A
Tribute to Jaks
This
is an effect I use to use for walk around. If
you are interested in a Dr. Jaks type effect
that uses a very beautiful looking prop, read
on.
I'm not
going to give you my exact patter but this is
how the effect usually looks:
Performer
starts out. "I have been reading thoughts since
the age of 16. I never knew why I started using
my abilities to entertain, but recently I my
mother told me something interesting. She asked
me if I knew who Joseph Dunninger was. Of course
I did, you see, Joseph Dunninger was and is
my idol.
He is
the first psychic entertainer to take the stage
alone. In his time he was the second best known
voice on radio, the other was Theodore Roosevelt.
Well my mom told me that when I was very young,
about two years old, she and I met Joseph Dunninger
at one of his live tapings. My mom said, that
a few weeks later, on my birthday, the most
amazing thing happened, Joseph Dunninger showed
up on my doorstep. He did not come in but handed
my mom a package. His parting words were "Your
son will some day be the most famous thought
reader on the face of the earth. When he is
old enough to understand, give him this package."
Of course mom opened it and found this brass
card case inside with these three symbol cards.
Now I don't know if it was because my subconscious
that remembered meeting Dunninger or if it is
just coincidence but I do know that these cards
have a strange effect upon me. Let me show you.
With
that, the mentalist shows the five ESP cards
or symbol cards or Tarot cards or playing cards
or ....... He tells the spectator that he is
to mix them face down, then place one inside
the brass case without looking at it or the
other cards. The other cards are to be placed
in a pile on the table. The case is then to
be held by the spectator by a gold chain and
swung back and forth. The mentalist turns around,
slips the other cards inside a leather case
and stares at the swinging case. He then secretly
draws a symbol on a pad. Turns to another spectator
and asks "name a symbol out of * * * * * . (
naming the five symbols). DO you know why you
said that? I will tell you why! You chose that
symbol because that is exactly what I drew.
Even more amazing, I am sure that is the symbol
in the case.
The case
is opened and sure enough inside is the drawn
symbol.
Method:
Before I tell you the method I must describe
the working on the case. It is a brass business
card case. Have your initials engraved since
Dunninger was a mind reader and it was a gift
to you or you could have his initials, J.D.
These cases are available at any engravers shop
for around $15 or you can find them at the dollar
store for a buck. Now you will need a gold chain
with a large ring (not huge, just large enough
to stop it going through the hole you are going
to drill in on of the ends of the case.) Now
drill a hole in the end of the case just large
enough for the chain to go through. When you
start the effect the chain should be inside
the case, you pull on the small wire ring or
bead on the outside to pull the chain into swinging
position.
These
brass business card cases always come with a
small slipcover. You will use this slipcover
for the case and the symbol cards. These cards
are edge marked. They should be edge marked
on both long edges. This means to take a pen
and put a mark on the edge. It will not be seen
unless you know what to look for. If you do
not know how to edge mark a card, email me!
You will only have to edge mark four cards.
Now if
you follow the routine you will find it easy
to know which card has been removed, all you
have to do is pick up the pile and look at the
edge as you place them 'fairly' into the slipcover.
Nothing could be simpler.
What about the other spectator
getting the symbol you ask? Two things from
my 'Psychological Subtleties' posting come into
play here. One a voice force and two the fact
that if you make it obvious the spectator will
pencil read what you write, usually without
realizing it. If he does not, all you have to
do is show your symbol as you say, "You said
** I say it is a ** Let's see" then when the
symbol is shown you end with "that is why I
am the performer" or some such.
Banachek
http://www.mentalist.com/
