunity to meet him, | already knew he had a great magical mind, but when I discovered he was also a fine gentleman, we immediately became friends. Many times we sat for hours in the Magic Castle library discussing magic, I found him to be very knowledgable and, most of all, a practical thinker. He was able to take existing principles and create solid new routines. A perfect example of his clever thinking is the wonderful improve- ment on the Zen’s Envelope Switch found in this book. His children’s routines weren't silly or childish. They were flashy and clever, often end- ing with a surprise climax, Eric also had the ability to build his own equipment. If there is a finer magic builder and mechanic anywhere, I would like to meet him. 1 had Eric do some work for me and it was nothing less than exquisite. Most of all, | admire Eric Lewis the per- Former. Having had the opportunity of working several times with him, 1 know that he is an ex: cellent entertainer, | used to watch him show after show (which is very unusual for me), and never failed to thoroughly enjoy myself. [ found Eric's work on stage as well as close-up to be very simple and very direct—the way it should be. Whenever | hear the name Fric Lewis, [think of a good, clean, wholesome, and practical entertainer. In a word, Eric Lewis is TOPS. Lh rbic Minter Charlie Miller Hollywood, California April 24, 1980FOREWORD year way 1973, che place Oakland ia Calitonnis, and [had just completed aine mouths, ‘oF pleasant labor 10 give birth to my fifteenth sed most ambitious book, The Oriemal Magie at the Bambergs. But let it be recorded that this way not entirely my own book, being a collaboration writ- en at the request of Robert Albo af Piedmont sao also sponsored and published ity, and based wl material supplied by him and David Bamberg. My typewriter was non strangely silent and 1 decided it was time to stir work on-my: own snaxnian opus, a bOk Which L had for long cons emplated, in which | would take my filty-plus sears in magic and “put it all together.” My intent was nostaluie romp, written is my own say for my own personal pleasure, and any future readers would be privileged to peep. Of the Tifleen books, perhaps only five were worthy of the name, the others being smaller works of oF 30) pages or less, and mosily in limited edit About 309 copies. One larver book, whiel | ea “An Alphabet of Mayie’ never saw the fixht of day. It was completed, sold to a publisher somewhere around 1955 und seems to bave been promptly lost. Furthermore, with the exception of the book Open Sesame, sales af my books were mainly confined co England, amd few eapies tanned their Way to the United States. Today most of them are difficult (o find and they are mostly in the hoards of book collectors Ik was decided, then, 19 aim this book at American magicians who knew little of my work in magic, particularly in the earlier years, ats include @ broad selection of my effects which had been published in these booklets, Over the years many. of these published effects have seen im provements or additions, so the effeets would be completely rewritten and reillustraied to bring them up to date, | woud also reminisce over my past lite, discuss briefly magicians I have met, ait my personal theories on magic, and give many The bins aad tips both on the presentation af the ef fects aul, where spparatus is concerned, inchide ‘aay of the constructional methods and materials ‘shich F have found saluable. Many unpublished jeets would he included, as well as some of the jets of friends in magic who had given me pet wuission 10 use them. L envisioned a book of be- tween three 1 four hundred pages Work way commenced, but did not pragress capidly. L wrote as the mood moved me with no deadline in sight. I left Oakland to return to the Loy Angeles area, then for a time to Santa Ana, sil finally back t0 Los Angeles with Four changes (oF adairess anu the vonsequent upheavals, By 1997 Thad completed nearly 300 typed pages with sibnut 200 individual illystrations, and found that | hat covered only about a third or less of the material | had in hand. Wirt the steadily inflating costs of printing anid publishing, saw that it was no longer econoinically feasible to produce a single volume ol the size of Greater Magie, to whieh 1 appeared to be heading, What I had written brought me up to 1939 and the outbreak of the Second World War. so | devided to eal ita day on this volume, and turn the work imo a trilogy. The first volume, which you hokl in your hands, covers the whole pre-war period. Volume Two, whieh will be called A Continuation of Miracles hats, atthe tipxe of writing this foreword, acheived just. short af mother 300 paxes, and deals solely with the very = perios! during the war years, from 1939 10 ‘The third volume, ay yet unnamed, will cover the subsequent years About the tricks deseribed in this wilogy, let ng say that they are my personal “thing,” has ing been lovingly devised over the years 10 suit my own way OF magic and 10 conform to my per sonality. They have nearly all had their measure of in my own performances, both in England, anc! in later years, in America; and not & successA CHOICE OF MIRACLES few have crept into the repertoires of other magi- cians, Some effects have been taken and marketed without my permission and mostly without credit, and to these I lay my claim in these books. Goodliffe, editor of the marathon weekly magazine, Abracadabra, and publisher of some of my books, once stated in print that I was one of England's most prolific inventors of magic, to which 1 was compelled to reply thai 1 did not believe I had invented anything, What 1 had done was to “devise” new-looking effects by putting two and two together and coming up with five. George Robey. who was undoubtedly the greatest of the old-time British Music-Hall come- dians, was once asked how he got his way-out ideas. He replied that the brain is like a telephone ‘exchange with countless connections. When most people used this exchange they were put in touch with the person they called, but, he continued, he had a crazy operator who constantly made misconnections. He would ring up his charlady (the hired help) but get connected to the Pope and would talk awhile without discovering the error. | think my own operator must also have her peculiarities! Although most of my effects were devised in England with my British performances in mind, | discovered to my surprise and gratification that they were equally acceptable, in some cases even more successful, to American audiences. During my many performances at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, 2 good number of the routines described in these pages have been received with enthusiasm, and have twice (disqualifying me from further awards) won for me the Stage Magi- cian of the Year award. Also, during period when I was a member of the Hollywood Ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, they presented me the award for “Best Trick of the Year"” for two consecutive years. So make no mistake, the effects presented here, although British oriented and dating back to pre-war days, are as valuable here and now, as they were there and then. Before passing on to the body of this work 1 \would like to give my thanks to Mike Caveney and Tima Lenert who, after the manuscript had lain in abeyance for more than two years, took it in hand with a firm and efficient grip, with the result that you now hold in your hand. I sincerely hope that you, t09, will find cause to thank them. Erie C. Lewis Glendale, Calif. March 1980I In the Beginning... In the beginning there was no magic - only the mystery of birth. To the child born in the small market-town of Northampton, England (Popule- tion about 80,000), there was to be no magic as the reader understands it until eleven years later. Dut- ing those first blissful years there was not even the traditional box of tricks, nor the juvenile book of ‘magic brought home by a doting father. Instead, 1 came into the world on that 23rd day of November, 1908, quite innocent of the fact that [ had been born in the middle of "The Golden Age of Magic."" ‘The town of Northampton lies only ten miles from the mathematical center of England, some sixty miles from London and with Leicester and Birmingham being the nearest large cities. Northampton was, and is, an industrial town, The main products are boots, shoes and leather, for which it is world-famous, What steel is to Shef- field, coal to Newcastle and oil to Texas, Footwear and leather are to Northampton, Tt is known as a market-town for the very good reason that it centers around an open market-place where, twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday, market-stalls are erected in the morning and dismantled at night. The town boasted that it had the largest Market Square in England, and although this may be true in the ex: act sense, the claim was actually a typical example 15 of parochial pride and ambiguity. There are bigger markets in other towns, but the Northampton marketplace had originally been built in the form of @ perfect square with all four sides measuring exactly the same length. Although it was not the largest market-place in England, it was certainly the largest and perhaps the only market-square, The town was small and leisurely, The new- fangled electric tram-car had only recently taken over from the horse-car, and they trundled noisily along cobbled tracks down the main streets. There were motor-cars, but horse-drawn vehicles were still predominant and pedestrians dawdled along the roads as freely as they used the sidewalks. Traffic lights and pedestrian crossings were nightmares of the Future, and the only rules of the road were mainly on a “first come first served” basis. ‘Why this emphasis on the market-place of the town, the reader may wonder? It is because here | \was first exposed to the germ which was eventually to take over and possess me, Here | saw my very first performance of magic and here my future way of life was set. What would I be in the years that lay ahead? A tradesman or artisan? An artist, which my tcachers predicted? Or @ magician? 1 made the choice of miracles. ‘On market off-days the huge square was emp- ty of tradesmen. In the center was a towering Vic-A CHOICE OF MIRACLES torlan monstrosity of a monument, its cast-iron, green-painted height soaring to a never-used observation platform. It was known as "The Fountain’ although water had long ceased flow- ing in the four troughs which surrounded it. On off-market days the steps which formed the base of the Fountain was the favorite spot for religious and political orators, and for the many itinerant “‘buskers"” who passed through the town. It hap- pened that the market square was part of my route as I walked home from school, and my parents quickly accepted that I would often arrive home late after staying to watch the street entertainers at work. The talent exhibited was often so high that ‘one would wonder why they were not employed to better advantage in the regular theaters. The truth I later found to be two-fold: On the markets they worked to their own convenience, often collecting more than they would from the low-paid Music Halls where they rested as much as they worked, And the money was not tax-traceable! Others did it because of the freedom of the life. These were the “tramps” or “*hobos”” at heart, who were satisfied to use their talents to pick up enough money to keep them moving around the country. The variety of entertainment was astounding, ranging from serious musical groups and in- strumentalists, through every form of variety act, to dramatic presentations of the Thespian arts. One man I well remember, who I suspect was a “retired”? actor, was an orator with an amazing but superficial general knowledge. He would give spontaneous speeches upon any subject named by the audience, and he delivered them with comwic- tion and power - whilst his colleague made a col lection. There were strong men who augmented their hat-collections with the sale of booklets telling the secrets”? of their health and strength. There were performing dogs and bears, acrobats, comedians, jugglers; the whole range of variety entertainment. Some were unique, like the Potato Thrower who | saw on a number of occasions. Armed with a basket filled with potatoes and a piece of chalk, he would draw several circles on the cobbled ground, each decreasing in size. The largest would be about four feet in diameter and the smallest, which he drew right near his feet, was about ten inches across. Taking a potato he would throw it vertically into the air to an astonishing height. It soared upwards until it was @ tiny speck and then descend to splash in the very center of the largest circle, One by one he threw them, one for each cir- cle and scored unfailingly. When he came to the smallest circle, he would have his assisting partner take a collection and would withhold the final throw until he was satisfied with the ‘‘take.”” Then he would throw the last one, apparently higher than ever and stand at attention until the potato fell inches in front of his body, scoring a bulls-eye in the center of that tiniest of circles. Imagine! “What do you do for a living?" "1 throw potatoes!"” Curiously enough, amongst all the enter- tainers | saw there was not one regular magician, although I know there were many street and market-place magicians around. In later years 1 was to know one of these personally, one ““Pro- fessor’ Goff who did a number of feats closely associated with this type of performer, and who them superlatively well. He was the most adept with the classic fan-force of a playing card that | have ever seen, as might be expected of one who on occasions performed twenty or more times a day. He used this in a mental transference effect with his wife. She had memorized about thirty cards in sequence, and during their act she was blindfolded whilst the ‘‘professor'” walked amongst the audience, false-shuffling the deck and forcing the memorized cards one by one tell- ing each person to "ask the missus."” She recited the cards in sequence and the spectators were amazed at the incredible speed with which she seemed to read their minds. Professor Goff even: tually gave up working the streets and began to “busk” in the bars of public houses and at the various race-meetings held around the country. In later years, just previous to the Second World War, 1 witnessed a number of times, another magician working the market-place. Whether he had started as a normal street conjurer 1 do not know, but he was a step higher echelon because he only worked on market days and had‘A CHOICE OF MIRACLES his own stana where he sold “lucky beans"? and tips for race-meetings. Magic was his “"come-on’* and he used his repertoire of three tricks to show how effective his lucky beans were. He was 2 man gifted with a rich voice and a hypaotic delivery. ‘On his stall was a framed membership certificate of the famous Magic Circle of London, but this hhad a large black cross scrawled over it, He told his eredulous listeners that he had been expelled from the Circle because what he did was not con- Juring but real magic. He told how, in the African Jungle, he had saved the life of a witch-dactor and this mystic had taught him the secrets of his ‘magic. It was a “corny” spiel, but he was so con- vincing that the audience believed him, as well I know through listening to the comments of the people standing near to me. He started by tying a large number of kaots in a silk searf and pulling them very tight, as he told how the troubles and difficulties of life tied one in knots, getting worse and worse until one was ina hopeless mess. But, he said, ‘The power of Magic will free one,” and the scar? was shown to be tunknotted. Then he talked about his lucky beans, which he sold for a shilling a packet, and offered to prove their power. First he gave one of the beans to a lady to hold, and then asked 2 man to reach into his pocket and remove any single coin. In England in those days this meant a haphazard choice of no less than eight coins, a farthing, @ half-penny, a penny, a three-penny piece, a si pence, a shilling, a two-shilling piece and a half- ‘crown. He would then show a bowl of assorted fruits and ask the lady with the bean to select one of them. This done he would have others choose fruits, and climax his efforts by showing that whereas the others contained nothing but fruit, the lady had chosen one which, when cut open, contained a duplicate of the chosen coin. He used, I discovered after witnessing the feat many times, the old move of having a coin waxed to the back of a knife, and I might add, he did nof show the knife to be unprepared with a paddle move as many eager amateurs might do. He stole, of course, a duplicate of the chosen coin and added it to the knife, What gave it away to me was the fact that he used a wide-bladed butcher's nite so the larger coins could be concealed, but 1 noticed he also had an ordinary dinner knife available for use with smaller coins. His final trick was the passing of an initialed playing-card into an envelope which someone had previously examined and sealed. it was the very old trick where the card is stolen and added to the back of the envelope, which is then slit open and the card apparently removed. This performer called himself N’Gai, the name, he said, having been given him by the witch-doctor. Later, during the war years, N’Gai appeared on the Music Halls in England, presenting developments of the same three tricks and still claiming them to be real magic. He had « tremendous sense of the dramatic. The opening of his act was very impressive. The act was intro- duced by a sondrons voice over the loudspeakers, then the curtain parted to reveal @ black-draped stage. N'Gai entered from back center on a darkened stage with a spot-light on him. He was dressed in a black enfolding opera cloak, and as he walked slowly forward, he told the audience he was not 4 conjurer, but a Magician. On the last word he had reached the footlights and he threw back his cloak revealing a white evening-dress and the white lining of the cloak. At the same moment the lights were switched full on, In this way the simple word “‘magician”” hed a tremendous im- pact and set the tone for what followed. He did his knots with similar patter as before, and his other two tricks were revised very little, All the time he talked of magic and mysticism, and made various predictions for the future. His success as a professional entertainer can be seen in the fact that he was eventually made King Ret of the famous Water Rats. For the uninitiated, the Water Rats is an exclusive club for Music Hall entertainers, in which only the best were admitted. “King Rat’ meant that he was President But back to beginnings, Asan cleven-year-old boy I was especially fascinated by one busker who performed on the Market Square. He was a pseudo cowboy who, judging by his accent, had quite likely been born in the East End of London. He performed the standard feats of cowboy‘A CHOICE OF MIRACLES showmen, swinging lariats, sharp-shooting, trick whip-cracking and similar stunts. Curiously, although young boys are usually enthralled by the traditional cowboy feats, | was more intrigued by some simple conjuring tricks which he did and ex. posed. Previous to this, any magic I had scen was just misty memories, and never before had I known anything of the mechanics of a trick. There had deen one magician who 1 had seen when I was about seven or eight during the First World War, and this was a soldier who had been billeted in the home of my grandparents, Thinking back, I have the impression that this man was more than just a soldier who knew a few simple tricks, because | remember him as being a more accomplished per- former, | can clearly recall how he controlled the aces in a deck of cards and then vanished them and reproduced them from various parts of the room, I was deeply impressed and my parents and grandparents seemed very proud of him. I have often wondered whether this man was someone who I was later to know as one of the “greats” in magic. Amongst the tricks which the synthetic cowboy revealed was the classic “tourniquet ppass,”” and this I quickly learned to do with coins and other small objects. This was the turning- point of my childish interests, and it was the seed which grew rapidly until 1 made the choice of miracles my lifelong interest. 1 was not outstand- ing at school; just one boy among many. In those days teachers were “beings apart”” and were looked upon with awe, and often fear. My coin trick changed all that. Suddenly I had something the other boys did not have, and they gathered around to see me vanish a coin, ‘Then came my big moment, The most feared and remote of my teachers was the mathematics master, whose subject was my worst. Often I was the victim of his sarcastic invective in front of the class, and as a result he was a man to avoid. Then one day, during the recreation hour, he called me into the class-room, which I entered in fear and trembling, wondering what kind of trouble 1 was in. To my surprise he just wanted to see me do my coin trick, the news of which seemed to have 18 reached him, [ did it for him and without further ado he began (o discuss it with me and to show me better ways of handling it. Not only that, he taught me two other “moves” with coins. It was another revelation to me: Behind his forbidding exterior he had the soul of a magician. In later years I actually felt sorry for him because he did nothing more than become the headmaster of that school whereas I became a magician. One of my greatest days was some years later after 1 had left school when this same teacher invited me back to put on a performance in the assembly hall at a gathering of the “old boys” of the school. My coin trick was just a nine-day wonder and it soon became apparent that I must do something to bolster the reputation I was trying to build. I needed more new and startling tricks, but how to get them? I knew nothing of magicians and was unaware of the multitude of amateurs scattered around. Books on magic, magazines, clubs and magic shops were discoveries yet to be made. But even had I that knowledge I could have done litile about it. My parents were normal “working class” people who just managed to scrape a living, so my weekly pocket-money amounted to no more than sixpence (the equivalent of the American nickel). Even in those days of lower prices, this would not have taken me very far. Books were my first discovery, In a small newspaper and book shop just off the market square I found several small books on magic. ‘They were bound in yellow cardboard cavers and were published by Pearson & Co. at two shillings each (about a quarter in America). In later years | was to learn that magicians referred to these books as “Yellow Perils” because, written by well known names in magic like Will Goldston and David Devant, they exposed good magic to the public for a low price. Eagerly 1 saved my pennies until in a few weeks I was able to proudly walk into that store and spend a whole two-shillings on one of these books, my choice being one by Will Goldston, Fortunately for me the book was not a typical Goldston publication, and the tricks described were within my limited capabilities. My first com- plete act was built entirely from its contents, withA CHOICE OF MIRACLES the exception of one trick which was my own in- vention and which was built with my own two hands, The Great Super-Colossal Jumbo Card-Pip Trick For the record let me tell you about this trick, the very first | ever "invented."* Be sympathetic as you read, remembering that this was the concep- tion of a twelve-year-old whose only contact with magic, apart from the shows he had seen, was small Goldston book for beginners which con- tained nothing like it I showed @ blank rectangle of white card- board which was about ten by eight inches in size, together with a flat box which opened at the end, a quantity of large cut-out card pips, a length of rib- bon and e deck of cards. A card was chosen and shuffled back into the deck. Then the blank card ‘was placed into the box together with the ribbon and the loose pips. After some magical “business”? the riobon was removed and it was found that the pips were stuck to the ribbon, sorted into suits and some of the pips of one suit were missing. When the cardboard was removed the missing pips were found stuck to it to form a giant replica of the chosen card. ‘The card had been forced using a method from the Goldston book. The box was my own idea, but had I read any of Professor Hoffman's books 1 would have known I had made no world- shaking discovery, But the old classic magic books were not to come my way until I was thirteen and old enough to graduate from the junior £0 the adult section of the local public free library. ‘The box is shown in the accompanying il- lustration, and was made so it could be opened at either end. A diagonal division was built in so I could switeh the contents by simply reversing the box end for end. The box was made from cardboard covered with wallpaper. The dividing lines of the end caps were disguised by pasting colored bands of paper around, It was @ proud and satisfying thing because it was my own, DIAGONAL © FLAP THE GREAT SUPER-COLOSSAL CARD-PIP TRICK This simple effect illustrates the truth of the old saying that ‘necessity is the mother of inven- tion.” I believe that being a “lone wolf” for the first nine or ten years of my magical career was a considerable help in developing an original outlook. When magic is handed out on a platier, is today, there is no necessity to think forA CHOICE OF MIRACLES oneself. Beginners tend to put aside any latent in- dividuality and to perform tricks from magazines, books or the magic stores exacily as they find them. Then there comes a never-ending search for the “'latest’” tricks which have been developed by the few who have not fallen into the trap. Being casy to come by, these tricks are not valued as they should be, and respect for a good trick is too often lacking, ‘At the beginning of this chapter | said 1 was born into the Golden Age of Magic. I think it was the Golden Age because the secrets of magic were more difficult to obtain. Professionals guarded their secrets, and although there was some “‘ex- posure,” it was very minor and nothing like as rampant as itis today. At the present time anyone wishing to learn the secrets and the techniques of magic can do so with little or no effort. Every bookstore has inexpensive texts which go further than explaining simple ‘popular’ magic, and many of the expensive, highly advanced books on magic are readily obtainable at most public libraries. Magic shops, too, are plentiful, many of them being toy or novelty stores with magic departments open to any casual browser. Here, anyone with the necessary dollar or two can buy without restriction the secrets and the apparatus of almost any trick, and only the higher price restrains any non-magician from buying fine pro- fessional effects, But even so, the general public sees this apparatus freely displayed and gets the impression that all one has to do to become a magician is to buy them. As a result, respect for magic and magicians is often lacking. To counter this, professional magicians fight back in 1wo ways. Some turned to skill and subtle: \y, others became “entertainers” and funny men. Both ways are good in the right hands, but can lead to magical disaster if unchecked. Skill and technique can become all-important to the occlu sion of good magic, Comedians can put magic down, Both extremes are bad, for magic then becomes either a puzzle or a joke. Magic, although it is not a Fine Art, is never- theless a fine art, and it is sad to see it being treated as something to fool around with. | would strongly exhort the beginner to spend as much 20 time reading and studying the lives and practices of the great magicians of the past as they do in perusing the latest books of tricks, and (0 learn from them that there is much more to magic than tricks, moves, bits of apparatus and so-called fun- ny gags. Back to my story. Northampton boasted of two theatres: A vaudeville house (or Music Hall, to use the British name), and a repertory theatre. Of these the reper- tory theatre remains because it is subsidized by @ government grant. Play-acting, it appears, is an art which must be preserved, but Musical Comedy or Vaudeville, the repository of many varied skills, is not, and can be allowed to die. In the place of the massive and wonderful old “New Theatre” (as the variety house was called) there now stands a glass and concrete monstrosity of @ supermarket. One of the saddest moments of my life was to stand on the sidewalk of Abington Street_in Northampton and photograph the magnificent interior falling under the bulldozer. Although it was not their fault, 1 never did patronize that supermarket. I felt | would be walk- ing on the desecrated graveyard of the past theatrical greats. ‘One must admit that the Repertory Theatre, known to townspeople as "The Rep,”” had impor- tance in the dramatic arts, being the training ground for many artistes who went on to bigger things - in some cases to world fame. Errol Flynn, originally a Northampton man started his carcer here, as did Freda Jackson, James Hayter and many others Each year the repertory company took a vacation, and during that time the stage was oc- cupied by different types of shows. Magicians abounded during these breaks. It was here [saw the unique Dr. Walford Bodies, and Robert Har- bin appeared there a number of times. Dr. Walford Bodies made his appearance whilst 1 was still a boy who was just becoming in teresied in magic, but 1 remember clearly his gaudy posters and the sensation he caused. People flocked to see him and it was “full houses” almost every night, Happy days! A feature of his show was to stand inside an iron-barred cage manipulating iron rods in hisA CHOICE OF MIRACLES DEATH OF A THEATKE bare hands whilst miniature bolis oF Kehtoing crackled between the bars of the eae andl the rods he held, 10,00) volts were passing Usrongh his body, nis publicity claimed. This was possih true, Bul in those days the general public knew lic tle of static electricity with its low amperige su! harmless high voltage. Mast fiomes, ineludiag iny own, were still using gas lighti His finale was even more spectacular. Ie walked around the stage with a sword in his hand from which great ares of electricity leaped to various objects, and finally, as he vouched the stage proscenium with the sword, « dazcling elie of electrival bolts crackled and Tashed to encirely the whole stage 224 Sarchumpren “New "heatre under the bulklozer Sueh was my introduction to the really great stage magic and showmanship of those days, «ned therealter I saw almost every magician who sip peared at either the "Rep" or the New Theatre There iy vague memory of a magieian | saw bong before Bodies, but J can remember nothing ot his set apart from his dramatic enirance, dressed as an Inwlian prince, charging on to the stage on a reat white horse, I think it could have been none: other than the il-fated Lafayeute In the years that followed, almost every magi cian with any claims to greatness, as well as countless lesser lights, trod the boards of the New ‘Theatie, and | rarely missed a performance. The names Tnvoke a sense of eegreiful nostalis chatA CHOICE OF MIRACLES those wonderful days of magical enchantment have passed. Chung Ling Soo, Carmo, Carlton, Cingalee, Servais LeRoy, Talma and Bosco, Carl Hertz, De Kolta, Horace Goldin, Selbit, Nikola, Fred Culpitt, Chefalo, Chris Charlton, Amasis, Amac, Arnold DeBiere, Chris Van Bern, and in later years, Dante, Levante, Cecil Lyle, John Calvert, Gus Fowler - their names could fill many pages. People were not yet coddled, hypnotized and sated by the interminable television programs. They went out to see magic, and they returned home full of wonder. About 1930 (I cannot place the exact year) a young man about my own age appeared at the New Theatre, and I remember he climaxed his act with a double box illusion. He was destined to become one of the giants of magic and one of the ‘most creative magicians of his generation. He was simply billed as Ned Williams, the Boy Magician, but that is a story 1 tell later. ‘Time and time again the smaller vaudeville type magic act appeared, Jack and Mary Kinson, Edward Victor, Peter Waring (who featured the “Lighted Bulbs from Mouth" which 1 first published and which has since been successfully revived by Marvyn Roy), Donald Stewart, Claude Chandler, Raoul (who featured a giant version of my own Fantastic Frame), Harold Taylor, Erie Mason, Jack Woodward - a never-ending flow too numerous to mention. Many of these magicians became personal friends in later years, and the stage-manager of the theaire who had spent his life there, one Charlie Gamble, got to know me so well that I was free at any time to walk back-stage whatever show was playing. Can you wonder, then, at my feelings as one day | stood in the street and watched that hallowed stage being torn down? This was my training ground, this old New Theaire, and in my beginnings | learned more from here than from any other source. Not only of tricks and illusions, but of the way they were done, their timing, their dressing and the way they were presented to entertain the family audiences who frequented the theatre. As a boy | never dared 10 venture backstage to meet any of these magicians, and it was not until my early twenties that 1 began to do so. ‘One early unfortunate incident set up a sort of mental block which discouraged me from at- tempting to make personal approaches to practi ing magicians. At this time 1 was giving fairly regular performances on my own, mostly at small church gatherings or similar local functions, and 1 had “invented,” built and was performing a number of original effects of my own. I discovered for the first time that there was a club of amateur magicians in the town, and a newspaper advertised a ‘*Night of Magic” by this club, 1 attended, and must confess that having been brought up on a diet of professional enter- tainers, 1 was bewildered by the low standard of magic I witnessed. 1 had always been of a shy and cetiting nature, although I had discovered that this van- ied when I began a performance. So it took a reat deal of courage on my part to remain behind after the performance by the club and to approach a man who turned out to be the president of the club. Nervously I told him that I was a magician and asked what I had to do to join the club, The man looked at me rather scornfully and replied,"This is a magicians’ club - we don't have boys!" And he promptly shooed me towards the exit. 1 resolved then and there never to try ap- proaching another magician, so 1 remained a “one woll” for many years. About six years later, after 1 had received some press publicity about my performances, another member of the club, Archie Tear, called on me and invited me to join, He proved to be friendly and helpful so 1 became a member and re- mained one for many years, eventually becoming President. The man who had snubbed me years before was still a member, but I bore no grudge ‘and befriended him. I do not think he remembered the incident nor even remembered me. 1 soon discovered that he was a very bad magician for which he compensated with a genuine enthusiasm ‘and @ lot of good work in the formative years of the club. Returning to my own formative years, | witnessed the performances of almost every magi- cian who played the local theatre. After each per- Tormance I would return home and carefully writeA CHOICE OF MIRACLES out every trick the performer had done, and then in the following days I would devote much time trying to solve these mysteries. Some of the tricks | actually built in my tiny, primitive workshop, and these went into my performances. Before long | began to work out further tricks which were entirely my own, I discovered that if | had seen a trick done, { could usually work out some way of performing it, and so I began to “dream” up imaginary effects and try (o work them out in the same manner. This 1 often did in bed before going to sleep, and sometimes whilst standing in line outside a cinema or theatre. In those days there was no continuous performances, cinemas having (wo “houses” each evening. One hhad to get in at the beginning to see the whole show because the house was cleared after each per~ formance. There was no television to keep people at home - not even radio which was then a rich man’s toy. [t was the Golden Age for the cinema, too. My dreams consisted of imagining that I was ‘a magician with unlimited powers, and { pictured the things | would do to amaze my audiences. From the melange that resulted, an effect would sometimes caich my imagination and 1 would ‘work on it in the same way as [ had for the real tricks I had seen, A number of original and prac tical tricks resulted. Magic was not my only interest, although it was the major one, [ always had an inclination to draw and. paint and 1 got very interested in photography. 1 had been given a box camera which today would be a collecior’s item, Kodak camera using glass plates. To foad it one hhad to use a darkroom, put the plates into metal sheaths and feed these into the back of the camera. After each exposure, one pressed a lever and the exposed plate tumbled forward into a well in the bottom and a spring pressed the next plate into the focal plane. The plates were removed in the darkroom and developed by sight in a red light, afterwards being printed in daylight on P.O.P.(Printing Out Paper). One day, when | was fourteen, I stood some of my homemade apparatus in a corner of my bedroom, and with the aid of some magnesium 23 ribbon took @ photograph of it.I stil have a copy of this, and it is a tribute to the thorough way T washed my prints in that today it shows very little discoloration. The print is reproduced in these pages and in it can be seen some of the original ef fects that | developed, and which will be described later in detail ‘When this photograph was taken, [ was get- ting a litle more money to spend on ma: because, as was the custom then, I had left school on my fourteenth birthday and was working to help the family finances, 1 worked first as a8 butcher’s boy, delivering meats each day on a bicycle, but this only lasted for about two months After that I worked for a few months as a “printer's devil” and then as an errand-boy and odd-jobber in a large hardware store, Eventually my photographic hobby paid out and I got a job with a photographic establishment where 1 re- mained umtil 1940. The fact that [ had a little more money 10 spare is apparent in the photograp because 2 set of Conradi watches can be seen displayed, together with a stand and a special alarm-clock production which 1 built to comple- ment the triek, My new affluence can be seen in some other photographs which are reproduced in this book, taken when 1 was about sixteen and { was able to sport a “dress suit."* After all, by this time | was also getting paid as much as ten shil- lings (about two dollars) for a magical perfor- mance, almost as much as 1 was earning for a week's work at the photographic establishment To round off this chapter, let me tell you something about the tricks displayed in this photograph, because today, so long after, they ace effects that could siill be revived and used. One ef Feet, which I called “Four in Hand’ T included in my first book which I wrote some years later, and also | manufactured some of these and sold them to other magicians. Another effect, the one scen with my name in large letters, I performed at the first British Ring Convention later on. At oxe time this effect was copied and sold with a small varie- tion by another ‘‘dealer.”* The three large cards at the top of the picture was my own hand-painted variation on an American trick which was popular at the time and was known as “Stung!”4 CHOICE OF MIRACLES A somict ofthe fourteen-svar-olt Evie Lows": Standing beside these cards is stusttl mode! Snowman, Swe can dismiss quite briefly, | had read a trick ina book where water was poured into a paper tube, then the tube inverted and paper ribbons estracted, the water having vanished, [1 was my first introduction to the "Foo Can” prin: ciple. In the original, one had to load the tube into the paper, perforin the trick, and the tube in a servante, 1 did not like the latter pair so I had # tinsmith make me up a tube which | dressed with cotton (9 look like a snowman, This | jen Uispose of loaded into the paper from a servante ia the same way as a dye-tube. Then | poured in water ami Fanned it, explaining that 1 was freeing tne wai The tube was then inverted, and insivial of pro ducing a length of paper ribbon, 1 produced bedroom displaying some of his home-made apparatos. several yards of silver gliter cloth, which | said wats "trost,"" and finally produced the snowman himsett ‘The Alarm Clock Production Fram my earliest days | have recognized the ced for a definite and surprising climax 10 a magical effect, Too many effects are performed where the audience can anticipate the outcome with the resultant lack of impact when the icich is finished. As a boy J had bought the Conradi and was able to multiply them at the Fingertips, perform some manipulations with a single watch and finally produce a dozen from a small paper cone. But having produced twelveA CHOICE OF MIRACLES watches one at a time, I felt 1 needed something, strong and different to bring the series of effects toa definite and unexpected climax. So I dreamed up the idea of changing the watches into a noisily- ringing alarm-clock. I made a box with drop-down doors front and. back like that shown in the illustration. The back door had a hollow shallow box mounted on it and this was open along the top edge. Before mounting this box, it was lined with felt so the watches would not rattle, although I found this not ab- solutely necessary because the back door was not moved after the clock had been produced. This plug-like box fitted neatly into the cabinet and the doors themselves were made from quarter-inch plywood. This box was never visible to the au- dience because when the door was open it was to the rear, and when the door was closed and the front door opened, the plug formed a false back to the inside of the cabinet At the back of the alarm-clock I soldered two metal plates which had been angled at one end to raise them, and had a key-hole cut in each. Screw- heads were fixed to the back door on the plug so the clock could be hung on the door. Notice in the ilustration that the round hole of the keyhole is, towards the top of the clock, so the clock will hang safely when the door is open. When the door is, closed, a slight push downwards will free it from the screw-heads so it can be removed from the front door. In making the plug-box, it should be remembered to fit two small wooden blocks inside in which the screws which hold the clock can be fastened. On the hollow plug, at a level between the clock and the bell when the clock is in place, was a small slot. A strip of narrow flat metal was pivoted inside the plug. The bottom end of this was bent out at an angle through the slot and the upper end protruded through the open end, The bar was pivoted to the door, rather than to the plug so that when the door was closed, the strip projected up between the door and the frame. To set the apparatus I wound the alarm-clock and set it so the bell would ring. Then I hooked it on the door and pressed the lever over so it prevented the striker-arm of the clock from mov- 25 eck: ALARM-CLUCK PRODUCTION KEVHOLES ON RAISED PLATESA CHOICE OF MIRACLES ing. The operation of the trick should now be self- evident, At the beginning the cabinet was hanging ‘on the stand with the doors closed. | showed the box empty by opening both doors together, bul the rear one slightly in advance of the front so the clock was not seen. | closed the box by reversing the moves, and then, opening the rear door a frac- tion, I apparently dropped the watches inside, really putting them into the hollow back. Then the lever was pressed to allow the clock to ring and the front door opened to reveal the clock. Eric Lewis atthe age of 16 performing with the Conradi ‘watches. The Alarm Clock Production isin the background, An Introductory Item ‘This effect was actually "dreamed up" in the manner { have mentioned, and once | had the idea, the method was simple. It is interesting to note that even in those early days 1 saw the necessi- ty of impressing one's name on an audience. Over the years I have devised many effects with this purpose in mind, and I plan to devote a chapter to this later in this book This present effect went like this: cards bear- ing letters of the alphabet were shuffled and cut, then ten of them were dealt in a row along a stand told the audience they would spell my name, but to my chagrin they came out RECIC L WES! . So a magic pass was made and the cards visibly re- arranged themselves to ERIC C LEWIS. The illustrations show how I did it. The ledge along the bottom of the stand was hollow, open at the top edge. It was divided longitudinally into two channels in each of which were two runners shaped as in Fig.3, made from thin sheet metal. Each runner was shorter than the channel by the width of one card, and they were connected together by a cord running through a hole in the dividing strip. If one of the runners was pulled along, the other would move in the opposite direc- tion. From the end of the rear slide was a length of elastic which went through a hole in the back of the stand and was fixed to the back as in Fig.2. This was tensioned to keep the slide to the right ‘There was a pin at the rear to hold the slide which would in turn hold the other slide to the left against the tension of the elastic. Thus if the rear slide was pulled along and held with the pin, the simple act of removing the pin caused both slides to change positions. ‘The cards, when they were placed in the stand, were pressed down into the slides alternate- ly front and back. Removing the pin caused each pair of cards to change places. In Fig. the letters, in the rear set have been shaded to make the ‘operation clear. The actual cards, of course, have no shading. The pin was removed at the right mo- ment by having it on a thread terminating in a but- ton so it could be picked up with a wand which was lying on the table. There were a number of other lettered cards not used and the set required was stacked on top with the letter R trimmed to make it slightly nar- rower than the others. When I introduced the cards 1 would casually slop-shutffle them (a series of sliding cuts which did not disturb the sequence) and finally | would cut at the narrow card to bring the stacked ten to the top. Today | would make several modifications. First | would eliminate the backboard, leaving on-A CHOICE OF MIRACLES SPACES SHOULD BE WIDTH OF ONE CARD @ v SHADED LETTERS ARE TO MLUSTRATE CHANGE ONLY ELASTIC SECTIONA CHOICE OF MIRACLES ly a long narrow base to hold the cards. I would eliminate the elastic and use an expansion-spring, in a hollow space underneath the base. This would connect to the slide from a pin which would rua in a slot, as I have illustrated in Fig.4. In addition, 1 would probably incorporate a timer release so 1 would not have to pull a thread, Four in Hand This can be considered another ‘first"* because it was the first time 1 hit upon a practice which was to become a common one with me as time went by; that of taking a small pocket trick and by using different methods, making it into a more showy stage effect. Practically all the money { earned from my performances was ploughed back in the buying of books, magazines or tricks. The famous London store of L, Davenport & Co. was my first discovery because they had advertised in the Goldston book, Then came the Gantage’s depart- ment store in London where Will Goldston himself managed the magic section. Eventually | found the existence of Edward Bagshawe and Co, Bagshawe was not a dealer in the normal sense, but only sold the tricks which he invented and built himselZ. These effects had a particular appeal to me, I met Edward Bagshawe just once some years later after my first book had been published. He was a strange character and something of a recluse, living in the environs of London but never being seen by the magicians in that crowded area When I was about 22 and was making a trip to London, I went to his address expecting to find a magic shop. Instead 1 found a dingy, Victorian. type terrace house; but a brass plate on the door reassured me. I knocked on the door and Edward Bagshawe himself answered. He was a tall, gaunt, serfous-looking man with a vaguely sinister air. 1 introduced myself and silently he led me into the house with what appeared to be some reluctance. We went past kitchen tables on which were various tricks, mainly in cardboard, in the process of con- struction, and into a back room where he kept his stock. He hardly spoke as he indicated that these were for sale, then he just stood and looked at me. Discomforted and almost intimidated, I felt 1 was delaying his secret and private schemes. Diffiden: ly, after a question or two which he answered in monosyllables, I selected a couple of items, paid for them and beat a hasty retreat. Later on I learned that he was really an ex- cellent character but inordinately shy, and we ex- changed correspondence and he even contributed some of his effects for inclusion in my books, He had many clever and original ideas in magic, and hhe was happy to remain buried in this old house building his ideas and selling them through the mails, I did not know at the time of my first visit that he was really the publisher of my book, so he must have known of me on my visit, but he gave no sign of it. “Four in Hand” was developed from a Bagshawe effect which L had bought many years before my visit. It was called "Syko the In solvable” and consisted of four black cardboard discs about 1% inches in diameter each bearing a number from one to four. These were examined and sealed in four envelopes which were shuffled by the spectator. There followed a series of pro- gressively more impossible divinations. The trick was accomplished by the switching of the four ex- amined discs for a set of prepared ones, and although the effect has not been available for over thirty years, | will say no more about it at present Later in this book I will deseribe, instead, my own version of the trick adapted for the stage and using fivesinch dises and no switch. 1 remember the original trick cost me the princely sum of two shil- lings (about a quarter). When I first adapted the Bagshawe trick, | used the general effect only. The method was en- tirely different, and I made a card trick of it with an involved routine which cequired the forcing of four cards and a switch of three envelopes. When 1 later made up some models for sale, the effect was cleaned up and four cards with solid colors used. This is the version | will describe because although the apparatus and effect are the same as the earlier models, certain unnecessary complications have been removed.A CHOICE OF MIRACLES The routine commenced with a simple divina- tion. The conditions of each successive revelation became more and more stringent. Four color- cards: red, yellow, blue and green, were sealed in- side four envelopes which were then thoroughly mixed by a spectator, The envelopes were set in a tow om a stand, each over a number. The first divination was carried out by seemingly picking up an envelope at random and naming the color of the card it contained. Then it got more difficult. ‘This time a spectator merely thought of one of the three remaining colors. The performer then selected an envelope and the thought-of color was found inside. The third and last test appeared quite impossible, and it could be played up for a full strong finale to the routine. A spectator was first asked to think of one of the two remaining colors, then another spectator was asked to select one of the two remaining envelopes. Even under these very exacting conditions, the chosen envelope proved to contain the thought-oF color. The fourth envelope, of course, was not used because everyone knew what it contained. The performer could casually open it to verify this point. 29 It may be considered by modern “purists” that the apparatus used is large and complicated for such a trick, but I inelude it because itis a sam- ple of my earlier work and because the stand may have other useful applications. Regarding the ef- Tect itself, the modern worker should refer to “Divinadise”” which is discussed on Page 52 in this book, It goes back to nearer the original ef- fect, except that it uses giant discs which were quite impossible with the "'Syko"” method, ‘The illustrations will have already cleared up the mystery ta the perceptive reader. The stand, which was made from wood, opened up at the back, and sets of hinged cardboard flaps dropped back in fans from a recess in the stand. Fig. 7 shows how the stand looked from the front and Fig, 2 shows the back with the hinged covering panel omitted, One of the flaps is shown in Fig. 3 and is simply a cardboard rectangle with a cloth pocket and a cloth hinge. Three of these are behind each section of the stand and are threaded together so they open fan-sise as shown On the inside surface of the stand there is another cloth pocket to hold a single card, one in front of each fan.” The stand had folding sideA CHOICE OF MIRACLES When I first did the effect, I would switeh the envelopes afier te cards had been seaied inside so that each envelope could be shown empty. In this case there was no need to have all the envelopes marked because the switched set was already prepared with a yellow card in one marked envelope. | found, however, that this was. un necessary, and dropped this complication. The spectator, having himself sealed one card in each envelope, never suspected that one would remain when one was removed The reason for using four marked envelopes was to take advantage of any “breaks.” Sometimes by absolute chance the chosen envelopes contain the correct color, and when this happens advantage can be taken of it if one knows what each envelope contains. ‘One final point for any would-be constructor. Today it would be best to make the card-flaps of the thin rigid plastic materials which are easily obtainable, and 1 would cover the inside back of the stand with “‘Contact’” paper (known as “Eablon” in England), then | would give them @ light spraying with one of the silicone areosols so the cards would slide nice and easily. Before completing this chapter, there is one more thing I would like to discuss, and that is that T"Sievented” the Cut and Restored Rope! Now le! me get this straight before the howls of protest begin. 1 did not think I was inventing anything; it just seemed the common-sense thing to do. The year was 1923 and I was fifteen years old. 1 had never heard of anyone cutting and restoring a rope and had never seer any magician do it. In one of Professor Holfiman’s books was a cut and restored string which 1 learned to do, but as I was a stage or stand-up performer I had little use for it unless I could make it more visible. So | looked around for suitable rope and eventually found that Wookworth’s scores had a cotion elothes-line with a hempen core which could be stripped out to leave 2 soft tube of rope which could be manipulated. 1 went into my show and I made 3 big production of it, using two members of the au- dence on the stage, having the rope labeled and marked, and in general dressing it up. The first cut and restored rope I saw anyone else do was six years later when I saw Oswald Rae doa version which completely baffled me, 11 was, 1 found later, the original Tarbell rope routine. In that fine book, The Magic of Robert Harbin, Bod wrote, Way back in 1932 1 made a note...""This is undoubtedly the first rope routine with an unprepared lengeh of rope."” I wonder ow true it was at thet time. A photograph shows z very young Erie Lewis, about fifteen of sixteen doing just such a trick some nine years earlier, It was basically the same method as in Hoffman's book and compared with present-day subtleties, was fairly crude. But I used it consistently , and as the years went by I added to it, improved it until 1 eventually arrived at the triple cut and restored version I use today (and which has in later years been marketed by Magic, Inc. of Chicago, with my blessing). Never, at any time in my life did | ever do the trick with a specially prepared rope or the use of gimmicks of any kind. in later years, after I had left England and vvas living in Southern California, { worked on the same bill at the Magic Castle with the world- famous Kuda Bux. We shared a dressing room, and he offered to show me his way of doing the ut and restored rope. Imagine my amusement when he used exactly the same method | had discarded so many years before. Proudly | showed him my own, subtle version with various moves whieh have fooled experienced magicians, When { had finished, Kuda grinned. "Same thing!” he said laconically. Come to think of it he was right; the end result was the same. CE®II ... And then came the Magicians My years as a lone wolf were soon to come to their end, but before I made my timid entrance in- to the enclave of the magicians’ fraternity, | was already @ practicing magician and being paid for my services. How did a bey, with no financial resourees, with no pushy" parents, with no con- nections, manage to get started as a semi- professional performer? It was simple—Magic did it for me. Thad joined a boy-scout troop which was at- tached to a local Methodist chapel, and this necessitated the attendance at services cach Sun- day. During my first year the Scoutmaster organized @ concert on traditional old concert arty lines, with opening chorus, sketches and in- dividual acts. After playing the Chapel, it was to tour several outlying village chapels. In his search for talent among his troop, the Scoutmaster remembered | did a few tricks and he pressured me into doing 2 magic act. | was terrified at the idea ‘of appearing alone in front on an audience, but the man would not take “No” for an answer, so 1 duly made my appearance. It was not quite catastrophic. Beforehand, secing my obvious nervousness, the scoutmaster advised me, “Don’t worry; just imagine all those heads out there are just cabbages.”” So I walked out on stage muttering '“Cabbages, cabbages’” to myself, and it seemed to work. 33 Some time afterwards I was asked to repeat my show at a large ‘Social Gathering” at the chapel, one which was to be attended by chapel- goers from other places, and 1 was offered a modest payment for my services. From this show others snowballed, and soon I was traveling from place to place on my bicycle with a suitcase perched precariously over the handlebars, Later, with growing affluence, I managed to buy my first “dress suit" and graduated from bicycle to bus. By this time (at the age of fifteen) I was work- ing as @ very junior assistant in a photographic business, and my “boss” was 2 prominent member of the local Rotary Club, Hearing of my prowess in magic he began to book me to appear at children’s homes and hospitals where the Rotarians organized parties in the name of CCharity—but paid me for them. So my field grew from the restrieted chapel circuit, and 1 began to feel that my “choice of miracles”” had been a hap- py one, Before long I became aware of the prevalence of aniateurs with their clubs, nights of magic, lierature, ragic shops, and even shops where magic tricks could be bought. I have already told of my first abortive attempt to join a magic club, but eventually I made it when I was about twenty. Archie Tear, one of the leading lights of the local magic club, seeing my name in print several times,A CHOICE OF MIRACLES sought me out, introduced me to the club and also. sponsored me for membership of the British Ring, of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. 1 soon became firmly ensconced in the fraternity, and began to play their games. My first step was to make myself wealthy by selling some of my tricks to the fraternity (in- nocence of youth!), “The Amazing Candle” was my first effort, and for a few shillings the customer got two pages of typed instructions, a montage of genuine photographs (courtesy of my daily work) and a little S-shaped hook, sharpened at both ends, The instructions told how a wax can- dle could be secretly impaled by the hook and then wrapped in a tube of paper. A downwards and up- wards sweep of the hand left the candle hanging fon the rear of one’s pants whilst the paper was crumpled into a ball and tossed (0 the audience, | cannot remember what I did with the candle after- wards, but probably the customers, thankfully. few, might have told me (See Appendix). After this inauspicious entry into magical commerce I decided to write a book. I bought a cheap typewriter (which remained with me until left England for California some forty years later) and I set to work, Having completed eighteen ef- fects complete with illustrations, I took the manuscript with me to my first magicians’ conven- tion. The First Annual Convention of the British Ring in the ancient city of Cheltenham was my first real entrance into the fraternity, and it began in a salutary manner. Mistakenly 1 booked into Cheltenham’s main hotel, being innocent of the fact that the convention was {0 be at Charlton Kings, an outer environ of Cheltenham several miles away, | arrived at the hotel expecting it to be crowd- ed with magicians, but I found it was “business as usual.” The girl receptionist told me that there was just one magician in the place, and she gave me his room number, After settling in my own room I sought out the unknown fellow conventioneer. He proved to be a short, stocky man with a likeable, quizzical personality. Our initial conversation proceeded with some difficul- ty; being from the Midlands I spoke with a sirong 34 accent, and he came from Ayrshire in Scotland and his accent was s0 strong it was almost like & foreign language. His name I had never heard of, but before long it was to be known all over the world. It was John Ramsay. The name did not mean anything to me at that time, but 1 can now look back to this day as one of the turning points in my career because his magic and his philosophy was a strong influence in after years. John had made the same mistake regarding the convention venue. It was his first time at such a gathering also, and as a result we were together much of that time in Cheltenham. The resultant friendship lasted a lifetime, but with John living over 300 miles away (with no convenient freeways) we only met at conventions. We did, however, cross correspondence quite frequently and he sent me details of a number his of tricks. John was a revelation, One day, for example, after being baffled by his superb manipulations and incredible misdirection, | told him he should write a book. “No, mon,” he said, “"Ye dinna get magic from books—ye get it here and here and here.”* And he pointed in turn to his head and eyes and displayed his hands. He was always insistent about the eyes and would declaim “It's in the eyes, mon, it’s all in the eyes. Where you look, they look.” There was always an impish twinkle in his eyes which echoed his delight in what he was doing and how he was fooling the onlookers. | have always considered it a great loss to magic that John kept to his philosophy concerning books, and during his lifetime only very few of his effects were published, two of them by me. A book has been written posthumously by Andrew Galloway who was a student of John’s, but it only contained what Andrew had been taught, and many effects I saw John do have been lost. One of these was “The Cat Came Back” which he per formed just the once at the first convention. Afterwards, in the quiet of his room, John taught me the routine, When, in some years after his passing, | happened to mention this effect at the Magic Circle, it seemed to create some excitement. It had become a legend which no one remembered having seen. When I found it was not included inA CHOICE OF MIRACLES ‘The Ramsay Legend, | wrote it up for the British magazine Abracadabra, and it was subsequently reprinted as a supplement to the book. Amongst other lost effects was & brilliant routine of an Okito box narure, which used a small flat ointment can, John told me how he went ta a chemist’s shop (drug store) and switched lids ‘on dozens of cans until he found a lid that fit loosely . He was not mechanically minded, and it had not occurred 10 him to have a lid expanded by 2 machinist ‘On another occasion he did a cut and restored rope which was sheer conjuring for conjurers. He appeared to exactly follow the moves on the old loop principle described by Hoffman, but he used a cord with a tassel at each end—and that made the method impossible, He had used a small endless loop of rope which he concealed and manipulated whilst exactly simulating the moves of the standard method. This was typical of the way John joved to fool magicians. {made many friends at this convention, several of whom | corresponded with for years afterwards. Stanley Collins was one. He was mak- ing his first (and ta my knowledge, his last) a pearance at a magic funciion since he left Will Goldston’s Magicians’ Club on matters of policy. [only met Stanley the once, but we corresponded consistently, until his death. He was a man with very strong views and was totally intolerant of anything that went against his conception of what good magic should be. At the convention he was sarely seen, preferring to “commune with nature” in the gardens, rather than witnessing magic per formed. He had been asked to judge the contests, so this was one show he did attend, When he gave his summation before awarding the prizes, it sounded at fitst like the usual back-patting, tactful speech, but he suddenly shocked the placid listeners with & pical Collinsian remark: “Having witnessed the performances of the various contestants, | can on- ly say E wuld like to give every performer @ prize—a loaded pistol.”” The prize went deservedly 30, to John Ramsay, Had the comment come from someone like the late “'Senater”” Crandall, it would have been expected, but it was a total sur 35 prise from the quiet, gentlemanly Stanley Collins. 1 had been a contestant and curiously his comment did not hurt me, Later that afternoon Stanley spoke to me about it. “Your show was bad and immature,” he said, “but it showed good thinking and you are obviously sincere.”” 1 thoroughly agreed with him, In my inexperience 1 had made the mistake of exhibiting some of my original effects which | had not previously used yery much, rather than a part of my normal show. The result was that it was unbalanced and lacked polish: He gave me some excellent advice, then we exchanged addresses. Soon after the convention [ received a long letter from him in which he discussed magical presentation, and this started a postal friendship which lasted until be passed away. Stanley Collins had a fine library of magic, probably one of the largest in the world at that time because it included books in every language in which magic books had been written, Often he ‘would mail me rare and valuable books to read and sometimes just 10 look at. One was a beautiful old German hardcover book of magic which was printed in heavy Gothic type. Outside of magic, Stanley was a firm believer in a kind of scientific religion, He did not believe ina personal diety, but was convinced of an im- mortality whicls could be proved, he said, by mathematies. He sent me books by J. W. Dunne which expounded this theory, An Experiment with Time, The Serial Universe, and the New Immor- (ality. Apart from the early parts of the first book, | could not understand the involved mathematical concepts described, and although Stanley often wrote explanations, I never really understood it. The “Pump and Guess”’ Card Discovery Another man | met at this Convention was ‘Teddy Coll, the Viennese Conjurer. He gave me fan insight into a whole new field of magic (for me). This was the almost pure psychological ap- proach to mentalism, He was himself a past master in this type of work, working in a rapidA CHOICE OF MIRACLES fire manner and speaking in broken English. He understood English only when it suited him, and when an effect did not work out, he invariably blamed it on the spectators, saying they did not understand him, He was, however, invariably successful with ‘one trick and this he explained to me. [ have used it on non-magicians throughout my life with un- failing success. The whole thing depends on quick talking, careful timing and quick wits. One has 10 immediately size up the possibilities and follow it with rapid-fire pump and guess. To my knowledge it has never been in print, possibly because it is @ Gifficult thing to describe adequately. Strictly speaking it is a technique rather than a method, and I will try to describe it although L would much rather demonstrate it. You hold a deck of cards facing the spectator and start running cards from left to right. Look, you say, Iam showing you these cards one by one. There are fifty-two of them. Just think of one. Until the iast four words the spectator does not know what is expected of him, so a lot of cards are by-passed before he starts to think of one. When he knows he has to think of one, you ‘“rush"” him by only passing some nine or ten cards after your request, and then stopping and asking whether he has thought of one. If he has, you drop your hands and casually cut the deck so the last nine or ten are at the face of the deck. If he has not yet thought of one, you run a few more cards and ask again before cutting the deck. Now you start looking through the deck as though looking for the thought-of card, but you look at the cards at the face of the deck and quick: ly “size them up.” To explain this, let me give an actual example, and to play fair with you I am tak. ing a bunch of cards at random from a deck which T have at hand. 1 find 1 have cut eight cards and they are the 3C, 9H, 7D, 6C, 2S, QH, 10D, and 9C. It so happens that this group is likely to be & good “break” when doing the effect for a non- magician, especially if the subject is a lady. In this case | would go right for the Queen of Hearts, It may not, of course, be that, so you start your “pump and guess.” You are holding the deck spread out with the faces towards you, and the 36 spectator cannot see them. Starting to pull up the Queen of Hearts, you ask, ft was a picture card, wasn’t it? If the answer is “yes” then you are in the clear and can pull the card right from the deck and lay it face down on the table. Ask the person to name the thought-of card, and then turn over the one you removed to show it. If, however, the spectator replies “no” to your question, you may say with confidence, / thought not! It was a red card, wasn’t it? If they say “'yes"” to this then you know it is one of three cards: the 10D, the 7D or the 9H. You move your finger over to the single heart and state J+ was a ‘heart, wasn’t it? Again if the answer is “yes” you know you have it and can lay it on the table. If they answer *no” then it must be one of the two diamonds and you confidently answer their no’ with I thought not! Now you take the 7D and lay it face down on the table but you cut the 10D to the bottom of the deck as a safety measure. Ask the spectator to name his card. If he names the seven, just turn it over. If he names the ten, then remove this from the deck face down and switch the card on the table by means of the “Mexican Turnover.”” Carrying on the analysis of the same eight cards, if the spectator answers “‘n0” to your state- ment that he is thinking of a red card, then you would start to pull out the 2S because this is the only spade. You say /f was a spade! and if they say “yes!” you have it. If they say “'no”” then you beam happily and say / thought not! and lay down the 3C, which experience tells is the most likely one. But you would get the 6 and the 9 ready for an emergency use of the Mexican Tucnover. ‘The whole point is to make statements rather than ask questions, You do not say Is it a red card? but It was a red card, wasn't it? You are really asking the same question but in a more positive manner. When their reply is negative, you respond confidently with J chought not! When you have a card face down on the table, you continue with the statements, sometimes deliberately calling for a negative answer. Correctly done, the au- dience will not be sure when you actually placed the card on the table, but they are left with the im- pression that you had found it much earlier thanA CHOICE OF MIRACLES you really did. To give a further example of the system, here is another bunch of cards taken at random as 1 write: JC, 78, 4H, 2D, AC, 10S, 7H, 5D, and 4C. Itis much easier to "'size up" the cards when you actually hold them in @ fan like a hand of cards in ‘a game, than it is when they are just written down, The most likely card in this particular group would be the single Ace right in the middle. Next most likely is the 7H and the third the single pic- ture card, the JC. Failing these by “pump and guess" you would continue as previously outlined. As you would have eliminated the Ace and Jack, if a club is the suit it must be the four. IF it was a spade, go for the 7 and have the 10 ready for a Mexican Turnover. If a heart, it must be the 4 because you have eliminated the 7, If a diamond, pump for the 2 but hold the $ in readiness It must sound very confusing and com: plicated to anyone reading this, but a little practice will show that it works out very quickly and easily. Itis reminiscent of Dai Vernon's “Trick that Can- not be Explained”” because in that the procedure varies according to circumstances. Happily the majority of non-magicians think of the obvious cards and it is rare that one of the more obscure cards is chosen. An asset, also useful in other ef fects in magic, is the ability, gained from ex perience, 10 recognize awkward types and avoid them. ‘Thinking back on this Convention 1 see it as my personal “Open Sesame” to the wide world of magicians, and | did not know at the time how privileged I was to be able to attend and meet some of the great characters who are today legends, Some of these men became just nodding acquaintances, but not a few became close friends mainly by correspondence because | had not yet taken to wide traveling. ‘Amongst the former | can mention Oswald Rae, Leo Tree, Gus Fowler, Ellis Stenyon, Walter Kemp, and Lewis Davenport, Amongst some with whom I made more frequent acquaintances. if not actual personal friends, were De Vega, T. H. Chislett, Bill Stickland, George (Gilly-gilly) Davenport and some others whose names are not 7 well known, Amongst those who became closer friends were Archie Byford, Will Blyth, Dan Bellman, Jotun Gambling as well as John Ramsay and Stanley Collins. Then there was Roberta; that was a different thing entirely. She set me dreaming of an entirely ifferent kind of magic, one that most young men experience at one time or another. Roberta Byron vvas her name, and she was here with Marion, her younger sister, and her parents, visitors from the far-distant United States of America. To me she was an exotic creature because | had never met an ‘American before, and apart from this she was a magicienne, Being both the youngest conven: tioneers (apart from Marion who was just a child and that didn’t count) we were together quite @ lot during those few days. With natural male superiority I was quite convinced that she would be a bad magician and that it would only be her youth and charm that would get her through. Imagine my bewilderment, then, when sitiing together ina quiet spot in the gardens, she calmly pulled out a number of large coins and proceeded to backpalm them one by one and then reproduced them one at z time. Girls couldn't do things like that! Then at the public show I saw her performance and that was when I really lost my heart. She put on a brilliant, beautifully-timed act with coins, silks and billiard balls. The stage was dressed with drums as side-tables whilst Roberta ‘wore full Scottish Highland costume, Details of the act are now hazy in my mind, but T do remember the sure, graceful movements and the superb sleight-of-hand. One effect blended into another so it was a delight to watch. When the Convention was over and I re- turned to my plebeian surroundings and the very ordinary photographic job, { was able to get back into my dreams again by corresponding with her and receiving letters in return from fabulous hotels in remote parts of the world like Florida and New York. Almost mythical were these places to my parochial mind, and I little imagined that one day I would also visit these places and stay in some of those hotels, [ expected great things fromA CHOICE OF MIRACLES her in the entertainment world, but our cor- respondence fizzled out and I heard later that she had given up magic and got herself married, There were a number of high-spots in this first Convention which impressed me so much that the memory is as vivid today as it was back in 1931, the year the Convention was held. My brief, but exciting acquaintance with Roberta was one, John Ramsay was another. | must confess that before seeing John perform 1 actually felt sorry for him, dumb kid that 1 was! 1 was in his room whilst he was packing a bag for his show and there was the rickety music-stand type of table, an opera hat, a china saucer, a few cardboard boxes con- taining coins and thimbles and something that looked suspiciously like a cat's tail. It was quite clear to me that John was an old-fashioned per- former, not at all in keeping with modern times. How wrong I was is now history, He opened his act by removing his cufflinks and turning back his sleeves in the style 1 had seen in old and out-dated books, then placing a saucer into his top-hat, he proceeded to perform the Miser's Dream, A dream is what it was. In the manner of immature young men, | had thought 1 knew everything there was to know about catching coins from the air, but | sat bewildered and bai fled by a slow-motion routine, full of incredible ‘moves,"" powerful misdirection and amusing whimsicalities. At the end of the routine he re- moved the saucer of coins from the hat, poured them back and forth from saucer to hand several times, the clinking making plain the genuineness of the coins (he actually used old well-worn English two-shilling pieces). Then suddenly he poured the clanking coins from the saucer into his hand and remarking, “Here's @ good trick: a Scotchman giving money away!”” he proceeded to throw the coins out to the audience. What the au- dience received were not coins, but chocolate discs wrapped in silver foil. It was one of the most surprising finishes to the Miser’s Dream | have seen, and that was another routine of John’s “lost” effects. He also performed the “Cat Came Back”? trick which I have already mentioned, and fin- ished with a continuous production of many thimbles which he threw to the audience as he pro- duced them. I still have one or two of these thimbles amongst my mementos. They were of aluminum with a colored band around them upon which was printed his name. His method for pro- ducing these was very unorthodox, and most of the sleights he used were essentially his own. The thimbles were nested in stacks several inches long which he stole on the tips of his thumbs, and they were concealed by the simple expedient of keeping his thumbs bent inwards. To most magicians, this would be an obvious maneuver because it is not a ‘natural way to hold one’s hands, John had a sim ple way of overcoming this defect, and it is typical of his thinking, Whenever you saw John in private life, his fingers were invariably closed and his thumbs held inwards. It appeared to be @ natural idiosyneracy of his, and itis possible that it might have been; but I strongly suspect he deliberately cultivated it so it would look normal to him during. his thimble routine. That is the kind of perfectionist John Ramsay was, and my belief is substantiated by the fact that on a number of occasions he told me never t0 do strange things with my hands on the stage which 1 would not do in everyday life. This was a lesson that I have always tried to put into practice in my ‘own work, and I feel 1 owe it mainly to John’s in- Fluence in those early years. There was another act at the Convention, the memory of which has remained with me as one of the most astounding demostrations of thought- transference that I have ever seen. This was Leo Tree, who worked with his wife under the name of ‘Mr. and Miss Tree.”” They gave two perform: ances at the Convention, one in the public show and one belore an audience of magicians who came forewarned and prepared. [1 is known that stich acts depend largely on two things: some kind of code for conveying information (or in more ri ‘cent years, perhaps electronic means), and the fact that the objects (0 be transmitted are usually limited to what members of an audience would curry in their pockets or purses. At the private showing, the audience came with deliberately dif- ficult objects that they would not normally carry. ‘The real secret of their methods is still, main-A CHOICE OF MIRACLES ly, unknown to me, because during the whoie act no word was addressed to the “'medium” by Leo Tree, and when he spoke to spectators, he whispered softly in their ears. Remember this was in 1931 and the science of electronics was unknown. The first part of the act followed nor- mal lings in that members of the audience showed Leo Tree small objects, aad they were immediately described in minute detail by Miss Tree. | remember one person had brought with him a mummified lion’s paw, and Miss Tree named it without hesitation. Impressive as the demonsira- tion was, it paled beside the second part, which ‘must have been unique. Miss Tree sat blindfolded at the piano. Leo told the audience that he would walk amongst them but would not speak a word. He would lean over a person and he or she was to whisper in his car the name of any piece of music. There was to be no limit, popular, jazz, classical, or opera—anyting they liked to name, Then they were to turn to Miss Tree and simply say the one word “Play!” This is what happened, and unfaii- ingly, and without hesitation, Miss Tree played the chosen piece. It happened that twas sitting with Archie Tear during this demonstration, and Archie was not only an accomplished pianist himself, he was also a collector of rare music. As Leo approached us Archie whispered to me that he knew a very obscure piece of music which he was sure very few knew anything about. He gave this (0 Leo and for the first time Miss Tree hesitated, siting with her head bowed before the piano. Then slowly her hands went to the keyboard and she began to play the music. To cap this, she also spoke for the first time during this part of the act, naming both the composer of the music and the year in which it had been written, The very ability to play any piece of music is in itself a-very im- pressive accomplishment; allied to the thought-transferrence, it was miraculous. I should mention chat the Trees had bees do- ing private performances for many years. Leo Tree and Myra Vieioria Shacklock (his wife) met in Australia and were married in 1923. They worked on the act together and were soon touring Australia. In 1925 Sir Oswald Stol! booked the act 40 for his circuit in England, In those days society entertaining was more prevalent than it is today, and they saw the opportunity of working in the plush surroundings of the aristocracy, rather than the Music Hall. The success of their act can be seen in the fact that on no less than five occasions they appeared under Royal Command. One such performance was in 1925 where they performed at the Alhambra Theatre before the King and Queen, Here is the description of their act taken from the program of that perform- ance: THE MISS TREE MYSTERY presented by MR. and MISS TREE Mr. and Miss Tree’s remarkable demonstration of mentalism will be in two parts. The first will be transmission of thought. You will greatly help and enhance their work if you submit to Mr. Tree, whilst passing amongst you, anything for transmission you may have of an unusual nature, such @$ an uncommon coin, a curio, a document, @ foreign bank-note etc, In the second part you are invited to whisper any piece of music 10 Mr. Tree that you would like Miss Tree t0 play. Your choice may be from any of the Grand or Comic opera, Selections, Mar- ches, Waltzes, Overtures, Folk Songs, Musical Comedies, etc., or works of the great- masters—Wugner, Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, Weber, Mendelssohn, Chaminade, Rubenstein, Gounod, Tschaikowsky, Handel, Rimsky Korsakoy, Mozart, etc. Their musical repertoire ranges from 1710, the date of the invention of the piano, 10 the present time. It was a privilege to have not only witnessed their stage act, but to also have sat in on a private performance under test conditions, particularly as 1 was never able to see the act again, The Trees returned to Australia in 1949 where they returned to playing Variety, Cabaret and private engagements until 1957 when Leo became ill and died on November 11th of that year.III “Well I Never...”’ AL last, after forty years, the phrase used in the heading of this chapter is written correctly. It was the title of my first book on magic, and it never, unti] now, had that row of dots which in- dicates an incomplete phrase. For the benefit of American readers, to whom the statement is unknéwn, { say that it is an abbreviation of an English expression of surprise “Well, | never did see anything like that in all my life!"” It is a lot to say when one is taken by surprise. When [ wrote the book during 1929 and 1930, | adopted the ex- clamation as a title, but knowing no better, did not include that row of dots. When the book was complete | was ai a loss a to what to do with it, having led a sheltered life. T took it with me to the first convention witere 1 met Cecil Griffin. This name will mean nothing to American readers and very little 10 English. He was better known as “Eric F. Impey,” a conjurer whose main claim to fame was in some small manuscript booklets of ingeniously clever card tricks based largely on the cunning use of magi- cian’s wax. Eric F. Impey displayed great interest in my book and said he would publish it, which he did in due course. 1t ran into a 90-page printed book with soft covers, and my payment consisted of two dozen copies to sell at five shillings a time, or give to friends. It was not until some years later that I 43 My First Book ee sgaegeageseappeld as discovered the book had actually been published by Edward Bagshawe. Today the book is very scarce and only a few in America have even heard of it, The book contained much original and unusual stage-type material, all of which | had used in my early days. Many of the effects were timeless and could still be used to good effect in the present day. Therefore in this chapter I shall rewrite and rcillustrate a substantial selection ‘The book opened with a series of tricks using magic wands in unorthodox ways. The first one | shall not detail because it was not very good, but for the curious { will say that it consisted of chang- ing a white-bordered black handkerchief into a wand. The change took place after the silk had been rolled inside a paper tube. I “invented” this when | was about fifteen, and actually used it a number of times. It was accomplished by having a corner of the silk attached to an elastic “pull under the coat. 1 would show a piece of paper, then lay it down whilst I took the silk from an in- side pocket. Then 1 would pick up the paper, steal- ing a wand behind it, and whilst rolling the silk in- to the paper, 1 would allow the pull to take the silk back under the coat To steal the wand I made a special stand for displaying silks. This was a music-stand base with a horizontal rod at the top over which silks could be draped. The rod was actually a half-section,A CHOICE OF MIRACLES ‘open at the back, and the wand could be concealed behind the rod, where it rested on (wo small clips. It was stolen from here after the paper had been draped over the stand. A Broken and Restored Wand This trick has its points although 1 have not used it for about 35 years. In effect, one snaps a wooden wand across one’s thigh, then visibly restores it. The trick was heavy on wands because ‘one was destroyed at each performance. This was no problem then, with my infrequent perform- ances and the fact that the wands were merely cheap dowel-rods painted with postercolors, The secret lay in switching the broken wand for a solid one that only looked broken, then disposing of a gimmick which gave the appearance of a break. There was a long, narrow black-art well in the table top, and this was divided lengthwise by a vertical strip of wood. Fig. ! shows a side view of this, and it also shows how the well was covered with a strip of black velvet which was: fixed only along the two long edges, The strip was wide enough so it could be pushed clown into one of the divisions which would pull the velvet taut over the other division. The switching action was, very natural. With one wand pressed down into the Front well out of sight, the other was placed on the table behind the well and rolled backwards and forwards in the fashion of a rolling-pin. During this time the wand was rolled forward right over the well, which pushed it down into the empty division causing the velvet flap (0 raise the other to table level where it was pushed forward. On a VELVET FLAD stage the switch was indetectable, and the rolling action natural in the sequence of moves, T have always been fond of “perverse” magic, the idea having been brought to my notice through the early Charles Waller books. When such a trick had been performed and the outcome, although magical, had not been what I intended, | would snap the wand across my knee in an- noyance. Then, regretting my precipitate action, | would fit the ends of the wand together, roll it on the table to get the halves in line, then pick it up carefully and perform the restoration Fig.2 shows how the second wand was prepared, My original model was crudely made, but it worked well enough. Sliding on the wand was a short metal tube which I made by rolling thin tineplate around a rod and soldering it. One end was cut jagged to simulate splintered wood, and this gimmick was suitably painted. One of the tips of the wand was made in the same way, but of a diameter slightly larger than the sliding gim mick. One end of this tip was plugged with a disc of wood and this was screwed on to the end of the wand, The sliding gimmick could be slid between this shell tip and the wand, hiding it from sight. Before fitting the shell tip, | fixed a small umbrella-catch made of spring wire into the wand, so that when the sliding section was pushed under in place. Today one could make a more workmanlike Job of the thing, because in most handicraft or model stores one can buy thin-walled, seamless brass tubing in a whole series of nesting diameters, and some of this would be perfect for the con- struction on the wand and sliding gimmick, Also,A CHOICE OF MIRACLES. painting adds thickness and friction so the gim- mick would have to be slightly “‘sloppy’” to slide easily, It would be much better 10 make the whole thing, wand as well, of the thin-walled brass tub- ing and then to “blue” the medal chemically. This adds practically no body to the surface of the metal, and no more friction than the metal itself. For the uninitiated, let me explain that “blue ing can be black. Genuine blueing as done by gunsmiths is a job that needs special equipment and some skill. Fortunately there is @ modern substitute known as “Touch-up blueing" which is simply brushed on, It actually penetrates the sur- face of the metal and stains it black, rather than leaving a deposit of color on the surface. | imagine there are various “blues” obtainable, but the one with which 1am familiar is sold under the (rade name of “Casey's.” It is obtainable in three kinds: Perma Blue for steel, Aluminum Black Touch-up, or Brass Black Touch-up; and you must use the correct one for the metal you use. I know it is stocked by Brownell’s, Inc., Montezuma, lowa, one of America’s largest mail- order gunsmiths. The wand that is actually broken can be painted dowel-rod with paper or “Contact” tips. Unfortunately, dowel-rod rarely snaps as clean as one would wish; it mostly breaks with very long splinters, There itis best to cut a notch around the wood before painting it, then it will break where you want it to, If decided to revive this effect to- day for my personal use, 1 would consider the possibility of making this wand in the brass tub- ing, cutting it into two halves and joining with a short length of notched dowel red. This wand could then be *blued’® to match the second wand perfectly, and one would only have to replace the small length of dowel for each performance. To perform the trick, the Taked wand would have the sliding gimmick in the center, and it would be pushed down into the front section of the well in the table. The genuine wand would be snapped, the ends fitted together, then placed on the table and rolled (0 line up the two halves. [1 would then be picked up carefully a5 though not wishing to disturb the alignment and held us showa in Fig. 3, The fingers would be brought 45 SLIDING TUBE ett. together over the “splintered”? portion and the joint kneaded. The right fingers would then slide to the end of the wand, taking the sliding gimmick with it and pushing it under the tip, whilst the left fingers carried on kneading the center for a second ar two. The fingers would be removed 10 show the restoration, and the wand banged on the table as proof. Visibly Through ‘The reader will perceive that the inspiration effect stemmed from the old “Swallowing ‘This is a wand with a sliding tip which was used 10 give the illusion of pushing a wand in- to someone’s mouth, and then withdrawing it, What I did was to first eliminate the mouth bit, and to use the wand to apparently push a silk handkerchief through the chest of a spectator so it came out of his back. The drawing gives it all away. The wand was a hollow tube with the usual sliding tip, bus in ad- dition there was a plug which slid smoothly inside the tube and which had a small hook on one end and a wire loop on the other. A length of fishline was tied to the loop, was passed up the inside of the wand and out, where it was fixed to the sliding tip. When the tip was slid along the wand, the plug would be pulled along inside in the opposite direc- tion. The ends of the tube which formed the wand must be smooth and rounded for easy working, and when 1 first made this | simply used the body ‘of a metal bicycle pump which { found ideal for the purpose. This also had a greater diameter than the usual wand, and this is also necessary.A CHOICE OF MIRACLES. SLIDING TIP, VISIBLY THROUGH STRONG THREAD SLIOINGA CHOICE OF MIRACLES Duplicate silks were used, one unprepared and one with a small sharp hook sewn to its center. The wand was prepared by sliding the in- ner plug down to the end so the hook just protrud- ed and the thread lay taut along the inside, Then the duplicate silk with the hook was tucked inside so the hook hung over the end opposite from the fone with the plug. ‘A boy was invited to the stage and was given the unprepared silk to hold spread over his chest. Whilst adjusting the boy and the silk, the duplicate silk was surreptitiously hooked onto his back and left hanging there, Rewarding this, 1 would like to give a little “tip” concerning maneuvers with children. Children are notoriously restless and unpredictable and it is often difficult to be sure they will remain facing the audience. My practice in all such effects is to choose a sinall boy for an assistant, and then to stand him on a chair facing the audience, Although the reason is apparently to lift him to a workable height, it ef- fectively stops the boy from wandering around or turning about. Furthermore, it gives ample cover for hooking anything on his back whilst tifting him on to the chair and steadying him With the boy safely on the chair and the silk spread over his chest, the wand is held in the usual “Swallowing Wand"? manner as shown in the il lusiration, and the hook on the sliding plug im- paled on the center of the silk. The rest works automatically. When the tip is slid down towards the boy’s body and the wand goes up behind the wrist and up the sleeve, the sik is pulled inside the wand. The movement of the silk as it vanishes syn- chronizes with the sliding of the tip, and it gives a perfect illusion of the wand penetrating ihe body but pushing the silk in When the silk had vanished from sight, my practice was to remove the wand and pause « mo- ment whilst inspecting what sort of a hole 1 had made in his chest. But finding it had ‘healed up," turned the boy to expose the handkerchief on his CEN The Multiplying Wands In the summer of 1972 1 had the pleasure of attending the P.C.A.M. Convention in Hawaii, a far fling from that first Convention in Cheltentiam forty-one years previously. Here | ‘was delighted by a series of manipulations with a stick by “Flip,” and since then I have seen the whole routine explained in detail in Volume 7 of the Tannen Tarbell Course. In the routine the stick vanished and reappeared repeatedly in the most surprising manner, and I have wondered whether it was from this routine that he adopted his stage-name, because the effect depended upon a curious “flipping” action with the stick. 1 was particularly intrigued because he was using a very similar movement which | had hit upon more than Forty years previously, and used in my Multiplying Wand Routine. I had been doing Billiard Ball and Thimble multiplications, and thought { would like to do the same thing with wands. The apparatus | made was crude, but worked well. The hollow wands were made from stiff paper glued into tubes, and the half-shell was the body of another bicycle pump which I had laboriously sawn in half lengthwise and filed smooth. As with the previous effect, the modern thin wall brass tubing and “blueing”” would be better. Fig. 1 shows the four wands needed. A is a solid wand with a wire hook at one end. B is a shell wand which fits over A, and has one end open and the other plugged and hooked. C is simply a tube ‘open at doth ends which fits over B. D is a half shell which fits smugly over €. The length of the wands will depend upon the performer's arms, because they must be concealed along the forearm held there with one end in the crook of the rm and the other end near the first joints of the slightly curled-in fingers (Fig. 2) A stand (o display the wands after production is required and the one I used was a simple base with four metal tool-elips fixed to the face. A bet- ter stand is shown in Fig. 3, and this is cut trom thick wood with four holes in the top into which the wands may be dropped. One of these holes should be half=plugged so the half-shell can be in-A CHO! serted with the round side towards thy audivnee The effext was used as an opener. ‘The warns would be nested as shown in Aig, 7-1, then Uh halfeshell plaved on it and held in plave ita ose small rubber bands at dhe extreme cus. L walked onstage with qhe aested wand concealed behind the forearm ay described, and this meant having my arm bent. To make this look natural | carried on the small display stand in ey land, chen passed it to che other hand and set i! on thy table. As this was done, the right hain reached inte the air and produced a wand. DF MIRACLES: ee THICKNESS EXAGGERATED ™ 4A CHOICE OF MIRACLES The move was quite simple and is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The thumb went down between the wand and the palm, then with an upwards move- ment, the wand was levered rapidly up into sight. The move is easy, but must be timed right 10 be ef- fective. As I did it the right arm would swing up- wards from the shoulder, then at the apex of the swing the thumb would lever the wand forward ex- actly as the right arm straightened itself and moved forward. Done this way it looks as though the wand is simply plucked from the air. When the nest of wands had been produced as one wand, they were held horizontally in front of the body, slightly towards the left, between the fingers of both hands. The right hand stroked the wand a couple of times from the left tip (0 the right, and in doing this the right forearm passed in front of the wand, On the second stroke the hook fon the right end of the wand was engaged lightly fon the sleeve, so that as the stroke was made the inner wand was withdrawn. It made no difference which wand it was 50 the first wand could be held either way. Whichever of the inner wands was withdrawn, the other will remain safely inside by reason of the hook. At the end of the "stealing’” siroke, the visi- ble wand was turned upright in the left hand and the eyes watched it as though something was going to happen to it, Then the right hand produced the second wand by pressing it inwards to free the hook from the sleeve and then “flipping” it into sight as with the first. To produce the third wand, both wands were turned horizontally again, but this time with the hook to the right end, The two wands were held between the thumb, first and second fingers as seen in Fig. 6, and the previous moves were aA CHOICE OF MIRACLES sepeated to produce the third wand. The wands were taken one by one and tapped on the table to “prove their solidity.” In doing so one of the rub- ber bands was rolled off the end of the one which still held the balf-shell, and the band fell 10 the table. ‘The production of the fourth wand is difficult to describe, but if one holds the wands in the hands, it will become obvious. The ends of the three wands were held between the Fingers of the right hand as shown in Fig. 7, the shell covered fone at the bottom with the shell towards the au- dience. Notice in the drawing how the right little finger was extended behind the wands and the left thumb gripped all three. The tips of the left thumb and forefinger gripped the lower wand to hold the shell in place, Under cover of a slight shaking ac- tion, the left thumb and forefinger adjusted so they only gripped the shell, and the wand dropped ‘out backwards on the right litte finger at one end and the left fingertips at the other. The four wands had then been produced and were put in the display stand. Other effects with magic wands were developed at this and later times, but these were ‘not yet put into print, so ! will detail them later in approximate chronological sequenee. For the prevent, let us go on to magic from my First book which used other objects RED- GREEN RIBBON Merely a Mistake ‘The classic “Sun and Moon" effect always appealed to me, having in it an element of the perverse, and I first used the standard trick squares of tissue paper. Later, wishing to be" ferent,”” I used ribbons and combined the Sun and Moon effect with cut and restored ribbons. Two inch-wide ribbons of contrasting colors were used, together with a little metal gimmick with which to work a necessary switch. In later years when | was working a Chinese act, I used two-inch ribbons and used sleight-of-hand instead of the gimmie bbut as the gimmick has other uses outside this ef- fect, I describe here the version presented in my book. Two ribbons of contrasting colors, each about four feet long, were displayed, cut in halves id then rolled into a single coil. The coil was thrown open streamer-fashion and both were restored —except that the colors were mixed, each being half one color and half the other. Again the ribbons were rolled and thrown open, but nothing happened. Realizing that the ribbons should have been cut, I did so at the joint of the colors, rolled them as before and when I threw them open, they were completely and correctly restored. Two sets oF ribbons were used and these are shown in Fig, 4. The first pair consisted of (wo GreEen~ReD RIBBON WHOLE RED RIBBON a ST _————e: Goa Woove 6 GREEN RIBBON 50