AL MANN

POST OFFICE BOX 144 . FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY

07728

AL MANN

POST OFFICE BOX 144 • FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY 07728

PSYCH0-MENTISIS

FOREWORD

What the magician does and what his audiences see is not the important thing in the creation of great magic. It is what the audience 'thinks' the magician did and what the audience think they saw, that creates that enchanting illusion of real magic.

Can you bend a horseshoe? with the power of your thought? Can you lift a car with the tips of your fingers? Can you levitate yourself? You will only have to do it once!

The chap that made a cloud disappear from the Florida skies is today reaping a harvest. Several articles and books have been written about him. He has been appointed to several 'psychic' committees. He does not have to make anymore clouds disappear.

A sideshow performer made a comfortable living just by telling the same story over and over. On stage he had a giant blow-up of a newspaper article telling the story of the time he fell asleep in a drunken stupor on a beach in the Philippine Islands and woke up inside the stomach of a snake. Luckily, he said, he had a jack-knife in his back pocket to cut his way out!

Psycho-Mentisis offers much food for thought and the off-beat magic that will create a reputation and much talk. Take advantage of the smallest grain of publicity connected with this type of magic and blow-it-up bigger than life!

Have Fun

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PSYCHO-MENTISIS AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVES

THE BENDS

EFFECT: An examined U.S. copper penny bends while held in the spectator's hand and continues to bend until it doubles over!

METHOD: Pig. 1 shows three coins. For the moment we say they are U.S. copper pennies.

The penny at Pig. 1A must be a steel penny but looks like a copper penny. These pennies are sold at the magic stores A and come with other effects. They can be picked up by a magnet! The bent pennies at B and C are regular copper pennies but look exactly like the steel penny. One coin is partially bent and the other is bent-double. All three pennies will be needed for the effect.

Pig. 2 shows a secretary-type billfold held closed with a rubber band. The dash lines indicate a hidden magnet inside the wallet next to the skin.

TO PREPARE: Coin "C" is palmed in right hand. Coin "B" is placed out of sight between the edges of the wallet right under the rubber band as indicated by arrow Fig. 2B. The rubber band is only used to keep the bent coin in position while the wallet is in performer's pocket.

TO PRESENT: Pass coin "A" out for examination. Take out your wallet and remove the rubber band holding the hidden bent coin in place by pressure of the left thumb and fingers.

After the spectator has examined the coin, take it back and place it at the end of your wallet as shown in Pig. 2 "A"

Tell the spectator that you do not want to touch the coin again. Holding the wallet with your left hand, tell the spectator to stretch out his left hand as you dump the coin from the wallet into his hand. Then say, "Please close your hand as soon as the coin drops,"

Try the move a second time. As the spectator closes his hand ask him if he felt anything. "When phenomena occurs, you will definitely feel a surge of energy leaving your body."

Nothing has happened on the first two tries so you say, "Let's try it with your right hand," As you say this you naturally transfer the wallet to the right hand. The hidden bent coin will now be free to drop out when the wallet is

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PSYCHO-MKNTISIS AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THE BENDS .... cont.

tipped. This time the visible penny is placed directly over the hidden magnet as shown in Pig. 2 "C .

This time when the wallet is tipped over the spectator's hand he will get the bent coin while the unbent one will remain attached to the magnet! Performer then places his right thumb over the penny on the magnet to hide it.

"Keep your hand clenched and try to visualize the penny bending. There! I felt something, didn't you?"

Continue with a little more patter and then tell the spectator to open his hand. Most certainly he will be amazed!

The spectator will take a long look at the bent coin BUT as you take it back from him switch it for the palmed coin and say, "Say! The coin is still bending," and throw coin "C" to the floor or at the spectator.

The bent coins are bent with a small vice and a pair of pliers. Be sure to place a cloth in the jaws of the vice and the teeth of the pliers so as not to mark the coins. You will have to make a number of bent coins as the spectator's will surely want to keep them as good luck charms. The coins bend easier if they are heated a bit,

Dimes and nickels or other coins can also be used provided you can get the desired steel coins.

This effect can of course be presented anywhere, even on a street corner, and it is intended for close-up use.

Some of the readers may see a similarity in this effect to Bill Nord's "Bill-Ze-Bub" which was done with a writing pad, If the reader has the writing pad gimmick he can of course use it with this routine. However the wallet, coins and magician seem to go together most naturally.

A PAUSE Before proceeding further into our fascinating voyage into

Psycho-Mentisis it is well to stop and reflect on two important items. No doubt the mentalist and the close-up worker have discovered that magnets are their best friends. Seeming miracles can be performed by the use of magnets, so it behoves the artist to get a bushel full of magnets of all sizes and shapes.

A hidden magnet usually replaces a sleight like the 'French-drop!' A PROFESSIONAL mentalist should never have to resort to the French-drop sleight which is known by every child who knows the cups and balls.

In the above effect, "The Bends" all the moves are natural moves and the performer hardly uses his hands. The wallet is used because it is handy and so that the performer does not touch the coin.

Every close up worker should own a magnetic finger ring. Emerson and West are presently selling one complete with book of routines for about $12.50. A3 will be seen later

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A PAUSE ..... cont.

a magnetic finger ring or any gimmick with a magnet that can be palmed will take the place of the French-drop.

The second item of importance is the magician's den table. The table should be the square card table that seats 4 persons and is made of cardboard. This table should have at least two magnetic fields. One in front of the performer's place and another one to his right. These magnetic fields are created by attaching a strong ring or horseshoe magnet to the underside of the table top where desired. The best way to do this is to cement a piece of sheet metal to the correct pla-ces and then attach the magnets.

The effect that follows will show the reader the amazing effects possible with the magician's table mentioned above HOWEVER if the reader does not care to prepare a table he can still perform the effects by hiding magnets under his shirt sleeve, for example OR he can embed a strong magnet in a writing tablet or brief case.

PERMUTATION OP MATTER

A SOLID THROUGH SOLID EFFECT

EFFECT: Examined and ungimmicked safety pins link . together without anyone touching them. They link in the hands of a spectator. They link into the sitters finger ring! The ungimmick pins link slowly in mid air before the eyes of the audience without any cover.

This close-up effect is in three parts using different size of safety pins.

The reader may wish to do only one of the parts or two or all three of them. If the reader does not own a linking finger ring then he may do only half of the second part, etc.

Needed:

18 or more 1 inch long safety pins , Fig. 3 "A*

18 or more 2 inch long safety pins , Fig. 3 "B"

4 3-inch long safety pins, Fig. 3 "C"

1 magnetic finger ring or other similar gimmick

1 billfold as the one used in the previous effect "The Bends."

1 linking finger ring (optional)

1 magician's table (optional)

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PERMUTATION OP MATTER ... cont.

PART I

Three examined and ungimmicked safety pins link in the hands of a spectator!

PREPARATION: Take three of the 1-inch safety pins and link them together and place them between the edges of the wallet (with the hidden magnet) and out of sight and hold them in place with a rubber band as in Pig. 2

PRESENTATION: Have the spectator choose any three safety pins from a small dish of 1-inch safety pins and have them examined, (these pins are of course ungimmicked)

Next take the three loose safety pins and place them on the extreme end of the billfold away from the hidden magnet. Go through the routine as done with the bent coins of placing the unlinked pins into the hand of the spectator.

On the third try, place the three loose safety pins over the magnet and throw the hidden linked pins into the spectator’s hand.

This first part of the act should convince the spectator that you are a magician and that you are using ordinary props although this should not be mentioned.

Part I can be done anywhere. Part II is a table pre-sentation and Part III can only be done over a magnetic field.

PART II

Three large safety pins link and unlink visibly. They link and unlink in the hands of a spectator. They link into the spectator's finger ring!

For smoothness in the presentation of this routine, it is necessary to do Part II with the large 3-inch long safety pins and then go into Part III by using the 2-inch pins. The reason will be obvious to the reader as we proceed. If the reader does not own a linking finger ring he can still do the effect with the spectator's own ring.

One of the 3-inch safety pins is gimmicked and it is the only pin gimmicked in the whole act of "Permutation of Matter. As indicated in Fig. 4, the pin is gimmicked by soldering the point inside the head at "A" and cutting the bar at point "B".

It is better to buy a gimmicked pin than to make one at home.

The effect currently on the market called, "The Linking Pins" by Jerry Andrus is highly recommended. The routine by Andrus is tops. The safety pins visibly link and unlink and in the spectators hands. Pour pins are furnished with the routine. Three are unprepared and one is gimmicked.

PSYCHO-MENTISIS AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

PERMUTATION OP MATTER .. PATT II ..... cont#

If the reader owns a linking finger ring, proceed as follows: Give out the 3 straight pins for examination, The gimmicked pin is hiding out of sight behind a book or box or in performer's pocket.

Take two of the straight pins and place them in your left hand, but secretly link them into your linking finger ring. Then say, "Look! they have linked into my wedding band! Of course they will link into any ring. Let me borrow your ring for a moment." This time you have switched for the gimmicked pin and pass it into the spectator's ring.

You are now stuck holding two finger rings with linked pins. You could very well proceed to link the two finger rings together BUT that is not recommended as it would indeed be taxing the spectator's credulity or gilding the Lilly but then it depends on the atmosphere created so far.

It is best to unlink the pin from the spectator's ring by rubbing the finger tip lightly over the gimmick bar and pushing the finger ring out. Sea Pig. 5.

As you hand the ring back to the spectator tell him to choose and inspect three safety pins from the other dish which contains the 2-inch long pins. While spectator is doing that you have ample time to unlink the pins from your ring,

NOTE: All the magic is in the safety pins as far as the spectator knows. He has seen the pins repeatedly link and unlink, so it is no surprise that the pins also linked into the finger rings. No suspicion, if any, has been directed to the finger rings. However if the two finger rings are linked together, the spectator may suspect that your innocent-looking wedding band is not so innocent.

The spectator has already seen two examined pins linked into a finger ring so when he sees a third, supposedly examined pin, link into his own finger ring, the illusion is complete.

If the reader does not have a linking finger ring, he can proceed as follows: Borrow the spectator's ring and pick up two pins, the gimmick one and a straight one. Link the gimmick pin into the ring and then link the straight pin into the gimmicked pin.

Hold the ring up with the two pins held together so that it looks like the two pins have penetrated the ring, then shake the ring and the straight pin will fall and form a chain with the gimmick pin.

Fig. 5 shows the correct way to hold the gimmick pin and ring prior to unlinking them. Just rub the lower bar of the pin with the tip of your index finger back and forth and then push the ring off.

PSYCHO-MENTISIS AN AL MANN

EXCLUSIVE

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PERMUTATION OP MATTER ... cont. part II

Fig. 6 depicts a spectator's finger ring with apparently two pins linked to it. Actually only the gimmicked pin is linked to the ring and the other straight pin is linked to the gimmick pin. The pins are held in place momentarily by slight pressure of the tip of the thumb or finger as the ring is displayed, "hen the pressure is released the straight pin will fall and form a chain so that it appears that the pin has magically penetrated both the ring and the pin.

PART III

This phase of the routine is most fascinating since ungimmicked pins appear to link slowly in mid air before the eyes of the spectator!

To bring about this amazing effect and several others, the performer must work over a 'magnetic' field, This could be preferably in the magician's den but can also be done over a brief case or over a tablet, etc.

Pig. 7 shows the top of the magician's table with two magnetic fields at A and B, although only one is needed, a

second one comes in handy sometimes, These magnetic fields are made by

cementing good size ring or horseshoe magnets under the top of the table at the

desired spots, Even a bar magnet, say about 1/2 by 1 by 2 inches will do.

NOTE: Credit for this idea is due to magician J. van Rinkhuyzen (Rink) of Holland, His excellent routine with paper clips appeared in Lewis Sanson's "Close UP Magic, Volume II,

Any two or more objects made of soft metal or steel will become induced with magnetism instantly when held over the magnetic field.

Fig, 8 shows: A-safety pins. B- two nails, C- two coins, the larger coin should be held over the smaller, D- two keys.

The reader can readily see what amazing effects can be done with this principle.

After doing the coin bending or key bending or nail bending act you can show that the objects are still hot and have become induced with your personal magnetism (?)!

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PERMUTATION OP MATTER ..... cont. Part III

Not all metals can be magnetised. So the performer must test the items he will use with a magnet.

If the performer is not good at doing a convincing French-drop, he should use a magnetic finger ring in this routine.

PRESENTATION: After the spectator has chosen 3 of the 2-inch long safety pins, the magician shows that they can be linked by magic as he links them together by magnetism. to do this the magician holds the pins over the magnetic field, say about six inches over the table top. The pins will link together as shown in Fig. 8 "A".

Here the performer can invite the spectator to try to do the same with three other pins. The spectator of course fails unless there is another magnet under his side.

Performer then takes the three pins from the spectator and links them unto his to form a chain of six pins!

(before the act, performer has linked 3 pins together and place them out of sight on his lap)

As performer displays his chain of six pins with his right hand he secretly palms the three linked pins on his lap. Three of the pins from the chain of six are given back to the spectator or just placed on the table or into the dish of pins. The other three pins the magician takes into his right hand one at a time where they become attached to his magnetic ring OR otherwise he gets prepared to do the French-drop and exchanges the three loose pins for the three linked ones and throws the linked pins on the table for the spectator to see. "They are linked!" you say.

NOTE!: Anything small item that has a piece of metal embedded in it can be caused to stick together. Example: strips of newspaper, playing cards, business cards.

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THE SPIKES OP ASMODEUS

In which vie consider the bent nail act.

In the early 1950's, your author happened to visit Abbott's New York City Conjuror's shop on 42nd street, Jim Reneaux was behind the counter. We had been discussing the blindfold act and turning walking sticks into live snakes when we were interrupted by a gentleman with a heavy Mediterranean accent. He told us about an act done with metal spikes.

The effect was that a bowl of steel nails or spikes are passed out for examination and then the magician takes any one and bites off a piece and spits it out,

I laughed at the gentleman and assumed he was having pipe dreams. To my surprise I found out later that not only was the nail act a fact but that an American magic dealer could supply most of the props,

In the Genii for May 1960, Bascom Jones Jr. and Frederick M, Shields treated on the bent nail act using 16-penny nails. This act, however, was presented as a feat of strength. The magician bent the solid nails with the fingers of one hand. Stuart Robson was the supplier of the bent-nail act which came complete with bent nails. Jack Floyd, a New Yorker is given credit for suggesting the use of nails made of solder for easy bending after they are substituted for the real steel nails. It is the solder nails that can actually be bitten with the teeth and a piece of real nail spit out!

At this writing (1977) Doc Dougherty of 2037 Plainview Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa, 15226, is selling a close-up nail act for $4.00 using 8-penny (2 1/2 inches long) nails, complete with 3 nails made of solder.

And now for our up-to date Uri Geller type nail act, First you should make some solder nails, although that is not totally necessary. If you make the solder nails they should be about 4 inches long or longer, 5 or 6 inch long nails would be better. These nails are made out of soldering wire, cut to size and then a head and point are fashioned by the aid of a hot pressing iron.

Needed are: One or two solder nails. A bag full of 4 and 5 inch long nails, 6 4-penny nails which are 1 1/2 inch long An assortment of bent nails in various

shapes. The billfold used in "The Bends," A sheet of glass about 12 by 12 inches A few bent spikes. A paper bag with a secret inside smaller

pocket

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THE SPIKES 01? ASMODEUS .... cont.

PREPARATION: Prepare a grocery bag of a size to hold about 12 nails 4 and $ inches long, with a smaller inside bag. This inside bag is made of paper and cemented to the inside of the bag.

Into the secret bag place one solder nail and one slightly bent nail and one nail bent-double. These are the I). and 5 inch nails, Fig. 9 shows various bent nails and one spike

Nails "A" and "C" go into the secret inside compartment together with the solder nail which should be about 4 or 4 1/2 inches long.

All the nails must be polished with an emery cloth so that they resemble the solder nail.

The other nails B, and D and the spike E are later thrown on the floor and passed out to the audience.

If you do the nail-up-the-nose bit and if your audience can stomach it, then you need a special extra nail. This nail is about 5 or 6 inches long and polished and the point filed down round and also nickel-plated if you wish. The act of driving a nail through your nose is easy but not recommended for nice audiences as it is indeed vulgar. Anyone can do it. All you have to do is try it. The nail enters through one nostril and passes over the roof of the mouth, the sinus cavity.

You must also bend into various shapes 3 l 1/2 inch long nails and place these between the edges of your billfold which has a hidden magnet in it as per fig. 2, and place a rubber band around it to hold the bent nails in place.

Place the bag loaded with the iron nails and gimmicks on a table on stage together with the plate of glass and you are ready.

THE PRESENTATION: On stage after the patter, the magician takes the paper bag placing his right hand fingers into the bag and over the secret pocket while the right thumb pinches the bag from the outside.

The magician then turns the bag upside down over the plate of glass thereby dumping its contents except for the gimmick nails which are held back by the right hand,

This is the Bascom Jones presentation. The idea is that the nails make much noise. Some of the nails fall to the floor making more noise. The nails are then poured back into

PSYCHO-MENTISIS AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

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THE SPIKES OP

ASMODEUS

..... cont.

the bag and some more nails drop to the floor. The plate of glass which the magician held in his left hand is now placed aside and the bag of nails is placed on the table.

Magician reaches into the bag and takes out a bunch of straight nails plus the bent nail "A" and "C" as shown in Pig. 9. Nail "C" is palmed in left hand and nail "A" is held together with the rest of the straight nails in the left hand.

"Ladies and Gentleman, You no doubt have heard that some magicians can bend solid steel spikes with their thoughts alone." As magician says this he hits the microphone with one of the straight nails to show their solidity.

"There is really nothing to it. All you have to do is wave it in the air like this."

Magician demonstrates by doing the familiar sleight shown in fig, 10. The nail is taken between the thumb and first finger and it is moved up and down and wiggled sideways at the same time.

"Of course, this is only an optical illusion, the nail does not bend at all," Here the magician replaces the nail into his left hand and takes up another and says, "But you must keep on trying."

Magician again replaces the nail in his right hand and this time picks up the partially bent nail "A" but immediately starts wiggling the nail so that the audience is not given a chance to notice that it is bent,

"Perseverance pays off" says the magician as he stops the movements and keeps the bent nail covered by his hand and begins to rub the nail and then shows it to be bent!

Magician passes the bent nail to the audience for a souvenir. Next he approaches the bag again and takes up more nails so that he now holds about six or eight nails in his left hand together with the solder nail and the bent-over nail "C".

Magician calls a spectator from the audience to come on stage and allots him to inspect some nails. Here the magician gives the spectator about four or five nails to hold in his hand and ask him if they are solid and to try to bend them by rubbing them. Magician lets the spectator keep one nail and the rest are placed back into the bag. Magician is now holding in his hands only the solder nail and the bent-double nail palmed in his left hand. The spectator is of course standing on the performer's right side of the stage wing so that the performer's back of left hand is to audience.

Both the magician and the spectator now rub their nails together. "Now you will see the nails start to bend. Mine is

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PSYCHQ-MENTISIS AN AL MANN Exclusive;

THIS SPIKES OP ASMODEUS ..... cont.

already bending. How is yours?" At this point the magician shows that his nail is partially bent like in Pig. 9 "B".

Performer places the partially bent solder nail back behind his left hand and continues to rub it and in the process he actually bends the solder nail till it doubles up to make it easy for palming and exchanges nails.

"Any luck yet?" The spectator of course cannot bend his nail by rubbing it.

Magician then shows his solid iron nail bent double and gives it out to the audience.

The magician addresses his assistant on stage saying, "The reason you have not succeeded is because the nail is too big for you. You have to start learning this business with small nails. Here are some small nails."

The magician takes out three 1 1/2 inch long finishing nails and shows them to the audience,

For this experiment, make sure that you do use finishing nails. Any other type of nail will not do. You have beforehand secreted three bent finishing nails between the edges of your magnetic billfold. These three nails are bent in different shapes. One is bent double, a second one is bent in a "V" shape and the third is bent like a pretzel.

The illusion is perfect in this presentation. First, the magician bends a large metal nail slightly and passes it out to the audience . Next he bends another large nail till it doubles and lastly he is forced to switch to tiny nails because his assistant is a novice at the art.

The magician then hands the three small nails to his assistant, "Please examine these nails but do not bent them with your fingers. I am going to teach you to bend nails with the power of your thought alone."

"Have you and I ever got before? Aren't you glad? etc, as magician takes out his wallet and removes the rubber band. "Place the nails on my wallet. I do not want to touch them. Please close your fist as soon as I drop the nails in your hand and close your eyes and concentrate in bending metal." The magician continues as in "The Bends" effect.

For this effect you will have to work with your right side to the audience.

After the presentation some bent nails and spikes are strewn about the stage, dressing room and theatre seats. Someone will pick them up. Take them home and say they saw you bend them. Some will sell them. It is good publicity

Some rusty bent nails and spikes would be on display in a glass case in the lobby,

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THE FRANKENSTEIN AFFAIR In which we consider

the regeneration of dead bodies !

Nothing new, of course! Magician's, from the dawn of civilization, have been producing live birds out of thin air, rabbits out of empty hats and rejoining decapitated heads on their victims,

In the Frankenstein Affair, we do the work close-up in the magician's den and show the spectators some positive results!

The magician states that he has succeeded in bringing dead bodies back to life,

"I have already succeeded with microscopic life (magician points to his microscope on the shelf), I have revived dead microbes ana bacteria and have now progressed to where I can revive dead insects as large as ants and flies, I have discovered what is, to the insects, the elixir of regeneration (here the magician shows the spectators a test tube with crystals)."

"If you are interested I would like to demonstrate some of ray experiments to you,"

"Here is a jar full of the dead bodies of ants. Please watch me carefully, I will place a few of these dead ants into a clean glass. Sprinkle some of my magic crystals and stir the lot "

• Sure enough as everyone watches some of the ants come to life and crawl out of the glass and unto the table,

"I find this relatively easy. What is giving me more trouble are the larger insects like the house fly. Here is a dead fly that I will try to revive right now but I have no guaranty that it will work,"

The magician sprinkles the fly with his magic crystals and soon the fly comes to life!

That is the effect of the "Frankenstein Affair" as presented in the magician's don. The microbes come to life in the mind of the spectator. The ants come to life right before his eyes, but the fly sometimes comes to life and sometimes not,

What you need: 1 jar half full of dead ants, about 6 live ants, small 1 live house fly, fat, in a small glass bottle with holes in the cap 1 test tube with salt crystals 1 chemists beaker or drinking glass 1 Corinda's Billet pencil 1 microscope (cheap) sitting on shelf, optional,

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THE FRANKENSTEIN AFFAIR ..... cont.

THE PREPARATION: with a pair of tweezers, drop about 6 live ants into the Corinda Billet pencil chamber and cover it with a rubber eraser cap. Place the pencil in your inside coat pocket. The jar with dead ants, the test tube with salt crystals and the drinking glass are all in sight on the table,

The live fly in its bottle are in your pants pocket.

THE PRESENTATION: Patter about your experiments with dead bodies, microbes, bacteria, etc. Offer to demonstrate.

Show the jar with the dead ants and pour some on the table to prove that they are dead. You may want to give the spectators a magnifying glass to look at the dead ants,

Ask someone to pour some of the dead ants into the clean glass or beaker. Show the 'magic' crystals in the test tube and sprinkle some crystals into the glass.

Secretly remove the rubber eraser from the billet pencil and immediately stick the pencil amongst the dead ants and stir the mess,

NOTE: The billet pencil has a plunger that drops by gravity so that all you have to do is to invert the pencil and the plunger will drop and push out the ants.

Next just sit and watch for movements amongst the dead ants ana soon the live ants will come to the surface.

"They do not all come to life" says the magician, "But I am happy with the partial success. Imagine being able to do that with human bodies!"

With the fly, the act is a bit different. Let the spectators play with the live ants, while you excuse yourself to wash your hands for the next experiment. Caution the spectators not to allow the ants to escape as you want to study them to see how long they live.

While in the bath room you must submerge the bottle with the live fly under water until it stops moving. Then take out the fly and bring it into your den and drop it on the table, Sprinkle some 'magic1 crystals (salt) over it and it should soon come back to life. If the fly comes alive it means it was not dead but just water-logged. The salt crystals absorb the water out of the fly. If the fly does not come to life it means you held it under water too long and is now dead.

The vice of the billet pencil to stir the mess seems rational since the dead ants and the salt are dry. But there must be many other x-rays to introduce the live ants into the glass.

If the reader does not own a billet pencil and desires one they are available at $4.50 from Al Mann Exclusives.

Other insects recommended for this experiment instead of ants are lady bugs, the small ones.

PSYCH0-MENTISIS AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

IMPONDERABLE ENEMY

A discussion on the Abnormal Lift.

The phenomena of the !Abnormal Lift1 is something we seldom read about, very rarely see and no one can explain.

A few months ago, your author was entertaining a nice group of friends and new acquaintances. I did O'Daneven's Secret and Out-of-This-World with a borrowed and shuffled deck. The card trick made the ladies quite nervous as they questioned what forces had been at play since they had mysteriously separated the red cards from the black.

Next I did the Flight of the Psycards. Everyone in the audience new 'some1 card tricks, yet the Plight of the Psycards baffled every one so completely that they wrote letters to each other days later saying that the effect had no rational explanation.

However, they were unaware that I had been just as impressed by an old gentleman who was a retired civil servant. He had travelled much and knew a few tricks of magic that he had done many times. One of the tricks was the 'abnormal lift.' I encouraged him to demonstrate it. I had read a lot about it and knew what it was but had never taken the time to investigate it. The test was repeated several times with different people. Your author who weighs 212 pounds was lifted effortlessly by four persons using only their index fingers'

It did not feel like being lifted but rather I felt I was floating up in a soft cushion. There was no strain at all at the four places where the four persons had placed their fingers to lift me. It was an amazing experience.

This demonstration took place before I performed my card tricks. Amazingly enough the persons present were not at all impressed by the abnormal lift demonstration because it was overshadowed with my feats of unexplainable magic, the card tricks.

Actually the abnormal lift does not look too impressive until someone analyses what actually happened.

Have you ever tried to lift a 50 Id. dumbbell? If you are not a weight-lifter you are in danger of hurting or breaking an arm or your back in the attempt. A friend of mine once ridiculed a weight-lifter who was working out with 45 lb. dumbbells. The dumbbells as they lay on the floor looked most harmless and easy to lift. My friend said there was nothing to it as he reached over to pick up one dumbbell with one arm and almost collapsed not only from the strain but from the shock. Not only did he failed to lift the weight but he almost toppled over head over heels,

If a person tries to lift a 50-lb weight with only his two extended index fingers he may break them.

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IMPONDERABLE ENERGY .... cont.

The four persons who lifted me were each handling 53 pounds;

No amount of explanation is possible to account for the act. Some say it is concerted effort,

Burling Hull and Hereward Garrington once did the abnormal lift on a weighing scale and said there was a big difference in the recorded weight when the person was lifted, Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, there are still unknown forces surrounding us, Radio and television were unknown forces just a few decades ago!

Following is the way the test was done on me; I sat on a chair with my feet square on the floor, four

persons, one of them a woman, were instructed to clasp their hands together like a vice, extending their first two fingers out together like in fig. 11, Two persons placed their two index fingers under my knees and the other two under my arm pits for a trial. There were no breathing exercises. All four persons were then told to place their hands over my head like a pyramid of hands and when the performer said "Go they all removed their hands from my head, clasped them and lifted me. I repeat that it was a most amazing experience.

Since the test is being taught to children in some schools, the test may have lost some of it's entertaining value for the theatre mentalist, BUT there are many ways of dressing up this principle so it will always be a baffling test for many,

Professor Nika writing in the 4th volume of Psycho-Gizmo, does the test with the person lying down on a six-foot table. He uses 6 persons, three on each side to do the lifting, Nika also describes the same method as shown in fig. 11.

East Indian magicians are amazing people doing the lift by lifting a 50-lb rock with pressure of the tips of the index fingers,

The Abnormal Lift experiments are excellent to do at anytime anywhere in combination with any psychic show,

Perhaps some enterprising future psychic can try lifting a small car. Just divide the weight of the car by 50 to arrive at the approximate number of persons needed!

Worldwide fame awaits the one who tries and succeeds,

PSYCHO-MENTISIS All AL MANN EXCLUSIVES

THE REACH OP THE MIND

16

Another look at the mystery of the pendulums.

The pendulums in bottles was treated in "Mental—Ettes." The behaviour of a pendulum inside a bottle is a deep

mystery for the observer. A recent experiment is as follows:

A lady came in for a hypnotic prescription-session, To test her suggestibility she was told to choose one of six numbered bottles on a small tray-table. While the operator sat some 10 feet away, she was told to place her ten fingers on the top of the table, stare at the pendulum and will it to move and swing. Soon the pendulum began to swing until it stroke the side of the bottle. While the pendulum continued to strike the bottle the sitter was told to take a quid, look at the other pendulums which were motionless,

The sitter refused to believe that she was causing the movements of the pendulum and accused the operator of being responsible for them.

The atmosphere of the séance room and the presence and reputation of the magician help to deepen the mystery.

No one has yet noticed or commented on the fact that the strings on the pendulums are all of different lengths.

The apparatus shown in fig, 12 shows the pendulums to be of equal length yet that is not the case at all. There is no doubt that the box shown would make the pendulum effect more mysterious. The apparatus is of simple construction so that the performer can dismantle it to show that there are no hidden motors, clockworks or strings.

It is made of four piece of transparent Plexiglas, which make the sides and front and back panels. The top 4 or 5 inches of those panels are painted black (A) to hide the fact that the inside board is laying diagonally. The pendulums are suspended from the inside board about 3 inches apart.

The box measures 3 by 12 by 19 inches, The longer pendulum is 10 inches long and the shortest about six inches long.

The weights are made from fish line weights and painted in different colours, The whole structure can be held together by top and bottom frames.

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THE REACH OF THE MIND .... cont.

The idea of the apparatus pictured in fig. 12 is that the pendulums appear to be all of equal length. It is questionable whether this is an improvement over the pendulums sealed in bottles.

When the apparatus is dismantled the board with the pendulums is held in the same relative position or more to the vertical. Since the spectators do not know what to look for they will not notice anything different with the pendulums.

For the presentation the sitter sits in front of the pendulums and places his finger tips on the top of the. table and wills any one of the pendulums to move. The pendulum is willed to move back and forth until it strikes the glass and makes a bell-like sound,

This is one effect where the magic is in the mind of the sitter and it amazes them!

MERLIN'S MAGIC MARIONETTES

With Merlin's Marionettes, the operator is able to prove his telekinetic powers. The dolls move on the command of their master, the magician.

Merlin's dolls do not walk or dance, but they do wiggle and move their heads and hands. Nobody else can make them move unless they know the secret,

The Secret: Figure 14 gives the secret away. Ring magnets on a stick. When the ring magnets are placed on a stick with their poles reversed they become floating magnets.

If another magnet is passed close to it, like below the table, the rings become attracted by the bigger magnet and they move. The extreme sides or ends of the ring magnets will move up and down by moving the larger magnet back and force under the table top. If the hand is passed closed to the floating magnets with a magnet concealed in a ring or palm, the floating magnets will move.

Put a dress and hat on the ring magnets and you have a doll. The dress is not in one piece but each ring magnet is covered with a separate piece of different colour paper to make the dress,

The large magnet is strapped to the leg or attached to the shoe. The hands of the dolls are made from pipe cleaning wire,

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THE SECRET OF Thai ANCIENTS

IN which we consider:

LEVITATIONS! .... Ayy! There is a thought to conjure with. The mention of it makes the sceptics scratch their heads. Houdini attempted to debunk Home's levitation feats but his explanations fell on deaf ears.

Witnesses said that Home floated in a horizontal position right out a window into space, 70 feet above ground and back through another window in the next room] London, 1868.

In 1882 (Jan, 17) magician Kellar attended a séance given by Eglinton, the English medium who succeeded Henry Slade in Europe, During the séance, Kellar was holding Eglinton's left hand when the medium started to float up so high that he pulled Kellar up with him, Kellar had to climb onto the table to keep a hold on Eglinton's hand!

Kellar stated, "I went as a sceptic, but I must own that I came away utterly unable to explain, by natural means the phenomena that I witnessed on Tuesday evening,"

No doubt that later Kellar learned the secret of levitation as he put out a challenge to duplicate anything done by a medium,

Saints and charlatans have levitated and teleported themselves into the pages of history,

Ancient prophets as well as some modern ones claim they have walked on water,

Present day wonder workers do not have to float on air 70 feet above ground to satisfy their sophisticated audiences, All they need do is to lift themselves a few inches!

The average levitation of 200 saints in history is 20 inches. Some have flown quite high while others have only hovered 2 inches above ground,

A non-magician friend and raconteur of bizarre tales told the author the following:

"The gift of levitation does not come overnight, I spent many years in profound meditation in the hopes of mastering the divine art. It took me a long time just to know what I wanted. It took me a long time just to get the feeling of what it was all about. One does not oppose the established laws of gravity utterly, I fasted and followed a rigorous self-discipline "and denial. Finally I reached the stage known as the "one" with the creator. This is a feeling of pure ecstasy. The "one" being vibrates in a world of brilliant energy. The astral body projects itself into other

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LEVITATIONS .... cont.

worlds and other dimensions. After a number of out-of-body experiences I noticed that my physical body also commenced to take wing."

"I then approached a close friend and confided in him my great secret. I told him I had mastered the art of Levitation. That I could demonstrate it to him but although he may not be able to see it I could prove it to him."

"I told him to try to pass a newspaper under my shoes, slowly and carefully, while I stood in the centre of the room in a trance. I asked him to proceed very slowly, an inch at a time."

"It took him a few minutes just to be able to push the newspaper sheet under half my shoes. Then with a. superhuman mental effort I completely cleared the floor and my friend was able to pull the newspaper sheet clear through under my shoes."

The reader must admit that is some patter story and a good presentation theme even though my anonymous friend may be suspected of being "on" something.

THE ILLUSION

Now we are going to create the illusion of levitation by combining my friends patter story and newspaper sheet idea with an idea in U.F. Grant's booklet "Bodies in Orbit." U. F. Grant's mss is on levitation ideas and is highly recommended.

EFFECT: Magician patters about levitations and his latest achievements along that line,

A sheet of newspaper is placed over a foot stool and then the magician stands on the newspaper over the stool and calls on two members of the audience to come on stage and pull on the newspaper sheet. The sheet comes through. Next the magician levitates his whole body off the stool for about 2 or 3 inches.

THE METHOD: You need:

1 stool, 10 inches high. The seat piece should be about 3 inches thick. The stool must be strong enough to support the magician standing on two feet or one foot without toppling over. Painted a shiny silver colour.

1 cloth curtain, about if. by 6 feet depending on the size of the magician. Opaque white colour fitted with an extension arm and a top rod to hold the curtain square.

1 shopping bag, specially constructed. Size 12 inches

PSYCHO-MSNTISIS AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

LIMITATIONS ... cont.

wide, 14 inches long and 20 inches high. The bag is re-enforced on the inside with cardboard so that it remains open like a box. The bag is painted a bright colour on the front only and black on the other three sides.

1 sheet of newspaper, and one assistant (optional).

1 pair dummy shoes with pant legs (optional)

THE PRESENTATION: During the patter the assistant comes out with the shopping bag (bright colour side to audience) and takes out the stool and places it behind the magician, Then he unrolls the cloth curtain to inspect it and under cover of the curtain turns the shopping bag around so that the black colour from the sides and back of the bag meld with the black back drop (stage curtail). The shopping bag is placed just a few inches, say four, behind the stool.

Magician next places the newspaper sheet over the stool and stands on it. He then calls on two volunteer members of the audience ( one should be a confederate and the other a lady) and instructs them on how to pull the paper.

Magician covers himself with the curtain and then steps back and into the shopping bag while the newspaper sheet is pulled away with a lot of mystic fanfare. Magician steps back onto the stool and raises the cloth, thanks the assistants and dismisses the lady.

Next the magician states he is going to try for a few more inches as the time seems to be apropos. He covers himself with the curtain again, steps back into the shopping bag and this time raises the cloth so that the stool is seen.

The assistant passes a hoop or sword between the bottom of the curtain and top of the stool to prove that the magician is really floating. If the dummy shoes are used they can now be shown as hanging just under the cloth. The magician then removes the dummy shoes and places them behind the shopping bag and then steps onto the stool so that the audience can actually see his shoes descending anew. He then removes the curtain and takes his bow. End of miracle.

The reader may surmise that he will not fool anyone with the trick. Let me say that you do not need to. Some members of the audience will say (kidding maybe) that they saw you levitate. The story will spread. The newspapers will pick it up (as a lark perhaps) and print it.

That, Gentlemen, is what levitations are all about. Publicity.'

PSYCHO-MENTISIS All AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

LEVITATIONS ... cont.

When Houdini made an elephant disappear in New York City's Hippodrome he did not expect anyone to believe that the elephant had actually vanished into thin air but he knew it would create a sensation. It became the most talked about feat of straight magic and made the headlines and that is all Houdini wanted,

further Notes

The stool: The top piece or seat of the stool is 3 inches thick. The reason for that is that part of it can be seen when the magician hides behind the curtain and gives the illusion that it was in sight at all times,

When the magician steps back into the shopping bag to do the newspaper stunt, he only places one leg into the bag and rests his other foot on top of the newspaper. That way when the spectators pull on the newspaper they will feel some resistance as the foot or shoe drag on it. Once the newspaper is pulled clear the magician jumps back on the stool, an easy matter since he already has one foot on it,

A false hand can be used for apparently holding the curtain from the top edge. Actually the magician is manipulating the curtain by the aid of the extension rod. The curtain of course must remain motionless as much as possible,

For the second try at levitation, the performer pulls the curtain a bit higher so that it is about 3 or four inches above the top of the stool. Since the bag is ten inches higher than the stool, the magician has some leeway.

If the dummy shoes and pant legs are to be used, be sure to use real shoes of the exact duplicate of theories you are wearing and also real pant legs. This dummy only needs about 3 inches of pant leg. Many expensive illusions have failed to impress an audience because the substituted dummy parts do not at all resemble the real thing,

Thanks to U. F. Grant, the author feels that this inexpensive illusion is one of the best that can be presented by a magician without having to resort to the well known levitation that the public has seen over and over,

The illusion must be practiced many times before pre-senting it,

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NOTES

THE BENDS: A small key can be used instead of a coin.

The Magician's Table: Some close-up table performers have their own custom built table. These tables are just a few inches higher than the regular table, The extra inches gives the magician a comfortable room for moving their legs and hands under it.

Permutation of Matter: In Part II it is assumed that the performer will first do the Jerry Andrus routine with the safety pins.

The Nail Act: The nail-up-the-nose bit was mentioned only for the sake of completeness. The novice must proceed with this stunt at his own risk. The nail enters into the head only for about 3 inches. Care must be taken against injury and infection.

TIP: When a bent nail like the one shown in Pig. 9"B" is held with the curved plain parallel to the line of sight of the audience, the bend cannot be seen. If the magician then very slowly rotates the nail with the tips of his first finger and thumb, the nail will appear to bend visibly!

Merlin's Marionettes: Throw a handkerchief over the doll first for a spooky start and then uncover the dolls.

The following items are available from Al Mann Exclusives:

Emerson and West magnetic finger ring and book Corinda's billet pencil The Linking Pins with the Jerry Andrus routine "Psi-Flexion" the nail act by Doc Dougherty

The Frankenstein Affair: Have some test tubes or glass boxes with some large insects like a praying mantis and say that you revived it two weeks ago and it is still living!

THE BENDS: figure out how to bend a horseshoe by psi power and then make sure the news media hears about it. A changing tray is a good start.