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MARRY LATOUR'^ WITH NUMEm>m MJjmnATIONS,


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THE LIBRARYOFTHE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIAThe John J. and Hanna M. McManusMorris N.and Chesley V. Young

Collection


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MAGICALSUGGESTIONS

BYHARRY LATOUR

With Numerous Illustrations

CondonGEORGE JOHNSON

24, Buckingham Street, Strand1921


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LOAN STACKGIFT


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CONTENTS.PAGB

The Expanding Ball of Paper and SilkProduction 7

The Chinese Hat and Water Bowl Mystery... idThe Japanese Fan to Vanish a Handkerchief ... 12The Tobacco Jar and Pipe 14The Bust of the Hindu and Mystic Turban ... 16The Vanishing Candle, Candlestick and Shade 19The Wheelbarrow and Flower Production ... 21Another Chinese Hat Trick 23A New Water Bowl Production Table 26The Books for Vanishing Small Articles ... 29Black Art Cushions 30The Detachable Sleeve and Pull Combined ... 31The Snake Table 33A Back Screen and Table Combined 35Another Novel Side Table 37A Novel Idea for a Small Stage Setting ... 39The Clay Model 41A Novel Hat Loading Appliance 44The Red, White and Blue Hats and Flowers 45


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PREFACE.

IN compiling this little book of Magic it has beenmy aim to present, as far as I know, originaleffects. Not entirely original, perhaps, in the methodsof working, yet ** Magical Suggestions '* that I havefound practical in my own act.

A vast quantity of magical literature has comemy way and I have found the books contained littlethat was original or new, so have been tempted toproduce a few of my own ideas. I am not attemptingto teach the reader the ** Art of Magic ** or how topresent it, as there are a number of standard workson the subject. I am simply giving the effect and themodus operandi of the experiments in a plain andstraightforward manner, and leave it to the reader toconstruct his own patter and to adopt his own methodof presentation.

The book is written for advanced students, who,I am sure, are always on the look out for new effects.There is an ever increasing demand for somethingdifferent in Magic, and I venture to hope that mybrother magicians may find some of the ** Sugges-tions '* useful.

Harry Latour.


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.THE EXPANDING BALL OF PAPER AND

SILK PRODUCTION.

THEeffect of this novel experiment is as follows :

The performer shows three sheets of paper,red, white and blue (about nine inches square), allare separate and all sides are shown. The papersare taken between the hands, rolled into a small balland eventually placed on the palm of the right hand.The ball is now seen to expand to about the size of asmall football (made up of segments of coloured tissuepaper) and from this paper ball the performer producessilk handkerchiefs or flags. If desired, the silks canbe changed to one large flag or another handkerchief.

In working out the effect one or two difficultieshad to be overcome. In the first place, in makingthe tissue paper ball I found the best plan was to cutthe sectionssix in numberand to place them overone of the toy rubber balls that can be inflated, anddeflated again, when required. Attach one of thesections of tissue paper to a circular disc of paper,about the size of a two shilling piece, with seccotine.Place over the rubber ball and join up the other sections


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S MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.until a complete ball is made, but leave open at thebottom. The air is now let out and the rubber ball isdrawn out of the now complete paper one. The nextthing is to prepare a balloon as in the inflated balloonsfrom the hat ; this is described in a number of con-juring books. The handkerchiefs are first placed inthe tissue paper ball and fastened to the opening witha strip of tissue paper and a touch of seccotine. Theballoon, already prepared for inflating, is now placedin the paper one. It is folded as small as possible,placed under the blue sheet of paper on the per-former's table; then comes the white sheet and lastlythe red.

In working, pick up the top sheet, red, show bothsides, then the last (blue) sheet and with it the balloonat the back. Place in the left hand and then adjustthe last sheet (after showing both sides in front ofthe others in the left hand). The performer will nowhave three sheets of tissue paper in the left hand withthe paper ball (with handkerchiefs and balloon inside)at the back of the blue sheet. The right hand is nowplaced over the left palm and the sheets of tissuepaper gathered up in both hands ; at the same timethe hands are moved up and down and the rubbercork is worked out of the glass tube, thus inflatingthe balloon. The movement of the hands will helpto mix the chemicals. As soon as this is done theleft hand is turned palm upwards with the right handon top. Leave the crumpled paper ball, just as itstarts to inflate, on the left palm and retain the threesheets of paper, now crumpled into a small ball, inthe right hand. This ball can be kept palmed until


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 9the handkerchiefs are produced and left behind themon the table. As soon as the balloon has expanded toits full extent, the handkerchiefs are produced frombetween the paper and rubber balloon. Take care to

PAPERBALL

HANDKERCHIEFS

BALLOON

keep the opening away from the audience. I findabout four to six handkerchiefs suit the best. Theycan afterwards be used for any other handkerchieftrick that the performer may introduce later in theprogramme.

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lo MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.

THE CHINESE HAT AND WATER BOWLMYSTERY.

THE following effect would suit an Orientalact.On the performer's table is seen a Chinese hat,

an empty box, a bagof rice or confetti and a Japanesetray. First the box is shown empty and the ricefrom the bag is poured into the box. The hat is nextshown and filled with rice from the box ; the tray isnow placed over the hat and the whole inverted. Thehat is now standing on the tray crown upwards, fullof rice, but, on lifting the hat, instead of rice fallingin a shower on the tray, a bowl full of water isdiscovered.

Secret and Working.Two hats are used in thiseffect; the shape is shown in Fig. i. It is best tomake your own hats, from thin cardboard, and coverwith silk as fancy suggests. The bowl of water isthe ordinary goldfish bowlnot the flat productionbowls. The hats should be made so that they just fitover the bowl, the mouth of the bowl touching thecrown of the hat and the rim of the hat just reachingto the bottom of the bowl (see Fig. 6).

The bowl is filled with water, and to keep thewater in, a sf>ecial cover is used. The only way I candescribe it is to refer the reader to Fig. 4. It is ofexactly the same construction as a ** pickle jar *' lidtwo circles of metal with a rubber band between and a


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. ttlever or tongue on top joining- the two discs together.The best way is to get as large a lid from a picklejar as possible and then to purchase a water bowlthat the lid will fit. The bowl filled with water, thelid is placed on, leaving the tongue still up. One

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of the hats is now placed over the bowl and the tonguepasses through a small hole in the centre of thecrown of the hat. The tongue is now pressed down,this locks the hat on to the bowl and also preventsthe water from coming out.


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12 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.I have found it best to cut a disc of cardboard the

size of the rim of the hat and seccotine to the bottomof the bowl. One side is painted the same colour asthe tray. Some rice should be stuck all over. Thehat and bowl in this condition is placed in an ordinaryinexhaustible box on the performer's table; the bagof rice is at one side and the other hat (on the tray)on the other side. The box is shown empty and therice poured in. Take the hat, fill from the box andpour the rice back again. The second time bring upNo. 2 hat with the water bowl upside down in the hat.Blow off the loose rice, cover with the tray and turnup the right wayhat standing crown upwards on thetray. Push the tongue of the lid of the water bowlup and lift the hat by it. The fingers come round thetassel of the hat as well, so that you lift the hat andwater bowl cover together, thus leaving the bowl onthe tray. ^ Z^i Z^

THE JAPANESE FAN TO VANISH AHANDKERCHIEF.

IN describing this little effect, I recall the fact thatsomething of the kind has been used before, butup to the present I have never seen a fan used invanishing a handkerchief. It will be seen in mymethod that there are no pulls,'' elastic or bodywork and the appliance is quite simple in construction.The effect is as follows:A Japanese fan (closed),a silk handkerchief is placed over the endthe fanis flung open (a la our Jap jugglers) and the handker-chief vanishes.


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 13Secret and Working.One end of the fan isfitted with a long box or extra side; this is of metal.^ is a small opening in the box for the handkerchief

to pass inside. A thread is fastened at 0, passedthrough a small eyelet at B down to the bottom of thebox through another hole and up through A^ where aloop is formed. The fan is first closed and the loopof thread pulled out at A. The silk handkerchief is

passed through the loop and laid over the end of thefan, the silk falling down at each side. If the fan isnow flung open with one hand the thread will draw thesilk into the fan. It will be seen that when the hand-kerchief is folded in half it must not be longer thanthe box or double side of the fan. The handkerchiefmust be small enough to pass right inside without anycorner showing out of A, This effect will work wellwith the handkerchief and decanter, handkerchief andsoup plate, or any other trick that requires the vanishof a silk handkerchief which is afterwards to be dis-covered elsewhere.


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14 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.

THE TOBACCO JAR AND PIPE.AN old fashioned tobacco jar, a longf clay pipe anda newspaper are the articles used in thisexperiment.A sheet from the newspaper is torn off and formedinto a cone, the tobacco from the jar is emptied intothe cone, the jar is shown empty and the lid placedon. The pipe is wrapped in another sheet of news-paper. The pipe vanishes from the paper, also thetobacco from the cone. The jar is opened, thetobacco has returned and the pipe is produced fromthe pocket.We will take the tobacco jar first. This is con-structed on the well-known reversible canister princi-ple, but is not quite so high as the stock article, thoughthe opening or mouth is much wider. It is paintedto look like china, in blue and white figures, andshould be made to represent an old fashioned tobaccojar as much as possible in order to carry out the ideaof the experiment.The newspaper', for vanishing the tobacco, is theold double sheet as used for vanishing a watch. Ithas been frequently described and can be purchasedat a conjuring depot ready made, but will look betterif made at home from a newspaperthe sheet is tornoff in order to form the cone.

The pipe that vanishes is constructed as follows :A wooden bowl is made with a f-inch stem, it is hollowand painted white all over to look like a clay pipe.Next, a strip of white paper is twisted up into a


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. ISminiature ** barber's pole and pushed into the hollowstem of the wooden pipe. Another very small stripis pasted around the join between the real stem andthe paper one. At the other end of the stem put adab of red paint ; most clay pipes have a red tip to themouthpiece.The working will now be fairly clear. The pipe,the jar and the newspaper rest on a tray and a dupli-

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i6 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.This is a good quick effect and can be worked up

in a number of different ways. One is to have theduplicate pipe under the sheet of paper that is tovanish the tobacco. The paper should be lifted upfrom the table with the pipe behind. If the paper isnow twisted into a cone the pipe will be in the coneproper, but (while forming the cone) the side isbrought over and the cone can be shown empty. Thetobacco can now be emptied as in the first experimentbut, in this case, the tobacco vanishes and the pipetakes its place.

Ziw ^ /^THE BUST OF THE HINDU AND MYSTICTURBAN.THE following series of tricks may not be new, butsubmitted in the following manner, will go wellwith any audience. The effects are as follows :

A bust of a Hindu with a turban of red silk isseen on the performer's table, or standing on a specialpedestal. The turban is first taken off and shownfull length. It is now doubled in the centre and cut,the ends are tied together and lighted from a candle.The hand is placed over the burnt knot and whentaken away the turban is seen whole again.

Effect No. 2, the hand is passed over the turbanand it changes colour.

Effect No. 3, the turban is placed around thehead of the Hindu again and fastened with a fancypin. A few passes are made over the bust when the


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 17turban rises off the head, floats upwards in the air,passes through a cardboard cylinder and comes out

at the top. Then a hoop is passed over the turban,the turban floats on to the hands of the performerand is replaced on the bust. It will be seen that thefollowing tricks are made use of, *' The Cut and


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i8 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.Restored Turban,'* ** The Colour Changing Handker-chief Through the Hand '' and the '' Floating Ball.''Method of Working and Construction.Thebust is best made of papiermache, about three-quarters life size. The bust is hollow, and within thehead and neck is a piston with a thin wire (paintedblack) as in Figs, i, 2 and 3. The wire fits into aslot in a wire framework to hold the turban in placewhen it is wound around the head. A thread fromthe piston passes to the assistant. It will now beclear that if the thread is pulled, up goes the wire(also frame and turban) about twelve inches or more.The background should be black or, better still, a darkoriental screen would add finish to the trick. Thetube or cylinder is standing on another table or chairwith a duplicate turban arranged in the same way asfor the floating ball (see Fig. 4). As soon as theoriginal turban passes inside the cylinder, and is takenoff the wire altogether, the piston can be let downinto the head, the other thread is manipulated andthe usual hoop passing gone through. The hoopshould be over the thread to start with. As so manymethods have been explained, it will be best for theperformer to arrange that which suits his own stylebest. I have, however, given an illustration of thestage arrangements for the floating turban, which Ithink will make everything clear.

Fig. 5 shows the construction of the first turban,for colour changing, also for the cut and restoredturban, and Fig. 6 shows the method of unwindingthe turban from the head, leaving the faked end laston the head, this being held in the right hand.


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 19I have found it best to use a much smaller turban

than in general use for the ** cut and restored/*especially for the colour change. It will be noted thatit is quite possible to cut out any portion of the trickthat the conditions of working will not allow, and ifthe thread method of the floating turban is not possible,only the first part with the wire rod could be used.The whole trick can be adapted to suit the performerand the conditions he is working under, but the effects,as above described, make a fine series of illusions.

THE VANISHING CANDLE, CANDLESTICKAND SHADE.THE following effect I worked out a few years ago.A somewhat similar effect has been describedin a magical journal (with a lamp), but it struckme as being too complicated for practical use.The effect. A candlestick with a candle and afancy shade vanishes without cover in the performer'shands.

Fig. I shows the candlestick complete, as seenby the audience. Fig. 2 shows the construction ofthe various parts. The whole affair is based on theprinciple of a little pocket noveltythe Cigar andFan.

It is rather difficult to describe in print, but ifthe illustrations are followed closely the workingshould be quite clear.


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20 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.The tube A is the candlestick, BB are tapes

fastened each side of A at the inside top; they bothtravel under and through the hollow candle C andup to the little tray which contains a small piece ofcandle. The tray slides within G and attached to theshade D. A cord is attached to the bottom of the

tray and passes through the candlestick ; it ends in aloop for the ** pull.'*

It will be seen that if the cord is pulled, the hollowcandle C, also the tray with the small piece of candleand the shade will all be drawn into A. The shadeturns upwards like an umbrella on a windy day, thefoot of the candlestick folds up against the sides, butit is stiff enough to keep from folding when the candle-


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. axstick is standing on the table. It can be made withwire and covered with silk, or from stiff paper, pleated,so that on pressure upwards it will fold against thecandlestick.

The ordinary sleeve pull should be used and theaction of this causes the foot or base to fold againstthe sides of A. The performer takes hold of thetapering part. The candle and shade vanish (into A)and the whole is taken up the sleeve.

If any difficulty is found in working out the effect,I would suggest one of the Cigar and Fan noveltiesbe purchased ; if the outside covering is cut from endto end and the cigar opened slightly, the whole con-struction will become quite clear.

THE WHEELBARROW AND FLOWERPRODUCTION.

'

I 'HE following apparatus will suit the comedy per- formerit is a good quick effect and could bewell worked with patter or in dumb show. Mysuggestion for working is as follows :The assistant, dressed as a gardener, or, if therebe a lady assistant, dressed as a land girl, comes onto the stage with an empty wheelbarrow, which isturned on its side to show that it is empty. It is thencovered for a second with a large cloth. On thecloth being removed the wheelbarrow is seen to befull of pots of flowers.


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22 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.Method and Construction.The illustrations

will, I think, convey everything. The wheelbarrowhas a double bottom, divided in the centre by two

flaps which fly up to the sides and expose the pots offlowers, which are of the well-known spring pot andfeather variety. Those used for production from alarge handkerchief will be found the best.

While the cloth is held in front of the wheelbarrow,the assistant, at the handle, releases the bolt, the twoflaps fly upwards to the sides of the wheelbarrow,the pots expand, the feather flowers fly up straight,


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 23and on the performer taking away the cloth, thewheelbarrow is discovered full of blooms ** all a-blowing and a-growing.

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ANOTHER CHINESE HAT TRICK.THIS little trick is quite easy to construct andwith patter written around a story of aMandarin's hat would make a nice effect for thedrawing-room entertainer.

In effect, a glass box is shown empty, coveredwith a handkerchief and placed on a table or chair.The performer next shows the Chinese hat, and holdingit by the tassel, throws the hat in the direction of theglass box ; the hat suddenly vanishes. The handker-chief is taken off the glass box and the hat is foundinside ; it can be taken out and shown all around.We will first take the construction of the glassbox and the hat that is to appear in it. The box isconstructed in the same manner as the old ball andglass casket; this is shown in Fig. i. A is 3. sheetof glass in a metal frame, this is hinged and swingsdown to the back of the box ; when the glass flap is atthe top it is held in position by a catch in front ofthe box, B,

The hat is constructed as in Fig. 2. A disc ofcardboard, or thin metal, forms the inside of thecrown of the hat, a spiral spring is attached to thedisc at A and the other end of the spring at C (thisrepresents a rather thick rim to the hat). It will be


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M MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.seen that if pressure be applied to the crown of thehat it can be pressed flat, but will spring back whenreleased.

HAT COCv^PRe:55ED

To set the box, the glass flap is brought up andengaged in the catch. The hat is pressed flat on tothe glass flap and the lid shut down. To all appear-ances the box is empty and can be seen right through.The hat that vanishes is constructed as follows :A (Fig. 3) is a wooden shape which the hat just fits


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 25over. i4i is a short stiff wire. The hat is made ofsilk and is very thin. The dotted lines at B representthin wires which are just sufficient to keep the hatfrom collapsing without the wooden shape. By theside of the tassel of the hat is a small hole for the wire,Aiy Fig. 3, to pass through. This will allow the hatand wooden shape to be lifted together by takinghold of the tassel and the wire together. The tasselhas also a ring which is to attach the '* pull.'' Thetable is provided with a black art well that will takethe wooden shape.

In working the effect, the spring hat is loaded inthe glass box as described above and placed on thetable. The hat for vanishing with the wooden shapeand the wire (through the hole in the hat) is placed ontop of the glass box, the black art well should be atthe back of the box.

The hat is first exhibited and, to show that thebox can be seen through, the hat is held for a momentat the back of the glass box and over the black artwell. The wire through the hat is released, thewooden shape goes down the well leaving the hatwith the thin wire just to hold the hat in shape. Thehat is carefully placed at the side of the box. Thebox is now shown and covered with the handkerchiefand the catch released. The spring hat now fills thebox under cover of the handkerchief, which should beplaced back on the table. A sleeve ** pull is attachedto the ring in the tassel of the hat in the act of takingit in the hand. At the right moment the hat is vanishedup the sleeve. The handkerchief is taken off the boxand the hat produced.


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^^ MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.It would be quite possible to do away with the

wooden shape, but I think the extra trouble of theshape adds considerably to the effect of the trick.The shape should be just heavy enough to slip out ofthe hat. In my own case the sides are made ofcardboard, but the circular top or crown is made ofwood. When using the shape as above, the hat canbe handled quite freely, which, to my mind, greatlyadds to the effect.

A NEW WATER BOWL PRODUCTION TABLE.IT has often occurred to me that, from the point ofview of the audience, in the production of a bowlof water the conjurer's table played too prominenta part ; that is to say, that the bowl was somewherein the table. Every performer that I have seen presentthis effect simply covered the table and produced thebowl, or bent his arm under the production cloth withthe idea that it looked like '' something ** that wasgoing to be produced. I am quite sure that an averageaudience would know quite well that it was only hisarm. Many descriptions of improved methods havebeen published, such as a wire circle the same size asthe top of the bowl concealed behind the chair or underthe performer's coat ; also a wet sponge attached, whichthe performer gives a squeeze as he approaches thetable. With a little extra trouble, as here described,the trick is very effective.


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 27The table has no drapery, but it takes the formof an open narrow box. Fig. i shows the front view

before production and as it appears to the audience.Fig. 2 gives a front view showing the mirrors A. A.

to reflect the sides of the box top, which is simplythe old ** Protens cabinet in a different form. Fig. 3shows a sectional side view ; it also shows bowl inpositionhalf in the table and half on a small servantebehind.


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a8 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.Before giving my suggestion for working the trick,

I should like to point out the kind of bowl that wouldmake the trick most effective ; I refer to the floatingflower bowls now being sold for table decoration, anda few floating flowers to go with it. The medium sizebowl would be the best to use, and many pretty designscan be had. The suggested manner of presenting thetrick is as follows :A disc of cardboard of the same size as the topof bowl ; if the medium size is used, as above, it willnot be too heavy to lift with one hand. The disc ofcardboard is concealed under the performer's coat,the elbow keeping it in place. A large handkerchiefis shown on both sides, and, under cover of this, thedisc of cardboard is taken from under the coat andplaced under the handkerchief. The cardboard takesthe form of the top of the bowl. In carrying it to thetable, both hands should be placed under the handker-chief ; the performer lowers the handkerchief and discover table. It is then that the right hand, under coverof the handkerchief, introduces the bowl of water.The fingers of the right hand grasp the bowl at theside and, with the least possible movement of the arm,the bowl is lifted on to the table. As soon as thehandkerchief and cardboard disc reach the top of thebowl, the right hand can grasp the handkerchief anddraw it back off the bowl ; at the same time the card-board disc is dropped on to the ** servante.*'

If worked as above we have a complete illusion,but it requires study and some practice to get the besteffect. A A iCJw


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 29

THE BOOKS FOR VANISHING SMALLARTICLES.

THIS is a useful addition to the conjurer's stock ofaccessories. Two books are on the performer'stable, and they contain black art wells. If only abilliard ball or thimble is to be produced or vanished,one book will be found deep enough; but if a larperobject is to be used, the two books will be found the

net

bestFig. I. The books in the drawing, as will beseen, are not placed evenly over one another, but justas though they had been put on the performer's tableto carelessly show off some piece of apparatus. Thebooks are simply made from cardboard, decorated tolook like the real article, with a design to conceal theblack art wells.Another method of making, and perhaps the best,is to take an ordinary book of the desired size, glueall the pages together, then cut out your traps, coverthe book with black velvet and run your design withorange ribbon. The wells could be made like cylinders,


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30 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.with a flange at the top covered with orange ribbon ;the cylinders could be just dropped into the book orbooks as required.

If the reader has some knowledge of the differentideas that are worked with the well-known black arttables, it will be found that the ** books are veryuseful for the drawing-room work.

^BLACK ART CUSHIONS.

THE following idea is an adaptation of the sameprinciple as applied to books. Fig. i shows thecushion covered with black velvet, with the usual designto hide the openings, as in the black art tables. Fig. 2shows the appliance in position on a chair. Thecushion, it should be noted, is tilted back so that whenworking at close quarters the light will not fall directlyon the velvet covering. Any palmed article can bedropped in the well when one passes the chair. Pro-ductions can also be made by having wire loopsattached to the loads.

This is an easy hat-loading method. After pro-ducing a few handkerchiefs, lay them over the backof the chair with the left hand, while the right holdsthe hat. The thumb passes through the loop of theload concealed in the cushion. The load is broughtaway and dropped into the hatFig. 3.A further idea, for drawing-room work, is to havethe cushion made with slits, these being concealed by


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 31the design. For handkerchief production, the silks tobe produced should have fine wire loops attached ; thehandkerchiefs are tucked in the slits and the wire loopsprotrude. You commence by producing a few hand-

kerchiefs and place over the chair back ; while so doing,a few drop on the cushion. In picking up the silks,those in the cushion are brought away and produced indue course. This accessory should be of value for anumber of stock tricks, such as the vanishing wand,and vanishing glass of water.

/S

THE DETACHABLE SLEEVE AND PULLCOMBINED.

MANY performers make use of the detachablesleeve. The dress coat has short sleeves, orwith the ordinary coat the sleeves are tucked up. Overthese go the false sleeves, and after the opening patterthey are removed.


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3^ MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.This idea will be found useful; we will say thatthe first trick is the vanishing handkerchief from a

glass cylinder. After the vanish, the sleeve can beremoved and with it the pull and silks, leaving you freefor the rest of your programme.

^>tjW nG.2The spring vanisher will be the best to use, and

Figs. I and 2 show a thin metal plate, about 2in. wide,reaching from wrist to elbow. This is fastened onthe inside of the right arm sleeve and on the sidenearest to the body (Fig. 2). It is well to sew a pieceof material over the whole metal plate and spring pull,thus forming a kind of double sleeve.

It will be seen that, if arranged as above and con-structed as in the drawings, worked as an openingtrick, it will leave you quite free to carry on with yourprogramme. I may mention that it is as well to havethe false sleeves to fit rather tightly at the shouldersso that the sleeves do not get out of place while workingthe vanish. The metal plate cannot interfere with yourmovements, but it must not go beyond the elbow.


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TABLES AND STAGE SETTINGS FORMAGICIANS.

IN the following pages I give a few suggestions fornovel designs of tables and stage settings. Weget away from the usual gaspipes and music standsthat every f>erformer seems to think he must have tobe a conjurer.

If a little trouble is taken, many very pretty designscan be made use of for tables. In passing shopwindows, very often some novel design for a table orsetting may be found and notes of them should bemade. The great difficulty to get over in any noveldesign table is the method of folding, also to get itlight and firm when set up and convenient for travellingwhen folded up.

The table I am about to describe will, I think, befound to be artistic and practical and meet the require-ments of the most fastidious performer.

THE NOVEL SNAKE TABLE.Fig. I shows the table set up ready for use. The

design represents a cobra, and on the ** hood ** reststhe table top. Fig. 2 shows the table in pieces forpacking. A black art well can be made use of byhaving the pocket at the back of the ** hood of thesnake. It is best to have the table made of papier-mache by a theatrical property maker. The topshould be of wood (A), and made to screw on to the


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34 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.hood of the snake (B). The screw that protrudes fromthe ** hood should be of wood and must run rightdown the snake and end in another thread so that itcan be screwed into C.

The form of the snake in papier-mache should bemoulded round this wooden rod (with the screw atboth ends).

f

FIG. I

The entire table could be made of wood, but thebest way is to have it moulded as described above,as it would be much lighter for travelling. Thefinishing and painting of the table could be left to theartist that makes it. A good bronze-gold and varnish,to prevent tarnishing, looks well. Two such tableswould make a very effective stage setting.


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THE NOVEL BACK SCREEN AND TABLECOMBINED.

1HAVE always found, in presenting a performanceon the concert stage, that the majority of TownHalls, etc., do not have a drop curtain. If you carrytwo or three tables and have to find a temporaryassistant to bring them on, it is generally found thatthey are not in the right position, and it does not addto the entertainment, after your entrance, to re-arrangeyour tables. To get them in the required position setme thinking, and I have devised the following screenand table combined. Fig. i shows the idea set up^it will be seen that it takes the form of a centre tableattached to a screen. The principal parts are shownin Fig. 2 : A.A. A. A. are bamboo rods jointed, withmetal sockets so as to be light and easy to pack. Bis a wooden batten for the table or tables to be attached.C.C. are sockets for table to fit into. Fig. 2 : A.shows a side view of table and fixing arrangementattached. D is the hinge of batten, arranged forfolding. The base of the stand can be of wood ormetal ; it is bolted through in the same way as thebottom bar of the stand. E.F. are castors or smallwheels so that the whole screen can be pushed on tothe stage- By having a lever attached (a la the largestudio camera stands) to each of the small castors, agrip is afforded on to the stage which prevents anymovement of the screen when once it is set in place.

Details of the lever are shown in Fig. 3. Two


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36 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.small tables can be used in place of one large one,which would leave the centre part of the screen open.

SUWiEQTION FOR3MALUER TA ie

RG3It also can be made a small light affair suggested

in Fig. 4. Curtains should be hung on the top barof the framework, and many performers would like to


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 37make use of dark velvet for working some of the well-known black art effects on a small scale.

I have not given measurements of the screen,which, I think, may be safely left to the individual per-former. ^ ^ Z\

ANOTHER NOVEL SIDE TABLE.'T^HE idea suggested itself while viewing some* Japanese antiques. It seemed so good that Iat once set to work to imitate the genuine article forone that would be of use to the magician.

FlG.e

The original table, or flower stand, was constructedout of metal and was quite heavy, but the design struckme as being a unique idea for the conjurer that likesto have a setting somewhat different from the usual


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38 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.music-stand tables, and at the same time light andportable.The figure of an animal forms the base with apedestal fixed to the centre of its back, as in Fig. i.The animal in the original was some fantasticaloriental beast. It was painted old gold all over, andhad a very novel and fine appearance. The one Idevised was as follows :^The base was an elephantmade from light wood. It stands on a flat piece ofwood, and in the middle of its back is a screw holeto take the pedestal. The illustrations, I think, willmake the idea quite clear without describing it in detail.The whole affair was painted in old gold, and with asmall cloth of scarlet, with a gold border and tasselsat the corners, it made a fine **prop.**A good wood worker will be able to construct thetable, and it is not so expensive as it may appear at afirst glance. My suggestion is to have two made asside tables with a centre table between them. Theconjurer would then have a most novel setting for amagical performance.


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 39A NOVEL IDEA FOR A SMALL STAGE

SETTING.A QUITE simple, and at the same time, effectivestage setting for a small show can be made inthe following way :Your centre table is flanked withtwo giant candlesticks and candles as in Fig. i, whichshows one set up. Protruding from the candlestickare two rods to hold handkerchiefs, etc.

R3 CANDLEB.A.WE\.U

It will be seen (as Fig. 2) that the part of thecandlestick where the candle fits has a decorated flangeor ridge (the same as in the ordinary size candlestick)to keep the melted wax from running down. It is here


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40 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.that a black art well is concealed, and it can be madeuse of for a very effective handkerchief production.The working is as follows :A few pleated handkerchiefs are tied by a thread,and a fine stiff wire loop is attached. This is now placeddown the well with the loop of wire pointing straightup. Now, standing on the left side of the audience,you take a sheet of tissue paper (which could be overone of the rods) and fold it longways so that it is aboutthe length from the candle flame to the loop of wire.The paper is held in the right hand, and as the paperis lighted, the thumb of the left hand (the back of thehand towards the audience) passes through the wire loopwith an upward movement and takes away withit the handkerchiefs. The paper, which should be nowwell alight, is passed to the left hand ; the right handis shown empty, the two hands are placed palm topalm, and the handkerchiefs worked out. It is a veryeasy production and very effective. One handkerchiefcan be permanently attached to the rod and it will hidea ** servante'' for further handkerchief productions ifdesired.

The construction of the giant candlestick is shownin Fig. II. The bowl-shaped base will be found veryfirm ; the whole thing is very simple to make, and itshould be of wood. As to the giant candle itself, ametal tube painted white with a tray at the top forholding a small piece of candle is all that is needed.Two of the giant candlesticks and a centre table makea most useful and pretty setting for a small act. Thetotal height should be 3ft. 6in.


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 41THE CLAY MODEL.

THIS little interlude does not really come under theheading of a conjuring experiment, but is, atthe same time, an effective item in a magical entertain-


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42 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.the necessary practice to the art of rapid cHy model-ling. The following idea is quite easy as far as themodelling goes, but requires attention to details andshowmanship to make it effective.A pedestal about ten inches high is standing onthe performer's table. The performer takes somemodelling clay and, placing it on top of the pedestal,proceeds to model a bust of some well-known celebrity.The bust, when finished, is quite small, standing abouteight inches highsee Fig. i. This effect would bequite suitable for a drawing room or concert stage.The modelling is simply bluff on the part of theperformer ; the construction of the apparatus is clearlyshown in the illustration. The pedestal is hollow asin Fig. 2 ; within the column is a platform capable ofbeing moved up and down the interior. The openingat the top of the pedestal has a simple sliding trap asshown in Fig. 3. This trap has a knob on top so thatit can be drawn back when required. The pedestalshould be painted black and gold and the design shouldconceal the sliding trap on the |>edestal top. Sufficientspace should be made on the pedestal top to allow theclay to be heapyed up in front of the trap so as not tointerfere with its working. The platform has a knob ;this passes through a slit which runs down the column,so that by sliding the hand up the column, the platformwill rise to the surface of the p>edstal. The inside ofthe pedestal, at the top, has two catches to hold theplatform when it is flush, thus preventing the platformfrom sliding back. The bust, about Sin. high, is madeof papier-mache, and at the back lower portion it ishollow.


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 43The working is as follows :The bust is placedin the hollow column and the sliding trap is closed.A few tools, used for modelling, are placed near theknob of the sliding trap. The pverformer takes a

quantity of clay, places it on the pedestal top andmakes a mound in front of the trap, as in Fig. 4.The performer now places his hand at the rear of thepedestal for the tools, and at the same time opens thesliding trap. While kneading the clay at the base^one hand slides up the column, bringing the bust tothe top of the pvedestal under cover of the mound ofclay. Both hands are now used, and the clay is pushedall round the bust, pressing the clay as much as pos-sible around to the rear of the bust, pulling it down-wards and hiding it in the hollow at the base. Theidea of this is that when the bust is finished, the claythat was used will not be visible. It would looksuspicious to finish up with as much clay as thej>erformer started with.

Modelling materials can be bought at any artists'stores ; also clay in grey and terracotta, and modellingpaste and modelling wax in both grey and red. Ofcourse, the papier-mache bust should match whatevercolour is used. I would suggest that the performershould wear gloves while modelling the bust, in orderto keep his hands clean for any experiments that mayfollow.

^


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44 MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS.(The following two effects are reprinted from theMagic Wand).A NOVEL HAT LOADING APPLIANCE.

INconnection with production from a hat, there isalways a certain difficulty in the introduction of

the first load. The appliance here described is designedto obviate this.

The first thing required is an electric torch, ofrather large size, cylinder shape (about 6ins. long).Now make a cardboard tube, 3ins. long, to fit tightlyover the bottom of the torch. The bottom of this tube,


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MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS. 45B, should have a band of silver paper stuck on so as tomake it look like the real torch. Next we have an innertube, C, about 2ins. long, that will slide into B. Chas a bottom, covered with silver paper to match theband of B ; inside C is a small loop of tape. A largesilk flag is attached to the tape by the centre. Theflag is now pushed into C and a few silks may beadded on top. C is now pushed into B.In holding the torch, the little finger of the lefthand is kept at the bottom and under C. Show thehat empty, and with the aid of the torch illuminatethe inside, then turn the hat mouth upwards, also thetorch ; this will bring the bottom of the torch over thehat ; remove the little finger from C, and the loadwill fall into the hat.

THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE HATS ANDFLOWERS,

THE effect of this novelty is as follows : Three closedopera hats are shown and sprung open ; one hatis red, one white and the other blue. They are placedon three small stands, or held by assistants. Fromthe red hat a pot of red flowers is produced, largerthan the hat itself, a pot of white from the white hat,and blue from the blue hat.The three hats are Individually unprepared, butyou require three duplicate name labels, similar tothose found on the inside crowns of the opera hats.These extra labels are gummed on cardboard of the


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THE MAGIC WANDAnd Magical Review.A large Quarterly Magazine submitting the best in Magic.FAMOUS THE WORLD OVER.

Annual Subscription 15/- post free.Specimen copies 3/6, by post 3/9.On sale everywheremay he obtained, post free, at the above ratesfrom the publisher.

The Magic Wand and Magical Review contains a list of new andalso rare second hand books in every issue.

CONJURING for CONNOISSEURS.By BERNARD CARTON.

32 pages. 17 Magical Effects. 17 Illustrations.In wrappers i/i post free.

THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CONJURING.By SIDNEY W. CLARKE and ADOLPHE BLIND.

By far the most comprehensive list yet published of printed booksand pamphlets dealing with Conjuring and allied arts.In stout boards 5/-, by post 5/3.

CONJURER'S TALES.By GEORGE JOHNSON.

A book of interesting stories relating to Magic and Magicians.Cloth bound 1/6, by post 1/8.

GEORGE clOHNSON,THE MAGIC WAND OFFICE,24, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.2.

LEWES PRESS, LTD., HIGH STREET, LEWES.


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