Italian Dressing
I have
already told You that I like Oil & Water routines.
As a matter of fact, I collect them.
This
routine has been in my repertoire since 1977
(how time flies!). It is strong in impact and
it's one of my all-time favorite effects. It
is a nice lead in for the Nice Salad
trick which you'll find on page 83 in this book.
Do the Italian Dressing and then, for
an encore, perform the Nice Salad (wine,
anyone?).
Effect
As for the standard routine, the red and black
cards are alternated and then they separate.
At the end, when you separate them they mix
back together!
Performance
Take out a packet of nine face down cards (the
audience should be aware of only eight) placed
in the following order from top down: one black
spot card, four red spot cards and four black
spot cards (choose a combination of Eights,
Sixes and Nines). Leave the deck aside, you
do not need it. Explain that oil and water never
mix in nature (although, because of the name
Italian Dressing, I say oil and vinegar)
and that the same thing happens with the colors
of the cards.
Keep
the packet face up in the left hand. Spread
the cards between the hands, keeping the last
two as one, and show four black cards followed
by four red. Square and turn the packet face
down in the left hand. Deal the top three cards
face down onto the table at the right side,
one after the other, so that you reverse their
order. Turn over the fourth, dealing it face
up onto the three face down cards. Turn the
left hand cards face up and fan them keeping
the last two as one, showing four black cards.
Square and turn the packet face down in the
left hand.
The right
hand takes the face up red card and places it
face down on the table, starting a new pile.
Take the top card of the left hand packet and
place it onto the tabled red card. The right
hand takes the next card from the 'red' packet
and places it face down onto the two cards.
Then the right hand takes the new top card of
the left hand packet and deals it onto the three
tabled cards. Take the next card from the 'red'
packet, the next from the left hand, the last
from the 'red' packet and then the last two
as one which are dropped on top of all.
Pick
up the packet and place it face down in the
left hand. Deal the top four cards one after
the other, reversing their order, onto the table.
Leave the other cards aside. Pick up the previously
dealt packet and turn it face up. With the same
grip and count as for the Elmsley
Count (but without doing it) show four
black cards and then place them onto the table
slightly spread so that the audience can see
that they are really four black cards.
Pick
up the other packet and turn it face up. Perform
an Elmsley Count showing four red cards. Fan the cards keeping
the last two as one to really show four red
cards! Square the packet and with these face
up cards, scoop up the other packet (the four
black cards) by singly sliding the red cards
below the tabled packet and picking it up face
down in the left hand.
Deal
the top four cards onto the table, one after
the other. Turn the last card dealt face up
(red) and repeat the first phase except that
after the Elmsley Count,
keep the red packet in the left hand, face up.
Grip it from above with the right hand and with
the left thumb peel off the top red card into
the left hand. Do the same with the next card
and then with the third. Leave the other two
cards as one on top but secure a left little
finger break below them
Place
a black card FACE UP in the center of the table.
Onto this card place the top two cards as one
(face up) as one of the 'red' packet. On top
place a black card, then a red, then a black
and so on until the end. You have apparently,
openly and clearly, separated the red and black
cards. Pick up the packet, square it and fan
it again keeping the last two as one, showing
the red and black cards clearly alternated.
Square and turn the cards face down.
Deal
the top four cards onto the table, one after
the other, so that their order is reversed.
Leave the other packet aside. Pick up the dealt
packet and turn it face up. Perform an Elmsley
Count showing four black cards. At the
end of the count, casually bring the top two
cards to the bottom. Leave the packet on the
table, face up.
 You will realize that you do not need to show the other packet
because the effect at this point is so strong
and the audience is completely convinced because
of the impossibility of the separation. However,
I proceed as follows using the Olram
Count by Ed Marlo:
Pick up the other packet and take it face down
in the left hand. Take the top card into the
right hand and turn the two hands palm down
showing two red cards (figure 1).
Turn the hands palm up again and deal the right
hand card onto the table followed immediately
by dealing the TOP card of the left hand packet.
Without pausing, the right hand takes the top
card of the left hand packet and then the two
hands turn again palm down to show two more
red cards (the left hand keeping the two cards
as one). Bring the hands palm up again and place
the right hand card onto the two cards in the
left hand. Finish by placing the three cards
onto the two tabled ones.
Pick
up the packet and drop it face up onto the black
cards. Say,"... but if I shake the cards,
just for a moment, the oil and water will mix!"
Shake the cards, fan them face up keeping the
last two as one, and show all the colors mixed.
This is a killer! Place the packet onto the
deck and you are done.
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